The author himself, GRRM has posted an update about HBO acquiring the rights to his "Song of Ice and Fire" series.
I for one am very excited.
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Glacierbaby has decided that rolling from his tummy to his back is very fun. (At least fun the first few times, after 3 or 4, it is just a chore. Now his big challenge these days is to see if he can get both fists into his mouth. So far, he has been unsuccessful.
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Friday, January 19, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Seven help us, Winter is Coming ... to HBO; Exciting News
I can't believe it. I never thought it would happen, but HBO has acquired the rights to George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire". Of course, acquiring the rights and actually making the darn show are two separate feats. I mean, how long have we been waiting for Ender's Game: The Movie.
For me, I'm quite excited to see one of the best fantasy series brought to life. Here's hoping it doesn't suck. (And yes, I am quite aware that it will not be 100% faithful to the written material.) Being on HBO is important due to the graphic nature of the material in the books. Although I've wanted to watch ROME, I've never wanted to pony up the cash for the Channels. Now it looks like I may have to. Darn you HBO!
Anyway, I haven't been this excited about a book becoming film in a long time. (And yes, this makes me way more excited than finding out LOTR was going to be a movie.)
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On to more important and exciting news. Yesterday, glacierbaby rolled over for the first time. Yup, he went from tummy to back. Apparently he did this 4 times. I personally did not see it, however glaciermom assures me that he did do it. Also, glaciermom took him back to be reweighed (last week at the doctor's office he weighed in at 8 lbs 4 oz.) Both glaciermom and I thought that seemed low, so while in town today, glaciermom had glacierbaby weighed. Our hunch was right. Today he weighed in at 12 lbs 1 oz. (or was it 12 lbs 4 oz.). Either he gained 4 pounds in one week, or he wasn't weighed properly at the last doctor's visit.
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On a final note, I've finally gotten in the process of putting labels on older posts. It seems as if glacierbaby is the number 1 label to date (16 times), weather number 2 (10 posts), and school and baseball tied for 3rd (7 each). However, I'm only a 1/3 of the way through or so. Of course those numbers will change as I finish putting labels on posts.
For me, I'm quite excited to see one of the best fantasy series brought to life. Here's hoping it doesn't suck. (And yes, I am quite aware that it will not be 100% faithful to the written material.) Being on HBO is important due to the graphic nature of the material in the books. Although I've wanted to watch ROME, I've never wanted to pony up the cash for the Channels. Now it looks like I may have to. Darn you HBO!
Anyway, I haven't been this excited about a book becoming film in a long time. (And yes, this makes me way more excited than finding out LOTR was going to be a movie.)
------------------------------------------------------------
On to more important and exciting news. Yesterday, glacierbaby rolled over for the first time. Yup, he went from tummy to back. Apparently he did this 4 times. I personally did not see it, however glaciermom assures me that he did do it. Also, glaciermom took him back to be reweighed (last week at the doctor's office he weighed in at 8 lbs 4 oz.) Both glaciermom and I thought that seemed low, so while in town today, glaciermom had glacierbaby weighed. Our hunch was right. Today he weighed in at 12 lbs 1 oz. (or was it 12 lbs 4 oz.). Either he gained 4 pounds in one week, or he wasn't weighed properly at the last doctor's visit.
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On a final note, I've finally gotten in the process of putting labels on older posts. It seems as if glacierbaby is the number 1 label to date (16 times), weather number 2 (10 posts), and school and baseball tied for 3rd (7 each). However, I'm only a 1/3 of the way through or so. Of course those numbers will change as I finish putting labels on posts.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Chilly, Shots, Ilium
Well, when I woke up this morning to take the dog outside, the thermometer read -18.9 degrees. Of course with a 5 to 10 mph breeze, it really felt like -30 degrees. Yikes is that cold. Surprisingly, the car started with little effort. Just a few more days of this and hopefully we will be in the double digit temps again (but on the positive side of the number line.)
Other news, Glacierbaby had his first set of shots on Wednesday. After the shots he was a bit fussy and his legs were a bit sore. But by mid-afternoon yesterday, he was the same old Glacierbaby.
Well, I finally finished Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest. It was very good. In fact if you like fantasy and haven't read her books, I would highly recommend them. Now I've started Dan Simmon's* Ilium. I read his Hyperion Cantos (Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, Rise of Endymion) in college. Those 4 books are probably some of the best Sci-Fi written (in particular the first two). The structure of Hyperion is much like that of the Canterbury Tales (but in the far future, with a machine that kills people, yet they worship it, etc.). In fall of Hyperion, Dan Simmons changes narrative format, settling on more traditional story telling techniques. However in Fall, he borrows heavily from John Keats' poetry.
