Joan may appreciate Don's talent, looks, and charm, she really has contempt for him.

What does Joan know of Don? She told Peggy that she knows what kind of woman he marries: stunning Stepford models. “Did you know he met Betty Draper doing a print ad? Did you know she was a model? That’s the kind of girl Don marries.”

Joan found out that Don cheats in the pilot episode. She knows he knocked up his wife Monday and got divorced Tuesday. She's seen his daughter have a mini-breakdown in the office (409) because of this divorce. She's cleaned up the mess he made doing something to Allison, giving her her own mini-breakdown (404). She's seen him spend a year as a useless drunk. She didn't go to Don about the drawing of her and Lane put out by his creative department, did she? And she's seen him marry his goddam secretary?!: "Happens all the time. They're all just between marriages, you know that. He'll probably make her a copywriter. He's not going to want to be married to a secretary."

Now watch Don and Joan in the bar again. What does she say to Don that's nice? "You're irresistible," she said, resisting with ease.

Then she lets him have it, beginning at 31:55: "And who do you think's waiting at home? I bet she's not ugly. The only sin she's committed is being familiar." Don: "So you think it's all him?" Joan: "Because she can't give him what she wants?" Don: "Because he doesn't know what he wants. But he's wanting." Joan: "He knows. It's just the way he is..." Don: "I'm gonna go." Joan has no protest to make.

Was Don trying to get laid? Who knows. From what he said, not even he knows.

Joan is a master. She told Don what a **** he is, to his face, and he sent her flowers the next day. Crap, no wonder he found her intimidating.

Hey, listen up, true believers.

GAME OF THRONES won the Stan Lee Award for Best Television Program.

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/05/scott-snyder-and-sara-pichelli-dominate-stan-lee-awards/

It's not a No-Prize, but it's pretty cool.

'Nuff said.

I don't know much about social media. I don't have a facebook or twitter account. But I've been told a few people have them, and that some of those people like to play social media games. I'm told the biggest social media game involves running a farm.

Surely, I thought, there must be something one could do on social media that would be more fun that growing turnips and feeding chickens. Like, say, scheming and plotting, murders and marriages, contesting for power.

HBO shared the feeling, and together we have granted the license for a social media game based on GAME OF THRONES to a great new start-up company called Disruptor Beam ((http://disruptorbeam.com/ )) Game development is already well under way.

Jon Radoff, CEO of Disruptor Beam, says:

"This will be the first Facebook game based on the TV series and books and, trust me, this game isn’t just going to be another Farmville! George RR Martin is working very closely with Disruptor Beam to ensure the game will deliver an authentic experience. I can tell you that it will not only be highly story and character-driven, but Game of Thrones Ascent will give you the chance to experience the world from your own perspective and with your own friends."

"Sounds fun, right!? Want to know more? Well, additional information about the game will be released in the coming months, including details about how to participate in a pre-release beta program. To follow its progress, be sure to “like” Game of Thrones Ascent on Facebook (http://facebook.com/gameofthronesascent) or follow on Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/GoTAscent)."



I saw several early versions of the game demonstrated, and Jon and his designers took great pains to make sure the flavor of the novels is here. I saw alliance building, treachery, marriages, murders, and most of all the constant struggle to be the greatest house in Westeros.

So create a character, pick a liege lord to swear to, and start playing the game the way Tyrion would, because in this game you win or you die.

(No turnips will be involved).

Coming next Sunday, to a television near you.



I'll be watching from Montana.

Just got a note from Chris Beasley at Valyrian Steel.

He writes, "Just wanted to let you know that Longclaw is almost permanently sold out. I do not expect it to last through the month of June."

So if perchance you're one of the folks who has been saving your dimes and nickles to pick up one of the Longclaw replicas, act now, or you may soon be out of luck. These swords are limited editions, so once they are gone, they are gone. Valyrian Steel will not be making any more.



(I should add that Valyrian Steel has obtained a license from HBO to produce replicas of the weapons seen on the TV series, so they will be producing a "show Longclaw" at some point down the line. I don't believe that one will be a limited run. This post relates only to their current version of Jon Snow's blade, produced under a direct license from me -- the "book Longclaw," that is. That's the one that is almost sold out).

To order, head over to the Valyrian Steel website at
http://www.valyriansteel.com/shop/

Comedy Bang Bang podcast with Alison Brie here

My bank balance has suffered but I've been having fun and as interest rates are so low at the moment, it's not really a pain to go overdrawn. Last Wednesday evening I went to the Everyman cinema here in Winchester to see Town of Runners and afterwards there was a Q&A with the director. It's a documentary, following two young girls in Ethiopia as they train in the hope to become world famous athletes. It was a really good insight into how running over there is viewed very differently than it is here - basically you can either do well at school and get a job from that, or you can become a runner. They're very serious about their training and hugely ambitious and, as they start honing their abilities from a very young age, highly capable too. All this despite not having easy access to the basic resources they need to survive. It was inspiring.

On Friday night I went up to London to see the play, What the Butler Saw at the Vaudeville Theatre, a very different form of entertainment! It dealt with insanity, incest and rape, but in an old-fashioned, very English way, which, with all the jokes, made it less unsettling than it should have been! It starred Tim McInnerny, who for some reason has become one of my favourite actors, along with Omid Djalili and Samantha Bond. It's on a limited run so I would recommend seeing it if you have the chance. My seat turned out to be in row A, which is impressive because I booked it cheaply through Lastminute.com. However, row A is the third row, behind AY and AZ!

Today some free fun, and I briefly attended the Sports Festival at Bar End in Winchester. There were lots of different sports being showcased but it seemed to be intended for children so it was kind of weird being there as an adult on my own. There was a WADAC stand, but nobody on it! I had a look around, ate a roll from the hog roast and watched some co-ordinated children do a gymnastics routine before going home. It can be very easy in Winchester to lead an unhealthy lifestyle but to counter that there's so much provision for sport, and it was encouraging to see all the healthy young people enjoying various kinds of sporting activities.

There's some things coming up, too. I have the day off work tomorrow and there's an event in Raynes Park about how to run a faster 5k, which should be useful as my goal for the upcoming year is to win the points competition at Basingstoke parkrun. Recently I've been pushed into fourth place, so from Basingstoke's next anniversary when the competition is reset, I'll do my utmost to attend every Basingstoke parkrun possible, volunteer the optimum three times and, crucially, get much faster so that I can rack up the most points! It can be done!

Also Chris Addison is coming to Winchester on Sunday 10th June. It was over £20 but worth it and I couldn't miss the opportunity to see him live so close to home.

Lastly, I will be 26.2 years old on the 22nd of July, which fortunately is a Sunday, so I thought it would be a good thing to find a marathon somewhere on that date. I found a 50-mile challenge in Kent, which would be OK but I'd feel silly stopping after only 26! The only other marathon race is on the Isle of Man, which is probably the most difficult place for me to get to, even though it looks like a great event. So I've mapped out a route along roads from Winchester to Basingstoke which is the right distance, but I've no idea how practical it would be to do. I'll find out on July 22nd!

I get emails all the time from fans who want to be on GAME OF THRONES.

Here's your chance. The call has gone out for extras for season three.

https://www.extrasni.com/news

Of course, it helps if you actually live in Northern Ireland.

Or the Republic of Ireland.

Or Scotland or England or the Isle of Man... y'know, someplace where you can actually get to the shoot. If you're in South Africa, Brazil, or Japan, your chances of getting a call are not good, alas.

On the other hand, if you're a bearded long-haired amputee from Derry, you should be gold.