Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Halloween Song of the Day - I Put a Spell On You - Bette Midler


Happy Halloween everybody! Today I will be showing the film Hocus Pocus to my students, and rather than put up the usual Michael Jackson's Thriller, Time Warp from Rocky Horror, or one of the other great Halloween songs, I wanted to do something different and although this was a kids movie and kind of silly, I still enjoy it when I watch...


Halloween Sounds



Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Sandy, from Patchogue all around

There are so many stories connected with Hurricane Sandy, AKA Frankenstorm, it could take one person days and days and days to tell them all.  We're just about a full 24 hours since the worst of the storm hit my area of Long Island and I consider myself very lucky.  Sure, I had damage, mostly from the wind and the trees, and I lost electricity for awhile, but other people had...check that, have it... far worse than me.



Sandy Visits Patchogue

Yesterday was one tense day, and it only got worse as the day turned to night.  Having heard from my mom that she'd lost power early on, I was shocked and pleased that mine stayed on throughout the day and much of the night.  Still, it was scary out there! It was hands down the scariest hurricane I've ever experienced.  The sounds of the winds and things snapping and breaking and crashing outside instill such a sense of fright it's difficult to explain unless you've ever been through one, but being alone in a house, especially after dark when vision is nil, is terrifying.  If that was a Category 1 hurricane, I can't imagine what a 5 must be like!

I had my share of damage, though.  I've got a lot of old, big trees on my property and the winds really wreaked havoc, toppling over the entire tops of two trees on my front yard (see above).  My deck and my car got hit, as well, and my entire day today was spent cleaning it up.  But like I said, I'm lucky...

my deck

backyard

my car

after the cleanup!

Other than my damage, there really wasn't too much in my area, except for the house across the street from mine, which lost two whole trees, and one of them fell on their roof, causing the chimney to crumble.  Newsday was out taking pictures of it, so it may make the papers tomorrow:



Sandy, the Monster!

For anyone who's watched the news these past couple of days, I'm sure you've seen many a horror story from across parts of New Jersey, New York City, Connecticut, and even Long Island.  With Sandy, there was not a lot of rain, but the wind and the high tides, made even higher by the full moon, did most of the damage all over.  I can't imagine when all is said and done what the cost of this will be.

Breezy Point Disaster

One of the stories that caught my attention was what happened in a place called Breezy Point in Queens, NY.  At around 11 p.m. last night, a fire broke out in one of the homes there and the winds from Sandy helped to spread the fire from one home to the next, causing more than 80 homes to be destroyed.  Luckily, the folks there had been evacuated earlier so the only loss was of property, which was devastating to those homeowners, I'm sure.  To read more about this story, check out the NY Daily News.



More Sandy Photos

Aside from the Breezy Point disaster, there were many other horrifying aftereffects of Sandy.  Here are some more photos from some of the devastation:

NYC "preventive power outage"

Flooded out cabs in Hoboken, New Jersey

A jetway at Laguardia Airport

Photo: The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel is flooded with about 12 feet of water Tuesday after a tidal surge caused by Hurricane Sandy.
The entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in NYC

At Ground Zero in NYC

Milford, Connecticut

Atlantic City, NJ

Dangling crane in Midtown, Manhattan

These photos were taken from the Facebookk page entitled, Hurricane Sandy


    

Late Day Song of the Day - Rock You Like a Hurricane - The Scorpions, with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


I almost wasn't going to post a Song of the Day today.  My power was out this morning and here I am now, at 8 p.m., getting to my laptop for the first time today.  Since Sandy has come and gone here on Long Island, I think it's a good time to mark her passing with a song, a little softened up, but still pretty cool, about what she did to us here and on the rest of the Northeast.

Scorpions - Rock You Like A Hurricane with Berlin Philarmonic Orchestra from Cosmo Kramer on Vimeo.


Rock You Like a Hurricane - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Scorpions


Monday, October 29, 2012

Oh Sandy!

Well it's almost six o'clock here on Long Island, the sun is going down and now's the time for the the really scary stuff!  Hurricane Sandy is approaching quickly, and it's evident from what's going on outside my window.  Luckily I still have electrical power, but I'm not sure for how long, so excuse me for any grammatical errors because I'm typing at break-neck speed.

Overlay

The headline to this picture on Weather.com says "LANDFALL IMMINENT," so yeah, it's just about here.  This is far worse than Hurricane Irene, which hit us about 13 months ago.  The sounds and sights accompanying the winds are terrifying, to say the least, and I'm sure it will get worse for me once it's completely dark.  This is one of the times I absolutely hate living alone!

This is Greenport, Long Island earlier today, about five miles from where I work.

Photo: This is on Amboy Road in Staten Island.
Courtesy: Kate Amico
Amboy, Staten Island

Photo: NY Governor Cuomo thanking the National Guard Troops for their service during Hurricane Sandy!
Governor Cuomo thanking National Guard troops

Photo: This is the on the other side of Sandy. Blizzard in West Virgina. Picture from Davis, WV
The other side of the storm in West Virginia

Photo: Sandy located about 205 miles southeast of Atlantic City, NJ; maximum sustained winds 90 mph.  (Pic: water outside a home in Brigantine)  http://nj1015.com/how-bad-will-it-get-video/
Atlantic City, New Jersey (above and below)

Photo: Large section of Atlantic City Boardwalk washed away!
via actionews/Dann Cuellar

These photos from Tri-State Weather's Facebook page.