Ilium is one of his latest works. It quite interesting at the moment. Presently there are old style humans living on earth and all have lost the ability to read and invent. On mars the Trojan War has been recreated by the "Olympian Gods". They have also brought back to life Scholars from the 21st century to monitor the war and compare the "actual" events to Homer's account of the war. Third there are group of sentient bio-mechanical machines living in the Jovian moons that have been sent to monitor the events on Mars and Earth. These bio-mechanical machines love to analyze Shakespeare (mainly his sonnets) and Proust. I'm only 100 pages in or so, but having a great time with the book. The sad part is that Ilium is the 1st book of 2. The second, Olympus concludes the story.
*On a side note, Dan Simmons seems to have some pretty extreme views on Islam. Although I don't agree with his view, I do enjoy his writing. His stories are some of the most thought provoking stories I've ever read.
Other news, Glacierbaby had his first set of shots on Wednesday. After the shots he was a bit fussy and his legs were a bit sore. But by mid-afternoon yesterday, he was the same old Glacierbaby.
Well, I finally finished Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest. It was very good. In fact if you like fantasy and haven't read her books, I would highly recommend them. Now I've started Dan Simmon's* Ilium. I read his Hyperion Cantos (Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, Rise of Endymion) in college. Those 4 books are probably some of the best Sci-Fi written (in particular the first two). The structure of Hyperion is much like that of the Canterbury Tales (but in the far future, with a machine that kills people, yet they worship it, etc.). In fall of Hyperion, Dan Simmons changes narrative format, settling on more traditional story telling techniques. However in Fall, he borrows heavily from John Keats' poetry.
Ilium is one of his latest works. It quite interesting at the moment. Presently there are old style humans living on earth and all have lost the ability to read and invent. On mars the Trojan War has been recreated by the "Olympian Gods". They have also brought back to life Scholars from the 21st century to monitor the war and compare the "actual" events to Homer's account of the war. Third there are group of sentient bio-mechanical machines living in the Jovian moons that have been sent to monitor the events on Mars and Earth. These bio-mechanical machines love to analyze Shakespeare (mainly his sonnets) and Proust. I'm only 100 pages in or so, but having a great time with the book. The sad part is that Ilium is the 1st book of 2. The second, Olympus concludes the story.
*On a side note, Dan Simmons seems to have some pretty extreme views on Islam. Although I don't agree with his view, I do enjoy his writing. His stories are some of the most thought provoking stories I've ever read.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Glacierman need sleep, badly
Well, the Thanksgiving Holiday is over. Now it's time for Christmas. Last Friday, I managed to put up all our Christmas Decorations. I think I may have been the first one in town to do so. There was one other family that had their decorations up Friday, but I finish by 2 pm. I think the other family finished around 5 pm. I was very lucky, as to the fact that Friday, the daytime temperature was around 45 degrees. The next day, we had snow. Through previous experience, I know putting up decorations in snow is not fun.
Glacierbaby is doing quite well. I have yet to post pictures due to lack of sleep/time. We do have several pictures, I just haven't had time to get them off the camera. He is now almost 8 pounds, and over 20.5 inches. It is really neat to watch him develop a little more each day. He is smiling more, and a few of which are not nearly reflexive. We still can't get him to sleep in his crib or bassinet for more than 30 minutes, however he can spend up to 2 or 3 hours in his swing or car seat. If he could sleep in his crib, then glaciermom and I could actually sleep together. Instead I take the late night shift and glaciermom takes the early morning shift. This way, I get a some continuous sleep before going to work.
On a more fun note, I am totally getting into NBC's Heroes. Of course, I do love superhero movies and TV shows. It is of course fun to try to figure out who the bad guy is, how they got their powers, what it all means, etc. However, what initially drew me to the show was that it was about the genesis of superhero powers, and how the individuals learn to control and deal with them.
On a less fun note, I still haven't finished reading Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest. I still only have 100 pages or so, but due to a lack of sleep, I just haven't had the energy to read. Hopefully I'll finish by Christmas.
Glacierbaby is doing quite well. I have yet to post pictures due to lack of sleep/time. We do have several pictures, I just haven't had time to get them off the camera. He is now almost 8 pounds, and over 20.5 inches. It is really neat to watch him develop a little more each day. He is smiling more, and a few of which are not nearly reflexive. We still can't get him to sleep in his crib or bassinet for more than 30 minutes, however he can spend up to 2 or 3 hours in his swing or car seat. If he could sleep in his crib, then glaciermom and I could actually sleep together. Instead I take the late night shift and glaciermom takes the early morning shift. This way, I get a some continuous sleep before going to work.
