The Winds of Westeros

In my defence, I am going to dedicate this blog post to all Game of Thrones fans, whose names begin with the letter "E." Seeing as how this is my blog, I more or less think I can get away with posting this, too.

Oh, alright. I'll include "The Eyrie," which we all know to be the ancestral home of House Arryn. This is a fortress that stands very tall, on top of a mountain range that is almost impossible to climb during any season except summer. It is certainly advantageous from a protection and a military standpoint. The Eyrie has a few floors for their prisoners, known as the 'Sky Cells.' Tyrion Lannister found that out when he was brought there for a trial by Lady Catelyn Stark.

Life appears to be very elegant in the Eyrie. As Lady Lysa Arryn once said, "Life is elegant here in the Vale, we have no executioner." The Vale of Arryn has yet to declare support for any of the ruling families who are fighting for the Iron Throne, thus it is seen to be neutral territory. The Vale of Arryn lands are situated between the lands of the north (belonging to House Stark) and the lands to the middle of Westeros (belonging to House Tully, which just happens to be Lady Lysa's father's lands).

The Eyrie is currently ruled by lady Lysa and her son, Lord Robert Arryn, a sickly and temperamental young boy.

The Dothraki are the nomadic tribe of fearsome warriors that we see (and read about) in Game of Thrones. They know how to ride a stallion, charge into battle, wield pretty scary looking swords, daggers, sabres and spears and conquer any civilization that is weak (and unfortunately, in their way).

The leader of the Dothraki tribe is Khal Drogo. In the series, he is played by actor Jason Momoa. He is a tall, powerfully built and sexy as hell warrior. I looked forward to seeing him during season I. His demeanour came across as frightening and dominant, as the same time. His hair was the longest - as is Dothraki custom. Until a warrior is defeated in battle, his hair grows very long. His ponytail was the longest.

The Dothraki roam from one coast to another and live across the narrow sea, far beyond Pentos. They live in the vast lands of Essos, north of the Red Waste. Their chief city is Vaes Dothrak. Their language is particularly difficult to master. Their way of life is almost prehistoric: men rule with an iron fist and women are subservient. It's not a life that I would freely choose. When Khal Drogo married Daenerys Targaryen, it was as if two worlds were about to collide. He was tall, built, undefeated in battle and had a well known reputation for being a violent warlord. She was a delicate, ethereal exiled princess who knew little of the ways of men.

The beginning of their marriage was a trial - Dany did not know the language, Dothraki customs and was not at all happy at sharing the marriage bed with Khal Drogo. Once tutored by a Dothraki handmaiden, she came to understand and value the power of female sexuality to enslave her warlord husband. It certainly worked and because she learned the language, adopted the mannerisms and the traditional garb of the Dothraki women, Khal Drogo came to respect his wife and cherish her.

It made me so sad to see that their union would not produce any children and that she would be left a widow, heart broken and lost in the world. All Dany was left with was her three petrified dragon eggs and the memories of her beloved Khal Drogo. You have to hand it to this woman: she still led a small horde across the Red Waste in order to try and save them and start anew. In her heart, no one will ever take the place of her beloved Dothraki prince, Khal Drogo.

"My sun and stars, moon of my life."

I'd like to live at Casterly Rock. I'd have servants to attend my every whim; I'd have a huge room; lots of gold and oh, of course, I'd be residing in the ancient house of the Lannister clan.

What's there NOT to like?! Casterly Rock is the chief residence of the current ruling family - the Lannisters. Tywin Lannister is a rich and very powerful man. When Tyrion says to anyone within earshot that, "A Lannister always pays his debts," he's not joking!

Casterly Rock sits high on top of a great mountain range and deep within the earth, there are veins of molten gold deposits scattered throughout. No wonder why the Lannisters can pay for everything and never have any debts. When you sit on top of THE richest gold deposit in the Seven Kingdoms, then you'd be able to brag about it all day long, too! Life is pretty good in Westeros....especially if your surname is Lannister.

I believe that Casterly Rocks sits atop of a mountain range that overlooks Lannisport harbour. Casterly Rock has been the chief residence for all the Lannister dynasty. They have Lann the Cleaver to thank for that!

Well of course! What did anyone expect?!

If I ever have a little girl, I already told my husband that we are naming her Arya and that's the end of the discussion. He has perfected a way of acknowledging me, when he is either amused with my shenanigans, or hasn't really paid attention to them, by stating, "Yes, dear."

