Queen Mary addendum

I got Denise’s permission to post our non-paranormal adventure during lunch on the Queen Mary. Enjoy!

Queen Mary

So, earlier this year a friend of mine wanted to go to an event on the Queen Mary, but didn’t want to go on it herself. She said, “Hey Lisa, you’re into ghosts, right? Wanna go with me to this thing?” Me, being unafraid of both ghosts and adventure said, “Hell yeah!” and we went.

Little did I know it’d be a life-altering event.

This pic was from the first night. Before all the discussions, investigation, just about everything. I had no idea that being there on that ship for this little paranormal convention was going to change my life…

Well, not really change it. I’ve always believed in ghosts. (Click here to read the whole paranormal category including my personal ghost experiences up to now.) I’d just never really done anything with my sensitivity/sixth sense other than ignore it or play with it. I’d never pursued using it to help others.

So energized and excited about the paranormal field after that event in February, I got on myspace and started friending all the people I’d met at the event and blogging my experiences. One thing led to another and I was invited to join the TAPS West Coast Home Team.

That has certainly changed my life. I made a bunch of new friends all in one shot and not only are they friends, they understand when I say that I can sense ghosts! They probably do think I’m crazy from time to time, but for the most part they understand and that’s good enough by me. I’m weird enough as it is… I understand when I’m considered too weird.

Getting involved in the paranormal field has made a difference in my life and I hope it makes a difference in others’ lives as well. I don’t want anyone to be afraid of ghosts. There’s really nothing to fear. I’ve met some of the most interesting people alive or dead because of my interest in the paranormal.

Back to Denise, who dragged me to that first event on the Queen Mary back in February… She had no idea that within a year I’d not only get re-energized about the paranormal, but also become an investigator, let alone a TAPS member. No idea. But the moment I saw Grant, I had to get another picture with him and Denise because it’s her fault that all this happened in the first place.

We didn’t get a picture with Jason for some reason. Oh well. There will definitely be a next time.

My time at the Stanley Hotel

For all intents and purposes, this was a vacation. It was not my usual kind of vacation because I really love to go and see and do when I’m on vacation. This was more for my husband. He likes to go somewhere and do nothing. Well, he did write a significant chunk of his novel on this trip. Got it out of the starting gate with a huge bang, I might add. Me, well, I had fun for a few days and was bored for a few more.

Anyhow, back in February, I’d gone to a paranormal event on the Queen Mary (which I’ll post about in the coming days) and afterward, I was hooked. I wanted to do more, so I booked the event at the Stanley hotel almost immediately. I figured that since it was so far in the future, I couldn’t turn back if I already had the tickets. I couldn’t weasel out somehow and neither could my husband. We would have to go.

And go we most definitely did.

That place is crazy with activity. It really is. I was astonished. But mainly, what I wanted to do was meet Jason and Grant now that I was part of their extended team. I’m a TAPS West Coast Home Team member and loving every minute of it, so meeting them again on those terms was so awesome.

I truly enjoyed being there, listening to all the discussions and meeting new friends.

It was also my husband’s first event. Being a photographer, he even got a few action shots during the day between investigations and discussions. It’s just hard for me not to be investigating when I’m in an area where everyone knows what I’m doing and not just talking to myself or recording thin air.

It definitely helps the photographs that the Stanley hotel is so darn gorgeous. I can’t wait to go back, but I know it’ll be awhile.

Meet Commando Barbie

About five years ago, I got up the nerve to wear a particular outfit to a romance convention. That evening, I was dubbed “Commando Barbie”. Okay, cool. That was fun. The outfit was great–$12 on the sale rack at a Forever 21 in, like, 1999. It hung in my closet for years because I was determined not to get rid of it until I’d worn it at least once. Thus, in 2003, Commando Barbie was “born”.

I wore it to Comic Con that year and caused a bit of a double-taking stir as I cruised about the Expo floor. One guy in a booth full of knives, swords and various other weapons just stared and said, “Wow…” before he’d even realized he’d said it aloud.

