Instrumental Invasion, 9/22/21 September 23, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Comedy, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio.add a comment
The September 22 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was the second straight recorded over three days: one segment on August 8, three on the 9th, and two on the 10th.
The playlist was created and annotated on August 7 before the last two segments of last week’s show were recorded. The script was drafted on the 8th before recording this week’s first segment.
This was another show with segments containing songs 8 or more minutes long and only two songs in a segment.
I began the second hour with a Bob Hope catchphrase, “but I wanna tell ya,” and ended it with Edward R. Murrow‘s sign-off, “good night and good luck.” My use of the latter was to extend the last talk break so that I’d hit the post for “Day One” by the Jeff Lorber Fusion. This was the second week in a row where the Fusion closed the show.
As I noted after “Kari” by Bob James and Earl Klugh, the song was sampled on “Bob Ross Goes to Hollywood” by Birocratic:
Click here to download this show’s aircheck MP3 or listen below:
Instrumental Invasion, 2/24/21 February 25, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Audiobooks, Health, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio, TV, Video Games.add a comment
The February 24, 2021, Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was recorded over three days. The first hour was recorded on January 22, the first two segments of the second hour on the 23rd, and the last segment on the 24th.
The playlist was created on January 21 while chasing lost opportunities to buy a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X from GameStop, and then Walmart. I annotated the playlist on the morning of the 22nd and drafted the script for each segment of the first hour as I recorded. I scripted the second hour’s talk breaks on the 23rd while digitizing a book on tape: How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: The Secrets of Good Communication by Larry King with Bill Gilbert. Larry, who was one of my broadcasting heroes, succumbed to COVID-19 that morning and I wanted to revisit the audiobook that got me through the latter half of 11th grade.
For the second week in a row, I had to pad out the last talk break of hour 1, then did it for both talk breaks in the last segment of the show.
I played “Serious Business” by Jazz Funk Soul in an effort to give airplay to their first two albums: Jazz Funk Soul and More Serious Business. I had previously only played tracks from their latest, Life and Times.
As with the last segment of last week’s show, the first segment of hour 2 this week was remixed to incorporate a new liner from guitarist Nick Colionne. The talk break coming out of his song, “Nite Train,” was rerecorded to compliment a vintage WCWP liner, and the end of that break was rerecorded following news of Chick Corea’s passing.
I ended the show with “Revelation” by Yellowjackets and WDR Big Band to make up for the last ten seconds getting cut off back on December 9.
Click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
As a bonus, here’s a blooper from the first segment:
February 7 snowstorm February 8, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Football, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Sports, TV, Weather.add a comment
Hours before Super Bowl LV, a fast-moving snowstorm gave us 5 inches of wet snow.
The forecast called for snow to start before dawn, but it hadn’t started when I first looked out the window at 7:07 AM:
By the time I returned to my room at 10:13 after running on the treadmill, snow had begun:
12:02 PM:
The heaviest snow was in progress at 1:18:
2:49:
4:07:
My dad Bill took these backyard photos from the back door at 4:54 while the snow was winding down:
And this one on the front porch a few minutes later:
I took these:
By 5:07, snow blowing had commenced:
Along the way, the clouds broke:
Then, the two of us shoveled. I was finished by 5:40 and took these photos:
Meanwhile, Dad walked through the backyard for this batch of photos:
Dinner and Super Bowl LV awaited. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs by the score of 31-9. (Links: NFL, ESPN, Tampa Bay Times)
I took one more photo outside my bedroom window at 10:38, as CBS‘s post-game show was wrapping up:
The next round of snow is a quick inch or two on Tuesday, followed by a storm that could last as long as last week’s, albeit with less accumulation. We’ll see.
January 31-February 2 snowstorm February 3, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Film, News, Personal, Photography, Radio, Weather.add a comment
I said in the last winter storm post that “there will be storms this winter.” It took until the last hours of January for the next storm to come, lasting nearly two days and dropping 17 inches of snow.
