Rockaway Beach then and now

Today we drove down to Rockaway Beach.  We parked at B 96th street and walked to the end of the boardwalk at B126th Street.  We usually take a ride out there a couple of times a year either before Memorial Day or after Labor Day before the beach crowds.  There seemed to be a lot of new buildings in the area.  There is a new housing development around B 98th Street where Rockaway Playland used to be.  Back in my high school days Roy and I would take the Q53 bus to B116th Street near where his grandmonther lived.  Back in the early 1960s my Aunt Rebecca and Uncle George had a summer bungalow at B 27th street where my parents took us.  We used to love playing in the arcades over there.  They have been gone for years.

Lee got his Mets Jacket Today

Was a little tired today so we stayed close to home.  Karen took Lee to Modells in downtown Flushing where she used his birthday gifts from his gradparents to buy a Mets jacket and a David Wright T-Shirt.  Earlier in the day we saw the movie Stay Alive.  Most movies these days are for kids.

Lee's Birthday/Jeopardy Test

It is hard to believe that Lee is 18 years old.  It seems like yesterday when we brought him home from the hospital.  On Sunday night Karen went into labor about 7 PM.  About midnight we went to Long Island Jewish Hospital and Lee was born at 7:30 AM on March 28, 1988.  He went from Barney the Dinosaur to Johnny Cash within a few short years.

In a previous blog entry I discussed how I have been a Jeopardy fan since the show's inception in 1964.  For the first time today, the test for being a contestant appeared on the Internet.  Of course I took the test after being too chicken to try to become a contestant for many years.  The test was difficult.  I don't think I'll be called for an interview to appear on the show.  It is very competitive.

 

Took it easy this weekend

We just went to the movies to see She's the Man today.  Most of the movies these days are aimed at kinds anyway. Spent some time watching the NCAA mens basketball tournament.  Good games, but too many commercials.  I guess CBS has to make money.

Lee picked the restaurant

Since Lee's birthday is this coming Tuesday, we decided to go ut to dinner tonight.  Lee wanted to go to Deli Masters in Fresh Meadows, one of the few kosher restaurants left in Queens.  He had two hot dogs, french fries, and apple juice.

Failure to Launch (movie)

Today we walked over to the local multiplex to see Failure to Launch with Matthew McConaughey (Tripp) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Paula).  To make a long story short, Tripp is a 35 year old bachelor who still lives at home with his parents who use Paula to try get him to move out.  I don't want to get into the details of the movie here.  All those years ago, my situation was the exact opposite.  I did everything I could to leave my parent's house.  Here is a mini-biography:

January 1972 - I was accepted as a graduate student at the University of Rhode Island.  I left home for the first time.

January 1974 - I completed my masters degree in Rhode Island, but I hadn't landed a professional position and was forced to move back home.  The next few months were hell for me.

May 1974 - I landed my first professional position as a chemist at Rhodia in New Brunswick, NJ.  As soon as I got the job offer, I took off and looked for an apartment nearby.

December 1976 - I left New Brunswick since I had accepted a position at Pfizer in Groton, CT.  I moved to an apartment in nearby New London.

September 1978 - things just didn't work out in Groton/New London and I had to move home with my parents.  I really hated it, but my days in CT were the nadir of my life.

June 1979 - I landed my first job as a library/information scientist with Schering Corporation.

January 1980 - moved into my own apartment in Queens.

October 1983 - got married.

Maybe some day, I'll write the long biography.

 

Mini-Vacation today

Since NJIT is on Spring break this week I decided to take a vacation day while things were slow.  I went for a haircut in the morning.  From there I drove to Hempstead Lake State Park and walked in the wind.  On the way home, I stopped at Bens in Bayside and got my kosher pastrami sandwich for lunch.  After lunched I watched the DVD Masked and Anonymous with Bob Dylan.  Back to work tomorrow.