This is going to be a post about this and that. Nothing exciting.
So, as you know, I accepted the challenge by my friend to watch all the Marvel movies on Disney+. I've watched all of them at least twice and most three times. My first pass through was over a long weekend where, I think, I got three hours of sleep, lol!
The movies are much better than I expected! The only titles I didn't watch three times were Ant Man (great movie, but I just couldn't with the scenes of ants swarming over things....I'm almost phobic about ants. Oddly, I was okay with Ant Man and the Wasp!), Doctor Strange (again, great movie, but I just didn't feel the need to see it again), Black Panther (I really LOVED this movie, but it broke my heart to watch it), Iron Man 2 (I just didn't care for this one) and Thor: Dark World (I love Chris Eccleston, but Natalie Portman didn't seem like she was interested in being in the movie, so she was really distracting and it took away from the movie).
The titles I've watched the most? Thor: Ragnarok, Captain America, Iron Man (the only one I'd seen before the challenge and I think I have on DVD somewhere), The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
I was surprised at the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies. First time I watched them I didn't really care much. They were "meh". Second time, I really liked them! I think one of my favorite sounds in the world is the sound of Drax laughing. It's such a big, hearty laugh. I wish I knew someone who laughed like that!
Another surprise hit for me was Captain Marvel. I first watched it late in the list (it was in phase 4), and it seemed out of place. Watching it after Captain America, it made more sense. Probably best that I didn't have any expectations going in to it. I knew next to nothing about the character and really only watched it so it would advance the storyline of the overall story arc. Such a good movie!
My final takeaway - Nick Fury is a complex and very interesting badass and I should have seen more Halloween costumes of him over the past how many years since these movies have been released.
On other topics, with the new strains of the virus, the insurrection, the subsequent shameful actions of the GOP and all the legends we have lost this year, so far 2021 has been really crummy. People I know still believe the election was stolen, so I have to hear comments about that, which sucks. One of my co-workers transferred to a different office this week and the main guy on his team is a nightmare and, until the replacement starts and learns our systems, everyone else has fill the void. That guy makes mistakes and blames everyone else, so I'm not thrilled to have to deal with that. I miss my work friend and have to deal with his shitty team member. BAH!
Trying to look to the future though and I'm sure it's going to get better. POTUS Biden has been doing great things (in just one week!), the vaccine has begun rolling out and we don't have to hear about Trumps tweets every two minutes. Such a relief! I don't feel as tense as I have been for the past four years.
I took my handsome Gotham to the vet for his annual check-up for his hypertension and renal issues and, thankfully, the vet said everything is great. Bloodwork and physical exam were better than I expected (his weight is good too, 13lbs!). He said "whatever you're doing, keep it up!". That means lucky Gotham gets to be spoiled for another year. He's turning 15 this summer, so I'm prone to getting anxious about his health.
Reading a really good book by T.J. English called "The Westies: Inside New York's Irish Mob". Very interesting look at Irish organized crime in NYC (specifically Hell's Kitchen) from the late 1960's through to the 1980's. I'd read about and watched documentaries that mention them in relation to Italian groups (the DeMeo crew of the Gambino's in Canarsie), but I'd never read anything from the point of view of the Westies. The main individuals are still alive too. Micky Featherstone and Billy Beattie are in Witness Protection and the rest are or until recently have been in prison (Jimmy Coonan). I was surprised to learn there weren't hundreds of people in the gang, but really only a few dozen! So if you are interested in New York Organized Crime Non-Fiction, give it a read.
I also just finished "The President Street Boys: Growing Up Mafia" by Frank DiMatteo. This book focuses on the Gallo faction of the Colombo Family (formerly the Profaci Family). If you can get past the grammar, language and formatting issues, it's a good read as well. Normally, you only hear about the Gallo's as a footnote to "Crazy Joe" Gallo's life and you really only hear about Joe Gallo as a footnote to the murder of Joe Colombo. You never read stories about the crew itself. I've always been interested in learning about Larry Gallo (Joe's older brother) and Albert "Kid Blast" Gallo (Joe's younger brother). This book was written by the son of a close associate, who himself was also involved with the family. If you're looking to read about the lion they kept, Carmine Persico or Joe Colombo, there are better books (two written by the same author). They are small entries here. There should be more books about these folks. That being said, I haven't been able to bring myself to read "The Mad Ones" by Tom Folsom. I saw a show he was on and just couldn't bring myself to buy or read it (yet), but hey, I might change my mind in the future. Frank DiMatteo actually lived this stuff, Plus, he has one of the best book titles ever (I just had to buy it) "Brooklyn Gangsters: 70 Square Miles of Blood and Balls". HAHAHA, that title is so great!
I don't read about organized crime and true crime exclusively, even though I know it looks that way! To be honest, apart from "A Promised Land" (Obama), there haven't been many new books I've wanted to read. Besides, watching 20 Marvel movies multiple times takes up a lot of time and limits what I could be spending reading. :-)
Well, I guess I should do some chores. The kitchen isn't going to clean itself....
