Jim the Therapists= No Excuses.

[Jim Warfield]

I have been real busy over most of the last month, maybe I get abit more cranky when I'm this busy and tired, but last night my last tour was a roomfull of a mixed bag of people but one teenage girl and her Mother were a handfull.
The girl is an only child, they are sort of local, they have been through the house a few times...
The girl was chattering randomly but almost non-stop and her Mother was right there with her in this half the time, the rest of the group about 13 in number were attentive and listening.
The girl would emit this shrill almost scream like noise every so often for no apparent reason, then said that she couldn't stop it because it was an involuntary noise (she called it a belch or burp?) and then she just kept saying little stupid things that nobody needed or wanted to hear.
I joked with her at first I told her my hand squeezing aound her neck could limit involuntary responses.
My front room routine is usually anywhere from a minimum of 15 minutes long to 25 and I am telling the haunted history of the house in an entertaining style using humor or not, anyway we all know as adults to communicate verbally someone has to listen at least a percentage of the time and this responsibilty is shared back and forth, ex cetra....
I finally had had enough, I just quit talking to alow her and Mom to fill the air with themselves with no intervention from me.
After awhile they quieted down. I handed her my flashlight and said, "I can't compete with that, it's your tour now."
Then I said nothing for awhile allowing her and Mom to fumble and stumble and hopefully think alittle.
"Did we upset you?"
"Look around the room, all these people paid to be here and probably hear what I had to say, maybe you upset them too?"
Mom and daughter got quiet, Mom said, "We haven't been here for three years."
I said, "Thank You." (For NOT being here!)

I then continued what was left of the front room routine.
Later as I was walking another Mom that was part of that group through the house around some things she couldn't physically do, I said to this woman, "Did you notice how the involuntary little distracting noises that girl was making all stopped after that little reality check ?"
"Yes, I thought that was rather amazing too!" She added.

A few months ago my son read me a very good article published by a college professor who sets the basic rules for his classroom and if someone can't follow them they are OUT! This seems to work incredibly well on some people who must also be hiding behind various excuses as to why they "Can't " or "Won't" behave in a normally acceptable demeanor and he has seemingly "Cured" a whole lot of those phantomly afflicted, or should I say randomly afflicted when it suits their needs to special treatment and considerations.
Many people have real problems I am not saying they don't but maybe everyone should get at least alittle upset with the people hiding behind imaginary shortcomings just to get away with acting up in public?
This diminishes the seriousness of those with real problems who really need special considerations and takes the needed expensive talents of those helpers and Doctors away from those in need.

I hope this morning that a certain "Mom" may have also noticed how her kid's affliction vanished so completely once someone became serious about it.

[damon carson]

In my front room spill I would have an occasional heckler or trouble maker. Or basically some over talkative girl who didnt want to pay attention. Basically I think its how some people try to overcome there fear. Note I worked the front room in a grim reaper outfit with a moving jaw. So in the dark it looked pretty scary. My speal in no way was as long as yours Jim. But they would still try to interupt and not listen at times. Thats when I would direct my attention to the disrupter. I would approach them and stare at them and say people that dont want to listen go first in the line. Or something like that. Or wont be seeing there way out of here. Sometimes I would totally surprise them and yell it out at them. Other times I would just say it in a whisper or low tone. It turned out to be very effective. But I do know where your coming from. And in a tour like yours you have to deal with them for an hour and a half. Sometimes if they are bothering you that bad it might be a good idea to offer them there money back if there being that disruptive. But if they brought a whole group then thats a little harder. I would just say make it a little harder on the person causing the trouble. Put them at the end of the line. Close a door in front of them. Make them knock a time or two. Stay at the door and then open it up. Say ohh sorry I forgot you were back there. Then scare them again when they walk past. Do enough things like that. Put them in the dark by themselves ect. Who knows you might start having fun picking a little on this person. LOL! At least you could get even! Keep up the hard work Jim!
Damon

[Jim Warfield]

