The Fireside

First of all, I realize that George R.R. Martin is not my bitch.  I am looking forward to The Winds of Winter [Book Six of A Song of Ice and Fire ] patiently and respectfully. I am eager forward it, shall we say. This is a speculative post, so please take it with a grain of salt.  July 3-14, George will be in Europe (France and Switzerland). Then, his next travel appearance will be July 24-27, for the San Diego Comic Con.  I have a feeling that, depending on what he does at the con, he will make an announcement of some kind about The Winds of Winter. Seriously, think about it. What better place to make a big announcement than at the mother of all cons?? That is being being hopeful. Don't expect it...but don't rule it out, either.  If he doesn't say anything about Winds, let's look at his appearances again.  August 14-24 sends him back to the UK (a few months ahead of me). then, nothing until May of 2015. When he's home at Santa Fe, he does th...

"Ain't she beautiful?"  That is the vehicle I would wish to have. The four doors and five passengers will be great because someday I wish to have kids, so it'll be a great 'family' vehicle. That, and I don't want to 'climb down' into a car - I want to step up into my mount.Plus, for youngsters the space inside will be great (trunk, leg room, etc.) The Cherokee also has 4X2 and 4X4 options, making me feel safer while driving for 5+ hours in Canadain winter weather. I know - the tires are important, but the power of the engine, 'wheel drives' and height will make me more confident when driving.  I have my eye on the 'North 4X2' model at the moment...but it'll be a couple years before owning a vehicle will happen, but if I were to get one right now, this would be it. I may end up getting the 2016 or 2017 model, but now I have a good idea on what I want.  There are more pictures below. What do you think??   ...

Today, George R.R. Martin announced via his (Not a) Blog that The Ice Dragon is being republished October 21 .  This new edition will feature new artwork and illustrations. It will be released in hardback with the ISBN: 9780765378774 "The Ice Dragon" is an enchanting tale of courage and sacrifice for young readers and adults by the wildly popular author of the #1 "New York Times" bestselling Song of Ice and Fire series, George R.R. Martin. Lavish illustrations by acclaimed artist Luis Royo enrich this captivating and heartwarming story of a young girl and her dragon.In the world of A Song of Ice and Fire the ice dragon was a creature of legend and fear, for no man had ever tamed one. When it flew overhead, it left in its wake desolate cold and frozen land. But Adara was not afraid. For Adara was a winter child, born during the worst freeze that anyone, even the Old Ones, could remember. Adara could not remember the first time she had seen the ice...

I knew I was going to enjoy Dragon 2 , but I was impressed by how good the film actually was. I am a big fan of the first film, as well as the TV series (the first episodes are called Riders of Berk , the second called Defenders of Berk , and the upcoming batch will be Dragon Masters ) so it was a no-brainer that I would be seeing the newest film. The film picks up five years after the first, and presumably, five years after the TV show ends, though we don't know far into the timeline the show will go. The dragons don't look any older, but their Riders do, most notably Hiccup. He seems to have taken his theatric inventions to the limit with skydiving. Yup, vikings have invented skydiving. It is cool, and to me, strengthens the powerful bond between Rider and Dragon. Speaking of, all the voices and characters are back. Cate Blanchette is introduced as Valka, Kit Harrington from Game of Thrones fame as Erret, and Djimon Hounsou as Bloodfist.  The visuals are striking,...

Here is the track listing for the fourth Game of Thrones soundtrack release.   The soundtrack includes a version of “The Rains of Castamere” as performed by acclaimed Icelandic post-rock artists Sigur Ros in a mid-season cameo appearance. The song, written by Djawadi and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, has appeared sporadically over the course of the series (most famously during the Season 3 episode which featured the fabled Red Wedding), and celebrates the heritage and power of House Lannister. The soundtrack is already out on itunes (June 10) but the CD for all you dinosaurs out there will be coming out July 1.  Track Listing: 1. Main Titles 2. The Rains of Castamere 3. Breaker Of Chains 4. Watchers On The Wall 5. I’m Sorry For Today 6. Thenns 7. Mereen 8. First Of His Name 9. The Biggest Fire The North Has Ever Seen 10. Three Eyed Raven 11. Two Swords 12. Oathkeeper 13. You Are No Son Of Mine 14. The North Remembers 15. Let’s Kill ...

