You're Poison

You're Poison

It has been a very busy Memorial weekend!

My daughter and I attended Phoenix Fan Fusion at the Phoenix Convention Center!  I was amazed at all the exhibitors! I really enjoyed myself wandering around and watching the costumed attendees, trying to guess who (or what!) they were! (I kept asking my daughter...lol!)   Remember...this was my first time! I came home with a few goodies....a "Fire and Blood" shot glass, a "Fire and Blood" t shirt, 2 dragon figurines and a 40th anniversary edition of  the book "Outlander"....which was signed by the author during a meet and greet!  It was truly a wonderful experience!!  Another highlight of the outing? I spent quality time with my daughter...we laughed and explored the convention center together. 

After coming home, the holiday was spent with family, bbq, potato salad and chocolate cake! Yesterday, my daughter and I went to see "Aladdin" and I must say, I enjoyed the movie much more than I thought I would. Will Smith was a perfect genie!!

I felt I had taken a mini-vacation from the everyday humdrum. True I only traveled to Phoenix, but it really was a nice break for me, mentally and physically.  I walked over 2 miles every day and I didn't count one calorie!! 😎

I am still deciding on what I am going to do later this summer about traveling. Perhaps a little stay at a Tucson resort? Still on the fence about several options. 

Cheers! 🍷

Credits:
Tube:  41-1 "A Pact Into The Unknown" by ©Enys Guerrero
Scrap Kit: "Poison" by Mizteeques
Mask: Mask_Viv_0039

Train Your Dragon

Train Your Dragon

Beautiful Daenerys Targaryen tube by Trinita! Just love the detail; she captured Dany perfectly. I paired it with a scrap kit I received as a mother's day gift from Gothic Inspirations, "The Autumn Soul".  I followed a background tutorial by Vivienne's Paintbox as I wanted to learn how to mirror an image within a frame. Once again, I am still learning! Love how this all came together!

I have basically gotten over my Game of Thrones hissy fit. Having read and watched so many reviews, I have to give the producers credit for at least some closure.  I am hoping the books will fill in the missing details from seasons 7 and 8. According to George RR Martin's blog, it appears he is trying to finish "The Winds of Winter" before World Science Fiction Con 2020 in New Zealand.  Here is the excerpt:

As for finishing my book… I fear that New Zealand would distract me entirely too much.   Best leave me here in Westeros for the nonce.   But I tell you this — if I don’t have THE WINDS OF WINTER in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done.   Just so long as the acrid fumes do not screw up my old DOS word processor, I’ll be fine.

I am on my way to Phoenix tomorrow for two days at Phoenix Fan Fusion. So excited to get away and looking forward to checking out all the wonderful fantasy authors and take a peek at a few celebrities who will be attending.  I originally signed up to go when "The Kingslayer" from Game of Thrones was scheduled to appear.  Unfortunately, he cancelled.  😞  However, there are still plenty of other celebrities attending the show!  I am an old Star Trek fan and three original cast members will be in attendance. Check out all the guests here.

When I get back on Sunday it will be time to celebrate the Memorial holiday. Didn't this holiday sneak up on us quickly? Wasn't it just Easter?  Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy some sunny weather without the damn chilly wind. Have no idea why the weather turned weird at this time of the year in Arizona. Usually, we are roasting by the pool and the idea of a cookout with cold beer sounds great. Hmmm....how about we substitute wine for the cold beer?

Cheers! 🍷

Credits:
Tube: Beastmaster by ©Trinita
Scrap Kit: The Autumn Soul Addition by Gothic Inspirations
Mask: 20-20

GOT - S8 - Episode 6 The Iron Throne

Dany's Death

Drogon's Anger

Game of Thrones is over.  I must admit to being prepared emotionally for the final episode.  If you missed it, please accept my apologies for the spoilers ahead. Are you ready for it?

Did I hate the ending? No.  Was I happy with it?  Not entirely. To be honest, I can safely say I was satisfied with how the story wrapped up.

