Happy New Year’s Eve Everyone!!

Tuesday==>Well, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, the mental countdown to the end of 2013 has begun. At noon here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, it is 29º, wind chill 20º, with steady winds in the 11-15 mph range.

The forecast for midnight is 28º, wind chill 19º but no snow or rain.

My plans for tonight are ...

7:30==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC @ Avery Fisher Hall - “New Year’s Eve Celebration with Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo.” (full-price ticket)

Who are Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo I know many of you are asking your inner selves?

Well ... inner selves ... Igudesman and Joo are classical musicians who have taken the music world by storm with their combination of comedy and classical music. They have appeared with orchestras from around the world and have been crowned by the Los Angeles Times as “the kings of classical music comedy.”

This gala event has become a New Year’s Eve staple for Billi Pod and this will be his 9th consecutive concert. 

The running time is 2 hours, with intermission, and that will get me back to the warm and cozy confines of PHC in plenty of time to watch the Time’s Square festivities on the tube and to grill an Allen Brothers steak on my George Foreman grill, with grilled onions and a baked potato.

At midnight I will thank my High Power, whom I choose to call God, for yet another wonderful year in this amazing life I have so blessed by Him to live. Then I will welcome in the New Year with my libation of choice - Fresca.

Yes, I have been physically present for the dropping of the ball, numerous times. Been there, done that.

Moving on ... 

I am happy to report that I finally got to see the recently released Will Ferrell movie ...

ANCHOR MAN 2: The Legend Continues - “This sequel offers up the further adventures of Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and his sidekicks Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), Champ Kind (David Koechner) and Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) as they reunite in New York City to participate in the birth of 24-hour cable news.”

I totally enjoyed this show and give it an A-. 

Yes, I know that the critics haven’t been kind, but, folks, this show is weird and unorthodox and very politically incorrect, which is exactly what it is intended to be.

It skewers the current status of TV news, which is now based on Ron’s insightful question ...

“Why do we have to tell people what they need to know? Why can’t we just tell them what they want to hear?”

Yes, it is uncomfortable and hilarious at the same time and that’s satire at its best.

So ... if you are in the mood for a lot of silly, stupid, goofball humor then this is definitely the movie for you. If not, then stay far far away.

Let’s close this posting with the next 10 lessons from 45 LIFE LESSONS, WRITTEN BY A 90 YEAR OLD ...

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose Life.

28. Forgive but don’t forget.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give Time time.

HAVE A SAFE, SANE AND FUN NEW YEAR’S EVE EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>1.92 miles (or, 4,199 steps)

Total mileage since 1/1/13==>1,363.92 miles (average 3.75 miles per day)

GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

WOW!! 100,000+ Blog Page Views

BREAKING NEWS==>As of this morning Billi Pod Blogs has now surpassed 100,000+ blog page views (100,046 @ 10:00am), since the website began counting hits back in January 2011. WOW!!

As a point of reference, on December, 30, 2012, there had been 42,895 blog page views, meaning ... for the past 12 months Billi Pod Blogs has received 57,151 page views. AWESOME!!

As I have posted before, the website does not count the number of times I visit the blog site. 

The Top-Ten page views by country are:

United States - 50,743

France - 12,002

Russia - 4,306

Sweden - 2,913

Germany - 2,688

Poland - 1,620

United Kingdom - 1,403

China - 1,089

Ukraine - 750

Canada - 749

That is pretty impressive, IMHO. 

My blog site profile has also recorded 17,931 views.

These stats do not reflect the number of friends and followers who access Billi Pod Blogs via the forwarded confirmation email from the blog's website.

So ... Billi Pod humbly says==>Thank You my loyal and faithful readers and followers!!

Now ... moving on to Billi Pod’s report on Sunday’s activities ... and ... dammit ... there ain’t much to report to yawl ‘cause Billi Pod didn’t leave the warm and cozy confines of PHC for any reason. It was a totally nasty, ugly and rainy day/evening.

Yes,  your favorite blogger was a total football couch potato yet again, this time watching some very exciting pro-games, all of which impacted the post-season schedule.

