I-was-wrong-about-Game-of-Thrones (kind of)

(No real spoilers here, but if you wanted to see what happened this week, you've already seen it.)

I posted this on Instagram a few weeks ago:

And all of that is true. Characters were all killed. Storylines moved incredibly slowly. I actually had a few of the books but had no desire to even attempt them once I saw the direction the show was going. It would take a whole season for anything to happen! It was being dragged out in an unnecessarily painful way.

So I stopped watching. Probably when we moved to Colorado (season 4?). I remember my brother visiting and watching it all while he was there and I had no idea what was going on because I was just behind and I didn't care. Scott never stopped caring about the show but he was deployed during each spring in Colorado, so he never watched it on schedule and we didn't watch it together. I would never watch it by myself. I always just ask questions the whole time. What I don't like about the show is how much backstory you absolutely have to remember in order for it to make any sense. So it's not even that I'm asking questions because I don't know; I'm trying to clarify my own thinking because this show has been on for-freaking-ever at this point.

Last week, Scott decided he wanted HBO to watch Game of Thrones so he added it to Hulu and we watched the first two episodes and then the third episode with the battle scene the other night. I had every intention of doing Pilates and writing a blog post while it was on, but I couldn't stop watching. Some mentioned that the quality of the darkness/filming was poor simply because this was the epic battle scene and we should've been able to see it clearly. Producers/creators defended this because they wanted it to look realistic and I agree with that. It wasn't that difficult to tell what was happening. It wasn't meant to look like the battle scene in Narnia, for instance. Plus, this was the long-sought "night is coming/winter is coming" moment: it needed to be dark. 

I still think the show is highly overrated for what it's become, but there was something about the battle episode that just brought it all together. Literally, all of the factions of people coming together was actually kind of heartwarming. I cannot believe the slowness of some of the episodes that it took to get to that point, and that's why I stopped watching in the first place, but it is what it is, I guess?

We spent most of the episode this week analyzing the battle plan and the tactics they had taken. I found this to be interesting. And Scott reminded me of little things like how only Dragon Glass/Valyrian steel and fire can kill white walkers and how Arya was hiding in that library because she'd dropped her Dragon Glass.

He also had to remind me what Bran was doing, why he was doing it, etc. Bran's storyline is definitely a slow one. And Daenerys is still professionally useless, save for the dragons. Also, Jon Snow trying to sneak up on the Night King: I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. 

However, the award for Most Useless in general appears to go to Sansa. I don't care enough to dig into what she's been up to for the last few seasons. 

Maybe the lesson that we can take from this is that you, too, can skip multiple seasons of the show, have someone remind you of key details during the most climactic scene of the last 8 years, and you can still understand how everything wraps up. 

I suppose the next thing we'll have to catch up on is Homeland, because that's something else I'll only watch if Scott is around to watch it with me because, again, everyone seems to have died in the last few years and that's usually when I start to lose interest in a show. 

Your weekly television update

Were you underwhelmed with the Game of Thrones finale? I kinda was.

Though, unless they start bringing Starks back to life, I don't know how they could've topped the drama from the week before.

All I really have to say is...

APPARENTLY NOT, Ygritte.  APPARENTLY not.

Is this girl ever actually going to DO anything?  Like, anything at all?

Looks like a beauty pageant contestant for goodness sakes...

Tyrion is still my favorite.

Arya is a close second.

Here's to season 4!  

Next: Clearly, my Mad Men predictions didn't come true.  There's always tonight, right?

Maybe Ken will dance for us again.

Obviously, the end of Game of Thrones and the hysteria happening with Mad Men conspiracy theories are just opening acts leading up to the main event.

I'm so darn excited!

Five Friday Facts

1.  Fact: I went to the doctor the other day and they weighed me in kilograms.  Kilograms!  Talk about taking the pressure off!  That number literally meant nothing to me.  (Do kilograms mean anything? Or are they like Canadian money?)

2.  Fact: We put a deposit down on a puppy.  Yep! I'm just excited to have something/someone around to play with. This will certainly take some getting used to on my part because I've never had a pet. Let's call it a lesson in, "Can Kristin keep another living thing alive and well?"  It's a good thing Scott remembers to feed himself. Most of the time.

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He'll look something like this!

3.  Fact: Bermuda shorts are hard to wear.  They take inches off your height (if I was actually going out, I'd probably wear wedges), and make you look...stumpy.

Shirt: American Eagle // Shorts/sandals: Target // Purse: Lucky Brand // Watch: Fossil

4.  Fact: The Debra Morgan purse has returned.^ The Longchamp seemed too large for summer.  I don't need to carry around hats and gloves anymore either, so...no need for a suitcase o'preparedness.

5.  Fact.

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Lately..

Can I just say that I couldn't even watch the end of Game of Thrones last night?  I mean, WHAT was happening??? Terrifying.  That's what it was.  Let's just hope Jon Snow (eventually) rides in and saves the day.  Unlikely. But possible.

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Oh, and it stands to reason that there is something wrong with me if people on my Twitter feed were talking about Army Wives* while Game of Thrones was on.

When someone says they prefer Army Wives to Game of Thrones:

*I don't like Army Wives.  

Moving on...

Since we no longer have to pay for our internet by "data usage", we joined the real world and can now stream Netflix.  The first movie we watched the other night was Friends with Kids.  I heard that a lot of people didn't like it, and I think that's because it was expected to be chick-flicky, like Something Borrowed.  It wasn't.  It was good and I actually found myself tearing up toward the end.

I've started using Pro-Activ again.  Humidity is not kind to my skin.  But, last summer, my skin (especially my legs) was so itchy and dry that it would wake me up in the middle of the night.   I'd rather deal with the humidity, thankyouverymuch.

I've been reading.  I've been feeling drawn to non-fiction lately.  And I'm just hopping back on this reading bandwagon after 3 years of little to no decent library access.

1. I didn't finish the first one.  The writing style just didn't do it for me.  I expected it to be a manual of sorts.  It was a strung-together collection of experiences.  

2. I'm still working on the second one.  It's pretty scientific, but interesting.  Especially for anyone interested in personal training.

3. Push is written by the creator of Turbokick.  She's got her ish together, if you know what I mean.  It was interesting, but more like a self-help book. I really enjoyed reading about her meals/diet because she leads such an active lifestyle, but she lost me when she started talking about how she likes sugar-free Jello as a treat.  Holy chemicals, Chalene.

I'm also reading Gretchen Rubin's follow-up to The Happiness Project, which is called Happier at Home. It's full of ideas!

Recommendations for books?

I ate turtle soup.  Well, I ate the soup (which was good).  I ignored the floating bits of turtle.

They farm these things in the Grand Cayman. The one in our soup was caught in a swamp.

I'm kind of over this tornado stuff.  It's exhausting to be vigilant.

I couldn't even tell you which county I belong to up there ^

Scott set up an office in the tornado shelter the basement.  I'm not even allowed in.  Really.  I'll sneak in while he's at work and share pictures later.

High 5

1.  Scott thinks that crane flies are good because they eat mosquitos, so when one gets in the house, he won't let me kill it.  There was one in the room when I was trying to sleep the other night.  I named him Harry Crane, the crane fly.

2.  I caught up on Mad Men and Game of Thrones this week.  I LOVE DIRECTV and that dang Genie.  I cannot say enough good things about DirecTV.  It's so much better than cable and, honestly, cheaper (I can explain if you're interested.)

3.  My favorite Game of Thrones moment in season 3:

I won't spoil it by saying what's awkward.  In case you haven't caught up yet.

4.  June is upon us!  Anyone want to button swap for June?  If you're already on my shamefully-put-together sidebar and want to continue the May swap for another month, just let me know!  I'm not using PassionFruit and don't really have a limit in mind.

