Comedy Redux
I’ve resurrected my droll standup comedy. Be forewarned. Also, please bookmark this site so you can find out when and where I’ll be performing.
Gee, that’s thoughtful of you. You’re swell.
Raceway Park Auto Show Redux: April 30 in Englishtown, NJ
It’s that time again. Or at least it was.
I usually attend the Raceway Park auto show on Sundays, the two weekends it’s held each year. This year, the Saturday version had much better weather than the Sunday version, but I was at the gloomy and chilly Sunday show. Also, by the time I arrived (around 11:30am), it seemed like many of the cars on the display track had been driven away.
But there were still some cool sights to be seen, both on and off the beaten path.
This Buick Riviera fastback, which was not on the main track, can be yours for a mere $23,000. I spoke to the car’s owner (the man with the funky hat opening the door) and he let me in on the work he’d had done to the car since acquiring it. He claims to have invested $27,000 in the vehicle, so he’s only losing $3,000 plus the costs of ownership. Shrewd:
Here’s another gem, also off the beaten path. A well-worn but sweetly-purring 1959 Ford Edsel:
How about this 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad Wagon? It’s another that wasn’t on the main track. Like the Riviera, it’s for sale, but I’m not sure whether they’ll throw in the matching bike:
Meanwhile, this 1939 Ford coupe, which happened to be on the main track, sure has a nice patina:
This ocean-mist beauty was the first car whose sleek lines I snapped that day:
Here’s a 1955 Chevrolet Nomad rat rod. I’ve seen this one there before – warts and all:
How about an old farm hauler with bullet holes?
Or a deftly-restored 1956 Ford Edsel convertible? (you should see the “before” photos):
Frank Lloyd Wright and More @ MoMA
Another visit to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). Another fun Friday. Friday evenings @ MoMA are FREE!
Although I didn’t stay as long there as I had during my last visit (in January), MoMA proved to be just as intriguing. Starting with the video game exhibits on the second level (Pong, Tempest, Ms. Pac Man, Asteroids), my friend Craig and I walked amongst projections of light flowers, flashing screens, land-mine-inspired creations, and eclectic interiors.
Ultimately, we sauntered to the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit, where I couldn’t help noticing how one of his proposed buildings, a never-built skyscraper to be named the Mile High Illinois, seemed a precursor to the current World Trade Center . You can see how, like the Freedom Tower, the Mile High Illinois was to have tapering along its sides to reduce wind impact.
I got there kind of late (almost 6pm) but still saw sights aplenty. Afterward, I had a hankering for Mexican food – after having recommended such a venue to a lass from the London area (via Austin Texas). I hope she took my advice. One cannot hope to have enough burritociousness in a single lifetime.
Raceway Park Car Show and Swap Meet
This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending the last day of the Raceway Park Car Show and Swap Meet, in Englishtown, NJ. It reaffirmed my fondness for the long American obsession with the automobile.
During the golden age of American automotive might, cars could be rolling behemoths of beauty – many were big and impressive; all were accessible enough for even the weekend mechanic. There clearly was an effort by automakers to impress buyers, owners, drivers, and pedestrians alike.
Anyway, here are some shots from my wanderings there. I took many, many photographs, so I may add more as the mood strikes:
1948-ish Studebaker
1960 Plymouth Savoy
1956 Ford Thunderbird
1965 Plymouth Barracuda Fastback
1972 Plymouth Satellite
1950s Studebaker Pickup Truck
New Web Site!
Since spring of 2000, the domain name “michaeljmatera.com” has been connected to my primary business site (I offer WordPress consulting and corporate training services in my professional life). But I’ve decided to set up a personal Web site – something I’ve never done in all the years I’ve been creating Web sites – so I can share bits and pieces of my often half-baked creative endeavors.
If you can handle that, then by all means, please come back. Often.