Screams from Room #209

Ok, faithful readers, I will admit that I've had some difficulty getting into the Halloween spirit this year. But this video, sent in by, alert reader, Dena, definitely gave me the creeps.

Quick Note: This is not one of those sudden jump-out videos. I wouldn't do that to you. . .in this post.



Now, there are a few of reasons why I think this video is fake. First of all, if it was recorded on September 4, 2003, why did it take so long for them to upload it? I mean, people have been uploading videos to YouTube since April 23, 2005 and people have been interested in the paranormal since at least September 10, 1993, so why would they wait until September 4, 2012 to upload it, never mind the fact that it's just getting popular just now in October of 2013. Wow. I think I put too many dates in that paragraph.

Also, why is it that we can hear Amy at the beginning of the audio, but not later on? And why can you hear John's muffled drive-thru speaker speech when he's outside of the room, but not when he's giving the description of what was in the room? Plus, the screams from room #209 come in a bit too clear, if we can't even hear John most of the time.

Furthermore, two seconds pass between the time the unnamed security manager says "John, are you there?" to when John walks back out of the room and is clearly not using his radio. And somehow, in those two seconds he manages to tell the security manager (and us, the audience) that he wants Amy to call the police, that there's no one in the room and that the furniture was all turned over. Then John puts the radio to his lips for one second, and manages to tell the security manager that the carpet was ripped up and the shower was on and, once again, there's nobody in there.

Finally, why didn't John turn on the light when he walked in the room? If I were John, turning on the lights would be the first thing I would do if I were to hear screams in a dark room -- call me crazy. A flashlight is a dark room is just asking for the spooky.

However, even if this video isn't real (which I doubt it is, because Jimmynut22, who uploaded it is also a filmmaker, apparently) (and he uploaded the exact same video with the title "Alien caught on camera" a day later on September 5, 2012), I still think it's effective as a creepy video and a fun way to kick off this Halloween season.

This Looks Like a Job For. . .TACOCOPTER!

I'm a fan of food delivery. Having someone bring food to my house means that I don't have to waste gas, time or shower water in order to eat food from a restaurant. However, what am I supposed to do when I want restaurant-quality food when I'm not at home? What do I do when I'm hiking a mountain or in some other remote location where I don't know the address? The answer, faithful readers, is the Tacocopter.

For those of you who don't know what the Tacocopter is, let me take a moment and separate the word out for easier reading: Ta-coco-pter. There, I hope that helps.

The premise is simple, you use your smartphone to make the order and let the Tacocopter come to you. This unmanned drone flies your way and lays the food right at your feet - no matter where you are.

Now, this idea may bring a couple of questions to mind, such as: How do I pay for the tacos? What if someone else gets my tacos? How long will it take to get my tacos? What if someone abducts the Tacocopter? What if I get the wrong order? How much would the company be willing to pay to get their Tacocopter back?

Well, truth be told, the Tacocopter isn't a reality yet. It's as fictional as cow tipping or The Twilight Saga's Academy Award nominations. It's just an idea created by Star Simpson, Dustin Boyer and Scott Torborg. Some people have called the Tacocopter a hoax, but I call it wishful thinking. What a wonderful world it would be if you could get food delivered to you no matter where you were. It would be a delicious, food-filled utopia! Although I can forsee some problems with a Tacocopter future. For example, let's pretend I was lost in the woods and I only had a few minutes of battery life left. I would then have to make the heart-wrenching decision of whether I should use those minutes to call for help or use them to order a couple of chicken tacos.

Wait, I just came up with a solution for that. I would order the tacos and then, in the notes section of the order I would simply write, "Please help me, I'm lost in the woods and I need a rescue team to be sent here. Also, no onions on the tacos, please. Thanks!"

Let the Tacocopter dream continue!

Announcement Time

I thought that I should let my faithful readers out there know something I've kept hidden for a while. . . .This is my baby boy, Riley.


Riley was from my first marriage. He's a very active two-year-old. He enjoys making birdhouses, running marathons and he's just finished his first book about a young wizard who finds out that he's actually a sparkly vampire and so he goes on a quest to find a ring that will save the mythical creature preserves! He's a bright young boy and I'm so proud he's my son.



I'm just kidding.



Riley actually is the child of this woman, Megan McCormic:


Wait. . .maybe not. . .


It looks like Megan was making up some stories of her own!


Megan, if you're going to lie to your ex-boyfriend, don't involve the press!