13 Years on Facebook

I received a notification today that it is my 13th anniversary of being on Facebook.  I look back at my activity with mixed feelings.  It can be a very big time suck and a waste of time.  I admit that much of what I have posted is nonsense.  Does the world have to know that I went to a movie today?  On the other hand, I have connected with many people who share professional and leisure interests.  I have likely discovered information on Facebook that I would not have found elsewhere.

There is the issue of my 543 Facebook Friends.  When I first signed up I was very eager to friend people, but as the years passed I lost that desire.  Most of them I have met either just once or not at all.  Sometimes an online relationship develops but fades over time.  I don't like it when people post about illnesses and other problems.  Why do I have to read about a stranger's problems?  I try to avoid not getting too personal on Facebook and in this journal.

The most difficult posts I wrote in Facebook were when my mother was ill and eventually passed away.  It was my sad duty to report the untimely passing of my friend Alan Berman.

I guess the beat will go on and I will post on Facebook as I've done for 13 years and read other people's posts.

Afternoon at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)

A Claude Monet at the museum

One of Many Picassos seen today

We hadn't been to MOMA in several months, so it was time for a return visit.  I must say that the museum was very crowded today.  It is nice to see so many people interested in a fine cultural institution.  We started on the 6th floor which featured Bruce Nauman Disappearing Acts .  We had seen some of the exhibits on lower floors before, it never hurts to view them again.  The most popular painting was Starry Nights by Vincent Van Gogh.  Our tickets allow us to visit MOMA PS1 within the next two weeks.

WPLJ - White Port and Lemon Juice by the Bel-Aires - Oldie of the Day

There is plenty of radio news and speculation about the sale of WPLJ and WNSH by Cumulus Broadcasting.  There are plenty of amateur radio executives making their predictions including myself.  What will be will be?

For further information check out:

• The New York Radio Message Board
• Radio Discussions
• Radioinsight 

Larry Brand of Forest Hills High School Class of 1967 Passes Away

It is always sad to hear about a classmate's passing even though I haven't seen him in many years.  We last saw each other at a High School reunion in 2002.  I knew Larry in Forest Hills High School as we were both enrolled in a "Special Science" program.  I remember sitting with him in the cafeteria singing Bob Dylan's Rainy Day Women #12 and #35.  In October 1966 he and fellow classmate Mike Bandler were suspended for having long hair.  This situation was written up in the New York Times.

According to an obituary, he attended City College of New York at the same time as me, but I don't remember seeing him there.  He was a very successful filmmaker, writer, and director in Hollywood.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Jackie Robinson Exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York

Although I last visited the Museum of the City of New York in November, I had to visit again to see the Jackie Robinson exhibit which is there for the 100th anniversary of his birth.  This exhibit was placed in the corridor on the third floor.  It displayed many photos of Jackie with the Dodgers from 1947-56.  There were also several magazine articles from that era that discussed his coming to the Dodgers.

What was there was quite good, but I was disappointed that the exhibit was small as it took me only 30 minutes to view.  I am looking forward to the opening of the Jackie Robinson Museum in lower Manhattan later this year.

Islanders 4 Avalanche 3 in OT at Barclays Center

We hadn't been to a hockey game this season, so since this was a day game, I thought it would be time to take the subway to Brooklyn to see the Islanders play.  They have not won the Stanley Cup since 1983 when they won it for the fourth consecutive year.  Presently, they lead the Metropolitan Division and would get a high seed if they held on.

The fell behind 2-0 but rallied to take a 3-2 lead.  J.T. Compher tied it 3-3 with 2:45 remaining in the 3rd period when his shot deflected in off the skate of Islanders defenseman Devon Toews.  But Ryan Pulock scored his second goal 2:23 in the overtime to give the Islanders the victory.

Game Summary

Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show - 55 Years Ago

It is hard to believe that 55 years have passed since the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Who thought that more than half a century later we would still be listening to their music.