..and, finally:

5.  2 more weeks.

In case you can't tell:

Happy weekend!

Sunday stuff (and a clarification)

1. I should clarify that when I whined told you about the whole thing where the army could keep us in Alaska, it was a possibility and it scared me and I had to get it out.  That's why I needed to write about it.  When the military is your livelihood, every day brings the possibility for drastic, dramatic change.  My stance has been that I didn't mind living in Alaska for a few years on the army's dime.  There's, in my opinion, no better way to see the 49th state.  But I know an awful lot of people who've gotten "stuck" here and now can't get out.  Be it because a husband reallyreallyreally wants to stay, a good-paying job, family nearby, etc.  I was scared of falling into that category.  Scott does eventually want to buy a piece of land here, and I'm okay with that, because this place has been an important part of our lives. We've spent our first 4 years of marriage here.  I wouldn't mind coming back once in awhile.  I just don't feel like living here anymore for multiple reasons.
I would, though, love for our future kids to see Alaska and not just have it be a foreign concept to them, like it was to me.

I suppose the greater possibility was always that we'd go to Missouri.  It's where the engineers go for training after their first duty station.  I just didn't want to have a countdown ready when, all of sudden, we weren't leaving after all.  That'd make me look like a liar (I work among civilians) and, probably worse, make people feel bad for me.  I don't want that.  But I do need to say that every bit of your support means so much to me.  

If any y'all wish to visit this place, you've got about 3 weeks left if you want a free place to stay.  Book those plane tickets now and be sure to pack those snow pants.  

2.  When I first heard this Macklemore/Ryan Lewis/whoever song on SNL a month ago, I thought it was a skit.  That's how out of sorts it looked and sounded to me.  I said to Scott, "Is this real?" because it seemed to be going on forever and skits don't normally do that.  He said, "I think so, I've heard it on the radio".    We're officially very, very old.  

3.   I mentioned awhile ago how I'm right-handed, but I shoot a gun left-handed.  I cannot close my left eye by itself (a genetic defect of some sort I'm sure), so I'm forced to shoot with my non-dominant hand (not that I shoot that much or anything).  I saw this and thought of my unique inability.

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4.  Sometimes I really like my students.

Let me clarify: Sometimes I like some of them when they do something that's nice or kind toward me or someone else.  

Just kidding, I guess.  Everyone knows that all teachers love all children all the time.

Speaking of the children, I told them I was moving.  A few looked like they were going to cry.  One girl said I was breaking her heart.  Some asked why Scott couldn't just move without me (uh, because he'll have to pry himself from my cold, dead hands before he leaves me in Alaska).

Most kids looked at me like this:

I'm not kidding.  This is the most apathetic bunch I've ever had the pleasure of teaching.

5.  Does anyone know how to work the new embed feature on Pinterest?  I don't care for the new look of Pinterest simply because now I don't know how to work it.

6.  Happy Game-of-Thrones Day!   Let's celebrate with a quote.

This business starts up again today too.

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I'm excited.  Which one should I watch first?

Happy Sunday!

Stuff. And things.

*Spoilers ahead*

Just being kind, friends...

1.  The Walking Dead.
Talk about an anti-climatic ending.  What happened to old one-eyed Gov'nor??? I'm confused.  I seriously was thinking he'd be hiding with an assault rifle and take out Rick in the last scene.  Also, Andrea was awfully lucid there toward the end.  Think she was just hardened by 2+ years of battle? Remember how Dale and Amy and T-Dog were pain after a zombie bite?  You can't tell me Andrea has a higher pain threshold than T-Dog.  She even died in a boring way. Like that tumblr post I linked to up there said, she spent so much time talking to Milton while he was dying.  Hello!? You're a lawyer, lady. You should be able to multitask at least a little.

