FERAL FAMILIAR

People have often approached me, strangers, and friends alike spontaneously sing the "Big Baby" refrain to me. I suppose it's slightly catchy, but what is more important is the fashion in which it came into being. 

I learned guitar by learning the blues. So Big Baby is just something that comes out when I'm not thinking. It's Rock and it's Blues and it's poetry. 

I worked very long hours on equalization for the song-ending guitar-riff with co-producer John Nazario. I wanted it to sound as if the last chord of each progression was being sucked away from the listener into the void... (turn it up loud!)

It was nearly 2 years after the original release that I realized the second verse lyrics were all kitchen related. I had written them with subconscious purpose and that was that, so there was no more thought given. But looking back, they are quite tight in their cooking motif metaphor. Cook, Fried, Boil, etc...

When I perform Big Baby live, I play loads of guitar solos and it's a real blast. I'll be releasing a faster remix version to the dance world soon.
Trouble with the sound cloud player? Read here.

So far season 4 of Game of Thrones has shown us that George R. R. Martin is perfectly at ease with a television plot that differs in many places than that of the novels. 

Having read the books, one notices cross-over jokes such as when Jaime Lannister, upon meeting Bronn, announces that Tyrion said he was a man who would keep his mouth shut. 

Obviously, Jaime needs a sparring partner who isn't going to tell the entire realm of Westeros that he can't fight by spilling the beans to the next highest bidder or into a horn of ale. 

In the book, Jaime learns to fight left handed by sparring in secret with Ser Ilyn Payne, uncle to Poderick (Tyrion's squire) & Executionner (by beheading...) in Kings Landing. As fans of the show and book know, Ser Ilyn Payne CAN'T talk because he has no tongue!! HAHAHAHA 

I just found a great wine glass symphony of the Game Of Throne's main title theme Song! It's all the rage so much it got me to blogging! 
check it out on the VIDEO page!

Have you noticed something strange about  lately? Grandma's couch has taken to the streets and is striding fiercely towards you. Sorry girls, the joke has been told and you are all the punchline. 
You'll understand what I mean when you look back at pictures of yourself in a year from now.
There's not much serious hip factor in wearing materials normally associated with window drapes, armchairs or basement sofas. I suppose if you want to avoid people at a party you can "disappear" into a floral print sofa. Ooopsy daisy!

After a few months on hiatus, I have returned to the blogosphere. Stay tuned for all new travel blogs, music blogs, video-game blogs, sports blogs and of course more Game of Thrones blogs!

Mark it on your calendar! 

LIVE INTERVIEW & PERFORMANCE Tuesday Jan 18th @ 7pm EST.

Andrew Jackson will be discussing hot topics and performing live on the Vinny Eastwood show in New Zealand:

Listeners
People can join the chat roomhttp://www.thevinnyeastwoodshow.com/chat-room.html 
live streams at www.americanfreedomradio.com
Call in Number is 218-339-8525

We hope you can join in on the fun! 

$25,000.00 
That is what 'artist' Glen Beck has priced his newest art piece entitled "Obama in Pee Pee."
The installation itself works on many levels. It is both a reaction to the current world and the art world around him, so it must be respected as art, even if Beck is B-Grade. 
Part of his reasoning was as reaction to a Michael D'Antonio paining hung recently. Deemed blasphemous by some Christians, It depicts Obama with a crown of thorns in an arms out-stretched (i.e. 'crucified') posture. 

I think the wings are a bit much and he does look smug but those are other dimensions in a deeply layered portrait. The artist claims  that "The crucifixion of the president was meant metaphorically. My intent was not to compare him to Jesus."

So anyway, Beck creates a Jesus bobble-head customized to be Obama and then, on his broadcast, tells everyone that he submerged the figure into a jar of his own urine. 

Shock artist Andres Serrano also clearly inspired Beck with his 1987 photograph "Piss Christ," a photo of a crucifix that had been submerged in the artist's urine. This much more serious statement piece was eventually vandalized but has also recently been put on display in New York.

Later, it's revealed that the urine is fake and that the earlier claims in the installation were meant to impact the viewers who actually thought that it was real. 
Will the Christians get offended? Will the Democrat voters get upset? Will Glenn Beck end up on a secret list that he isn't already on? Will anyone even care? Click here to check out Glenn Beck's Art-piece/comedy sideshow. 
He is honest when he calls himself a "rodeo-clown."

The biggest season premiere in HBO history was season 2 of the hit show Game Of Thrones. The story follows lords and lordlings, vying for control of Westeros's 7 kingdoms and the Iron Throne, a chair made of melted down swords! As Queen Cersei Lannister puts it: "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die," and death is quite prevalent amongst the main characters of the story. 
I was hooked after watching a few episodes in season one and I went so far as to order HBO for a few months so I could watch the second season. The finale left me wanting more so I started reading the books.

There will be several more seasons of Game Of Thrones but how could I wait to find out what happens? I ploughed through the first book "A Game Of Thrones" in George R. R. Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire series and found that while the overall story is the same, the details are quite different. There are lots of characters and castles in the book that were left out of the television show's first 2 seasons - clearly for budgetary concerns. There are even some characters in the television show that are not found in the books - clearly for T & A considerations. 

I've settled into the second book quite nicely and am enjoying it. It is a lot easier to know what is actually going on when you can read about what the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons and Targaryans are thinking and remembering. For a fan of the show, the differences in plot keep up the intrigue and the pages keep turning. I am eager to get through it so that I might finish the third book before season 3 airs in early 2013!

After upgrading my computer, I decided to try out a game that I had bought a year ago but that my old computer couldn't handle: Sid Meier's Civilizations V. The opening movie graphics were so good and smooth on my new Macbook Pro that I thought it was a real for a few moments.

I chose to play as the Persians because they receive financial bonuses over the other civilizations. After building banks, stock exchanges and my "special building" Satrap's Court, I was raking in extravagant amounts of money per turn. The hours flew by and my civilization became rich. This was my strategy all along and I was easily ably to buy buildings and upgrade my military units late in the game.

In the end, I surrounded the other Civs with "Giant Death Robots" but I built a spaceship before I managed to actually attack with them.  Once I get some work done (!) I will try another scenario on a harder level. I actually progressed so far that the game was quoting George W. Bush! This is one addicting game.

Usain Bolt should win gold in the the 200 meter sprint as well. He is in his own class when it comes to the men's 100m sprint. His long stride means that his top speed is faster than everyone else's. 

For Women's sprinting, I caught the 110 meter hurdles, where Australian red head Sally Pearson calmly set an Olympic record as the other women winced and flailed over the steeples. It was an amazing race in the London rain, with Pearson's absolute focus on gold clearly making the difference. 

The real thrill though is these creepy photo finish pictures that they flash afterwards! I am a bit obsessed with them! lol

Alex Morgan scored the overtime, extra-time winner. Another 30 seconds and it would have been a shootout! The goal was on a header. Canada's Christine Margaret Sinclair had previously scored 2 headers as part of her 3 goal hat trick. It's the furthest Canada has made it in Olympic Soccer.

The Canadians had the lead 3 times but the USA team hung in there until the referee could help them get a penalty kick. After awarding an indirect kick for a mystical 'delay' call on the Canadian goalkeeper, the referee then called a hand ball on a weird bounce. USA capitalized on the penalty kick awarded and ultimately made it to extra time. Here's a video with the full match highlights:

Canada will now face France for the Bronze while team USA plays Japan for the Gold. I know that my gf loves the pink soccer ball and all the headbands!