Tuesday, January 21, 2014

2013 Was An AWESOME Year==>Check It Out!!


Good afternoon all of my loyal and faithful readers and followers out there in the hinterlands, boondocks and wastelands ... yes ... the moment you all have been so anxiously awaiting has finally arrived ... tada ... yes ... Billi Pod’s entertainment report for 2013 is here in all of its AWESOMENESS ... so ...

In checking my daily log (log, not diary - real guys don’t keep diaries, but you know that by now, don’t you) I find that during 2013 Billi Pod, your favorite blogger, attended/saw/did the following:

29 Broadway shows; 240 Off Broadway shows, plus 17 New York Musical Festival (NYMF) shows; 71 classical music concerts (including my 3 series subscription to the New York Philharmonic); 1 rock concert (The Eagles @ Madison Square Garden); 5 movies; 14 Yankee baseball games (8 wins - 6 losses); 1 Gator basketball game @ Madison Square Garden; and, a taping of The Jimmy Fallon show. 

The above events gave birth to 70 entertainment doubleheaders and 3 tripleheaders.

I was away from The Big Apple, The Greatest City On The World, for only 3 nights and that was to be down in Orlando, Florida, for Christmas, hosted by my son Bill III aka The Bill. We were joined by 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. Thank you, Bill, you were a great host.

As a side note ... Alex and Gina are expecting their second daughter around the last part of April 2014. AWESOME!!

Perhaps one of the most AMAZING stats is the fact that during the entire year there were only 35, repeat, 35 times that I stayed in my apartment, aka PHC, without attending some entertainment event during either the day or evening. The majority of these were due to either terribly bad weather and/or some important sporting event on the tube.

This means, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, that Billi Pod remained on his frenetic Big Apple schedule of attending some entertainment event 9 out of 10 nights. Actually for you number crunchers the percentage is 90.3%. AWESOME!!!

I posted almost daily on my Facebook Timeline and 366 times on my blog, Billi Pod Blogs. The blog had 57,309 page views during the year for a total of 100,376 for the little over three years the website has been keeping track.

In March I renewed the lease on my apartment @ 420 W. 42nd Street for another 2 years, effective June 1st.

In December I renewed my 12-game Yankee season ticket package, for the same seat. Hopefully, in 2014 The Bronx Bombers will return to the postseason.

During the year in The Big Apple I was able to have time with a lot of my friends, including: Sandy Mullon; John Scott Reed and Bernard Lam; Stan Reed; Miette Bernstein; Justin Allen Pifer; Dennis Dohman and Michael Pederson; Daniel Nickle; Tammy Serebrin and her friend Eileen; Paul Hughes; Dwight and Joanne Wells; Kate Martin and her parents Mike and Joy Martin; Rusty and Sharon Franklin; John and Amanda Horne and their posse; Marie Taylor; Dian Crystal; Marty Kosarik; Vera Olichney; Julie Miller; Raellen Foreman; and, of course, my AA buddies (you know who you are).

A special shout-out goes to my AA buddies who hosted our now annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner.

During the year Billi Pod remained a member of Dian Crystal’s posse, along with Marty, Vera and others. Thank you so much, My Lady!

On March 18th I celebrated 23 years of continuous sobriety and on April 23rd turned, gasp ... 79 years old (God ... I hate being old)

I walked a total of 1,368.18 miles (or 2,992,210 steps) for a daily average of 3.75 miles per day. All of this recorded on my state-of-the-art WeightWatchers Pedometer. I am not a member of that program, as most of you know.

I remained away from coffee, opting instead for Wu-Long Tea (premium Oolong Tea). I weighed 161 lbs. at midnight on 12/31/13.

Yes, I am happy to report that my health remains good and all issues are well under control.

On December 31st I celebrated the completion of 19 years of retirement. Yes, I am the type of retiree that drives pension actuaries insane.

Of course, any year has its downsides, the major ones for me being the passing of Bud and Louise Coker of Lakeland, FL and Dexter Douglass of Tallahassee, FL.

And, of course ... I still dearly miss: Bill Mullon; Ray Coker; J. Papa Hall; Randy Bentley; Tom Macdonald; Marvin Mounts; David Patterson; Jack Davis; and, Gil Goshorn.

OK, so there you have it my loyal and faithful readers and followers ... I personally think that these annual entertainment stats are pretty AWESOME, especially for a 79 year old guy ... but ... remember ...

I only report ... you decide.

I have just reviewed the stats again ... and all I can say is that they exemplify why Bill Norris aka Billi Pod lives in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, and why he plans to remain here for the remainder of his life.

GO YANKEES AND 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.”

PS: If I omitted any thing, event, happening, person, activity or individual==>I am sooooooooo sorry - my bad!!








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