Scituate, Massachusetts (Weather)
Scituate, MA

Stay tuned for more, and if you're in Sandy's path, be safe!


Hurricane Sandy - A few photos so far

Well, the worst of this storm is just about upon us here on Long Island.  I'm typing furiously in anticipation of the loss of power, which seems inevitable considering the wind out there. Already, plenty of limbs, big ones, have come off some of my trees and I just saw a giant one blow across my front yard.  

Here are a few photos I've gathered from across the Internet of what's been happening so far!  


Hurricane Sandy

New York City before the storm

Southampton, NY

Battery Park, Manhattan, NYC


Somewhere in Connecticut


Stay safe everybody!

Song of the Day - Sandy - John Travolta


In honor of Sandy, the hurricane that is currently bearing down on us here in the northeast, we present our only choice of song for the day...

 

Sandy - Grease (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)


Sunday, October 28, 2012

Frankenstorm a Cometh!

Photo: Its coming!! 
All jokes aside. This is a serious storm. and we want everyone to be informed, and prepared for whatever he may bring our way!!

It was a little over a year ago that Hurricane Irene hit Long Island with high winds and lots of rain and now we're in for another one, a biggie, with what's being dubbed as Frankenstorm.  I say Frankenstorm is a biggie because it's actually a rare weather event that has the potential for major damage, with three severe weather systems colliding just south of Long Island.

The first weather system that started it all, is Hurricane Sandy, and the second is a nor'easter coming towards us from the west, with a cold front heading down from Canada.  They're saying this convergence of systems has the potential for some real damage, and it's expected to linger here for about three days.  Yikes!

So now it's time to batten down the hatches and start preparing.  For an awesome synopsis on this extreme weather event, check out Frankenstorm: Fact and Fiction, on the Huffington Post.  It's the best piece I've seen yet on the possibilities of this event.

For anyone out there within the reach of this system, please be careful and stay safe!


Song of the Day - The Monster Mash - Bobby 'Boris' Pickett


Happy Halloween...a few days early! Since there's a storm headed this way and there's a possibility of a week's long loss of electricity, I figured I'd give a nod to Halloween with its oldest and still funkiest song.

 


Monster Mash - The Original Monster Mash


Saturday, October 27, 2012

Song of the Day - Slave to the Rhythm - Grace Jones

And now ladies and gentlemen, heeere's Grace!



Well tonight is the big show at Roseland Ballroom in NYC.  Here's a clip of Grace Jones' performing one of her biggest hits at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert this past summer.  Hot!

 

Slave to the Rhythm - Slave to the Rhythm



Friday, October 26, 2012

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400


Halloween's a coming, and so is the Zombie Apocalypse!

 

  Kernkraft 400 (Original Mix) - Kernkraft 400 - EP


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Song of the Day - Parking Lot - Nelly Furtado


It's too bad that Nelly Furtado's new CD came out at the same time as P!nk's!  I've always been a big Nelly fan ever since I first saw her in the remix video with Missy Elliot for Get Ur Freak On.  Ah, her voice is such an instrument!  Anyway, a new Nelly CD is always a must for me, though because of The Truth About Love, I haven't paid enough attention to it.

The album is generally good, though not nearly as good as her peak with 2006's Loose.  Here's one of the highlights, a funky, funky song with an irresistible backbeat and some nice 'na na na na's,' too! I can't help but bop whenever I listen to it!  Check it out:

   

  Parking Lot - The Spirit Indestructible (U.S. Deluxe Version) 


Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Song of the Day - Gangnam Style - Psy


Here's a fun one for a Hump Day.  This one's by Korean rapper Psy, and it's become a huge smash all over the place.  The song is about "Gangnam Style," Gangnam being a trendy section in Seoul and the style referring to its own unique flavor, much like "New York Style," as my pal Michael explains it to me.

You don't have to know Korean to enjoy the song, which reminds me a lot, musically, of LMFAO, and the video is simply priceless!  It's had over 530 million page views on YouTube, making it the third most watched ever on the site.  Check it out, enjoy, and Happy Hump Day!

   

  Gangnam Style (Radio Edit) - Gangnam Style - Single


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Song of the Day - Looking for a New Love - Jody Watley


Jody Watley! Until yesterday I had almost completely forgotten about her, but then I came across her folder on my iPod and clicked play.  A rush of memories came over me, especially when I heard songs off that first solo album.  The album, titled Jody Watley, spawned five singles and earned the singer a nod as Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards in 1987.  With great songs such as the sultry Still a Thrill, the rhythmic Some Kind of Lover, and the pleasing Don't You Want Me, my ex and I played this one out, but of course this song's where it all started for her.

Looking for a New Love is typical 80's, with signature backbeats, a bassy track, and the memorable line, "hasta la vista, baby!" Check it out and Happy Tuesday!