A Man of Thor

05:57 pm: Happy Birthday, Sweegie!!

05:29 pm: I'm not FROM Joyzee, but I'lll be IN Joyzee!
Southbound and down, (soon to be) loaded up and truckin', we're gonna do what they say can't be done. We got a (not so) long way to go, and a (not so) short time to get there...

Really, REALLY, looking forward to Lisa and Gary's cookout tomorrow.

That is all. (Now I have to go make myself presentable for tomorrow by shaving my head.)


(wow. That picture was 4 years ago.)

10:46 am: Monday at the Ha-bah
3 days off in a row would have been nice, but I crammed a lot of good "kin-time" into the 2 days I did have off.
On Saturday afternoon, Gunn, Erik and I headed to the Earldom for the men's smoker. Dave and Jon joined us for a great evening of fine smoke, good brew, and some great conversation. And a special thanks must go out to the Great Dorff for leaving we lowly menfolk to ourselves, and especially for cookin-up those chickeepot pies for us!

Sunday morn we got up early and all headed down the street for breakfast. Then the Warden of the Portsmouth Bridge, and his manly son and trusted dog, pointed their truck in the direction of now-hungry sheep. The rest of us headed for a day of brewing beer and devouring delicious pork shoulder with our dear friends from Hammer and Horn Kindred. We were also joined by my baby brother, Mike, as well as Elder Bill.
Both Mark and Aaron produced what appear to be a couple of fantastic brews. The truth will be in the tasting of the final product, and all in attendance will be happy to 'judge' the results should we be called upon.

So now I am back at the harbor on this beautiful Memorial Day.
After work, me and the boys will head to the Wyoming Cemetary to walk through the rows of the departed soldiers, and hold our annual Einharjar blot.

10:37 pm: German Folk Dancing - 3 days late
I said I would post these pics and forgot to. So.....

http://tinyurl.com/qheafu (one of those is a video, and its pretty cool)

09:10 am: Full day
Gunn and I headed out ealry yesterday. Southbound and down we made our way to Newport, RI. I've lived here all my life and this was the first time I have been to Newport. I was impressed.

Spent most of the day at the Valhallapalooza event, tossing kubbs and enjoying some Newport Storm brew. Although the highlight of the day was being able to spend some facetime with Valgard. It had been too long.

We got to watch some great German folk dancing that I will post pics and video of tonight. And the setting for the event was unbelievable. This was no 'typical' Elks Lodge - it was a massive old home in beautiful condition. The event was large, but there was still room for more if needed.

After saying our goodbyes we headed up to brother Bill's to see if there was anything left to do on his attic-cleaning project. All that was left was moving a dozen ro so boxes, etc out to the carport. (All in the timing ;)
Everyone else had left so it was just Bill, Patrick, Gunn and I left to enjoy some pizza. We hung out for a little while outside - it was beautiful out - and I enjoyed a stogie and rapping with Bill.

Then we headed home. About half way down the Pike, the skies opened and going was slow. Thor appeared to be kickin some ass off to the north.

Full day, but a good one.

05:49 pm: Of Rats and Men....
DATELINE: May 7, 1969.
It is a damp, cold day in Jersey. Here, perched on a windowsill, a piece of cheese grasped in his tiny paws, a snow-white rat glances through the pane of glass as he watches a human woman give birth. He watches as the doctor raises the human child up by his feet and slaps his lilly-white ass to encourage its first sounds.
"This one is mine", says our fury little friend as he wrings his paws together and twitches his whiskers. "This one is mine."

Happy Birthday, brother Jeff!!

12:49 pm: Made it
Been too long since I felt that sensation of standing on a summit, completely exhausted from the climb. But yesterday, the drought ended.
Had perfect weather - top to bottom - for our climb up Cannon Mtn yesterday. Jon, Mark, Gunn and I started on trail about 10am, and reached the summit about 2pm. The postholing wasn't too bad, as the center of the trail was pretty well packed down. But every so often you'd find a soft spot and drop in about 2-3 feet. There was enough ice that we used crampons for almost the whole trip.
After reaching the summit, Mark, Gunn and I left brother Jon, and headed down the ski slope to speed-up our return time (and hence, shorten the length of time between being on the summit, and enjoying a pint at the Woodstock Inn ;)
Jon headed south, and planned to camp on the side of Little Haystack in order to traverse Lincoln and Lafayette today. (Right about now he is on the ridge you can see behind Gunn and me in the photo below.)

