Wednesday, October 31, 2012

So Many Sad Stories

It was so sad to watch the TV news as the devastation from Hurricane Sandy was described as we just start to clean up.  The worst areas were the New Jersey shore, Staten Island, and the Rockaways.  Friend and radio enthusiast Mary Shaw had to evacuate from her Staten Island home and has lost many possessions and may have even lost her house.  My prayers go out to Mary and thousands of others who lost so much.

I was very saddened to hear this story of the Staten Island women who lost her children as they were ripped from her arms by waves generated by the storm.

I must count my blessings as my family faced minimal inconvenience from this miserable storm.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Hurricane Day #2 - The Storm Ended - Such Terrible Damage

Several radio stations were off the air due to storm damage.  1010 WINS was broadcasting on 92.3 FM.  Several AM radio stations including 570, 620, 820, and 1280 were completely off the air.  We watched the TV news which included press conferences by NJ Governor Christie and NYC Mayor Bloomberg.  It turns out that 95% of Newark including NJIT lost power.  There was some very bad storm damage along the Jersey Shore and in Rockaway where a fire destroyed over 80 homes.

A little later in the day we watched the movie Ghost starring Demi Moore and the late Patrick Swayze.  Afterwards we decided to take a little walk around the neighborhood and noticed that North Flushing had minimal damage.  We only saw two downed trees and are grateful that there was no other damage.  Upon returning home I received a phone call from NJIT stating that classes and administrative will be closed until further notice.  I have no way of getting to work until service on the NYC Subways and NJ Transit are restored.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Hurricane Day #1 - I Should Count My Blessings

It started to rain early this morning in Queens as the winds picked up.  I received notification that NJIT will be closed today and tomorrow, but is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday.  I started my day by listening to WCBS-FM, WFUV, WBGO and SiriusXM 50s on 5.  We watched the TV news intermittently as there is only so much you can watch.  I spent some time reading Sunday's New York Times and watched the movie Field of Dreams with Kevin Kostner.  Karen and collected many movies on VHS tapes in the 80s and 90s so today was a good time to see an older movie.  In the afternoon Lee selected a DVD about the Traveling Wilburys to view.  They were some supergroup.

Anyway when we turned on the TV news in the late afternoon they showed a big flood at Linden Place and the Whitestone Expressway within walking distance of my apartment.  There is always poor drainage in that area.  We looked at the window and saw that a tree on the co-op's property had fallen over.  Thankfully, nobody was injured, but there was a report of the first storm related fatality in NYC.  As a read Facebook I noticed that over 2,000,000 in the NYC area have lost power.

I did not venture out of the apartment today and should count my blessings that until now my incoveniences have been minimal.  It will likely take days if not weeks to clean-up after the storm finally ends.  We have to take it one day at a time. Below is a video of Hurricane Sandy in Far Rockaway.


Sunday, October 28, 2012

Waiting for Sandy

I decided to take it easy today as we wait for the big hurricane,  As of 7 PM, there has not been a drop of rain, but the winds are getting stronger.  I went outside with Lee for an hour or so in the morning.  I have been facing stress with family and work related issues recently, so I felt I had to relax today.  I watched part of the Jet game as they lost badly to the Miami Dolphins 30-9.   I received a message stating that NJIT will be closed tomorrow.  Karen and I looked through our collection of VHS movies that go back to the 1980s.  We decided to watch Field of Dreams tomorrow.  Right now I am listening to the Lost 45s with Barry Scott on WROR-Boston.  I will turn on Game 4 of the World Series later.

Here is a Bob Dylan song that is really not appropriate.  Hurricane here refers to the boxer Ruben "Hurricane" Carter,


Saturday, October 27, 2012

Sandy Anxiety One Day at a Time

I always believe in taking life one day at a time.  Today was quiet before the storm as I visited my mother in Long Island in the early afternoon and saw the movie Argo in the evening.  I checked my work e-mail and saw that the METRO Annual Meeting for Monday was already cancelled.  By checking Facebook I found out that classes at Fairfield University in Connecticut and Rider University in Central NJ have already been cancelled.  NJIT has not yet made any announcements.

The questions are when will this storm begin, how long will it last, and how extensive will the damage be.  I am not sure yet what I will be doing tomorrow.  I just hate driving my car in heavy rain.

