Game of Thrones binge re-watch 2014

I've been binge re-watching the entire 3 seasons of Game of Thrones to prepare myself for the new season, starting next Sunday night.

It's been enlightening, due to the fact that I did not read the books and typically have trouble remembering narrative. The second watch is so much better than I expected! I am putting things together that I never understood before and even though I know what happens at the culmination of the last season - it doesn't feel like a spoiler alert.

Currently, I am on Season 3 episode 5... and the Khalessi is undoubtable the true Queen of the Realm, and not one of the Kings or Queens even knows that she is a threat. There she is with her Dragons... and legions of warriors - all fighting as free men for her. How could she lose - it is right for her to claim the Iron Throne.

I'm afraid to know what happens in Season 4 because I've heard that the author is merciless.

It's been looking like Winterfell around here lately. I don't want to complain but we have had a hellish winter here in the Northeast and now that it seems as if the cold and snow have lifted, what we are left with is gloom and rain. It's enough to put my house up for sale and move somewhere with endless sunshine.

It is providing an opportunity to stay in doors and take advantage of the binge watch though. Adding to that my love of cooking - results in a house filled with comfort food, wine, and entertainment.

It would be nice to have a fireplace in the kitchen - roaring and giving that ambient light that I see in the Casterly Rock and Kings Landing.

I have a ton of work to get done before the end of the day today for a Product Development presentation tomorrow afternoon. It will include new designs, updates of current designs and use up of old inventory programs.

I seriously to pull out the guitar today for inspiration. I've got two weeks before a mini vacation to Mexico and I have a bunch of work that needs to be done before that date comes.

I want to live in a world full of Love

I actually don't know how all this works. One minute I'm commenting on Linked In and the next it's linked to my blog...

Always mean what you say - is one of my mantras. That and - try not to insult people, even when they piss you off. Let's just say that I'm not perfect.

Here are some things I've been wondering. Why are people so angry? Does the "T" in Tea Party really mean "troll"? No matter where you go in social media there is this mean-spirited, disrespectful, dispassionate, (dare I say bullying) tone out there that doesn't seem to be letting up.

What is it?! What do these people want anyway? We're confronting a world that is increasingly dangerous, with extreme weather putting large populations of the world at risk on a fairly regular and consistent basis.

Does anyone ever wonder how the people of Syria can kill each other? Extremists. Intolerance. The inability to choose to work together even if if means not always getting your way.

We've got to start teaching each other and our children to love and tolerate each other because we're on that path and it's fed by the trolls. It's disgraceful.

The people in Arizona who tried to pass that law in the guise of "religious freedom" - if they were truly Christian they would know that they are the ones going to hell for all of the hate they spread. Jesus was a beautiful, loving and tolerant man. What ever happened to treating your neighbor they way you would want to be treated?

I'm tired of listening to the Fox News idiots day after day - spreading propaganda about how everything thats wrong is Obama's fault. John McCain is such a disappointment - even he has the nerve to insult my intelligence on a regular basis.

How did this all happen? Is this where all the supremacists went? It's f-ing ridiculous and I am so sick of it. These people should be fired. They are wasting our time and our money. Can't we sue them somehow - for breach of contract. They are doing the opposite of what they should be doing and they are living on our hard earned dollars.

What does Sarah Palin do anyway? Who pays her to spew that BS she calls information. She is despicable.

Mean what you say... try not to insult people. But she is so hateful - evil! and I mean that. She and her cohorts are ruining this country and making it hostile and dangerous. They are teaching our children to hate and to be bullies. They are riling up the mentally unstable and creating a culture of trolls.

Is that the kind of world we want to live in?

My own private Idaho

The ideas don't come to me on demand. Most of my genius comes to me when I'm sitting in the hot tub looking at the stars. It's amazing how many I have then! I tell myself that I have to write them down later and then I inevitably fall asleep.

So I sit here in front of my keyboard completely confounded as to how I could forget such brilliance.

Frustrating.

I picked up my guitar yesterday for the first time in two weeks. My fingers hurt because the calluses wore down and the playing sucked because my nails grew a bit too long - but it felt great just as well and I played the songs I knew best - so I could practice... Pink Floyd's "Wish you were here" and The Decemberist's "Why we Fight".

I like to sing too, and it helps me get into it emotionally... pretty sure it wouldn't be entertaining to anyone else but me, but that's totally not the point.

When I'm playing I lose myself in a sense, or maybe it's the opposite - I lose a sense of the world around me. It's such a gift to be able to entertain yourself that way. Feeling that rhythm and being able to express the emotion in the song by controlling the pressure you place on the strings, intensifying the volume and tension.

I know little about how to read music - and don't, I just feel my way through it, learn the chords to favorite songs and just play.

I'm my own rock star. I don't need anyone to validate that for me.

Superhero warriors fighting against status quo dragons

I read "Creativity takes Courage" post a few days ago in Linked in by Randy Neuemeier from Liquid Agency and just had to comment. I've said before and I'm sure you've heard it told that this business is not easy. Having been in it for over 25 years (yikes!) I've experienced a lot. Never worked for an agency - never wanted to - instead, always as the in-house creative and most often as the lone or head creative in small to mid-size companies. The commonality of all of these was the constant battle of fighting against the status quo of safe design solutions. I lost most times because the non-creatives were afraid - they didn't want to take risks and be innovative, they wanted the sure thing... which of course led to a sea of sameness, boredom.

Part of it was money, how much it costs to create something innovative versus using stock bottles, the cost of using hot stamp vs PMS 877, it's incredible how every change you make is looked at in terms of pennies per piece and how that affects the margin.

And even if you had the most innovative design you still need the marketing behind it, then the sales - and the capital investment to make that initial launch successful - easier to just do what the guy next door does and just hope the Sales team can make it sound unique and different.

Companies for a long time have been fearing for their lives and instead of looking to those who think creatively, they are looking those who study money. Or, they get sold by big agencies who are really great at selling themselves - but often seem to have a lack of interest or care with what happens once the design gets approved (and they get paid). And why should they really?

My company was built on the idea that it takes a bit of a superhero spirit to make a difference in this world. I fight for the "little" guy who can't necessarily afford big agencies, or are just tired of them... the smaller companies that have great ideas that they need to get off the ground, need quality design and a real person that can get them to the next level - branding, design and product development. Probably sounds silly, but sarinablackheart keeps my warrior spirit strong.

Maybe one day the planets will align and I'll figure out what that one product is that everyone wants to have, design it. produce it and make a ton of money so I can live on a beach in the warm sun - and sip cool lemonade ... forever -

okay, so maybe I'm a bit of a dreamer too.