Newark Bears Game today

Since the NJIT baseball team plays at Riverfront Stadium in Newark, NJIT staff gets free tickets to see the Newark Bears, a minor league team in the Atlantic League.  The teams are not affiliated with major league baseball, so the players are trying to look good for any major league scouts.  Today's game started at 11 AM to accommodate day camps.  I knew what to expect when I was one of maybe 10 people in the ball park not affiliated with a day camp.  The Bears scored 7 runs in the first inning and held on to beat the York Revolution 7-3.  After the game I went to work.

Regular reader of journal Alan Berman reminded me that in the 1930s and 40s there was another Newark Bears team that was a top farm club of the Yankees.  Back then there was also the Newark Eagles of the Negro League.

Bob Dylan to release a CD of Rarities on October 7

Bob Dylan is opening up his vaults for the first time in three years, with his label announcing on Tuesday that it will issue a multi-disc album consisting of late-era outtakes, previously unreleased recordings and live tracks in October.

"Tell Tale Signs," the eighth installment in Dylan's "Bootleg Series," focuses on albums from the last two decades, ranging from 1989's "Oh Mercy" to 2006's "Modern Times."

Columbia Records will release "Tell Tale Signs" in three configurations on October 7: a standard two-disc package with 27 songs, a "limited edition" set with a bonus disc containing 12 songs; and a four-LP vinyl version including all the elements of the two-CD set.

Most of the tracks come from sessions for "Oh Mercy" and his 1997 comeback of sorts "Time Out of Mind." Selections from the former include a piano demo of "Dignity" and two alternate versions of "Most of the Time"; and from the latter, a live version of "Cold Irons Bound" recorded during Dylan's set at the 2004 Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee.

The sessions for his 1993 folk covers album "World Gone Wrong" have yielded "32-20 Blues," a tune billed as Dylan's first release of a Robert Johnson song.

Dylan's "Bootleg Series" launched in 1991 with a three-disc boxed set collecting rare and unreleased tracks spanning 27 years. The most recent release was the 2005 soundtrack to the documentary "No Direction Home."

While there have been some reports that Dylan is working on a follow-up to "Modern Times," a Columbia spokesman said "Tell Tale Signs" is the focus for now.

Dylan, meanwhile, will begin a monthlong North American tour in Philadelphia on August 8.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman)

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Miserable Train Delay on the Trip Home Today

My lousy commute home was normal today until the #7 Express reached 61st Street in Woodside.  After sitting for about 10 minutes, the conductor says that there are signal problems and took the train out of service.  We were told to take the #7 local.  After another 10 minute delay, it stopped at 69th Street where it stayed for 15 minutes.  It then pulled in to 74th Street where the conductor said that all #7 trains are terminating.  I had 3 choices:

1. Wait out the delay at 74th Street - who knows how long it would take?

2. Go Back to 61st Street and take the Long Island Railroad - there would be throngs of people waiting to get on.

3.  Walking to Northern Blvd (1/2 mile) and take the #66 bus to Flushing.

I chose option #3.  The bus was slow and crowded but I finally arrived home at 7:05.

You never know when you can hit a bad delay on mass transit.  Likewise, when you are in a car, you never know when you will have to sit in bumper to bumper traffic.

OY VEY!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Please send comments to me privately :)

Mama Mia, the Movie - Actors and Actresses can't sing

The weather forecast called for showers this afternoon and we sat through 5 hours of the Mets last night so it was time for a short walk over to the multiplex.  The broadway show Mama Mia has been around for several years and has been considered excellent by critics and patrons of the theater.  It seems that movie makers ran out of new ideas so they adapt TV series and Broadway shows for film.  I will leave the formal review to the professionals.  Please see this review from Variety.

I have great respect for Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan's acting abilities.  Streep certainly deserved the Oscars that she recieved while Brosnan did justice to the James Bond role.  However, their singing and that of their co-stars were from hunger.  A good actor is not a singer.  I would have much rather seen and heard unknown but good singers in this film.

On the other hand many singers are not good actors.  Neil Diamond was terrible in the remake of the Jazz Singer in  1980.  One of Bob Dylan's worst works was his role in the movie Hearts of Fire.  The movie was so terrible that it was not released in the theaters.  I did rent a copy from Blockbuster video and was tempted to chuck it in a garbage can on Desolation Row.

Who is that man behind the screen name - I'd just like to thank him

There are message boards on the Internet covering everything from A to Z.  Some people give their full name, others just a first name, and many use a handle like Bigtownman.  I think it is known that I am an enthusiast of Saturday Night Oldies.  However, I can't let it contol my life every Saturday Night since there is a multitude of things to do on a Saturday night.  For years in the 1990s I would trade tapes of radio shows with people in other cities to hear other radio stations.  With the newer technology, people can record the radio on disk and upload the mp3 file to the internet so others can download it.  There is an official Saturday night oldies message board moderated by Allan Sniffen who does not allow handles.  Frank D'Agostino, a reader reader of this journal moderates a Yahoo board for Saturday Night Oldies where he allows handles to insure anonymity.  A regular poster with the handle Medium_Wave_Dx regular posts the show there.  It is technically illegally to do this since copyright laws are being violated.  Likely, this is the reason he uses the handle.  I'd like to thank him for his regularly uploading the show so "multi-enthusiasts" like myself can hear the show at a later time.  There are some super-enthusiasts who stay home every week to listen to every show.  I just can't do that.