The first snowflakes fell at around 8PM on Sunday, January 31. I took this photo at 8:05 before going to bed:
After a broken eight hours of sleep, I was up for the day, taking this photo at 6:28 AM on Monday, February 1:
8:25 AM:
Following my morning workout, and a botched attempt at treadmill running, I returned to my room, taking these photos at 9:13:
Snowflakes were thicker at 9:53:
In the next few hours, I began watching The Goonies on Blu-ray, along with special features, and worked on the March 10 Instrumental Invasion playlist. I took a break at 12:43 PM for the next photographic update:
Any photo of the backyard was risky, as the wind gusted out of the northeast (it was a nor’easter, after all):
The snow seemed to be tapering off by 1:53, so I attempted to shovel part of the driveway after taking another batch of photos:
Before photo:
I measured 15 inches of snow on the lawn with a wooden 18-inch ruler.
After photos, 58 minutes later (2:54 PM):
For the second storm in a row, I initially felt I had wasted my time shoveling. Snow re-intensified as I shoveled and it re-accumulated. My goal was to shovel a path from my dad Bill’s car on the side of the driveway to the front door. But when he came home around 4:00, he had to park in the road. The snow I had left for the snow blower to get was too high. I wasn’t sure if he’d use the blower right away, but work began at 4:25:
At one point, Dad let me try out the snow blower. I asked my mom Lisa to capture the moment:
Working around the visible license plate, here is my edit of Mom’s video:
Having gotten the hang of it, I let Dad finish up:
It took 30 minutes to clear all that snow. Now, Dad was able to move his car into the driveway:
I took photos these at 5:13, after ten minutes of touch-up shoveling:
Unfortunately, the snow was still not over. Another two inches would fall by the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 2. I took this last photo of the 1st at 6:46, shortly before an early bedtime:
I got a broken 8 1/2 hours of sleep this time and woke up at 4:59 AM. Two minutes later…:
After watching more of The Goonies, I decided it was time for one last touch-up at 6AM. I used a 12-inch ruler to measure the additional snowfall in the driveway: 2 inches, making for 17 in all. It must have taken half an hour to shovel the driveway and then another half-hour to shovel the sidewalk up to the property line.
Starting at 7:04, I captured the after photos:
Unfortunately, a plow came through within the hour, which undid my edge work.
I took indoor photos at 7:10:
My Tuesday proceeded from there. Wet snow showers came in the afternoon, but didn’t accumulate. I did a little more shoveling around 4:00, taking this indoor photo at 4:37:
Snow showers persisted after sunset when temperatures were back below freezing. That meant the snow stuck to the ground, as seen at 7:18:
I initially tried to shovel the new accumulation on the morning of Wednesday, February 3, but it was merely a coating, so I left it.
Tuesday was also Groundhog Day, and if you’re wondering, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. That means six more weeks of winter and more storms to photograph. The next one is expected on Super Bowl Sunday. Until then.
Attending the 2020 U.S. Open in spirit; how I got through the COVID-19 lockdown September 22, 2020
Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Dogs, Golf, Health, Internet, Media, Music, New Age, News, Personal, Photography, Sports, Tennis, Travel, TV, Video, Video Games.add a comment
2020 would have been the third year in a row I attended a PGA Tour major championship held in the New York metropolitan area and fourth year in the last five. In 2016, I traveled to Baltusrol Golf Club for the second round of the PGA Championship. In 2018, I was briefly at Shinnecock Hills for the third round of the U.S. Open. And last year, I witnessed the final round of the PGA at Bethpage Black Golf Course, the third time a major had been held there.
This year, the U.S. Open was to return to New York in June, as usual, to be held at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck. As my dad and I had done in 2002 and 2018, we opted to attend the third round so that he could watch at home on Father’s Day. We attended the final round the last time the championship was at Winged Foot in 2006. We were on the periphery of Phil Mickelson‘s collapse on the final hole. So many people stood by the 18th green that we could only hear the undoing. It was a depressing walk to the bus terminal and ride back to general parking at Orchard Beach in the Bronx.