Source: cmykchicago.tumblr.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Oh, well.  Here's to October and the upcoming season 4!  It took all season, but I actually liked Rick again in this last episode.  I just wish he wouldn't turn the prison into a retirement home.

2.  Game of Thrones.
My love for Tyrion was reinforced.  He is one of the best characters ever written.

Everyone seems to like Rob Stark, but I really like Jon Snow.  I just think he's fiercely loyal and always seems to do the right thing.  The complete opposite of Tyrion...actually, if you put Jon and Tyrion together, they could probably take the throne.

Who's your favorite character? (I'm taking a leap here and, as always, assuming everyone watches my favorite T.V. shows.  Kind of like how everyone tweets about #TheBachelor and assumes others care, right?)

3.  Easter.

We didn't do anything special.  I made carrot cake roll and tortilla soup.  Bam.  Exciting, right?  We went to church and, as I usually do at this church, I really liked the sermon.  Good sermons are what pull me in.  I don't care about the music (Yeah, I know how callous that sounds.).  I found myself really turned away from the commercialism of Easter this year.  It seems that you either celebrate it or you don't (no Easter break, no Good Friday off, etc. in Alaska schools), but this year found both of us more interested in the meaning of Easter more than anything else.   I  credit a lot of this to watching The Bible on the History Channel.  I saw each episode more than once.  It made the story come alive for me, and I think that was the kick in the pants I needed.

4.  My DVR started acting up on Sunday night.  The worst possible night of the week for a DVR to misbehave.  On Sunday night, we needed to record: The Bible, Game of Thrones, Wicked Tuna, The Walking Dead, The Talking Dead, and Vikings all between the hours of 7pm and 10pm. This is not easy to do when you can only record 2 shows at once and need to be watching one of the 2 shows.  I depend, largely, on second showings to get everything recorded.  We usually watch half of these shows Sunday night and half Monday night.

Vikings and Wicked Tuna were for Scott.  Why he insists on the show about fish, I'll never know.  Anyway...I fiddled with the dumb thing for half an hour, trying to get the scheduling set up.  Scott doesn't know how to work the DVR. He doesn't really care.  He just asks me to record stuff and/or put something on to watch and I work the magic. I cannot wait til we can have DirecTV again.

4. (The Great) Alaska Sportsmans' Show. It was like a hiking boot convention. That's all I have to say about that.

Just a portion of the "fun".

I might prefer Westeros to Alaska

Are you watching Game of Thrones?

Source: google.com via Kristin on Pinterest

If not, you should be.

It's an HBO show based off of George R.R. Martin's books Song of Fire and Ice.

I would love to read the books someday soon.  I just don't know how closely they follow the show, and don't want to spoil anything for myself.

There are 7 kingdoms in the land of Westeros.  That's 7 rulers vying for the Iron Throne.  The little prick that currently holds it is a teenage boy.  You will hate him.  Trust me.  There's some dragons involved, some zombies (now I have your attention), and lots of complicated relationships.

Oh, Lannisters, Lannisters...

You MUST pay attention to it.  Or you will end up like me.  Watching each episode 3 times.

I, like most of us, would love to smash in Joffrey's face with a rock, I think Sansa is probably wishing for a time machine right about now, and I think Tyrion is one of the greatest characters ever.

I'd talk more.  But I don't want to spoil it for you.

My advice would be to watch the first episode at least twice.  You might miss stuff the first time around.  (I watch every episode of every series I own at least 19 times.  That way I don't miss a thing.)

This show is brilliant.  However, with season 3 starting next March, it just means I have to keep HBO around for another year...and then True Blood will start again in June and...it's a vicious, vicious cycle.

Tyranny, royalty, incest, torture, back-stabbing.  It makes me thankful to live in Alaska.  Well.  Kind of.  Maybe.

I think that life would be a lot easier if it was as cut-and-dry as it was in Westeros.

They tend to have easy ways of getting rid of the stupid people.

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 If only, Tyrion, if only.