(((withoutsound)))

Finally. The world of science fiction is merging with our world. Within the past couple of weeks, two awesome science fiction stories have made their way into major news.

Up in Lake Champlain (straddling the borders between New York, Vermont and Quebec), two “respected, not crazy” fisherman caught video footage of their encounter with Champ, the Lake Champlain Monster. ABCNEWS aired the story. According to my Field Guide to North American Monsters, by W. Haden Blackman, the lake serpent was originally known as Chaousarou by the early Native Americans living by the lake. Europeans first recorded seeing the creature in 1609 and the first grainy film footage was taken in 1977. Apparently, Champ is even protected by the laws in New York and Vermont. Check out the video. Ain’t it cool? (Mr. Knowles, may I say that?)

And in Los Angeles, a mysterious black ooze bubbled out of the streets of the city’s downtown. According to reports, though the weather was in the cool 60s that day, the sidewalk registered over a 100º F. I first heard about it while walking past a newspaper vending machine for the LA Daily News. I think the front page headline was the same as the one on their website: “Mystery Blob Eating Downtown”. How awesome is that? I haven’t heard yet if Kevin Dillon was anywhere nearby.

• Buy The Field Guide to North American Monsters.
• Buy Champ merch.
• Buy The Blob (the Steve McQueen version though, please).

I guess this is the week of sibilance.
Ssssssorry ’bout that.