Thursday (Thorsday, for all ye vikings out there) the rib fest began, and will end on Sunday - tomorrow! So get out there and have some meat! Pretty much the entire Sparks Street is dedicated to the festival. And, as one of the platters is aptly, named it's a vegetarian's nightmare. Ribs. Chicken. Brisket. Pulled pork. I was looking for Boss Hogs, who are said to be the best at the fest. However, I must have came in at the wrong side. Unable to find them, I went with a half rack from Sticky Fingers, and a pulled pork sandwich from Crabby's. That definitely did it for me. I had a Propeller beer when I got in to wash it all down with. I would like to return but am unsure if I can make it out. Maybe this time some ribs and chicken... While waiting to meet up with people, I went to Chapters which was a mistake...because I found another author / series of interest to me. Joe Abercrombie. He begins with The Blade Itself ...

So now you've watched all of this year's episodes of Game of Thrones ...now what? Well, I have some suggestions for you.  First up, since we're talking about TV, I'm going to recommend another show to help pass the time. That show is Vikings . currently, it has about two seasons under it's belt and is also on hiatus, making catching up on that quick and easy. The first season is readily available to buy on blu-ray...but sadly not Netflix (Canada) yet.  The show is 'doing' well, but was overshadowed by Game of Thrones , or perhaps lack of word of mouth.  There is also the mini-series, Pillars of the Earth, as well as its sequel (also a mini series) , World Without End.    Covering similar interests, yet for a younger audience, is How to Train Your Dragon 2. It is also being very well recieved, and I look forward to seeing it this weekend.  Now, onto another medium - books. Yes, many of these may have appeared be...

Wow, what an episode! And what a way to end the Game of thrones Episodes for 2014.  Episodes 31-40 could have easily been the show's best bunch yet. There were strong moments throughout them, and they ended Episode 40 quite well. Also, as a book reader (you know, "Based on A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin during the opening credits and all...) I was immensely pleased. I also noticed that the HBO series is noticably diverging from the book series. Before, these changes were minor. Now, they are noticeable. But they are in good taste and make sense. They don't just change it for the sake of changing it like The Walking Dead . But are they bad? Not for these Episodes. Episodes 11-19 were a tad weak due to change, (well, in part) but this year's Episodes and last year's Episodes solidify the show's greatness.  I have every confidence in George R.R. Martin, but I'd rather read what happens next as opposed to seeing it. that being said, ...

Here we are again. Tonight is the final episode of Game of Thrones for the year, which is Episode 40. Once I've seen it (Monday, I hope) I'll be sure to write up a review, as well as review the season as a whole.  After that, it's waiting until next year for new episodes. For TV, in the mean time I myself will be starting Vikings and encourage others to do so too.  Of course, I always suggest reading the books that Game of Thrones is based on - A Song of Ice and Fire . Y'know, it says it during the opening credits & all..... 

I blogged about this a while ago. But, now I finally got some my self.  I've been checking the LCBO's web site often to see if locations carried Ommegang's "Fire and Blood" Red Ale...which is the third Game of Thrones beer. I haven't tried it yet but am looking forward to it.  I live in Canada, so getting a hold of American craft beer has been a bit tricky, especially since it's Game of Thrones .  Named after the motto of House Targaryen, Fire and Blood is inspired by Daenerys Targaryen and her three dragons, Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion. To celebrate the rebirth of dragons, three different labels were created by the Game of Thrones visual effects specialists, each depicting one of Daenerys' feared dragons. If you live in Ontario, check to see if they have it HERE: http://www.lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/details.do?language=EN&itemNumber=381947 For those who live in Ottawa : Go to 275 Rideau St or 222 Richmond Road . As yo...

With hockey finished, another one of the world's most popular sports has begun - football. More specifically, The FIFA World Cup. It began on June 12 and closes July 13.  I usually don't watch the sport except for tournaments, championships etc... so I'll be trying to catch as much of the FIFA as I can.   Here are the countries I'm cheering for, round by round: Brazil, Croatia, Netherlands, Spain, Ivory Coast, Uruguay, England, Switzerland, Honduras, Argentina, Nigeria, Germany, Ghana, Belgium and Russia. Those are the countires I'd love to see do well and advance. Enjoy! And depending on where in the world you are, be careful.

