Icelandic Cryptid

A video of an Icelandic water cryptid has appeared online and caused some controversy. Those of us who love stories about the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot want these videos to be real. We want the creature to be seen in all its glory, or at least glimpsed while dashing out of sight. All we want is that little nudge to keep the hope and interest going. Every little bit of proof is vital to finding living cryptids.

This video may qualify if it turns out to be real. The Lagarfljotsormurinn, as it is called, appears in the video as a large, snakey creature, wending its way through an Icelandic river. The image is not crystal clear and is shot from different angles, so a complete picture of whatever it is will be difficult to grasp. There are dozens, if not hundreds of eel and snake species living in freshwater throughout the world, not to mention the types of elongated fish and other animals that live in or travel through the water. If the animal in the video is real, it will probably turn out to be one of these.

If the animal has been faked, it's still a pretty creepy sight. Either way, I won't be disappointed because it's the discussion that keeps interest alive. People have been seeing the Lagarfljotsormurinn for hundreds of years, which means there is probably something to this story, even if the video is a hoax. What starts out as a "big fish" story may turn into a monstrous legend if it goes on long enough.

An article about the video's veracity and a link to the video itself can be found here.

Wow

Foreclosure company mocks the homeless.

Pointless and addictive

Urban Legends quiz. It seems to go on forever, but you won't want to stop clicking. I guess it's kind of educational...

Flash flood

Yesterday an intense storm swept over my house and for the first time since living here, I saw the little creek rise up to its banks. My power went out for almost an hour and I had to set up the emergency air pump in my largest fish tank.

It was the middle of the afternoon, but so dark I had to light all my candles just to see. I ended up sitting at the table, reading and stress-eating a loaf of bread, waiting for the water to wash my house away. I think if the storm had lasted another 15 minutes, water would have started reaching my foundation.

Really?

Frustration: Is it just me or is it bad form to play with your iPhone during church? Church is supposed to be a quiet time between you and God. Most of us still have that itch to text or surf or knit or do whatever we do with our hands the rest of our waking hours. But that's exactly why you have to put those things down for at least an hour a week and just be still.

Self-cloning Lizards

A new species of self-cloning lizards was discovered recently in Vietnam. They were being served in a restaurant and apparently taste awful...identically awful.

I'm London bound in a few days. Prepare yourself for pictures of me in front of the house Herman Melville stayed in while he was there.