See, Commando Barbie is much hotter, cooler, better than I could ever be. I dunno what it is about her, but she’s really got her shit together. I, however, am her dorky alter-ego. I have difficulty speaking, going places and I’m just so darn uncool. I’m far too shy for my own good and could really learn a thing or two from Commando Barbie. Her social skills are far better than mine. I, in fact, have no social skills.

In a slightly different outfit, Commando Barbie (and her two best friends, Wendy and Jen) met Jamison Newlander and Corey Feldman, the Frog Brothers from Lost Boys–her favorite movie (and mine. We’ve got that in common.)

She even got up close with Gareth David-Lloyd, Ianto Jones from Torchwood. (BTW-you should seriously check out the band he fronts, Blue Gillespie. Awesome, sexy, hard blues. Makes me want to go back to Wales again real soon and catch a concert. I also haven’t been to all the castles in the south yet.) (Gotta love the T-shirt he’s wearing, too. All day long, having his pic taken with numerous women. See, now that’s the kind of skills Commando Barbie has and I could only dream of. That shit’s hilarious!)

Here she is right next to the Lost Boys: The Tribe booth… As herself…

And in her vampire-hunter gear.

I really wish I were as awesome as she is. In fact, walking around Comic Con with my best friend Jen (together, we’re the Ashleigh Raine writing team), I remarked how I wish I wasn’t such a big dork. I mean, here I am goofing off with a Dalek… Yeah, a Dalek from Dr. Who for heaven’s sake. “Exterminate! Exterminate!” Not cool. And there I am dorking it up, trying to be all cool in my camo and failing miserably. Nice. Help me Commando Barbie! Please put me out of my misery!

And what was Commando Barbie doing…instead of a Dalek? Well, she got her picture taken for Hustler magazine…for their “Hot Chicks of Comic Con” project. Of course.

Why can’t I be more like her? Instead, I freeze up when people try to talk to me. I trip over my own feet and quite often I have significant difficulty discerning where my ass ends and my head begins due to their close proximity–one being firmly shoved up the other all the time. *sigh*

When I grow up, I wanna be Commando Barbie. That bitch has everything…

Ghost Hunting

I know I haven’t directly mentioned it on my blog–and I’m actually kinda surprised by that–but I’ve always believed in ghosts. Ever since I was a little girl. My earliest ghost-related memory is when I was about 6 years old, maybe, but that was just the biggest memory. The earlier ones are smaller, somewhat less significant as far as actual concrete instances. Their only significance is that they happened and a conclusion can be drawn from them collectively.

Anyhow, I have always been interested in paranormal activity and always believed that I’m psychic (might wanna get out the jacket and prep the padded room for me). So, when a friend of mine asked if I wanted to go to a ghost hunt on the Queen Mary, I did not hesitate.

But wait. Before I get to that, let me give a little general back story. I’ll add more later in the form of experiences.

When I was little, I used my psychic ability to have ‘friends’ if you will. They were not imaginary. They came and went. My grandfather died shortly before my fifth birthday. He was the most awesomest grandpa on the planet if I do say so myself. Yes, I still remember him even though I was so young. That’s how awesome he was. He cared about everyone and had tons of energy. Anyway, after he passed away, it seemed as though he never really left me. No matter where I was, I could call him and he’d be there if I needed him–even if I didn’t, sometimes he showed up, too! As I got older, he faded somewhat, but he still stops by from time to time. He came from a very big family, so he’s got a lot of people to look in on.

As I got older, I started to sense more clearly. Yeah, grandpa was around, but so were a lot of other people I didn’t know. Some wanted to talk, some didn’t. Some were confused, some weren’t.

Then, I started working in theatres.

Every theatre has a ghost. I swear it. Usually more than one, but there’s always at least one that’s active. As you can imagine, for someone as sensitive as I am, spending a lot of long hours in the dark can get pretty creepy. There were times I was working late at night, behind locked doors, heard things, saw things, etc. I started to explore some of it as well as researching. If you read my novel, Otherness: Rift, I incorporated a lot of personal paranormal experiences to suit the story. But, after all the time spent in theatres, I started to become too sensitive. Too many ghosts were trying to communicate with me.

