The Art of Posturing...

Admit it. Every ghost hunting group in the world wants to be BADASS. More specifically, we want to LOOK badass, based - of course - on what each of our individual definitions of badassery entail. Some groups that lean towards psychics and mediums and crystals and sage-smudging might want to appear earthy, flowy, approachable, and all about the love. Some groups with all the fancy gadgets that beep and flash may want to pose in their combat gear in front of their paranormal unimog, just to make sure everyone knows to be scared.

Some of us are happy if we appear to have only a single chin and not shaped roughly like the Tasmanian Devil.

This is all part of posturing. This is what everyone will see and know and remember from the very first glance. It's important. So, since we here at Wailing Bansidhe have an unusually high concentration of "newbies," we have been bemoaning and vascillating about the impending "group photo." You've all seen the one that's posted now. I look like I just climbed out of the back of a dumptruck, Paige looks like she has gigantism, and the rest of us look somewhere in between. Well, except for Clint (or "Cling" if you are typing too fast) who always looks fierce and mighty.

Given the dilemma, I did what any good leader would do, I opened the topic for dialogue on exactly where and how we should be photographed. I instantly regretted it.

"Hey, we should do COSTUMES!!! I used to have a Gorilla suit in my car, until it was ejected onto the highway when I rolled down the embankment."

"Yes, yes...PARANORMAL MASQUERADE!!! We could be pirates! ARGH!"

"No, no...seriously, though...any ideas?"

"POWDERED WIGS!!!"

"We aren't wearing powdered wigs."

"It's my turn to wear the mango capris!"

Before the brainstorming session (completely SOBER, I might add) was over, we had entertained such ideas as velcro jumpsuits, homemade re-purposed t-shirts, a large multi-armed stick onto which we would place our instrumentation, all while simultaneously carrying a sign as we parade past the Tombstone webcam.

Somehow, I feel we will need to revisit this topic again. For now, I have to slip into my sequined tube top, yarmulke, and drywall stilts for this round of photos.

It's really all about choosing your battles.