Thursday, June 30, 2011

She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby



I associate this hit with my joining the New York Public Library Science and Technology Division in February 1983

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Grand Slam Heaven

When we were on vacation in California we ate breakfast several times at Dennys where we ate their grand slam special.  Today Met fans are in grand slam heaven.  No Met player hit a grand slam home run since August 1, 2009, but last night Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran both him grand slams as the Mets beat the Detroit Tigers 14-3.  Keep it going!

Game summary

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Big Speculation on Radio Message Boards about 101.9 FM

Whenever a radio station is sold there is always speculation as to what new format will come.  For many years. WPIX-FM owned by Tribune broadcasting owned the license at 101.9 for many years.  If you read the Wikipedia entry for this station you will see that it had many shortlived formats.  In August 1988 the station adopted a smooth jazz format and changed its call letter to WQCD. In February 2008 Emmis Communications which acquired the station in 1997 announced a change to a rock format under the WRXP call letters and the tagline 101.9 RXP: The New York Rock Experience. 

Majority ownership of the station was acuired by Merlin Media LLC, a new entity headed by veteran radio executive Randy Michaels.  Now there is speculation that the station will change format to News/Talk when the deal is consummated.  I don't care for that format.  There has been much discussion on radio message boards about this, but it is essentially talk.  Only Randy Michaels will make the decision.  We'll have to wait and see what happens.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Why Couldn't All Met Games be like this?

It was the Mets 14 Texas 5 in a nationally televised game from Arlington, Texas.  The Met's bats really came alive for once. The 17 hits for the Mets matched their season high.  The first 8 batters in the 6th inning got hits.  Lucas Duda was 4 for 5 and hit a long double with the bases loaded just missing a grand slam.  No Met has hit a grand slam home run in almost 2 years.

Game Summary

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Thank Goodness for Redundancy in Mass Transit

For the third time this week there were power problems on New Jersey Transit.  If you are really interested read about it in The Asbury Park Press.  To quote the article "Some of the infrastructure on the corridor, especially the overhead wires and equipment that distributes electricity to the wire to power trains dates to the 1930s-era electrification done by the Pennsylvania Railroad."  IMHO an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Amtrak owns the tracks and the right of way, and thus New Jersey Transit customers are second class riders.  I really think more effort must be placed into maintenance to prevent these failures before they happen.

Today, I encountered delays both going and coming to work. I arrived at Penn Station about 7:30 and saw that no trains were running to New Jersey.  I immediately walked over to 6th Avenue and 33rd Street and took the PATH.  Thank goodness for redundancy in mass transit.  If I had to go further, I would have no other choice but to wait.  Going home as I boarded an NJ Transit train in Newark, an announcement was made that there were problems with the catenary wire problems.  I immediately left the train and for the second time in a day took the PATH.  If the train had been caught between stations I would really have been out of luck.

It seems that whether you drive or use public transportation, there will always be problems.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Major League Baseball Parks that I have visited

Since I completed my California trip I should revised my list of major league baseball parks that I have visited.  In no particular order:

  1. Fenway Park
  2. Ebbets Field
  3. Polo Grounds
  4. Shea Stadium
  5. Citifield
  6. Yankee Stadium (original)
  7. Yankee Stadium (1976)
  8. Yankee Stadium (2009)
  9. Citizen's Bank Park
  10. RFK Stadium
  11. PNC Park Pittsburgh
  12. Progressive Stadium Cleveland
  13. Great American Ball Park Cinncinati
  14. Busch Stadium (newest)
  15. Wrigley Field
  16. US Cellular
  17. Miller Parl
  18. Target Field
  19. Candlestick Park
  20. AT&T Park
  21. McAfee Stadium (Oakland)
  22. Dodger Stadium
  23. Angels Stadium

Sunday, June 19, 2011

BULLETIN - Bob Dylan to Play at Jones Beach August 13

Presale - Tuesday June 21 at 10 AM

And I got tickets the first day they went on sale.  At least this time we will be able to sit during the concert.

Some Final Thoughts on My Vacation

I just hated driving around Southern California.  To quote Burt Bachrach and Hal David "LA is one big Freeway."  The traffic all over was just horrendous.  Someitmes I wonder if there are more cars than people.  My rental car was a Chevy Impala which was brand new.  This car had the odometer and speedometer in metric units.  I suppose it was meant to be sold in Canada.  It takes a little time to get adjusted to a dfferent car.  I only wish that the rental company would include the owners manual.  Running around from one location was tiring with having to fight the traffic.

Photos can be seen at https://picasaweb.google.com/Bigtownman/SouthernCaliforniaVacationJune2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCNDgpcKHmoKarAE#

Back to work tomorrow.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Southern California Vacation - Day 8 June 17



We started out on Friday, our last full day in California, at the Aquarium of the Pacific, a quick 5 minute drive from our hotel.    It is organized into 3 main galleries with an emphasis on the aquatic life of the Pacific Ocean. The guide states that there are 1100 fish among 500 species at this aquarium. A special exhibit titled Arctic & Antarctic: Our Polar Regions in Peril demonstrated the changes in those regions caused by global warming.

