...the head of the pin upon which an undisclosed number of angels are dancing.

...the bar at the Overlook Hotel.

...a rest-stop for idealists.

[Or the perennial favorite, "...The Hotel California."]

BOTF seems revitalized these days - people we haven't seen in a long time have dropped in, and there've been long discussion threads of the type that were once common.

...an opium pipe in a bed of cacti.

So in the venerable spirit of self-indulgent, fraycentric navel-gazing, this seems an opportune time to expound on the nature of the Fray, or if you prefer, BOTF.

...an abstract playground for wayward artists and pundits.

Post an apt metaphor or allegory which captures, for you, the nature of the Fray.

The Fray is a funhouse mirror magnifying the beautiful and the banal.

The fray is "Free Homesteads on Venus!"*

To quote MaxFisher, "Post early and often."

*I hope I'm not the only person who knows the reference. I suppose an alternate could be "...utopia for telephone sanitizers."

If this place is the bar at the Overlook Hotel, then who's the guy in the bear suit? ChicagoEngineer or Ryerson?

One vast yeasty eructation of primordial slime.

I'm afraid I might be filling in for Delbert Grady.

Who is playing Jack Torrance today?

Here's another:

The Fray is the soapbox from which I profess my ignorance.

When I think of primordial slime I see the chance that something will crawl out of it - somehow, some day....

Occasionally fun, sometimes interesting, mostly overrated.

Primordial slime is also seminal, though who can say what rough beast might emerge?

How about:

The fray is an intellectual litterbox.

How about:

The Fray is Slate's Disneyland: the rides are occasionally fun, but admission high and the lines interminable.

or

The Fray is a two-star movie: maybe worth the admission, but bring your own popcorn.

Cute, though not terribly clever. I guess the circle-jerk comment really hit home, huh? Its fun to turn the tables and get a rise out of you once in a while.

circle-jerk image.

ChicagoEngineer:

Cute, though not terribly clever. I guess the circle-jerk comment really hit home, huh? Its fun to turn the tables and get a rise out of you once in a while.

Mix one part semi-informed bullshitting, one part intelligent discussion in a high-ball glass. Fill the rest of the glass with today's liberal and conservative talking points, directly out of the package. Add a splash of wing-nut conspiracy theory for color.

Well... if you're looking for me to say that BotF is just a great big soggy cookie, you've got it.

the Fray for me will be the Sargasso sea in which a stiff breeze just came up.

Thanks for your response.

I'll check back later to see if you made any other entries.

You take a good brew of intellectuals and thoughful individuals and then add some unbashful imbeciles to spice it up.

<link>

Alone, the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and lime juice are repulsive, but in the beer, it makes an interesting mix.

post-primordial