2016-05-21 16:08
After the Mets lost ugly on Thursday night against the Nationals they really needed a shot in the arm. They certainly got it last night from Steven Matz who pitched 7 brilliant innings… Read More
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bruceslutsky.com
Bruce Slutsky was born in New York City in 1949. For the last 23 years I have worked as a Science/Engineering Librarian at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. I have been married to Karen since 1983. We have a son Lee who is now 28 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. Since the inception of the team in 1962 I have been a big fan of the New York Mets.
2016-05-20 00:09
Today I tried to get to work a little early as it was the day of the Chemistry Olympics at NJIT. When I got to the library I observed some commotion by the circulation staff, but I couldn't… Read More
2016-05-18 21:23
There was a special issue of New York Magazine with the title "What We Wore" which was an overview of the history of fashion. I thumbed through it relatively quickly until I came to th… Read More
2016-05-17 00:50
On April 30 I discussed the 50th anniversary of Blonde on Blonde so it is not necessary to repeat the discussion. On the same day the seminal Beach Boy album Pet Sounds was released. … Read More
2016-05-15 00:11
I planned to go to only two Yankee games today but my NJIT colleague Maria Denaro had two tickets for today's game she couldn't use so she gave them to me. I bought the third ticket so… Read More
2016-05-13 16:26
Today I was able to hear a preview of Bob Dylan's new album Fallen Angels that was put on the web by NPR. The album will be released on May 20. Since I bought tickets for his Jul… Read More
2016-05-12 01:02
A hearty congratulations to Rita Houston who was #4 on a list of the Top 25 Rock Radio Programmers compiled by Billboard magazine. I wish there was more time in the day to listen to WF… Read More
2016-05-10 00:55
I have been a subscriber to Time Warner Cable since October 1986. I remember staying home from work on the day the parade celebrating the Mets World Series win waiting for the installa… Read More
2016-05-08 12:15
Pitchers who must bat in the National League are rarely very good at it. Bartolo Colon has spent most of long career in the American League but has 228 lifetime at bats according to Ba… Read More
2016-05-08 00:20
Karen and I always go to a Broadway show to celebrate our birthdays in April. This year we had to wait until after Passover to see a show. I left it up to Karen this year and she… Read More
2016-05-07 00:45
The NJIT community received an email today stating:The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has charged two men in the slaying of Joseph Micalizzi, an NJIT junior from Freehold who was sho… Read More
2016-05-04 00:18
Here I go again googling people I haven't seen in many years. Regular readers of Bruce's Journal likely saw my stories about finding out that Valerie and Harvey whom I knew in the earl… Read More
2016-05-02 00:25
It rained all morning and it seemed doubtful if the Mets would play. We left the house a little after 12 noon and took the bus and #7 train to Citifield. When we entered the gate… Read More
2016-05-01 01:03
Although it was released in May 1966 I had to wait until July since I had to scrape up enough money from my allowance to buy a double album. I'd like to recommend my readers listen to… Read More
2016-04-30 00:13
This week we heard of the passing of soul singer Billy Paul who can be considered a one hit wonder with Me & Mrs, Jones. It charted in late 1972 and early 1973 when I was a graduate stud… Read More
2016-04-29 01:42
The family will be going on vacation to Denver this year as we have to check out another baseball stadium. The Colorado Rockies will be at home at Coors Field when we are there against… Read More
2016-04-27 00:05
I just heard Jim Ladd play this on the Deep Tracks Channel on SiriusXM. I was released as a single in September 1966, but only peaked at #33 in Billboard. Every year I vote for i… Read More
2016-04-25 00:51
Both Prince and Bob Dylan were born in Minnesota, but Prince stayed while Dylan moved on. Like millions of others I am sorry to hear of Prince's untimely passing. I found out tha… Read More
2016-04-24 00:13
On December 21, 1970 the King met Tricky Dick at the Whitehouse. I guess if they can make a movie about this they can make a movie about just about anything. I enjoyed the film b… Read More
2016-04-24 00:13
On December 21, 1970 the King met Tricky Dick at the Whitehouse. I guess if they can make a movie about this they can make a movie about just about anything. I enjoyed the film b… Read More
2016-04-22 00:42
The Mets are on of the things that havekept us together for 32+ yearsKaren was born 6 years and one day after me. She gets another Bob Dylan song for her birthday. It is If Not f… Read More
2016-04-20 23:57
This year I am not going to reveal my age. I am going to quote the Beatles and say "You Know My Name, Look Up the Number." That was the B-side of Let it Be. But for this bi… Read More
2016-04-18 21:13
Since my vacation hours are a little high, I decided to take today off to get a 3 day weekend. If we have more than 175 vacation hours after June 30, we lose those excessive hours. &nb&hell…Read More
