Opening Day of Baseball Season

 

The Mets opened the 2008 today at 4:00 PM in Florida.  When I got home at 6:20 Karen and Lee were watching the game in the 6th inning.  To make a long story short the Mets and Johann Santana won 7-2.  For the recap you can go to http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280331128

The Yankee game was rained out.  I was listening to the radio in my office.  Susan Waldman said that the Yankees had played in worse weather, but at 2:30 the game was called and will be played tomorrow at 7:05 PM.

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Lee's Birthday Presents

Lee received some money from his grandfather (Karen's father) for his birthday.  So today we walked over to Toys R Us and bought Lee what he wanted.  He asked for  2008 baseball cards and as we were browsing around the store he saw a Family Feud DVD game that he wanted.  I remember first watching the Feud back in the Summer of 1976 when I lived in new Brunswick, NJ.  Over the years Lee has become a big fan of the show by watching it on the Game Show Network.  There have been many hosts of the show including Richard Dawson, Ray Coombs, Louie Anderson, Richard Karn and now John O'Hurley.

We met my mom for dinner this evening when she gave Lee his birthday gift.  He wants a book reviewing the history of Yankee Stadium.  Although the Slutsky family are big Mets fans we only root against the Yankees when they are playing the Amazins.  Yankee Stadium has a wonderful history going back to 1923.

I bought this book for him for $31.50 on Amazon.com while the list price is $50.00.  It pays to shop around.

Queens Museum of Art

If you read this journal's entry for April 28, 2007 you will see that we went to the Queens Musuem and went on a tour of the sites from the 1964-5 World's Fair.  We stopped by the New York State Pavillion where we were shown the poor condition of the floor which had a Texaco map of New York State.  The tour guide told us that there was an iniitative to restore that map.  Today the Queems Museum had an exhibit where they showed us how the map is being preserved.  For futher information, you can go to

http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/backonmap.htm

It was 20 years ago today

 

I am a few hours early, but March 28th is Lee's 20th birthday.  I am recalling the day his was born.  Karen went into labor about 7 PM the night before.  We left for the hospital at about 11 PM.  Lee was born at 7:30 the morning of the 28th.  It was a coincindence that my friend Herb Hollander who was the best man at my wedding also was born on March 28th.  Herb and Lee are both very big transit enthusiasts.  Herb is a very big radio enthusiast, but must be the only person in New York City who does not own a computer.  Lee's birth was announced on the Bob Shannon show on WCBS-FM  Bob played "It's a Wonderful World" by Louis Armsstrong and then announced "It's a wonderful world when we can announce a brand new listener, Lee Frederick Slutsky."  Lee has been a devoted listener to WCBS-FM since birth.  I remember that anytime he saw a bus with an advertisement for JACK-FM, he would BOO.  I would always send Lee's birthday announcement to Harry Harrison.

Happy Birthday Lee - and many many more

 

 

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Passing of Jackson Armstrong - New York's Unknown DJ

Back in the early 1990s I joined a club of radio enthusiasts called Decalcomania.  There was a poll of the members of who was their favorite disk jockey.  Jackson Armstrong won the vote in a landslide. Sadly, he just passed away at the age of 62. Below is a listing of the radio stations where he worked.  He did one appearance on WNBC as the Unknown DJ.  Otherwise he never worked in New York City.  He was a final candidate for the morning man at WCBS-FM in late 2004, but Micky Dolenz got the gig.  My condolences to the family.