A long losing night at Shea Stadium

Last night's game was part of our 7 pack which includes the last regular season game to be played at Shea Stadium.  To make a long story short please see the summary from Mets.com. and the box score.  We left after the 13th inning since it was approaching midnight while the score was 8-8.  Albert Pujols hit a 2 run home run in the top of the 14th to win the game for the Cardinals.

Another Friday Night at Flushing Town Hall

Last night Flushing Town Hall featured a free performance by Elwood Bunn's Country Jubilee.  The group played cover version of classic country hits.  Lee was quite please when he concluded the concerts by versions of I Walk the Line and The Orange Blossom Special originally recorded by Johnny Cash.

Jeopardy ends 24th Season

The 24th season of Jeopardy with Alex Trebek seen at 7 PM on WABC-TV has just ended.  They show re-runs of tournaments for 6 weeks in the second half of the summer.  I very rarely miss a show.  If I work late or if I am out for any reason we tape the show and watch it later.  The show actually dates back to 1964 when Art Fleming was the original host.  Hopefully there will be some special shows for the 25th season featuring big winners like Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and Frank Spangenburg.  I believe they is a book being writtne where contestants talk about how their appearance changed their life.

My Favorite Batman 1966-67

Today we went to the local multiplex to see the Dark Knight since we thought there would still be crowds on Saturday and Sunday.  An interesting fact of this film is that the two main actors, the late Heath Ledger, and Christian Bale, were two of the six Bob Dylans in I'm Not There.  The acting was excellent, but the story was very fast moving in the comic book style.  My image of Batman is ingrained in Adam West who starred in the 1966-67 TV version which also featured Burt Ward as Robin, the Boy Wonder.  The latter character did not appear in this film.  I enjoyed although I realize that the stories in these fantasy movies are far-fetched.  Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman also appeared in the Dark Knight.

Brooklyn Cyclones Game Last Night

Once a season we go to Coney Island to see the Brooklyn Cyclones, the class A minor league team owned by the Mets.  They started playing in 2001 at Keyspan Park which is just off the ocean.  Since the Mets played in the aafternoon at Shea, David Wright, Carlos Muniz, and Joe Smith threw out the first balls.  The latter played for the Cyclones before eventually being promoted to the Mets.  In the game the Cyclones defeated the Vermont Lake Monsters 8 - 1.  Cyclones pitcher Brad Holt struck out 14 batters in 6 innings.  Maybe he will be promoted to the Mets in a year or two.  A team never has enought pitching.  A fireworks display followed the game.

Look Who's Number One!

The Mets played a 12 noon game today to accommodate day campers.  It also attracted regular reader of this journal Alan B.  Oliver Perez was brilliant as he struck out 12, but left the game in the 8th inning in a 1-1 tie.  In the bottom of the 8th Carlos Delgado drove in two runs with a double as the Mets won 3-1 and moved into first place in the National League East.  Box Score

It is much too early to jump for joy since there are about 60 game to go in the regular season.  We remember all too well the collapse in September 2007.  It is really hard to tell if the change in managers is the reason for the Mets surge to first place.

I hear that WCBS-FM will have a call in contest where the winner gets 2 tickets to Saturday home games in 2009 at Citi Field that begin at 3:55 or 7:00 PM.  I know that Alan would not enter that contest but our mutual friend from eastern Queens will :)

Upgraded my cell phone

After much though during this week away from work I decided to make a small upgrade to my cell phone since I didn't want to incurr unnecessarily big costs each months.  I spend enough time online, so I decided not to get a PDA.  Karen and I walked over to the AT&T Store in down town Flushing and were able to upgrade to a Nokia 2600 as seen in the photo above.  We only had to pay $18 to transfer phones and $30 for a case.  We signed up for a two years plan with 450 anytime minutes and 5000 night and weekend minutes.  This phone has internet and text messaging capabilities, but it would cost an extra $15/month.  Without a QWERTY keyboard, I would be limited to short messages anyway.  So when I return to work on Monday, I'll tell Maria the first thing in the morning.

Missed a bad train delay yesterday

You never know when a commute will be bad.  A train can come to a dead stop, and you don't know if it will sit there for a long period of time. Most of the train delays happen on the way home.  Here is a report from the New York Times about a bad train delay on New Jersey Transit yesterday caused by power problems.  At least I missed it because I am on vacation.

July 23, 2008,  6:09 pm Long Delays Expected on New Jersey Commuter Trains

By Patrick McGeehan

New Jersey Transit officials said commuters should expect significant delays on trains along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. Those trains were temporarily brought to a halt during much of the Wednesday evening commute because of a problem with the power supply. Service was restored at 5:45 p.m.

NJ Transit, whose trains run along Amtrak’s tracks heading south out of Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, pulled many of its trains into the nearest station at about 4:35 p.m. and held them there, said Dan Stessel, a spokesman for the agency. The railroad then directed commuters to switch to buses or PATH trains, which were honoring their train passes, Mr. Stessel said.

