Cryptozoology...

...it's more than just a big word. According to the Wikipedia people, it 'refers to the search for animals which are considered to be legendary or otherwise nonexistent by mainstream biology.'

An article in Canoe.ca news caught my eye this morning and I figured I would share it with you, just in case you haven't had enough weirdness in your day. The full story can be found here, but to paraphrase: there was a photo released taken on Cameron Lake near Parksville, BC on Vancouver Island. The woman who took the photo had seen something on the surface and snapped a quick shot of the serpent-like creature. Researchers spent Saturday on the Lake and did, indeed, pick up a large sonar signal from an object 60 feet below.

British Columbia has had a storied history with strange beasties from the Sasquatch to Ogopogo, and, years ago, the fabled Cadborosaurus. It's interesting that all it takes is one misinterpreted sighting of an object on a body of water, over a span of dozens of years, gets folks speculating as to what lies beneath. I'm as guilty as the next person...when we visited Loch Ness years ago I had my eyes peeled on the water at all times, just hoping for the elusive sighting. I guess some things are human nature. To the right is a photo of the serpent play-thingy, made of concrete, located at Gyro Park at Cadboro beach in Victoria. I used to play on that as a kid.

And all of this reminds me of the hilarious video to be seen at Carrie Harris' blog regarding the trend of merging the classics with supernatural elements. You've got to check it out.

Sharpen your pencils

We went to the movies last night to see District 9. I'm surprised that it's been out for a week and it's only in one theatre. Guess that it's got to do with the unknown cast and relatively new director Neill Blomkamp. I suppose it has been more accepted by the mainstream audience as Peter Jackson has thrown his weight behind it. What a fantastic movie, considering the unknown cast. Quite an action/sci-fi story delving into all sorts of subject ranging from greed and betrayal to survival and humanity. Well worth the price of admission.

The highlight of going to the movies for me, or course is watching all the trailers before the main feature. There was one shown that I hadn't seen before. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant is set for release on Oct. 23/09 and looks like a hoot. It stars John C. Reilly and is based on Darren Shan's book first published in 2000. The entire length of the trailer, I was thinking to myself...this something hilarious, yet bizarre, that Catherine J. Gardner or Carrie Harris would write...

So it would seem that Hollywood is knocking at the door, looking for that strange and wonderful mix of horror and comedy again...so everybody sharpen your pencils and get to work. Attached below is the link to the official website and trailer for this movie.

http://www.thevampiresassistant.net/

Holy Grossness...

Carrie Harris has today posted a great video from SNL spoofing the cult sci-fi classic 'Soylent Green' (long live Charlton Heston and Phil Hartman). As a child, I recall running between two houses and ripping through a large spider's web that was draped there. Of course, my mouth was wide open as a screamed like a little girl...I ended up chomping down on the offending beastie and swallowed it faster than I could say 'arachnophobia'. One would call that "accidental ingestion."

As an adult, the grossest thing that I consciously ate was calf brains. It was served up as part of a meal that I ate while travelling abroad. We were half way done the tasty, mince-like substance before someone thought to ask what it was. The gentlemen at the next table also had calf brains, but it was presented in a more solid, brain-like form. I of course kept eating. Having eaten liver, haggis, cod tongues and yes, juicy spiders, what's the big deal about a wee bit of brain? Anyone got some grossness to add to the list?

I Never Tell a Lie...

I've been out of the loop for a couple of days as some managers, VPees, etc. have been in town for a conference and I've been involved in a limited sort of way. All is back to "normal" and, upon checking blogs, I've discovered that I've been tagged by Natalie L. Sin, queen of the fujoshi, and KC Shaw, mistress of Weredeer. And, a shout out to Carrie Harris for starting this wonderful thread (see, I've started lying already...kidding, I love this stuff!)It takes great effort for me to be funny, but we were at Yuk Yuk's last night so I'm feeling inspired...

"Sometimes you can learn more about a person by what they don’t tell you. Sometimes you can learn a lot from the things they just make up. If you are tagged with this Meme, lie to me. Then tag 7 other folks (one for each deadly sin) and hope they can lie.

Pride: What is your biggest contribution to the world?

In my early teens, I became frustrated with how the ribbons would tangle with 8-track tapes and later, with cassettes. I then invented the CD, much more compact and user-friendly that vinyl or tapes. To protect these little gems, I also invented the plastic cases to store them it.

Envy: What do your coworkers wish they had which is yours?

My bountiful hair of course...I worked in a steel plant for years, and there was much jealousy about my flowing locks and heavy beard. The guys were jealous, too...

Gluttony: What did you eat last night?

We eats the Lobster and seal flipper pies. We alternate between them every other night, b'y!

(being Canadian, I feel compelled to apologise to all Newfoundlanders for the bad accent and to anyone else I may have offended about the seals...)

Lust: What really lights your fire?

hmm...Mazola and a large plastic sheet. Scratch that. Mostly the Thursday night dress-ups as Kirk and Uhura after our son has gone to bed. OK, I exaggerated a bit. It's a semi-annual affair, but things really heat up...phasers on stun!

Anger: What is the last thing that really pissed you off?

You know how when you try to open those F*&%$@! CD cases when they're stuck. You force it too hard and it snaps off at the hinges...that gets my ire up! Who invented those damn things anyway...

Greed: Name something you keep from others.

What I keep secret is my lineage to Albert Einstein. The family resemblance is most obvious when I've shaved off my beard and my hair poofs up on humid days (see attached photo).



Sloth: What's the laziest thing you've ever done?


At the last Thursday semi-annual dress up, I had some other guy fill the role of Captain Kirk for me (he did angst much better than I...)



I don't have 7 friends to tag, but perhaps the other 3 people whom I know read this blog on occasion, and I know have not been tagged, can answer the questions with their best lies...I won't mention any names but their blogs are Urban Fantasy Experience , So You Wannabe a Writer and Straight From Hel .