I had to find a way of turning it off.

It can’t be. I’ve tried. All I can do is ignore it. But I can always tell when I walk into a haunted building or room or if a ghost arrives in the room where I am. It’s just another weird thing about me. I don’t talk about it much. I’m weird enough already! I don’t need to start yammering about my ghost experiences, too.

Okay, well, maybe that’s true, but not entirely. This whole post has come about because of the ghost hunt I mentioned in the first few paragraphs. And because of the ghost hunt, I’m back to my old ways, back to allowing myself to use a higher sensitivity and all the craziness that comes with it. Yes, my time on the Queen Mary, listening to lectures and sitting in the dark with people with K-II meters and voice recorders has inspired me to embrace my …uh… “gift” once again. I’m not crazy. I’m just psychic.

I didn’t get pictures of everyone involved. I didn’t know what to expect, so this time was sort of practice for future hunts. The event was put on by David Schrader and Tim Dennis of DarknessRadio.com. And I’ve been essentially living under a rock for the last decade or so because I have not watched television. I do not have cable. The only television I see is on DVD or if I’m at my writing partner’s (Jen) house and she just ‘has’ to show me something.

I have not seen Ghost Hunters, Dead Famous or Haunting Evidence. But these were the guys headlining the event on the Queen Mary. I knew who the people were (well, I’d heard of them at least), but I hadn’t watched their shows except for a couple episodes of Ghost Hunters because Jen has a thing for Grant Wilson and ghosts, too for that matter! I went into the event knowing there’d be lectures as well as a 4 hour ghost hunt.

I had the time of my life. In fact, it was sort of life changing…well, life restoring for me. I got to be in a room with a few hundred other people who believe in the paranormal and don’t think I’m crazy when I share my experiences. To me, that’s freakin’ awesome.

The folder of pictures I took during those few days is a bit daunting to look through. I didn’t get any photographic evidence of anything, but I did want to share a few here on my blog. So, without further yammering, here’s Denise and I with Grant and Jason.

This next one has a little story attached to it. Earlier in the day, David was about to announce the next speaker when he got a call on his cell phone. It was Patrick Burns, asking if anyone had a Nikon camera with them. Well, I did, so I raised my hand and he put me in touch with Patrick. Apparently, something bad had happened to his lens and he needed to take some IR photos for some lovely ladies who’d won an auction for a photo session with him and the ship. We determined that I had the same camera as he did, so I walked down there and handed over my lens. He brought it back about an hour later. The following picture was taken through that very same lens! He thanked me profusely as you can tell. He’s a really great guy. Really, really super awesome.

The whole experience is still sinking in. Honestly, though, even without a whole lot of physical activity, the responses on the K-II meter and what I learned in the lectures and people I met were awesome. I’ll definitely do another one of these. My new K-II meter is probably being shipped as I write this, too! I’m looking forward to reviewing all of the HD video footage I took, too. I didn’t know it until about 10 minutes before the hunt, but my camera has night vision! I was so stoked to see what I’d get. If I got anything good, I’ll post it, I promise.

LA AutoShow Highlights

I went to the LA AutoShow. Honestly, new cars don’t really thrill me all that much, so it’s a pretty quick show for me. I got to relive the exhilaration of the F430s I got to drive over the summer and now that it has been shown, I can mention that I got to drive the Maserati Gran Turismo, too. So, when I saw it at the show, I convinced the gal to let me into the booth so I could show my husband the car I’d thought was so nifty. I think my husband would still rather have an Astin. I can’t say which I’d rather have because I haven’t driven the Astin yet…but oh, how I want to.

Of course, I also stopped by the Lotus booth… I love the Elise. Someday, I will definitely own one. Absolutely. It’s not the fastest car on the planet, but it’s unique, sporty and little: Just like me.

I’m gonna get me one of them thar cute little cars… I love ’em!

