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 would have liked to have stayed home today to watch the doubleheader, but I had a dental appointment in Forest Hills at 2 PM. Since finding parking is very difficult in that neighborhood, I took public transportation to my appointment. While waiting, I tried to watch the game on the SNY and ESPN apps, but I couldn't connect. I could listen for a while on the ESPNNY app early in the game as the Braves took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. I was able to follow the game on the ESPN app until I arrived home in the 8th inning.Mets.
I don't have to give the details of the game here, but it is historic in the 63-year history of the Mets. It is comparable to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
The Mets return to Milwaukee to play the Brewers in a best 2 out of 3 series. How far will they advance?
We found out yesterday that Country Music singer-songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson passed away at age 88. A detailed obituary may be found in Variety.
As seen above Kris and Bob Dylan appeared together in the film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. In my opinion that was not Dylan's best performance. He was not the world's best actor. The soundtrack featured the Dylan classic Knockin' on Heaven's Door.
Kris also appeared at the 30th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in October 1992. He is best known there for comforting Sinead O'Connor after the audience booed her.
He also covered Dylan's I'll Be Your Baby Tonight.
I have documented several visits to Flushing Town Hall in this journal. It is nice to have a concert venue within walking distance of home. Since it was raining today, seeing another concert there was a good idea. Today's show was titled Mini-Global Mashup: Brazil Meets Trinidad/Tobago.
The show featured Everton Isidoro, the high-energy Brazilian steel percussionist, Marcus Kreiger and Roshni Samlal, her tabla, and accompanist Camila Celin.
It is a good experience to listen to a different genre of music.
For years the family attended the final Met home game usually played in the afternoon. To accommodate ESPN the game was rescheduled for 7:15 PM. The Mets stood two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the final wild card position. They played the Phillies who are on the verge of clinching the NL East title.
The pitching was excellent as Tylor Megill allowed four hits over four innings, and Phil Maton (3-3), Joey Butto, and Díaz combined for five innings of one-hit ball. Edwin Diaz picked up a 6-out save for the second time in his career.
The big blow for the Mets was a 6th inning home run by Brandon Nimmo.
I attended a group called "Reality Check" at the Older Adult Center in Bayside for several months. It is a group discussing current events. For a while, the group was small and congenial, but recently the group has grown and become a little contentious. I also ran into the problem of a small number monopolizing the conversation.
Most of the recent discussions were about the presidential election and its politics. Fortunately, all of the participants were Democrats, but some differences of opinion were heard. I have always hated politics, but I understand it is a necessary evil in our society.
I attended this group to try to enjoy myself for one hour on a Friday afternoon. As I realize I no longer enjoy this group, it is time to leave it. I don't feel any animosity toward the facilitator or any participants. I just don't have pleasure is listening to a political discussion. Perhaps after the election, I'll sample this group again.
The last stop on the 2024 Tour was at the Darien Lake Amphitheater near Buffalo, NY. Desolation Row originally appeared on the Highway 61 Revisited album in 1965. He surprised his fans during this performance by tapping his microphone with a wrench. I just don't understand his reason for doing this.
Below is the original studio version from 1965 recorded without tapping his microphone with a wrench.
Mr. Moonlight was written by Roy Lee Johnson and recorded by Dr. Feelgood and the Interns in 1962. It appeared on the album Beatles 65 in the USA and Beatles for Sale in the UK. I haven't heard it on the radio recently
As a subscriber to the online version of the NY Times, I can gift up to 10 articles a month. I suggest that anyone voting in the presidential election read it. I cannot believe how Trump has duped millions of people into thinking he is qualified to be President of the United States. January 6th was bad enough, but is this man rational?
I have listened to Corny O'Connell on WFUV in the morning for many years. He features the "Question of the Day" when he asks listeners for songs that fit a theme set. When I first access the internet on my cell phone there are usually 50 or more suggestions for playing songs. I guess these listeners are early birds and know music from the many genres played by WFUV. At about 9:15 only four songs are played. At the end of the set, Corny announces the names and locations of many of the listeners who made suggestions. Since the station is available on the internet, many of the contributors are outside the NYC area. I sent a suggestion to the music director that this popular feature be continued later in the day, but he did not respond to me.
Today's theme was songs where the age of the singer is mentioned. I thought of Leaves that Are Green by Simon and Garfunkel which I featured in this journal in September 2016.
Yesterday, we found out that Ed Kranepool passed away at age 79. He actually appeared with the original Mets in 1962 when he was 17 years old. Over the past year, three other 1969 Mets passed away.
Jim McAndrew
Jerry Grote
Bud Harrelson
The Mets have honored Bud Harrelson, Jerry Grote, and Willie Mays by wearing patches with their uniform numbers. I assume they will honor Ed Kranepool with a patch next season.
Today's game was #19 in our 20-game package for the season. The Mets were on a roll as they won nine games in a row and had taken over the third and last wildcard position. Luis Severino allowed just one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings, but the hitting was flat. The Mets only got one run and four hits off six pitchers. Santiago Espinadel hit a tie-breaking, two-run double in the ninth inning to lift the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-1 victory. Since the Atlanta Braves defeated the Toronto Blue Jays today, the Mets and Braves are now tied for the final wildcard position. The Mets will face the Braves for a crucial during the last week of the season.
Today we found out that Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes passed away at age 83. I best remember him for covering the Beatles' The Fool on the Hill originally heard on The Magical Mystery Tour. It was a terrible film, but the music was good.
Our 20-game package included this Tuesday night game against the Red Sox. Starting pitcher David Peterson was superb as he struck out a career-high 11 in six innings. The game featured home runs by Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, and Pete Alsonso as the Mets extended their winning streak to six. The Mets record is a major-league best 53-31 since May 30.
Trip #22 of the Jay Buckley Baseball Tour was at the game. I stopped by as we entered the ballpark, but Jay who escorted the tour was away. Since 2006 the family took six of his tours. They have always been a pleasure.
I have posted about the College Point Multiplex many times over the years. It closed permanently on May 7, 2024. It was nice to have a movie complex within walking distance of home. Since then, I have not gone to a movie. Most of them are suited for a younger audience. Too many times, I went to a movie and left disappointed because the film was just not for me.
Today I decided to take a 10-minute drive to the Bay Terrace 6 mini-complex to see the Ronald Reagan biopic. I didn't agree with many of his politics, but the movie is obviously aimed at older people who lived during his presidency.
The acting was excellent, especially since Dennis Quaid looked and talked like Reagan. The film was historically accurate. It did not consider the relationships of Ronald Reagan with his children.