I hope I have a little Arya to call my own in the near future (here's hoping that job comes my way). Now, back to the topic at hand. Where to begin? We catch a glimpse of a young girl, bored to tears and doing some needlepoint in a room with other ladies at the castle of Winterfell. We also see just how bored Arya is with having to do such a pointless task (yes, I said pointless, I fully agree with Arya on that one).

We also see that Arya has a keen intellect and longs for something more. Arya can shoot a bow as well as any of her brothers. In fact, she actually makes Bran look bad in front of the older Starks. We also know that Arya resembles her late aunt, Lyanna Stark. They share the same looks and personality.

Arya had some pretty neat experiences during the first season- she travelled to King's Landing with her sister and father, she met Syrio Forel and took up fencing and swordplay and she began her training. Unfortunately, she has some terrible experiences, too: she fought against that turd Joffrey and Lady ended up paying the price for it, she came to see how evil the Lannisters were and was present while her father was executed.

In the second season, we see Arya toughen up - by circumstance. Yoren smuggles her out of King's Landing with Gendry (the late King Robert Baratheon's illegitimate son) and takes them to the safety of the Wall. Only they don't get too far. They end up at Harrenhal. She ends up being a cup bearer for Tywin Lannister, of all men. Not that it's a bad thing, mind you, especially when the men discuss warfare and strategy. We see Arya hold her own against the great lion. The little wolf pup is growing up and growing teeth, while she's at it.

She is tough, spunky and clever enough to pose as a boy and then as a commoner. Tywin grows rather fond of her and they have meaningful conversations. She shows a maturity that most 11 year old girls don't possess. She also meets the mysterious stranger, Jaqen H'gar. They have an unusual agreement. I can't wait to see more of Arya Stark in "A Storm of Swords" (season three).

April 2013 is going to ROCK!

Okay, as promised, for the months of July and August, I am going to post anything and everything Game of Thrones - but in alphabetical order.

I've come up with a list of possible topics. So far, the only letters that are giving me a little bit of grief are U, X and Z.

Not surprised there, however, I have more then enough on my list so far. I'm sure between the beginning of July to the end of August, I'll think of a few things to fill up those pesky letters!

I've reached over 2000 pins on my Pinterest "A Song of Ice & Fire: A Game of Thrones" board.

My husband thinks it's amusing.

I think I need full time employment.

I think it's safe to say, this has become an obssession. LOL!

Happy name day to Iain Glen, who portrays the loyal Ser Jorah Mormont!

They did it again!!

The good folks at HBO Watch published my second character profile piece of writing. Made my day! Check it out on the 'HBO Write for us' website. You'll see how "hopelessly devoted" I am to Theon Greyjoy....NOT!

Something caught my eye, while wandering around, reading other blogs. A read about an A to Z challenge that some blogger had done this year. They challenged themselves to blog on their own blog spot, but it had to be done in alphabetical order and done for 26 days straight, with the exception of Sundays.

Now, I'm not even going to pretend to do that. I will produce a gentle version of doing the A to Z blogging. I'll post all things wonderful about Game of Thrones from A to Z, but I won't do it for 26 days in a row. I don't want to bore anyone reading my blog and I don't want to be brain dead, either.

I prefer to take my time and spread out the ideas over a few months. I look at it like this: I will have July and August to post alphabetical blog entries. I will be working in the month of July, teaching Italian to Kindergarten students and I am still participating in a French as a Second Language professional development course as a teacher. So, I have those two factors to consider. But I am happy that I came across that geeky science fiction blog that inspired me to do this.

Here's hoping I can think of something to post for every single letter in the alphabet (I think X, Y and Z are going to be a bit tricky)!

Well, as with all awards shows, the Emmys have put forth suggestions for their nomination ballots.

I BETTER see Charles Dance and Maisie Williams being nominated for Best Actor or Actress or Supporting Actor and Actress.

Yes, for those that have read the books, you know that in a Clash of Kings, they don't actually have personal contact while at Harrenhal, but I have to give credit where credit is due: pairing the debonair Charles Dance with spunky newcomer Maisie Williams was the perfect pairing. It was magic.

It was better then Nutella and bananas. Yes, I said Nutella! I know Charles Dance has been around in many movies, mini-series and plays/theatre productions. He is handsome, sophisticated and magnetic. I will admit, as a woman in her 30s, he is quite the sharp dressed man! I can't picture another English actor in the role of Tywin Lannister. That is a compliment to Charles Dance, because he just oozes leadership and control as Tywin. Right down to that steely glare.

