Saturday - What a Crazy Crazy Day

Yes, I had one of those strange and crazy days and, actually, it isn’t over quite yet. Today was supposed to be a mega-good day built around the Old Timers Game at Yankee Stadium beginning at 1:45 and then the Yankees vs. Angels game at 3:55. I was pretty hyped about both. My anticipated schedule was to head out to the stadium no later than 12:45 so I would be there in time for the introductions.

To start off - for reasons I don’t understand, I didn’t go to bed last night until 4:00am. I just wasn’t sleepy. I actually had to make myself go to bed but when my head hit the pillow I immediately went to sleep. I woke up at exactly 10:00 and it was nasty and gray looking out and the forecast was for thunderstorms later in the afternoon. Damn.

I had breakfast, scanned the 3 newspapers and then went online on my iBook to check my email and for whatever reason AOL was acting strange, not that that’s so unusual. I actually had to get into my AOL account via the internet rather than directly from the program. Weird. After I read the emails it was time to shower and get ready to head out. It was still nasty and had begun to lightly rain.

After I showered I put on the usual Yankee garb and began pondering whether I should even go out to stadium for the Old Timers game because, if it was rained out, I would then have a long long wait at the stadium to see if the regular game would be played. The rain stopped and I determined I would indeed head out.

Just before I left the apartment I went to the iBook to check email one last time and ... gasp ... it was completely dead ... frozen up. What the hell? It was plugged into the power source so it couldn’t be the battery, so what happened? Man, this sucked because I use the iBook for internet access now (the reasons are too complicated to explain now) and I always take it with me when I travel and on Thursday I head down to Columbia, SC.

Oh man. I quickly found the start-up disk and inserted it and nothing happened and, of course, I couldn’t get the disk out. And, it was time to head out.

So I did. Just a few yards from the subway entrance it started to pour, so I raced into the station. At least I didn’t get soaked. Do I go back or do I head out to the Bronx? I took a deep breath and opted to head out to The Bronx.

When I got on the local train, which I always take up to 125th Street, I took out my iPhone so I could play some solitaire and, dammit, I had forgotten to refresh the program while I was outside, so it wouldn’t work. Damn. Oh well, nothing I could do about it. I passed the time by writing a bitch note to myself on the iPhone.

We made great time to 125th Street and the connecting 4 train wasn’t jam-packed as it usually is. When we got to the 161st/Yankee Stadium and got off we were horrified to discover that the MTA assholes had forgotten to open the two major exits from the platform so we had to go inside the station and down really crowded narrow stairs. People were really pissed. It was 1:30. What more could go wrong, thought I?

It was very lightly raining and when I got to my seat the infield was covered with a tarp but, and a big but, it stopped raining and began to clear up. OK. I would just settle in and listen to the pregame broadcast on my trusty Walkman. Got the ear pods out of one pocket and reached into the other to get the Walkman, and ... it wasn’t there. I had left it in the apartment. Fuck and double Fuck!!!

Nothing I could do about it. To make this long story a bit shorter, the weather cleared, the tarp was taken off and the ceremony started just 15 minutes late. There were 72 former Yankees in attendance and the introductions took almost an hour. It was very moving. They had only time to play one inning before it was time for the regular game to begin. Its starting time couldn’t be delayed, of course.

And the game started on time and I resigned to seeing it without the benefit of the John Sterling broadcast. Oh well ...

Seated behind me was a rather large guy in his 50s and his teenage son. He is a partial season ticket holder but he usually sits with The Bleacher Creatures in the right field bleachers. He had gotten his seats for this game though a friend. He was listening to the game. At the end of the first inning we struck up a conversation and I mentioned that I always listen to the game but that I had left my Walkman at home and I held my ear pods in my hand. Now what happened next is amazing ...

He said ... “wait a minute” ... then he reached into a paper bag and brought out another small AM radio. “You can use this,” he said. It turned out that his son had left his ear pods at home. I offered him/them mine and the guy said, “no ... you go ahead and listen to the game, my son and I will share my ear pod.” How about that? Later during the game I offered to buy him a beer or a soda but he very pleasantly declined.