The season finale had twists and turns which gave it a more familiar Game of Thrones theme. It was almost reminiscent of the Red Wedding, where you get a small glimpse of a joyous occasion, Dany and Jon ruling together.  Then a shocker with a sweet kiss, the story gets stabbed in the heart. As a saving grace, Drogon melts the Iron Throne, thus breaking the wheel, which was always Dany's goal. Drogon's broken heart mirrored my own. 💔

After watching the show three times, I finally agree that Bran was the only choice for king. Didn't see that one coming did you? Surprise!!!!  Bran the Broken who didn't want to be Lord of Winterfell, becomes King of the Six Kingdoms, something he knew would happen all along.

Surprise!!!! Bran names Tyrion Hand of the King for a third time! Hopefully, this third time around will finally be the charm.

Sansa gets her wish, the North becomes free and separate, and oh yes...she becomes Queen of the North. I knew that was coming a mile away.

Arya goes a-wandering...wonder what adventures she will have and if that storyline was left open for a return? I doubt it, but it's nice to have a dream of spring.

I'm actually happy Jon went north of the wall with Tormund and Ghost (who finally got his "good boy" pets). I don't think I could handle his death or life imprisonment.  I feel like this storyline was also left open...as it would be interesting to see how far Jon's path takes him and if he starts a new life, with little Targaryen's to come? While I was feeling sentimental watching Jon head into the forest, I imagined Drogon soaring overhead, coming to join Jon and Ghost.  Ahhh, but then I remembered that dragons don't like the north. 😔

This last episode doesn't make up for the poor character development, careless editing (coffee cup, plastic water bottle, missing golden hand) and the horrible writing during the final season. The main disappointment was not spending the time developing Dany's character arc to align with her sudden turn to the "dark side". Bells just don't justify "madness". (In a recent interview, Emilia Clarke stated she is still trying to come to grips with her character's flip from savior to villian in less than 3 episodes. I do give kudos for her performance, she gave it her all!!)

This was not the ending I envisioned for Dany and agonizing over it doesn't change a thing. Actually, it's not important. From my read of the books, I did know Dany would die one way or another in the end.

Thinking this over, I am sure George R.R. Martin will have the same or similar ending in his book, if he ever finishes it. Martin blogged that his ending would naturally have taken an additional 3 or 4 seasons to properly address all the various character arcs.  That being said, I doubt anyone would have been happy with any ending of the series contrived by the producers.  You can't please everyone, you just do the best you can.

So another re-read of the wonderful books is called for while I await the release of "Winds of Winter".  "Valar Morghulis"

Credits:
Photos courtesy of HBO

Fire & Blood

Fire and Blood

Good afternoon all my sweet summer children!  It's the final episode of Game of Thrones! I am sure all of you are waiting in suspense, pacing, chewing your lower lip and wondering who will finally sit the Iron Throne.  Will it be a Wolf or a Dragon? Maybe a Stag or a Raven?  I have been wondering myself as well, and I am afraid the spoilers will be correct once more. For enjoyments sake, I won't mention those spoilers! Let's just hope they are wrong! I am cheering for the Dragon!  OMG! Y'all gotta stop laughing!  🐲😃

I seriously thought I had defeated my kidney infection and was relatively symptom free when I saw my doctor. Of course, I was wrong once again.  The last few days I have been resting, due to a persistent infection and some other problems detected with the cystoscope I had done on Thursday. The antibiotic given to me by urgent care did help, but it should have been prescribed for far longer than 5 days. I will admit to being uncomfortable for about 24 hours after the simple procedure, despite the medication given to thwart that effect.  So here I am, drinking 40 ounces of water a day and back on antibiotic therapy, this time for 90 days. I asked..."Is this a humdinger of an infection?"....to which my doctor replied..."yup!"

The weather has been surprisingly cool for Arizona at this time of the year. It's almost Memorial Day and we have had very few blistering hot days, two that I can recall.  Perhaps this will be a cooler, wetter summer?  Just hope the monsoons are not as terrible as last year's.  I nearly lost my fence! I don't think it will stand against another fierce storm with huge chunks of hail, severe lightning and blustery winds.

 Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon and enjoy the show!! 😎

Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams

Fell in love with this tube by Andreea Cernestean!  Beautifully dark, forbidden...the part of your dreams that you fear, yet love.  I paired her with a wonderful kit by Gothic Inspirations titled "The Invitation".  The picture's theme is gothic, but for some reason my mood in the last few weeks has turned in this direction. The brick background was created with the help from a tutorial by Vivienne's Paintbox. Always learning something new!

I hope all the moms out there had a great Mother's Day! I relaxed, enjoyed myself and did finish another picture which I will share later this month. I spent quite a bit of time reading as always.  Almost finished with "The Passage", which I really devoured quickly!! Great book!!  I will be ordering the rest of the trilogy soon. 

I recently won a publisher giveaway for Nora Roberts's new book, "Under Currents". In exchange for getting the book free, I am asked to give a review.  I am very excited about doing that!

Finally getting closer to Phoenix Fan Fusion and soooooo looking forward to getting out of San Manuel for a little trip with my oldest.  Lately, I have been feeling trapped, wanting to travel...yet, I worry about spending too much money. Still, I want to get out. I actually dream about flying to places unknown...silly me!  It doesn't make sense logically for me to feel this way, but I do. I have been checking flights to Washington DC, San Diego, El Paso and Albuquerque. I envy people who just buy a ticket and take off to wherever they desire. Has anyone seen the price of airline flights these days?? It's a WTF moment!!! 🤔

Cheers! 🍷

Credits:
Tube: 49-1 by ©Andreea Cernestean
Scrap Kit: "The Invitation" by Gothic Inspirations
Mask: Mask_Viv_0038 by Dragonfly

GOT S8 - Episode 5 - The Bells

Burn Them All

Amazing episode! It was an epic war zone and I could not help cheering Drogon and Dany on! The burning of Kings Landing was a beautiful sight to behold!  Watching that dragon blowing up Euron's Iron fleet had me clapping and screaming "Go Drogon"!!!! I was so enthralled with the episode I never finished my glass of wine! Does this make me a secret Targaryen? 😂

I know there are going to be plenty of reviews stating this episode was terrible. I think Rotten Tomatoes already gave it a bad review, worse rating than the episode 4 one in fact. Well, ok, but as I said about the last episode, the writing isn't the greatest, it was sacrificed to concentrate on the widescreen cinematic effects. Once again, the story was rushed and suffered severe casualties.

As for me, at this point I just wanted to see justice for the killing of Rhaegal and Missandei. This episode was pure cinematic war! Of course, in war, there are always going to be innocent casualties.  Has Dany gone full blown mad queen?  Well, the writer's already doomed her to follow that path, so no surprise to me. In retrospect, Cersei would have done the same in her place and slept well that night to boot.

I do have a few questionable items to ponder:

1. What was the significance of Vary's removing his rings? Did he ever manage to send out his messages before his roasting?
2. How the hell did Euron miss hitting Drogon, when he had perfectly dead aim on Rhaegal? How did he survive his ship being blown apart by dragonfire? So he conveniently shows up at the same time Jamie reaches the beach headed into the Red Keep? 
3. Why the sudden change of heart by Arya on completing her list? She never listened to Sandor before.
4. Where did that white horse come from??? It just magically appeared to spirit Arya out of Kings Landing.  (Was that Bran??)
5. I felt cheated on the prophetic death of Jaime and Cersei. Their death was a big let down. My consolation? They are both dead. 😐

The entire "blow them up, blow them up real good" episode was such  an enjoyable show. Needless to say, I have watched it several times.  I love Drogon and happy he survived those "scorpion needles". So maybe I enjoyed the show a little too much???  If you love dragons by all means watch...I loved how Drogon tore the city apart! "Dracarys!!!"

Dany will always be my Queen. Cheers! 🍷

Credit:
Picture courtesy of HBO 

Mother of Dragons

Mother of Dragons

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope every mom out there has a wonderful day! Blessings to everyone on this Sunday. 