Let's take it one day at a time.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Appropriate Songs by Dion DiMucci and Bob Dylan



In November 2009 we saw Bob Dylan at the United Palace Theater with Dion DiMucci as the opening act. There is a new commonality between Bob and Dion with songs that are appropriate for the predicted major hurricane that will come to the northeast. The obvious one is Sandy by Dion. The other is Shelter from the Storm by Bob Dylan.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Corny O'Connell to become Acting Morning DJ on WFUV

WFUV announced that Corny O'Connell will be acting morning DJ after Claudia Marshall leaves on Friday. Corny has been with the station for many years and perhaps he will get that morning gig permanently.  He has a soothing voice and knows the artists and the music played on WFUV.  Morning drive is the most prestigious shift for a DJ, but he/she has to get up in the middle of the night to get to the station to start the day.  Good luck to you Corny.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Claudia Marshall Announces She is Leaving WFUV

About two years ago I wrote that Claudia Marshall is one of my 3 favorite current morning drive personalities.  On a typical morning I try to find time to listen to WCBS-FM, WFUV, and WBGO.  On today's show and in her WFUV blog she announced she was leaving WFUV after 12 years.  I understand that it is difficult to wake up at 3:30 AM to get to the station by 5:00 AM.  She is leaving to pursue other interests.  I certainly wish her well in her future endeavors as she will be missed by her listeners.  I have not yet heard of who will succeed her in morning drive.  It is possible that an inside person will fill the job temporarily while a permanent host will announced later.  Stay tuned.

Monday, October 22, 2012

The Beatles are Re-Releasing Magical Mystery Tour on DVD

The Beatles music and films transcend the generations.  By now the grandchildren of the Beatles 1964 are likely listening to the music of the Fab Four.  I enjoyed the music from the Magic Mystery Tour, but the film itself was silly and childish in my opinion.  I vaugely remember seeing it on Channel 5 with Cousin Brucie as the host.  Everyone is out for the almighty buck, so they are re-releasing the film on DVD.  I will take a pass by not purchasing it.


Sunday, October 21, 2012

Thinking about Past and Present Presidential Campaigns


The passing today of Senator George McGovern caused me to recall some of the presidential campaigns of the past.  Yes, the presidential campaign of McGovern vs. Nixon was the most polarizing one that I remember.  Differences of opinion about America’s involvement in the Vietnam War created a lot of bad blood.  The issues of Watergate and its cover-up were revealed after the election.  It seemed that Nixon wanted to derail the presidential campaign of Edmund Muskie who would have been a formidable opponent.

The first presidential campaign I can remember is the Kennedy-Nixon rivalry of 1960.  I worked for the Democratic Club on Saunders Street handing our flyers for JFK.  Tricky Dick came close to winning.  The course of American history would have changed had he been elected in 1960.

Back in 1976 when I lived in New Brunswick, NJ I gave out flyers supporting Jimmy Carter.  It seems amazing that he came from being an obscure former Governor of Georgia to become President.

Then in 2000 there was the Florida controversy that led to the election of George W. Bush over Al Gore.

The current campaign of Obama against Romney seems very dull to me.  It seems that almost everybody has his mind made up.  With the election based on the Electoral College rather than the popular vote the candidates are campaigning only in a handful of battleground states.  For that reason I am in favor of abolishing the Electoral College.  Back in 2000 Al Gore actually had more popular votes than George W. Bush.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

This Week's Radio Log

I haven't done this in a while.  Here is a list of some of the terrestrial and online radio stations I've heard this week:

  • WCBS-FM
  • WFUV
  • WBGO
  • WINS
  • WFAN
  • WEPN-FM
  • Pop Gold Radio
  • Rewound Radio
  • Hy Lit Radio
  • Dylan Radio
  • Johnny Cash Radio
  • SiriusXM 50s on 5
  • SiriusXM 60s on 6
  • Deep Tracks on SiriusXM
  • Classic Vinyl on SiriusXM
  • Willie's Place on SiriusXM
  • Outlaw Country on SiriusXM

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

More Random Thoughts of the Day

I just hate those baseball games that are longer than 3 hours.  The manager just has to take out the pitcher after facing one batter.  Years ago it just wasn't that way.  There are also more deep counts and fouled off pitches.  They Yankees are now down 3-0 against the Detroit Tigers, but after what happened in 2004  against the Red Sox, anything can happen.

There will be a big change in New York Radio as the religious station WFME at 94.7 FM was just sold to Cumulus Broadcasting.  The amateur radio station executives on the various message boards are have a field day as they are speculating what format will come to 94.7 FM.  I am not making any comments since the "Powers that Be"  will do what's best for the almighty dollar.  I am sure they don't pay attention to what is written on the message boards.

Have a nice day.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

The 7th Anniversary of Bruce's Journal


This is the 7th anniversary of Bruce’s Journal.  I have been very prolific over these years writing  over 2100 entries about my background and experiences.  My output is declining somewhat since I may be running out of new ideas.  I try not to be too personal, since there are always some issues that I don’t want to share with just anyone surfing the web.  My favorite topics are:


  • Bob Dylan
  • The New York Mets
  • Jeopardy
  • My family
  • Oldies Music


If a few days go by with writers cramp on my part, I will post of Youtube video of a song.

I analyze the use of my journals from data  from Google Analytics and from Blogger.  Some of my most popular entries were:


  • The Tale of the Two Dollar Bill 
  • Congratulations to the Beach Boys on their 50th Anniversary
  • TGIF
  • Jason Keller - Jeopardy Superstar
  • Yom Kippur
  • Remembering the Beatles Butcher Cover


People from all over the world have hit Bruce’s Journal over the 7 years.  There have been over 150,000 hits.  I am aware of a few people who read it regularly, but must people do Google searches and land on a page.