The game itself was great. The Angels got off to an early 2 run lead due to some lousy Yankee fielding but Moose recovered and then pitched shutout ball through the 7th inning and the Yankees won 8-2.

Also seated behind me was a family of 4 from Nevada who had come to NYC for the sole purpose of seeing their first and last game in The House That Ruth Built. Their 10 year old son is a huge ARod fan and he had brought a sign with him about wanting ARod to hit a home run. The kid didn’t show it on A-Rod’s first at bat and he struck out. On his second at bat the kid raised the sign and we all had a good laugh and then .... bam ... ARod hit a bomb to right center field and we all went crazy and I took the picture. This will be a moment this kid will never ever forget. Awesome.

I got off the subway at the 59th Street station to walk over to the Apple Store at 59th and 5th to see about making an appointment with their “Genius Bar” to try to get the iBook up and running before I leave for SC. The Apple Store and the “Genius Bar” operates 24x7. The store was jam-packed. I talked with a very nice young female rep and was told that the first appointment time was on Monday, so I made an appointment for the first available time, 4:15am, yes, that is correct, 4:15am. As I was about to leave she whispered to me that it might work if I would come back between 1:30 and 2:00am tonight and I might, just might, be able to sneak in between appointments. I thanked her and walked back to the apartment.

Yes, I would definitely give it a shot.

When I got back to the apartment it was around 8:00 and I was delighted to see/hear that the 30s gal in the apartment directly underneath me is having an outdoor BBQ party and it was in full swing. She did have the grill properly placed in the middle of the yard so that wouldn’t be a problem but ... yeah ... they are loud and are having fun and there ain’t nothing I can or will do about it, so ... hopefully they will be done by 1:00am.

I went over to the iBook and just for the hell of it, plugged it in and hit the power button and ... it booted up and everything is running fine. I have no clue what the problem is or whether it will recur but for now everything is OK. Isn’t life strange?

So, I fixed a huge fruit and cheese plate, downloaded some pictures and began working on this much too long post, which I will now end with a simple ...

Go Yankees!!!

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

Friday - July Is In The History Books - WOW!

I have just finished recording the stats for the month of July 2008 and in doing so even moi is in awe over the number of things and stuff I was able to do during the month. In checking my daily log (log, not diary - real guys don’t keep diaries) I find that in July 2008 I saw/attended/did the following:

1 Broadway show ({title of show]); 17 Off-Broadway shows; 1 rock music concert (Jon Bon Jovi); and, 15 Yankee baseball games (their record - 9 wins and 6 losses).

I had brunch with student/bartender/manager Scott Reed and passed my semi-annual finger-up-the-butt session with my Urologist with flying colors (PSA 1.1). I regret that I didn’t get to spend the usual amount of time with my AA buddies (and you know who you are).

Of the 31 nights in the month there was only one, repeat, one where I stayed in the apartment without attending some sort of entertainment event either during the day or the evening. I think that in and off itself is pretty awesome.

Now let me talk just a bit about my life-style in The Big Apple. When I retired in 1995 I knew I wanted to spend extended time in New York City and for the following 3 years I spent ever expanding periods of time here. My time in the City was spent becoming one with The Big Apple at a rather frenetic pace because I viewed myself as being on vacation. In June 1998 I made the conscious decision to become a full time resident and I did. The thought did occur to me that I might become jaded once I settled into the routine of living here on a full-time basis. I did begin traveling overseas, usually for the month of May.

I had nothing to worry about. If anything my entertainment appetite increased and I found that I had developed an interesting mind set and that was ... “I am still on vacation,” so, if you are in NYC on vacation you simply cannot, repeat, cannot stay in your apartment, even if the weather sucks and you feel like shit. And, that has pretty much been my mantra since June of ‘98.

It is helped by the fact that I have very diverse entertainment interests - theater (Broadway, Off and Off-Off Broadway), music (classical and rock), baseball, movies, art, museums and galleries, walking, being a tour guide for out-of-town guests; and, people watching.

From a financial standpoint I save a great deal of money through my memberships in 4 papering services and The Theater Development Fund (TDF). If I can get a ticket to a Broadway or Off Broadway show for the cost of one of those fancy Latte’s from Starbucks, why the hell should I not take advantage of it? And this option is presented to me 365 days a year. Money is also saved by being a subscriber to The New York Philharmonic and by being a partial season ticket package holder for the Yankees.