The problem, a drop in voltage along the tracks, had affected all trains that run along the Northeast Corridor

Just Sitting on a Bench

There is something wrong with this photo.  It was taken about two years ago in my co-op on a sunny day.  It was rainy this morning, but it stopped later on.  After 1 PM, I sat out for a while and read the Bobby Murcer biography.  Coincindentally, I was wearing that same t-shirt today plugging Scifinder Scholar.  My NJIT colleagues will know what that is.  Other readers should click on the link.  Why should I wear that t-shirt on my vacation?

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I Was There with Todd Haynes on a rainy morning

In November 2007 I saw the Bob Dylan Biopic I'm Not There directed by Todd Haynes.  In May 2008 I viewed the DVD version of the film. In the DVD version there was the option to view the film with commentary by Todd Haynes.  At 9 AM this morning I was going to go out and sit on a park bench to read, but there was a brief shower.  I came back upstairs and put the DVD on and watched listening to the commentary which overrode the dialog.  I was able to understand more about the intracacies of the film by hearing his comments.  Since Todd was born in 1961, he was a small child during Dylan's prominence in the mid 1960s.  He gave credit to his editor Jay Rabinowitz for being the Dylan expert on his staff.  My suggestion is that if you buy or rent a movie on DVD, you should view the special features.

Happy Birthday Alex Trebek

Jeopardy host Alex Trebek is 68 years young today.  You can see from the Wikipedia entry that Alex had a long history in TV before he first hosted Jeopardy in 1984.  Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of the current version of Jeopardy.  I remember hearing that they compiling a book of interviews asking former Jeopardy contestants how the show changed their lives.

The following peple have had their birthday's mentioned in this journal:

Lee Slutsky

Karen Slutsky

Manfred Mann

Chuck Berry

Ringo Starr

Bob Dylan

Billy Joel

Dave DuBrow

Please be assured there will be a long entry on October 8, 2008 for the birthday of Alan Berman

My history with cell phones

For readers not employed with the NJIT Library the young lady in the photo is Maria Denaro of the circulation staff. Back in the late 90s when cell phones became popular Maria and I were resistant to getting a cell phone.  Every day we would make jokes about people who did silly things on the phone like talking in movie theaters and talking about personal issues in public places.  I showed her a carton with two guys walking out of a rock conert saying "It was so loud in there, I couldn't use my cell phone."  I distinctively heard Maria say "I hate cell phones!" I remember Maria would aggressively confront students who used their phones in the library.

I think it was in 2002 when Maria came in to work with her new cell phone.  At that point I just had to buy one.  My thought was "If you can't beat them, join them."  I bought my Nokia phone and plan from AT&T.  It was a local plan with just 150 minutes.  The monthly rate was $29.99 plus fees.

In 2005 I upgraded to a different Nokia phone with a national plan with 450 anytime minutes with 5000 night and weekend minutes.  With the fees and taxes this costs me about $50/month.  We only use a fraction of the allowed minutes.

Over times cell phones have gotten more sophisticated with more features.  For months I have contemplated getting an internet capable phone.  I have seen phone from Palm, and Blackberry that would be of interest.  I really don't need the camera, or music capabilities of an Iphone.  I would be interested in surfing the web, sending e-mail, and using the GPS system.  I found out that a data plan from AT&T would cost $30/month more.  This would really be a luxury that a really don't need.  I will stay with my current phone until it dies.  However, to this day, whenver I use my cell phone, I think of Maria.

I still see people text messaging in movie theaters when the light from the phone disturbs others.  I regularly see Maria sneaking behind the Circulation desk to make and recieve cell phone calls when years ago she yelled at students for doing the same.  Technology also creates problems.

Staycation in nearby Bayside Queens

I drove over to nearby Bayside this morning to read the rest of the Sunday New York Times.  I'd like to recommend this article in the magazine section to readers of this journal.  It was a biography of Times reporter David Carr who recovered from crack addiction to become a success in life.  I was sitting on a bench in Crocheron Park across from the tennis courts.  An old codger was annoyed because some kids were throwing sticks onto the courts.  As he finished his game I overhead his chatting with his friend about the weekend.  He said he enjoyed the weekend until he saw the movie Mama Mia which stunk.  I'll have to check it out in a few weeks.  I decided to leave and go home.  I arrived exactly at 12 noon to hear the Beatles on Q-104.3.  That station always play the Beatles at noon to continue a tradition begun by NYC radio legend Scott Muni aka The Professor.  At 12:30, I watched Who Wants to be a Millionaire with Meredith Viera.  Later on Karen, Lee and I went back to Bayside to eat dinner at Ben's Deli.  I suggested to the manager that they open a restaurant in Chicago.  We walked around the mall and stopped at the FYE music store.  Sadly, those stores are becoming dinosaurs.  I just wasn't in a buying mood today.  When we got home Lee put on a Johnny Cash CD on.  I don't remember how he became such a big fan of the Man in Black.  When I turned on the TV at 7 PM, I was pleasantly surprised that Jeopardy was not in reruns yet since in past years repeats of tournaments are shown in the 6 weeks before Labor Day.

Staycation continues tomorrow.  No buses, no trains, and no requests for temporary IDs.