Shortly after Dad bought the 2020 third round tickets in December, I bought a polo shirt that I would proudly don as I walked Winged Foot’s West Course. I had visions of aerial shots of the course along and ground level views of flags flying in the breeze while Brian Tyler‘s epic theme for Fox Sports‘ USGA coverage – “Triumph of the Spirit” – danced through my head.
Meanwhile, an insidious disease was spreading its way around the world. By March, Coronavirus Disease 2019 – also known as COVID-19 and the coronavirus – had reached the United States. State and local governments put residents on lockdown. Events were canceled or postponed left and right. Sports were put on hold indefinitely.
It was a sudden, sharp, and scary change that was very hard for me to bear. I was so scared and paranoid that I avoided watching or reading the news. It was torture passing by the den as my parents watched New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily briefings. His voice was the last thing I wanted to hear as it served as a harsh reality check. Social media wasn’t any better. Every day, another public figure became a casualty. Some of my friends lost their friends. My dad lost two of his friends.
From March to June, I kept busy at home. I retouched photo scans, removing dust and scratches, and adjusting contrast and color. While I worked, I listened to music or to interview podcasts that didn’t reference the news. Once I landed a weekly radio show at WCWP, recording and producing the shows became another preoccupation. In my downtime, I watched videos on the various YouTube channels I subscribe to, learning about technology and video games. I also watched traditional TV programming: sitcoms like Last Man Standing and Man with a Plan, and the documentary miniseries The Last Dance, about the Chicago Bulls championship dynasty in the 1990s. I worked out religiously and watched what I ate. I bought groceries and other necessities online.
On social media, I limited my Facebook posts to treadmill running milestones, post-radio show blog posts, and photos from the past on Throwback Thursday (#TBT), Flashback Friday (#FBF) or #MemoryMonday. Instagram had some of those photos from the past, but I also began the Cocoa Photo Series, with new entries posted every two to three days. It’s photos of my late Chocolate Labrador from his puppy days in 1998 through Christmas 2006. Here’s an example.
As states and localities were phased back to somewhat normal, I left my house more often, disposable mask in hand when walking through the neighborhood and covering my face when necessary, especially when shopping. I still buy some things online, though.
For a few months now, I’ve begun to follow various dog accounts on Instagram, mostly for Labrador Retrievers. Watching dogs grow up is just what I need in these difficult times.
This concludes the COVID-19 portion of the post.
In April, I learned that three of the four PGA Tour majors were rescheduled for later in the year, with the [British] Open Championship being canceled outright. The U.S. Open was rescheduled for September 17 to 20, the first time the event was in September since 1913. (This meant it would occur a week after the conclusion of the tennis US Open, sans periods, held south of Winged Foot within the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. For the record, Naomi Osaka won the women’s singles title for the second time in three years while Dominic Thiem won for the men, his first grand slam title.)
Assuming spectators would be allowed, I would be attending the third round of the U.S. Open on September 19. I put the date in my iPhone calendar and hoped that fans got the okay to attend. On July 29, access was denied. I felt like I had wasted my money on a shirt for an event I couldn’t even see in person. At least Dad got refunded for the tickets.
Indeed, to date, I’ve only worn it once since this Instagram post. That one time was on September 10, a week before the first round. It was for a photo project that would put myself at Winged Foot in spirit.
I connected my Nikon D5500 to a tripod, attached a remote, and photographed myself in front of a blank spot on my bedroom wall, clad in what I would have worn to the third round:
The hat is from 2006 and the ticket holder is from 2018.
Then, I applied an effect to make it seem like I was outside in the sun:
The third step was to combine the image with a shot of Winged Foot I found on Google:
I used the magic wand tool to highlight the wall so I could delete it, leaving only myself. Then, I copied and pasted what was left over the Winged Foot image. After initially placing myself in the center of the image, I cropped it down and re-centered myself. This is the end result:
For publicity’s sake, I made sure to note it was a “fake photo.” I posted to Facebook upon completion on the 10th and to Instagram on the morning of the 19th.
