Things That Go Bump in the Night!

Sometimes things go bump in the night; but what causes the bump and why does it happen at night?

I consider myself to be a person with a logical mind and not prone to jumping to conclusions or making assumptions, but at the same time I like to think I have a mind open to any possibility--if that possibility is plausibly supported by facts.

Ask me if my house is haunted I would have to reply that I do not know, but I cannot rule out the possibility that something extraordinary is happening.

I’ve seen normal household artifacts behaving abnormally, moving on their own accord and defying what natural laws I understand. I’ve heard sounds that seem to originate from nowhere, footfalls on steps, singing coming from an empty kitchen, and voices recorded in empty rooms.

I assure you these are not the sounds a hundred-year old farm house makes in the normal course of expansion, contraction and settling. These are distinct sounds that would seem to emanate from the mundane acts of human existence; except for the context in which they occur they would not raise a single eyebrow. Yet, in our house, they occur in empty rooms.

I’ve not experienced these events once or twice, but many times. Moving objects, footsteps and voices that come from nowhere can be very convincing evidence of something paranormal.

Perhaps for me the most compelling evidence of something completely out of the ordinary can be firmly rooted in two events. The first was a curtain rod, standing askew in the corner of a storage closet, bouncing up and down by itself as if it were being thumped against the floor by an unseen hand. As I recall the event the most powerful memory isn’t the visual sight of the rod moving on its own; but the feeling the movement generated in me. Oddly enough I wasn’t startled. My initial response was to be annoyed. And just under the surface of that annoyance was intuitive feeling that someone (something) wanted my attention.

The second event was even more disturbing to my logical mind. I was outside looking into the house through the sitting room window and teasing our dogs, working them into a doggy frenzy at the possibility of a treat. I could see through the house to the back yard, where Elizabeth was reading in a lounge chair. I was enjoying the dogs' excitement when the front door opened and they came running out. Our front door, which sags on its hinges just the slightest amount, opened on its own. I saw the doorknob turn, and the door lift up just a tiny bit to accommodate the sag, and the dogs came running out to greet me. Our dogs are very, very smart, but they lack the opposable thumbs necessary to grasp a doorknob and turn it. I saw this with my own skeptical eyes and I can only conclude that someone or something opened the door for my dogs.

Those two events in particular have no natural explanation and they force me to conclude that something odd and is going on in our house. I can dismiss the voices and the footsteps as the rational functioning of my mind trying to find a pattern in random (although some of the EVPs are remarkably clear), but I cannot dismiss what I saw as a trick of my eyes when physical events support what I witnessed.

Is what is going on in our home paranormal? Maybe, I cannot rule it out. But I also refuse to believe in the concept of paranormal. What we consider to be paranormal today I believe is only a symptom of our ignorance. I'm sure that one day we'll understand events like the ones happening in my home and the label "paranormal" will fall out of vogue.

WVU is the 3rd best team in the Big East

The Mountaineers are 6-1 and and I can say with some degree of confidence they are the 3rd best team in the Big East.

Why, because of the secondary, specifically the play of the safeties.

I'm not a coach but I saw bandit Nate Sowers consistently get beat and miss tackles against the Huskies on Saturday. Robert Sands seemed to be better than Sowers but he looked out of place at times. Keith Tandy...well...I didn't see him much. Brandon Hogan seems to be playing better and everything I read says that Sidney Glover is a talent. I don't get to break down the game film or grade the position players but it seems to me that WVU will only compete against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh if the secondary plays well and right now that seems like a pipe dream.

So what's the solution? Pat Miller is a talent but is the true freshman ready? I can't imagine he would be a downgrade from what I saw from Sowers on Saturday. I also cant imagine that fellow freshman Jonathan Scott could do worse than Keith Tandy. But then again I don't see practice or watch the tape.

It seems to me that WVU can't blitz like in days past because to do so would be to expose the secondary and take away the help they need to contain the receivers. Maybe someone with more knowledge can correct me but this doesn't seem to be a flaw of the 3-3-5. Their receivers are just better than our coverage guys.

