A Dance With Dragons - Part A

Ser Barristan thinks highly of Eddard Stark! Learning this makes me very happy. Maybe the Starks will keep their heads when Daenerys lands.

Mildly surprised Davos is not dead, and now he gets to go on a quest for Rickon Stark. A dangerous, hopefully exciting and perilous journey to the cannibal island. dun dun dun.

Aegon, neat little twist. Seems like he would make a better king than most of the others. With an army of ten thousand battle hardened soldiers behind him he could conceivably take Westeros with a single Lord Paramount rising to his side.

The suspense of Mormont finding Tyrion is limited, seeing as how we already know how events transpire in King's Landing.

Daenerys is a fascinating character. I only wish she would show more ambition to reclaim Westeros. The events of Meereen are not that interesting.Learning that the dragons are eating people is the least surprising chain of events in the series.

Lord Snow taking heads and standing up to Stannis. He sure grew up fast.

I'm guessing that man in the root throne is a Stark. He seems to be way too interested in the family otherwise.

A Feast for Crows

Hard to believe that Brienne would die. Martin writes chapter after chapter of Brienne doing mundane tasks only to kill he off for protecting orphans. Another honourable character fed to the afterlife. Martin strikes again.

Watch out Jamie! Your new found honour is going to get yourself killed.

Dorne is becoming interesting. Who is this mystery betrothal and why is it all for naught now? My initial suspicion was a betrothal to Viserys but he died long enough ago that I feel the Prince would have a new plan by now.

I hope we haven't seen the last of Varys, I still want to know who he was working for. I'm guessing someone across the sea or the prince of Dorne.

Littlefinger never disappoints. Harry the Heir is an intriguing turn of events for Sansa's future. If Littlefinger actually cared about the anyone other than himself than he would have pushed Lyssa and the Vale into the war for Northern independence.

I liked it that Aemon learned about the mother of dragons before he died.

Overall this book was a trudge. Looking forward to Danerys, Jon Snow, and Tyrion in the next book.

A Storm of Swords - Part B

George RR Martin is going to run out of main and secondary characters to kill off before he sits down to begin writing his seventh book. It's quite clear that Martin is a homicidal maniac. He best be locked up before he slays again with that typewriter of his.

I was happy when they mentioned in passing that Balon Greyjoy had died. It was mortifying to find out the Freys had betrayed Robb Stark. I hope Stannis puts all the Freys to the sword. I wouldn't mind if he put all of Westeros to the sword at this point. It was delightful to read of Joffrey bloating from poison.

King Stannis was my second favourite of the four, I'm mildly happy that he is the survivor. I wonder if his cheque is in the mail.

Daenerys' story becomes interesting and yet she remains as plain as she has ever been.

With Tywin dead who leads in Tommen's place?

Arya is all alone, once again, gone to sail for Braavos. Is there anything this girl does better than get lost?

Other than Barristan Selmy is there no character that you can just love? Why do they all have to be coins at best; half to love and half to hate?

A Storm of Swords - Part A

It seems that Ser Jamie Lannister's clapping days are behind him. I wonder if the Bloody Mummers are going to sell him back to his father or bring him to Harrenhal. I was a bit disappointed to find his name at the head of a chapter. He won't die till the end of the book if at all. 

I thought for sure that Davos had died, it seems that Stannis has a larger part to play than a failed assault on King's Landing. 

Arya is always so close to finding her way home only to see that avenue closed off at the last second. It would be nice for the Starks to have something go their way this book. The Freys, the Karstarks, the Iron Islands, the Bastard of Bolton, the Lannisters, and Joffrey. Could something positive happen to Robb in this book? The Vale declaring for him would be nice, Balon Greyjoy dying a bloated toad would make a delightful icing to the Vale cake. 

I keep referring to this book as A Soiree with Swords. All the stories find themselves singing the song about the bear with hair, I wish I liked it. 

A Clash of Kings - Part C

It was hilarious when Elmar Frey talks of losing his princess when Arya is standing right in front of him. Arya retorts "I hope your princess dies." Unbeknownst to her, that she is the princess in question.

Stannis, screwing up everything. There is a lot to like about him; a decent honourable man for sure.I would have liked for him to not kill his brother, and barring that not lost the siege for King's Landing.

I doubt that the North and the Riverlands can survive against the combined forces of the West, the Reach and King's Landing. Especially with the Iron Islands harassing the North.

Why Arya couldn't trust Roose Bolton is never really explained, a nobleman from the North should have been her ticket to freedom.

Winterfell being sacked twice takes away some of the awe I had for the castle.

A Clash of Kings - Part B

Poor Sansa. At the mercy of the cruellest character in the book. I imagine that he, Joffrey,  gets his comeuppance eventually. Interesting what Sansa thinks about there being no Knights at the King's court. I would agree with her in terms of the knightly stereotype. I think that stereotype was perpetuated to enhance the effectiveness of the position.

I am interested to know what happens to Barristan Selmy. He flees King's Landing and has not been heard from again.

Robb Stark! Two Lannister armies smashed and one to go. Tyrion makes it sound like the battle of Oxcross was a rout from beginning to end.

What an era of young Kings: Robb is 15, Joffrey is 12, Renly 21. Of course you have Stannis and Theon's father.

I cannot remember the last time that I hated so many character in a series: Joffrey, Jaime, Theon, Cersei, both Clegors and Stannis.

2016 Election - April

April 5th, 2016

Thune has officially won the republican nomination for President of the United States this week. The good news for Thune has come with mixed results in the general. Florida and Virginia moved from tossup to lean Thune while Nevada moved from lean Warner to tossup. Ohio and Michigan on the other hand have moved once again to the tossup column from lean Thune. 

Party	Nominee	Nat %	Δ %	Est. EV	Δ EV
Democratic	Warner	39.8	-0.1	211	-6
Republican	Thune	42.1	+0.9	258	+18

April 12th, 2016

Tough week for Warner. He makes gains in Nevada, Colorado, Wisconsin; moving each one column towards him and Thune moves the big three tossups into his column. Thune is once again poised to win the election without any support from tossup states. 

Party	Nominee	Nat %	Δ %	Est. EV	Δ EV
Democratic	Warner	40.7	-0.1	220	+15
Republican	Thune	42.1	+0.0	286	+28

April 19th, 2016

Last week had a record low number of tossup states with only Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. This week was a good week for those hoping for a close contest. Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio moved from lean Thune to tossup. Nevada and Colorado moved from lean Warner to tossup. Last week 3 this week there are 8 tossups.

The big winner was of course Warner as a close race, even one where he is still likely to lose, is a lot better than a Thune blowout.

Party	Nominee	Nat %	Δ %	Est. EV	Δ EV
Democratic	Warner	41.0	+0.3	205	-15
Republican	Thune	42.5	+0.4	235	-51

April 19th, 2016

Warner for the first time has moved Iowa into his column. In turn, both Ohio and Michigan have moved into Thune's column.

Pennsylvania has seen a real shift moving from a three point republican advantage to a three and a half point democratic advantage. This leaves Virginia as the only tossup that the democrats do not currently lead in.

Warner since the middle of March has ushered his resources to bring about a tightening of the race. 

Party	Nominee	Nat %	Δ %	Est. EV	Δ EV
Democratic	Warner	41.5	+0.5	211	+6
Republican	Thune	42.6	+0.1	269	+34