Getting started

So, as I said in my previous post, I am going to try and write more in the new year. So I am starting a little early since it is really dead at work and I need something to do to pass the time. What little spare time I've had lately, I've spent reading. Plus, I've been spending most of my Sunday's reading since the Jets haven't exactly been giving my anything exciting to watch. So, I put the Jets game on in the background as I tear through page after page. Below is the list of books I've read recently and a short description or my thoughts on it. Of course, I recommend them all. Most of them may not interest most of you, but I found them to be good reads and interesting. So without further ado, here's my list:

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill - Wow is all I have to say. Now you know me, i don't get into the whole political thing much and I actually bought and read this book before the whole scandal that came out recently. I knew nothing of Blackwater before I picked this book up, but geez, after reading it, it's pretty scary. Now everyone knows more about Blackwater and their "above the law" rules that they lived by over there, but it wasn't too apparent that long ago. And the amount of money that the government is giving them is absolutely insane. And that is only the amount that they are allowed to disclose. it doesn't count the millions in "black" contracts which are top secret and aren't disclosed. The fact that this far right wing guy has billions of dollars, his own personal army of thousands of people, and all the arms and military equipment to launch a full scale war is really pretty scary. All in all it was a pretty good read. I think the author was obviously to the left and may have exaggerated some, but still even if you take 50% of what he says to be true, it ain't a pretty picture. ok, enough political talk.

The Good Guy by Dean Koontz - You had to know at least one Koontz book was going to be on here. This was a standard Koontz book. Full of suspense and leaves you wanting to just keep going cause you want to know what happens next.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller - This one was on my list of comic books, or graphic novels if you prefer, to read for quite a while, but I just never got around to it. So I finally borrowed it from my friend and read it. I really liked it. Well written, great story. Threw a little bit of Superman in there too.

Watchmen by Alan Moore - Again, another that was on my list to read and finally got around to it. i figured i better read it before the movie comes out, so I also borrowed it from my friend and gave it a read. Good story. I am definitely interested to see how the movie holds up. The part that really bothered me was the stupid comic book within a comic book about that guy at sea. That really annoyed me and after a while, i didn't even bother to read that part.

The Bancroft Strategy by Robert Ludlum - Man, I love me some Ludlum. The Tupac of author's as he has been dead for 6 or 7 years now, but continues to publish. What they say is that he left a bunch of story ideas and outlines and a ghost writer has been writing in his name following his style. Anywho, it was a good book. Obviously he wrote the Bourne series and all of his book are of that ilk. kinda spy type books, but he is very suspenseful and makes you want to keep reading to find what happens next. I've actually read quite a few of his books and they have all been great.

Tales from the Devil's Ice by Chico Resch - This is a book about the Devils written by one of their former players and current commentators, for those that don't know him. This was a quick read and pretty short, but it was quite interesting. He talks about the franchise from inception until now and gives a whole bunch of inside stories and tales from the locker room. it was quite interesting to read and find out little tidbits about the organisation and players.

The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty: The Game, the Team, and the Cost of Greatness by Buster Olney - This was a recommendation by Shu and was fantastic. A must read for Yankee fans. Like the previous book, it had a lot of inside info and talks about all of the players on the 2001 team, giving insight into their past and what was going on with them at the time.

The Ice Man:Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo - Ok, so you have to know who the Ice Man is right? Richard Kuklinski. He lived in Jersey and was a hitman for the mob. HBO did a few documentaries on him. This book was written with him before he died and he gave the author accounts of all the murders that he did. He claims to have killed over 200 people. That's right, 200. Most of them can't be corroborated as there is no evidence and he was quite good at getting rid of the bodies (he tells you how he got rid of each one and some are pretty gruesome). But there is a lot of detail about each which makes me think it is plausible. He talks about all the hits he did for the mob. He worked for all of the 5 NY families plus the 2 Jersey families, so he saw a lot of business. Plus, he had a really bad temper and would just kill people randomly if they pissed him off. He claims to have taken part in some famous hits like big Paul Castellano outside of Sparks, Jimmy Hoffa (and tells you exactly what happens to his body and why it will never be found), Roy DeMeo (another famous mob murder) and did many hits for Sammy the Bull and John Gotti. If this guy really did what he claims, it is insane. he chronicles from his first killing when he was in his young teens up until the time when planning his next 3 murders and was arrested. A great read if you like mafia books (which i love) or if you just want something suspenseful that you can't wait to see what he does next. The author could definitely improve his writing as he was very repetitive about little details that didn't have too much bearing on the real story but would bring them up in almost every other chapter. But all in all, definitely one of my favorite books.

And on to what I am currently reading:
Days of Valor: An Inside Account of the Bloodiest Six Months of the Vietnam War by Robert Tonsetic - Like mafia stuff this is another subject I like, Vietnam. Don't ask me why, but I can't get enough Vietnam TV shows, movies, video games, or books. I know everyone loves WW2, but Vietnam is my war of preference. Anyway, the title pretty much says what the book is about. It was written by someone who lived it and got back in touch with and found the other people in his battalion that were there to get their stories and views of what happened and piece it all together. It goes into great detail and really makes you realise what these guys had to go through. I'm almost half way through it, but it is great so far.

And up next in the queue are:
On the Run: A Mafia Childhood by Gregg and Gina Hill - That's right, you read the names right. Henry Hill's kids. Like I said I love mafia books, so i am interested to read this and kinda see where Goodfellas left off. I read the book Wiseguy, which Goodfellas is based on, a while ago and that had so much more info on Henry in it, as books usually do rather than movies, so I am definitely interested to continue his saga. We'll see how it is.

The Bourne Legacy by Robert Ludlum and Eric Van Lustbader - Again, Ludlum, Bourne, what's not to love?

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz - Koontz's newest book that was just released.



So I hope you found this interesting. Maybe you found something good to read. maybe it just killed some time reading all this. Depending whether or not I can keep this reading pace up or not, this may be a regular feature. We found a great book overstock warehouse place where you get all the newest hardcover books (I prefer hardcovers, but hey do have soft also) for like 6 bucks after they leave the stores. So if you can wait a month or two after it comes out to read the book you want, it's a great deal. If you actually made it all the way through this babbling, then Kudos to you.

Happy Birthday Moe

So it's been a while. I've just been too busy to write. A lot has gone on, but nothing earth-shattering that you would really care about. Jessica is getting big and so is Moe. It was actually his birthday the other day, so he is officially 1 year old now. One of my resolutions for the new year will be to try and write more, but we'll see how that goes. So here is the rest of my blog in picture form. P.S. - Congrats Kenisti!


Moe when we first got him:



And Moe now, 10 and a half months later:



And some recent jessica pictures: