Hurlshort

Is that a condemnation, though? Some stuff is captivating and requires your full attention. Breaking Bad is an example of that. It was pretty much edge of your seat viewing. But the stuff I put on in the background is usually pretty comforting. There is something to be said for the holiday movies that you don't need to give your full attention to. All of the Middle Earth movies are like that. They set a comforting tone. I suppose Rings of Power is comforting to watch.

Is it weird that I have no interest in the GoT prequel? I mean, I read the books. I watched the series. I wasn't even all that bothered by the last season, like so many others. But I have just no interest in it. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for the adult stuff right now. I know it will have boobs and blood, but that isn't always what I'm looking for when I sit down to eat dinner and catch a show. Rings of Power is good dinnertime cinema.

I am running errands for people in Minas Tirith. I mean, sure there is a massive army camped outside, but these guys have a bet as to whether a chicken thrown from the top of the pier will get an updraft. I had to oblige. Plus Peregrin Took wanted to have a picnic. It's been delightful, although it also has some lag issues. I'm level 104 now. I also started a loremaster halfling, but I've been focused mostly on my Captain of Man.

Rings of Power is gorgeous and makes me want to visit New Zealand. The Harfoots migrating while showing the hand drawn map of Middle Earth was very well done.

I rolled a High Elf Brawler, but couldn't get over the punching people for 90,000 damage in the intro. I might go with a hobbit brawler instead. I already have a level 50 Stout Axe Dwarf, so I don't really feel like leveling another dwarf. Also the new Legendary Items system took me awhile to figure out. I was struggling with some fights and someone had to explain the whole process for upgrading my gear to me. But I spent an evening working on it and now I'm a lot more successful.

I have 10 days until my Tour de Cure 100-mile ride. Training has gone very well, so I'm hoping to have a solid ride and keep it under 6 hours. I'm a bit short of my fundraising goal, so if anyone wants to support me, you can help out here: http://main.diabetes.org/goto/patrickwalters Thanks!

Yeah, but they've been in development for 10 years, and the internet says they have a staff of 695 people! How much of that funding is really left?

Lord of the Rings Online - My Captain of Men is level 102 and hanging out in Central Gondor. I am a bit lost about my equipment, traits, etc., but I can still hold my own in a regular fight. I'm hoping to work my way towards Mordor this go around.

During the pandemic, Wednesdays turned into our meeting and planning day, and it was a huge relief. It became a great chance to catch up and recover. I would love us to go back to that.

It makes me nervous when you say that because I feel like all of us said Russia wouldn't invade Ukraine.

I thought I already played it on Gamepass?

But Mountain Dew is for Bros! Bromine is the most brodacious of the elements.

The remake humor is pretty off the hook.

I'm also watching the current season of What We Do In The Shadows, and it just seems to keep getting better. But I just finished episode 4 of Rings of Power, and it just seems to keep getting better. They've got a few different storylines going and they are all pretty engaging. The Dwarven parts are arguably better than any of the movies. They've given a glimpse into the day to day life of the dwarves that I really only got from LotR Online. Speaking of which, I'm now playing LotRO again. It's not like GoT. It's not like WoT. It's like the bloody movies, so if you enjoyed those, you will enjoy this show. Unless you get hung up on race in a fantasy series, apparently. *shrug* There is a kid named Theo that has an absolutely fascinating story arc going on. I don't want to spoil anything, but I'm on the edge of my seat to see how that turns out.

Oh, they are definitely better off in Martha's Vineyard. It's reprehensible that families were promised help and opportunities and then loaded up on a plane to be used as a political stunt, but it sounds like they are already getting amazing support from the community. You would think that would make the stunt look bad, but I have no doubt they will just spin it as a win. "Look at these dumb libs helping people in need! They'll probably give them jobs and educate the children."

Rings of Power is a million times better than WoT. Honestly they aren't really comparable. It's like comparing the CW superhero shows to Nolan's Batman. They aren't even close to the same tone. I've said it before, Rings of Power feels like the Hobbit movies, which might have been better served if they were broken into a series. It definitely captures the feel of Middle Earth. Amazon has been fairly hit and miss, though. I have no idea if they can pull off a Blade Runner series. People thought the movie was too slow, I thought, so I don't imagine a 10-part series is going to improve the pace. I will happily give it a try.

Those look exactly like the Pathfinder Kingmaker portraits.

I was hoping for Tom Bombadil, but I don't know much of the lore outside of the main books, so I've got no idea. Don't ruin it for me!

The defensive shift has been banned and there will now be a pitch lock in the MLB. I support both changes. I'm bummed that they had to ban the shift. I would rather hitters figure out how to adjust. I imagine if it was left in place, young hitters would get better at laying down bunts. But apparently the batting average is lower than it has been since the 60's, so I'm not surprised they did something. I love a long day at the baseball park, but I get that a pitch clock will help keep the games more manageable and hopefully keep more fans engaged.

I mean, it's a dumb question. What would you expect her to say about the leader of another country on a criminal matter that the UK has no jurisdiction over? I guess I'd need more context as to the setting of the question, but it just looks like a political gotcha moment.

Jack Del Rio got a raw deal there for sure. I hope he is a bit vindicated by the way Gruden was shown the door.

I don't care all that much about any teams, but I am back on the fantasy football wagon after years of not playing, so I'll be paying some attention. The 49ers are a big deal around here, and all my friends live and due by them, so naturally I enjoy it when they struggle. I'd like to see Derek Carr do well since he went to Fresno State.

I try to get my kids to play that game in real life. It is stuck on the hardest difficulty.

I just watched an episode where the creature that crawled out of Colin Robinson is obsessed with Roblox and I now call my own son Colin Robinson.