Saw Wall.e at Roy's Suggestion

Roy is New York City's biggest patron of cultural events .  Every Sunday at 9 AM I phone him to talk about movies, plays, concerts, etc.  I definitely did not want to see the Batman movie its first weekend.  I thought about Mama Mia, the movie despite the review saying that the actors and actresses couldn't sing.  For the past few weeks Roy has recommended the animated movie Wall.e.  Since it was playing at a convenient time, we walked over to the local multiplex to escape the heat and to see the movie.  The story was very simplistic since it was rated G, but the special effects and animation were superlative.  Pixar produced the Toy Story movies, but since the computer technology has improved over the years, the special effects were excellent.

Damn Yankees at the NY City Center

I always like to seek out different things to do so I regularly scan the Arts & Leisure section of the Sunday New York Times.  There is so much to do, but entertainment is very expensive.  The bargain matinee at the local multiplex is $8.25/person times 3.  About a month ago I noticed that Damn Yankees had a three week run at City Center.  The cost was about $30/ticket which is much less expensive than Jersey Boys.  This show was part of City Center's Summer Stars Encores series.  The show originally played on Broadway in 1955 and ran for about 1000 performances.  From 1949-53 the Yankees won the American League pennant for 5 straight years.  The main character sells his sould to the devil and becomes a young player to help the Washington Senators defeat the Yankees.  This version at City Center starred Sean Hayes and Jane Krakowski.

The show ended at 4:30 and we got home at 5:30.  I told Lee to tuen on ESPN news to check the Yankee score since we assumed the game would be over since it started at 1 PM.  Since it was in the 12th inning, we turned back to the YES network and saw the damn Yankees (pun intended) win on a hit batsmen with the bases loaded.

We didn't rush home, but we got home in time for the beginning of Saturday Night Oldies. 

 

Approaching 9000 hits

Almost 9000 hits

The hit counter was at 8974 as of 5 PM today.  I will close the computer by 6 PM and not log in until about 10 AM or Saturday so I don't know when I will reach 9000 hits.  The number is misleading since it counts when I make or edit an entry.  I'd like to thank the following known readers:

Dave D - radio enthusiast from Chicago

Alan B - The Distinguished Professor of Saturday Night Oldies

Frank D - The Dean of Saturday Night Oldies listeners

Heather H - Ms. Information Literacy from NJIT

Mike B - alumnus of the NJIT Library now in Arizona

Mike S - fellow member of Forest Hills High School Class of 1967

Din G - future physician who scanned his way through the NJIT Library

Thanks to all lurkers who chose to remain anonymous

Lucky Find at the local public library

Since the weather forecast predicted a very hot day, I want to get out in the morning so I drove out to Alley Pond Park where I took my stroll and did some reading.  I stopped by a Nathan's hotodog store in the neighborhood.  I had to pay $5.50 for one hot dog, french fried, and a soda.  Back in the 1960s that would be less than $1.00.  Anyway, when I got home I stopped by the local public library.  Since it is so small, I go there with very low expectations of finding a timely book.  I really lucked out and found the recently published biography of Bobby Murcer titled Yankee for Life.  Sadly Bobby passed away last week at age 62.

My Staycation begins today

In recent months the coined term staycation has become very popular.  It means a vacation when one stays at home.  Since the price of gasoline is so high many people are not traveling on their vacations.  At NJIT I have 20 vacation days, 3 personal days, the week off between Christmas and New Years and Fridays off over the summer.  We will find things to do in the are instead of sitting in the apartment.  The photo of me above is in the NJIT Library.  I will not be going there!

Nicknames - Past and Present

Here is a list of nicknames that I have for people I know professionally or socially, past or present, that I use for people (I keep it to myself).  I omitted any profane language.  If you are reading this journal, your nickname just may be listed below:

 

All Talk No Action

Beanie Boy

Beanie Girl

Bouncer Boy

Bowling Ball Head

Bumpkin

Captain Crunch

Chief Nockahoma

Cue Ball Head

Deadbeat

Dingbat

Elmo

Fat Boy

Golden Boy

Happy Hungarian

Imtimidator

Jemima

Kangaroo

Lame Brain

Matilda

Miss Goody Two Shoes

Motor Mouth

Mr. Baldy

Mr. Spreadsheet

Nudnik

Scatterbrain

Sluggo

Vyper

 

Get Well Mike Fitzgerald NY/NJ Radio Personality

This afternoon I wanted to listen to the Breeze which can be heard at 107.1 FM in Long Branch, NJ and 99.7 FM further down the Jersey Shore.  When I accessed http://breezeradio.com there was announcement that morning personality Mike Fitzgerald had sufferred a minor heart attack and was now resting at home.  He is expected to return to the airwaves in about two weeks.  I certainly wish Mike a full and speedy recovery.

Mike had worked for many years at WCBS-FM.  He started out doing evenings but was moved to morning drive later on.  From January to June of 2005 he co-hosted the morning show with Mickie Dolenz.  He was let go from WCBS-FM as a result of the hijacking of June 3, 2005.  He landed on his feet some months later by getting a gig on the Breeze. 

Take good care Mike.

Happy Birthday Roger McGuinn

I have been a fan of Roger McGuinn since 1965 when the Byrd's version of Mr. Tambourine Man hit the top of the charts.  The Byrds had many excellent albums until the group disbanded.  Since that time Roger McGuinn has recorded and toured as a solo artist.  He is 66 years "Younger Than Yesterday" today.  Happy birthday Roger and many many more.  Keep up the good work.

