I'm going slightly mad ... oh dear

Today did not start well.  I had to get in early for an online training course this morning, and the traffic was absolutely horrendous.  Then when I tried to login to the training, it didn’t recognize my e-mail address.  So after multiple failed attempts I called up the helpline, and they told me that the training I had signed up for was actually being held tomorrow.  And I check my calendar, and yes there it is tomorrow.  Embarrassed?  Totally.  Early indicators of Alzheimer’s?  Apparently so.  Excuse me whilst I crawl into a hole and die.

More GoT S8E3 (LOTS OF SPOILERS)

I’ve been reading quite a lot of reactions to yesterday’s Game of Thrones episode, and I’m glad I wasn’t alone in my slightly negative reaction.  Upon further reflection, some thoughts (and MASSIVE SPOILERS alert):

-        First thought, I need a 4K TV so that I can actually see what the hell was happening.  The episode was so visually dark that I had to actually turn off all my kitchen and living room lights to watch the episode, and even then couldn’t make out everything.

-        Jeez, the Dothraki got wiped out in like the first 5 minutes.  And the Unsullied didn’t fair much better.  Thanks for coming to Westeros – goodbye!  The Dothraki deaths was actually very well done in the way their flaming swords just gradually petered out in the distance.

-        The dragon flying and fight was the most confusing – had no idea what was going on there for most of the time.  Dragonfire didn’t seem to destroy the Night King, but it sure seemed to take out loads of the zombies – so the dragons could have saved thousands of lives if they were actually used correctly

-        Melisandre’s late appearance, crucial role, and abrupt end, just seemed very bizarre and very convenient

-        I got most of the character death predictions correct, but some are inexplicably still alive – Brianne, Tormund (?), Greyworm (???), Ghost (??????)

-        What in god’s name was Bran doing during the battle?  He is batsh*t weird (and hence one of the most interesting characters)

-        Cleganebowl is still on!

-        For someone who could resurrect anyone who had died, the Night King’s death was surprisingly quick and easy.  Disappointing – we never really got a handle on his motivations and story

-        Lyanna Mormont had a classic if cheesy death – taking out the zombie giant as she was crushed to death.

-        But bit disappointing there was only one zombie giant, and nothing else really extraordinary like a giant spider or something.  The zombie hoards were more like those you saw in the film World War Z.

-        Also, how in the hell did all the useless people in the crypt survive when the Night King brought all the dead back to life?  Come on now.

-        Only 3 episodes left – and with the undead threat abruptly gone, that is a decent amount of time to wrap up the loose ends (Cersei vs Jamie/Tyrion, The Hound vs The Mountain, Sansa vs Dani, Euron vs Yara)

-        Some tweets I enjoyed:

GoT S8E3

I'm writing this having just finished watching the Battle of Winterfell, and not having read any online recaps or reviews yet.  I'm trying to decide what to make of this episode - dark, chaotic, confusing, and epic.  It was by no means perfect - I had lots of issues with many aspects of the battle and of the episode itself - so I think I need to dwell on it a bit before committing to my final impression - but my gut feeling is one of mild disappointment (but I'm still going to buy the complete Game of Thrones box set when it comes out after the last episode).   

Crane Collapse

I don't know whether this news reached the UK, but a construction crane collapsed in Seattle killing 4 people today.  The frightening thing is that it happened close to where I work - and I probably pass under the vicinity of where the crane fell 2 to 3 times a week on lunchtime walks.  With the amount of construction going on in Seattle - particularly in the neighborhoods close to where I work - it was sadly inevitable that a tragic accident would happen sooner or later.  Seattle has had the most cranes in its skyline of any American city for about the last 3 or 4 years.  And today, we definitely had some strong gusts of wind that might have caused the incident.  I already have lots of issues with all the construction, from the increased traffic and road closures to the big construction vehicles damaging the roads and creating massive potholes.  The Monday morning traffic will be even more hellish than normal if the roads stay closed where the crane fell. 

Whatever

It's late Friday night and I'm too tired to come up with a blog entry now.  Another long week at work - I need a holiday.

Bond 25

I'm okay with Rami Malek as the villain, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a co-writer.  It was a decidedly underwhelming press conference, we don't even have a title for the film yet (if it isn't Shatterhand).  A lot of delays to this film, I hope the wait is worth it for Daniel Craig's denouement.  Then the speculation can really begin on who the next Bond will be - this is not necessarily my choice, but my money is on John Boyega.  I think they will go for a change in color rather than a change in gender, and Idris Elba is too old.  We shall see - I think it would be interesting if they could incorporate the transition of a new Bond into this next film, we haven't had any continuity between Bonds before.

Trailers

It's been a while since I've been to the cinema, but I've been checking out some trailers recently that make me want to go watch these films on the big screen: Avengers: End Game, John Wick 3 and Hobbs & Shaw.  They may be dumb action films, but they look fun, I bet they look great on a big screen, and I bet enjoyable to watch with other people.  Sadly now that I have a manager in my office, I can't so easily just sneak off to the cinema on a weekday lunchtime or afternoon.  Challenge accepted, I shall try.