Have I mentioned that I think our new apartment is haunted?  Because I do.  The guest bedroom gives me bad vibes.  I don’t know why, there’s nothing scary in there.  I hate even going to the bathroom at night because it’s right next to the guest bedroom.  I realize I’m a big pansy, but that room creeps me out.

One day while Mr. W and I were unpacking boxes in the guest bedroom, I went for one of my boxes and saw a cd laying inside on top of everything.  I don’t own any CDs [they've all been copied into my computer and then sold or given away] so I knew it wasn’t mine.  When I asked Mr. W, he said he’d never seen that CD before.  Neither of us recognized the band [and I don't remember it now].  I opened the case and there was no disc inside.  Very strange.  I threw it out.

A couple days later Mr. W noticed a tiny remote stuck in a small statue on top of the TV.  He says he must have put the statue there with the remote stuck in, not noticing, but I really don’t think it was like that before.

And I’ve been having bad dreams every night [probably because I'm creeping myself out.]  Last night I dreamed that I worked in a bar as a waitress.  I had lots of guy friends and admirers, but there was this one guy that was super creepy and started following me around.  I don’t remember much, but somehow I found out that he was a psycho stalker of the “If I can’t have her, no one can” variety.  He comes to the bar, and I *know* that this is the day when he’s going to try to hurt me.  When he’s distracted I take off running.  The bar is apparently in the middle of a huge prairie, so there aren’t many options on hiding spots.  A friend of mine has a minivan parked right next to the creepy psycho stalker’s motorcycle [with a super loud engine] and I jump in the minivan and hide between some seats.  I figure that when people are in these sorts of situations in movies they take off running and are caught.  No one ever thinks to hide super close.  The stalker realizes I’m gone, gets on his bike, and speeds off in pursuit.  I wake up.

I think, “whoo!  escaped that one!” before falling back asleep.  Totally new dream in which Mr. W and I are driving around a nice suburban neighborhood looking at houses that are for sale.  We look through one and get back in the car as the stalker rides by on his motorcycle.  I tell Mr. W to get the hell out of there.  He seems to know who this stalker guy is and doesn’t ask questions.  I’m hoping the stalker didn’t see me, but he turns around and begins to follow us.  Mr. W speeds up and is trying to lose the guy in this residential neighborhood and I wake up to the sound of my alarm.

Teri’s Current Ghost Theory: My apartment is haunted by a man who used to ride a motorcycle, had an eclectic music selection, a penchant for tiny remotes, and is able to affect my dreams.  Oh, and has both fallen in love with and wants to kill me.

The Ghosthunters TV show has me thinking I need to purchase some infrared thingamabobs and EMP whatsydosits.  However, the Paranormal Activity movie would suggest that acknowledging the spirit will make it more powerful, inevitably possessing me and causing me to kill others [sorry if I spoiled anything].  So which is it?  Paranormal Activity had a bigger budget and special effects, but I really like those Ghosthunter guys.  I’m so torn.

In 2007, MyLadyTeri resolves to…

Apply for a new theatre.
Take elementalamber swing.
Get back in contact with some old midori sours.
Give some broadway musicals to charity.
Connect with my inner men.
Give up jesus.

Get your own New Year’s Resolutions:

The first two were eh, I started chuckling at three and four, but that last one…hilarious.

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I don’t know why, but I’ve been creeped out all night. I went through the kitchen to the restaurant to get a credit card settlement, and the entire time I was in there I felt like someone was watching me. I near-jogged back to the front desk when I was finished, feeling very much as though I were being followed.

I then went to the dark offices to check the printer paper and none of the lights worked. I flipped several different switches to no avail. Creepy.

Next I went to the bar and second restaurant for a credit card settlement. All was quiet and I walked through to the next room where the credit card machine is. I did my thing, and came back to the bar to hear an old country western song playing on the jukebox. Now I know that sometimes jukeboxes will randomly play music, but I’ve worked in this hotel for a little over a year and it’s the first time I’ve ever heard ours do that.

Maybe it all has something to do with this:
*Room 754 — Andrea received a call from this room. There was no one on the other end, but she heard a lot of weird static and banging noises. That entire floor was closed and so she sent Security to the room to check it out. Security went to the room and reported back that it was empty. As he was leaving, he noticed the room next to it had it’s door wide open. Security went to close the door and the door wouldn’t move as if something were keeping it in place. Security left it alone. (recounted by Security and Andrea)

(Mary, I thought of you when they told me. Hope you liked it!)