On Friday, the Ontario premier was elected - the province is now governed by the Liberal Party. On Thursday, I headed to the polls and made a choice I wanted to make, and was free to make. But, I've got to say, it felt like I was bullied into voting. Yes, you read that right. Bullied. The thing is, Canada is a country in which we've earned our right to vote, to elect a person or party we would like to see come into power and lead our country, provinces and cities to what the person voting would like to see come of it. The ads for voting don't promote a candidate, they point and wag a nasty finger at 'the other guy' which I've never liked. They don't work for me, personally.  Same thing goes for if someone wins. Please. Keep your opinions to yourself, and don't go overboard.  If a party you strongly disagree with or strongly dislike wins, I doubt it will be "Hell." Things may not be pleasant, or the way you want them to turn ou...

..and that's it! The LA Kings have won the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. What an interesting season and playoffs it's been for all the teams. I wished I could have posted about it, especially during the playoffs, but alas.... I'm looking forward to the fall (but I will enjoy the rest of spring, and summer, mind) because that means new hockey season,as well as a trip to the UK. If you're feeling the hockey blues at any time before the season starts, I suggest playing Blades of Steel . 

I myself cannot believe that in a month from now (July 11) I will be thirty years old.  I don't feel it. I feel like '25' seems a bit more appropriate. There are some things I wanted to accomplish by the time I'm 30, but they've been pushed back a couple years. Also, there's Kalvel . I would like to finish writing Volume I in August of 2016 but we'll see if that happens. There's a few other things here and there...places to go, etc. So how will I be celebrating? Nothing fancy. I don't have anything planned, that's up to friends / family etc but there are some things I would like to do. For the 'family celebration dinner' I would like BBQ for supper. Not fussy as to 'what' but something nice and yummy, and summer-y. Beer can chicken, ribs.... with potatoes and perhaps a salad. And beer to drink. Speaking of beer, I really like: - Mill St (pretty much anything, but I haven't tried the summer seasonal sampler yet...

Today the first season of HBO's newest and (second) great show at the moment is now out to buy on blu-ray, itunes etc....I'm talking about True Detective . I sense strong Emmy and Awards potential for this one.

Initial Thoughts before E3: For a video gamer, the best time of the year is coming up - E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo). I see it as the Comic-Con for video games. I'm sure XBOX and Playstation will show off some great titles; (who is winning that war, by the way? I think the winner is PS4 but nothing by a landslide by any means) but I'm interested and focused on Nintendo. So what would I like to see from Big N? A few things actually... - The Legend of Zelda U . Remember that demo you showed us with Link fighting that monster, then again in the dark? Yeah...I want my game to look like that - adult Link, and 'realism' graphics. I don't want you to go changing your game now, Nintendo - remember the Space World demo? And no half cel shaded, half 'real'. Go full real. Also, no 'gimmicks' - no wolves, no bgiant birds. Just a 'basic' Zelda game in execution. Of course, new items, control scheme etc... but let's...

My girlfriend & I had seen Frozen in theatres while it was playing a while ago, and we both loved it. For one, I was surprised by how much I did like it. I'm a fan of Disney. I grew up with some of their classic cartoons, and so did my sister. Some of them appealed to her more than me, and me more than her. But should I watch one of 'her' movies with her, I'd always enjoyed them. I also enjoyed Pixar's films (well, most of them).  Also, they aren't 'Disney' but I also enjoy Dreamworks stuff for the most part too. Just putting that out there.  Anyway, I was not expecting reaction to Frozen being as wild as it was. Disney tried to re-enter their nostalgic / princess phase a few times in the past. I was glad for the 'non' CG look of The Princess and the Frog , but something from movie was missing. It was good, but I was expecting something 'different'.  Brave by Pixar came along and I enjoyed that. Again, not the story I w...

The following 'blurb' is my 'Description' as it appears on my facebook page. 

The weather has gotten warmer, and we are now well into June, which most people seem to think summer is here! Even though summer begins June 21, and ends in September...either way, for a beer drinker, this is good news. The summer seasonal beers are now here. First up, from Mill St is their summer seasonal sampler mix pack.   Inside this year's pack, you get: Palomar Ale, 100th Meridian Organic Amber Lager, Belgian Cherry IPA, Belgian Wit, Tankhouse Ale, and Organic Lager. I haven't tried the 100th Meridian, Palomar, or the Belgian Cherry, so I'll definitely pick this mix pack up at some point.  Now, onto Beau's. It is time again for Festivale, their summer seasonal. They describe it as: Festivale Altbier • 4.7% alc/vol Festivale is based on a rare German style of ale, know as Alt (German for old, referring to how long this style has been in existence.) It originates from the northern part of the Rhineland, and is something of a cousin be...