As for Maisie Williams, when she portrays Arya Stark, she is tough, can hold her own against Dance's Tywin Lannister and still manage to maintain her sassy attitude. She portrays a tomboy in the first season, who was forced to grow up, especially after her father was executed. In the second season, we see her using her wit and fencing skills to help get her ahead, while pretending to be a boy. Her lessons with Syrio paid off.

I really want to see these two being rewarded this year for their compelling performances.

A week and a half ago, I was reading the HBO Watch Game of Thrones website when a small icon in the top right hand corner caught my eye. Yes, an invitation for fans to write character profiles for HBO Watch! And not just Game of Thrones character profiles, you can pick from a number of interesting HBO shows.

For me, my first love is Game of Thrones. To my utter surprise and delight, one of the editors responded back to my e-mail inquiry. True to my fire sign (Aries) of having a fire lit underneath me, I promptly fired off four pieces of writing to him.

Today, I received an e-mail, telling me that the first piece of writing was published on the HBO Watch Game of Thrones cast site.

Yes, I am extremely flattered and very happy! I wasted no time in posting onto my Facebook wall, my Twitter page and of course, I had to inform my husband. He takes it all in stride and is glad that I found a way to channel my creative side.

I hope you enjoy the character profiles that I have contributed to HBO Watch. I have plenty more that I want to write about! Bring it on!

Happy belated name day to Richard Madden, who portrays Robb Stark, the King of the North! (his actual birthday was June 18)

Happy belated name day to Sibel Kekilli, who portrays Shae. (her actual birthday is June 16)

June appears to be a popular month for Game of Thrones' staff!

Meh. I e-mailed the good folks at Hasbro, regarding an idea for a Game of Thrones Trivial Pursuit edition of their board game.

While they appreciated my zeal and enthusiasm with the idea, right now there are no plans to produce a Game of Thrones edition. Well, that's okay. I'm not totally crushed with their decision but admit it, you like the idea of a Westeros Ice and Fire limited edition Trivial Pursuit board game! I didn't come up with the suggestion so I could profit off of it. No, that wouldn't be fair to George R R Martin. I just liked the idea of what it would be like!

If they ever plan on releasing one, you know yours truly will be purchasing two board games! :)

Cersei Lannister. Queen. Shrewd. Calculating. Angry. Power hungry. These are just some of the terms that come to mind when describing the Queen Regent.

I just found this freaking AMAZING map of Westeros with all the character's travels included on it. It is in colour, in detail and absolutely incredible!

Thank you to the fan that put this together. I love the fact that this fan read the books and said that he wanted to have a visual of locations where characters had been and didn't want to forget the places on the map. A fan by the name of Ser Mountain Goat created the colour map but another fan, Private Major, stepped up his game by adding in where the characters had been, via colour coding.

Thank you both! This is amazing, especially for people who require a visual map or graphic organizer! You guys rock!!

Wishing Peter Dinklage, aka Tyrion "The Imp" Lannister, a very happy name day today!

:)

Hi there. I'm trying to figure out how I can enhance my "Winds of Westeros" blog. So far, I have added a Feedjit Live Feed to it. I like to see where people visit from. Always nice to know that people from all over check out my humble little blog. As well, I will take more pictures (when the occasion calls for it) and will post more images (of course I do not own them and will make the disclaimer known) as they appear.

Now that we all have to wait another 10 months until the premiere of "Game of Thrones: A Storm of Swords," I was thinking of all the things I'd like to post about. Here is what I came up with so far:

*drum roll please*

Various posts about each respective House in Westeros, according to what I have read and how I feel;
Character posts;
Book signings and events;
My Game of Thrones PS-3 game, the various campaigns I go on and my progress;
A Song of Ice and Fire Book reviews;
Changes from books to screenplays;
The idea of who Jon Snow's parents could be and my theory behind it;
Comic Con dates;
My actors and actresses wish list for Season III;
My Pinterest board and its' progress;
Cakes that I order with a Game of Thrones theme (so far, my birthday cake this year was a purple cake with certain House sigils on it);
My views on the men in Westeros;
My views on women in Westeros;
If Trivial Pursuit responds back to my inquiry about a Game of Thrones limited edition board game
and
if George R R Martin ever responds back to some of my friendly e-mails.

Yes, I sent him some pictures and I also sent him the idea of the Trivial Pursuit game.

I feel that these ideas for my blog will keep me occupied for a while.

Happy reading to all!

