Game of Thrones: Shirtless (NSFW)

Game of Thrones.  Epic.  10+ years in the making.  My dream series coming to fruition in all it's beauty, brutality, and just good storytelling glory.  Ok then why am I just turning into one of those annoying teenage swoony girls?

Usually when boobs fill the screen, I yawn thinking:  Oh yes, this boy stuff again.  What does it say about me that boy chests are now all I want to see?  Is it wrong for me to enjoy the equal opportunity of it all?  We got 2 homosexual scenes:  1 female, 1 male.  Both... in mass auditory.  And lots of frontal nudity from both genders.  But the sexy parts were the boys.

The boys of the north:  Robb, Jon, Theon

There are two very interesting things that happened to me that I think are worthy to note.  The first.  I am suddenly a hell of a lot more sympathetic to Theon.   Not because of his chest, which. let's face it, is beautiful.  But because of the way Alfie Allen acts the character.  Sympathetic, a boy really, lost but wanting to please.   But this doesn't hurt:

Theon and Roz

Second:  The perception and actions of individuals are so far removed from the actuality of it.  ACTIONS of course are more important than anything else.  Theon's actions signify something sketchy, subversive and mean.  His treatment of Osha and Roz are paramount in this perception.  Yes he humbly swears fealty to Robb and you have to dwaddle a moment and think:  "he's not all bad." 

But more worrisome is my penchant for loving characters on their perceived actions rather than their actions.  This is of course the power of tv and movies.  Books, it is stark (no pun intended).  It is infront of you, facing you, you can't turn away from it.  And on screen it's something different.  Nuances and eye shifting and facial expressions that say more than the words themselves.  The depth this adds to each character is amazing.

As well as the visuality of each of them.

Who are your favorites?  Do you have any you feel differently about now seeing them on the screen?

Traveling in the SubContinent

Ok, not really.  That's reserved  for india.  But I'll be traveling for a few weeks south of india.  So maybe south of the sub?  Sub south?  Sub sub?   Provided that the world does not end tonight I have a large stack of fun books to get through.  I intend to read them all.  I assume I'll only get through 1 or 2.  Here they are in no particular order.  Votes and recs welcome:

Kushiels's Dart.  I heard this book was very...interesting.  I say: perfect!  I will report my findings.





  The Beautiful and the Damned.  In the interest of full disclosure, I do love Fitzgerald but never would have thought of reading this until I watched the season finale of gossip girl.  That's right.  I just said that.

The Swan Thieves.  This one isn't getting great reviews but I love Kostova's writing.  I wish her words could be brought out to me on a plate so I could scarf it all down.  Without calories of course.

  The Paris Wife.  This could be great or god awful.  I'm willing to take a chance.  Crappy books are so much less annoying while staring at an ocean and sitting in the sun.  I'm not trying to rub it in, I'm just stating fact.

  Wise Man's Fear.  I've been waiting 3 years for this to come out and have completely forgotten all of book 1.  I remember soemthing about a boy who lives on the street.  Then goes to school and becomes a really good musician.  Really, that's all I remember.  This isn't a comment on Rothfuss but rather my memory.  Hopefully I can pick this up without rereading book 1 because that was a really big book.

Miffed at bad taste

So this dude I know was like, "I'm not really impressed with Game of Thrones" and I think if I had something hot or sharp I would have pushed it into his skin.  I literally had to stop myself from commenting on just how idiotic a comment that was.  I can understand someone not liking the content, or not liking the style, or the actors.  But no impressed with the show?  Seriously what the fuck is wrong with you.  I shut that conversation down so fast in the hopes that I wouldn't go physically violent on his ass.  I forget exactly what I said but it was short and probably mean.   He replied, "maybe I should watch it again."  Yeah dude, you fucking go do that.  Now.  And come back with the right answer.