    Earlier today, Beau's has posted that voting had begun on selecting which four beers will go into the 'Best of Beau's 2014' Mix Pack. To vote and see the eligible beers, go here: http://www.beaus.ca/vote     My ideal mix pack(s) would be:   "The Seasons of Beau's" Beaver River, Festivale, Night Marzen, Bogwater   "Best of feBREWary" Elmsmere's Regret, Mission Accomplished, Wag the Wolf, Collabbrewnaut   "Moumou's Selection" Bottle Imp, Opa's, Strong Patrick, Hogan's Goat   So be sure to vote if you have a favourite you'd like to see in the pack. If you're unable to get Beau's where you live, vote on one of my three 'fan-made' mix packs I listed above.   Cheers!

What I've been blogging about lately is that the North American publisher has been steadily over a period of time been re-releasing the Wheel of Time series book by book every few months. I just posted the details for book 12 ( The Gathering Storm ). However, the UK publisher (Orbit) has announced that on September 18 all the books are getting re-published with new cover artwork in paperback format. Below, you'll find the cover art for each as well as as the accompanying ISBN. All 14 books are listed in order. 

The first of the last three Wheel of Time books (books 12-14 were completed by Brandon Sanderson) now has a date set in the nice trade paperback format. The info is: ISBN - 10: 0765337835 ISBN - 13: 9780765337832 The release date is March 31, 2015 . So keep that ISBN handy if you have the others in the trade paperback style. For reference (and newcomers), here are all the others books in the same format: http://insurrbution.blogspot.ca/2012/09/new-editions-for-wheel-of-time.html  The next title to get info on is Towers of Midnight .

Recently, I got three 'new' books : The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, and The Fall of Arthur by Tolkien. The last two, it was because I found the physical book too 'small' for a dustjacket, if you know what I mean. I wanted a physical print edition so I decided to hold out for the paperbacks. The books I named aren't 'brand new' but they have been recently published in the format I wanted them, so they're new to me. Anyway, this post is about me recommending some books to you, the blog readers, for your summer reading.

Today is finally the day for me - Breaking Bad Complete Series blu-ray is now out to buy! The blu-rays for each season have been out for a while, but I wanted to get all the episodes in one shot. I'm aware that there was that collector's set, but it was over priced, and as much as I enjoy the series, I only wanted the episodes , nothing else. I'm hoping Amazon will ship it soon!

I am a great fan of books. I of course enjoy reading, but I'm referring to the actual books themselves. However, I do enjoy and appreciate ereaders. For me, as I've mentioned before, they come in handy when a print edition is out of print (or otherwise very hard to find), and I dislike the $10 mass market paperbacks. They are too cheaply made, the font is often smooshed, and often times too thick and wide. Had ereaders existed way back when I was buying the Wheel of Time series, I'd most likely had gotten them as ebooks, as they are many and they are large. This brings me to Brandon Sanderson. Brandon Sanderson is an author whom I greatly admire in both reading and writing standpoints. The others being George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, Stephen King, and a few others (Neil Gaiman, J.R.R. Tolkien, Bernard Cornwell, Ken Follett, J.K. Rowling, Daniel abraham, Chalres Dickens, Alexandre Dumas....) Brandon has a great interaction with his fans in reg...

Today I got a notification that Netflix (Canada) has uploaded more episodes (season 2) of Homeland . I'm watching House of Cards season 1 at the moment, then will watch Hell on Wheels season 2 before returning to Homeland . During the summer, I will also watch Vikings . Seems like I watch a lot of TV, but it's all spread out throughout the year.

Well, it looks like Marvel isn't finished yet with Stephen King's Dark Tower series. The project started out as kind of a prequel comic series, then Marvel re-told the first book in the series, The Gunslinger , in graphic novel format, while adding in a few things here and there.  Next up, it looks like they're adapting the next book in the Dark Tower, which is The Drawing of the Three .  EW posted this next little bit, so I'll share their links: For some art: http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/04/25/dark-tower-drawing-three-marvel-prisoner-art/ For some behind the scenes stuff: http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/04/27/dark-tower-drawing-of-the-three-comic/ I collect this series in trade collections, in paperback format rather than hardback so I will have a little bit of waiting to do. Here's hoping Marvel will re-tell the entire story in graphic novel format. The books in the series: The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger   The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Thre...