We’re in Florida this week for my brother-in-law’s wedding and to visit with family. I love my brother-in-law, Zac, but I hate the term brother-in-law because it makes our relationship sound like a court order. In reality, our relationship has nothing to do with the law and everything to do with love. I love Zac like a brother and so I call him brother. But Zac is also Christina’s brother, and Christina is my wife, so it’s important to clarify this stuff because
Game of Thrones is a huge investment, but when I started the series I didn’t realize how big. I was just along for the ride, as they say. Now that the first series is complete you know what you’re getting into.
I'm saving watching "Game of Thrones" for another time. Seems like a big time investment for me, and, as you know being a Substack writer is a full time job. Ok, maybe not full time. (Ok, a couple of hours a week) But you know, my time doing whatever it is I do that passes time is probably important. Or not.
Anywho, I always enjoy your posts, Michael! 👍
PS: the thumbs up emoji is not meant to be rude...(the world is cray cray, LOL)
Sometime in the late 90s or early 2000 I was driving with my son from Durango to the San Juan River to do some fishing when we came upon a river of tarantulas crossing in front of us. Well, more like a stream or an army. A foot-wide moving column of them . My son told me he'd seen this before. I hope to never see it again.
i often think about how OBSESSED we all were with Game of Thrones but then collectively as a society decided to hate the entirety of it because of the ending. Like, will GoT stand the test of time? I think not. Is that bad? I genuinely do not know. But the first few seasons were v fucking good.
It's like a TV avatar. All hype and then nothing more.
good on the wedding, bad on the texting, good on the lady for the earthworm bit, good on the raiders, can't remember what else there was so good on all
I’m in the minority because I actually liked the ending of GoT. It seemed fitting to me that their next king would be a broken boy to rule a broken world, and that he would be kind and just and committed to something like enlightened rule. But I guess everyone else had a different idea with more sex and violence.
I think I riffed on this before in the comments, but regarding marriage advice, don't try to change your partner. You married them knowing who they were, and they're not going to change, and the more you try to change them the more it's going to backfire.
Many years ago when my 33 year old son was still a toddler, we were at a local park in Texas on the edge of the hill country. As he was toddling around I was keeping a non-helicopter parental eye on him. All of a sudden he changed direction and started moving toward what I thought was a big ant hill. Then I realized these ants were tarantulas, several lines of them going toward that hill. Texas hill country has wild tarantulas? So I sure wouldn’t think they were somebody’s pets. And I wouldn’t try smashing them. I’d just move to the Pacific Northwest and leave all those killer spiders in Texas, like I actually did.
I’m not watching House of the Dragon. I didn’t hate the ending of Game of Thrones as much as most, it’s just that dreary universe isn’t for me. The parts of GoT I liked were the infrequent funny characters and bits, and from the ads, I got the impression this series leans heavily on the dark and dramatic.
Christina loves House of the Dragon, so we're watching it. But like you, I liked the funny characters from Game of Thrones the best. This series lacks humor entirely, so it's very dark, and I'm not just talking about that one episode they shot in near-darkness.
I should also point out that Christina is a very supportive wife. I’ll watch House of the Dragon with her, but she listens to my learnings from all the history books I read, and somehow manages to stay awake as I talk, at length, about LBJ, or Nixon, or whatever book I’ve picked up lately.
Game of Thrones is a huge investment, but when I started the series I didn’t realize how big. I was just along for the ride, as they say. Now that the first series is complete you know what you’re getting into.
tarantulas are gentle, misunderstood souls that do not bite humans. They visit our doorways every monsoon...waiting for an invite.
I'm saving watching "Game of Thrones" for another time. Seems like a big time investment for me, and, as you know being a Substack writer is a full time job. Ok, maybe not full time. (Ok, a couple of hours a week) But you know, my time doing whatever it is I do that passes time is probably important. Or not.
Anywho, I always enjoy your posts, Michael! 👍
PS: the thumbs up emoji is not meant to be rude...(the world is cray cray, LOL)
Sometime in the late 90s or early 2000 I was driving with my son from Durango to the San Juan River to do some fishing when we came upon a river of tarantulas crossing in front of us. Well, more like a stream or an army. A foot-wide moving column of them . My son told me he'd seen this before. I hope to never see it again.
That is the stuff of my nightmares and a good horror movie, I suppose.
If I see a tarantula in the street I will burn the city to the grown.
Haha! Good call.
How does one "leave work" when it's boring and then afford to go golfing too?
Banker?? I have no idea, but that’s my guess.
Ooo good point 🤔
That tarantula is probably a wild tarantula. I've encountered them in the neighborhood twice now.
So if I see one, run?
Oh good lord I loved that overheard convo. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
i often think about how OBSESSED we all were with Game of Thrones but then collectively as a society decided to hate the entirety of it because of the ending. Like, will GoT stand the test of time? I think not. Is that bad? I genuinely do not know. But the first few seasons were v fucking good.
It's like a TV avatar. All hype and then nothing more.
good on the wedding, bad on the texting, good on the lady for the earthworm bit, good on the raiders, can't remember what else there was so good on all
I’m in the minority because I actually liked the ending of GoT. It seemed fitting to me that their next king would be a broken boy to rule a broken world, and that he would be kind and just and committed to something like enlightened rule. But I guess everyone else had a different idea with more sex and violence.
I think I riffed on this before in the comments, but regarding marriage advice, don't try to change your partner. You married them knowing who they were, and they're not going to change, and the more you try to change them the more it's going to backfire.
Good advice! Zac and Dylan, when you get back from your honeymoon, listen to what Amran is saying here.
Many years ago when my 33 year old son was still a toddler, we were at a local park in Texas on the edge of the hill country. As he was toddling around I was keeping a non-helicopter parental eye on him. All of a sudden he changed direction and started moving toward what I thought was a big ant hill. Then I realized these ants were tarantulas, several lines of them going toward that hill. Texas hill country has wild tarantulas? So I sure wouldn’t think they were somebody’s pets. And I wouldn’t try smashing them. I’d just move to the Pacific Northwest and leave all those killer spiders in Texas, like I actually did.
Had no idea Texas hill country has wild tarantulas, but on that front at least, the Pacific Northwest seems like a safer bet!
I’m not watching House of the Dragon. I didn’t hate the ending of Game of Thrones as much as most, it’s just that dreary universe isn’t for me. The parts of GoT I liked were the infrequent funny characters and bits, and from the ads, I got the impression this series leans heavily on the dark and dramatic.
Christina loves House of the Dragon, so we're watching it. But like you, I liked the funny characters from Game of Thrones the best. This series lacks humor entirely, so it's very dark, and I'm not just talking about that one episode they shot in near-darkness.
You are a supportive husband, making your way through all that eye strain.
That episode was painful.
I should also point out that Christina is a very supportive wife. I’ll watch House of the Dragon with her, but she listens to my learnings from all the history books I read, and somehow manages to stay awake as I talk, at length, about LBJ, or Nixon, or whatever book I’ve picked up lately.
One of my children’s classrooms had a pet tarantula named Hannah. They also had a pet turtle. But not in the same cage. 😌
What was the turtle’s name?
No one remembers the turtle's name. Hannah stole the show. 😢
Good for Hannah! But you know, the turtle is probably still going... slow and steady wins the race (or eventually steals the show??)