Winter is coming does a great recap of tweets from the eps.  But I'm going to be listing my favorite as well:

From Episode 1.5 (Wolf and Lion):

@HarmoniumGuard: Fact: Tonight’s tag is #wolfandlion. Also the name of Barristan Selmy’s fists.
@CarLNJF: I hope to work the phrase “Go find the breastplate stretcher” into conversation tomorrow at work. #GameOfThrones
@DeusExCinema: Man that’s some poncey armour. #GameofThrones
@silkskinned: I didn’t catch on that Renly was probably banging the Knight of Flowers until about book 3. His first appearance? 30 seconds. #gameofthrones
@Paco_ICEandFIRE: WHATTTTTTT?! MY LITTLE PONYS HEAD!!! #GAMEOFTHRONES #WOLFANDLION
@lag28wa: Somehow ‘sore loser’ doesn’t seem to cover it #GameofThrones
@silkskinned: I want a dragon skull to use as an armchair. Arya is pimping, yo. #gameofthrones

I love the second by second tweets of the last scene:
@jennnmarshall: OoOoOh Kingslayer, I yield! #gameofthrones
@textualdeviance: Holy FUCK. #GameofThrones
@bockanalia: Omg. My eye! My eye! #GameofThrones
@elena__ghaha: #gameofthrones ned can fight!
 @TheBWCF: OOOO WHAT A DICK MOVE #GameofThrones
 @lucchaser: Noooo Boromir!!! Not again #GameOfThrones #HBO

Game of Thrones Tweets

There is something disarming about reading tweets on Game of Thrones with current slang, fresh eyes, and insight on personalities all rolled into less than 180 characters.   I had to put down some of my favorites:

@JulieDiCaro: My cat is named Circe. Now that makes me sad
@murraynmitch: All I know is, if you have blond hair, you are evil, just like World War 2.
@ericgrau: Dear Joffrey and Sansa, I hate both of you. Sincerely, Eric.
@CateDubMajor: Jaime’s a bitch
@faboamanto: Missing! One large white direwolf, answers to name of Ghost! If found, contact #lordsnow
@silkskinned: Tyrion’s attitude towards White Walkers is essentially “pics or it didn’t happen”.
@stephlmanson: I’ve seen some whacked out spellings of #GameOfThrones names: Callisi, Sanza, Tyria, Robert Barageron, Danerus…pretty entertaining though
@tribalmeg: Theon Greyjoy, always a douchebag.
@ericbuscher: I love Tyrian. He will be a dick to anyone. Even a six year old
@cookie_bean These Night’s Watchmen are a seriously homely bunch… bring on the horde!
OliviaRoy: shut up Viserys, you’re worse than Sansa
@hutch_jessica: I guess dragons are going to be important because they keep talking about them.
@allflicker: I’d better see some goddamn dragons by season’s end
@silkskinned: Sansa, take a xanax and get over yourself.
@ReallyAlly: Jaime, you are an asshole. Get in my bed.
@Soulrific: Lawd, please don’t let Jon Snow be gay.
@tribalmeg: Gregor Clegane, one of the many batshit people inhabiting King’s Landing.

Annals of Sunday Afternoons: Reading and Cooking

I love Sunday afternoons, particularly lazy ones that are sunny.  It's also a little sad as as the sun sets because I immediately begin to realize  that my next few hours will lead me to a sleep which requires me to get out of bed the next morning and get back to work. 

Sunny afternoon, with my Kindle...

On the occasions where I can afford some down time on sundays without leaving the house I am usually wrapped up in cooking a meal I've never made before and playing video games or reading.  There is nothing quite like the pleasure of relaxing with a book while the sun pours over me.  It just makes me happy.





Sundays also afford time to think about what to eat and buy for the week.  This morning I had a hankering for comfort food and that usually means I'm in the mood for some type of pasta or potato dish.  Inspired by a recipe that Rachel Ray once made on her show I went to the store, bought some ingredients, and started to cook it without once looking at any type of recipe.  I have to say, after eating it, I did a damn fine job.  In fact, without sounding too egotistical, it was some of the best lasagna I've ever eaten.  I kind of made it up as I went along but I thought I would share.  Please note that the measurements are not at all exact.