WCOG [Greensboro NC] 1964 - John Larsh
WAYS [Charlotte NC] 1965 - John Larsh
WIXY [Cleveland OH] 1966
WKYC [Cleveland OH] 1967 - Big Jack
WMEX [Boston] 1968
CHUM [Toronto Ontario] 1968
WPOP [Hartford CT] 1969
KTLK [Denver] 1969
WKBW [Buffalo] 1970
WKTQ [Pittsburgh] 1973
KDKA [Pittsburgh] 1975
WHYI [Miami] 1975
WIFE [Indianapolis IN] 1976
KTNQ/KHTZ [LA] 1978
KFI [LA] 1980
KFRC [San Francisco] 1982
KKHR [LA] 1984
KBOS [Tulare CA] 1988
WMQX [Winston-Salem NC] 1997
WWKB [Buffalo] 2002-2006

Radiophiles will find a host of shows on various web sites. I would highly recommend The Reel Top 40 Radio Repository, http://www.reelradio.com

Mazel Tov Phil Barnett

Mark Simone said that the wedding announcement section of the newspaper is the sports section for women.  On Sunday mornings I go across the street to buy the New York Times.  When I get home Lee grabs the sports section before I can get to it.  Instead of looking at the bad news section, I often pick up the Sunday Styles section which includes the wedding announcements.  Today for the first time I saw an announcement for someone I know.  Phil Barnett is the science librarian (mu counterpart) at the City College of New York (my alma mater). I usually see Phil a few times a year at professional meetings.  The story of how he met his wife can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/fashion/weddings/23vows.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%22philip+barnett&st=nyt&oref=slogin

A hearty Mazel Tov Phil.

Who is the Three Stooges Fan in the Family?

Back in the early 1960s I watched the Three Stooges on Channel 11 with Officer Joe Bolton as the host.  I even remember trying to emulated them in school.  Many years later my son Lee found them on the AMC cable network.  He taped just about every episode that was shown and bought some DVDs of the show.  Yesterday he was looking through Newsday and found an article about a Three Stooges Museum near Philadelphia.  It is described at http://stoogeum.com  .  Lee even joined their fan club.

Timba Tango at Queens College

There are several enthusiasts of Saturday Night Oldies who read my journal. There is the Distinguished Professor (AB), the Dean (FD) and the Provost (DD) who enjoy the show immensely and rarely miss a minute of it. On a typical Saturday Night, Karen, Lee and I listen from 6:00 - 7:00 PM while we eat dinner. At 7 PM Karen and Lee watch a sports event, while I go into the bedroom to listen to the show and monitor the message board. Last night I decided that I really had to do something different, not because I dislike the show, but because I needed a little change in the routine. At 7 PM, we took off for Queens College, only a ten minute drive away, to see Timba Tango, a jaxx fusion group featuring dancers. Please check the Youtube video above.

Another Interesting Find in the Local Public Library

 

New York City is made up of many neighborhoods with different ethnicities.  The jacket of the book above states that fifty years ago there were relatively few ethnic groups in the city compared to the situation today.  This book written by Joseph Berger, a columnist for the New York Times describes many neighborhoods through their dominate ethnicities.  Most books must be read in sequence, but the reader of this volume can pick and chose the chapters of interest.  When I got home I read the two chapters that are of the most interest to me.

 

To make a long story short I grew up in Rego Park, but left there in 1984.  Non religious Jews from Eastern Europe always dominated.  The chapter here describes Jews who emigrated to Rego Park since the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.  Most of them are from the Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan, Tajikstan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.  They are popularly know as Bukharans.  Since the publication of this book there was a murder in Rego Park of a Bukharan dentist (who did not run a message board) by his ex-wife over custody of their child.

 

The second chapter that I read was about Flushing.  When I moved here in 1984 the neighborhood was predominantly Jewish.  It was a naturally occurring retirement communities since those most who moved their in the 1950s had passed away or moved to Florida by the 1990s.  When a Jew had moved out, a Korean likely moved in.  Today my neighborhood is almost all Korean.  This phenomenon was not discussed in the book.  It detailed the life of style of a small community of Afgans living in an area of Flushing about 3 miles south of my home.

 

I will read the rest of this book during my commute to NJIT.

Help! on Spring Break Week

This is Spring Break week at NJIT.  There are no classes, but the administrative offices including the library are open.  Since I have so much vacation time accrued, I decided to take today as a vacation day.  Weatherwise, I picked the wrong day since it rained all day.  As I sat down I perused through the collections of videos that Karen and I made over the years.  I picked out the Beatle's movie  Help! which we taped in 1988 from Showtime.  I watched it today for the first time in many years.  I resisted the temptation not to buy it a few months ago when it was released on DVD.