I came across an artist named John Picacio. His work in a word: OUTSTANDING. I consider myself to have some talent, where drawing and painting are concerned.

Well, not anymore! He has some beautiful portraits of the characters in "A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones." Well done, sir! *loud applause*

I am so going to follow this guy on Twitter! I love anything and everything associated to George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones series! Please, if you follow my blog, take the time and click on the link called "John Picacio Website." This man is VERY talented!

Seeing as how I have a lot of free time on my hands (I'm an unemployed teacher who has been avidly looking for work the past year and a half while applying everywhere and volunteering where I could), I find that logging onto Pinterest is quite fun.

Except the fact that the rest of my boards are sadly neglected. They all have an average of 100 to 150 pins. Except "A Song of Ice & Fire: A Game of Thrones."

1573 pins isn't excessive. Right?!

Happy belated name day to Liam Cunningham, who portrays Ser Davos Seaworth! (hopefully we'll see you in A Storm of Swords) His actual birthday is on June 2!

From the moment the lights dimmed in my basement, the tension and suspense hung in the air.

I'm talking about THE season finale event of the year on HBO. "Valar Morghulis" - the Valeryian phrase that Jaqen H'gar says to Arya Stark has a deeper meaning, but that will make itself known in A Storm of Swords, which will debut April 6, 2013.

Where to begin: Tyrion. He was grievously injured at the hands of the late Ser Manden Moore, the Kingsguard captain to Joffrey. Only it was that witch, Cersei, who instructed Ser Manden to strike Tyrion down if the opportunity presented itself. Tyrion put a wall up around himself in this episode, not wanting pity and not wanting to leave King's Landing because he knows how to outwit, outfox and survive the rest of the people that play the Game of Thrones. Bronn was released from his post of Captain of the Kingsguard by Tywin or Cersei. His warriors from the Mountains of Vale went back home, paid off by his father. His sister wants his dead. He recieved no credit for the attack on Blackwater Bay. Varys informed him of the many changes that took place while he was unconscious. None of the changes were particualrly good or to his benefit, either. The only consistent person so far has been Podrick Payne, his loyal squire. Even Grand Maester Pycell was acting like a total jerk, making fun of Tyrion's size and commenting on how he does not need a spacious living quarter. I can't stand that Maester. He is an awful man and I hope karma comes back to him! Shae wasn't particularly happy with his decision to stay, but that just builds up more tension for Season III.

Meanwhile, back the throne room, Tywin Lannister was proclaimed 'Saviour of the City' and official Hand of the King, now that Tyrion is out of commission. In another bold move, Littlefinger became Lord of Harrenhal, for his shady dealings of bringing House Tyrell into the Lannister fold. Ser Loras, in a stunning move, asked King Joffrey to make sure his sister, Margaery, was wed to a noblemen of House Lannister...and who more fitting and high then the good King himself? But wait, Joffrey the Sweet remembers he is affianced to Sansa Stark. Once the small council reveals that he is free to break off with Sansa, due to the fact her father was a traitor and her brother is in open rebellion against the Lannister faction, a new alliance is forged. There is more to Margaery then meets the eye. Cersei may regret having Margaery Tyrell as a daughter in law. Sansa, thinking her troubles are now over, turns from the throne room, smiling and crying over her good fortune. Littlefinger quickly comes to tell her the reality of her new found freedom: Joffrey will not let her go back to Winterfell, in fact, she is now at the mercy of the King, both physically and sexually. She is repulsed and frightened. Littlefinger promises to try and help her. He also sees right through her act and informs her that everyone in the Lannister court is a much better liar.

Varys the Spider pays a visit to Littlefinger's brothel in order to procure information from Roz. He knows that Roz is scared of Littlefinger, as she should be but Varys is more interested in protecting her and making her somewhat of a spy. Together, they could find out Littlefinger's weaknesses and make him pay dearly. And I totally like the sound of that!

Brienne of Tarth is escorting Jamie Lannister back to King's Landing. Brienne has to put up with Jaime's stupid and rude endless rantings and ravings. One their way they see three dead bodies hanging from a tree. She wants to the do the honourable thing of burying them when three men approach, wanting to know their business. Quick witted Brienne and Jaime come up with a plausible tale that he is being brought back to Riverrun on a theft charge when one of the men recognizes the Kingslayer.  What happens next is that two of the men are quickly dispatched at the hands of Brienne, who is extremely skilled with the sword, knife and dagger. The last man does not fare so well. After all, he was the loud mouth who boasted that, "Two of them we gave quick deaths." Meaning the last woman hanging was probably raped before she was killed. Well, what goes around comes around and Brienne kills the man slowly, with precision. Jaime looks on, stunned at her stealth and skill. Perhaps the Kingslayer will watch what he says from now on.

