One Of Those Days

Well, it didn't rain as much or as long as was predicted for the New York area, though it was a bit windy, and  I was left wondering why the weather forecasters were hyping this "storm" as being like a nor'easter when it was barely a squall!  One of these days they're going to predict a hurricane for this area that makes Sandy look like a nagging drizzle, and no one's going to take it seriously because they'll remember weather like this, which was hyped up and didn't live up to the (unnecessary) hype.   

So anyway, I was in New York today, interviewing for an article the cello player I mentioned this time last month (August 2014).  Her name is Elizabeth Kovalchuk, and she's a very engaging person and an interesting performer - remember, I caught her playing back in July when she was busking.  She came to New York after having performed and studied in numerous countries, and she was only here for a few months when she got a huge gig involving a world tour.

What kind of tour?  What music does she play?  Oh, I'll save that for the article, which I'm going to be starting work on shortly.  But it looks like I'm going to get it published, and so my on spec career may be getting off the ground at last after all.  Especially since I just had an article published this month (September 2014).

I got around Manhattan on the subway today, and as I approached a station entrance at Union Square, I saw TV news vans from all over the place with the entrance to the station blocked off for a press conference.  It seems that the leaders of ISIS has threatened to blow up subway lines in the U.S. and France in retaliation for American and French air strikes on their would-be country, and the authorities staged a news conference to address a terrorist attack that hasn't happened.  As I was crossing Union Square to the other subway vestibule, I wondered if veteran WCBS-TV reporter John Slattery (not to be confused with the "Mad Men" actor of the same name) - who was one of the first reporters on the scene of the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001 and saw the second plane hit the south tower - might be around for the press conference.  After I got home I learned that he had died the night before.

One of those days . . .