Jersey Boys

To celebrate Lee's birthday on March 28th the family went to see the Jersey Boys at the August Wilson Theater.  It was certainly the best non Bob Dylan live musical event for me in many years.  Several so called juke box musicals in recent years have failed since there was not a story linked to the music.  This show succeeded where others failed.  The show traced the formation of the group, it rise and fall, and interspersed the hits of the Four Seasons with the story.  Back in 1965 the Four Seasons charted with the Dylan class "Don't Think Twice."  Since the Four Seasons simultaneously charted with Let's Hang On, Don't Think Twice was released under the pseudonym The Wonder Who.  Those two songs were not in the show.

After the show we had dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner.  I have been there several times since the famous Meet and Greet of June 3, 2006.  Karen and Lee enjoyed the singing waiters and waitresses as we ate.

Lucky trip to the local Public Library

When I go the the local public library I always use a low tech approach.  I just go to the shelf with new books and just browse.  I don't even touch a computer.  I went there this morning with Lee and found a coffee table book about the Jersey Boys.

We are going to see the show tomorrow to celebrate Lee's 20th birthday which is on March 28th.  There will be a detailed report tomorrow.

Nobody is above the law

Today New York Governor Elliot Spitzer resigned after allegations that he participated in a prostitution ring.  It is quite sad that such a fine public servant turned out to be such a hypocrite.  As state Attorney General he broke up some prostitution rings, yet while as governor he availed himself of their services. In itself being a john is a victimless crime.  However, it is quite possible that Spitzer committed crimes by laundering money, transportation a prostitute over state lines, and misappropriated state funds.  We must assume that he is innocent until proven guilty.  As of now there have been no criminal indictments.  The criminal justice process must take its course that even a governor of a state is not above the law.  If proven guilty, he should be treated accordingly.

Just One Comment about the Elliot Spitzer Situation

I usually don't comment about politics, but I'll make one remark here.  How can such a smart guy be so stupid to jeopardize both his family and professional lives.  If it can be proven that he used taxpayer money to pay for his indiscretion, I say throw him in jail.

Lee Picked Cleveland

Lee told me today that he wanted to go to Cleveland for our vacation this summer to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the second time.  On our 1998 trip we were in LaGuardia Airport waiting for our flight.  In the waiting area who do we see?  Norm N Nite of WCBS-FM.  Back then he worked in NYC on Thursday and Friday night and flew back to his home in Cleveland on Saturday morning.  He chatted with us for a few minutes until we boarded.  Right now he is broadcasting on WCBS-FM from the Rock Hall featuring inductees.

We will have to decide if we want to stay at a hotel near the airport as we did in 1998 and take a commuter train into the city or if we want to stay downtown.  The latter option would be more expensive.  Alan B, a dedicated reader of this journal, recommended the Radisson Hotel.

Here are the lyrics for a song called Look Out Cleveland recorded by the Band:

Look Out, Cleveland, the storm is comin' through,
And it's runnin' right up on you.
Look out, Houston, There'll be thunder on the hill;
Bye-bye, baby, don't cha lie so still.

Was Wedn'sday evenin' when first we heard the word,
It did not come by train nor bird.
T'was when Ben Pike stepped down to say,
"This old town's gonna blow away."

Chain lightnin', frightnin' as it may seem,
Must not be mistaken for just another dream.
Justice of peace don't know his own fate,
But he'll go down in the shelter late.

(Chorus)

Hidin' your money won't do no good,
Build a big wall, you know you would if you could, yeah!
When clouds of warnin' come into view,
It'll get the ol' woman right outta her shoe.

(Chorus)

Daylight Saving Time

I think Daylight saving time should not start this early. I would start it the first Sunday in April as has been done in the past.  When I leave the house at 6:40 AM, it will be pitch black outside.  Saving energy is the reason for starting DST early.  But it seems that the energy saved in the evening will be expended by turning on lights early.  It is now 8 PM EST and Karen has already changed the clocks in our apartment.