Ayra, Hot Pie and Gendry are long gone from Harrenhal when they spot the mysterious Jaqen H'gar standing on top of a small hill. He tells her that she should consider coming to Braavos with him. As much as she really wants to, and learn his mysterious and powerful skills, she really wants to find her brothers, mother and sister. This young girl has been through the ringer, being separated from her family, seeing her father being executed and suffering from the constant threat of violence or starvation at the hands of cruel Lannister guards. Instead, he gives her a very unique coin and should the day come that she needs to seek him out, she is to give that coin to any man from Braavos and repeat the key phrase, "Valar Morghulis." Only then will she be able to connect with him again. In a seamless display of his magical talents, she repeats the phrase one more time and as he turns to leave, he looks back at her one more time. Only it isn't Jaqen's face she sees. It is another man, but his voice. Jaqen is dead. Valar Morghulis.

Robb is suffering from a burning love for the Lady Talisa Migear. This does not sit well with his mother, Lady Catelyn Stark. After all, there is that little thing called a 'betrothal contract' that was made in Season I. They needed House Frey's support and the wily old man made sure to arrange betrothals of a son and daughter of his house to Robb and Arya of House Stark. This is one time where Robb REALLY should've listened to his mother, no matter how upset he was over her releasing Jaime Lannister. Typical man, he was thinking with his loins, instead of his brain. This is another example of yet another Stark starting another war because of a very stupid error. First it was Catelyn, by accusing Tyrion of trying to kill her son Bran, based on circumstantial evidence. Now, it is Robb, who wants to marry for love. He has brought impending doom for his House by marrying Lady Talisa.

Dany, Ser Jorah and her Dothraki comrade go to the House of the Undying, in order to rescue her dragons. She finds a way in but the two men do not. She goes up a winding staircase and hears her dragons. She enters one room, only to see a few doors. She picks the one to the right. She enters what looks like King's Landing, but it's been partially destroyed and it is snowing inside. She walks towards the Iron Throne and almost touches it. In the background, she hears her dragons. She moves towards another exit and finds herself in the midst of a snowstorm up in the north, at the Wall. The snow is almost blinding. She sees what looks like a small dwelling and slowly approaches. As she gets closer, it resembles a Dothraki tent. In a startling discovery, she finds her beloved Khal Drogo sitting there, waiting for her with their son, Rhaego. She thinks she is already dead and that this image is not possible. He tells her she is his everything. They both look down in wonder at their child. Alas, sadly it is not meant to be. She tells him, "Until the sun rises and sets in the east, you will always be my moon and stars." The dragons beckon. She finally returns to find the warlocks of Pree with her dragons, chained to the middle of the room. Dany is not going without a fight. They picked the wrong woman. "Drakaris." With that one word, her dragons are able to breathe fire towards the warlocks and through her, the flames increase with such heat and intensity, that the warlocks are destroyed. Treachery is found - her handmaiden and Xaro are proven to be frauds and locked in that big old empty vault, forever.  Dany and crew take what gold and jewels they can and decide it is time to purchase horses and ships.

Jon Snow and Qhoren Halfhand are making their way to Mance Rayder, along with a group of wildlings and the Lord of Bones. Qhoren antagonizes Jon and forces him to fight. The Lord of Bones decides to let the two rangers fight each other. Qhoren wants Jon to infiltrate Mance's army. In the end, Jon kills Qhoren and you can see he is clearly conflicted with what he had to do in order to survive. Before Qhoren died, he leaned into Jon and spoke of the Brothers of the Night's Watch: "We are brothers, until the end." He sacrificed himself so Jon could go on. Ygritte tells the rest of the wildings, "You can tell Mance that this was the man to take down Qhoren Halfhand." They all look at Jon with awe, perhaps respect, now that he has shown fierce fighting skills and bravery. Jon looks at Ygritte, sorrow and shock in his eyes. She takes him towards a cliff and says that it is time for him to meet Mance Rayder. Below them is a huge valley and in that valley look to be like thousands of cottages or houses. Mance Rayder is building an army, but for what purpose? When will they strike? Whom will they fight?

