Random Thoughts Showing 15,951-16,000 of 17,689

[happy]

Welcome back!

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Thanks happy. Life has just got so busy. In a good way. But it's nice to have some time for GR.

[May]

Awesome, Margaret!!! So pleased for you! Keep us posted on the publishing!!

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Thanks May. Will do. :)

[Mark]

Welcome back Margaret

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Thanks Mark. :)

[Andy]

Good luck with the authoring!

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Thanks Andy. :)

[Andrew]

Margaret wrote: "Hi guys. Sorry for the radio silence. I've been to New Zealand for a holiday, but I have also been very busy.

I have work being published in two essay anthologies due out later this year. I have a..."

Welcome back and good luck, Margaret. Fingers crossed for you!

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Thanks Andrew. :)

[happy]

On a sad note - Notre Dame Cathedral burned down today. I've never been to Paris, but one the first trips after my retirement is going to visit there. Somehow it just won't be the same :(

About all that survived (so far) are the exterior walls and the Bell Towers.

If one can be glad about something, I'm glad it was accidental (preliminary guess) and not arson or an act of terrorism.

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

It looks like they may have saved slightly more than that. Though the biggest loss is the 13th century stained glass windows.

[happy]

Lets hope so

[Marilyn]

Sad day. Sad, sad. I saw it on TV about 11am just as hubby and I had to leave for an appt at the mall. When we got there, no one knew. We will donate, of course, toward rebuilding it. Am ever grateful for the support the US received after 9-11, especially the Queen ordering the playing of the Star Spangled Banner at Buckingham Palace. In times like these we should all stand together.

[happy]

You aren't the only one - the husband of actress Selma Hayek has reportedly pledged $113 million towards the restoration

https://www.foxnews.com/world/salma-h...

[happy]

Margaret wrote: "It looks like they may have saved slightly more than that. Though the biggest loss is the 13th century stained glass windows."

according to one report - they actually survived. A suprising amount of the interior has survived.

[May]

Sad beyond words! We have been twice & grateful that we had the chance to see her in all her splendor! Not likely to be restored in our lifetime...

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

The vaulted ceiling survived. The craftmanship of those medieval masons was amazing.

[happy]

I was listening to a progam talking about the amount of the interior that has survived and that they now need to get some kind of roof/tent over it so the weather doesn't complete the destruction.

I would be really sad if the rains finished the job of the fire :(

[Allison]

happy wrote: "You aren't the only one - the husband of actress Selma Hayek has reportedly pledged $113 million towards the restoration

https://www.foxnews.com/world/salma-h......"

Wow!

[Andrew]

happy wrote: "I was listening to a progam talking about the amount of the interior that has survived and that they now need to get some kind of roof/tent over it so the weather doesn't complete the destruction.
..."

I was wondering about that as well. So sad. Macron is saying five years to rebuild. Let's keep our fingers crossed, but that is very ambitious. So many beautiful cathedrals just don't have enough funding to conduct adequate repairs.

[Jane]

Andrew wrote: "happy wrote: "I was listening to a progam talking about the amount of the interior that has survived and that they now need to get some kind of roof/tent over it so the weather doesn't complete the..."

I don't think they can put a time limit on it.

[Adrian]

Margaret wrote: "Hi guys. Sorry for the radio silence. I've been to New Zealand for a holiday, but I have also been very busy.

I have work being published in two essay anthologies due out later this year. I have a..."

Margaret, welcome to the Dark Side of Goodreads...ie, always having to resist the temptation to refer to your creative output while commenting on a readers' site. Very best of luck with it and feel free to ask if you want to talk to someone who has been through the whole humiliating process with literally hundreds of rejections among the very small number of acceptances.

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Thanks Adrian. I appreciate the offer.

[Andy]

As its ANZAC Day today & a nod to my friends down under I thought to repost this event from last year which has been updated recently & might be of interest relevant to the day as it features an ANZAC soldier.

https://activateperformingarts.org.uk...

