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Open Thoughts Friday

by: JayinPortland

Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 03:19:00 AM EDT

JayinPortland :: Open Thoughts Friday

I wish I was at the beach. Hmmm, I can't afford a rental car and nobody I know would be up for the trip today. No trains to the Coast (the only thing Jersey has on Oregon), but I can take The Wave bus!

Okay, Portland to Tillamook on the bus, 2 hours 15 minutes. 40-minute layover, then Tillamook to Manzanita, one hour. Oh crap, can't do a round trip the same day. I'd have to stay overnight in Manzanita or Tillamook. Damn it!

Oh well, I can always just hang out by the river instead. At least it's water! Hmmm, maybe take the bus to Troutdale? Glenn Otto Park on the Sandy River is a great place to be on a summer day, too...

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Open Thoughts Friday | 31 comments

Jay, I used to (15.00 / 5)

take the subway to Coney Island & go out on Steeplechase Pier & hang with the guys who were fishing. There are other beaches accessible from Midtown, too. But I liked that pier, especially after they extended it, b/c you were right over the water & the breezes were much cooler than on the beach or boardwalk.

It's going to be another hot one today. Weather.com says a high of 90 and humid -- better than I expected but still hot. Definitely beach or pool weather. I'll be in the a/c at work, so that's not so bad, but poor little King Tut is going to be evicted again.

English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education - sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street.
E. B. White

by: Youffraita @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 15:46:57 PM UTC

Youff... (15.00 / 4)

you've got mail

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 16:02:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

If I was back in Jersey today... (15.00 / 5)

...I'd probably take the train down to Spring Lake, see my favorite ex-gf. :)

Or if she wasn't around, hmmm...

Asbury Park!!!!!!!!!!!

Long Branch? Belmar? Point Pleasant? Matawan's cool with the bay and the river, and the Mexican food in Keyport. Keansburg...

Oh, what I wouldn't give for a train to the Oregon Coast from Portland.

:)

Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones...

by: JayinPortland @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 19:39:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

thanks jay (15.00 / 5)

good music!

i wish i was in Puerto Rico with a large boat drink in my hand....

"Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger,
how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man?"
~The Patrician in 'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett

by: RiaD @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 16:13:30 PM UTC

the circle of life... (4.00 / 8)

our dear baby boy, Thor, crossed the rainbow bridge this morning at 10:30, after suffering a horrible seizure last evening. I surrounded him with all the love in my heart throughout the night, holding him so close in my arms until his last breath.

rest in sweet peace, Thor, and as a majikal firefly wrote to me this morning, "...now dear little Thor is scampering in fields of tall grass."

to all fireflies who have shown us such incredible love and support, I thank you all from the deepest part of my heart.

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 17:27:22 PM UTC

Thank you (13.33 / 6)

for giving our boy the best loving care a kid could ever want.

Thor will always live on in our hearts. His body is at rest now and his soul at peace. I can see him scampering in that tall grass now.

by: Alma @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 17:41:57 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

love you, sister (11.83 / 6)

your words mean the world to me.

please give your babies so much love and hugs from me, they will always be in my heart.

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 17:55:14 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

My babies (12.50 / 6)

always get love and hugs from their uncle newp. But I'll give them extra today.

Love you too newp.

by: Alma @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 18:07:28 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

You were loved, Thor (13.83 / 6)

Check your email, newp.

I'm sure there's a dog named Sagan showing Thor where the best fields are, right now.

by: Timbuk3 @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 19:29:51 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

& in the ver best field (14.14 / 7)

puddin'hed

muad'dib

and pooka

are waiting to play chase with Sagan & Thor....

"Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger,
how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man?"
~The Patrician in 'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett

by: RiaD @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 19:43:47 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

oh, sweet pooka... (13.57 / 7)

how she's been in my prayers for so long, and will continue to be, Ria. no doubt Thor is surrounded by all their sweet kisses. thank you, dear friend

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 20:00:31 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

got it, Timbuk... (15.00 / 7)

thanks from the heart

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 20:03:02 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'm so sorry, newp! (11.71 / 7)

Thor was such a cutey--and this happened. My thoughts are with you at this time. All my condolences. I know you gave little Thor all the TLC you could. Glad to hear that Dreamer, Dolores, and all the other animals, and you and Juan are doing well, however.

Having lost a pet myself several months ago, I felt the memories of my own loss come echoing back at me, since my 20-year-old noble Macaw, McGee, crossed that same pet rainbow back in early February of this year. Aziza is a wonderful girl, and we've got a wonderfully great relationship, but fond memories of McGee remain.