Before the creation of this blog I wrote a newsletter to friends and family wherein I detailed my activities in The City, the good and the bad. I have tried to do the same since creating this blog in April. It is important for me to be open and honest about what is going on in my life. I am what and who I am.

What I don’t want, however, is to be viewed as writing and posting for the purpose of saying ... “Hey, Look At Me, I Am So Much Better Than All of the Rest of You Retards.” That simply is not me. That is not why I write and blog.

I know deep in my heart that I have been blessed beyond my ability to comprehend for the past 13.5 years. For that all I can say is ...

Thank You Higher Power.

Bill
wanjr@aol.com

Thursday - Miscellaneous Baseball Thoughts From The Big Apple

Yes, it is Thursday afternoon in The Big Apple and I am sitting on my couch alternating watching ESPN2, on mute, for the latest baseball trade news and working on my trusty little iBook, surfing the net for photos for the blog and writing this post. On the one hand I am so glad that I can do this and on the other hand a little voice in the back of my head says: “enough of the internet/blogging you a-hole egoist, you should be spending this time making the World a better place in which to live.” Yeah, right ...

Oh, the drama taking place in Boston with Manny The Moocher and in Green Bay with Brett “Hey I Ain’t That Old” Favre. The MLB trade deadline is now a little under 2 hours away. What will happen?

Our acquisition of 14-time All-Star catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez yesterday was awesome and made headlines, of course: The New York Post - “GREAT CATCH” and The Daily News - “WHAT A CATCHER.” I totally agree.

No doubt about it, I have been on baseball overload this month. With tonight’s game against the LA Angels I will have seen 15, yes, that is the correct number, 15 games this month. I have to admit that even for me this is a bit, shall we say, excessive.

I continue to be amazed at the impact that the final season of The House That Ruth Built is having on baseball fans (not necessarily Yankee fans) from all over. I have written about this before but I want to share a couple of other examples --

At Tuesday night’s game against Baltimore - seated to my left were a late 40s Mama, her 10 year old daughter and 60plus Grandmother. They were: from Rhode Island; avid Red Sox fans; had never been in Yankee stadium; had taken the stadium tour; and, had come to NYC solely for the purpose of going to the stadium. All three were avid baseball fans. The little girl was keeping a scorecard, accurately as I could tell.

Then, to my right were 4 40s guys from Toronto. They were in NYC for the sole purpose of seeing a game in The House That Ruth Built. None of them had ever been to NYC. They were Blue Jays fans.

Finally, at last night’s game, seated in the 6 rows in front of me, was a group of senior citizens from a Senior Citizen Home in Pennsylvania. The group leader was seated next to me and we had a nice conversation between innings. She told me that none of the group had ever been to Yankee Stadium before and that they had planned this “outing” over a year ago. It appeared to me that about 1/2 of them were really into the game and the other half - well, they looked like they weren’t really sure where in the hell they were.

It was an afternoon game and the Yankees kicked butt, winning 13-3 and avoided being swept by the Orioles. It was around 5:30 when I got back to the apartment. Had nothing planned for the evening, so ... what did I do? Movie, late theater, comedy club? Nope, I stayed in and watched the Cubs vs. Milwaukee game, which the Cubs won. They have the best record in the NL. I would love to see a Yankees vs. Cubs World Series.

The red hot LA Angels come into town tonight for a 4 game series. They have the best record in MLB and are coming off a sweep of the Fucksox up in Beantown. I have tickets for tonight’s game and the Saturday afternoon game. The Saturday game is at 3:55 after the Old Timer’s Game, which begins at 1:45. Of course I will be there for the Old Timer’s game. The Yankees have received acceptances from 70 former Yankee players, including recent Hall of Fame inductee Goose Gossage. It should be interesting and fun.

OK, it is now almost 4:00 and I have some things to do, so I will post this. I have a lots of stuff I want to write about but I will have to wait till later.

Go Yankees!!