2016-04-17 00:39
The only time I root against the Yankees is when they play the Mets. We generally go to two games a season at Yankee Stadium so today was game #1 for us. C. C. Sabathia started f… Read More
2016-04-16 14:50
I want to thank regular reader Frank D'agostino for bringing this to my attention. Certainly Bob Dylan songs have had a great impact on me and millions of his fans of years. A de… Read More
2016-04-16 00:03
New NJIT Men's Basketball Coach Brian Kennedy (l) with Athletic Director Lenny KaplanToday I attended a press conference introducing Brian Kennedy as the new men's basketball coach at NJIT s… Read More
2016-04-14 14:34
It was a pretty normal morning for me until I reached New York Penn Station at 7:30. I looked at my cell phone and recieved a text message stating that a power outage in Newark affecte… Read More
2016-04-13 00:01
Can' Find the Time by Orpheus was first released in 1968 but charted at #111 in Billboard. A year later it was re-released and could reach only #80 in the charts. Apparently the… Read More
2016-04-11 00:31
We always go to a game the first weekend of the season, and this year was no exception. It was a little chilly in the upper deck, but that didn't bother us. It was the lack of hi… Read More
2016-04-10 00:58
Yours truly with Pat St. John at the November 2009Oldies Meet and GreetPat's daughter reported on facebook that he suffered a fall at his home in San Diego. He suffered severe spinal t… Read More
2016-04-09 00:16
Every year Rich Appel polls his listeners and derives a list of songs that should have been a bigger hit. Many song for whatever reason became more popular as oldies. I send Rich… Read More
2016-04-07 00:59
I had the pleasure of seeing Merle Haggard in concert as he opened for Bob Dylan at the Beacon Theater in April 2005. I bought a CD of his greatest hits shortly afterward. Today… Read More
2016-04-07 00:36
Today I heard that NJIT's men's basketball coach Jim Engles resigned to accept the coaching job at Columbia University. When NJIT entered Division I sports the basketball team fared ve… Read More
2016-04-05 01:01
Johnny Cash sang about a Boy Named Sue, but just today by accident I found out there is a tarantula named Johnny Cash. To be exact the name is A. johnnycashi. In my "previous lif… Read More
2016-04-03 12:42
It must be the first time ever when the teams in the World Series meet each other on the following opening day. It will be Harvey Day as Matt will face the Kansas City Royals on Openin… Read More
2016-04-02 13:52
It seems that jokes on April Fools' Day were more common years ago. Yesterday Facebook friend Steven Jay Gilinsky announced he became engaged. He fooled a few people including my… Read More
2016-04-01 00:51
Bruce Bukiet, seen above is a Professor of Mathematics at NJIT and an avid baseball fans. He told me that he is a member of SABR. He just announced his predictions for the baseba… Read More
2016-03-28 11:49
Lee with his Superman ShirtMy son Lee is 28 years old today. Where did all these years go? He too is a fan of Superman, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Mets, and Johnny Cash. H… Read More
2016-03-28 00:51
George Reeves is My SupermanThere was a lot of hype about the new movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Certainly the Man of Steel has appeared many times in Bruce's Journal as I h… Read More
2016-03-26 00:33
Rego Park has appeared in Bruce's Journal many times as I grew up in this neighborhood in Queens. Every so often I take a walk around the old neighborhood to see how it has changed. &n&hell…Read More
2016-03-25 02:00
There is only one Band Read More
2016-03-24 01:06
Last night it took me abut 25 minutes to download IOS 9.3 for my iPhone. It really was no big deal as the only "enhancement" is the ability for the phone screen to automatically dim du… Read More
2016-03-23 00:59
Since I ordered 4 tickets to the concert in Forest Hills, I get two copies of the forthcoming CD Fallen Angels. It is to be another collection of adult standards that Dylan will cover… Read More
2016-03-22 01:51
I joined Twitter in October 2007 and have tweeted 4537 times since them. I follow 1023 people while 323 follow me. My Facebook account is configured so that my posts there come t… Read More
2016-03-21 01:24
Just heard this on Cool Bobby B's Doo Wop Stop Read More
2016-03-20 00:55
Since we are members of the Paley Center we get to see up to 3 hours of TV shows in their library of TV shows. Today we did searches on:The Rolling StonesRichard NixonThe BeatlesWe saw… Read More
2016-03-19 01:06
Tonight I decided to inventory my Facebook friends and categorize them. I really should defriend many of them, not because they are undesirable in any way, but because I have not maint… Read More
2016-03-18 00:58
I just heard this on Tom Petty's Buried Treasure Show. I just looked at my Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Book and this peaked only at #44 nationally. It really should have charted at #… Read More
2016-03-16 01:41
WNEW-FM at 102.7 has some distinguished history in NYC radio. I think the most thorough story of the station can be found in the NY Radio Archive. The Wikipedia article may be a little… Read More
2016-03-14 21:05
