Gimme Little Sign by Brenton Wood - Oldie of the Day

 

I can't think of anything new to write today.  I guess it is a case of writer's cramp.  Anyway, I just heard Gimme Little Sign on 60s Gold with Phlash Phelps so I thought I would post it.

The Rick Nelson - Bob Dylan Connection

 

On May 15, Bob Dylan covered Rick Nelson's Garden Party at the Chula Vista, California Outlaw Music Festival. Dylan actually sang about himself.

Taken out of context:

And over in the corner

Much to my surprise

Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes

Wearing his disguise 

Back in 1969, Rick Nelson covered Dylan's She Belongs to Me originally recorded on the Bringing It All Back Home album in 1965.

Another Evening at Flushing Town Hall: Global Mashup: Middle Eastern Rock Meets Western Swing.

 

Since Flushing Town Hall is within walking distance of home, I have attended several events documented in this journal. Last night's program was titled Global Mashup: Middle Eastern Rock Meets Western Swing. After two dance workshops, each band played a set, and then the two met and jammed for the third and final "Mashup" set.

The first group was Chogan, a Middle Eastern rock band founded by Mehrnam Rastegari, a master kamancheh player, composer, and singer. With her original compositions, she celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Middle East while blending it seamlessly with the universal energy of rock music, delivering a sound that is both deeply rooted and refreshingly.

Queen Esther fronted the second group.  She was raised in Atlanta and rooted in Charleston’s Lowcountry traditions; her work fuses Black Southern heritage with Americana, blues, jazz, and alt-country, creating a rich, reclamation-driven soundscape.

It is nice to do something different on a Saturday night.  On  early Sunday afternoon, I am listening to the recording of Cousin Brucie's radio show.

Thank Goodness I Don't Have to Cope with a New Jersey Transit Strike

 

For 25 years (1992-2017), I commuted from Flushing to Newark, NJ, using the New York City Subway and New Jersey Transit.  Over that time, I encountered numerous delays for different reasons.  Believe me, that miserable commute took its toll on me.  I documented many of those problems in my companion commuting blog.  In those 25 years, I never experienced a strike by New Jersey Transit workers.

Today, the engineers struck over wages (what else?), impacting about 350,000 commuters. Some substitute bus service is available, but that could only accommodate 20% of those affected. Traffic is bad enough in the Garden State, but this situation will force more people to drive to work.

Since I have been retired for over 7 years, I don't have to worry about this, but it gives me an excuse to write a blog entry.  I could have used the PATH trains to travel from Midtown Manhattan to Newark, but I assume those trains would be jam-packed even for reverse commuters.  Perhaps my employer would let me work from home as was done during the COVID pandemic.  But not everyone can work from home.

I was amused by this article in the Gothamist that criticized current Governor Phil Murphy for not fixing the problems on New Jersey Transit, which this article states that the system is worse now than it was when he took office.  So commuting would have been worse for me had I not retired.  Anyway, at age 68, it was time to pack it in.

Since term limits prevent Murphy from running again, there is a primary battle for the Democratic nomination.  In the umpteen commercials I've seen by the various candidates, there is no mention of how they will solve the problems on New Jersey Transit.

I wish the best of luck to current commuters.

Trying to Juggle Jeopardy, the Knicks, and the Mets Last Night

 

Last night's game at Citi Field was part of my 20-Game package for the Mets. It was raining all day and at about 5 PM I decided not to go.  This is a rare decision for me, but I didn't want to feel uncomfortable sitting in a damp and cold stadium with the possibility of a rain delay.  But I have plenty of games to see in the future.  In any event, the Mets lost 4-0 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.  There was only a short 15-minute delay at the start of the game.

The TV schedule last night:

• Regular Jeopardy 7 PM
• Wheel of Fortune 7:30 PM
• Celebrity Wheel of Fortune 8 PM (we recorded this on the DVR)
• Mets vs Pittsburgh 7 PM
• Knicks vs Celtics 7 PM
• Jeopardy Masters 9 PM

We watched Jeopardy and Wheel between 7 and 8.  At 8 PM I turned on the Knicks and watched until halftime.  At that point, I watched the Mets until 9 PM.

The answers on Jeopardy Masters were really tough.  When I was watching it, I saw on my phone that the Knicks lost to the Celtics 127-102, forcing a Game 6 on Friday at MSG.

Jeopardy was the big winner of the night.

Is Chronicles Volume II - An Autobiography of Bob Dylan Being Released Soon?

 

In 2004, Bob Dylan wrote an autobiography called Chronicles Volume I. There were supposed to be three volumes in this series, but after 20 years, nothing has been said about the next two volumes.  Sean Penn, who narrated volume 1 said that he was just getting ready to record Chronicles II but he hadn't read it yet. To be clear, he mentioned it by title so we're not talking Bob's recent book on music.

Dylan has always been secretive about what he does, so we will have to wait and hear for an announcement.  I really should reread Volume 1 as it has been cited by the Dylan scholars.

Mets 6 Cubs 2 on Mother's Day at Citi Field

The Mets took a 1-0 lead as Luis Torrens hit a triple in the second inning to drive in Starlin Marte.  In the top of the sixth, Pete Crow-Armstrong homered for the Cubs to tie the game. The Mets traded Crow-Armstrong to the Cubs at the trading deadline in 2021 for Javier Baez, who did not sign with the Mets in the off-season.  Mark Vientos homered in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead.  Nico Hoerner drove in a run in the seventh inning to tie the game again.

The Mets rallied for four runs in the eighth, featuring home runs by Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo, to win the game 6-2.

Game Summary

I made a fashion statement at the game.