bigruss

That's where I disagree, I thought it was really interesting, bringing in a normal guy, not someone who is super brave, handsome, great fighter, etc. Yet he stepped up for his family and did what he thought was right, obviously it didn't workout at all but I thought it was a nice change of pace by Martin.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ May 20, 2015 -> 01:21 PM) I think a lot of book readers hate any deviations. This year, there have been 2 major ones resulting in beloved characters being seriously altered. Sansa was raped and Selmy died. With Sansa, it was a lose/lose situation. They can't introduce Jeyne Poole and have her be raped by another secondary character. It's too late in the series to introduce those type of secondary arcs. It's also probably the catalyst that compels both Sansa and Theon to change. It really didn't bother me. They've already shown the rape of a younger main character in Dany. That was far more graphic and some people think it's part of a "love story." Both Sansa and Dany will be shaped by those incidents. I'm not going to judge these deviations until we fully see how they affect the main storyline. It all might make sense in the end. I still can't figure out if the Dornish plot is supposed to be comic relief. It's so campy, it comes off almost like satire. We can argue over whether we think the writers are good, but it's clear the entire production staff knows how to shoot a scene or 2. I agree with a lot of this, the Sansa stuff didn't "bother" me, it was meant to be harsh. This series has always been about going to the extreme because that's what draws people in (and this was actually pretty tame compared to other scenes, Red Wedding still takes the cake). Martin and the show producers have never been afraid to show the evil in people. The deviations are understandable, but they need to be done well and this season they just haven't been up to the same standard. I actually though Bronn/Jamie going to Dorne together would be a great substitution, but it was dreadful in the last episode. I've thought their dialogue has been decent, Jamie and Bronn are such witty/assholey characters that they do provide that comic relief but that whole plot to steal Myrcella was about the lamest option they had.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 19, 2015 -> 03:25 PM) Some guys would rather be the big fish in a little pond. Good get for Purdue, and while I usually like to see a top kid go to a non-Blue Chip school I don't really get this from a basketball perspective, he will be the 3rd option at C.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ May 19, 2015 -> 02:02 PM) I'll never believe Cal about anything, I guarantee he'd leave if the $$$ was there (Or if UK had unknown looming sanctions) He also just struck out incredibly the last few months in recruiting and Skal getting in is still a long shot, he could be thinking that it's best to go out on top (or close to it) and secure a big money NBA contract.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ May 19, 2015 -> 08:18 AM) Dragonglass kills the Others. One of the few "good" characters happens to rule an island filled with it. "Rule" is a pretty loose term there, he essentially gave it up to go fight in the North, barely any men are there now. Even if he did have a stronghold there, he doesn't have many ships left and isn't exactly close to it. While he could get the supplies up there, it would take quite a feat to accomplish that.

Interviewed last Friday for the supervisor position of my team, went really well but I don't think I'll get it due to my lack of experience. They are hiring internally, and I know 2 other candidates (not sure of any others) that also went for it, one of which is buddy's with the hiring manager. If he gets it I'll be pissed, I don't think he was even qualified enough to get an interview much less the job, if the 3rd guy gets it I wouldn't have any issues since he deserves a chance. The waiting game definitely sucks.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ May 11, 2015 -> 03:34 PM) I think my theory that Dany eventually becomes the Mad Queen and is taken out by Tyrion is looking better. I'm interested to hear your thought process on this, it isn't something I've really thought would happen.

QUOTE (staxx @ May 17, 2015 -> 09:56 AM) I had the same feeling. I unfortunately was underwhelmed by the way that Valyria was presented, as were many. I thought it was decent, had some cool looking ruins, and for a few minutes of air time I wouldn't expect much more (they obviously weren't going to show a whole city of ruins).

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ May 15, 2015 -> 08:11 PM) Love me some Fin du Monde. I really need to try more stuff from Avery (The Reverend is really all I've tried and it's quite good) and Boulevard. I bought my brother some Avery beer as part of his xmas gifts, really good stuff. For the party, 312 is pretty popular and acceptable to a lot of people. Anyone else notice a change though since Goose Island was bought? 312 just hasn't seemed the same, it's not as citrusy/flavorful as before.

This is a good overview of what I've read/heard regarding the Simon situation and my feelings.

Half Acre would be a very solid choice, Big Hugz is an amazing Imperial Stout and Daisy Cutter is a quality IPA. I'd probably go Greenbush, their selection is pretty good and haven't been disappointed yet. Three Floyds would be up there as well.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 11, 2015 -> 01:56 PM) That would give them Tyus Jones and Tyus Battle. Can't beat a team with Tyus Squared. But is Tyus Jones going pro already? Tyus Jones already declared, hence Duke scrambling for a PG this offseason.