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

Monday - Why Males Are Happier Than Females

Golly, I don’t want to get caught up in this whole male vs. female controversy, but, I think that you, my unbiased readers, deserve to have the benefit of my internet research into some of the reasons why males are happier in this World of ours than our female counterparts. One of the benefits of being retired is having the time to do extensive research into issues such as this. Thus far I have identified over 7,218 factors/reasons that contribute to male happiness. The following listing is by no means comprehensive, although I vouch for the authenticity of each factor/reason. Please remember - I am just reporting; it is up to you to decide.

So, some of the reasons males are happier than females --

Our last name stays put.

The garage is all ours.

Wedding plans take care of themselves.

Chocolate is just another snack.

We can be President.

We can never be pregnant.

We can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. We can wear NO shirt to a water park.

Car mechanics tell us the truth.

The world is our urinal.

We never have to drive to another gas station restroom because “this one is just too icky.”

We don't have to stop and think which way to turn a nut on a bolt.

Same work, more pay.

Wrinkles add character.

Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental - $100.

People never stare at our chest when we’re talking to them.

The occasional well-rendered belch/fart is practically expected.

New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle our feet.

One mood 98.5% of the time.

Phone conversations are over in 60 seconds flat.

We know stuff.

A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.

We can open all our own jars.

We get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

If someone forgets to invite us, he or she can still be our friend.

Our underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.

Three pairs of shoes are way more than enough.

We are unable to see wrinkles in our clothes.

The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.

We only have to shave our face and neck.

We can play with toys for all our life.

One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.

We can wear shorts no matter how our legs look.

We can "do" our nails with a pocket knife.

And, we can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.
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I have no doubt that many of you will want to add additional reasons/factors and you may do so by going to the website: www.werulelivewithitbitches.com.

Had a very nice breakfast/brunch this morning with student/bartender/manager Scott Reed at The Clinton Street Baking Company a very trendy eatery in the Lower Eastside.

Gotta post this and then get ready to head out to The House That Ruth Built for the Yankees/Orioles game.

Go Yankees!!

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

Sunday Night - Fucksox 9 - Yankees 2

First the thunder, lightning and rain delayed the start of the game until 9:00pm and then once it started the Yankee offense went POOF facing left-hander John Lester, who won his second straight game against the Yankees. We had a chance to make it a close game in the top of the 5th inning with 2 runs in, the bases loaded, no outs and A-Rod at bat. What happened? Zilch - Lester got 3 straight outs and escaped. The Yankees were never a threat thereafter.

So, we in the Yankee Nation have to be satisfied with winning 2 out of 3 games at the relic known as Fenway Park. We return to The Bronx to begin a 7 game home stand, 3 games against the Orioles and 4 games against the LA Angels. I will see 5 of the 7 games.

My entertainment schedule for the upcoming week is:

Monday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore

Tuesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore

Wednesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore

Thursday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. LA

Friday - 8:00 - Mostly Mozart Festival @ Lincoln Center

Saturday - 3:55 - Yankees vs. LA

Sunday - open (at the moment)

I didn’t go to the movies last night after the Boston game as I thought I would. Instead I decided to just walk around the Upper Eastside. I walked up lst Avenue to 72nd Street, then over to 2nd Avenue and back down 2nd Avenue to the apartment. The total distance was about 2 1/2 miles and the weather was great, nice and breezy. A lot of people were doing the same thing and all of the many outdoor cafes were packed. It was pleasant and exciting too. I took my time and it felt as if I one with The Greatest City in The World. Ah, yesssssssssss ....

I hope everyone has a great week. More later.

Oh, and to all you feminist flammers - yes, I do treasure my gonads but your threats to remove them do not bother me (much).

Go Yankees!!

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

IS SHE A FEMINAZI? YOU DECIDE.

OK, guys, in response to the deluge of emails I have received I am taking a huge risk in publishing the product of my internet research on signs that a female might, repeat, might be a lurking Feminazi. In taking this bold move I know I am putting myself at risk from the hordes of feminists out here in cyberspace, but it is a risk I am willing to take so that you, my faithful readers, can be informed.