The other highlight of the show for me was the ’08 Viper. I wanted to see what the new metallic green looked like in person and oh hell yeah, that’s my color for the car.

However, the single most important thing I did at the show was get in the car and ram the seat forward to see if I could easily get the clutch all the way in without sitting on a pillow, without platform shoes, etc.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See how much distance there is behind the seat? I know it screws up the aesthetics, but darn it all, I’m a little girl, so I’m forced to go to drastic measures to drive a big man’s car. I really don’t care how silly it looks as long as the car go, go, goes!

I’m sure I’ll be getting a green Viper at some point, too. I’ll likely swap my ’03 for it as soon as I can. It’s about time Dodge put an interesting color on the Viper.

Monumental Undertaking…

The further I get into inventorying my wardrobe, the crazier stuff gets. But I know it’s all going to be worth it eventually. So far, it inspired me to grab the following pictures from their various locations so that I can post them here.

On the milder side of strange for me, but fun nonetheless.

I actually made this stretchy teal velvet get-up for the 1999 Grammys. I was a seatfiller and really didn’t have a formal dress in my wardrobe at the time, so rather than lament and pray I could find an appropriate dress in a thrift store, I made this outfit using $1-a-yard fabric.

I have no idea what the designer was thinking when he or she brought this creation alive. And even further no clue why someone bought it and held onto it for about fifteen years before I found it in a thrift store. In all honesty, I didn’t even know what it was when I pulled it from the rack and didn’t even look at it until I got home. It was just weird-looking and sort of sticking out, so I grabbed it, spent $4 on it and went home. You can imagine my surprise when I finally held up the skirt and shirt. Well, more WTF? than surprise! Now, it’s one of my most requested outfits and is the one get-up that I really have to get up nerve before I leave the house while wearing it because it not only stops traffic, it amazes, astounds and grosses it out!

I posted this as part of my Leeloo adventure, but still…a peacock jumsuit? WTF?

This dress is amazing. The picture kind of sucks. The back of this dress continues the cut out with only two clasps holding it together. I was initially going to remove the shoulder pads, but they’re so huge, the dress wouldn’t fit without them! And besides, wasn’t that part of the charm of 80s clothes?

Here’s the teal velvet thingie again. It took about 8 hours total to design and build. 2 hours for the shirt and pants, the rest went into the shawl. Initially, the shawl wasn’t included in the design, but since I fucked up the neckline of the shirt, I really didn’t have much choice but to cover it up. That’s part of the reason I put some of the remnants with the grain going one way and some with the grain reversed. I figured if I was going to be pieceing it together, I might as well really have some fun with it. But what a pain in the ass!!!! It has been almost a decade since I made this outfit and I still remember how hard it was to put together that shawl. However, this outfit does definitely stop traffic when I wear it, so the hardship was worth it.

This last one was my answer to a shirt and a dress that while I like the fabrics, I’d never wear either of them. Plus, the shirt was a little too big. So, I removed the zipper from the back of the dress and sewed it up. Cut it down the center of the front. Removed the eyelet collar from the dress and swapped it for the same shape, but made from the shirt. Removed the short eyelet sleeves from the dress and installed the sleeves from the shirt. Then, finally added the frogs I’d found at a little shop in Chinatown and voila! A coat I’d wear. And even better…a merge of two garments I wouldn’t wear into one that I totally do.

Leeloo’s Wig

One of the main identifying characteristics of Leeloo is her orange hair. I’d assumed that finding an orange wig wouldn’t be that difficult.

It wasn’t…

However, finding one that was a deeper orange than traffic-cone, fluorescent orange proved to be much more difficult. And since the wig had to be reasonably precise, I couldn’t just surf the ‘net for one. But I also didn’t know where to go other than Hollywood Blvd. That was the only place I’d seen more than two wig shops within about five blocks of each other.

However, whenever I’m anywhere in the vicinity of a vintage shop, I can’t resist the magnetic pull. I must go in. I must shop. I rarely walk out empty-handed, but it has happened a few times. On the day I got the wig, I also found this beautiful *cough, cough* peacock jumpsuit.

