Museum by Donovan and Herman's Hermits - Appropriate Oldies

Recent NJIT Retirees Like to Visit Art Museums - MOMA PS1

For many years I have observed the MOMA PS1 building from the #7 line by the Court Square stop, but I was never there.  Earlier this week when I visited MOMA on West 53rd Street I found out that visitors could go to MOMA PS1 for free within 14 days.  So, how could I go wrong by going there today?

Here is a list of the exhibits that I viewed:

• Carolee Schneemann: Kinetic Painting
• Cathy Wilkes
• Maria Lassnig: New York Films 1970–1980

It is really a small world when I encountered Bill Reynold who also recently retired from NJIT.  He worked in Instructional Technology/Media Services.  He actually came to the museum from Randolph, NJ which got about 2 feet of snow.  I follow him on Facebook and observe that he does a lot of traveling.

Bill Reynolds

Best Wishes to Mike Seidman for a Full and Speedy Recovery

Bonnie Watson Pope reported on the Forest Hills High School, 1960-75, Alumni Page that Mike Seidman suffered a stroke while visiting a friend in south Florida.  He was not paralyzed but suffered a serious clot in his leg.  He underwent several surgeries and is on the road to recovery, but is still in the hospital.  I am sure that I speak for everyone in wishing a full and speedy recovery for him.

Mike and I graduated from Forest Hills High School (FHHS) in 1967.  He didn't know him very well back then but we reconnected in the late 1990s through an AOL folder of FHHS alumni.  We both joined a similar Facebook group about 10 years ago.  He and I organized a small reunion of FHHS 1967alumni that was held at Ben's Deli in Manhattan last October.  I took the photo seen above at that reunion.

Visit to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)

Today I visited the Museum of Modern Art for the first time in many years.  Its collection includes over 200,000 works of modern and contemporary art over 6 floors.  The exhibits that I saw today included:

Tarsila do Amaral: Inventing Modern Art in Brazil

The Photography of Stephen Shore from the 1960s until today

Thinking Machines: Art and Design in the Computer Age, 1959–1989

Club 57: Film, Performance, and Art in the East Village, 1978–1983

The highlight of the day was seeing Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

Please Keep Politics Out of Funding New Hudson River Tunnels for Railroads

Senator Schumer Fights

For New Yorkers

There is a desperate need for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River as the two already there are over 100 years old and were damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Also, the number of New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains using these tunnels has increased dramatically. There are long delays caused by problems almost every day.  This new tunnel would have been completed but 8 years ago Fatso (former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie) refused to allow its construction.

This Gateway Project was supported by the Obama administration who was willing to share the cost among New York, New Jersey, and the federal government. The "beloved" President of the United States has encouraged Republicans not to vote to fund this project.  As stated in the New York Times there is an antagonistic relationship between Trump and Senator Chuck Schumer since the Senator has blocked or delayed presidential nominations to key posts.

It is very sad that local and regional commuters are caught in the middle of a very bitter political fight.  The Gateway Project is very badly needed to ensure reliable service.  Please keep politics out of it.

Thank Goodness I Didn't Have to Go to Work Today

There was a big Nor'Easter in this region today.  I think most of the rainfall came overnight, but at about 12 noon I went outside to get a pizza and the winds were very strong.  My umbrella did not survive the storm.

This morning I received emails stating that there were delays on the #7 train.  I still subscribe to the Delayed on New Jersey Transit Group on Facebook.  Many posters reported horrific delays on the trains caused by downed power lines near Secaucus.   25 years and 3 months of transit delays were enough.  I did some reading, watch a movie on a DVD, but did not have to go on the #7 line or New Jersey Transit.  This is one reason I like retirement.

Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Sam Cooke at the Paley Center

I think I have visited the Paley Center almost once a week since I have retired.  Lee came with me today as he wanted to see his buddy, Elvis Presley.  We found his 1968 Comeback special in their vast collection of the history of TV and Radio recordings.  After that, he wanted to see the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Yours truly actually watched those show before Lee was a gleam in my eye.  We saw the shows from:

• February 9, 1964
• February 16, 1964
• February 23, 1964
• September 12, 1965 - this show also featured Soupy Sales doing the Mouse.

We actually fast forwarding through those 3 shows and only viewed the appearances by the Fab 4.

We found the first show of Shindig in September 1964 which featured Sam Cooke singing Blowin' in the Wind.