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Those of you who know me pretty well know that occasionally the muse descends and I have been known to write a song or two. Usually the songs are about something deep and meaningful, like hunting Santa’s reindeer, or what happens when you eat bad Mexican food. I don’t know what it is about Christmas, but the season just brings out my irreverent side. This Christmas is no different. On Thanksgiving day of this year I started messing around with some lyrics. Soon verses gave way to choruses, choruses to solos… ahhh… I’m making this bigger than it is. I’m blessed to have some talented friends. I wrote the song “My Christmas Tree is Haunted,” figured out a good key on my guitar, and sent the 12-bar blues number over to my best friend since childhood, John Judd. John’s the real musician. He put all of the music together and we realized that a song this good needed someone who can sing. So I called my father-in-law, Robert Peckman, and he got to work on the vocals. John pieced everything together and our new band, The Ghostvillage Memorial Choir was born. Don’t be looking for us to gig anywhere anytime soon, but do watch for more songs in the future. Without further ado, you can download/listen to the MP3 of the song by clicking here (the file is 10 MB). Rock this one ’round your Christmas tree at home.

An alert reader just sent this in to the Weird Massachusetts world headquarters here in my spare bedroom. BREAKING NEWS: Police in Harwich, Massachusetts, acting on a tip, discovered a Baldwin Acrosonic piano, model number 987, intact, and apparently in tune, in the middle of the woods. If you are missing such a piano with the serial number 733746, it’s important that you contact authorities right away… and then please contact me. I gotta hear the story too. Also, if you find other pianos in the middle of the woods on Cape Cod, please also contact me. Perhaps we’re witnessing some new paranormal phenomena involving pianos. If you find a pristine tuba in the woods, please DO NOT contact me. I’ve had my fill of those reports. There’s nothing paranormal there. For the full story, click here.

I now understand what John Denver meant by “Colorado Rocky Mountain High.” He meant that knocking back four or five beers at 7,200 feet in altitude is like drinking a 12-pack at sea level. I also now understand what Tiffany Johnson (aka Psychic Tiff) means by “Rocky Mountain Oysters.” After sharing a basket of the deep-fried delicacy with Ms. Tiff, I learned that these things just ain’t seafood. Luckily no one will ever know about this little faux pas… unless of course Jason Hawes tells anyone… or shares the video he took of us eating said “oysters.” This past week the haunted Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, was the scene of the Darkness Event paranormal conference. I was fortunate to speak at the event on haunts, history, and spirit communication. The hotel was packed with paranormal fans, researchers, and people who came to soak in the majestic mountains all around us. I had the chance to speak with many of the conference goers and met a lot of good folk. Events like these are so important because we get to network with other people who are also asking big questions, plus we get to stand in a room where we’re almost (probably almost) certain we’re not the weirdest person in the building. For four days we investigated the hotel that inspired Stephen King to pen The Shining, we (and by “we,” I mean “me”) realized that this was also the hotel where they filmed scenes from Dumb and Dumber, and we realized that the “Redrum,” drinks that were so popular at the bar can really knock you for a loop. I also had the opportunity to take a quick tour of Rocky Mountain National Park just a few miles away from the hotel. Thanks to Ed Laughlin of Ghosts of Georgia Paranormal Investigations, and our Crypto tour guide, Loren Coleman, we drove through the park and spotted bigfoot, deer, crows, bigfoot, elk, big-horned sheep, and bigfoot… just kidding, we didn’t see any crows. Thank you to Loren Coleman for correcting the previous paragraph to read: Thanks to Ed Laughlin of Ghosts of Georgia Paranormal Investigations, and our Cryptozoo tour guide, Loren Coleman, we drove through the park and spotted Bigfoot (Anthropoidipes ameriborealis), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), raven (Corvus corax), black-billed magpie (Pica pica), Bigfoot (Paranthropus eldurrelli), elk (Cervus canadensis), bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), and Bigfoot (Gigantopithecus canadensis)… just kidding, we didn’t see any magpies. Thanks to Darkness Dave Schrader for having me out, and thanks to the other speakers who not only gave great lectures, but were a lot of fun to hang out with: Loren Coleman, Patrick Burns, Grant Wilson, Jason Hawes, Father Andrew Calder, Chris Fleming, and Bill Chappell.

