Bruce Slutsky was born in New York City in 1949. I retired six years ago after working as a Science/Engineering Librarian at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark for 25 years. I was married to Karen until she passed away in February 2021. I have a son Lee who is now 35 years old. I am very much interested in the popular music of the 1960s, especially Bob Dylan and the Beatles. I am interested in rock and roll radio. I am an enthusiastic fan of the New York Mets.
I guess nobody can control about what he dreams. Very often the dream is very intense, but after you wake up you forget about it completely. I have had many dreams about people that I haven't seen or thought about in many years. I do have a recurring dream about New London/Groton, Connecticut. To make a very long and painful story short I lived there in 1977-78 and things just didn't work out there and I moved back to Queens. Every so often I dream about looking for an apartment there. Other times I am apply for a job at the company where I worked at that time. The end of the dream is a wake up call. I am just grateful that I am not there.
I thought of a few Bob Dylan songs about dreams, bu they just don't apply here.
I was looking at the list of movies for the Tribeca Film Festival and found the Zen of Bobby V. It was about how former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine is doing in Japan. It is scheduled to play in a Union Square theater this Saturday afternoon. The cost to buy three tickets online is $51. I used my old friend Google to find some information about this movie. It turns out that On Tuesday night May 13th it will be shown on ESPN2. Why travel into Manhattan and pay $ when we can see it for free on TV 10 days later.
I certainly don't have to have to introduce Bob Shannon to my radio enthusiast friends. For others you can check his bio at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Shannon_%28WCBS-FM%29 . To make a long story short he has been with WCBS-FM since the mid 1980s except for the 2 years that the dreaded Jack-FM was heard on 101.1 FM in New York. During that period he was active on New York radio message boards. He initiated and moderated a board titled Behind the Hits where avid oldies enthusiasts talked about their favorite songs and artists. Today Bob announced that he is stepping down as board moderator. I must assume that his reasons are personal. I do not start rumors on my journal. I do thank Bob for the time and effort he spent moderating that board and wish him well in his future endeavors as a radio personality. My fondest memory of Bob was that Lee's birth was announced on his show in 1988.
Devoted Met fan and reader of this journal AB was also at the game and dropped by to say hello and talk about radio message boards in the 8th inning. The game ended shortly after 4 PM to give the Distinguished Professor plenty of time to get home to listen to his favorite radio show.
When Lee was about three years old he developed a great love of bus shelters. When we walked around the neighborhood, he would circle them until we took him away. We would regularly take him to Cummingham Park where he found a bus shelter with an advertisement for a Streisand CD. Since then he has been a fan of hers. Since today is her 66th birthday, Lee played a CD of her big hits.
I know some of the people who read this journal, but not everybody. Also 7,000 hits is misleading, because it includes times that I edit my own journal. Thanks for visiting.
I am writing this entry today since I will be at work on Tuesday morning.
When I picked up Karen for our first date in August 1980 I noticed a little knick knack saying Taurus. So, when I first met her I knew that our birthdays were one day apart. I am 6 years and 1 day older than her.
In the photo above she got a foul ball at Miller Park last year when we went on the Jay Buckley Baseball Tour. She didn't catch it, it landed in her seat.
Anyway, I think she also deserves a Bob Dylan song.
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Throw my ticket out the window, Throw my suitcase out there, too, Throw my troubles out the door, I don't need them any more 'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
I should have left this town this morning But it was more than I could do. Oh, your love comes on so strong And I've waited all day long For tonight when I'll be staying here with you.
Is it really any wonder The love that a stranger might receive. You cast your spell and I went under, I find it so difficult to leave.
I can hear that whistle blowin', I see that stationmaster, too, If there's a poor boy on the street, Then let him have my seat 'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
Throw my ticket out the window, Throw my suitcase out there, too, Throw my troubles out the door, I don't need them any more 'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
It is hard to believe that I am 59 years old today. Where do all these years go? It is 44 years ago since I first took the #7 train to Shea Stadium.
34 years since I got my masters degree in chemistry from the University of Rhode Island
24 1/2 years that I have been married to Karen
20 years since Lee was born
15 1/2 years since I started at NJIT
I've given some thought to some songs that talk about the passage of time:
Leaves that Are Green - Simon and Garfunkel
Who Knows Where the Time Goes - Sandy Denny
Touch of Gray - Grateful Dead
I have chosen to feature Not Dark Yet by Bob Dylan. In my opinionit is his best work of the 1990s. It is a little pessimistic, it is inevitable that we all must reach our demise. Please check out this YouTube video and the lyrics.
