My New York Trip Day #1: Travelling

DSCN1937[1]So Sunday was officially the start of my New York trip.  I left in the late afternoon for Edmonton International Airport and then caught my overnight flight to Toronto (pictured above).  The trip was exhausting because I was in the middle seat and thus couldn’t sleep because my head lolls to the side automatically.  I must admit I was also a little too excited to sleep properly.

That was all I did on Sunday!  My Monday update will be a little more exciting.

Lazy Sundays: The Gift (Game of Thrones Episode 5.07)

I actually missed Sunday because I was busy travelling but I’m backdating this post to make sure it actually sort of makes sense.  Because I just can’t go a week without a proper Game of Thrones recap.

1.  Jon is off to go and negotiate with the Free Folk over at Hardhome and as Ser Alliser points out, Sam is quickly losing friends.

2.  On that note, awesome Sam!  He’s finally realized that he loves Gilly enough to conquer his natural cowardice for her.  Had Ghost not stepped in I have no doubt he would have charged those two guys again.

3.  I thought the change from the books regarding Aemon’s death was interesting.  I wonder how they’re going to get Sam and Gilly on a boat to the Citadel so Sam can be a maester?

4.  Hmm…Sansa picked up what looked like a corkscrew when Ramsay was tormenting her.  Now that Theon’s no longer a viable option for her, I wonder what she will be driven to do?  The episode 8 trailer seems to hint at what she wants to do.

5.  Good on Stannis for refusing to sacrifice Shireen.  It shows that no matter how taken he is with Melisandre, he clearly loves his daughter more.

6.  I honestly thought Bronn was going to die and the whole poison-antidote scene with Tyene seemed a little dumb to me.  Sure, that’s her personality but it felt almost as contrived as that whole fight scene last episode.

7.  Wow, the Jorah and Tyrion timelines are really going fast.  Neither of them has really suffered under slavery the way they do in the books.  Bam!  They’re sold as slaves.  Bam!  They’re meeting Daenerys.  Things are going to get ineresting very quickly here.

8.  On that hand, as a purely physical attraction I admire Daenerys’ taste in men.  But when you actually examine Daario as a person there are a LOT of red flags.  Girl, you need to stop listening to him!

9.  Poor Tommen.  He really seems to want to help Margarey but at the same time he doesn’t have the leadership experience to make a complicated political maneuver in order to appease the Faith Militant without losing face.

10.  Ha!  Cersei finally got caught in her own trap.  Things are going to get very, very interesting from here.

11.  Lady Olenna may be the Queen of Thorns but she doesn’t seem to understand true religious fanatics very well.  They don’t care what you do to them!  They’ve got their god/gods on their side!  And the High Sparrow is utterly devoted to his belief that every sinner is equal.

12.  Hmm…I wonder what Littlefinger is up to now.  I don’t think even he can put a leash back on the rabid dog that is the Faith Militant now, no matter what he seems to promise Lady Olenna.

So what did you guys think of this episode?

I Get Drained by Social Interactions

The other night I had to go to a big social event in town where I was expected to give a little speech.  That’s not really a big deal for me anymore.  It was only in front of a couple hundred people and it’s not like I haven’t been on stage before because of my past dance performances.  Really, that’s not what exhausts me or stresses me out.

What does utterly exhaust me is social interaction.  When I’m with a few close friends I get energized but put me out into the public and expect me to talk to random people?  It’s exhausting, especially when you’re at an event where a lot of people are focusing on you in particular.  And want to talk to you in particular.  (Which is definitely different from group dance performances like I took part in.)

Really, it feels like you’re being put on parade and it just utterly drains me emotionally, physically and mentally.  After about 5 or so hours I just get utterly exhausted and have to push through to the end.  The event can be enjoyable or not, it doesn’t really make a difference, but what always stays the same is the exhaustion.  I can be having the time of my life and just go, “I really think I need a break”.  Or I can be totally miserable and say the same thing.

Does anyone else here have this problem?  I don’t really get anxious about social interaction because I can go through all of the necessary forms just fine but it does exhaust me.

Discussion: Connecting With Other Bloggers

One of the things that’s just part of being a blogger is (of course) connecting with other bloggers.  I find that the most common way I connect with my fellow bloggers has been through leaving comments on other blogs or responding to the awesome comments here on my blog.  I’m not a big user of social media but I have connected with a couple people on Twitter who then started following The Mad Reviewer.

Since I’m not exactly a social media guru I suspect that my methods of connecting with fellow bloggers are not representative by any means.  So what I want to know is this: How do you, as a blogger, connect with your colleagues?  Looking back on some of the blogger friendships/partnerships you’ve developed, how did they start?  And, more importantly, how do you maintain them?

I’m busy working all Saturday (ah, the joys of living in a tourist town) so I won’t be able to respond to your comments much but I will try to get to them before I board my flight on Sunday.

Packing for Book Expo America

BEA 002 Contrary to what the media would have you believe, when packing for Book Expo America clothes were definitely not my #1 priority.  Instead, I focused on saving space for books!  I’m not expecting all that many books, but you never know.  I also spent plenty of time figuring out how to fit all of my electronics in my carry on bag, which was actually quite successful once I cleaned out my purse in case any contraband like nail clippers sank to the bottom. So packing wasn’t all that hard in general but poor Tyrion really wasn’t used to all the chaos in the house.  He alternated between squeaking/meowing indignantly and rubbing up against me, purring.  He doesn’t know that I’m leaving yet but he can sense that something is about to change and he’s not happy at all. What are you guys up to lately?  If you’re American, what are you planning to do in this upcoming Memorial Day long weekend?