Thinking Ahead to Retirement

Today I spoke to the benefits coordinator in my HR Department.  I had some questions about what benefits that I get after I retire after 25 years of service.  I also asked some questions about Social Security benefits.  I tentatively plan to retire at the end of 2017 which will be here before I know it.  After working for 40 years, I'd like to enjoy whatever time I have left.

I have seen too many retirees not knowing what to do.  It is very important to keep active when retired.  About a year ago I joined the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) with the thought in mind of becoming active in that organization.  Today I volunteered to be an editor for SABR Baseball Games Project.

Mini-Staycation Today

Lat week I looked at my vacation bank and saw that it was high.  I remember back in 1990 when I left NYPL I had 6 weeks vacation and was able to cash it in.  Whenever I retire from NJIT, I can only leave with 2 weeks vacation.  Since the library is slow during the intersession, I decided to take a day off during the week.

It was about 32 degrees at 9 AM so I thought I would take a walk around Douglaston and Little Neck as I have done many times in the past.  Iwent home and decided to view Birdman featuring Michael Keaton on HBO.  Not the greatest movie I have seen, but not the worst either.

I went downstairs again and bought one ticket for the Powerball drawing tomorrow.  I have no gambling spirit and rarely buy lottery tickets, but a single winner gets $1.5 Billion.  The only thing I have to lose is the $2 I spent for the ticket.

Back to work tomorrow.

I First Heard David Bowie on WPRO Providence in early 1973

I woke up this morning to the sad news that David Bowie passed away at age 67.  I thought back to the first time I heard his music.  It was early 1973 as I was a student at the University of Rhode Island and lived in the Scarborough Beach area of Narragansett.  In Rhode Island everybody listened to WPRO as Salty Brine was the morning DJ.  I don't think it was during the morning, but I heard Space Oddity by David Bowie on WPRO, the station that reaches the beaches.
 

Vinny Varadarajan Sports Jeopardy Superstar Is A Graduate of NJIT

Regular Jeopardy dates back to the Art Fleming version in 1964 while the Alex Trebek version started in 1984.  In the Fall of 2014 Sports Jeopardy debuted on Crackle TV.   Players win points as the winnings are limited to $5000 for the champion.  I watch it mostly on Saturday mornings on http://www.sportsjeopardy.com .  In season one players could only win once, but could come back for a tournament at the end of the season.  In season two there is no limit on games won as there is in regular Jeopardy.

Vinny Varadarajan seen above has become the Ken Jennings of Sports Jeopardy as he has now won 11 straight games.  He is absolutely awesome as he has won most of his games in runaways.  Questions on Sports Jeopardy cover many sports not just baseball, football, basketball, and hockey,

When Vinny is interviewed on the show he is described as an engineering graduate from New Jersey.  I thought he could be an alumnus of NJIT.  I did a Google search on his name and NJIT and found this site listing 2012 graduates.  There is a Vinay Varadarajan from Fords, NJ in the list of graduates.  I really think it is him, but I am not 100% right now.  I found him on Twitter and sent him a tweet asking if he graduated from NJIT.  I just checked his Facebook page and saw that Bryan Sutphen whom I knew at NJIT is one of  his Facebook friends.  I think indirect evidence says he is an NJIT alumnus.

I have to revise this he just responded to my Tweet and confirmed he is a graduate of NJIT,  He remembered that I gave him a Freshman Seminar tour several years ago and that he spent many hours in the Van Houten Library.

Please remember that a new episode of Sports Jeopardy can be seen on Crackle TV every Wednesday.

Don't Think Twice It's Alright by Elvis Presley

Elvis covers Dylan's Don't Think Twice Its Alright.  Today would have been the King's 81st birthday.

Congratulations to Mike Piazza on His Election to the Baseball Hall of Fame

The fourth time was the charm as Mike Piazza was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 83% of the vote.  Ken Griffey Jr. was also elected with 437 out of 440 votes.  I certainly hope that Mike will go into the Hall wearing a Mets hat.  He along with Tom Seaver would be the only two Mets in Cooperstown.  There are other Mets in the Hall, but they played most of their careers with other teams.  A hearty congratulations to both of them.

Article in Baseball America

Hall of Fame Voting

Mike Piazza's career statistics

Thank You President Obama For Your Actions on Gun Control

I need not repeat here reports of tragic incidents in recent years involving gun violence.  Too many innocent people have been killed by terrorists or deranged individuals who have gotten their hands on guns.  Today President Obama made a passionate call for a national "sense of urgency" to limit gun violence.  He will be  expanding and bolstering the background check system to cover sales that take place online and at gun shows.

Unfortunately the National Rifle Association and other lobbyists will fight tooth and nail to fight this.  The President respects the right to safe and responsible gun ownership.  I pray that the next President of the United States will take the same stance on gun ownership as President Obama has.  He is to be commended for his initiatives.

Report on CNN