If we're lucky we'll split with the Bearcats and Panthers and share the Big East title. Our plan going forward would seem to be to keep the ball away from the other team and keep our defense on the sideline. Maybe that's one of the reasons why Stew has chosen to receive the ball more often that not when winning the coin toss.

What it comes down to is that WVU is a talented team with a glaring weakness. We can only hope our offense can keep that weakness from being exploited. The bright side is that on offense WV is loaded and fully capable of winning any shootout as long as they win the turnover battle.

Rich Rod can sleep in his messy bed

In response to Dave Hickman's story "Rich Rod rues messy split" in the online edition of the Charleston Gazette this morning.

I would much rather read a story about Coach Stew doing his laundry than any regrets “Roots” may have about his departure from WVU. He made his bed, he turned his back on his home and his team now let him turn his attention to his new home. That may sound harsh..”Roots” and his supporters say he just changed jobs; that he left for a better job with better pay for the sake of his family. I call bullshit!

We all know that the HC at WVU is more important to the people of WV than the HC job at any Big 10 school. Our people rely on WVU football (for good or ill) for more than just Saturday entertainment. Mountaineer football and basketball are often the only good publicity our state gets in the national media. The flying WV is recognized anywhere you go and most have a positive impression of Mountaineer sports as being like our people: blue collar, smash mouth and hard-working.

Owen Schmitt is more a West Virginian that “Roots” will ever be. I recall his tearful interview at the end of the Fiesta Bowl; with “Country Roads” playing in the background Owen spoke of his love for the state, the school, and our people. Whereas “Roots” said something like “What’s so $%@#ing special about West Virginia!”

Well what “Roots” doesn’t understand is that there is something special about West Virginia. We have a since of “folken” so keen that maybe only Texans understand our connection to the land and to each other. Many people born in our state are forced to leave to find work. I was one of them. It took me 10 years to find an opportunity to come home. I gave up nearly 60% of my annual salary to return to WV and do what I can to help my fellow Mountaineers.

Many displaced Mountaineers long for the opportunity to come home too. “Roots” had what for many of us was the dream… But “Roots” threw that all away. He had it all..he was the most popular man in WV. The highest paid state employee, and he carried the pride of the people on his shoulders, and he traded it all for 30 pieces of silver.

He cried to the national media when we tried to hold him to his contract. His lawyer, his agent, and Michigan fans labeled us the "jilted girlfriend" and went on and on about our obsession. On the advice of his attorney (after losing several battles on pre-hearing motions in court), Rod and Michigan caved in and honored his contract.

And Mountaineer nation moved on...

Now Rod can't stand to be the pariah. He is once again using the media to paint WV and WVU fans as bitter people who can't understand his desire to better himself. Message to Rich...it wasn't that you left...it was HOW you left!

One season, one race, one ride…30 pounds…this is my journey.

To look at me in street clothes you would never guess I’m an extreme athlete. I’m fat; the last time I weighed myself, over a week ago, I was at 205 pounds. I have chin fat, the faintest hint of man boobs, and flab around my mid-section. I eat too much, drink too much soda, and I’m always on the “tomorrow diet” meaning I always intend to start tomorrow.

To see me on the street would be to see a fat guy. But I’m also an avid mountain biker. A guy who has put his fat tire down on the best singletrack West Virginia has to offer. A guy who can haul 260 odd pounds up climb with a 21% gradient and still be alive at the top. The irony is, that despite my weight, I’m a far better climber than I am a descender. Where most Clydesdales live for the descent I thrill for the climb.

The trouble is I’m tired of being fat. I’m tired of handicapping myself with 30 extra pounds of baggage strapped to my waist. I’m tired of people looking at me in disbelief when I share with them my love of the sport, and it may be shallow, but I’m tired of appearing the poser even when I’m not.

For just one season, just one ride, just one race, I want to be fast. I want to leave the extra me behind and grind away lost in the rhythm of pedal and stroke. I want to climb and not have to stop at the top, I want zoom and fly and not worry about saving that pound by shorting my Camelbak that few precious drops of water or ice. I want to wear a kit without frightening small children and dogs and most of all I want to be faster than my wife (more about her later). One season, one race, one ride…30 pounds…this is my journey.