On a more fun note, I am totally getting into NBC's Heroes. Of course, I do love superhero movies and TV shows. It is of course fun to try to figure out who the bad guy is, how they got their powers, what it all means, etc. However, what initially drew me to the show was that it was about the genesis of superhero powers, and how the individuals learn to control and deal with them.
On a less fun note, I still haven't finished reading Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest. I still only have 100 pages or so, but due to a lack of sleep, I just haven't had the energy to read. Hopefully I'll finish by Christmas.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Lots of little things
Grrrbear reported today on his blog that they had received some snow. Yesterday we had also gotten some snow, and it really made a mess of things. No, the snow didn't cause many accidents, power outages, etc. It really made a mess because most of our streets, parking lots, and yards are just dirt or gravel. Yup, lots and lots of mud yesterday.
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I have no idea what is going on with the cat. Last week I took him to the vet because I thought he had a urinary tract infection. I was right. So he's been on meds for the last week, and things were getting better. Then yesterday, he started acting odd again. This morning he puked 4 separate times. Funny thing about a cat puking, I can here it no matter where I am in the house.
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It looks like I'm a Detroit Tigers Fan now. After the Twins got the boot from the post-season, I've decided to root for Detroit. Although I'm not opposed to Billy Beane winning (in fact, I would like to see his team do well, it might shut up all those pundits that say he can't win in the post season), I just like Detroit better. Personally, I'm rooting for a Mets/Tigers World Series. Its not that I'm a big Mets fan, its just that I don't like the Cardinals at all (plus, my mother is a Padres fan.)
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The folks are showing up next week. It just so happens that all of us (folks, wife, me) are school employees (or retired school employees) and happen to be going to the MEA-MFT convention. It will give us an opportunity to hang out, and more importantly, stock up on Baby Gear. In fact, next Friday, the school where my wife and I work are going to hold a couples/baby shower for glacierbaby. Hopefully we snag some good loot.
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Well, Halloween is around the corner. Last weekend I finished putting up a few more lights. We purchased a really cool set from Target the other day. I really like the purple/orange/green combinaton for most Halloween light sets.
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I did purchase X-Men III: The Last Stand. Although entertaining, it was not nearly as good as the first 2 X-men movies. I thought they did a good job of casting Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Hank McKoy (The Beast), but I would have loved to have seen many more of the mutants. I'm also not a big fan of what they did to some of the more prominant X-men (like kill them!)
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Only 300 pages or so until I finish Robin Hobb's last book in the Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Quest.) So far, it is my favorite of the 3 books. Hopefully I can finish it before glacierbaby arrives!
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I have no idea what is going on with the cat. Last week I took him to the vet because I thought he had a urinary tract infection. I was right. So he's been on meds for the last week, and things were getting better. Then yesterday, he started acting odd again. This morning he puked 4 separate times. Funny thing about a cat puking, I can here it no matter where I am in the house.
---------------------------------------------
It looks like I'm a Detroit Tigers Fan now. After the Twins got the boot from the post-season, I've decided to root for Detroit. Although I'm not opposed to Billy Beane winning (in fact, I would like to see his team do well, it might shut up all those pundits that say he can't win in the post season), I just like Detroit better. Personally, I'm rooting for a Mets/Tigers World Series. Its not that I'm a big Mets fan, its just that I don't like the Cardinals at all (plus, my mother is a Padres fan.)
----------------------------------------------
The folks are showing up next week. It just so happens that all of us (folks, wife, me) are school employees (or retired school employees) and happen to be going to the MEA-MFT convention. It will give us an opportunity to hang out, and more importantly, stock up on Baby Gear. In fact, next Friday, the school where my wife and I work are going to hold a couples/baby shower for glacierbaby. Hopefully we snag some good loot.
-----------------------------------------------
Well, Halloween is around the corner. Last weekend I finished putting up a few more lights. We purchased a really cool set from Target the other day. I really like the purple/orange/green combinaton for most Halloween light sets.
-----------------------------------------------
I did purchase X-Men III: The Last Stand. Although entertaining, it was not nearly as good as the first 2 X-men movies. I thought they did a good job of casting Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Hank McKoy (The Beast), but I would have loved to have seen many more of the mutants. I'm also not a big fan of what they did to some of the more prominant X-men (like kill them!)
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Only 300 pages or so until I finish Robin Hobb's last book in the Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Quest.) So far, it is my favorite of the 3 books. Hopefully I can finish it before glacierbaby arrives!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Cool Weather, Twins, Vikings, Books
Well, the weather has cooled off quite a bit. Last week at this time, we were near 90 degrees each day. Now, if we get to 60, it is quite the warm spell. On the plus side, the cooler weather (plus rain) has helped fight the wild fires. Now the debate is, do we turn on the heat?
