cornerofmadness

today was day one of the workshops. for the most part they were good. The first was more for me than my students, a look at forgotten but important Black scientists. It was very interesting and sad at the same time because of the prejudice against them (Most of them had to go to Canada or European to be educated). I had a few picked out for the #2 slot but they were half way across Campus and my #3 choice was in the same room as #1 and since it was going to be on CHOCOLATE I knew it would be full so I just stayed in that room for #2 . The talk was about Diffusion tension MRI which I have never heard of. Given by a young girl who was obviously scared. It was her first time and it did BOMB. Bad. Some people walked out (funny as we had just been talking about this over breakfast, the exact same scenario). I did stick it out but it wasn't very goo or helpful. I DO think the 60 and/or 90 minute time frames are a bit long. I would like to do one but honestly 30 minutes would be enough...

The last one workshop was about using cast studies designed as an escape room exercise. I was so exhausted I actually fell asleep scrawling notes. You can see where the pen just drifted off the page. I was only out for a few seconds but damn.

I came home, shuffled one tour from monday til tomorrow since I'm done earlier. Unfortunately I miscounted the days and now I won't get to go to a could of local restaurants I wanted to try. I DID go to P F Chang's for the first time ever (It was only two doors down and I was too tired to go further). Now I see what I have avoided it. SO overpriced for Chinese. The shrimp dumpling dim sum were good but the honey chicken was like flavorless erasers. I did something I never do. I complained. We switched it out for long life noodles with crispy prawns which was good. Stopped back at squatters to have an apricot hefeweizen which was good but not as good as their oatmeal stout.

So here you go, the ghost tour.

I went on Grimm’s Ghost tour and our tour guide was an enthusiastic man originally from Baton Rogue dressed in black with a silver cross calling himself ‘Preacher.’ I got to talk to him a while before the tour. He was fun. I’m only going to include the ones we stopped at (we couldn’t go in, a lot of them think ghosts ruin business, unsurprising in such a religious area).

We stopped at the Rio train station. The purple lady haunts it. The story goes that during the war a lot of men shipped off from that station with that final kiss goodbye there. One couple got into a fight and he tore the ring off her finger throwing it onto the tracks. She was killed trying to retrieve it. However, they got an EVP there that clearly said ‘help me, my boyfriend pushed me.’ There is also someone who turns on the showers inside the building. We also saw the scariest part of the tour there, a truly huge Hooverville. Utah has only a 2 % unemployment rate. Apparently they’re all in this tent city.

The Rio Station:

He showed a picture of a woman named Lily’s whose grave read ‘victim of the beast 666’ no one is entirely sure why but it’s possible she died at her husband’s hands (urban legend, her spirit will follow you unless you leave a penny on her grave) but sadly we didn’t go there.

There was a young Mormon missionary to South America who contracted something there, leaving him very ill. Afterward he started claiming he was God, Jesus and the holy spirit all in one. He refused to back down from this so he was excommunicated and made his own cult. Some of you may have heard of Emmanuel David and his wife Rachel. (and the whole David family, in the cult your last name has to be David) He was about to be caught by the FBI for conning people, counterfeiting etc. He committed suicide. His wife checked into the Isle of...yeah I need to look that up but it’s now the Holiday Inn Express (literally next door to the salt palace) and she took all 7 of her kids aged very young up to 19 and told them they were going to meet their father. She took them out to room 1105’s balcony and told them to jump. Some did. Others she threw over, breaking the fingers of any of the kids who clung on. Only one survived. She jumped after them. They are often heard playing around the pool. You can still rent that room (note to self).



Then we went to the city court house. It had a holding cell underground that once housed Ted Bundy. It was also home to a corrupt judge who took bribes from big business to cheat ranchers out of their lands. He’s still heard in the halls and using his gavel. Another ghost there was the ghost of a bride who was being married there but her intended took a runner, leaving her at the alter. (or at least the court room and the Justice of the Peace). She climbed out on the roof and threw herself off (he showed a picture that did look like a bridal train…)

The top of the city county court

The bottom of it

There are several of these creepy ones but I couldn't look away from this one

There is a sea serpent in a local lake. Here it is on the building.

We went to the Salt Lake City Cemetery but being memorial day it was rather crowded even at 8 o’clock at night so we didn’t do as much as we should have. We got glared at by a family having a picnic on a grave but right next to them was the grave of Hiram Bebee, a potential resting place of the Sundance Kid. No real ghost story just that (well could have had a ghost story but who knows since we cut it short) He also told a story about one of the early governors hitting on a young widow so often and so hard that he knew he had to get out of town or die and when he tried to get out the carriage driver was the woman's sister (which makes me want to look this up. There weren't many lady drivers) and he told the story of Jean Baptiste, a grave robber who stole clothes and jewels from the graves. Brigham Young didn't allow for him to be killed for a relatively minor crime so they branded graverobber into his forehead and exiled him. (would like to know if that's true too)

The view of the city from the cemetery. How ironic, SO many cemeteries were put on the top of hills with great views because back in the day we wanted the flat lands for farm. Now we want these grave yards gone and the hills turned into premium housing.

Then we ended at the Hatch chocolate factory that used to be a father and son grocery and they’re still there. We are allowed in there (sadly can’t buy chocolate because we’d end up off schedule) but we all got a piece. It was chocolate over cinnamon gummy bear. It was good chocolate.



As for the Peery there is bellboy seen and heard in the halls and a moaning woman near the elevator.

A view from the landing

I don't know what the gray blob on the support nor the green orb near the floor (a bit distance from the lights to be a flare) Take that as you will.