Fall conditions were in effect in the area, which meant I’d have a jacket on if I was truly in person, as I did last year at the PGA:
I watched all four rounds of the U.S. Open on TV like everyone else, but not on FS1 and Fox. The rescheduling put Fox in a bind as they were committed to college football on Saturday and the NFL on Sunday. The only solution was to relinquish their USGA rights back to NBC Sports, which they did on June 29. Starting this year, Thursdays and Fridays would be seen on Golf Channel with weekend coverage on NBC. This also meant the previous U.S. Open theme, “In Celebration of Man” by Yanni (pardon the audio quality), made its return. (A bagpipe-infused version was made for Open Championship coverage, as heard in 2016.)
At the end of 72 holes, Bryson DeChambeau was the 120th United States Open champion. He was the only player to shoot under par in the final round and the only player under par for the championship. Bryson joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods among players to win an NCAA individual title, the U.S. Amateur, and the U.S. Open. It was his first career major victory and I was very glad for him.
The end result motivated me to include the polo shirt in my regular rotation, just as I do with shirts for most of the other tournaments I’ve attended.
The next major to be held in the New York metropolitan area comes in May 2022 when the PGA Championship is held at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. I hope the world is post-pandemic by then so I can be there in person. (Other future sites can be found here.)
1/11/21 UPDATE: The 2022 PGA has been pulled from Trump National Bedminster due to the riot at the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday by some of the outgoing president’s supporters. An alternate venue has not been chosen yet. I hope it’s one in the New York metro area as Bedminster would have been.
2/4/21 UPDATE: The PGA announced their replacement last week, which I didn’t find out until this morning. It’s far removed from the New York metro area: Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were originally scheduled to host the PGA in 2030, which means a new venue will have to be picked for then. The next major in the New York metro area will be the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
I’ll leave you with video and additional articles related to the final round of the 120th U.S. Open.
VIDEO:
John Pak finishes as low amateur
Final round top shots
Final round extended highlights
Bryson DeChambeau, every televised shot
2020 U.S. Open top shots
Every televised shot from DeChambeau’s victory (all rounds)
Trophy presentation
Press conference
Bryson with Todd Lewis on Live from the U.S. Open
Bryson with Todd Lewis on Morning Drive
ARTICLES:
Will Gray, Golf Channel: Bryson DeChambeau cruises to U.S. Open win for first major title
Michael Bamberger, Golf.com: Victory & Validation: Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open on his own terms
Mike Dougherty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Bryson DeChambeau vindicated after dominant finish at Winged Foot
Bill Pennington, The New York Times: Bryson DeChambeau wins U.S. Open his way: in commanding fashion
Mark Cannizaro, New York Post: Bryson DeChambeau runs away with U.S. Open for first major title
Greg Logan, Newsday: Bryson DeChambeau powers his way to his first major at Winged Foot
Joe Falco documentary audio used in podcast September 11, 2020
Posted by Mike C. in Audio, Fire, History, Interviews, News, Podcast.add a comment
On August 10, Scott Johnson contacted me requesting permission to the audio from the Joe Falco documentary that served as my college senior project. I graciously granted Scott permission to use it in an episode of his podcast, What Was That Like. The episode went up today, on September 11. Joe’s portion begins at around 18:05.
Here are relevant portions of the episode’s page:
Joe Falco was a New York City firefighter. He was working to save lives at the World Trade Center, and was injured when the buildings collapsed.
…
Thanks to Mike Chimeri for his permission to use the Joe Falco audio. Mike’s father, Bill, currently works as a volunteer with Joe Falco at the Freeport Fire Department Truck Company. Mike is the host of an instrumental music radio show on public radio station WCWP. You can check out his work at his website, MikeChimeri.com.
Thank you very much, Scott, for including the project in your podcast.
