Breaking Up Is Hard to Do by Neil Sedaka (Slow Version)

 

I had to "break up" with a long-term male friend.  I will not go into the details here, but to make a long story short I will just say that when I needed a friend the most, he wasn't there for me.  Very often, moving on and letting go is for the best.

Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) Visit in January 2025

The last time I was at MOMA was in November 2023 so I thought it was time for a return visit on a cold Sunday afternoon.  Whenever I go to a museum, I always keep an eye out for paintings by Pablo Picasso, so you can see two above.

All over the museum there were short films.  I have come to the conclusion that none of these films make much sense.  I just watch them for an excuse to sit down for a few minutes.  MOMA is enormous and it is impossible to take in everything in one visit.  One can spend only a few seconds viewing a piece of art.

There was an exhibition devoted to the works of German artist Thomas Schutte. "Schütte’s work challenges established artistic norms by revitalizing genres rooted in past traditions and making them relevant in the present and for the future." (I am quoting MOMA's website)

• The Fifth Floor featured works from the 1880s - 1940s
• The Fourth Floor featured works form the 1950s - 1970s
• The Newest works were shown on the lower floors.

 

RIP Sam Moore

 

We are losing too many recording artists from the 1960s.  It was announced this week that Sam Moore of Sam and Dave fame passed away.  They appeared in 1969 on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969 singing I Thank You.

Too Much of Nothing - My Favorite Peter, Paul, and Mary Hit

 I featured Too Much of Nothing in this Journal in 2006, but I only posted the lyrics, not the recording.  It wasn't a big hit as it reached only #67 in 1967 on the Billboard chart.

Below is the Bob Dylan version from the Basement Tapes.

Peter Yarrow (1938 - 2025)

 Today we heard the sad news that Peter Yarrow passed away at age 86.  I remember in the early 1980s I saw Peter, Paul, and Mary in concert in the early 1980s.  Obituary in the New York Times.  Since I have featured Blowin' in the Wind several time in this journal, I will show Peter, Paul, and Mary's version of Early Morning Rain.

Snowbird by Anne Murray - Random Oldie of the Day

 

I stuck my finger in Joel Whitburn's Top Pop book and it landed on Snowbird by Anne Murray.  We did get about 1 inch of snow today as NYC missed the brunt of a major snowstorm that hit south of us.  You never know from one year to the next how much snow we'll get.

St. Johns 70 Butler 62 at the Carnesecca Arena

 

It was nice to travel only 15 minutes by car from home to the Carnesecca Arena in Jamaica.  The Red Storm play some of their games on campus and some at Madison Square Garden.  The last time we saw a game on campus was in December 2015 when we saw St. John's beat NJIT.  That was about two years before I retired.  Instead of writing a recap of the game, I am posting highlights that I retrieved from YouTube.

Problems Don't Go Away When the Calendar Changes

 

There are problems in this world that just won't go away as we completed 2024 and are now in 2025.  There were terrible terrorist attacks in previous years and now we see situations in New Orleans and Las Vegas. We hear daily of shootings, stabbings, and assaults.  There are continuing problems in our local and federal governments:

• I have lost confidence in our mayor as he has been indicted on several series charges and several of his commissioners resigned while some were also indicted.  He is scheduled to go on trial in April.  What will happen if he is convicted?
• Our government is based on a systems of checks and balances among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.  Will Donald Trump respect that or will he become a quasi-dictator?  Will there be turmoil in his second term?
• There are terrible wars in Israel and Ukraine.  I don't believe that Donald Trump will end these conflicts.  Both have been going on much too long.

Prayers for the future of our city and country.

It is 500 Years Until the Year 2525

 

In the Year 2525 was a hit by Zager and Evans in 1969,  It hit #1 on the Billboard Chart, but the group never charted again.  According to Top Pop by Joel Whitburn they had a very minor hit later in 1969 called Mr. Turnkey that only reached #106.

Question - are they any One Hit Wonder Act when their only hit topped the charts?