Shadows are falling and I've been here all day It's too hot to sleep time is running away Feel like my soul has turned into steel I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal There's not even room enough to be anywhere It's not dark yet, but it's getting there Well my sense of humanity has gone down the drain Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind She put down in writing what was in her mind I just don't see why I should even care It's not dark yet, but it's getting there Well, I've been to London and I've been to gay Paree I've followed the river and I got to the sea I've been down on the bottom of a world full of lies I ain't looking for nothing in anyone's eyes Sometimes my burden seems more than I can bear It's not dark yet, but it's getting there I was born here and I'll die here against my will I know it looks like I'm moving, but I'm standing still Every nerve in my body is so vacant and numb I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from Don't even hear a murmur of a prayer It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
Since the Rolling Stones concert movie wasn't playing at the local multiplex we took a 15 minute drive and saw it at the Cinemart Theater in Forest Hills. Martin Scorsese has become an expert on making movies about rock stars. The was about a concert held a few years ago at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan. Bill Clinton of all people introduced the Rolling Stones. It is amazing that Stones are still giving conerts and recording after 40+ years in the business.
Thursday Night the NJIT Hillel held a mock seder. I could not make it, but there were some photos taken and posted on Facebook. As you can see above there were some Muslim women there. It is nice to see that students are willing to learn of the cultures and rituals of their fellow students of different backgrounds. Sadly, there is much hostility between Jews and Muslims in the world. It is really nice to see a picture like this.
This was a terrible season for the New York Knicks to say the least as they tied their worst record of 23-59. They spent millions of dollars on player salaries and ended up big losers. Isiah thomas wore two hats as Team President and Coach. He certainly made some very bad trades and free agent signings. A short time ago Donnie Walsh was made Team President. Today Walsh relieved Isiah of his coaching duties while still remaining with the team in an unknown capacity. What will Isiah do? Will he just sit in his office and surf the Internet all day? It seems that they will be paying him millions to do nothing. I would like to see Jeff Van Gundy return as coach. There is speculation that former Knick player Mark Jackson could get the nod. We'll have to wait and see.
I think MSG management made a mistake in announcing this today, since the Pope's visit to NYC was the big story in the media. If they had waited until next Monday this situation would have gotten more coverage.
When you work at a university library you must help hundreds of students each semester. When a familiar face disappears, you figure the person graduated. It is very rare when someone says goodbye before graduating. When I got on to Facebook this evening I received a new friend request from Miland Misra who got his doctorate in chemistry from NJIT a few years ago. He thanked me for all the assistance I gave hom during the years he was a student. I found out from his Facebook profile that he is working at Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico. He also has a new baby. A little nice surprise after seeing 50 million spreadsheets at a meeting today.
When I found the above photo on this web site today (http://www.carlabraham.com/NewYorkMets.htm) it brought back memories of the first year at Shea Stadium and the New York World's Fair. I already wrote about my first game there. On May 31 my father and I went to the World's Fair. When we got home it was the 9th inning of the second game of a doubleheader between the Mets and the Giants. This Mets eventually lost this game 8-6 in the 23rd inning after 11 PM. A friend of mine at Russell Sage Junior High School claimed he went to the games and stayed ntil the end. Right after graduation day from Sage in June my father took my sister and me to a Met game. Back then box seats were $3.50. On Fathers Day in 1964 Jim Bunning of the Phillies pitched a perfect game against the Mets.
We hadn't been to a movie in a few weeks so we walked over to the multiplex and saw Leatherheads starring George Clooney and Renee Zellweger. It was about professional football in 1925. I do think it should have been filmed in black and white to represent that era. You don't have to be a football fan to enjoy it. I would recommend it for George Clooney fans.
There is some interesting news on the HD radio front. Until today 102.7 HD2 was a simulcast of WINS. It didn't seem to make sense to do that since there are so few HD radios out there. Today, they started a "recreation" of the music of the old WNEW-FM. Unfortunately, that station died a very slow death. The HD2 stations don't feature DJs, so they are essentially just music streams. At least you don't have to pay fees to XM or Sirius.