What about today I know you loyal and faithful readers and followers and anxiously asking your inner selves?

Well, inner selves, at the moment I haven’t anything scheduled from my ticket services and if nothing of interest shows up I will once again try to catch ... tada ... ANCHOR MAN 2: The Legend Continues.

 So ... let’s close this posting with the next 10 lessons from 45 LIFE LESSONS, WRITTEN BY A 90 YEAR OLD ...

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye… But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

Will post some more tomorrow.

Yesterday’s second consecutive couch-potato day resulted in the smallest walking mileage since I began keeping track on my WeightWatchers Pedometer back on 7/1/12 ...

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>0.81 miles (or, 1,787 steps)

Total mileage for the week==>18.80 miles (average 2.69 miles per day)

Total mileage since 1/1/13==>1,361.27 miles (average 3.75 miles per day)

GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Yesterday==>Errands, Stuff & College Football

Sunday==>Well, my loyal and faithful readers and followers out there in wastelands, hinterlands and boondocks, your favorite blogger has to report that it is a rather bleak and dismal day here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

At 12:30pm it is dark gray and lightly raining. The temperature is 42º with the projected high for the day to be 46º. It is forecast to rain until the early evening.

Well ... ain’t nothing I can do about it, is there?

Yesterday, my first full day back in The Big Apple, was a major get-things-done day, which was totally boring, of course. The good news is that there is almost nothing left to do for Monday, my usual errands and stuff day.

Stiles Farmers Market, around the corner on my block, where I bought the majority of my fruit and veggies, is now officially closed and that is a major bummer. 

The store manager told me that they are in major negotiations for a space only a half block further south, and that would be great.

Moving on ...

As I had posted yesterday, I had planned to catch a movie, Will Ferrell’s ANCHOR MAN 2: The Legend Continues ... well ... that didn’t happen because after doing all of my errands and chores your favorite blogger turned into a total college football couch potato, watching teams I could care less about playing in bottom-tier bowl games.

OK ... OK ... I admit it ... I am basically a college football junkie and I don’t care who is playing or whatever ... OK ... there ... it’s now totally out in the open.

Thankfully, I don’t feel the same way about pro-football and have no identification at all with the two local teams, The Giants and The Jets.

Nothing of any interest has shown up on my ticket services ... so ... my entertainment event for today/tonight will be ... tada ... ANCHOR MAN 2: The Legend Continues.

In closing, I want to share with you loyal and faithful readers and followers something that came off the internet ... 45 LIFE LESSONS, WRITTEN BY A 90 YEAR OLD ... the first 10 are:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short not to enjoy it.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for things that matter.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

Will post some more tomorrow.

Oh, if you haven’t read it yet ... be sure to read my posting about my soulmate Rosemary Barkett ...

http://www.wanorrisjr.blogspot.com/2013/12/congratulations-to-rosemary-barkett.html

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>1.96 miles (or, 4,302 steps)

Total mileage since 1/1/13==>1,360.46 miles (average 3.76 miles per day)

GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Congratulations To Rosemary Barkett

BREAKING NEWS==>I am so happy to report to my loyal and faithful readers and followers that my soulmate, Rosemary Barkett, is scheduled to receive the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award in Tallahassee, FL, on January 30th.

Our friendship spans more than 3 decades, so let me share a little background info ...

Rosemary was born in Mexico and moved to Miami with her parents in 1946. At age 17 she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph and became a nun. After about 10 years she left the convent because, in her own words, she believed there were other ways to serve humanity.

She received her B.S. from Spring Hill College in 1967 and her J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law in 1970.

Now ... a bit of judicial background ... Rosemary was the first woman to serve on the Florida Supreme Court and the first female Chief Justice. Prior to taking a seat on the Fla. Sup. Ct. she was: a Florida Circuit Court Judge; Chief Judge of the 15th Judicial Circuit; and, Appellate Judge for the Fourth District Court of Appeals.