AJ's Lazy Eggplant Lasagna

1 onion
2 large cloves of garlic
1 medium eggplant
1 tsp Fresh Oregeno
1/2 tsp Thyme
2-3 tomatos
1.5 TBS tomato paste
Lasagna pasta thingys
Ricotta cheese
Bechemel Sauce
Parm Cheese
Veggie Broth and/or water
S&P

1. Use a big pot.  Oil it.  Cut up Onion, toss in, let it get soft, few minutes.  Toss in minced garlic.  Let get fragrant.  Slice and cube up Eggplant.  And in. Let the eggplant cook a few minutes till the outsides start to get a little brown and soft.  Add about 1/2 tsp thyme and 1 tsp fresh oregeno.  Add a pinch of salt to pull out moisture in onions 
• At this point boil some water in another pot
2. As the onions and garlic and eggplant start to cook and get slightly browned to the pan add a touch (1/4 cup or less) of veggie stock or water (I make my own veggie stock but any store bought should work fine). Adding water will deglaze your pot, but you don't want too much because you don't want your sauce runny. Turn heat down from high medium to medium.
3. Add the tomatoes...the water from the tomatoes will cook out so make sure this is done before adding next step liquid
4. Add about 1/2 cup water and some tomato paste.   Cover your pot and let the flavors combine.  Add 1/2 tsp kosher salt.  Continue covered  until your eggplant is nice and tender -- basically test until you get the consistency of the eggplant you want to be eating in your lasagna.
5. Meanwhile, get your lasagna pasta thingys and break them up with your hands so they are about 1/2 inch - size is irrelevant, they can be all different sizes.  Dump into boiling water, cook until almost done.
6. By now your eggplant sauce should be done.  Just check to make sure the sauce isn't too thin - it should resemble a red sauce that isn't as thick as a marinara but should be a lot more composed than water.  Maybe a little thinner than a curry sauce if that makes sense.  
7. Drain pasta and add to the eggplant pot.  you can add a little starch water too if your sauce is too thick.
8. Now plop the entire pot into a casserole dish!
9. Top with Ricotta dollops (i literally just scooped them out and put pats all over the top of the dish.  I also added some thyme and oregeno to the ricotta and mixed it up but that is completely optional.)
10. Pour Bechemel sauce over the dish
11. Sprinkle with parmesean and put in 425 degree oven until top gets a little brown.  Then enjoy!

See how 3 pieces are gone?  That was all me.

AJ's Bechemel Sauce

I love behcemel so I make it all the time.  here is my failproof/easy method:

 Make a rue.  ALWAYS use equal parts flour and butter.  For this particular recipe use:

• 3 Tablespoons Butter melt in pan
• Add 3 Tablespoons Flour.  Whisk and let cook until you smell a nutty smell (not flour smell)
• Add 1.5 cups milk, whisking in slowly.  Let thicken.  Add 1/4-1/2 cup milk.  Let thicken
• Add 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper, pinch of nutmeg
• DONE!  Pour over your dish.

Butter Beans Redeux

I had originally posted a Butter Bean recipe of mine here

However, i made them again last night and I didn't have sage so instead I added butter and thyme.  It was heavy.  In a flash of inspiration I added some lemon zest.  This was by far the best thing I've ever done!  Bright, fresh, light tasting butter beans.  Try it, well worth it.

what my Bioware romances say about me

Warning:  Minor character (no plot) spoiler info for the following games:  Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, Jade Empire, Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age 2.

At Pax Last weekend I was sitting at a table with a few of my favorite gaming friends which were a mix of people I've known in real life for 15+ years and people I've met only a few times in real life but have known for awhile online.  The conversation turned to online gaming friends.  I'm a huge proponent of online gamer friends actually being more solid than some of my real life relationships because the behavior and the way you treat someone when you are anonymous says a lot more about you than when you are burdened by face to face and social network consequences.  This conversation got me to thinking about how I explore some of my character's motives and romances, a topic that bioware specializes in.  And when I started to really think through it I was suprised at what I walked away with figuring out.  Let's run down the line, shall we?

