I don't really know where this fits. I'd say over to The Wording is probably best, but since the IP address is changing in the next couple of weeks, and I have known this was coming for several weeks now, I haven't been adding anything to that blog for a short time. I have a feeling it may just get started over from scratch (I will copy and paste a few of the more pressing entries).
But there's another reason I wanted to include this one here: because of the discussion regarding Brian Harnois and TAPS. As I reported, Harnois and a few other TAPS members recently left the group and formed their own little ghost-hunting organization.
So here's the thing:
You can't be around a certain mood, atmosphere, or person who fosters such without it affecting you. We can argue "Nurture" and "Nature" and all that nonsense until Doomsday comes, but it's really a basic fact.
I am poor. My parents weren't poor, but they weren't rich either; we were pretty much middle-class or even lower middle-class, if you please. And even though I have moved back into my parents' home a few times over the years, it isn't like I really unpacked or anything while I was there - it was more like I was just "crashing" for a while until I got back on my feet and moved out again. That being said, I have always been poor, thus I have always lived in areas where there are a lot of other poor people. The thing about a lot of poor people is that they tend to have given up.
Not all of them, mind you; there are many people who just happen to be poor. They are hard-working, upstanding people who just have too many bills or maybe children, go to school when they aren't working - whatever - and I like to think of myself as one of these. After all, I am skilled, they just happen to have outsourced most of the jobs at which I am skilled, so finding a job that earns me what I am worth is not so easy. Instead, I am eking out a living online, blogging and running a website that I have been having nothing but problems with since I paid for the damned thing!
But still, I really love what I do and, I must admit, had I not been more or less forced into doing it, I would probably still be doing whatever job I was lucky enough to have. So, for me, things seem to have worked out for the best (knock wood). But as for my neighbors?
Well, let's just say that, excepting the (very) few who are hard-working, most all are on drugs and/or drink everyday. Now, I don't do drugs, but I do drink, and I tend to drink more than I should at least once or more every few weeks, so I'm not judging that. Still, I obviously can't drink everyday and I can't afford to drink too heavily too often on the days when I do - I can't because I can't work drunk or hungover, not because I don't want to.
Most of my neighbors don't work and are not looking for work. Instead, they sit around, getting fucked-up, complaining about their lives and how they can't do anything to change it. That's the thing about people like that: they have just resigned themselves to being poor; they've become used to the whole thing and just don't mind it enough anymore to bother trying to change it. And after listening to them go on and on, day-in and day-out, you not only start to feel sorry for them, you start feeling sorry for yourself. It's just a matter of outlook and mood; even when I have wanted to chat with someone about whatever the hell Lindsay's up to or the latest movie release or some great paranormal account I just read about, they have no idea what I'm talking about and they're far too busy feeling sorry for themselves and complaining about the state of their lives to care.
Which brings me to Harnois and why, I think, it is best that he and his little crew left TAPS (at least for now): Brian was not that serious about the organization. I'm sure he was at one time, but he just hasn't been lately. And when you have one person like that in a group, he can bring down the entire group! It's like an infection of sorts - it's contagious, even if the person goes to extra lengths to avoid passing it along; you just can't be in an atmosphere like that for too long without it affecting you to some degree.
Everyone knows a "wet blanket" - like Debbie Downer from Saturday Night Live - and even though you may truly like that person and consider them a friend, you don't invite them along when you want to have a good time because you know that, even if they don't actively do anything to ruin the mood, they just have that sort of air about them that brings others down.
Brian's constant relationship issues, his jealousy of Steve, and all the other negative things he brought to the group brought the group down. It wasn't just that he wasn't focused on his job, it was that, for the rest of the group to work with Brian Harnois, they had to work around him. And while I don't blame him for that so much, I do think it best that they have parted ways.
The paranormal, the Supernatural, the odd and Unexplained
Featured Post
5 Cults from the 1960s and 1970s
By Nancy Wong - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44405530 America, and the Western World in ...
Showing posts with label brian harnois. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brian harnois. Show all posts
Monday, August 27, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Ghost Hunters - 07-11-2007
Okay, so I dropped some new information on you earlier today on Brian Harnois and T.A.P.S. in general, but you saw that Donna and Brian were both on tonight’s episode and they have been on pretty much every episode this season so far. They also haven’t made any mention of their leaving yet, so... but it has been confirmed.
Still, the lead-in repeats tonight were the ones where Brian got chastised for losing all the equipment, then where Andy got chastised for being so hyper, and I don’t think that was by accident. However, everything I’ve read suggests that all parties concerned have been very cool about the whole thing, and with Brian Harnois’ new additions to his family, maybe he, Donna, and Andy just weren’t interested in doing all the traveling the team has been doing the last several years... though it may be possible that Brian was a little miffed that Steve took over, first, his tech job, and then leadership responsibilities.