Thanks for stopping by.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Newsies the Musical

Karen and I usually like to see a Broadway show to celebrate our anniversary.  This show takes place in New York City in 1899 long before computers and the internet existed.  Back then people got their news by reading newspapers.  The Newsies were the kids who stood on the street selling newspapers.  In the show the Newsies go out on strike for more money.  I remember the big NYC newspaper strike of 1962-63.  Now only the Times, Daily News, and Post publish in NYC.  You wonder how long the print vesions of this newspapers will last,

Friday, October 12, 2012

I'm So Tired by the Beatles

It was one of those really busy weeks as I came home really tired. I'll let the Beatles express my sentiments tonight.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Happy Birthday John Lennon

Today would be the 72nd birthday of John Lennon who was tragically taken away from us on December 8, 1980.  We never know what wonder music John would have created had he lived.  Bob Dylan collaborted with George Harrsion in the early 1970s, but never worked with John.  On the new Tempest CD there is a tribute called Roll on John.

Back in the 1960s there was a documentary produced called Eat the Document which was supposed to be seen on ABC television, but was only shown on Channel 13.  I have a bootleg copy of it on VHS tape.  Anyway below is an excerpt from that film showing a conversion between Bob Dylan and John Lennon.


Monday, October 8, 2012

WFAN to be Simulcast on 101.9 FM

There was big radio news today as after months of speculation it was announced that CBS Radio bought the 101.9 FM frequency from Merlin Communications and will simulcast WFAN there beginning in November.  That is fact, but the "experts" on the various radio message boards are now speculating on what will eventually happen at 660 AM.  If my readers are interested they can go to the New York Radio Message Board or the Radio Discussions Message Board.  My opinion is that the new CBS Sports Radio Network will appear on 660 AM while local sports talk will be on 101.9.  The message board posters are speculating that CBS will have to sell one of their radio stations since they will be over the FCC limit for owning media properties in the NYC market.

For years I have been an irregular listener of WFAN.  I may listen for no more than 30 minutes a few times a week.  There are too many callers speculating on player trades and other items in the sports news.  The 101.9 FM frequency has had a checkered history.  I listened when it was WQCD smooth jazz CD101.9 which is now heard on 101.9 HD2. My guess is that smooth will leave when CBS takes over.

To quote Mr. Mathis from Forest Hills High School "We shall see what we shall see."

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Shanghai Noodle Factory by Traffic - Classic Rock Song of the Day

Since I spend most of my work day sitting at a desk, I just have to take a walk around the NJIT campus during my lunch hour.  I was tuned in to SiriusXM's Deep Track Channel the other day and heard Shanghai Noodle Factory by Traffic which I have on the Last Exit Album in vinyl.  I hadn't heard that in ages.  Here goes.


Saturday, October 6, 2012

Trouble with the Curve

We took a short ride to the multiplex in Douglaston to see Clint Eastwood in Trouble with the Curve.  I was actually one of the youngest people in the audience.  Apparently the kids who regularly go to the movies are not into Clint Eastwood.  There have been many baseball movies over the years, but this must be the only one where a major league scout is the main character.  Amy Adams plays his daughter who is very protective of her father who has developed visual problems.  He is scouting a high school prospect who can hit the ball a mile, but has trouble with the curve.  The was the best movie I have seen in quite a long time.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Random Thoughts of the Day

Bobby Valentine was fired today after being manager of the Boston Red Sox for only one season.  You can't fire the team so you fire the manager.

Webinars have become very popular and are advantageous since traveling to professionals for training is not necessary.  Today I attended one for librarians.  Two talks by colleagues I know were very good, but a keynote address was totally worthless since it didn't offer any new information.The person just spoke about the use of Web 2.0 tools in the library for the umpteenth time.  It was just a waste of  my time.

Today is the 50th anniversary of the release of the Beatles "Love Me Do."

Some cliches of the day:

  • A little common sense goes a long way in this world
  • If it is too good to be true, then it is.
  • I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

The Season Finally Ends for the Mets

The 2012 Mets season ended on a positive note as they beat the Miami Marlins 4-2.  However, it was very disappointing as the Amazins finished at 74-88 and have not had a winning season since they moved to Citifield.  The highlight of the season was the no-hitter thrown by Johann Santana on June 1.  We waited for over 50 years for that.  The other highlight was the 20 win season by R.A. Dickey with his back to back 1-hitters.

My hope for the off-season is that both David Wright and R.A. Dickey will get long term contracts.  Losing David Wright would be almost as bad as losing Tom Seaver in 1977.  There are plenty of web sites, newspaper articles and phone calls to talk radio speculating on what moves will be made over the winter.  I will refrain from making any predictions here.  It's now wait until next year.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Final Jeopardy Question Tonight


This female recording artist had #1 albums in every decade from the 1960s to 2000s.






Who is Barbra Streisand?
 
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