Sometimes I take things a little too seriously. And in keeping with pointing to others, it’s another slant .. What made me laugh or caused a chuckle or even a smile. Bits of Happy.

• RT @stilgherrian Today’s strange weather in Sydney is brought to you by the letters “C” and “O” and the number “2″ (url).
• Author: @aDB
• /listening to Russ is like watching the 1960’s version of Batman. Biff! Pow!<g>
• Author: Mark Riffey
• Having a great camera moment with my youngest last night.
• Reading this post.
• Author: Paisano
• We have such a blessing in our kids. Make the most of them! They bring Bits of Happy in the most unexpected places. And the expected ones too :).

Who is Rach?

Rach is one of the coolest people you will ever meet.

I’m not just saying that because she is my best friend. Nor is it just because we have been married for ten awesome years. Nor still is it just because she’s the most amazing mother of our four kids.

Why should you care?

If you catch her on Twitter, there’s every chance you’ll have one of the funniest and memorable conversations in your day.

Her tweets showcase what is best about Twitter. They are not self serving, nor, like most of mine, are they attempting to get people to talk by linking blog posts or pictures or topics that are in flux.

Rach writes real. It’s not fake. That’s something special in our world of quick follows and social-media plasticity.

I should have done this when I started my latest re-read of A Song Of Ice And Fire. But anyway ..

A Game Of Thrones, Sansa 2 (Chapter 30)

Image via Wikipedia

Gregor Clegane is such a massive character. From the moment he was introduced, I was intrigued. It’s the way GRRM paints him. So .. BIG.

It gets better as the story goes on. There’s a passage where GRRM talks about the tall men in the Seven Kingdoms, I think perhaps Catelyn’s pov. From my recollection, which may be wrong, it’s the Mountain who towers over all.

You know, it might be in ASOS, where Tyrion is watching the Red Viper and The Mountain go at it. Hmmm.

EDIT: It’s the very next chapter after Sansa’s, where Ned is the POV, and he convinces Robert not to enter the Melee.

But in this chapter, the first time we are introduced to Clegane, it’s Sandor that gives us the best insight into his brother. I mean, the chapter’s got so much in it, this isn’t a major point, but it’s a point.

Gregor works a little off-center. Kiltered. He pushed his brother’s face into a brazier because he stole a toy. And throughout the series there isn’t any “redemption” of him. He’s not misunderstood. He’s not even like Jaime or Sandor, who have unapologetically done henious acts, but are on the road to some kind of change.

Ha ha, I guess that’s wrong though. Gregor has been changed. Anyway.

I’m starting a series. It’s about people. The idea is to _point_ to people.

Who is ChattyDM?

About three weeks ago, exploring deep into an ancient Mayan temple as I do every September, I came across a scroll. It was old. Old and older. A prophesy of great power. It said .. That Phil and I were actually long lost brothers, bound by chords of nerdery and geekness far stronger than mere mortal friendship.

Ahem.

Chatty (Phil Menard) started his blog, Musings of a Chatty DM, back in July 2007. Here’s his first post, Blogging or bugging my friends? That’s just over a year ago, and he’s already amongst the premier Role-Playing Game blogs in the world.

What does Chatty do on his blog? I’ll tell you in his own words:

I like to talk about D&D, Tropes, Coolness in RPGs, my current campaign (Prep and journal), my geeky thoughts and my poking at the Crunch and Fluff of my favorite RPG.

Chatty is a guy who will further your imagination. He’s a compassionate Dad who’s passion for story-telling flows out into all facets of his online (and offline, given posts like this).

• I met Chatty on Twitter.
• He’s also just landed on FriendFeed.
• There’s a very cool comic blog, updated infrequently, called Suburban Overlord.
• Lastly, Chatty Studios is the portal for his Kobold Love project.

Why should you care?

Stories are universal, regardless of whether you play Role-Playing Games. Chatty understands the art of _telling_ stories. He’s open and friendly and has a great sense of humor.

That’s why you should care. Because stories are part of our fabric, both individually and collectively.