In the early evening we drove up to Brentwood to meet with Joe Viel and his wife Faye for dinner. I knew Joe in the late 60s and early 70s when we belonged to Sigma Beta Phi fraternity at the City College of New York. Joe moved to California in the early 70s and has traveled extensively for his business. I always remember Joe for introducing me to beer. In his honor I drank a Heinekin with my dinner.

Southern California Vacation - Day 7 June 16

Today I revisited Disneyland after 31 years. In 1980 before I was married I went with my buddy Herb Hollander. It was certainly a small world as we met fellow Queens B’nai Brith Singles members Robin Brown and Sandy Bernstein. Let’s turn the clock ahead to June 2011 as I returned with Karen and Lee. Anaheim is certainly more developed with several hotels near Disneyland.

Many of the attractions have likely been at Disneyland since the park’s opening in 1955. These include:

The Main Street Cinema featuring Steamboat Willy
The Mark Twain Riverboat
Pirates of the Caribbean
Big Thunder Mountain Railway
Space Mountain
It’s A Small World

Many of the attraction were updated to include some of the newer Disney characters such of Buzz Lightyear and Nemo.

It was nice to be a kid again for a day.

Southern California Vacation Day 6 - June 15


Dodger Stadium, built in 1962, is now the third oldest baseball stadium with Fenway Park and Wrigley Field being older. Today we drove over there to see an afternoon game between the Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds. Karen, Lee and I wore our New York Mets uniforms and drew attention from a few other Met fans in attendance. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that today’s Los Angeles Dodgers were wearing the uniforms of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Also all food was half price. If we had known that we would have worn Brooklyn Cyclone t-shirts. The game was very disappointing as the Dodgers lost to the Reds 7 - 2. Scott Rolen was the hitting star with 3 hits and 3 RBIs.

Box Score

Southern California Vacation - Day 5 June 14


Sometimes the best things in life are free. I think that this applies to the Getty Center where we visited on Tuesday. It is funded by the Getty Trust Fund so museum admission was free. When visitors arrive they must take a tram up a hill to get to the museum complex. There were several pavilions all of which featured artwork from Europe pre 1900. It certainly would be paradise for any art lover. I never heard of most of the artists who paints and sculptures were featured.

We attended an “Architecture Tour” where the docent discussed the architecture of the complex designed by Richard Meier. I didn’t know that the Getty Center opened in 1997. When I return to NJIT I will have to check out at least one book about him.

We also attended a tour of the gardens on the site which was designed and conceived by Robert Irwin.

I highly recommend the Getty Center to anyone visiting Southern California.
http://www.getty.edu - for more information

Southern California Vacation Day 4 - June 13



On Wednesday I felt like a kid again as we went to Universal Studios Hollywood. . We took the studio tour to explore where Hollywood movies are made. The highlight of the tour was the all new King Kong 360-3D created by Peter Jackson. There were several shows such as Universal’s Animal Actors, The Blues Brothers, and Terminator 2: 3D. It was certainly an enjoyable day.

Southern California Vacation Day 3 June 12

For several years we have seen at least one baseball game when we go n vacation. For three years we went on a Jay Buckley Baseball Tour when the entire vacation was devoted to our national pastime, but we decided that this year we wanted to do other things. Today we drove to Anaheim to see the Angels play the Kansas City Royals. It was not a very good game as the locals lost 9-0. Did we really have to travel to Southern California to see poor hitting and pitching. It was the 9th shutout loss of the season for the Angels.

Box Score

Southern California Vacation - Day 2 June 11

Saturday, our first full day in California was very eventful. I had made arrangements to meet with Rich Jacoby who was my classmate at PS 139 Queens about 50 years ago. We had reconnected through e-mail and Facebook and had spoken several times over the phone. We drove up to his home in Beverly Hills which is about a one hour drive from Long Beach. Rich gave us the grand tour of the Los Angeles area. I certainly observed that Southern California is a collection of suburbs in search of a city. People in this region are certainly very much dependant on the automobile. Things are just so spread out. In many places the traffic was absolutely horrendous. Rich drove us through communities such as Westwood, Brentwood, Santa Monica, and Hollywood. As we passed near the location of the OJ Simpson “incident” in 1994 Rich asked me if I wanted to stop. I politely said no.

After the tour we went to a shopping mall called The Grove We ate at the Cheesecake Factory and from there walked around the original Farmers Market. We concluded the evening by seeing the movie Super 8.

Just Returned from a Southern California Vacation

Bruce’s Journal has indicated that I was on vacation this past week.    A few people advised me not to post on Facebook or in my journal that I am away from home.  Somebody can look up my home address and burglarize my apartment while I am away.   I teased my audience by posting some songs  about Southern California. The next several journal entries will describe my vacation.