Back in 1965 when Dylan appeared at Forest Hills one couldn't buy tickets online. I guess you had to stand in line for hours or phone in and get a million busy signals. When the… Read More
2016-03-14 11:27
It is spring break week at NJIT so there are no classes, but the library staff is expected to come in. The library closes at 4:45 and few people come to the building. Most of the… Read More
2016-03-13 02:43
A recent issue of Goldmine Magazine reviewed the movie All Things Must Pass which covers the history of Tower Records. I bought the DVD and viewed it today. It started in Califor… Read More
2016-03-12 01:46
Thank goodness there will be no New Jersey Transit strike was averted with a tentative settlement announced this evening. I have to think back to some transit strikes of the past:Janua… Read More
2016-03-10 01:25
Thanks George for all the fine work you did over the years. The lord blessed you with a long life. Your contributions to the world of music will last forever Read More
2016-03-09 01:31
Karen was reading one of the local Queens newspapers and saw a review of the book seen above. I couldn't resist so I bought the paper version of it on Amazon instead of the Kindle vers… Read More
2016-03-08 02:37
It was a big day for Bob Dylan fans as a the American leg of the 2016 Never Ending Tour was announced. On July 8 he will be playing at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium for the first tim… Read More
2016-03-06 01:32
Today's game ended a disappointing season for the Red Storm as they were defeated by the Friars of Providence College 90-76. I have observed in many college games that the players don'… Read More
2016-03-05 01:27
This anthematic song was the first #1 by an Australian artist in 1972.The ironic thing was that all three contestants were women. That is unusual for Jeopardy. In recent years th… Read More
2016-03-04 02:32
I live in New York, but work in New Jersey and pay taxes in both states. I have observed that Governor Chris Christie seems very insensitive to the needs of citizens of the Garden Stat… Read More
2016-03-02 03:01
Warning - this song is 11 minutes longI don't know much about poets and poetry, but that was the category on Final Jeopardy tonight. The correct question "Who was T.S, Eliot?" Al… Read More
2016-02-29 13:00
Lee never had the pleasure of seeing Johnny Cash in person. By the time Lee became a fan, Johnny was too ill to tour and passed away in 2003. I was looking at Facebook on Friday… Read More
2016-02-27 16:28
Two times during every hockey season Karen and Lee meet me at the Prudential Center after work. I finish at at 4 PM so I have to hang around for a few hours until game time. The… Read More
2016-02-25 12:36
Sadly we lost George at age 58 in November 2001. His music with the Beatles and as a solo artist will live on. Right now I am listening to an "All George Extravaganza" on Dennis… Read More
2016-02-25 01:43
I reported a month ago that Facebook dropped Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. I always looked forward to playing it when I went online for the first time every day. Another of my f… Read More
2016-02-23 01:22
There are many Bob Dylan songs that seem quite ordinary and even quite nondescript. People who dislike Dylan for his voice have rightfully criticized Outlaw Blues from Bringing it All… Read More
2016-02-20 15:49
Vinny's run on Sports Jeopardy finally ended at 15 victories. He is certainly a walking encyclopedia of trivia in baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, olympics, and last but not l… Read More
2016-02-19 02:32
When I logged into Facebook today I got a message stating that today marked the 10th anniversary of my joining. When I first came on board I thought that I would use it as a method of… Read More
2016-02-16 12:52
I have mention SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) a few times in this journal. Recently I volunteered to work for the Game Project. It is a new initiative to research and wr… Read More
2016-02-15 21:57
A new episode of Sports Jeopardy is seen on Crackle TV on Wednesday and is available until the following Tuesday. If you haven't seen the current show, please don't reader further. &nb&hell…Read More
2016-02-15 01:22
Any report that Bob Dylan is recording a new album has to be good news. He has been recording since 1962 which was before many of his fans (not me) were born. The report in Billb… Read More
2016-02-14 01:37
Early this week the CD player that I have owned since February 2010 started to act erratically. It would play alright until it reached cut #6 and then would jump "all over the pla… Read More
2016-02-13 14:08
It was announced yesterday that since Jenrry Mejia failed his third test for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) he is banned for baseball. We all make mistakes in life, but in this cas… Read More
2016-02-12 02:24
Photo of Mom on Mothers Day 2011It is hard to believe that it has been a year since Mom passed away. I always remember the guidance she gave me in all the years. Everybody misses… Read More
2016-02-09 12:44
Yesterday the Knicks fired coach Derek Fisher as the team has stumbled to a 23-31 record. At the time of Fisher's firing the Knicks had lost 9 out of 10 games. The Knicks have ce… Read More
2016-02-09 01:30