2016 SG 5* Tyus Battle to Michigan, huge get for Beilein. Big Ten is going to be loaded for the next few years at least.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 11, 2015 -> 09:25 AM) He mentioned plenty of ex-players in his tweets and said many are telling him to keep going, I dont think anything he said is highly unusual. Once again its not isolated to Illinois, this is the typical treatment of players across the board. I believe only former Illini players (those who left because of playing time, issues with the staff, etc) are rallying behind him. Everyone else has been against him, so it looks like a "I didn't get my way and didn't get drafted so now I'm pissed" story.

There definitely seems to be something to this story but probably not at the level Simon is putting it at. Either way, a terrible distraction/image for the program as we finally we're building a bit of respect and upward momentum. Hopefully this is just a disgruntled football player venting and that's it, because anything more and the program could be decimated.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ May 10, 2015 -> 09:59 PM) WTF, Jorah with grayscale? I think it's safe to say Aegon is not happening. I don't agree with that but if true it's a terrible mistake, the whole including the Golden Company and Aegon's attempt at conquest is a great storyline that should push Dany back to Westeros. I don't think they would exclude him.

A former Illini fb player Simon cvijanovic is going on a crazy anti-beckman rant on Twitter. Other players and former teammates are refuting his statement saying he quit on the team, not that beckman/staff tried to make him play through an injury and forced him to quit. It ain't easy being an Illini fan.

Shack that's awesome, should help a lot with the baby having the parents around. Hopefully they enjoy the area and are in a great community! My parents literally just moved down to North Carolina for retirement and the people there are so much nicer than their neighbors in the NW burbs here, it makes such a difference for them.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ May 7, 2015 -> 08:01 PM) Im not really into drinking, but went to Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee and I can report that their "White" was one of the few beers ive ever liked in my life. They have a very solid collection of beers. Have you done Milwaukee Brewing Company's tour? Literally 2 hours of all you can drink for $10 plus you keep the glass, that "tour" is the best.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 8, 2015 -> 10:48 AM) They just opened up a new brewery in forest park, awesome. I still love going to Founders in Grand Rapids, food and beer and then take a little tour over to hopcat to continue. Grand Rapids is a very underrated midwestern city, great times can be had there.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ May 6, 2015 -> 09:11 PM) I've had Saison Dupont before. It was good, but not necessarily my favorite. I think part of my problem with the Belgian beers is I sampled a lot of them before I started using Untappd to keep track of my drinking. I know I've had all three Chimay's, Westmalle Tripel, Orval, Duvel, Tripel Karmeliet, St. Bernardus Abt 12, and La Chouffe, but can't remember which ones I really liked. There was one quad too, but I can't remember which. I don't think I've ever had Rochefort. At some point I probably need to do a Belgian beer run to Binny's and do some tasting, but I get easily distracted by all the American breweries, especially when I see seasonals or limited releases. I also tend to get new stuff almost every time. I'd kill to try some Westvleteren 12, but I don't expect to travel to Belgium any time soon. About once or twice a year Binny's does a Belgium beer sale, usually a $1 or 2 off of a $8-10 750ml bottle. I usually stock up during then. The only problem is that drinking a whole bottle of that at once will fill you up real quick, so I've typically saved them until my brother visits.

One of my favorite breweries is Greenbush from Sawyer, MI. Flat out some of the best stuff in the area, unfortunately they are smaller (they've at least tripled in size) and only distribute kegs right now but a fair amount makes it into Chicago. If you're ever on 94 in SW Michigan I highly recommend stopping by, that place is a fun time and is immensely popular now in the area. Zoom, check out Dupont Brasserie, they have some fantastic Belgian beers are available at Binnys: -Moinette Blonde and Brune are their staples, great stuff -Saison Dupont is one of the best saisons I've had -avec le bons voeux is a great winter seasonal Also, De Halve Maan Brasserie is also great, if you ever see Staffe Hendrik Quad (not the tripel) then buy a few bottles, one of the best beers I've ever had. Also, I've had probably over a hundred Belgium and Trappist beers over the years, I was abroad in the Netherlands and found their styles to be my favorite. If you ever want some tips or anything just let me know.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 6, 2015 -> 08:20 PM) American Beer Classic at Soldier Field this weekend, so that means I will like all beer on Saturday. Anyone else going? Damn that snuck up on me, and probably can't make it again. I really want to go to that one year though, seems like a great event.