Still, the first case tonight was largely a bust and reiterates what I’d said about Steve’s assessment of things on the last new episode, where he was allowed to lead (last week, they did a Twilight Zone marathon that preempted the show). There just wasn’t enough conclusive evidence to suggest that either place was haunted, but it is certainly okay to say that nothing eliminates the possibility of paranormal activity in the area.
The second case was far more interesting and showed definite signs of activity, including recorded evidence with which the team was presented before they ever began the investigation, caught by a City Hall employee on an unmanned webcam. They caught some very pertinent EVPs which appeared to confirm reports of hearing children laughing and also experienced some physically audible events.
Also, Jay discussed the definition of the term "residual haunting," which is definitely popular amongst hunters, but what we here prefer to refer to as veridical imagery.
Still a fantastic show and easily one of the only reality shows that is not only entertaining, but also educational and downright important.
Still, the lead-in repeats tonight were the ones where Brian got chastised for losing all the equipment, then where Andy got chastised for being so hyper, and I don’t think that was by accident. However, everything I’ve read suggests that all parties concerned have been very cool about the whole thing, and with Brian Harnois’ new additions to his family, maybe he, Donna, and Andy just weren’t interested in doing all the traveling the team has been doing the last several years... though it may be possible that Brian was a little miffed that Steve took over, first, his tech job, and then leadership responsibilities.
Still, the first case tonight was largely a bust and reiterates what I’d said about Steve’s assessment of things on the last new episode, where he was allowed to lead (last week, they did a Twilight Zone marathon that preempted the show). There just wasn’t enough conclusive evidence to suggest that either place was haunted, but it is certainly okay to say that nothing eliminates the possibility of paranormal activity in the area.
The second case was far more interesting and showed definite signs of activity, including recorded evidence with which the team was presented before they ever began the investigation, caught by a City Hall employee on an unmanned webcam. They caught some very pertinent EVPs which appeared to confirm reports of hearing children laughing and also experienced some physically audible events.
Also, Jay discussed the definition of the term "residual haunting," which is definitely popular amongst hunters, but what we here prefer to refer to as veridical imagery.
Still a fantastic show and easily one of the only reality shows that is not only entertaining, but also educational and downright important.
Breaking News on Brian and TAPS
Well, I have definitely been out of The Loop! It seems that Brian, Donna, and Andy have split from the T.A.P.S. family and created their own team -- something about DBA "The Project" or something -- and some unruly creep has already cybersquatted on their possible domain and started slandering T.A.P.S. as though he/they were actually Brian, Donna, et.al.
Donna posted an entry on Brian's MySpace blog about this.
Meanwhile, back at the base, some jackasses with a website called SkepticalAnalysis have been harassing T.A.P.S. -- complaining to governmental authorities that they are pretending to be a non-profit organization, and even went so far as to post Jay's personal home information online! Jay gives the details on that in his MySpace blog.
It sounds to me like this same rinky-dink, chickenshit group is responsible for both acts, though I have no way of knowing that. Someone on Brian's blog mentioned that they found the guy who had set up the site's name and personal information.
Someone said Brian had been fired from T.A.P.S., but I found nothing that mentioned that.
Donna posted an entry on Brian's MySpace blog about this.
Meanwhile, back at the base, some jackasses with a website called SkepticalAnalysis have been harassing T.A.P.S. -- complaining to governmental authorities that they are pretending to be a non-profit organization, and even went so far as to post Jay's personal home information online! Jay gives the details on that in his MySpace blog.
It sounds to me like this same rinky-dink, chickenshit group is responsible for both acts, though I have no way of knowing that. Someone on Brian's blog mentioned that they found the guy who had set up the site's name and personal information.
Someone said Brian had been fired from T.A.P.S., but I found nothing that mentioned that.
On Brian Harnois
Hey, guys (and gals -- that's a given, just so you know)!
I'd just like to thank you all for checking out the blog. I know how most people think this stuff "crazy," and those of us who care about it to be the same. Just so you know, I've been researching all of this stuff since I was old enough to read. I started reading at about age two. I don't like to think of myself as "crazy," but I understand that subjects such as this are, far and away, off of most peoples' spectrums.
And I'm not calling anyone "dumb" or anything like that; I mean that going to work to pay for your kids' meals, clothing, and dental work trumps pondering the existence of an Afterlife, and I appreciate that. But there are a lot of people who assume that anyone who considers any of these subjects with which we most often deal valid to be nothing more than "stupid," "crazy," or a range of other epithets, In addition to those who think these subjects simply unworthy of the time spent pondering it.
About a year ago, I penned some thoughts about T.A.P.S. member, and Ghost Hunters regular, Brian Harnois. First of all, this has been one of the most popular pages on Rated-B. I thank you for all of that, but I really want to point out that Rated-B -- while cooler than mint ice cream -- is a blog. That's how I felt at the time I posted it. And I stand by that.
I don't remember what was going on, what I was going through, nor anything else about the day I wrote that. I just remember feeling so strongly that Brian Harnois was a douche, that I simply had to write about it.