Yesterday history was made in an exciting and emotional election here in the United States. American voters came out in record numbers to elect the country’s first black president. It’s a time of renewed hope that truly anything is possible, and it’s a time to look ahead to a new era in the political landscape. It’s also time for President-elect Obama and his family to start thinking about what it’s going to feel like to live in a haunted house. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the address of a very famous and very haunted house, better known as the White House. It’s where the President lives and works while serving in the executive branch of government. This majestic building holds the Presidents’ family, pets, and a large staff of butlers, chefs, security, and other workers. About 100 people work to keep the White House running — people who are employed by the government and have a job to do regardless of which political party’s candidate is President. The White House has room for parties, meetings, important government events, and, according to many reports… it also has room for ghosts. A few weeks ago, my new book, Who’s Haunting the White House?: The President’s Mansion and the Ghosts Who Live There was published. My first book for younger readers (ages 10 and up), the book explores the haunted history of one of America’s most famous buildings. President-elect Obama will be joining a long and prestigious list of Presidents who have lived and worked in this incredible and haunted building. Will the ghost of President Lincoln pay Obama a visit? Will some of the many other historic ghostly figures from Abigail Adams to Andrew Jackson make some kind of appearance during the next administration? Time will surely tell. I’m sure, like other Presidents, President Obama will take some comfort knowing the spirits from the past are still around to keep an eye on the country they loved so dearly. Congratulations to President-elect Obama. If you need any help with the ghosts who still lurk in your new home, call me!

I was the writer and researcher for the Ghost Adventures series on the Travel Channel. It was a fun project for me to work on and a great production team. The production company for the show hired me to do what I’ve been doing for years: research the haunts, and find the witnesses who would be willing to tell their stories. I pass on my research and findings, and the cast and crew take it from there. Though they incorporate investigation techniques different from anything I use, I think what Zak, Nick, and Aaron do is a part of the greater paranormal discussion. Some will love it, some will hate it, and that’s something we run into with just about every paranormal group out there. Hopefully this show will add to the debate and discussion, and at the very least, be some entertaining television! Working for the visual medium of television was a new undertaking for me, and I learned quite a bit during the process. I wish the cast and crew the best of luck with the new show! If you haven’t seen Ghost Adventures, you can tune in Friday nights at 9:00 PM on the Travel Channel.

Recently the Web site, Haunted America Tours released some of their Top-10 Lists for 2008. I’m honored to be included on two of those lists: Top Ten Most Haunted Authors 2008 And my Web site, Ghostvillage.com, earned a spot on: Top Ten Most Haunted Web Sites 2008 It’s a thrill to be included in a list with a lot of other distinguished paranormal people and Web destinations!

Recently Ghostvillage.com launched a brand-new section of the Web site: http://kids.Ghostvillage.com. This is a first — an Internet resource specifically designed for kids, parents, and educators on how to broach the subject of ghosts. The site offers a guide to Junior Ghost Hunters, a section to help parents who may be dealing with a haunting and small children under the same roof, and a section for educators who want to incorporate ghosts in the classroom as a learning tool. I hope you’ll take a minute to check out the new Web site and share your own experiences. As with everything on Ghostvillage.com, the Kids’ section will grow and expand as we move forward. I know this topic is a bit controversial, which is why our advisory board includes children’s book authors, and psychologists who work exclusively with children. It’s a starting point to help families and kids who have questions. Like almost every other adult paranormal investigator I know, my interest in this subject began when I was very young. http://Kids.Ghostvillage.com will include resources I wish I had when I was ten years old, and offer the perspectives of investigators, parents, and kids who are in the field today. Take a moment to click around. We welcome your input!

I wrote an article that appeared in today’s Boston Globe called “This could only happen in Massachusetts, believe it or not.” The article is based on my recent book, Weird Massachusetts. The Travel Editor asked me to give a whirlwind tour of Bay State oddities. I made one goof in the printed version of the article (the online version has since been fixed). In discussing the Quabbin Reservoir I wrote that five towns were displaced. It was actually four: Dana, Greenwich, Enfield, and Prescott. Though if you count all the named villages in and around these towns, it’s over a dozen: North Dana, North Prescott, Atkinson Hollow, Greenwich Village, Packardville, Nichewaug, Millington, Bobbinville, Coolyville, Smith’s Village, and Doubleday. I got the facts right in my book (which includes an interview with a former resident), but messed up on the number in the article. I’m sorry for the mistake. Also, to all those people who wrote in saying they thought the translation of Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg was actually, “You fish on your side of the lake, I fish on my side, and no one fishes in the middle,” that’s what the bumper stickers say, and that’s in the spirit of the meaning, however the most literal translation is: “Englishmen at Manchaug at the fishing place at the boundary.” Stay weird. -Jeff