Theon Greyjoy: I just cannot stand this character. He is a liar and a traitor.  Trapped in Winterfell, surrounded by 500 of Ramsay Bolton's men, he has no choice but to surrender. He refuses to do so, as he is iron born. Maester Luwin informs him that should he run, he could always go to the Wall, where a man's past transgressions no longer count. He advises Theon that there are secret passages below Winterfell and he could slip out at night and make it north to freedom. What happens next is another round of betrayal. He gives a rousing speech to his Iron Island comrades, only to be knocked on conscious and be taken out of Winterfell. Unfortunately, his first lieutenant stabs Maester Luwin with a sharp spear, knocking the old man to his knees. They all leave and Maester Luwin falls over, bleeding heavily. Osha, Hodor and the two boys with their dire wolves come out sometime later to discover that Winterfell has been sacked and is burning. Worse, the wolves find Maester Luwin in the Godswood, in a semi-sitting position, but extremely weak, due to blood loss. The boys burst into tears, as they do not want to leave him. Bran wants to get him his medicine. What Maester Luwin says next made me burst into tears - "They didn't burn you. I pulled both of you out into this world and I have spent nearly every single day with you. And for that I am glad." Rickon is openly sobbing. Maester Luwin pleads with Osha - he tells her that the boys must be taken north because there are too many enemies in the south. He advises them all to go back and get as much food as possible, to put on extra clothing and make it quick because at any moment, someone could show up and kill them all. As Hodor takes the boys and wolves to get the supplies, Maester Luwin refuses Osha's suggestion of milk of the poppy. Instead he looks at her dagger with meaning. She delivers him a quick death and puts him out of pain for good.  They are last seen fleeing from Winterfell and headed north.

Grenn, Samwell and Dolores are out on patrol, collecting dung, as it burns for many hours when making a fire. Sam, in his usual fashion, talks about Gilly. He talks about how she is optimistic, even though she suffered abuse at the hands of her father and thinks that life is still worth living. Grenn and Dolores respond one way or another when they hear the horn blowing. Sam, hearing one blow, is happy....because he thinks Jon and Qhoren have returned. A second horn sounds. Grenn and Dolores pull out their swords. And then the worst sound ever: a third blow of the horn. WHITE WALKERS. Grenn and Dolores run off in one direction. Samwell, his face frozen with shock, sees a snow storm approaching. Only it isn't just snow. He starts to see figures. He can't quite make out what they are yet. Only that he is scared and makes a feeble attempt to run in the same direction as his two companions but at this point, visibility becomes very poor. He hides behind a rock and shakes uncontrollably.  Figures start to come out of the snowy mist. You start to see the blue eyes penetrate the snow. The White Walkers. For thousands of years, everyone south of the Wall scoffed at the notion that they even existed. The Brothers of the Night's Watch knew differently.  As Samwell realizes that this could be the end for him, he hears a noise and looks to his right. He sees a zombie like horse with red eyes and a dead White Walker on top. Only he is not alone. Hundreds of them are wandering, with a dead, glazed look to them. Their eyes are glowing a piercing blue colour. When the camera pans to a wide screen zoom, all of a sudden you see more then hundreds, quite possibly thousands of them are walking along, towards the Wall. Another look at them and you'll notice that they were all dressed differently. Some had the Wildlings garb on. Others looked as if they were from the forests. Some of the White Walkers were former Brothers of the Night's Watch. Samwell is petrified, trapped and surrounded by them. He closes his eyes and begins to cry in earnest, as they all walk past him. He is all alone, no weapons, no army and no obsidian.

Obsidian. Why would he need obsidian? Stick around until April 6, 2013. Then maybe I'll tell you.

Maybe.

Dear George R R Martin, HBO and the good folks at Trivial Pursuit:

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE create a Game of Thrones edition of your board game! I swear that if you do, I will go out and buy two of them!

And if you play Trivial Pursuit the way I do, you will want ME on YOUR team.

Trust me on that one!

Tonight: VALAR MORGHULIS!

At present, I now have 1,086 pins on my Pinterest A Song of Ice and Fire: Game of Thrones board.

Yes, I love the books and the HBO show.  I also have quite the following, which I find is quite flattering and humbling. Lots of followers, lots of re-pins. NIIIIICE.

I had a VERY pleasant surprise last night.

I found a little package with a bow on it, on the kitchen counter. Inside: the Playstation 3 game: Game of Thrones!! The official game guide was also in the package.

I got home late last night and was unable to start playing and reading. However, the weekend is almost here. I will start my journey on Saturday afternoon! Can't wait.

Love you, my Jon Snow. (that is my husband's nickname)