Take care...all the best.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

by: mplo @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 19:52:28 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

thank you so much dear, Miki (15.00 / 7)

your words mean so much. scritchins and lots of love to your little girl

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 20:02:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

You're welcome, newp! (14.80 / 5)

Thanks for your compliment.

Lots of scritchings and lovings to Aziza will do. Lots of TLC to Dreamer, Dolores, and the rest of your animal family.

My regards to Juan, too.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

by: mplo @ Sat Jul 17, 2010 at 03:40:25 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

my condolences (12.71 / 7)

I'm so sorry. I'm sure he felt your love, and it made his passing easier.

by: puzzled @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 20:21:50 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

thank you so much, puzzled (14.00 / 6)

though just a baby goat, the outpouring of love from you guys has definitely warmed my heart. thank you

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 21:27:37 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I am saddened to hear it... (13.29 / 7)

You did all that you could, and while his life was shorter than most, he knew he was loved. You certainly gave him more attention and care than many creatures get in a long lifetime here. Perhaps he got all that he needed, so he left to go play on the next level. He is lucky, in a way, that he got to move on so soon. While there is much to be learned and enjoyed here for some of us, others move through quickly, having no need of the lessons offered in this lower plane.

Hugs for you and all of yours, I'll be thinking of you...

"In proportion to the vigor of the individual, these revolutions are frequent, until in some happier mind they are incessant..." R.W.Emerson - Compensation

by: incessantrevolutions @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 21:06:24 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

(((irev))) (14.29 / 7)

thanks from the heart, my friend. profound and wise words, and I'll keep them deep inside.

hugs and best wishes to you

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 21:29:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

i think this is (15.00 / 4)

more fitting than maybe you know.....

Asgard
The home and citadel of the gods, corresponding to Mount Olympus in Greek mythology. It was located in the heavens and was accessible only over the rainbow bridge, Bifrost. Asgard had many gold and silver halls or palaces, the most splendid of which was Valhalla, the residence of Odin. The Norse myths held that Asgard would be destroyed at Ragnarok ("Twilight of the Gods"), the final battle in which the giants and demons would overcome the gods.

In Norse mythology,Bifröst or Bilröst is a burning rainbow bridge between Midgard, the world, and Asgard, the realm of the gods. The bridge is attested as Bilröst in the Poetic Edda; compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and as Bifröst in the Prose Edda; written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in the poetry of skalds. Both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda alternately refer to the bridge as Asbrú (Old Norse "Æsirs' bridge").
According to the Prose Edda, the bridge ends in heaven at Himinbjörg, the residence of the god Heimdallr, who guards it from the jötnar. The bridge's destruction at Ragnarök by the forces of Muspell is foretold. Scholars have proposed that the bridge may have originally represented the Milky Way and have noted parallels between the bridge and another bridge in Norse mythology, Gjallarbrú.

In the Poetic Edda, the bridge is mentioned in the poems Grímnismál and Fáfnismál, where it is referred to as Bilröst. In one of two stanzas in the poem Grímnismál that mentions the bridge, Grímnir (the god Odin in disguise) provides the young Agnarr with cosmological knowledge, including that Bilröst is the best of bridges. Later in Grímnismál, Grímnir notes that Asbrú "burns all with flames" and that, every day, the god Thor wades through the waters of Körmt and Örmt and the two Kerlauger:
Benjamin Thorpe translation:
Körmt and Ormt, and the Kerlaugs twain:
these Thor must wade
each day, when he to counsil goes
at Yggdrasil's ash;
for as the As-bridge is all on fire,
the holy waters boil.
Henry Adams Bellows translation:
Kormt and Ormt and the Kerlaugs twain
Shall Thor each day wade through,
(When dooms to give he forth shall go
To the ash-tree Yggdrasil;)
For heaven's bridge burns all in flame,
And the sacred waters seethe.
In Fáfnismál, the dying wyrm Fafnir tells the hero Sigurd that, during the events of Ragnarok, bearing spears, gods will meet at Óskópnir. From there, the gods will cross Bilröst, which will break apart as they cross over it, causing their horses to dredge through an immense river.

"Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger,
how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man?"
~The Patrician in 'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett

by: RiaD @ Sat Jul 17, 2010 at 01:36:00 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

a bit more.... (15.00 / 4)

Prose Edda
Bifröst appears in the background as the gods do battle in Battle of the Doomed Gods (1882) by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine.
Bifröst is shattered in The twilight of the gods (1920) by Willy Pogany.
The bridge is mentioned in the Prose Edda books Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál, where it is referred to as Bifröst. In chapter 13 of Gylfaginning, Gangleri (King Gylfi in disguise) asks the enthroned figure of High what way exists between heaven and earth. Laughing, High replies that the question isn't an intelligent one, and goes on to explain that the gods built a bridge from heaven and earth. He increduously asks Gangleri if he has not heard the story before. High says that Gangleri must have seen it, and notes that Gangleri may call it a rainbow. High says that the bridge consists of three colors, has great strength, "and is built with art and skill to a greater extent than other constructions."
High notes that, although the bridge is strong, it will break when "Muspell's lads" attempt to cross it, and their horses will have to make due with swimming over "great rivers." Gangleri says that it doesn't seem that the gods "built the bridge in good faith if it is liable to break, considering that they can do as they please." High responds that the gods do not deserve blame for the breaking fo the bridge, for "there is nothing in this world that will be secure when Muspell's sons attack."
In chapter 15 of Gylfaginning, Just-As-High says that Bifröst is also called Asbrú, and that every day the gods ride their horses across it (with the exception of Thor, who instead wades through the boiling waters of the rivers Körmt and Örmt) to reach Urðarbrunnr, a holy well where the gods have their court. As a reference, Just-As-High quotes the second of the two stanzas in Grímnismál that mention the bridge (see above). Gangleri asks if fire burns over Bifröst. High says that the red in the bridge is burning fire, and, without it, the frost jotnar and mountain jotnar would "go up into heaven" if anyone who wanted could cross Bifröst. High adds that, in heaven, "there are many beautiful places" and that "everywhere there has divine protection around it."

"Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger,
how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man?"
~The Patrician in 'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett

by: RiaD @ Sat Jul 17, 2010 at 01:41:14 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

LOL, Ria, how did I know (13.00 / 4)

that was your comment before even getting to your sig? But I did.

I think I read Snorri's version, way back when. But I'd forgotten all about it, until you reminded me.

Thank you more than you know for the exegesis. Maybe I named that beautiful boy more appropriately than I ever imagined...I'm so sorry he's gone.

Newp, I'm so very sorry.

English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education - sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street.
E. B. White

by: Youffraita @ Sat Jul 17, 2010 at 07:15:09 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

very fitting, Ria!!! (10.50 / 2)

thank you for this, dear friend

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Sat Jul 17, 2010 at 14:03:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

amazing song of the day, Ria (12.60 / 5)

thank you!

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 18:02:01 PM UTC

underrated (15.00 / 5)

peter gabriel.... from the last temptation of christ soundtrack

i wish i were musically inclined... or had some serious mixing equipment.
i think that song should be intertwined with this one...

"Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger,
how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man?"
~The Patrician in 'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett

by: RiaD @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 19:29:01 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

just beautiful, Ria! (12.60 / 5)

I love Carmina Burana!!

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 20:13:07 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

can you hear it? (15.00 / 4)

how these two should be intertwined.... first one & then the other coming forward, like two dancers in a small spotlight, each having their time to shine.
i just can hear it so clearly.........

"Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger,
how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man?"
~The Patrician in 'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett

by: RiaD @ Sat Jul 17, 2010 at 00:14:44 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

absolutely, Ria (12.00 / 4)

like two dancers... perfectly put!

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Sat Jul 17, 2010 at 00:21:14 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

we have a big storm coming (10.20 / 5)

i have to shut down the 'puter & go off-line

"Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger,
how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man?"
~The Patrician in 'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett

by: RiaD @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 20:03:30 PM UTC

gha! (10.20 / 5)

we've been in the middle of a huge one here since about 2am :o( Thor came to us on bolts of lighting and the trembling of thunder, and he left us the same way. we've had nothing like this torrent for the past 2+ weeks since the night he was born...

I've got all our equipment hooked up to backup power regulators and surge protectors, so I can stay online until our shitty satellite service goes out - a regular occurrence even with it being just a bit cloudy, the bastids...

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

by: newpioneer @ Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 20:27:43 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

LMAO at this: (11.50 / 4)

I can stay online until our shitty satellite service goes out - a regular occurrence even with it being just a bit cloudy, the bastids...

We have a satellite dish at work that runs the music & the machine that prints out minutes for your prepaid cellphone & the Lotto machine.

Clouds don't make it fail: but a good strong cloudburst does. Thunderstorm? fuggeddaboudit. When the music stops, you can be pretty certain nobody can get cell phone minutes or Lotto tickets. Usually, though, those machines go down first & then you lose the music. When the songs return, generally the other two do as well.

English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education - sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street.
E. B. White

by: Youffraita @ Sat Jul 17, 2010 at 07:24:03 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Open Thoughts Friday | 31 comments

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