What a great day.
Heres some pics: http://tinyurl.com/dzh7bh

11:45 am: Good vaca
Started my vacation with a wickid pissah weekend at the Earldom, and since then has been quite relaxing.
Tomorrow I am climbing Cannon Mtn with Gunn, Mark, Jon and Ben. The weather forcast is outstanding! But first we have to run intown and pick up some 6-point crampons for Mark and Gunn as there will still be snow and ice to navigate.

Cannon Mtn is where the Old Man of the Mountain used to 'reside' before collapsing in what must have been one hell of a thunderous avalanche. It happen at night, so nobody saw him come down. They think the final straw might have been a very minor eathquake that happened in Vermont just a couple of days before.

Here's a great shot of the ledge now, with the Old Man superimposed...

05:48 pm: Capebound and down, loaded up and truckin...
Pat is getting out of work early tomorrow, and should be home when I get out of work. Then we'll throw the shit in the car, and point it in the direction of the Earldom. Looking forward to a great weekend with my loving kin, good beer, good food, good beer, good cigars, good beer!

I'm nearly as excited as this kid....

06:38 pm: Sad ending
Mark "The Bird" Fidrych was killed today. He was 54. Apparently his pickup truck fell on him when he was working on it.
Fidrych lived here in Mass, and was quite a character when he played ball. He probably would have chocked up some pretty good stats as a pitcher if it wasn't for injuries. Nobody put on a show on the mound like this guy, and it had nothing to do with throwing the ball.

01:26 pm: O.L.D.
Well, he warned me 2 years ago, so I was ready. "Progressive lenses". I could have waited another 2 years to make the move, but chances are that by then the difference would have been so dramatic that I'd be falling down every set of stairs I encountered for a month.

I felt I needed a pick-me-up after my eye exam, so I went to Hooters for a blue cheese burger and a tall Guinness. I feel much, much better now.

10:24 am: Herfer humor
Had to share a couple of pics from the picture forum at Cigarbid.com....

First, a little bit of "woodpile art":



And from the "hook me up to the paddles now, I'm planning a coronary" file, we have Krispy Kreme cheddar bacon burgers!!!



Wild.

08:09 am: Mid-week-end
We had a nice time in Norwood yesterday. Mike and Bern were also there. Thought I was dreaming when it started to snow during dinner!!

Last night, while Pat went food shopping, the Oberg men headed off to the mall so Erik and Gunn could use the gift cards that the mem had given them for Easter. Erik picked up a game for his puter and one for his PS2. Gunn bought a data cable and memory card so he can load music into his cellphone.
Of course dad couldn't stand by and watch all of this economic stimuli going on around him without dropping a couple of bucks on something, so I bought a new headset/mic to use with my homephone. (Something I would have never thought I'd have a use for until the last few months! lol)

And now this bright and chilly morn finds me here, back at the harbor. This is the last of 3 straight Sunnasday's at the harbor for me. Now I look forward to having the next 3 off, and my vacation next week. Boo-yeah!!

06:43 pm: Not only fun, but totally worth it!
I love doing this every year, and its nice to know that not only are we appreciated, but that we helped to raise a boatload of dough for a worthy cause.
Got this email today......

"Dear Wonderful Sugaring Volunteers,
Thank you for volunteering for the 2009 Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary’s Maple Sugaring weekend programs. We had some record-setting statistics this year that we’d like to share with you:
·Weekend family sugaring tours: 1,619 participants ( 2nd highest turnout in 13 years )
·Weekday school and scout sugaring tours: 2,717 participants ( highest number ever )
·60 gallons of syrup (5 bottles less than last year!)
·$939 baked goods sold on weekends along with $2,791 in hot dogs, soups, & drinks for a grand total of $3,730 for food sales.
You helped out by parking cars, selling food and books, baking delicious goodies, making hearty, tasty soups, collecting sap, slaving over a hot evaporator, and/or leading tours; so many of you went “beyond the call of duty” to help out in numerous ways, large and small, that all contributed to the success of this event. We know you all lead very busy lives, and we are so grateful that you make time in your life for the sanctuary."

