Best of the blogroll (October)

OurPDX‘s Betsy Richter periodically assembles a Shared Links post, which consists of, in her words, what we’ve found as we’ve traveled the local PDX web, and which includes link to and brief excerpts of recent interesting posts.

It’s flattering that a few of my posts have made the lists, and almost always I’m introduced to a great blogger’s work of which previously I had been ignorant (as is the case with the excellent Cocktailia blog which I just learned about from yesterday’s Shared Links, and which I’ve already added to my blogroll).

So in the same spirit as OurPDX’s shared links, I would like to highlight a few recent blog posts I have found particularly interesting or impressive or informative or just plain amusing, all of which happen to be from blogs in my blogroll.

Portland’s Bermuda Triangle: A Dangerous Experience for Beer and Sci-Fi Lovers – from Beer and Sci-Fi

Did you know that Portland has a mysterious geographical location where gravity is different and paranormal happenings take place? A place where those fascinated with either beer or science fiction or both will find themselves trapped and unarmed?

Breakfast Is Going To Make My Dad Yell At Me – from Mile73

We went to Bob’s Red Mill, inspired by the 2009 World Porridge Making Championship. What, you didn’t know there was a championship for porridge making? It’s in Scotland. What kind of rock do you live under?

Ribs? Catfish? Collard Greens? Cocaine? – from Portland Sucks

[The post is too short to really excerpt, and it includes a video – just follow the link!]

Just another day in Portland from Brewcaster

[It’s another video, filmed on a lovely early fall day.]

Reasoning with the river – from beerdrinker.org

I was beginning to remember why I don’t fish. But I got another lure strung to a leader and got back on the water. Cast. Snag. I tried to work the usual magic. Let some line out, whip it around, walk the shore up and down. To no avail. The lure was lost. At this point I was done. Totally freakin done. [or was he . . . ?]

The 2009 pdxplate Awards – from pdx Plate

About a year ago, a small message board was born out of the idea that despite the unusually large number of food sites here in Portland, there was a kind of conversation that wasn’t taking place. Instead of the usual forum babble of “have you gone?” and “how is the?” and “where should I?”, the singular driving mantra of pdxplate has been one of blazing your own food and drink trail, jumping without a net, and mixing metaphors. Taking one for the team. It’s a simple notion, but a powerful one, and it’s what this site is all about. A year’s worth of eating and drinking led to some great discoveries, and to commemorate pdxplate’s one year anniversary, here is a look back at the Plates of the Year.

A Day of Romances – from XUP

Walking to work. On the path ahead is a small fawn. It doesn’t move as I approach; only looks at me curiously. I’m close enough to reach out my hand, inches from its muzzle. It sniffs my hands curiously. After a wonderfully mesmerizing few moments, I tear myself away and walk on. As I walk, I turn around to wave good-bye. I’m startled to see the fawn right behind me.