Jade Empire was really my first foray into bioware's formula of games and frankly I had no idea that you could romance anyone.  I was a little shocked at what people would say to me.  My inclination was to ignore it -  clearly a sign of my late bloomer status and my ongoing obliviousness of romantic interest. I felt a little let down after the game was over that I didn't have a "tent" visit before the big battle.  I guess lack of any encouragement, even before you might all die, makes for no love.

My options as I progressed became a little more telling.  Liara T'Soni was definitely the most interesting of characters on the Normandy.  Not only was she an Asari but she was blue.  And I love blue.  In addition she was a scientist, had deep emotional wells of insight and loved to self analyze and do psychological digging on Shepard.  She wasn't amazingly sexy, she had a face that was very androgynous (especially when compared to other Asari in the game) but to me  no one else really held a candle to what Liara could provide:  mysterious, exotic, intelligent....there was really no other choice.

My medivil times were a bit more strenuous in the ways of love.  While I was attracted to multiple characters, I really felt they all talked a lot - too much.  I didn't listen to what they were saying, I gave them gifts that they sort of hated, and I generally did just about everything wrong you could possibly do to woo a person.  This really set me back as I started to wonder...is it me?  Why doesn't anyone like me??  Even the easy bisexual elf wasn't that into me.  Really, what was it?   Does magic give off some stench?  It didn't help that I really thought Alistair was a cry baby warrior until I learned that he was in line for the throne (check AJ headcase moment there).  Yeah, that turned me around right quick.  However by the time I learned that it was too late.  Just when I thought I was getting somewhere I brought him to a bar with me, got a little bit drunk and ended up having a threesome with the elf and Isabella.  Whoops!  That really did happen by the way.  It was horrible.  One minute I'm flirting with the duelist, the next minute we are going to the room (no cancel out there) and then Alistair is commenting on my rather open libido.  Oh well.  The end for Alistair and me was surprisingly nice, even though I did force him to father a demon baby.  But I also saved his life so tit for tat in my opinion.

Over across the ocean in Kirkwall my options were about 100% better.  The characters were more fleshed out and my character actually spoke to them (instead of being a dumb mute in DA: Origins) which provided a much richer relationship bonding experience.  I really wavered between Fenris and Sebastian.  I gravitated toward Sebastian as an exiled prince but he was also really into his vow of celibacy and that was rather a turn off.  Fenris was exciting and difficult from the start.  Tattooed with Lyrium which always caused him pain, a former elven slave with a dark past, and the fact that he and I never saw eye to eye (his hatred of mages borders on extreme fanatic) which led to us arguing all the time...well this was clearly the only choice for me.  So here is what happened: things were going along at a pace akin to a meltdown and then all of sudden he has feelings for me.  Then we sleep together and he just leaves..leaves!  Doesn't want to talk about it...for THREE years!  Then his mage master shows up and we confront him and I will admit, I felt spurned, so I just told the master to just "take him."  That didn't really go over too well with Fenris.  On a mechanical game side it did achieve me 30 rivalry points with Fenris thereby getting me 25 achievement points for locking in a "Rivalry" companion.  And btw, what I have read on DA2's  "rival romances" - it seems to be the way to go.  I'm still not done with this game so I'll provide an update on how it all ends for the two of us another time.

And this of course leads to what I think my most endearing of all romances would have to be - albeit still with many faults:  Thane.  The assassin who can relive any experience at will...who is dying.  Who has lost his wife, and his son hates him.  No baggage there!  He has limited time (no committment really at all) but has a lot of solitary need.  He has pet names for Shepard ('Siha'), and he is incredibly sweet and kind.  But he is also self depreciating and one wrong word to him and he will walk away from the relationship likkity split.    This of course is only possible as Liara has become so emotionally tied up in her own vengeance that she barely has time to spend with you, so what is a girl to do?  Upon finding out about Thane, Liara says some very nasty things including, "I'm not the one chasing the ghost of a dying man's wife!"  I mean, seriously harsh.  More on this triangle when ME3 comes out.

What a roadmap!  Bioware, providing gaming experiences and therapy all at once.