Very cool.

01:07 pm: UNCLE!!
I tried. I put up a good fight.
But I have, in fact, given-in, and plan to actually use my Facebook acct.
God damn it.

Over the last year or so, many of you have sent me 'friend requests' that have gone without a response. I believe I 'approved' them all today, but if you sent me one and I either lost it or declined it, please send me one again.

BTW, I totally blame my wife for this!!

Good gods.

11:05 am: Sunnasday at the Ha-bah
Kind slow. Nobody posted for customer service today so I'm answering the phones. I think I've had about 8 calls in the last 4 hours.

Its a beautiful day here at the harbor. Looking out my window I can see bright sunshine with some thin, broken clouds. I am also watching plane after plane taking off from Logan to points unknown. There goes one. Its probably headed to Germany. You fuckers. Save me some bacon beer!

05:49 pm: Hail!
To my heathen friends.....

Please, let us not forget those whose efforts and vision enabled us to be where we are today.

Sure, there's always the possibility if it were not for them, that we might have still gotten to where we are. But the facts, and the history, are what they are.

I hope that we all have our 'heroes' of modern Asatru. Personally, I have four. And one of them was born on this day, 85 years ago. [EDIT: There is a nicely done website created in honor of Sveinbjorn that I have always used as a reference. But apparently, they have his dob listed incorrectly! Thanks to some LJ buds, his bday is in July, and the day is either the 4th or 22nd.]

Hail Sveinbjorn, son of Beinteinn Einarsson and Helga Petursdottir!

11:07 am: Lawn work
Ummmmmm, ya. Soooooo....

http://tinyurl.com/ck8kra

Apparently, unlike the US, not all countries have removed their Bush.

12:20 pm: Happy Birthdays all around!!
Happy Birthday to my lovely wife, Pat (who is probably on her way home right now after Sandi surprised her with IKEA and Pepe's Pizza in CT!)

Happy Birthday to my brother in law, Bill (Bill is Pat's twin brother, and is technically older, so Pat earns one point there.)

Tonight we will raise a toast to you both. And we will also raise a toast to another birthday boy today, my great-greatuncle, Erik Axel Oberg (1866-1929). Erik was the only one of my family (at the time) whose grave we were able to find when we visited Aland....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the harbor on this grey, miserable day. Upside being that my day off was by far the better of the two weekend days. I got to enjoy a stogie and a cold one outside which was nice. Had the house to myself, which meant I could talk as loud as I wanted to on the phone, lol. And it was a classic 'git 'er done' kind of day - a ton of puter work and about 4 hours of very productive phone calls in one afternoon.

09:10 pm: Good time
I really enjoyed the Swedish Folk Music jam session last night. Still hard to imagine that something that cool took place here in little ole Melrose.

About 20 people showed up at Peacuddy's cafe - most with instruments in tow - to both listen to, and join in with Matt Ficthtenbaum as he played both the fiddle and the nyckleharpa.
The program was 2 hours long, and I went expecting to leave after an hour or so. But I was hooked. It ended too quickly as far as I was concerned.

It was a lot of fun to hear the nyckleharpa, and I was amazed at how good some of the 'locals' were. There were fiddle and guitar players, most of them pretty good. But nobody shocked me more than this 6 yr old kid who had been playing the fiddle for 2 years. I watched him as he stood there, watching the older dudes. He was watching their finger work. And although he was not reading any sheet music, he picked up every song they were playing in a matter of seconds. The kid was out of this world.

Here's some pics, as well as about 1:30 of video shot while Matt was playing the nyckleharpa (the sound quality sucks, and the video is best if not blown up): http://tinyurl.com/cqcktb