Oddly enough, about six months later, I found a dress made from the same fabric. I’ll be merging the two garments eventually. Right now, they grace my crap room with the rest of my projects in various states of not done/not started/I dunno what this was for, but it was nifty, so I acquired it because it was cheap.

So, after going to all the shops and sighing because they just didn’t have a short orange wig, I settled on a longer wig–more expensive, of freakin’ course–that I’d swindle my hair dresser into cutting. The styling would happen over the course of two weeks, with lots of hair gel, bobby pins, and T-pins. The wig experience was the easiest piece.

Actually, that’s a lie. The boots were the easiest: I walked into my closet and picked out the pair that looked the most like Cancan shoes and the boots Leeloo wore in the movie. I had about fifteen pairs of black boots to choose from. This was not a difficult decision, either, because I still had to be able to dance in the boots, too. (More on my shoes and boots collection in future posts, I’m sure.)

The Original Design of Cancan Leeloo

Found amid the wreckage that is my craft room (affectionately dubbed the “Crap Room” by my husband–and rightfully so. The room is always a pig sty because ‘creative messiness is better than tidy idleness’.) is the original design for my Cancan Leeloo costume as drawn by Shawn Crosby.

As soon as it came out of the printer, we decided that the black ruffle hanging out of the bottom had to go. Other than that, the stylized elements we’d talked about worked great. In the movie, Leeloo’s wearing a shirt and baring her midriff. With my corset, that wasn’t possible, so we figured we’d try the opposite–bare my shoulders as much as possible and hide my midriff (and corset).

In the drawing, the skirt’s a little long, too. Oops. The pattern we had for it was the correct length. If it was too long, I wouldn’t be able to easily lean over and grab it to hold it up…well…as easy as it can be while wearing in a corset!

From here, I considered fabrics and colors. The shirt was going to be white. the suspenders, wrist bands and skirt accents were to be orange vinyl. The skirt itself needed to be more of a champagne than yellow. I was on my own for the bloomers and stockings underneath. I chose more orange satin and some black and white fun stuff for trim.

The stockings…well…I’d never done anything like those before. I knew I needed something super stretchy. Hmmm…How about this $1/yard stuff I’d gotten 10 yards of ’cause I thought it was kinda neat but was now collecting dust and getting in the way? (I do that a lot…hence one of the many reasons the craft room is the crap room.)

So, that was my game plan. I also had some white, ribbed cotton knit (also purchased in a $1/yard binge and collecting dust while getting the way) to use on the shirt.

But what I needed in order to really do it right was a coverlock machine… Best investment ever in my sewing hobby. Yeah, I was a very happy girl once that thing arrived and after I spent the eon figuring out how to thread it for what I needed it to do.

I think I’ll stop here on this journey and break it up a little. There’s still many more posts to be done from wig to boots on this costume!

Yes, I really did dance the Cancan on a stage while dressed as Leeloo!

Okay, so you saw my previous posts about my adventures as Cancan Leeloo for the Lux After Dark halftime show of the 2006 WorldCon Costume Masquerade. (dress rehearsal, before the show, in the audience, backstage) But did you notice that one kind of picture is absent from the line-up? The kind of picture that proves I did what I said I did:

I danced the Cancan on a stage in front of people. I believe thousands were in the audience.

Well, thanks to Essentialsaltes posting these pics on Flickr, I have visual proof of my escapade.

Notice how I’m leaning over further than the rest of the girls? My wig was falling off and I was frantically trying to get the bobby pins back in order to keep the darn thing on! It already cut off my peripheral vision, so I never knew whether I was on step with the rest of the girls. The last thing I needed was for the darn thing to launch off my head. It didn’t, thank goodness!

There you have it. My complete Cancan adventure complete with photographic proof…
Even a year later, I still look back fondly at this experience. It was definitely one of my more odd ones, but what’s life for if not to live it and love it?

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