A Journey to the Center of the Earth 49 years apart

Back in 1959 when I was in the fifth grade I remember going over to the Elmwood Theater in my neighborhood to see the original Journey to the Center of the Earth starring James Mason, Pat Boone and Arlene Dahl.  Back in those days there were much fewer genres of entertainment for us.  Today we went to see the 2008 remake at the local multiplex.  The newer version was in 3D so we had to buy special 3D glasses to see the movie.  It was fun to see a 3D movie.  The newer version was dedicated to the special effects rather than the story.  Many of the happenings in the movie would be physically impossible anyway.  It seems that the characters were catapulted from the center of the earth to the top of the volcano within seconds.  Could dinosaurs survive thousands of miles below the surface?

Mets Beat Colorado 3-0 for 8th in a Row

We were sitting up in Section 5 of the Upper Deck and saw the Mets beat the Colorado Rockies 3-0.  We were a little concerned when Pedro Martinez left after the 4th inning with no explanation.  When I got home the explanation on the Mets web site was that Pedro experienced shoulder stiffness.  When you are at home you immediately hear the explanation on TV or radio.  The 5 Mets pictchers allowed only 1 hit.  In 47 years in the team's history, no Met pitcher has thrown a no-hitter.  Box score.

I arrived home about 7:35 and was able to hear most of Saturday Night Oldies.  As I am writing this memo the Distinguished Professor is sitting in his hotel room in Newport, RI listening to this show with his laptop. 

 

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Another Concert at Flushing Town Hall

It's nice to have a concert hall within walking distance.  Last night there was a oldies concert at Flushing Town Hall featuring singer/guitarist and his group Stoned/Love.  They sang songs typical of what is played on WCBS-FM.  Since it was free and right in the neighborhood, it was a win-win situation.

Recalling - Fall 1978 - Spring 1981 - The Queens Bnai Brith Singles Years

When I returned to Queens in fall 1978, I needed to find a new circle of friends.  Since I remembered the Bnai Brith singles group in New Jersey, I thought there would be one I Queens.  I called the NYC office of B’nai Brith and found out there was a singles group in Queens.  In November 1978 I began to go to their meetings.  The people in the group were friendly, but for the most part used it as a substitute for dating.  It was quite different from the New Jersey group where there was much pairing off.  I did meet several male friends in the group.

 

There was Gary who was boring, because he asked too many questions.  There was Howard K who was very cheap and very tactless about it.  There was Howard F who went to hundreds of sporting events every year.  I met Herb who is a very big trivia and radio enthusiast.  Herb was the best man at my wedding in 1983 and we are friends to this day.  Herb was a postman and had difficulty meeting Jewish girls who wanted to date a professional man.  In 1990 he married a gentile girl.  He must be the only person in the world who does not know how to use a computer today.

 

The biggest character in the group had to be Lenny who must be the world’s biggest gossip.  He had to say something about everything. We used to associate Lenny with the Pink Panther Theme.  This is why you see the Pink Panther in this journal entry.  It is a small world, since a few weeks ago I met him at Flushing Town Hall.

 

I had some good times in Queens B’nai Brith singles even though I didn’t find any dates there.  I met Karen in August 1980, outside of this group, and as our relationship progressed, I had to phase myself away that group.  I really paid my dues to the singles scene and much better things were on the horizon.

 

Recalling 1977-78 - Nadir Days

What is too painful, I can not forget.  I can not filter out the bad memories.  I simply will benignly neglect to write about them in this journal.  But let me quote completely out of context from Bob Dylan's Love Minus Zero/No Limit

there's no success like failure
And that failure's no success at all.

I had that crazy dream last night and it was very vivid.

Reminiscing about my New Brunswick Days - 1974-76

Part 2 of 2

Let me talk about some of the young ladies that I dated during that time:

 

 I met JL at one of those silly singles dances.  She worked as a biologist for Hoffman-LaRoche a very prestigious pharmaceutical company.  I could never get a date with her on a Saturday night, so I suspected she was dating someone else.  That certainly was fair game.  One weeknight, I took her out to dinner.  When we got home, her phone rang.  She pointed to the TV and took the call.  She was on the phone for at least 30 minutes.  It must have been her regular boyfriend.  She was obviously rude to me.  She was my type, so I was disappointed that it ended.

 

I met EM through the Bnai Brith singles group.  She was a psychiatrist’s daughter.  I had several pleasant dates with her, but she dated several guys she met through that group.  I perceived it that by dating several guys at once, she prevented herself from forming an attachment to any one.  Boy, I was wrong.  My last date with her was in early June 1976.  By September, her engagement to another guy was announced in the groups’ newsletter.  She was difficult, but I was someone inexperienced at that time with dating relationships.

 

In 1976 another singles group formed at a synagogue in Highland Park.  I met LM there a few months before I left NJ.  She was a dentist’s daughter.  Her father did not run a radio message board.  Remember, there was no Internet in the 1970s.  When I first met her she said, we can get together during the week, because I see friends on weekends.  I smelled something fishy, but what to heck.  A had about 5 dates with her, and when I phoned all of a sudden she said, by the way, I’m kind of going steady with this guy, and I really love him.  She said it was difficult to tell me that.  It was better than getting the standard, I’m busy line.  Oh well.  These things happen for the better.