POSTSCRIPT: The project was created in fall 2003. Two years earlier, I wrote about my 9/11 experience in a portfolio summary for a broadcasting course. I posted that to my blog, along with an original follow-up, on the tenth anniversary.
Instrumental Invasion, 9/9/20 September 10, 2020
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, History, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Podcast, Radio, Video.add a comment
The September 9, 2020, Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was recorded over two days: the first hour on August 14 and the second on the 15th.
The playlist was created on August 11 and annotated on the 12th, with additional annotations during each recording session.
Even though they only air once, I like to keep my shows evergreen, but I was aware this show would be airing two days before September 11. So, I referenced Philippe Petit, who in 1974, walked on a wire between the roofs of the World Trade Center towers. I played “The Firehouse Chill” by Fourplay, then acknowledged my father Bill, a volunteer firefighter for the Freeport Fire Department‘s Truck Co. 1.
I’ll mention here that my dad’s friend Joe Falco is also a member Truck Co., as well as Engine 1/Ladder 24 in the FDNY. It was in that capacity on 9/11 where he survived the collapse of the World Trade Center’s south tower (2 World Trade Center). My dad interviewed Joe, affectionately known as Bubba, for a documentary that served as my college senior project. I posted that documentary to my YouTube channel in 2016:
9/11 UPDATE: The audio from the video was included, with my permission, in the latest episode of a podcast called What Was That Like.
As for the September 9 radio show, click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
Instrumental Invasion, 7/15/20 July 16, 2020
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio, Sports.add a comment
The July 15, 2020, Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was recorded over two days. The first hour was recorded on June 12, one day after creating and annotating the playlist. The second hour was recorded on June 13.
I went from concept to completion of the this show and last week’s show in about 60 hours. I’m proud of the results and I hope you were, too.
I’ve been in love with John Williams’ “Summon the Heroes” since I first heard it in 1996. As the Wikipedia entry notes, it premiered 24 years ago this Sunday – July 19, 1996 – during the opening ceremony for the centennial modern Summer Olympics, held that year in Atlanta.
I’m proud of my “Baby Bottle Brazil” quip while back-selling “Ba Ba Brazil” by Four80East in the first segment of hour 2. My talk-up of “Top Down” by Alexander Zonjic, in the hour’s second segment, referenced a jingle from PAMS Series 31: Music Explosion. It was purely coincidental that the artists’ first names in that segment were in alphabetical order.
Click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
7/20 UPDATE: I was sorry to hear of bassist Cleveland Eaton’s passing back on July 5. Cleve co-wrote and played bass on “Jamaican Marketplace” by Ramsey Lewis, which I played in the second segment of hour 1.
Audiobooking 5 April 1, 2020
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Audio, Audiobooks, Comedy, Commentary, Film, History, Media, Military, News, Personal, Politics, TV, Video.add a comment
In light of my practically apolitical audiobook streak since I impulsively quit the “Audiobooking” series, save for the right end of the spectrum, I chose to bring it back. Here’s what I’ve been listening to while exercising since September 2018:
- My Days: Happy and Otherwise by Marion Ross with David Laurell (read by Marion with David and guest voices; foreword written and read by Ron Howard)
- Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard (read by Bill, with periodic mispronunciations)
- #DoNotDisturb: How I Ghosted My Cell Phone to Take Back My Life by Jedediah Bila – Since listening to this, I’ve put my phone in airplane mode when I don’t want to be disturbed, typically at bedtime
- The Geraldo Show: A Memoir by Geraldo Rivera – This book mostly chronicles Geraldo’s war reporting in Afghanistan and Iraq
- Stay Hungry by Sebastian Maniscalco
- Live Long and…: What I Learned Along the Way by William Shatner with David Fisher (read by Bill)
- The Light Within Me: An Inspirational Memoir by Ainsley Earhardt
- Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography by Eric Idle – There was a brief political rant toward the end, using an airport employee as a strawman
- Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service by Gary Sinise with Marcus Brotherton (read by Gary)
- A Polaroid Guy in a Snapchat World by David Spade (Audible original)
- The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees America by Bill O’Reilly (read by Rick Adamson, with periodic mispronunciations [i.e. “mewler”]; beginning and end read by Bill)
- Never Play Dead: How the Truth Makes You Unstoppable by Tomi Lahren – A handful of “at the end of the day”
- The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe
- Voice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky and an Animaniac Saved My Life by Rob Paulsen with Michael Fleeman (read by Rob; foreword written and read by his son Ash) – I read the paperback as I listened on Audible; I posted a review in November
- Vocal Recall: A Life in Radio and Voice Overs by Neil Ross
- 9 Rules of Engagement: A Military Brat’s Guide to Life and Success by Harris Faulkner – She said “at the end of the day” once
- Finding the Bright Side: The Art of Chasing What Matters by Shannon Bream
- Break Shot: My First 21 Years by James Taylor (Audible original) – Periodic song excerpts
- Goldie: A Lotus Grows in the Mud (abridged) by Goldie Hawn
- Full Circle: From Hollywood to Real Life and Back Again by Andrea Barber
2018 humbled me with the unexpected political turns in the memoirs I listened to, not to mention Kevin Hart’s endless tangents. It taught me to choose the audiobooks I buy carefully. If the author is politically active from the left on social media, chances are it will come up in their book. Eric Idle was the last mistake in that respect, which is why I haven’t bought John Cleese’s memoir. Thankfully, Neil Ross only had one political sentence in his book: deriding right-to-work states. I wonder what Goldie Hawn’s memoir, released in 2005, would have been like if it came out today. Never Play Dead and The United States of Trump weren’t exactly choir music, either. The books reminded me of the political stories I missed while avoiding current events. Nevertheless, they were worth listening to, as were the rest of the audiobooks listed above.
Whenever Andrea Barber mentioned her son Tate in Full Circle, I thought of a running gag on the Game Sack YouTube channel involving TATE Mode, the vertical screen orientation for arcade games. It’s generally pronounced “tah-tay,” but host Joe Redifer pronounces it phonetically, an acceptable alternate pronunciation. Whenever a game is featured with TATE Mode, he’ll get facetiously hyperbolic.
I have three more audiobooks to listen to in my Audible app after I finish Full Circle, and you’ll see what those were in the next “Audiobooking” post. Until then, happy listening.
MikeChimeri.com 
9/11: A 20th anniversary retrospective September 13, 2021
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Commentary, Fire, History, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Radio, Travel, TV, Video.add a comment
Related posts: My 9/11 experience (10th anniversary), 2024 Freeport 9/11 Memorial Ceremony Photos
Saturday marked 20 years since the September 11 attacks. On the tenth anniversary, I posted part of an essay where I recounted my experience on that morning. I wrote it in December 2001 for an end-of-semester portfolio. Following the excerpt, I elaborated on the events of the day and how I coped.
In this post, I’ll elaborate further and share what has happened in the years since.
There were increased expressions of patriotism after 9/11, including flying American flags outside homes and wearing American flag lapel pins. We flew a flag and, for about two years, I wore a lapel pin, usually with a red, white, and blue ribbon attached. For a while, I also wore a patriotic button, but I don’t remember what it said. Here are photographic examples, starting with my friend Joe Horst’s 20th birthday party on October 3, 22 days later:
Side note: Joe was wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers t-shirt that day. Coincidentally, it was the 50th anniversary of the Shot Heard ‘Round the World: Bobby Thomson’s home run off Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca to win the National League pennant for the New York Giants. As Russ Hodges said on the Giants radio broadcast: “The Giants win the pennant!”
