Thank Goodness I Don't Have to Cope with a New Jersey Transit Strike

 

For 25 years (1992-2017), I commuted from Flushing to Newark, NJ, using the New York City Subway and New Jersey Transit.  Over that time, I encountered numerous delays for different reasons.  Believe me, that miserable commute took its toll on me.  I documented many of those problems in my companion commuting blog.  In those 25 years, I never experienced a strike by New Jersey Transit workers.

Today, the engineers struck over wages (what else?), impacting about 350,000 commuters. Some substitute bus service is available, but that could only accommodate 20% of those affected. Traffic is bad enough in the Garden State, but this situation will force more people to drive to work.

Since I have been retired for over 7 years, I don't have to worry about this, but it gives me an excuse to write a blog entry.  I could have used the PATH trains to travel from Midtown Manhattan to Newark, but I assume those trains would be jam-packed even for reverse commuters.  Perhaps my employer would let me work from home as was done during the COVID pandemic.  But not everyone can work from home.

I was amused by this article in the Gothamist that criticized current Governor Phil Murphy for not fixing the problems on New Jersey Transit, which this article states that the system is worse now than it was when he took office.  So commuting would have been worse for me had I not retired.  Anyway, at age 68, it was time to pack it in.

Since term limits prevent Murphy from running again, there is a primary battle for the Democratic nomination.  In the umpteen commercials I've seen by the various candidates, there is no mention of how they will solve the problems on New Jersey Transit.

I wish the best of luck to current commuters.

Trying to Juggle Jeopardy, the Knicks, and the Mets Last Night

 

Last night's game at Citi Field was part of my 20-Game package for the Mets. It was raining all day and at about 5 PM I decided not to go.  This is a rare decision for me, but I didn't want to feel uncomfortable sitting in a damp and cold stadium with the possibility of a rain delay.  But I have plenty of games to see in the future.  In any event, the Mets lost 4-0 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.  There was only a short 15-minute delay at the start of the game.

The TV schedule last night:

• Regular Jeopardy 7 PM
• Wheel of Fortune 7:30 PM
• Celebrity Wheel of Fortune 8 PM (we recorded this on the DVR)
• Mets vs Pittsburgh 7 PM
• Knicks vs Celtics 7 PM
• Jeopardy Masters 9 PM

We watched Jeopardy and Wheel between 7 and 8.  At 8 PM I turned on the Knicks and watched until halftime.  At that point, I watched the Mets until 9 PM.

The answers on Jeopardy Masters were really tough.  When I was watching it, I saw on my phone that the Knicks lost to the Celtics 127-102, forcing a Game 6 on Friday at MSG.

Jeopardy was the big winner of the night.

Is Chronicles Volume II - An Autobiography of Bob Dylan Being Released Soon?

 

In 2004, Bob Dylan wrote an autobiography called Chronicles Volume I. There were supposed to be three volumes in this series, but after 20 years, nothing has been said about the next two volumes.  Sean Penn, who narrated volume 1 said that he was just getting ready to record Chronicles II but he hadn't read it yet. To be clear, he mentioned it by title so we're not talking Bob's recent book on music.

Dylan has always been secretive about what he does, so we will have to wait and hear for an announcement.  I really should reread Volume 1 as it has been cited by the Dylan scholars.

Mets 6 Cubs 2 on Mother's Day at Citi Field

The Mets took a 1-0 lead as Luis Torrens hit a triple in the second inning to drive in Starlin Marte.  In the top of the sixth, Pete Crow-Armstrong homered for the Cubs to tie the game. The Mets traded Crow-Armstrong to the Cubs at the trading deadline in 2021 for Javier Baez, who did not sign with the Mets in the off-season.  Mark Vientos homered in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead.  Nico Hoerner drove in a run in the seventh inning to tie the game again.

The Mets rallied for four runs in the eighth, featuring home runs by Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo, to win the game 6-2.

Game Summary

I made a fashion statement at the game.

 

It's Alright by Adam Faith - Random One-Hit Wonder of the Day

 

It's Alright by Adam Faith hit #31 on the Billboard Chart in 1965.  I remember this record being played in the film Good Morning Vietnam.  Adam Faith had more hits in the United Kingdom.

In the Last Week I Got Two Final Jeopardy Questions Correct While All 3 Contestants Miss

It is very unusual when I get a final Jeopardy question correct while all three contestants miss.  This happened twice within the last week.

Best New Artist at the 7th annual Grammys, this band would be nominated the next 6 years, but not again until the 39th & 67th events

The correct question is: Who are the Beatles? This was a wild guess on my part.

 I did a little "research" into this. The Best New Artist would be in 1964, while the next six years cover the time until 1970, when the group actively recorded.  They were nominated in the 39th event for The Beatles Anthology as Best Long Form Video, and Free as a Bird for Short Form Video.  At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, they won for "Now and Then" as Best Rock Performance.  I wasn't overly thrilled about "Now and Then."

Of the 4 independent nations of the Americas without English or Spanish as an official language, it’s the smallest in area

The correct question:  What is Haiti?  Two contestants guessed Suriname, where Dutch is the official language.  However, Haiti, where French is the official language, is smaller in area.

Those questions in the Jeopardy Masters Tournament are really tough.  Yogesh Raut is really a terrific player and could win the tournament.  I watched the Jeopardy tournament last night and missed the Knicks' second comeback win of the series against the Celtics.

 

Rainy Days and Mondays [Tuesdays Too] by the Carpenters

 

It looks like there will be two rainy days in a row.  Yesterday I watched the movie Diamond King on Amazon Prime Video.  It is about Dick Perez, the Official Artist of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Maybe today, I'll do some reading.