 

I wish the Internet were around when I was single and unattached.  I think I would have done well at initially meeting women.  Sustaining dating relationships was difficult for me back then.  The Internet could not have helped me there.

 

I said I wasn’t going to discuss career issues here, but I must relate two interview stories.  I interviewed at a family owned business called Research Organic Chemical Company.  They interviewed me for about an hour and even gave me a written test about chemistry.  They said that as part of my interview, I would have to perform a “lab test” by working for them for two days for no pay.  At first I agreed to do that, but after losing a night’s sleep I changed my mind.  I phoned them that morning and told them they would either hire me or not.  The risk to the employee in taking a new job is higher than that of an employer.  Some years later I found out that this company was put out of business since they dumped toxic chemicals in the sewer.  The owners of the company were convicted of a crime and thrown in jail.

 

I got another interview though an employment agency.  They told me not to arrive at the company until 5:30 PM since the company was going to fire the incumbent and needed an immediate replacement.  It turned out to be a wild goose chase.

 

Before I close, let me talk at little about radio at that time.  I was not much of an enthusiast back then.  AM radio was still king and I listened mostly to Harry Harrison in the morning.  My interest in radio was dormant, but came back some years later.

 

In December 1976 I left New Brunswick, NJ since I found a job for a pharmaceutical company in Connecticut.

 

This was a very difficult period in my life since I was frustrated in two ways.  Back in the 1970s people married much younger than they do today.  I really felt that being 27 years old and single, I was looked down upon.

 

I had difficulties back then finding the right job.  But if I had to flounder in my career, it was better to do it when I was younger without a wife and family.  I know a guy today who lost his job about a year ago and can’t find anything else.  He has a wife and a young daughter.

 

So Is life.

 

From time to time I have gone to professional meetings in New Brunswick.  The downtown area was really revitalized in the 30 years since I have left.  Rutgers University is bigger than it was back then.  I obviously lost touch with all the people I knew back then.

 

 

Reminisicing about my New Brunswick Years 1974-76

This is Part 1 or 2

When I left URI in January 1974 I did not have a job.  I had several interviews in fall 1973, but no job offers.  After being on my own for two years it was very difficult to move back with my parents in Queens.  I went to school for all those years and had nothing to show for it.  Since I was bored sitting around the house, I went to a temporary agency and got a clerical job at a bank.

 

 Finally, in May 1974 I got an offer from a chemical company called Rhodia in New Brunswick, NJ.  I will not discuss career issues in this journal entry.  As soon as I got the job offer I ran to New Brunswick to look for an apartment.  I found a temporary apartment in someone’s house in the Hungarian section of town.  New Brunswick has the highest concentration of Hungarians outside of Hungary.  However, my landlord was Polish and just wouldn’t leave me alone.  Finally in September, I found a studio apartment in a luxury building called the Colony House near the College Avenue campus of Rutgers.  Back then my rent was $245/month, but my salary was $12,000/year.

 

Anyway, let me move on to social issues.  Some of the people have unique names.  I don’t want them to find this entry by Googling themselves, so I will refer to them by initials.  In the 1970s people married much earlier than they do today.  It was very common for people to marry shortly after graduating from college.  Relatively few unmarried couples lived together back then.  It was tough for me to see many of my friends get married in 1973.  I lost most of then within a year.

 

It is tough to go it alone in a strange town.  At least this time I had a car.  It is natural to seek out people of your own kind.  In neighboring Highland Park there was a Jewish Community Center that had a singles group.  In spring 1974, it was fading away.  It seems that in singles groups everyone loses interest at the same time.  When they don’t find the person of their dreams they “move on.”

 

I met a guy in that group I will call MT.  He was about my age and also worked as a chemist.  He was a great enthusiast of outdoor activities such as hiking and camping.  However, he lacked common sense.  He once phoned me at 2:30 AM to ask me if I wanted to go hiking the next day.  He was tactless in his dealings with women.  He would talk with a girl for about 5 minutes, ask for her phone number and not call her for a month.  Then he wondered why the girl turned him down for a date.  In June 1974, I went with him to a singles weekend in Lancaster, PA.

 

The second man I met through that group was RL.  He was very good looking but just could not find himself.  He had a degree in history, but just didn’t know what he wanted to do.  He had a job as a janitor in a school, and hadvery low self-esteem.  Girls would just walk up to him.  His father got him a job as an assembly line worker for the General Motors plant in NJ.  We called him Deadbeat.

 

Back in those days there were Jewish singles dances aka “Meat Markets” where the meat was kosher.  They presented a very artificial and tense environment where you tried to pick up a girl.  There was an organization called the Dunham’s that ran Jewish singles dances.  Every year after Yom Kippur they would hold a dance we called the Annual JAP Festival.  JAP is an acronym for Jewish American Princess.  That is one expression popular in the 70s that died.

 

There had to be a better way to find a young lady.  We found out about a chapter of B’nai Brith specifically for singles.  B’nai Brith is a fund raising and service organization, but the people there were definitely looking to pair off.  We had some good times in that group.  I met a guy there AJB who became my best friend during my NJ years.  However, we were both frustrated together having problems finding the right girl and the right job.  I kept in touch with him after I left NJ in late 1976, but in 1978 he hurt me very badly and we went our own way.

