army of god

The section of Kópavogur where I work is home to some of the world's worst architecture. But in terms of sheer ugliness, one building stands head and shoulders above its neighbors. Next to the Kárahnjúkur dam it is perhaps the biggest eyesore in all of the Land. It's a rambling boxy building that looks something like a white shiny refrigerator, with giant orange and blue crosses painted on the sides. Adding to the sense of shab are a series of permanently running "reefer" containers jacked up on pavement blocks at various locations around the building. On two sides are lots full of old cars, including what appears to be a perfect replica of my sometimes-beloved 1988 Carl. This building apparently houses some sort of church/cult and it draws quite the crowd on a Sunday morning, when the rest of the Capital Area is fast asleep.

The newest addition to the churchsore is a couple of military vehicles, painted in camouflage colors. One is the original-style Army Hummer, modified with large bubble tires. The other is what looks to be a giant base-surplus troop transport truck. For much of this week, the Hummer was posed "in action" in front of the church and halfway out into the street with one front wheel atop an 18" high pile of paving blocks. The presence of the military vehicles makes me a bit uneasy.

We have to walk by this building every day on the way to lunch, and the other day my coworkers and I were speculating that really what was being built here was an army of God. They're slowly collecting the vehicles out front, and the mysterious reefers could very well contain the Kool-Aid-comatose Warriors of Light. Once the leaders collect enough old vehicles and frozen parishoners, the Final Assault can begin. Watch out, Kópavogskirkja!