Guard Dog

They have gone off book a fair bit but it is working well and the story is heading in the same direction. The only thing I really do not like is how they are handling Renley. He did not conspire to usurp Robert, and the TV character seems like something of a pansy. The book Renley was a lot more robust. And yes the thing with Loras was in the book too. Martin did not hit you over the head with it but it still works they way it is done in the show. One thing they whiffed on was the Queen was supposed to have manipulated Robert into fighting in the tournament. It was supposed to be an opportunity to assasinate him that Ned Stark foiled by talking him out of.

We'll I'm back home at last. Last week the Hatchee river (which meets the Mississippi about five miles from my house) flooded out of the banks. Scary stuff, it rose about two and a half meters in just a few hours.When I woke up and saw the end of my driveway under water I loaded up the dogs and went to my Dads old place in Florida. So after four day of unexpected and nerve wracking vacation I got back today to asses the damage. It did not make it up to the house, thank God. The barn flooded and it ruined the Camaro I've been working on restoring. It also ruined some projects for my side business. My fence is down in a few places but as long as the house is ok I'm a very lucky man. Some of my neighbors were not so lucky.

Now reading Dogtown about the founding of tge Best Friends pet rescue & sanctuary. Also reading The Sun Also Rises. You gotta love Hemingway

For those who want fighting, the kidnapping of Tyrion was the opening act of the War of the Five Kings which will dominate the story for the rest of the season and the next two. They got away from the book quite a bit this week to fill in some of the back story but I thought it was well done. I know there was a lot of dialogue and not much action but the stage has to be set for everything that comes next. Strange how there has been no mention of Stannis Baratheon so far. His absence from Kings Landing and what he is up to on Dragonstone are important to the story.

Waaaaaa... I wanna see the long form death certificate.... waaaa

I've been telling you, you've got to get out of the Bay area. Head north to Oregon or even east to Sacramento, or even better, Nevada, you'd be teaching smaller classes for the same money and have lower cost of living to boot. Heck that why I left Florida. For almost the exact same mortgage for a 1400 sq ft house on a 1 acre plot in West Palm Beach I built a 2300 sq ft house on 25 acres with river access.

An indication that you are a man of refinement and good taste.

I don't see that as necessarily sinister. It's very normal to keep tabs on a high value individual, even in civilian police work. You want to see who drops round for tea and biscuits. We might have got Bin Laden and Zawahiri if we'd got lucky. So, yeah, thanks wikileaks. Nice one. From what I've been reading they got the names of his couriers from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and used those guys movements to track where Bin Laden was hiding. Yes, they did know his location and were using their movements to get intel on his actions and intentions. Something must have been changing. Maybe Bin Laden was about to move or they were going to otherwise lose track of him. But from what I've seen, they have known where he was for some time and there is a non-political reason why they went after him now. I suspect the CIA believed the window of opportunity was closing for some reason.

Nah, it was the smart move. Hardcore terrorists are going to hate us regardless, but there's a pretty broad swath of opinion in the muslim world that may dispise bin Laden's violent tactics but that has some sympathy with his cause. If the U.S. hadn't observed proper islamic burial traditions, it just throws more gasoline on the "America wants to destroy Islam" theories. Agreed. It costs us nothing to act civilized even if we we not treated that way. Even if it gains us nothing it's better to take the high road. I'm just glad Obama did not lose his nerve on this. He wavered for sixteen hours after he got confirmation Bin Laden was there. If it ever got out that he had the chance and passed on it for fear of failure he would be done. He's probably done anyway but still. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13...l#ixzz1LJkz0f2d

I drank a little beer and listened to the Marlins game on my XM Radio while working on the Camaro. The bullpen almost choked on another one. They blew it last night.

It's starting to hit it's stride now. There is enough variance from the book to make it interesting (like that exchange between Robert, Jamie & Ser Barristan plus the exchange between Cersei & Joffery). It is adding to the story, not detracting and that is a good thing since there is so much background that cannot be covered. That guy who played Syrio was good too.

Not feeling too good today. I stopped by the VFW on the way home yesterday. One of guys there brought his son in, he had just returned from his second trip to Iraq. In four years in the Army he has spent 2 years and a month in Iraq over two tours and seven months in Afghanistan. God Bless him. He is one of the finest men I'll ever know. Anyway, the crowd at the VFW is a mixed bag. There are a few old Korea vets, a lot of Viet Nam vets, a handful of Gulf War vets and now our first Afghan/Iraq vet. One of the old guys went and bought a bottle of Old Crow and we spent the night drinking and trading stories. I ended up needing a ride home. I'm a little hung over today.

Well, then that makes him even more amazing. To overcome mental retardation and achieve so much is phenomenal. Threads over... Hurlshot wins!

Ummm... thats not really something we celebrate. In fact it barely makes the news (Obama being the exception because of the novelty of being the first black president). I'd say the only two things we celebrate nationally are 7/4 and Superbowl, and not necassarily in that order.

Had a day date with this new lady I'm seeing today. We went to a Redbirds game and watched them put a 7-1 beat down on the Iowa Cubs. After that dinner and wine at the Spaghetti Warehouse. It was nice.

Once again, good but not great. Is it just me or does it feel hollow? The Catlyn's animosity for Jon Snow, they touched on it but it just doesn't feel like it's there. In the book it felt real. In the book Cersei was using the incident with Sansa Joffrey and Arya to drive a wedge between Ned and Robert. In the book she is terrified of Stark. But the show is really soft selling it. Peter Dinkledge is doing a hell of a job with Tyrion though. That is a very difficult and complex character and right now he owns it. That girl that plays Sansa is the weak link in the cast so far.

Good ol Krezack. Always ready to remind you how your country sucks.

Is it wrong to get drunk on Good Friday? I dunno, but I guess thats not the worst thing I've ever done.

Oh man ain't that the truth. I've been married to her and would not wish her passive agressive BS head games on my worst enemy. Thankfully I don't know the guy so I don't have to feel too much pity.

Ok, #1 reason why the US is better than Russia, I can pick up my phone right now, grab a credit card and buy a Russian wife. Nobody in Russia can call up and buy an American wife. So there.

A little political humor since this jackass feels the need to bow before every foriegn leader he meets:

I found out last night through a mutual friend that the ex is getting remarried. I'm happy for her I guess. Actually I just don't care.

You know obyknven this might be the first thing you ever posted that I agree with at least a little. You never saw any US President before Obama bowing and grovelling before the other leaders of the world.

You are a very smart dude Gfted. I got that exact answer when I called a gundealer/gunsmith today. He recommended an oil based cleaner that sounds suspiciously like CLP.

Crowds? What the heck do you mean crowds? Isn't this an A's game?