I want to believe, because it’s important to me to believe that there are still mysteries on the planet (and, y’know, around the planet). Not like, “Who killed JFK?”, but, like, really cool stuff — like, shit that might come out of an Indiana Jones movie. Native Americans living in the great unexplored wilderness the way their ancestors did, tribes of Sasquatch, hundreds of thousands of inhabited planets spread throughout the galaxy and a vast interstellar … erm, well, stuff like that.
So there I am, browsing through various news-sources online, when I came across an article with the intriguing sounding title “Man says he captured Loch Ness on film.” And despite that I want the story to be true, because, let’s be honest here, HOW COOL!?, my first thought was “Oh, goodness gracious, whatthefuckever.”
The Loch Ness monster is back - and there’s video. A man has captured what Nessie watchers say is possible footage of the supposed mythical creature beneath Scotland’s most mysterious lake.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this jet black thing, about 45 feet long, moving fairly fast in the water,” said Gordon Holmes, the 55-year-old a lab technician from Shipley, Yorkshire, who took the video Saturday.
“I see myself as a skeptical interpreter of what happens in the loch, but I do keep an open mind about these things and there is no doubt this is some of the best footage I have seen,” said Shine, of the Loch Ness 2000 center in Drumnadrochit, on the shores of the lake.
Holmes said whatever it was moved at about 6 mph and kept a fairly straight course.
“My initial thought is it could be a very big eel, they have serpent-like features and they may explain all the sightings in Loch Ness over the years.”
Loch Ness is surrounded by myth. It’s the largest inland body of water in Britain, and at about 750 feet to the bottom, it’s even deeper than the North Sea.
I found a clip on YouTube from a Scottish news channel, which includes some of the Holmes video. You should, of course, decide for yourself. Me? I’d rather think there is still some undiscovered wonder in the world.
WTF is “Naplis?”, you’re asking yourself, I’m sure. ‘Naplis’ is how Marylanders — or at least, this native Marylander — pronounce “Annapolis”, home not only to Maryland’s state government, but also to the U.S. Naval Academy. (On the off chance that the cute blonde midshipchica who I saw from behind tonight walking towards Pusser’s reads this, um, Hi!)
So the whole reason for my trip to Annapolis was to visit with two friends who I haven’t seen in years and years. I first met Scott and Emily when we were all in seventh grade together at Wilde Lake Middle School, waaaaay back in the early/mid nineties. Scott has lived in Annapolis for almost four years — I know, because less than a week after I bought my Celica (July ‘03, bet I’ve got a registration renewal notice in the mail) I helped him move from Columbia to Annapolis. Emily lives out in Washington, DC, and of course, if you’ve read the sidebar, you know I live in Timonium (which, for those of you unaware of Maryland geography, is a few miles north of Baltimore City). Convenient map:
I learned something totally cool today: Google maps has a “bad traffic” indicator. Seeing that button was more than enough to delete my Mapquest bookmark. I had been worried about the drive down, but it turned out to take me almost exactly an hour — that’s what Google predicted, and a far gentler estimate than I’d figured given I’d be fighting Friday night rush hour (and since I’d be getting caught-up by Eastern Shore and Ocean City bound traffic). The rough spot of traffic was right where Google maps said it would be.
Once we’d all arrived at Scott’s place (I beat Emily by at least twenty minutes) and met his fiancee, Liz (Emily’d actually already met her), we went out to dinner at Pusser’s Landing. While I had a pretty good idea Liz was going to be a great person, this was confirmed when she announced she was eagerly awaiting the forthcoming Harry Potter book, as well as her regret for not having seen Hot Fuzz, and her love for Shaun of the Dead. Scott, she’s a keeper!
After waiting for a table for nearly an hour, we were seated on the dock along Ego Alley. The coolest part of the meal was certainly the company, but the second coolest part was that a big ol’ sailboat, the Woodwind II, if I remember correctly, was preparing to push off. (It’s the simple things in life I enjoy). The scariest part, however, was contemplating what would happen if Scott or Liz forgot that the only thing between them and the edge of the dock was five inches and tried to scoot back. Thankfully, unplanned swims in that water — “No, the ducks are glowing because the water is clean” — were avoided.
I hadn’t realized Pusser’s was a seafood restaurant — it hadn’t occured to me to inquire (so much for a bacon double-cheese burger). While I came close to ordering their fish & chips, I settled for a steak. I don’t eat steak much. It was really great — and, frankly, for $19.50, it better have been, y’know? (I need to find out if Scott or Emily’s employers are hiring, because, clearly, they’re making more bones than I am).
In the roughly two years since I’d last been down to Annapolis, Scott moved out of the Stepford-Wives apartment complex he’d been living in and into a place in downtown Annapolis. Parking was easily provided by the half-vacant parking lot of a Catholic church and school off Duke of Gloucester, however, departing proved to be an exercise and a half — the only way out was through downtown Annapolis, and even at 10:30 at night, it was crammed full of people and vehicles and moving very s l o w l y.
So I’m finally home. I had a great night with great friends, and right now all I’m looking forward to is a great eight hours asleep on my great futon.
