OMG! OMG! OMG!

I really wish I subscribed to HBO Canada right now.

On Sunday night, a series premieres, and I MUST. WATCH. IT. Game of Thrones is based on the first novel of A Song of Ice and Fire.

I listened to the first four novels in the series last summer while drinking wine and knitting on the cement pad. I picked them because each novel was at least 36 hours long (I have no idea what that means in pages). That was my only criteria.

Iwas captivated about 15 minutes in and I spent every spare moment listening for the next month.

Some of the characters on the good side are horrible. Some of the villains are so noble and kind they should be playing for the other team. People get hurt, people get killed. Heroines are so whiny and infuriating that you want to smack them upside the head. Gross, violent disgusting things happen. Some amazingly sweet and tender moments are sprinkled in the saga as well.

I soaked every word up. I dreamed about the books. I had trouble concentrating on things like... walking, because I was listening so intently. I forgot to eat. I fell asleep listening to them late at night. I was pissed off when I discovered that three more books are to follow, and the publication of the fifth has been delayed by several years (it's being published for sure this coming July. If Facebook says so, it must be true).

So... I will figure out a way to watch this, and must find a new knitting project to accompany it. Something ambitious, but not too complicated. Hmmm... should probably be lace.

Now that Stargate is over (for now)

OK, I've worked my way through the ten seasons of Stargate SG1, two of the three movies and the five seasons of Stargate Atlantis. I stopped by the downtown HMV to pick up the first season of Stargate Universe. I left it there because it was $49.99. That exceeds my threshold of what I will pay for DVDs. So, that will wait. Or, I will get it on Ebay for hopefully much less.

So, I'm getting back to audio books. A while ago, I asked my dear beloved peeps at LSG to suggest epic science fiction/fantasy novels. You know, the kind that create whole new worlds, span multiple volumes, take over your dreams and leave you gasping for more. Things like The Sword of Truth or Song of Ice and Fire. You see, I had gotten the first three volumes of The Belgariad from the library, but the final two volumes were unavailable. I was forced to turn to Audible, and thought I should get some suggestions for my next selections from people I trust.

LSG delivered. Holy smokes, I was blown away by the number of responses and how movingly they wrote about the books. I compiled them into a spreadsheet, with the number of as marking how often that particular author/book/series was mentioned.

If I do a search on for epic fantasy, I get 490 results. It's remarkable how many match the recommendations I got.

I'm thinking Wheel of Time next. Or perhaps The Lies of Locke Lamora. Whatever it is, it will be many, many hours spent with headphones in and hands knitting.

Worse than my addiction to books

My obsession with all things Stargate continues. Sadly so much so that I've been short on sleep all week and race home after work to watch teevee. I'm watching the season one finale of Stargate: Atlantis right now.

I'm amused by this spin-off series, mostly because of these ships:

(image ganked from this video game website)

These ships are integral to the plot because they hold several people, can travel long distances, blah, blah, blah. But, there is no bathroom. How is that possible?

In conclusion, I haven't quite suspended all reality, but I sure am enjoying pretending.