Today was our first game for the last season at Shea Stadium. There was a good pitching matchup of Johann Santana against Ben Sheets. The only highlight of the game was a home run by David Wright as the Mets lost 5-3. The Distinguished Professor of Saturday Night Oldies was sat in out section. We had a good conversation about tonight show which was prerecorded since Mark Simone had a speaking engagement. We all received a Citifield cap. For information about the game please go to: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280412121 Our next Met game is Saturday April 26.
Do you ever get annoyed when you purchase tickets for a sporting event or concert and have to pay a hefty fee to Ticketmaster? OK, Ticketmaster does provide a service since the only other way to get tickets is to go to the venue. But, paying a fee to pay taxes? No way! Here is what happened. Since I live in New York and work in New Jersey I must pay an estimated tax each quarter to NY. At the end of the year I can deduct the NJ state tax from my NY State obligation. For years, every quarter, I pay an estimated tax by simply filling out the proper form, affixing a postage stamp, and sending it in. This year I was told that there is an electronic way of paying which makes it easier. I was ready to pay my $1000 estimated tax to NY State tonight and found out that there is a $25 fee to pay online! No way. I just printed out the form and am mailing it in the old fashioned way.
I went over to the student center about 2:45 to get an ice tea. I saw a sign announcing a press conference for the Athletics Department. Since the announcement was for 2:00 PM, I just arrived for the tail end of the announcement. Jim Engles, the former Assistant Coach at Columbia, was announced as the new coach at NJIT. (http://njithighlanders.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/041008aac.html) I certainly wish Jim Engles the best of luck in his new endeavor. Let's hope for the best.
I took a personal day off from work to watch on TV the last opening game at Shea Stadium. I attended the second game ever at Shea on April 18, 1964 when I was 15 years old in the 9th grade. I remember I went with classmate Alan Metzger and his friend Yak. We brought a banner to the game which said "Casey for Prez." The Mets took a 2-0 lead but the bull pen could not hold it so the Amazins lost 5-2 to drop their record to 2-4. The box score can be found at http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=280408121. There were 56,350 fans at the game including the Distinguished Professor of Saturday Night Oldies who reads this journal religiously. I better be careful not to make any typographical errors, because if I do, he will nail me.
Since I work in a library I can obviously not listen to music when I am in a public area. I do listen at times when I am in my office. Today I was in my office at about 10:15 listening to WPYX-HD2 Albany, NY on the web whose format is called the Vinyl Vineyard by its parent company Clear Channel. They started playing Dylan's Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts (http://www.bobdylan.com/moderntimes/songs/lily.html) from the Blood on the Tracks album released in 1975. All of a sudden the boss (not Bruce Sprinsteen) comes in. He wasn't annoyed at me but just wanted to tell me something. Anyway, I had to turn off the sound from the computer. Fortunately, this is not one of my favorite Dylan songs. since it is somewhat wordy.
While we are on the subject of Bob Dylan, Frank, the Dean of Saturday Night Oldies informed me that Dylan receive a Pulitzer Prize today for his songwriting efforts over the years.
I went on Expedia today and planned our vacation. We will be in Cleveland from Tuesday June 24th until Friday June 27th. We visited the Rock Hall back in 1998, but certainly over the past 10 years there have been many changes. Check this journal in late June for a detailed report.
Today we went to Yankee Stadium and saw the Bronx Bombers lose to the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3. The Yankees were very lackluster in their performance. Andy Petitte pitched for the first time this season and gave up 5 runs and 8 hits in 5 innings. We sat all the way in section 33 in the upper deck which is in right field. When we got home we say the end of the Mets game as they lost to the Atlanta Braves 11-5
Nothing much to talk about today. I don't want to talk about work. One of my favorite TV series in the early 1960s was Mr. Ed. Karen and Lee like it too. I save 12 episodes from one tape from TV Land. Here is the theme. I bolded one line of the theme that I think is relevant.
A horse is a horse, of course, of course, And no one can talk to a horse of course That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mister Ed.
Go right to the source and ask the horse He’ll give you the answer that you’ll endorse. He’s always on a steady course. Talk to Mister Ed.
People yakkity yak a streak and waste your time of day But Mr. Ed will never speak unless he has something to say
A horse is a horse, of course, of course, And this one’ll talk ‘til his voice is hoarse. You never heard of a talking horse?