I have selected a picture of Dany with her dragons, appropriate, since this is also another Game of Thrones Day!  Episode 5, the battle for the Iron Throne is later this evening.  I do not have any expectations about how good or bad this episode will be.  I am still quite upset the previous one was so poorly written,  I can only hope Episode 5 will have a better written storyline. At least,  I am crossing my fingers.  🤞

This afternoon I am working on a picture, relaxing with a glass of wine. Hope to finish it tomorrow so I can post it, along with any thoughts I will have about GOT's Episode 5.  Cheers! 🍷

Like Clockwork

Like Clockwork

A beautiful punk tube from Chris Patel!  I paired her with Mizteeques scrap kit, "Like Clockwork" which is free to use! Sometimes steam punk appeals to me, especially when I feel time is marching on so fast, blink and it will be Christmas.

My family took me out to an early Mother's Day dinner last evening! I love when my girls can join my husband and I. It makes for a much more enjoyable night out together.  With schedules clashing, weekends are just not available for family outings.  It was a wonderful dinner and I hope my family enjoyed it as much as I did!! Thank you!

The only thing that bothered me yesterday was passing another stone. Sooo...I was a bit uncomfortable with the lingering sting and of course, when I passed the stone at 2 am, I couldn't go back to sleep. I was pretty tired. After doubling the dose of the medication and drinking so much water I also felt pretty waterlogged. I was looking forward to the family dinner and didn't want to spoil the evening, so I kept the news from everyone. Ah well, hopefully all this flushing is working, as today I feel pretty good and so far no after effects.

Taking Hannah to get her hair done tomorrow!  This month she turns 11, quite appropriate she gets a total grooming day!  I try not to think about how old she is getting, just love that I am home to enjoy spending time with my buddy.  She's my fiercest defender and loving companion. ❤

How many people still enjoy Facebook? I have to admit, the latest changes are driving me crazy. What's with those comical reactions?  Most posts are being censored, can never see the photo or article (although that might be a good change).  I can't seem to see the people I follow as much as I do group or videos across my timeline.  I figure if you are separating groups into special category which includes a button, then take them off my timeline!! I actually asked Facebook to configure my settings so I could read my friend's posts. Well golly gee...they now show up....several days later. 😐 Just wondering how many other people are not happy campers or am I just getting to be a grouchy old lady?

Credits:
Tube: Steampunk12 by ©Chris Patel
Scrap Kit: "Like Clockwork" by Mizteeques
Mask: Miz_Mask_198 by Mizteeques

GOT SE8, Episode 4

Game of Thrones

Beware, "the post is long and full of anger".  There are quite a few spoilers for this episode in my rant, so if you have not seen "The Last of the Starks", just stop and come back later.

After an epically awesome Episode 3, "The Long Night", the latest episode is an icy mess! I initially watched with heart in hand, anticipating preparations for the next battle.  Instead, it starts off with remembering those who gave their life and goes downhill fast with totally sloppy writing and bad editing, (see above, known as the Starbucks easter egg). Putting it plainly, it was a virtual s**t show. 😒  Needless to say, I am not a happy camper.

I rewatched the episode three times, with each time getting more and more confused about the twisting plot lines.  Perhaps the writers were exhausted from the hours put into the previous episode to think clearly about how to present this prequel to war.

Here are a few of the obvious bad eggs...