Funny thing about the cooler weather is our driving conditions. Actually, in the morning we often have the heat on (not quite full blast), and on some days (like yesterday), we will have to put the A/C on for our return trip home.
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The MN Vikings have won their first two games. This weekend they will play the Chicago Bears. Personally, I think the first two games were a fluke. (In fact, we should have lost the game against Carolina, except they made a bonehead move, and we had to use trickery to get the ball in the end zone. Personally, I don't think that bodes well for upcoming games.) But despite the two wins, I'm still a Vikings Fan. Although I'm seriously thinking of becoming a Colts fan instead. They have my favorite head coach (Dungy) and favorite player (Peyton Manning.)
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Well, as of right now, the Twins are 1/2 game out of the Division Lead. And with the Tigers slumping (or at least the Tigers and White Sox beating each other up), we may be able to take the division lead. I've read somewhere that the Twins magic number is 8. I'm actually hoping that we do get the division, that way we don't have to play the Yankees first thing. (Plus, the A's are a much better team, and why not get the hard team out of the way first!)
The weird thing about last week's games is that our only starting pitcher not to get a win was Johan Santana. Of course, he did get a no decision. I must say that our rookie pitchers are definitely taking up the slack for the injured Liriano and Radke. Also, Silva has finally started pitching like he did last year. Last game we saw, his sinker ball was finally sinking, and he was getting ground ball outs. If, in his next start, I start seeing fly ball outs, I know he is going to get the loss.
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I haven't talked about books recently. Well, I'm in the last book of a trilogy written by Robin Hobb. If you are into well thought-out characters, fantasy, intrigue, deception, you would definitely like the Farseer Trilogy. The books are Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest. But be warned, the first book starts our really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really slow. In fact, almost all the action takes place in the final 100 pages (of a 500 page book.) If you get through the book, it is really worth it for the final two. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish the book before the baby is born. There are two more trilogies after this one, The Liveship Traders, and the Tawny Man Trilogy. Both of which I want to read.
After the baby is born, The next books on my agenda are Dan Simmons Ilium and Olympos. I really loved his Hyperion and Endymion series, and am hoping for another well thought out and written book.
Also on my list (and already in the my library as well) is L.E. Modesitt Jr's Ordermaster, the sequel to Wellspring of Chaos.
Funny thing about the cooler weather is our driving conditions. Actually, in the morning we often have the heat on (not quite full blast), and on some days (like yesterday), we will have to put the A/C on for our return trip home.
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The MN Vikings have won their first two games. This weekend they will play the Chicago Bears. Personally, I think the first two games were a fluke. (In fact, we should have lost the game against Carolina, except they made a bonehead move, and we had to use trickery to get the ball in the end zone. Personally, I don't think that bodes well for upcoming games.) But despite the two wins, I'm still a Vikings Fan. Although I'm seriously thinking of becoming a Colts fan instead. They have my favorite head coach (Dungy) and favorite player (Peyton Manning.)
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Well, as of right now, the Twins are 1/2 game out of the Division Lead. And with the Tigers slumping (or at least the Tigers and White Sox beating each other up), we may be able to take the division lead. I've read somewhere that the Twins magic number is 8. I'm actually hoping that we do get the division, that way we don't have to play the Yankees first thing. (Plus, the A's are a much better team, and why not get the hard team out of the way first!)
The weird thing about last week's games is that our only starting pitcher not to get a win was Johan Santana. Of course, he did get a no decision. I must say that our rookie pitchers are definitely taking up the slack for the injured Liriano and Radke. Also, Silva has finally started pitching like he did last year. Last game we saw, his sinker ball was finally sinking, and he was getting ground ball outs. If, in his next start, I start seeing fly ball outs, I know he is going to get the loss.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I haven't talked about books recently. Well, I'm in the last book of a trilogy written by Robin Hobb. If you are into well thought-out characters, fantasy, intrigue, deception, you would definitely like the Farseer Trilogy. The books are Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest. But be warned, the first book starts our really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really slow. In fact, almost all the action takes place in the final 100 pages (of a 500 page book.) If you get through the book, it is really worth it for the final two. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish the book before the baby is born. There are two more trilogies after this one, The Liveship Traders, and the Tawny Man Trilogy. Both of which I want to read.
After the baby is born, The next books on my agenda are Dan Simmons Ilium and Olympos. I really loved his Hyperion and Endymion series, and am hoping for another well thought out and written book.
Also on my list (and already in the my library as well) is L.E. Modesitt Jr's Ordermaster, the sequel to Wellspring of Chaos.
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