Back on topic, my 20th birthday, November 17:
Christmas at the Falco house:
Joe Falco, a family friend and FDNY firefighter in Engine 1 Ladder 24, survived the South Tower collapse. He was the subject of a documentary that served as my senior project. You can watch it here:
Ringing in 2002:
For eleven years, inspired by a news report I saw on New Year’s Day in 1994, I saved each year’s desk calendar pages and had friends and family throw them as confetti:
I saved and scanned the September 11 pages:
It’s ironic that the Millionaire calendar question involved the Department of Defense. The Pentagon was one of the targets that morning. 9/14/21 UPDATE: Further irony involved a PAMS jingle for WABC (770 AM) during its Musicradio era: “Flight 77, WABC, nonstop…music.” Earlier in 2001, I discovered Allan Sniffen’s Musicradio tribute site and that was one of the jingles I listened to obsessively, assuming I heard it there if not elsewhere. Obviously, I could never listen to it the same way again. A variation was among jingles recorded by JAM Creative Productions, PAMS’s spiritual successor, for SiriusXM’s
60s on 660s Gold (revised 9/11/22).Hosting The Mike Chimeri Show on March 1, 2002:
One last photo: July 12, 2002, heading back from Atlantic Canada aboard the Carnival Triumph:
The cruise embarked from the Hudson River side of Midtown Manhattan, taking us past where the towers fell ten months earlier:
I still have the lapel pin, which I showed on social media Saturday morning:
On September 12, 2001, I added angel wings and a halo to the twin towers portion of a backdrop I made five years earlier for a home video/audio show I did with my cousin – The Chris and Mike Chimeri Show – based on a video bumper for The Late Show with David Letterman. I kept the backdrop up until September 30, 2019, during a basement cleanup. I photographed the backdrop for posterity before taking it down (for privacy, I’ve blurred my signature):
My family lit memorial candles in the backyard, as seen on the 14th, three days after the attacks:
I did not know any of the victims personally, but Cynthia D’Arpino, my learning assistant in ARC (C.W. Post’s Academic Resource Center), lost her brother-in-law Tim O’Brien who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. On the tenth anniversary, I photographed the TV when his name was read:
I did the same for Richie Muldowney:
Like Joe Falco, Richie was a Freeport native and firefighter, also serving in the FDNY, Engine 16 Ladder 7. He was among the 343 FDNY firefighters lost on 9/11. Beginning in 2011, I got to know his niece Lauren, mother Anne (who passed away in 2020) and surviving siblings: fraternal twins Kevin (Lauren’s father) and Colleen (Andello), and Mary (a.k.a. Mary Mo). I have yet to meet Tim or Brian Muldowney. For all I know, I met them, and Richie, when I was younger. (9/11/22 UPDATE: I met Brian at Kevin’s surprise 60th birthday party two months ago, along with Brian’s stepdaughter Gracie and uncles Kevin and Eddie.) My father Bill says it’s possible I saw Richie when I worked in Ehrhart’s Clam House (May 2000 to November 2001). In April 2012, Kevin married my mother’s friend and co-worker Mandy.
In 2013, I attended Freeport’s 9/11 memorial ceremony. The attacks led my dad to become a firefighter himself in 2002, in Truck 1, Joe Falco’s Freeport Fire Department company. I took a photo of him before the ceremony:
During the ceremony:
The following year, Dad and I ran (and walked) the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers 5K.
Along the way, I photographed the new One World Trade Center (a.k.a. Freedom Tower)…:
…and a banner with Richie’s photo:
It’s become a 9/11 tradition on Facebook to link to the 2011 “My 9/11 experience” blog post, the Joe Falco documentary, and sometimes, a photo of the World Trade Center that I took in December 1999, after touring the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park:
Last year, a podcast host discovered my documentary and asked to use portions of it in a special 9/11 episode. I happily agreed.
A wealth of retrospective documentaries have aired on various channels this year and I’ve watched them all. It may be a cliche, but we can never forget. Those documentaries are a permanent reminder of what happened, along with stories of survival and how the victims’ children have grown into adulthood.
I wasn’t sure I would be able to muster up a blog post to mark the 20th anniversary, but here we are. Thank you for reading.
9/16/21 UPDATE: Game Dave‘s latest video is a Q&A edition of Digitally Distracted. For that video, I submitted a 9/11-related question, which he answered (video cued up to relevant portion):