• What the hell is going on with the off screen plot plants? They left us with such gaps in the storyline.  How did Missandei get captured? How did Euron know she was a valuable asset to Cersei?  Fade to black?!? How did the Stark girls react to Jon's reveal about his parentage? Another fade to black??  The least we could have gotten was a 2 minute reveal of both plot twists. Wow...imagine that...adding an additional 2 minutes to the show.😠
• Ghost??? Ghost was such an important part of Jon's world for many seasons. How does he just send him off with Tormund without even giving him a pet on the head goodbye?  Ghost literally looks like he fought a good fight, missing part of his ear and several bloody trails over his body. They couldn't put some emotion into that scene?  What a horrible end of the storyline for Ghost. Literally sent to the wall without a proper belly rub and whisper of,  "good boy, go with the big red haired man now...I don't need you anymore." Just one look from Jon and a whimper from Ghost.  Based on the writing of this scene, Jon truly doesn't deserve Ghost or Rhaegal.😢
• The writers turning Sansa's character into "Littlefinger Part 2", the very person she despises.  She has now betrayed Jon's trust and her family in one fell swoop. This was a WTF moment I had no idea was coming.  Sansa has now become much like Cersei, a power hungry and basically bitter woman. Hmmm...for some reason I believe the character should have shown more grace and strength...again, terrible plot line and the writing of the scene between her and Tyrion was awkward, to say the least. 
• The whole episode's main plot was focused on rendering Dany as the "mad queen". Dany is at her best when she is down and her Targaryen nature blossoms. She has been in worse situations and always come out on top. I understand how the writers are trying to show she might have gone over the edge into madness, but again...she isn't crazy. She wants justice, not vengeance. Terrible plot twist and of course, the writers focused too much on the anger reflected in her face. I am with Olenna Tyrell, "You are a dragon, be a dragon". 
• The killing of Rhaegal was purely for shock value. Nothing more, nothing less. It lead me to  confusion on why Dany did not see Euron's ships as she approached Dragonstone.  In fact during the scene, they both flew right over Dragonstone. With Rhaegal injured, wouldn't he land to rest upon reaching the castle? How did Dany miss seeing such a large fleet from her vantage point, flying high above the channel? Was Euron hiding? And IF Euron was hidden, how did he manage to hit Rhaegal dead on, several times, while totally missing the larger and closer target, Drogon?  So the writer's have taken another piece off the chess board, along with Missandei, to even the battlefield?  This whole scene didn't make any sense.  😕
• Oh...one more thing that blew my mind. How the hell does Cersei not shoot all those scorpions on the wall at Drogon, when he's just resting behind Dany and company at the gate of Kings Landing? That would eliminate the last dragon. All she would have left to do is take Dany and everyone else in that group out with her archers. 
• Wait!!!! Why would Dany even put her last dragon in possible danger? I know she wouldn't. She would go on horseback to negotiate, leaving Drogon safely at home. 

So many years of character development tossed out the window. This episode became totally nonsensical and way too focused on pushing the mad queen plot.  They sacrificed everyone's arc with such sloppy writing: Dany reduced to begging? 👀 Brienne to crying? 👎 Sansa to betrayal? 😡  Arya to sheer coldness? 😑

I agree with Missandei...."Dracarys....Fire and Blood, burn them all".  🔥

Lavender Bliss

Lavender Bliss

Gorgeous tube, as always, by Verymany! I paired it up with the matching kit by Kizzed by Kelz, "Evangeline", named after the tube itself. I followed a wonderful tutorial by Dragonfly, loving the background she created, wanting to re-create it myself. There were slight differences which I made to enhance the artwork.

Unbelievable negative reactions concerning Episode 3 from Game of Thrones Season 8 from the media and fans. Wow! I was happy with the ending, as long as it was a Stark who delivered the death blow to the Night King.  I am so tired of hearing that it should have been Jon..ummmm...maybe it will happen in the books, who knows. I also stopped listening to the complaints about how long Martin is taking in finishing the books as well.

So I am taken up with this new book I am reading, "The Passage" by Justin Cronin. I really love the plot...and have been reading whenever I get a chance.  Ok, so I am typing right now instead of reading, but hey, everyone takes a break now and then.  I am half way through and that's about right for my normal reading speed if the book is good....take it from me...its veryyyyyyy good! I am a little upset with myself as I didn't buy the second book...I will have to order it when I reach the 3/4 mark.

I finally got hubby to agree to see "End Game"...so excited! I am the only Marvel fan in my family, so getting anyone to go to the movies with me to see a Marvel movie is like pulling teeth. I don't blame them, its just not their thing. If he didn't agree to go with me, I would've gone on my own eventually. I just don't like going alone. Hopefully, we will go tomorrow and grab lunch afterwards.

Feeling so much better these last few days...I hope this drink the doctor prescribed helps to keep it that way. Always willing to try anything that will supposedly prevent infections. Crosses fingers!

Credits:
Tube: "Evangeline" by ©Verymany
Scrap Kit: Evangeline by Kizzed by Kelz
Mask:  Mask102 and Mask 20 by Kopona