That being said, so far this season, Steve has been given the reins -- the keys to Brian's domain, as it were -- and has done a great job. But, let's be honest... Steve is scared shitless of basically anything living, and he admits that he has never seen anything truly paranormal. He's afraid of flying, heights, spiders, snakes (well, I'll give him the last one) -- I mean, come on! He's the living incarnation of Adrian Monk.
The point is not that Brian is a douche, nor that Steve is a sissy; these are givens. The point is that Steve is a better manager than Brian. He's a better tech-guy, a better leader, and on down the line. BUT -- having said that -- Steve openly admits that he has never had a real paranormal experience, so it could be argued that Brian might be better in that position.
Regardless, Brian screwed up many, many times over the first season or two, and even though he apologized for it, I think it took him too long to realize that what he had done was wrong. His first few apologies sounded hollow and forced -- like he knew the rest of the team wanted him to do it, and that was the only reason he did. But I will freely admit that Harnois has proven himself over and over since then, and I don't mind him at all now.
But I don't feel bad for being upset with his behavior back when I wrote the original post, and will not apologize for it. That's what I felt and thought at the time, and I do not have any reason to apologize for that. That my feelings have since changed is only human -- exactly as it is to have had those feelings at the time I did.
And that's what blogs and Free Speech are all about.
(This post was originally drafted on June 29th, but never finished and published until now.)
I'd just like to thank you all for checking out the blog. I know how most people think this stuff "crazy," and those of us who care about it to be the same. Just so you know, I've been researching all of this stuff since I was old enough to read. I started reading at about age two. I don't like to think of myself as "crazy," but I understand that subjects such as this are, far and away, off of most peoples' spectrums.
And I'm not calling anyone "dumb" or anything like that; I mean that going to work to pay for your kids' meals, clothing, and dental work trumps pondering the existence of an Afterlife, and I appreciate that. But there are a lot of people who assume that anyone who considers any of these subjects with which we most often deal valid to be nothing more than "stupid," "crazy," or a range of other epithets, In addition to those who think these subjects simply unworthy of the time spent pondering it.
About a year ago, I penned some thoughts about T.A.P.S. member, and Ghost Hunters regular, Brian Harnois. First of all, this has been one of the most popular pages on Rated-B. I thank you for all of that, but I really want to point out that Rated-B -- while cooler than mint ice cream -- is a blog. That's how I felt at the time I posted it. And I stand by that.
I don't remember what was going on, what I was going through, nor anything else about the day I wrote that. I just remember feeling so strongly that Brian Harnois was a douche, that I simply had to write about it.
That being said, so far this season, Steve has been given the reins -- the keys to Brian's domain, as it were -- and has done a great job. But, let's be honest... Steve is scared shitless of basically anything living, and he admits that he has never seen anything truly paranormal. He's afraid of flying, heights, spiders, snakes (well, I'll give him the last one) -- I mean, come on! He's the living incarnation of Adrian Monk.
The point is not that Brian is a douche, nor that Steve is a sissy; these are givens. The point is that Steve is a better manager than Brian. He's a better tech-guy, a better leader, and on down the line. BUT -- having said that -- Steve openly admits that he has never had a real paranormal experience, so it could be argued that Brian might be better in that position.
Regardless, Brian screwed up many, many times over the first season or two, and even though he apologized for it, I think it took him too long to realize that what he had done was wrong. His first few apologies sounded hollow and forced -- like he knew the rest of the team wanted him to do it, and that was the only reason he did. But I will freely admit that Harnois has proven himself over and over since then, and I don't mind him at all now.
But I don't feel bad for being upset with his behavior back when I wrote the original post, and will not apologize for it. That's what I felt and thought at the time, and I do not have any reason to apologize for that. That my feelings have since changed is only human -- exactly as it is to have had those feelings at the time I did.
And that's what blogs and Free Speech are all about.
(This post was originally drafted on June 29th, but never finished and published until now.)
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Agenda
Hey guys, I spent like 2 hours writing a new entry on Brian Harnois and Steve and the Ghost Hunters in order to straighten out some of the things I said like a year ago over to The Rundown. But, about halfway through it, it just became a whole different rant on just everything (I was drinking), so... I'll get back to it either today or tomorrow, and that's what I was writing to you about.
I'm working on some other aspects of the site. You might not be able to really tell it because a lot of it is behind-the-scenes stuff (coding, redirect pages, design issues), but I can tell you this much, there is a great new feature which I think both readers here and at The Rundown will be excited about, so I'll make the announcement there shortly.
I may or may not be posting here this weekend because of the time I'm spending on the site, so y'all go drink or relax for a while, watch Hex tonight, and we'll be back to business next week!
I'm working on some other aspects of the site. You might not be able to really tell it because a lot of it is behind-the-scenes stuff (coding, redirect pages, design issues), but I can tell you this much, there is a great new feature which I think both readers here and at The Rundown will be excited about, so I'll make the announcement there shortly.
I may or may not be posting here this weekend because of the time I'm spending on the site, so y'all go drink or relax for a while, watch Hex tonight, and we'll be back to business next week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)