In this regard, all I am doing is reporting - it is up to you to decide. You will note, if you carefully read the rest of this posting, that no where does it say that the “she” you are testing has to meet X-number(s) before you can label her a Feminazi. That criteria is left up to you, so ... let’s do it --
--------------------------------
Signs “She” Might Be A FeminazI - SHE:

1. Thinks all males have it "easier" than females

2. Is a proponent of Selective Service aka the Universal Draft, for men only.

3. Feels that husbands should "obey" their wives in opposite-sex marriages

4. Assumes that all men are pigs

5. Thinks her sexual purpose on this Earth is to make men cum before they want to.

6. Believes a fair divorce settlement is an ex-husband transferring a majority of his income to his ex-wife, despite which ex-spouse earns more

6. Knows women should rule the world

7. Asserts that women hold "superior" intuition and judgment compared to men

8. Maintains that kicking males in the nuts (or seeing males get kicked in the nuts) gives her recreational thrills, bordering on orgasmic.

9. Believes that young boys should be arbitrarily held back one year later than young girls for entering Kindergarten

10. Advocates that all males should be locked up or shipped off to an island during puberty, adolescence, and/or early post-adulthood

11. Maintains that sperm production is the prime purpose that males serve

12. Assumes that gay men are "pathetic weaklings who don't have the balls to confront their feelings for women"

13. Fervently believes the ideal scenario in any opposite-sex marriage is when the female spouse is "the head of the house"

14. Has no sympathy for males' medical burdens (i.e., erectile disfunctions, colon cancer, prostate cancer, severe acne, vasectomies, penile infections/complications, teen/adult circumcisions)

15. Argues with men just for the sake of arguing with men

16. Wants the 19th Amendment to be amended to stipulate that all male voters must take "intelligence tests" before being eligible to vote.

17. Deeply feels that Homer Simpson is an accurate representation of the average American male

18. Views men as dogs who need to be "trained" to heed every command of members of the female gender
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Good luck in your investigations and “May The Force Be With You.”

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

Kapow! - Again - Yankees 10 - Fucksox 3

Take that for a second time you Fucksox fans. You counted the Yankees out - not yet retards, not yet. We are not going away, so just bring it on.

I watched the entire game because I took a deep breath and decided that I really didn’t want to see the matinee performance of “Flamingo Court,” about aging singles in a retirement community in Florida. Since I had paid for this ticket I wouldn’t be in trouble for not picking it up, so I just ate the $25. Another factor was the unfavorable buzz about the show.

OK, now, it is a Saturday night in the Big Apple and what am I gonna do? Easy, see a movie, probably “Step Brothers” with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.

Looking for the sweep tomorrow night on ESPN at 8:00.

Go Yankees!!

Billi Pod

Saturday - OMG! The Feminazis Have Entered The Unisex Bathroom War

Folks, this is getting serious and I mean serious because I have just been informed by highly placed and reliable sources in the Lox Network, home of Channel Hive News, that certain feminist power groups are demanding that this sign be placed at the entrance to, and inside, each unisex bathroom within the jurisdiction of The NYC Board of Sewer Sanitation.

What this means is, gasp, the Feminazi group want all males to sit down to pee, yes, peeing only while sitting. Men, we have to get hold of ourselves (no pun intended) and stand up to these radical feminists before it is too late. Once they grab hold it is over.

You need to know that Feminazis are lurking everywhere. I have done some research and will later post some information that will help you determine if any of our family, friends, loved-ones etc., are, in fact, latent emasculators.

More later.

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

Friday Night - Yankees 1 - Fucksox ZERO!!

Way to go Joba. You went face-to-face with the Fucksox’s number one pitcher, Josh Beckett, and you out pitched him on his home turf, the antique known as Fenway Park. That’s right - 7 innings, 3 hits, 9 strikeouts, and 0 runs. And, the Fucksox players are whining about balls and strikes and inside pitches. Well, too f**king bad you turd heads.

Gosh, it feels sooooooo good to say - Go Yankees!!

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

A Big Yankees vs. Fucksox Weekend

The Yankees travel to ancient and decrepit Fenway Park for a crucial 3 game series against The Fucksox and my weekend plans are arranged around their schedule.

Friday night the game starts at 7:05, Saturday it is at 3:30 and then the finale Sunday at 8:00 on ESPN.