 

 

Karen and Lee Visited the Jay Buckley Baseball Tour

Jay Buckley of La Crosse Wisconsin has run baseball tours since 1982.  Karen, Lee, and I went on his tours in 2006 and 2007.  Since the last tour we kept in touch with Dave and Louise Anderson of Minnesota.  They do read and comment to this journal.  Dave and Louise picked a tour this year that started in the midwest and came to New York to both Shea and Yankee Stadiums.  Last night Karen and Lee met Louise and Dave at Shea Stadium.  Sadly, I couldn't go because I had to work.  The Mets beat the San Francisco Giants 7-0.

The Way We Were lyrics with a modification

Memories
Like the corners of my mind
Misty watercolor memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were

Can it be that it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me - Would we? Could we?

Memories
May be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember
We simply to choose to forget

So it’s the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were

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Modification:

What is too painful, I can not forget.  I can not filter out the bad memories.  I simply will benignly neglect to write about them in this journal.

By the way, Lee feel in love when he saw Barbra Streisand's picture on a bus shelter when he was 3 years old.

Happy Birthday Ringo Starr

Here is a trivia question for readers of Bruce's Journal.  When did Ringo Starr play drums for Bob Dylan?

Recalling my Rhode Island years (1972-74)

In late 1971 I was finishing my BS degree in chemistry at City College of New York (CCNY) and was thinking about graduate schools.  I felt that it was time to leave my parents and live on my own for the first time. I checked out several graduate school catalogs and decided to apply to the University of Rhode Island (URI) that was 30 miles away from Providence in a rural area.  I did examine the research interests of the chemistry professors there and wrote on my application that I would be interested in doing research with Professor Bruno M. Vittimberga.  (He is still there!!) One Friday night in December 1971 I received a phone call from Dr. Vittimberga saying that I had been accepted.

I decided that on Christmas week I would take a bus ride up there and look for a place to live.  I met Dr. Vittimberga at the chemistry building.  He immediately talked to me about his research.  On this trip I found a room in the home of an elderly couple (the Latowskis) about one mile north of the campus.

I completed my courses at CCNY in early January and two days later my parents drove me up to the campus.  My roommate, a French Professor, took me to nearby Wakefield to buy a bicycle so I could get around the campus.  I had to take some qualifying exams before I could register for courses.

The logistics of living there without a car were very difficult since it was a rural area.  I was really in a jam during bad weather.  I felt very uncomfortable bumming rides off people.  Since my landlord did not allow his boarders to use the kitchen I had to eat in the University Dining services with the undergraduates.  I soon found out that there was a big rift socially between graduate and undergraduate students.

I had to plead with my parents for a car.  When I came home for Spring break my parents bought me a 1972 Chevy Nova with the stipulation that I pay them back over time.  Would you believe that a compact car cost $2750 back then?

I found that the academic culture was quite different at URI than it was at CCNY.  The graduate students and faculty socialized quite freely at URI where it was forbidden at CCNY.  I was invited many times to professors’ home for social gatherings.  There were Jewish people at URI, but you had to look for them.  There was a Hillel there, but I found the Jewish undergraduates very unfriendly.  My fellow graduate students were friendlier.

I was a graduate teaching assistant at URI with a small salary.  I taught sections of chemistry laboratory under faculty members.

Once I had my car, I knew I had to find another place to live.  URI was very close to Narragansett, a beach community.  It was very easy to rent a beach house from September to May.  It was about a 15-minute drive to the campus.  I was able to rent a house with two roommates for an entire year.  To make a long story short my experience with roommates was very disappointing.  In any event it was better than living in Latowski’s house.

Another disappointing experience back then was that most of my friends from CCNY were getting married in 1973, while I was living in RI.  I was even best man at someone’s wedding, but shortly thereafter, he began to make caustic comments to me about not having a girlfriend.  My parents had brainwashed me that dating out of the religion was a deadly sin.  I didn’t have many dates during those two years.

I used to drive up to Providence quite regularly.  There was a Jewish Community Center that had a program for singles.  I’ll never forget how one guy in that group was so crass after I asked him a question with my New York accent.  He said, “Why don’t you go back to New York”. I also went to the Brown University Hillel house that ran services every Friday night in the rabbi’s home.  Those people were a lot friendlier.

As I mentioned in a recent posting, everyone is Rhode Island listened to Salty Brine and WPRO (AM).

My lease ended in August 1973 so I had to find another place to live.  I accidentally met Jeff who lived in Queens and was looking for a roommate.  I lived in a house in the Harbor Island section until my graduation in 1974.

I really grew up during the two Rhode Island years.  Academically, I picked aschool that was at my level. With 20-20 hindsight I wish I had picked an area in a smaller city.  URI was just too isolated.  During my last semester I took several interview trips, but at the time of my graduation, I had no job.  It was very difficult for me to move back with my parents in January 1974 after being on my own for two years.

The next five years were very difficult for me.