Too Much Rain

It started raining about 4 PM yesterday.  At 6PM tonight I thought it was finally over, but just now it started to pour.  We just went over to the local multiplex to see the movie called Jumper.  It was a science fiction fantasy movie.  The weather forecast is better for tomorrow.

Rain by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

If the rain comes they run and hide their heads
They might as well be dead
If the rain comes, if the rain comes

When the sun shines they slip into the shade
(When the sun shines down)
And drink their lemonade
(When the sun shines down)
When the sun shines, when the sun shines

Rain, I don't mind
Shine, the weather's fine

I can show you that when it starts to rain
(When the rain comes down)
Everything's the same
(When the rain comes down)
I can show you, I can show you

Rain, I don't mind
Shine, the weather's fine

Can you hear me, that when it rains and shines
(When it rains and shines)
It's just a state of mind?
(When it rains and shines)
Can you hear me, can you hear me?

Sdaeh rieht edih dna nur yeht semoc niar eht fI
(Rain)
(Rain)

XM Radio is leaving AOL

For a couple of years I have listened to XM Radio via AOL on my computer.  I have resisted the temptation to buy an XM Radio and subscription.  Today it was announced that XM Radio will no longer come with an AOL subscription.  CBS Radio stations over the country will be heard on AOL radio.  Theses stations already webcast, but in the future they will be all in one place.  I have two choices:

1. I can spend $100+ for an XM Radio and $12.95 for a subscription.

2.  I can get XM radio on my computer for $2.99/month for 6 months and then for $7.99/month.

I will likely chose option #2

Thinking about a low budget vacation this year

Since we spent a lot of money this year fixing up the kitchen and the bathroom, we will have to spend less money on vacation.  I have three ideas:

1. Cooperstown, NY for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  The problem is that all the hotels close by are already booked for the entire summer.  The closest hotel with a vacancy is in Oneonta about 20 miles away.

2. Cleveland - to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We were there in 1998, but obviously the museum would have different exhibits.  The issue is that Cleveland is a drab city and there isn't anything else to do there.  We stopped in Cleveland last summer during the Jay Buckley Baseball Tour to see a game at Jacobs Park, but there wasn't time to see the Rock Hall.

3. Baltimore - there are several museums in the Inner Harbor area.  We can see a game or two at Camden Yards.

We have time to decide.

 

Bought Baseball Tickets this weekend

Although I am a big Met fan, I like to go to a few Yankee games each season.  Friday night I was only able to get tickets for Saturday April 5th against the Tampa Bay Rays.  When I tried to buy tickets for other weekend games, I was told that there were none available.  I think the Yankees are withholding single game tickets since they are still trying to sell season tickets or packages.

A few weeks ago a bought a 7-pack for the Mets which included the last regular season game to be played at Shea Stadium.  Since the first game in that package was for June 14, I want to get tickets for early in the season.  Today there was a pre-sale for people who have bought packages in the past.  I got tickets for April 12, April 26, May 10 and May 31.  To get better seats for the upper deck, I asked for the non-alcohol section #10 which is between home and third base.  I would have had to settle for section 37 way out in right field if I had not selected non-alcohol.  I am not going to spend $8 for a beer at the ball park when I can get a beer for less the $1 at home.

Long Island Radio Day

Today we went to the Tilles Center of CW Post College on Long Island where we attended the second annual Radio Day sponsored by the Long Island Wireless Society (http://www.liwhs.org) There were exhibits of antique radios, ham radios, and old time radio programs.  There was a tour of WCWP, the campus radio station which is heard on 88.1FM and on the Internet  at http://mywcwp.com .  There was a live presentation of Orson Welles' War of the World.

On the way home we stopped off at Ben's Deli for my pastrami sandwich.  Yummy!

You are What You Read

I just finished compiling a list of books that I own.  You can check it out at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/BruceS8852