Need I say more than GO YANKEES!!!? I think not.

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

Friday -Unisex Bathrooms

Unisex Bathrooms

I don’t know about other parts of the good ole U S of A, but here in The Big Apple unisex bathrooms are becoming more and more common, especially in venues that have recently been refurbished.
Frankly, as a guy I find them to be annoying as hell as we guys are interspersed with you gals in the long lines waiting for our time to pee or whatever.

I thought that this sign might be of some benefit.

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

Thursday - Musing(s) on Wednesday

Wednesday was an interesting day. When I woke up at the usual 8:00am and looked out the window I had a gut feeling that the gray nastiness would turn into a downpour and rain out my 1:05 game at The House That Ruth Built. As the morning went on it remained gray but no rain. I just chilled for the morning.

I dressed in my usual summer Yankee garb - shorts, a Yankee cap and a kinda ratty looking official Yankee T-shirt. The T-shirt is actually about 9 years old but I don’t want to jinx the Yankees by getting a new one before this season ends. Headed out to the stadium at noon and made great time and wonder of wonders, the 4 train from 125th Street to 161st Street/Yankee Stadium was not jammed like a sardine can as it usually is. It was still dark and gloomy out and the air was very heavy.

Found my seat, part of my 20 game season ticket package. For reasons I just don’t understand my seat for this game was the worst I have ever had from any of my season packages for a midweek day game. Oh, yes, it was in the usual Loge but it was far far into right field. In fact, the only difference(s) between my seat and those known as The Bleacher Creatures, was that I was one section up from field level, had a roof over my head and had paid $55 for my ticket and they had paid $20 for theirs. Oh well, nothing I could do about it, so I settled in. The game was a total sellout at 54,114 for a Wednesday afternoon game. WOW!!

Oh, I have to add that sitting to my left in the next section over was Jack McBrayer who plays Kenneth the Page in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock. He spent a lot of time between innings waving and smiling at people but amazing to me - no one invaded his space and he was able to enjoy the game with his buddies. Nice.

It was an excellent game. Mike Mussina aka The Moose, pitched 8 innings of 6 hit ball, giving up 0 runs, 0 walks and striking out 7. He won his 13th game. It is remarkable because at the beginning of the season most of the buzz was whether Moose would even be in the rotation. Now he is our Ace. The Yankee bats were alive enough to bring in a 5-1 win, a 6 game winning streak and insuring that we remain in the race in the AL East. It didn’t rain but it was very nasty when Mo recorded the final out via a called third strike.

Made decent time back and was in the apartment at 4:30 with plenty of time to take a shower, have the usual fruit and cheese plate, finalize the entertainment schedule for next week and basically just chill until it was time to head out to The Theater Row Theaters on W. 42nd Street for my evening show, “Perfect Harmony,” which I have described in an earlier posting.

It had begun to lightly mist when I left the apartment, dressed in my usual black outfit and carrying my umbrella in my messenger bag. Yes, folks, I said messenger bag, not the usual backpack. What the fuck is going on, you ask? Well, I am giving the messenger bag a try and so far it works OK for the summer anyway, but I am rather confident I will return to the backpack when winter arrives.

{sorry to interrupt this ... it is 6:25pm on Thursday and I have to get ready for my show, “Buffalo Gal”... will finish and post when I get back}

It is now 10:15 and I am back and “Buffalo Gal” was great and I will write about it later, so ... where was I?

Oh, yes ... the show I had scheduled was “Perfect Harmony” which I described in detail in an earlier post. Briefly it is about two High School acappella groups, the perennial National Championship male group called The Acafellas and their struggling female counterparts The Ladies in Red. I knew that the show was 1:40, without intermission, so I asked the main usher if I could change my otherwise excellent center orchestra seat to far house left aisle so I could extend my left leg if necessary. She said no problem and kept shifting me and a late 20s woman to different seats and finally we were able to settle in. Just before the show started I found out that the lady was the costume designer for the show and that this was one of the last previews before Opening Night. She was pretty uptight.