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Andy wrote: "As its ANZAC Day today & a nod to my friends down under I thought to repost this event from last year which has been updated recently & might be of interest relevant to the day as it features an AN..."

Thankyou for the acknowledgment of our culturally significant day, mate.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Well, I see everybody is still chatting amongst themselves. Thankyou for that? :-) Nice to know that when I need to step out for a month that I am not needed to keep conversations going around here. :-)

My husband's work ended up giving him another week off work! They wanted staff to catch up on their 'wellbeing days'. (I never knew Mr Terri was entitled to wellbeing days..lol..). With a short week in the middle for Easter, he practically had 5 2weeks off!
Which was the reason for me not getting back on GR as scheduled.
Extra time off with hubby to do stuff away form the computer.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

So, Game of Thrones...

Without giving away spoilers for those who are yet to watch it..
Episode 3. Really didn't need to be that long, I felt. Long scenes of evading zombies, and lots and lots of zombies was a bit exhausting on the brain.

[happy]

I want to know just when they moved Utah to Seattle :) we've had so much rain the last 3 weeks, it hard to find a dry time to mow the lawn. It's getting to look like a hay field :)

[Jane]

Terri wrote: "So, Game of Thrones...

Without giving away spoilers for those who are yet to watch it..
Episode 3. Really didn't need to be that long, I felt. Long scenes of evading zombies, and lots and lots of ..."

Zombies? Arrrgghh! Glad we don't get HBO.

[Marilyn]

happy, So Cal has had a lot of rain this winter, too. The average is 15 inches per year and so far we’ve had 18. Our drought is broken!

[happy]

I sure hope so - the powers that be are talking flooding. We are about due for some major flooding. Our snow pack this year was about 130% or average. If it comes down all at once - it could be disasterios :)

One good thing about the rains is it is keeping the mountains cool so the snow is melting too fast.

Utah has about a 30 - 40 yr flood cycle and that last major floods were in the mid '80s

I was in the Army at the time and I remember coming home for lunch one day and CNN had lifted the previous night news cast from a local station talking about the flooding and turning one of Salt Lake City's main streets into a river - about 10 min worth

[Andy]

Terri wrote: "So, Game of Thrones...

Without giving away spoilers for those who are yet to watch it..
Episode 3. Really didn't need to be that long, I felt. Long scenes of evading zombies, and lots and lots of ..."

All a bit ridiculous at times if I'm honest, very few scenes that I actually was impressed with last night as it seemed to be the same cycle over & over jus with diffo characters & it fair wore me down..... I mean jus how long can you go swinging yer broadsword/battle axe in a fight before exhaustion overwhelms you..... adrenaline will only carry you so far :)

Plus having to watch it in the dark in order to see anything lols

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Oh gad. So true, Andy. It was giving me a tension headache. The same fights on and on, and like you, I was thinking how much bull it was for them to be fighting so hard for so long. I don't care how fit they are. Even a boxer gets muscle lethargy after a few rounds. And he/she isn't swinging a heavy weapon.
Meanwhile, while they should have been tiring, the undead were fighting without lethargy and were coming constantly at them.

All a bit much.

As for the darkness. That was really badly done and I cannot believe the guy who directed it thinks it was okay to purposefully film it like that.
His defense. He is still happy with how dark it was and people should be watching it on their screens like in a cinema; in the dark room with curtains drawn.
Well, we have a tv room that was completely black, and while our tv is not huge (65inch) it is still a good quality Samsung tv. And the episode was too dark for us. So, who is he talking about? People with actual home theatre rooms with massive mega tvs or cinema screens??

I think the director is forgetting that not everybody is rich like he is. Not many of those millions of viewers has the cinema room with super expensive screen to watch it dark.

