Hello I'm Vinny, the Founder of Windy City Paranormal.
I'm more into the interpersonal relationships than the internet relationships, but I'm giving this blog thing a go.
What got you into this?
that's a question I get a lot. I think all investigators do, if not all the time, at one point or another.
And I think all of us can answer that question in one word, curiosity.
We are all curious, most have had a personal experience, some of us started with a fascination for crypto zoology, and some just have always been fascinated with ghosts. I'm part of the crypto zoology people. That has always been a passion for me since I was 14. Reading everything I could get my hands on, or watching shows on TV or listening to radio shows about the unexplained in the world of animals. This happens to be a very impractical hobby for most people, not to mention an extremely expensive one.
I've also liked ghost stories and always looked for logical reasons for the things that happened, But the only ghost hunter that i've ever known about were those jokes of hunters that were seen on some cheesy shows around Halloween or on IN SEARCH OF where you looked at the people doing it and think "What the hell, are they serious? That could have been a thousand things causing that noise".
But I Digress. Then came a show called GHOST HUNTERS on the Sci Fi channel and I thought heck let's watch. So my wife and me curled up on the couch and began to watch. It was the first episode and we loved it. This was not the run of the mill ghost hunters we were used to seeing on TV but regular people, not some overly dramatic fake sensitive, they didn't hold a seances or readings. They used high tech devices that I've only thought of for electrical work or security surveillance.
So as soon as the show was over I ran (literally) to the computer and logged on and looked for the TAPS website. OMG!!! There were people like me. Other groups like TAPS. Over the next couple of years my interest grew until I finally logged into the 18+ forum on the TAPS website. There I found a groups just getting started that I thought I would do well in and asked to join. After 6 months I got "a kick in the complacency"(thanks for the qoute Capt. Picard) I needed.
I found my smile again as they say. And I returned to the old Vinny. The Vinny of drive and determination returned. I haven't seen him since 9-11-01; I think a lot of us around the country lost a little somthing that day. You see I work for an airline as a flight attendant and I lost my confidence and drive that day. I just wanted to go home every day and sleep. The only thing that kept me going was my wonderful wife. I would draw energy from her, she would help me through some very rough patches in my life and for that I'm forever in debt with her.
After a while of what seemed like banging my head against a wall with my old group I was getting ideas in my head of starting my own team, and when it was clear that my ideas of being nice and sharing information with other groups openly and creating a TEAM instead of just a group were clearly not appreciated with in the group I was in; I left to start my own group but I wasn't alone. Others felt the same way and a couple of those people came with me (Cherie and Brian), Cherie left before me but I kept in contact with her, and Brian left with me. Then I picked up another former members of the other group. He had the same dream, He left earlier to start his own group. He later decided to come and join my team, only after being asked a few times. lol...That was Aaron, I didn't go to him right away because I wanted him to keep his dream alive too, but I needed him to complete my team so I asked him.
My Teammates are great, they all bring something to the team and have ideas and thoughts and no one is ridiculed for them, and we all respect each other. We help each other in any way we can. We are growing close and becoming good friends. And with this crew it's easy.
CHERIE is an excellent researcher and has a passion for it. Not to mention she is one of the most thorough people I know. She is irreplaceable.
AARON is our audio and video expert, that's what he does for a living. Not to mention a great web designer and music producer. Look for his new song to come soon don't worry we will post it here or on Windy City Paranormal's Myspace page when its completed, I'll let him tell you about it in his blog.
BRIAN I write about him last because he is the glue of the team his sense of humor in life and practicality of thought for the paranormal makes him the utility man on the team he is smart and learns things quicker than I've seen of anyone in any thing i've seen in years. And he is the kind of man to come right up to my face and tell me I'm wrong. Whether I am or not. lol...
That is me, that is my team, and I hope this brings you a little comfort in knowing who we are; specially if you're here seeking help. Take comfort in knowing we are real people. We are passionate, funny, strong, and independent thinkers, and we want to help.
Thanks for your time,
Vinny
