Alexx, mighty hunter

Last night I was visiting cvirtue and family, when I got a call from kestrell. "Something is flying around my room and occasionally dive-bombing my head. I am Not Happy about it." Only one housemate (M) was home, and when she took a look, naturally the beastie was nowhere to be seen. So I came home as fast as I could manage.

Kes was, as I had guessed, hiding out in my room with her laptop. I then took up vigil in her room, to see if I could spot the intruder. No sign of it for several hours. Eventually, we returned to our individual rooms, and attempted to sleep (albeit Kes was hiding her head under the sheets).

Around 11:20, I heard what could have been flapping noises from Kestrell's room, and got up to look. Sure enough, in the dim LED glow of her electronics, I could see a shadow flitting back and forth through the air. I turned on some lights, and it flew out into the hall, more or less straight at me! From the quick glimpses I got, I thought it might have been a sparrow. Then it went back into Kes's room.

I hurriedly searched my own room for something which could serve as an impromptu net. A pair of summer shorts seemed to be appropriate, having the right mix of weight and give. I opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, and waited, shorts at the ready. Soon enough, the winged intruder made another pass into the hallway, and I nailed it with my shorts, which dragged it to the foot of the stairs, somewhat stunned. It got up and flew out the door before I got down there, but I could see that it was, in fact, a bat, not a bird.

I quickly went down the stairs myself, and closed the door to them, so the bat couldn't get back to Kes's room, then reconnoitered. The bat was flying in circles around the guest room -- perfect! I went in there with it, closed the door, and opened up a large window. I spent about fifteen minutes trying to shoo the bat out the window. It didn't seem to be aware of the window, but was just frantically circling the room.

I eventually noticed that if I left it alone for a while, its circling gradually got lower (I expect it must have been tiring), which at least brought it down to the level of the window opening. Several times it actually stopped and perched *on* the window (or the curtains). Each time, I would approach and try and shoo it out, but then it would just start circling again. Eventually, though, on one of its slow, low passes, it seemed to become aware of the opening and finally made it out.

I shut the window pronto and returned upstairs, to my grateful wife :-)

Alexx, mighty hunter

Last night I was visiting cvirtue and family, when I got a call from kestrell. "Something is flying around my room and occasionally dive-bombing my head. I am Not Happy about it." Only one housemate (M) was home, and when she took a look, naturally the beastie was nowhere to be seen. So I came home as fast as I could manage.

Kes was, as I had guessed, hiding out in my room with her laptop. I then took up vigil in her room, to see if I could spot the intruder. No sign of it for several hours. Eventually, we returned to our individual rooms, and attempted to sleep (albeit Kes was hiding her head under the sheets).

Around 11:20, I heard what could have been flapping noises from Kestrell's room, and got up to look. Sure enough, in the dim LED glow of her electronics, I could see a shadow flitting back and forth through the air. I turned on some lights, and it flew out into the hall, more or less straight at me! From the quick glimpses I got, I thought it might have been a sparrow. Then it went back into Kes's room.

I hurriedly searched my own room for something which could serve as an impromptu net. A pair of summer shorts seemed to be appropriate, having the right mix of weight and give. I opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, and waited, shorts at the ready. Soon enough, the winged intruder made another pass into the hallway, and I nailed it with my shorts, which dragged it to the foot of the stairs, somewhat stunned. It got up and flew out the door before I got down there, but I could see that it was, in fact, a bat, not a bird.

I quickly went down the stairs myself, and closed the door to them, so the bat couldn't get back to Kes's room, then reconnoitered. The bat was flying in circles around the guest room -- perfect! I went in there with it, closed the door, and opened up a large window. I spent about fifteen minutes trying to shoo the bat out the window. It didn't seem to be aware of the window, but was just frantically circling the room.

I eventually noticed that if I left it alone for a while, its circling gradually got lower (I expect it must have been tiring), which at least brought it down to the level of the window opening. Several times it actually stopped and perched *on* the window (or the curtains). Each time, I would approach and try and shoo it out, but then it would just start circling again. Eventually, though, on one of its slow, low passes, it seemed to become aware of the opening and finally made it out.

I shut the window pronto and returned upstairs, to my grateful wife :-)

Fun stories from Iceland

In my web-browsing yesterday, I found two fun stories, each having to do with Iceland.

First, courtesy of Neil Gaiman, the news that companies who want to build factories in Iceland first have to get the land certified by a government official as being free of elves.

Secondly, courtesy of patrissimo, comes a story from 1973. A small Icelandic island suffered a volcanic eruption. Not content to let the island's fishing industry be destroyed, the Icelanders fought back against the lava flow -- and won!

Fun stories from Iceland

In my web-browsing yesterday, I found two fun stories, each having to do with Iceland.

First, courtesy of Neil Gaiman, the news that companies who want to build factories in Iceland first have to get the land certified by a government official as being free of elves.

Secondly, courtesy of patrissimo, comes a story from 1973. A small Icelandic island suffered a volcanic eruption. Not content to let the island's fishing industry be destroyed, the Icelanders fought back against the lava flow -- and won!