*Room 333 -  A guest called down stating that they had just turned the lights off to go to bed.  They had left the bathroom door half open.  Moments after getting into bed the bathroom door slammed shut with a loud bang.  They got up and checked the bathroom and noticed a small crawlspace in the ceiling.  Afraid that someone descended into their bathroom through the crawlspace, they called for Security to come and check out the room.  Security goes up and opens the crawlspace to reveal a tiny space giving access to water pipes.  No person would fit.  Plus a lot of dust came down and made a mess on the floor, indicating it hadn’t been disturbed in a while (or at least if it had there would be a mess on the floor before, which there wasn’t).  Security said the bathroom door stuck in the jamb and a lot of force would have been required to slam it completely shut.  There is no open windows or draft in the room.  (recounted by guest and Security) 

So I was looking over my recent posts and realized that every post since the end of July has been a picture post of some sort.  Ya’ll are probably like, “Geez Teri—stop with the pictures!!”  Okay.  

It’s been a little while, but yes, it’s that time again—
*Room 475 — A guest was checked into this room and couldn’t get their keys to work in the door.  A manager and Marty the engineer went up to the room to get them inside.  Marty is working the lock, when a woman’s voice from within the room says, “Come on in, it’s open.”  Marty is startled, but opens the door.  All lights are off–the room is deserted.  Both Marty and the manager swear they both heard the woman’s voice, as did the guests.  After checking out the room and verifying there was no one in there, the guests checked themselves out and stayed in a different hotel.

*There have also been random sightings of the little boy I’ve mentioned before.  In the past two weeks or so I’ve heard that he was spotted ducking around a corner on 12 north, ran through the kitchens past a waiter and disappeared, and ran through a locked gate at another waiter.  Every time this boy has been spotted it’s the same description: old fashioned short pants and a brown and white striped shirt.  And the boy is always running.  

Also these ghost psychics or whatever came to the hotel last week and poked around.  According to one lady (who had some sort of metal ghost sticks) a rape and/or murder happened in one corner of the Florentine Room (the haunted room Paige and I were dared to spend an hour in (and did)). 

I am told that you’ll never see anything if you’re trying to see something.  If this is true, then I shall never see anything, because the only time I have a chance to go into these “supernatural hot spots” is when I’m on the lookout.  It’s a pretty convenient rule, if you ask me.

—

Max Barry mentioned something in his most recent blog that I just wanted to pass along.  Apparently getting tattoos of company brand names is becoming a cool thing.  Why, I don’t know, but Barry specifically mentions this guy who recently got a Polo pony logo tattooed above his left nipple.  

Barry says: Now, I don’t want to come right out and say that Pete is the low point of human civilization—I mean, there was Hitler. But looking at that photo… gee, it’s a tough call.

Apparently Pete made his choice while waiting in line at the tattoo parlor. This reinforces my belief that it’s always a mistake to try to execute a plan before you’ve thought of one. I mean, if Pete had woken one morning and thought, “Yes, I want to create permanent, physical evidence that I’m so desperate to find an identity that I’m willing to suck at the watery brand image run-off of

P.R. companies and marketing consultants,” that would be one thing. A disturbing thing, sure. But at least you could admire the fact that he had a vision and carried it out. But that is not what Pete did. Pete decided, “I want to permanently mark my skin with… oh, whatever. I’ll think of something when I get there.”

According to the article, logo tattoos are getting more popular. And “requests range from Chanel and Gucci to Windows and PlayStation.”

Chanel and Gucci I understand, even if it’s a little like calling your daughter Porsche. But PlayStation? If you’re getting a logo tattoo, don’t you perhaps want to avoid products that will be obsolete this time next year? And Windows! Windows, the McDonald’s of technology! Why not just tattoo “I don’t know that much about computers” on yourself? Any self-respecting computer geek who saw someone with a Windows tattoo would fall about laughing. And then punch them in the face. Which is really saying something, because we are not a violent people.

*Florentine Room, 5:30am 6/7/06 — (Yes, the room Paige and I sat in for an hour to earn ten bucks)  Marty was walking through the room, checking the air conditioning unit.  He is using a flashlight because all the lights are off.  He hears these creaking footsteps behind him.  He swings his flashlight in the direction of the footsteps which stop abruptly.  He waits a couple seconds and then continues walking through the room.  The footsteps start again and speed up, coming toward him.  Marty…uh…leaves quickly.  (recounted by Marty)

Also we have some ghost hunters in the hotel tonight.  They’re with Chicago Haunted Tours and apparently there’s some “Ghost Psychic” among them.  He went into the Florentine room and said he could, “definitely feel a presence.”  They’re staying up on 12-North tonight.  I don’t know of anything particularly remarkable about their room, other than it’s next door to the supposed Moaning Woman, who broke her neck and died in the bathroom years ago.  Perhaps there will be some interesting stories when I come in to work tomorrow.

I choose to believe there is a ghost in room 905.  Every couple of weeks, for like a one or two day period when the room is vacant, it calls us.  When you pick up, the line is all static-y and eventually disconnects.  Since I came on two hours ago, we’ve had five phone calls from 905.  Security has also had at least as many.  I need to find out if 905 calls during other shifts or if it’s just the night shift.  But like I said, it’s fun to think it’s a ghost.  Perhaps I’ll name it Frank and greet it by name the next time it calls.