Return Visit to the New York Historical Society

 

Several of my visits to the New York Historical Society were documented in this journal.  All museums have permanent and temporary exhibits, so it was time to see what is new.

The biggest exhibit was Blacklisted: An American Story.  It explores the intersection of politics, art, culture, and social dynamics during Hollywood’s Red Scare (1947-1960) through photographs, objects, and film.  Many entertainers of that era were blackballed and could not find work.

Another ongoing exhibit is "Turn Every Page": Inside the Robert A. Caro Archive. It includes never-before-seen highlights from the archive—which New-York Historical acquired in 2019—that provide an intimate view of how Caro started his career and how he worked as a reporter.  Caro wrote a detailed biography of Robert Moses and a multi-volume evaluation of the career of Lyndon B. Johnson.

A special permanent gallery on the 4th floor features a detailed re-creation of the White House Oval Office, where presidents have exercised their powers, duties, and responsibilities since 1909.

Lee is sitting at the desk in the recreated Oval Office

 

Two #1 Songs of the 80s About Dreams and My Dreams Last Night

 

First of all, I don't consider hits of the 80s as oldies.  This morning, I was listening to Classic American Top 40 on the iHeart app where Casey Kasem was playing the hits of 1986.  I heard These Dreams by Heart which hit #1 in 1986.  It made me think about Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) which hit #1 in 1983 by the Eurythmics.

I usually forget the dreams that I had the night before as I awaken each morning.  Last night I had two  miserable dreams about the past:

1. I was stuck in a miserable train delay.  Believe me, I suffered through enough of them for 25 years.
2. I was at a computer terminal standing next to a former colleague as we printed out spreadsheets.  My late boss at a university library generated numerous spreadsheets over the years.  He was a bean counter.

Why must my dreams bring up bad experiences?  I wish my dreams were sweet.

I Wasn't at Citi Field to See the Mets Worst Loss of the Season

 

Last night's game against the Atlanta Braves was part of my 20-game package.  I was planning to go, but at 5 PM, light rain started.  We watched SNY, which reported at 6:30 that the game had been delayed due to weather.  Just after 7 PM, it started to pour.  At that point, I decided not to go since I didn't want to sit in a wet ballpark during a rain delay.  Finally, the game began at 8:45.  I watched the game until 10 PM as the Mets were ahead 6-0.  I watched the news and went to sleep.  When I woke up I found out that the Mets lost 11-6.  David Peterson, the Mets' most reliable pitcher, gave up 6 runs while the bullpen gave up the remaining 5.

Box Score

The game ended at about midnight.  I wouldn't have arrived home until 1 AM, so it was just as well that I didn't go to the game.  On TV, the stands were pretty full, so I guess people came and waited out the rain delay.  Now the Mets have lost 12 out of their last 14 games and are continuing to sink.  I blame David Stearns, President of Baseball Operations, for poor free agent signings and umpteen unnecessary roster moves.

The worst Met game I ever attended was a 21-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves in 2023.

Purple Haze - Dion and Jimi Hendrix - Two Distinctive Versions

 

I don't think the Dion version got much radio airplay.

Happy Birthday Bobby Jay - Radio Personality Extraordinaire

 

Bobby Jay's claim to fame was his role on WCBS-FM during its heyday as an oldies station.  Previously, he appeared on WWRL, which was a premier R&B station back in the day.  He was a singer in a group called the Laddins and an actor in the off-Broadway show Leader of the Pack.  He currently does shows on various internet radio stations.  He came to a few of the oldies meet-and-greets that we held over the years.  Below is a photo of Bobby and me at the event on December 1, 2007.

Return Visit to the Morgan Library and Museum

 

According to records kept in this journal, my last visit to the Morgan Library and Museum was in March 2022.  Every museum has permanent and temporary exhibits.  The library, featuring a Gutenberg Bible, was unchanged.

The major exhibit was A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250.  The manuscripts, artwork, books, and artifacts present compelling new perspectives on Austen’s literary achievement, her personal style, and her global legacy.  Austen is best known for her novel Pride and Prejudice.

A second exhibit was Lisa Yukavage: Drawings.  She is a contemporary American artist.  The exhibition features a wide range of her explorations with various materials, including work in graphite, pen, Conte, pastel, charcoal, distemper, monotype, gouache, watercolor, acrylic, and ink on paper. 

The second floor featured A Celebration: Acquisitions in Honor of the Morgan's Centennial.  It was a "mixed bag" of artworks from the museum's collection.

Under My Thumb by the Rolling Stones - Oldie of the Day

 

"Under My Thumb" was originally released on the "Aftermath" album in 1966.