Jay-Z.... (still encoded for now)

I was all primed & ready to order the new Jay-Z book, "Decoded" tomorrow but was fairly disappointed to find that while the Hardcover version of the book comes available tomorrow, I won't be able to download the e-book via Amazon's Kindle app for another 3 weeks on Dec. 7th.

Upon reading my 1st e-book, I decided I could never go back to hauling around an actual book ever again. I absolutely love the way the Kindle apps on my iPhone and iPad both sync with one another so that regardless of which device I choose to read from, my most recent stopping point & notes are saved (& synced over-the-air) in both apps.

I've also read e-books via the Kobo app as well the iBook reader designed specifically for Apple devices. After trying each at some point, the Kindle app remains my favorite e-book interface to navigate.

But I guess it's just as well that the e-book won't come out til December since I won't even have finished the Bush book by then - but still, I really wanted it on-deck in the archive.

I'm finding that I've been far more willing to read since the increased popularity & sales of e-book downloads for Kindles, iPads & other similar devices. Initially (though fully aware of the technology), I ignored the concept realizing that only the most popular titles were offered as e-books.

It appears the trend has finally begun to swing in the opposite direction as many more titles are available for immediate download the same day that their hard copy counterparts are. So it seems (at least until the next generation of reading technology comes along) e-books are here to stay. If you 've never before read from a e-book reader of some sort, give it a spin. Who knows? You just might re-discover the world of literature just like I did...

Hoya Paranoia...

Last night the Georgetown Hoyas opened the 2010-11 season on the road, in a rather hostile environment vs the Old Dominion Monarchs with a 62-59 win. You've gotta give Coach Thompson credit for not being afraid to start the season against a very worthy adversary in such a feisty environment.

From the opening tip in Norfolk, it became clear that inside play of forwards Julian Vaughn (senior) & Hollis Thompson (sophomore) will be key once Big East play begins, otherwise there could be issues with the lack depth/experienced size in the low-post with the departure of Greg Monroe for the NBA. Both Vaughn & Thompson struggled from the field, so it'll be important to get the kiddies plenty of minutes before Big East play starts in December.

The Hoyas do however maintain a strong back-court with the return of senior guards Austin Freeman & Chris Wright. I think the play of junior guard Jason Clark will be critical to their success as well. The three played well, though Wright had a few 1st-game jitters as evidenced by a some shaky decision-making during Hoya fast breaks. But the Bowie, MD native came up huge down the stretch & looked very much like a senior, shooting 7-13 from the field, including 4-6 from 3-point land, finishing with 19 points to lead all scorers.

G'town got off to a fairly slow start and continued the poor shooting, for much of the 1st-half before a late run made it apparent that it would only a matter of time before they'd fully awake. Early foul trouble kept the Hoyas from opening the game up down the stretch, but solid guard-play secured the win. Sophomore guard Vee Sanford definitely needs more minutes as he looked like one of the most athletic players on last year's team, didn't see his at all last night.

Freshman forward Nate Lubick got plenty of minutes & looked good down-low in relief of Vaughn & Thompson. I'd also like to see more of center Henry Simms (junior) on the court with Vaughn a little more, that way size wouldn't be such an issue with the 3-guard lineup. Nonetheless, the Princeton offense seems to once again be affective in crossing defenses up & I look forward to the start of conference play...

'Dubya'

Amazing – I still can’t quite believe this myself, but I’m actually reading the memoirs (entitled 'Decision Points') from George W. Bush’s two terms in office as the 43rd President of the United States of America, but that’s precisely what I’m doing! For many years, I’ve harbored ‘certain’ feelings for this man & never dreamed that I’d ever feel any differently. Yet incredibly, my feelings have since changed in that regard.

1st off, let me emphatically state that I claim to be neither republican nor democrat (I think BOTH parties suck ass). As far as political affiliations go, I guess I’d be best described as an independent; however, I’d beg to differ with that assessment in many instances as well.

It all started with the 2008 release of Oliver Stone’s biopic “W.” which traced the ultimate rise to power of the former President (played by Josh Brolin). Though much of the movie was more or less frowned upon & viewed as sketchy by the Bush camp in general, it allowed people to see a side of him that was often rumored & discussed, but rarely documented & never before depicted on-screen.

It was at this point that I started to think to myself, ‘this dude actually ain’t that bad,’ sure he might have been misunderstood & aloof at times (ok, ok – most of the time, lol), but far from the devil reincarnate that many people would have you to believe that he was.

As far as his opponents & critics (including myself), I think his perceived lack of intelligence & foresight simply became the easiest thing to attack. Though I still question many of his domestic & foreign policy decisions, I feel I have a clearer understanding of why he felt the need to make some of the choices he did.

Then came his November 9th appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. To me, he appeared to be a far more relaxed & easy-going person & while I've come to understand this to be typical of most presidents following their respective presidencies during my lifetime, he seemed far more genuine in his responses to the various questions that Oprah placed upon him & she certainly threw some hardballs at him, so I was pleasantly surprised to observe the candor in his responses.

Sure, it's common for people of his stature to get coached before making appearances, but I don't really see the motivation for such in this instance. He's done with all hoopla we've come to know as being Head of State — so really, why would he even bother to put forth the effort of so triumphantly fooling people at this point? I realize at the end of the day he's still a politician, so it may be deeply ingrained into his subconscious after so many years, but I really don't feel that's the case in this instance.

I was especially interested in hearing his thoughts on the tanking of our economy, 9/11 & the Katrina/FEMA debacle. Those were definitely the biggest issues during his reign & he again succeeded in pacifying my thoughts, even though the hour-long format of the show only afforded him to briefly touch upon each topic. I can't really determine how his interview came across to other viewers at this point, but my gut leads me to believe that many felt the same afterwards.

I look forward to finishing the book & will undoubtedly share my conclusive thoughts of the man with you all upon doing so...