[Andy]

And don't even get me started on the battle tactics!!! wasting your cavalry, not using your artillery vs an onrushing enemy, zero air support at the start....... sheesh

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Peter Mayhew who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies has passed away aged 74. Too young. :(

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Andy wrote: "And don't even get me started on the battle tactics!!! wasting your cavalry, not using your artillery vs an onrushing enemy, zero air support at the start....... sheesh"

Yeah. Agree on all of this too! (view spoiler)[ I couldn't understand why the dothraki were sent in and under darkness when the dragons should have gone in first! To light the enemy location up and to smoke their advance! Made no flippin' sense. Instead they wait forever to bring the dragon fire and then blast it into battle where friendlies were fighting. (hide spoiler)]

[Adrian]

Have been very disappointed with GoT since the beginning of the last season. It definitely jumped the shark last season and seems to be getting worse as they hurtle towards the conclusion. Feels like the writers are getting tired.

I guessed around season 3 that Samwell Tarly would end up on the iron throne and he's firming every week, with the possible exception that Aria Stark might be pregnant via a bastard son of Robert Baratheon. A compromise candidate?

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Samwell Tarly
(view spoiler)[ I thought I saw Samwell die in that battle?? (hide spoiler)]

EDit: googled it. I guess it was the fog of war. Everythign was so confusing and all over the place. Looks like I saw wrong.

[Adrian]

Obviously, I could easily be wrong about ST but I've long thought the bumbling, harmless oaf with a heart of gold was gradually putting together the chops to qualify as the eventual victor. You'll note he saw fit to remind everyone two eps ago that he was the first to kill a white walker. When his father and brother were killed by Danaerys last season (making Sam Lord Tarly) I just grinned at those who'd called me mad. I am no longer the only one I know who reckons it will be him, but as I said...the writers have recently introduced the possibility of Aria's pregnancy, so it could be her child.

I don't like the chances of too many other characters - all too obvious or too obviously doomed (eg Cersei).

Could Lady Brienne qualify, now she's been knighted?

The other wild card is Bran - what is going on there? We don't know enough to make any guesses about him, but I reckon his fate will be too transcendent to be king.

[Adrian]

Oh, and my guess about Cersei? Either she will cause Jamie's death, or he will cause hers...or both.

[May]

Adrian... that sounds like Romeo & Juliet

[Jane]

Adrian wrote: "Have been very disappointed with GoT since the beginning of the last season. It definitely jumped the shark last season and seems to be getting worse as they hurtle towards the conclusion. Feels li..."

Sounds like this is following the trajectory of other series: Season 1 gets you hooked, then goes more and more downhill. Case in point, Vikings, now possibly this one.

[Adrian]

At least it's nearly over...

[Andy]

Those who enjoy Rugby AND GOT might like this little write-up :D

Spoilers ahead for Episode 3

https://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/ru...

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

The theory I have is that Bran harnesses the power to raise the Undead and that is how they beat Cersei. Not going to happen but I'd make that happen if I was in charge. :-)

[Adrian]

That would make Bran the new winter king. Can't see them doing that with his character...but whatever does happen with him is probably the most interesting character arc resolution. Depending on my Sam Tarly theory...

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Yep, I was thinking the new Winter King and everybody dies. :) I'm hoping for complete mayhem and a monstrous twist in the end.

As long as Cersei dies, I'll be happy. I have wanted that character dead since season one.

[happy]

I didn't realize that May 2 was the 500 anniversary of Da Vinci's death

I found this an interesting speculation on why he never finished the "Mona Lisa"

https://www.foxnews.com/science/leona...

[Adrian]

Terri wrote: "Yep, I was thinking the new Winter King and everybody dies. :) I'm hoping for complete mayhem and a monstrous twist in the end.

As long as Cersei dies, I'll be happy. I have wanted that character ..."

If there was any doubt as to whether Cersei would come to a bad end, it was dispelled with her ruthless evil last night. I reckon her end will make Joffrey's look like a Nitschke Picnic...and will involve some form of betrayal by Jamie.