In 1994 President Bill Clinton appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. The Senate confirmed her by a vote of 61-37.

In September she left the federal bench to accept an appointment as a U.S. member of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, located in The Hague.

After she left the federal bench we kinda lost touch but I am happy to report that on Monday, December 23rd, we had a very nice telephone conversation and did some much needed catching up. As soon as I learn how to Skype we will be able to talk a lot more.

Rosemary==>I am soooooo proud of you and sooooooooo happy for this recognition of you and your judicial career.

Bill

Back In The Big Apple

Saturday==>Yes, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, I didn’t post yesterday ... but ... I want to now share with you what I wrote while waiting for my flight back to The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World ...

********************

"Friday==>Good evening to all of my loyal and faithful readers and followers. I say good evening because I am working on this blog posting at 3:30pm at the gate for my flight out of Orlando, in the Sunshine State. I know I won’t post it until I get back to the warm and cozy confines of PHC. 

Yes, I am heading back to The Big Apple, ending a wonderful Christmas time with my son Bill III aka The Bill. As many of you know, we had decided to delay exchanging gifts until Thursday, the 26th, so that more of the family could get together.

So ... late Thursday afternoon we were joined by my oldest grandson, Alex Falletta, aka Army Guy, his wife, Gina, and their darling almost 2-year old daughter, Saylor, and youngest grandson, Chris Falletta aka Topher, and his girlfriend, Ashley Goebel.

Dinner was highlighted by an awesome tenderloin that The Bill prepared. We had tons and tons of food and we all stuffed ourselves.

Before we began eating, as usual, I was asked to say the blessing, and this is what Dad/Granddaddy/Great-granddaddy said:

“My dear heavenly father, as a family, we humbly ask for you to grant us the serenity to accept the things that we cannot change; the courage to change the things that we can; and, the wisdom to know the difference. Amen and Amen.”

When dinner was over and we had cleaned things up a bit we started our gift exchange and, guess what, it seems that Saylor got the majority of the presents. Nice!!

Now ... some pictures ...

Me and Saylor

Saylor and The Bill

Dinner prepared by The Bill

Alex, Saylor and Gina

Alex, me and Chris

Saylor, when everything is almost over.

********************

Well, that was the draft of the posting I made before my flight. It obviously didn’t get posted last night ... so ... let’s bring you loyal and faithful readers and followers up-to-date, with ...

My flight out of Orlando airport left @ 5:30pm, on time. The plane was full and, as might be expected, there were a lot of young kids on board. Unfortunately, a couple of them screamed and cried for the entire trip. Luckily, they were in the rear of the plane and I was in the front.

It was 8:00pm when we arrived at LGA, on time. Since I was carrying-on I didn’t have to worry about baggage claim ... but ... dammit ... I just missed the 8:00pm bus to The Port Authority Bus Terminal. The next one was at 8:30pm. I use the bus whenever I can because it saves a ton of money. A round trip ticket is only $23 vs. about $100.00, round trip, for a cab or a car service.

The downside is that it takes forever to pick up all of the passengers at the various terminals at LGA ... so ... it was 9:45pm when I finally opened the door to PHC.

Yes, I was back home..

Had lots of mail, packages and accumulated papers to sort through. Luckily, I had some stuff in the ‘fridge so my welcome home dinner was a fruit and cheese plate.

In summary==>it was a WONDERFUL time with family and I am personally so grateful to have had this opportunity to be with everyone.

Moving on to today ...

It is a nice morning here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World. At 11:00am it is 46º, wind chill 41º, with azure blue skies and steady wind of 11 mph.

What about today and tonight I know you are anxiously asking your inner selves? Well, inner selves, at the moment I plan to do the usual end of the month stuff, plus a much-needed trip to The Food Emporium and my favorite pizza place in The Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Then for the evening will probably catch a movie ... thinking about ... ANCHOR MAN 2: The Legend Continues.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>2.82 miles (or, 6,170 steps)

Total mileage since 1/1/13==>1,358.50 miles (average 3.76 miles per day)

GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”