Folks, recently I’ve been alerted to a scam going around involving a group that calls itself “Sci-Fi Productions.” The implication is that they are with the Sci-Fi Channel — they are not. My friend Brendan Skeen, who runs Ghost-Mart (Ghostvillage.com is a partner site to Ghost-Mart) has been receiving calls from people who want to place some very big orders for various investigation equipment. While we’re grateful for the orders, we don’t want to see anybody get ripped off. Here’s how the scam works: Your ghost investigation group receives an email from someone claiming they’re with Sci-Fi Productions. The email says they are casting for a new ghost show and they’re interested in you. They may ask you for some headshots of yourself, or they may be looking for some more information about your group. Next, they offer you a phone number based out of California. You call the number and they answer it, “Sci-Fi Productions.” They will tell you they work in a cut-throat business and tell you that you can’t tell anyone you’re talking to them or it might jeopardize your chances at starring in their new show. Then they’ll ask you what kind of investigation equipment you have. They may ask you to get some more if you’re serious and want to be on the show. The scam ends when they ask you to ship your investigation equipment to them so they can check it out before they schedule the filming of the pilot. (In some cases people are shipping them thousands of dollars worth of equipment.) Once you send in your stuff, the contact stops and you don’t hear back. The number (which is likely a pay-as-you-go cell phone) gets disconnected, and you’re out all of your equipment. Our best guess is that the scammer then sells your stuff on eBay for hundreds of dollars. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a few television production companies on various projects and I can tell you, they would never ask you to ship them your equipment for any reason. They may ask for headshots, they may ask for sample video of you in action, but they simply won’t have any interest in your EMF meters. If they are for real, and do have a budget for a show, they’ll buy you all the necessary equipment when they start filming. This group is preying on people who want to be famous and have their own ghost show. Television is still hungry for the paranormal, but please think before you send all of your equipment away to some stranger. Warn others!

This past weekend I went to the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the Beyond Reality Conference at the Mt. Washington Hotel. I decided to go up a day early to test my mettle on Mt. Washington. As my alarm went off at 5 AM on Friday morning, I questioned whether this was really a good idea. Considering I already blogged about going, I figured there was no turning back now. I got to the base of the mountain around 9:45 in the morning. Looking around, I saw that this might easily have been the finest hiking weather I had ever encountered. There were no clouds, the air was dry and warm, and my hiking boots still fit. Here’s how it went: 9:50 – I started up the Tuckerman’s Ravine trail.9:54 – I remembered just how rocky the trail was.9:56 – I realized from the amount of sweat pouring off of me that I may not be in as good of shape as I had previously thought.9:59 – Breathing heavy now, but still climbing… 9:59 (and a-half) – Taking a break (I’ve earned it). My legs burned, my lungs ached, and the views were incredible as I climbed up past the tree line, onto the boulder-filled slope below the summit. The last half-mile took about 40 minutes of climbing, slipping, breathing, and pulling myself up to higher rocks, but dammit, I made it in just under three hours. I ate lunch at the cafeteria at the summit — the clam chowder never tasted so good. As my legs began to tighten from the rest, I thought about the 4.2-mile downhill walk I still had ahead of me. I wanted to get to the Mt. Washington Hotel by dinner time because I was meeting friends before the conference. So I began the long hump down. On more than a couple of steps I felt my ankle give out, but it didn’t twist. I remember thinking, “If I did sprain an ankle, how the heck would I get down? It’s not like there’s a road anywhere near here.” I pressed on. For anyone who has never hiked a steep slope, the walk down is often more difficult because it’s all impact. I was making great time, and once I was back below the tree line, I was getting more sore and eager to get back to the hotel and have a beer (or twelve). I was more than half-way down when I saw a small group of guys standing around a stretcher on the side of the trail. When I got next to them I saw there was a dog strapped in. “What happened?” I asked. “His legs gave out just past the Lion’s Head trail,” one of the men replied. I already knew the answer that would follow my next question. I was tired, and my knees were shaky, but if I didn’t offer I’d feel much worse than sore. “Do you need some help?” I said. “Yeah, we really do,” he said. Six of us carried the 80-pound dog down the rest of the way to the base. Even with six carrying the stretcher, we stopped often to rest and switch arms. I gave up on breaking any speed records down. I was just trying not to drop the dog or blow out my own legs. By 4:15 we lowered the stretcher to the parking lot where the dogs owner could get him into his truck and go to find help. With my good deed done, I drove 45 minutes around the mountain to the Mt. Washington Hotel. After a well-deserved (and practically required by the hotel staff) shower, I met up with some of my friends who organized the conference. What followed the rest of the weekend was one of the best paranormal conferences I’ve ever attended (and I’ve been to a lot). I saw a lot of old friends, made some new ones, and had some great conversations with people who were there to explore the ghosts and legends of the Mt. Washington Hotel. I appreciate everyone who said hello, picked up one of my books, or shared a story with me. I gave two different lectures this weekend, and heard some good feedback from the audience. It was also refreshing to find that many of the speakers had some differing views on the paranormal. Though we disagreed on the hows and whys, the mood was always respectful and friendly — so refreshing in a field that often doesn’t take kindly to good debates. We had a lot of laughs, we investigated some of the hot spots of the hotel, and we got to unwind near some of the most majestic views in New England. On the last day of the conference I was thrilled to learn that I’ll also be speaking at the next Mt. Washington event April 24-26, 2009. You should definitely go because we will rock that mountain to he ground (making it significantly easier for me to climb next time).