We took a cab to Kennedy Airport to catch our Jet Blue Flight to Los Angeles. I had never flown on that airline before, so I was surprised to see that we had access to XM Radio and satellite TV. Also the legroom was wider than on other airlines. We arrived at LAX at about 3 PM, picked up our luggage and took a van to Budget Rent A Car. I got a brand new Chevy Impala. It did take to adjust to driving a different car. The traffic on I-405 from LAX to Long Beach where we are staying was brutal, but I was warned about that. We checked into our room and ate dinner. I brought my laptop, accessed Facebook and watched Jeopardy.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Spotlight on Vin Scully

I first followed baseball when I was 8 years old when my Dad introduced me to the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Back then Vin Scully did play by play for "Dem Bums".  Today at age 83 he is still doing the broadcasts for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He actually started in the Dodgers' radio and TV booths in 1950.  What an amazing career!

Biography in the Wikipedia

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

This Journal Can be Seen on Smartphones

Blogger.com has added code to make its blogs viewable on smartphones.  Please feel free to visit my journal on your iPhone, Blackberry, or similar device.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Martin Scorcese Documentary about George Harrison to be released this yea

George Harrison in my opinion was the most underrated Beatle.  He seemed to be stifled working behind Lennon and McCartney.  Artistically he benefitted the most by the breakup of the Beatles.  I just found out that there will be a documentary about him produced by Martin Scorcese that will be released later this year.  Its name will be George Harrison: Living in the Material World.

More information

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Congratulations to Patrick Guice and Paula Ross on their Wedding Today

The radio show Saturday Night Oldies with its message board created a virtual community of listeners which became real through a series of small and large "Meets and Greets" held at restaurants.  Please contact Alan Berman if you need more information about these events past and present.  I may as well let the cat out of the bag and announce that the next event will be on November 12th at Ben's Deli in Manhattan.

I certainly wish Patrick and Paula many years of happiness as husband and wife.  I hope they will listen to Cousin Brucie together on Sirius/XM.  In honor of their wedding I would like to dedicate to them Bobalu's Wedding Day by the eternals.  I think the 50s on 5 Channel on Sirius/XM may be the only place where this 50s hit can be heard.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Friday, June 10, 2011

Monday, June 6, 2011

Article in the Business Section of the Sunday New York Times

The article written Eilene Zimmerman titled Between College and That First Job caught my eye and brought back some memories. She suggested that recent graduate use that time to try to develop skills needed for employment and to network with people who can lead to professional employment.  That is much easier today with services such as Facebook and LinkedIn.  She also said that any job is better than no job in the interim.  There is always that "Catch-22" - I can't find a job since nobody will give me one because I am unemployed.  Believe me I know that experience.

Let's turn the clock back to early 1974.  I left the University of Rhode Island in January with a masters degree in chemistry and no job prospects.  It was hard to return to living with my parents after 2 years of being on my own.  In early March I got a temporary job doing clerical work for a bank making a few cents above the minimu wage.  Finally in May I was hired by Rhodia a chemical company in New Brunswick, NJ.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Jose Jose - Mets beat the Braves 5-0

Jose Reyes hit a triple in the 7th inning to drive in 3 runs as the Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 5-0.  I really hope that Jose stays with the Mets after his contract expires at the end of the season.  There is speculation in the media that the Mets will not have the money to sign him and will trade him to get some players in exchange.  Reyes has been one of the few highlights for the Mets this season.  Dillion Gee certainly has been a pleasant surprise as he is now 6-0.  He is certainly a good candidate for rookie of the year honors.

Box Score

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Mini Meet and Greet of Oldies Radio Enthusiasts

Since Alan Berman just can't wait for the annual Meet and Greet and Ben's Deli we had a small gathering for breakfast at the Palace Diner near Queens College.  The following were there:
  • Bruce Slutsky
  • Karen Slutsky
  • Lee Slutsky
  • Alan Berman
  • Terri D
  • Cara Sieden
  • Ira Sieden
There was a little discussion about Facebook.

Alan -  "Facebook is the greatest thing on earth."
Karen - "Facebook is nothing but nonsense."

Here is my opinion.  Facebook can be a big waste of time, but I have enjoyed reconnecting with people from my past.  I have had some interesting discussions with people who share my leisure interests.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Kate Palmer - Facebook Friend of the Day

In honor of her birthday, Kate Palmer is my Facebook friend of the day.  She lives in Philadelphia, roots for the Phillies and is a big oldies fan.  She is regular poster to the oldies message board and listens to Bob Radil's  show on Rewound Radio on Friday nights.   I will not reveal her age.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Quote from Ann Landers

"Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head.”” — Ann Landers

I refuse to let a few people who dislike me live in my head.  Why must a difference of opinion about a radio show and its host continue to cause such animosity? 

The two sentences above may be attributed to me.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Gary Fishbein - Facebook Friend of the Day

I have only met Gary a few times.  Every time I see him his wearing New York Mets paraphernalia.  He even works at Citifield.  For his unconditional devotion to the Amazin's, he has earned the title of my Facebook Friend of the Day.
 
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