The teenie-bopper girl making conversation is trying to distract herself from her scary surroundings. You may overhear her talking about what some boy said to her in study hall that day......they are trying to build a bubble of their own world around them as your dark world is prevading theirs, this is very normal, unfortunately.
Later today I was thinking that the last time this girl was here she was doing that same noise but guess what? It didn't make any difference last time because it was just a tour of her and a few of her friends, if she ruins their tour, they certainly know who's fault it was and might even take some corrective action on their own or something.
If she was in a crowded movie theater and was making such disruptions I think that she would find herself in trouble unless it's one of those places that have no employees to watch and care about what goes on there?
Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky? But then with all the tours I have given in all of these years I know how good it can be if people give it the slightest chance by just listening alittle........I get upset after awhile if they can't be at least quiet and respectfull long enough for this to begin to happen..

[damon carson]

Its not your getting to old jim. These same little twits would piss me off too. But you know what I would go into the maze and get them even better. I dont get mad I get even! Insert evil laugh Ha ha Ha Ha!
Damon

[Jim Warfield]

Damon, I noticed we have the same avatar! Are you copying me?
"Tisk!" Tisk!"

[Frankenhausers]

Hi Jim,

I think it's not about getting old. I think it's about having something to offer that could be a perfect experience (with laughters or scares or even tears) and having someone there, living in her own "Bubble" - and that perfectly discribes it - who is not capable of letting things come to her from the "outerworld". We have this
problems over here as well. Since we deal with large groups on bussy days, that means up to 30 people, we scare them once, scare them twice, let them go first and if that did not do the trick, then we allow ourselfes to show them the door.
Just because they will spoil the show for each and everyone in that group. I
could always life with one guest (money back for him - fun back for the others.)
out of the door because I found it better to concentrate on the shows I have to do
for those who care about it and will experience it. I'd rather focus on them then
on such a "Bubblegirl", cause those can make you so angry that you start focus
only on them instead of the others. And that is why we, here at the dungeons
and at the imperial, are allowed to grand those "Bubblegirls" the whish to return
the their ownb normal bubbly world outside of ours. Lot's of good mooded
guests that appreciate your tour, that's what I whish you for all times.
Frank.

[Matt Marich]

Little noisemaker

Jim, You should have just stabbed them.

[Jim Warfield]

"Stab Them"?
Right after I vacuumed the front room?
I try not to make any extra work for myself, I always have more to do than I seem to be able to ever get done.
Last night four young women were all sitting on my one couch, someone said the word "Anal"? Then one of them confessed that their initials spell that word (Anal)
Everyone else seemed rightly impressed, then the girl said to me, "You may now continue."
"You are talking about things Anal , and now you tell me to "continue"?
Laughter filled the room.
I stepped closer and all I could say was "But,but,but,but!"
Things do get nutty and idiotic here sometimes.

Later a guy told me that his girlfriend on the tour stole a hat from my kitchen.
"That isn't MY hat, that is some crusty, crumby bug-infested think that someone else left here years ago.......in fact I'm kind of minorly insulted that you even thought that I would be wearing such a thing!"
She was all goofy, starry-eyed thinking that I am some kind of a minnie-celebrity or something, "She had been "Studying and researching me on-line for the last six years!"
"Studying what?"
"Oh, how you build and assemble such ecclectic stuff, then F*#*k with people's minds with it!"

Earlier 5 quiet, polite, teenagers came up and bought their tickets then when they came back later were nabbed by our local Police. It seems they were driving very fast around town, even managed to "bottom-out" their car, making a shower of sparks in the process as they flew down the street!
The driver had no license, no insurance and he only got a "Warning!?"
Of course he was the only guy in the car, the rest of the car was full of the Anal sisters, maybe this was a factor in the judgement call?
Butt, you know, if the shiek is distracted by his harem, he should be in the back of the limo and not be driving.
The "Intern" girl from Russia was all smiles throughout the entire tour too, I knew there was something sort of different about her, she is from Russia!
She didn't need any costume to be one of those big-eyed cartoon dolls, pretty girl.
It was an interesting night.

[damon carson]

Ya I got that avatar at the dollar thrift store. You and I must have the same taste. I got rid of my old one. Too flashy! I didnt want to draw any attention to myself you know.
Damon