Sports Museum of America

I highly recommend to all sports fans who live or visit NYC to see the new Sports Museum of America located in lower Manhattan near Battery Park.  Even my old friend Roy who is completely disinterested in sports enjoyed it.  There are exhibits devoted to individual sports including baseball, the olympics, football, basketball, hockey, bowling, tennis, golf, and fishing.  There were entire rooms devoted to women in sports and pioneers such as Jackie Robinson.  There were plenty of interactive exhibits.  For example you can look at a controversial football play and make the call.  You can press a button and see a specific historic moment in sports.  There were plenty of artifacts such as uniforms, bats, balls, gloves, etc.  We spent 4 hours there.

 

I Guess I am Just Too Old For Mainstream Movies

Since the weather was threatening on this 4th of July we decided to play it safe and walk over to the local multiplex to see Hancock which opened this weekend.  Will Smith is certainly a fine actor, but the film like many other of its genre had a "far-fetched plot" and plenty of fantasy violence.  There were very few people my age in the theater.  I guess I have to come to grips that mainstream movies are not for me any more.  I may have to go out of my way to see independent films that are suited for an older audience.  There is a small movie theater with 4 screens in Kew Gardens Queens that show independent movies.  When I go to that theater, I feel like I am in a senior citizens residence.  To quote Bob Dylan "It's not dark yet, but it's getting there."

One Advantage of Working in Academia

Since we have Fridays off over the summer and the 4th of July is on a Friday they gave us today off.  I get 20 vacation days, 3 personal days, the week of between Christmas and New Years, and 4 day weeks over the summer.

Spotlight on WMTR - Morristown and other NJ Oldies stations

I have a GE Superradio that can pick up distance radio stations.  From Flushing it can pick up WMTR (1250 AM)  in Morristown, NJ about 40 miles away.  I lose the station after sundown when the it must lower its power. When I first heard the station it was playing adult standards, but around 2002 it played oldies primarily from 1955-1963.  They must have been jumping for joy in June 2005 when WCBS-FM was hijacked.  Since at that point they were the only broadcast station in the region playing oldies, they expanded their playlist to include 1964 to the early 70s.  They have mained that format with local DJs until today when they adopted a satellite oldies format after 10 AM.  They had to let go their local disk jockeys.  The station's owners Greater Media also owns WCTC at 1450 AM from New Brunswick, NJ.  Until today they were a talk station including some local programming, but just took on the same satellite oldies music as WMTR.  At the same time WNNJ at 1360 AM  from Newton, NJ owned by Clear Channel adopted the syndicated True Oldies Channel.

The sad thing about this is that local suburban programming has been abandoned.  Several local radio personalities have lost their jobs.  These stations also webcast.  A few years ago former WCBS-FM overnight personality Max Kinkel did mornings at WNNJ.

Baseball's Greatest Hits - Cassette

As I mentioned a few days ago there was an exhibit at the Rock Hall called Baseball Rocks.  Whebn I went to the gift shop, I specifically looked for a CD with baseball songs.  The clerk told me that the CD Baseball's Greatest Hits issued by Rhino was out of print.  When I got home I looked it up on Amazon.com and was able to buy a cassette version of it for less that $10.00 including the postage.  We will listen to it tonight.

It is not necessary to get nasty on message boards

To be fair the New York Radio Message Board has provided good discussions of issues in programming and other management issues in the radio business.  This week WCBS-FM is being innovative in airing their entire playlist from A-Z.  Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion on this or other topic.  There is a very long thread on this message board which has become extremely nasty.  Whether it is in radio, politics, or anything else be it in cyberspace, telephone, or face to face communication people can always disagree but should always be respectful of the others' opinions. 
I am very intigued by this programming.  I wish I had more time to listen to the station because they are airing many records not usually played.  I can't blast my radio in the NJIT Library :)

Our Last Game at Yankee Stadium

My first game at Yankee Stadium was in 1958 just after the Dodgers and Giants left for the west coast.  For 4 years they were the only major league team in NYC.  My best Yankee memory was back in September 1961.  I went to the game against the Red Sox with family friend Mickey Kessler, his son Lenny, my Uncle Ben, and my cousin Jeff.  We wanted to see Roger Maris hit his 61st home run.  We went on the last Saturday of the season, but Roger hit #61 the next day.  I was in the car with my family when we heard the news on the radio.

When the Mets started in 1962 my allegiances went from arguably the best team in baseball history to the worst.  I didn't go back to Yankee Stadium until the late 1970s after Tom Seaver was traded from the Mets.  I will always remmber the soda spilling game in 1980 agains the Cleveland Indians.  Anyway, in recent years Karen Lee and I have gone to two Yankee games a season.  This year I went to the first Saturday game against Tampa Bay, but couldn't get tickets for later in the season.  In May while I was at the South Street Seaport I found a Yankees Store that sold tickets.  The weekends were sold out, but I was able to get tickets for Monday June 30th against the Texas Rangers.  I went to work and met Karen and Lee at the seat about 6:30 PM.  They tried to get there early to see Monument Park, but came a little too late.  Anyway, the Yankees could only score once on an Alex Rodriguez home run.  Texas won 2-1.  Goodbye Yankee Stadium.  Hopefully next year we can go to two games at the new ball park now under construction across the street.

Some photos that we took may be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/Bigtownman/YankeeStadium2008