We really wanted to see at least one hockey game at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn this season. Karen wanted to go in the daytime so I picked Sunday February 7th a few months ago not r… Read More
2016-02-07 15:48
Let's turn back the clock to January 1967 when I was a senior at Forest Hill High School. Earlier in the 1960s there was a rivalry between the NFL and the upstart AFL which was resolve… Read More
2016-02-07 01:42
There was about 2-3 inches of snow on the ground today as I drove with Lee to Cunningham Park. Since the basketball court was still snow covered he couldn't play. There was a pat… Read More
2016-02-05 01:46
For the last several seasons I purchased 10 game packages for Met games. At the end of last season they announced packages for 20, 41, and 81 games which were just too much for me. &nb&hell…Read More
2016-02-03 12:37
Back in the 1960s when AM radio predominated WWRL was a big R&B and soul station. Some major DJs like Bobby Jay and Frankie Crocker worked there. For the last few years the f… Read More
2016-02-01 22:37
Since we got 26 inches of snow on Saturday January 23 the weather has been mild. Today the temperature went up to the 50s melting much of the snow that remains. Snow looks nice f… Read More
2016-01-31 22:00
The St. Johns Red Storm basketball team did not perform well against Villanova as they committed many turnovers and shot very poorly. The teams were even in the first half , but Villan… Read More
2016-01-31 02:10
SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) has chapters throughout the world. The last Saturday in January is designated SABR days as many of the local chapters have meetings.  &hell…Read More
2016-01-29 01:50
I also like the Richie Havens version Read More
2016-01-28 01:51
For several years playing Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on Facebook has been a ritual for me. Over the many years it has been on Facebook I have won over $300 million in unreal money o… Read More
2016-01-25 22:32
It must be a very difficult decision for school administrators to declare a snow day. The New York City schools were open today even though so many side streets were not plowed. … Read More
2016-01-25 02:01
There was 26.8 inches of snow measured in Central Park which is the second biggest snowfall in NYC since weather data was first recorded in 1869. We decided to venture out of the apart… Read More
2016-01-24 03:00
There was about two feet of snow in NYC today so there was no other choice but to stay at home. The first thing that I did was to upgrade the Windows 8.1 on my laptop to Windows 10. &n&hell…Read More
2016-01-23 13:50
The Mets got into the World Series in 2015, but there is a good chance they can go all the way in 2016. They just signed Yoenis Cespedes for $75 million over 3 years. He can opt… Read More
2016-01-23 01:58
Sadly broadcast radio in recent years has soured as terrestrial stations are trying to appeal to listeners 25-54 years old to attract advertisers. Oldies stations that used to play mus… Read More
2016-01-21 01:30
I am usually a proponent of "if it's not broken, don't fix it." I have owned this Dell laptop since August 2014 with Windows 8.1 installed. Last July Microsoft made Windows 10 av… Read More
2016-01-18 22:16
So far this has been a mild and almost snowless winter in NYC. The photo above is reminiscent of some previous winters, but not this year. Last night there was about 1/2 inchof s… Read More
2016-01-18 00:56
Hello Olivia N. It was nice to see you at the VALE meeting. I hope you are enjoying the weekend.Yesterday, we drove over to Hofstra to see the basketball team. They lost to… Read More
2016-01-15 03:04
Today I spoke to the benefits coordinator in my HR Department. I had some questions about what benefits that I get after I retire after 25 years of service. I also asked some que… Read More
2016-01-12 22:20
Lat week I looked at my vacation bank and saw that it was high. I remember back in 1990 when I left NYPL I had 6 weeks vacation and was able to cash it in. Whenever I retire from… Read More
2016-01-12 02:09
I woke up this morning to the sad news that David Bowie passed away at age 67. I thought back to the first time I heard his music. It was early 1973 as I was a student at the Uni… Read More
2016-01-09 16:56
There were 267 entries in Bruce's Journal in 2015 which is consistent with the number of of postings over the last 3 years. I don't like having two days in a row without my "words of w… Read More
2016-01-09 16:54
Regular Jeopardy dates back to the Art Fleming version in 1964 while the Alex Trebek version started in 1984. In the Fall of 2014 Sports Jeopardy debuted on Crackle TV. Players… Read More
2016-01-09 01:39
Elvis covers Dylan's Don't Think Twice Its Alright. Today would have been the King's 81st birthday Read More
2016-01-07 01:47
The fourth time was the charm as Mike Piazza was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 83% of the vote. Ken Griffey Jr. was also elected with 437 out of 440 votes. I certainl… Read More
2016-01-06 13:35
I need not repeat here reports of tragic incidents in recent years involving gun violence. Too many innocent people have been killed by terrorists or deranged individuals who have gott… Read More
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