Well, I loved the show. It was a bit long but the young cast, both male and female, did a wonderful job. They acted and sang well. The audience seemed to be really into the show and gave the cast a very loud round of applause. I leaned over to the woman and told her that I loved the show and she said: “Oh thank you so such,” and then lightly kissed me on my right cheek. Nice.

When I walked out of the theater, however, it was anything but nice. The wind was blowing and papers and things were flying through the air. It had begun to lightly rain. I walked as fast as I could to the subway station. I had to hold my Yankee cap on my head because the wind was gusting so hard.

When I walked out of the subway station at 53rd Street the rain was coming down in sheets and the wind was howling. Honestly, it was one of the heaviest rains I can ever remember in The City. I took out my umbrella but that didn’t help. Even though it is only 2 blocks back to the apartment I was drenched and soaking wet all over. The only good thing - it wasn’t cold.

Took off the wet clothing and hung things up to dry, dried myself off, heated up the last of a sausage roll and pizza slice, watched Jon Stewart and then the first 30 minutes of Letterman. A little after midnight I called Ginger Flowers in Atlanta and we had a nice 20 minute chat.

Updated the log and did other stuff and then crashed at the usual 2:00, thus ending a great and eventful day/evening in The Big Apple.

It is just after 11:00 and I am hungry so will post this now.

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

Wednesday - Quick Thoughts Before Heading Out to the Bronx

I have just a few minutes before I head out to Yankee Stadium for the final game of the 3 game series against The Twins. The Yankees won the first two games and have won 5 in a row and are now 10 games over .500 for the first time all season. They have tomorrow off and then head up to Boston for a crucial 3 game series against The Fucksox.

Had a great time at last night’s game even though my seat was in the upper tier. It was nice and breezy. The Yankee bats are more alive now and we won 8-2, bringing their record for games I have seen to 11-8. Had a very nice running conversation with the 40s guy seated to my right. He is a full season ticket holder and we spent a lot of time venting on how Yankee Management doesn’t give a flying fuck about non-Corporate ticket holders. The guy, Jeff, is a High School teacher who works in PA but has property in Riverdale, NY. He is an avid and knowledgeable baseball fan.

As I have written, my plan for today was to walk back to the apartment after the game but last night I scratched that because it just didn’t feel right. Not sure why, but it just didn’t and I felt the same way when I woke up this morning. Maybe sometime later ... who knows ...

Well, that decision meant I had nothing scheduled for this evening but that void was quickly filled when I went online and got a complimentary ticket to see “Perfect Harmony’ - “Perfect Harmony' is a new comedy about the struggle for truth, love and high school a cappella championship glory. During the course of the school year, perennial high school a cappella powerhouse, The Acafellas, and their female counterparts, The Ladies in Red, bare their dreams, hopes, and struggles to blend, as they battle to win Nationals and discover the true meaning of harmony.”

Oh, in closing and in response to several emails about the INTP posting ... no, the “You Are A Giant Dork” photo was not part of the original piece. I found it online and thought it was a perfect fit for me.

Now, it is time to head out to The Bronx, so ...

Go Yankees!!

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

Tuesday - Monday Night At Yankee Stadium - Awesome!!

I had just settled into my Loge seat for last night’s game, it was about 10 minutes before the first pitch at 7:05. The Yankees were playing the first game of a 3 game series against the Minnesota Twins, who have been red hot. I have tickets for all 3 games.

The guy seated to my left, who appeared to be in his late 50s or early 60s, asked me: “aren’t you the guy who use to live in Florida but now lives in New York ... a reverse something or other?” What the hell, thought I? Long story short - his name is Tom Kostecke, he is retired, lives in Rochester, NY, spends January, February and March in Ormond Beach, FL, comes down from Rochester every year to see 3 Yankee games, and last year we had sat next to one another for a game. Wow!! What a memory on his part and what are the odds that we would be seated next to one another a year later. But, it gets better ...

Seated in front of us were 5 younger guys, in their early 30s, that in my head I named “THE BAND OF BROTHERS.” Why this name? Well, they had been in the Marine Corps together but only one remains on active duty and he is stationed in Guantanamo Bay. The rest now live in different parts of the country, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Chicago and New York. None of them had ever been to Yankee Stadium, so they had planned this trip as a reunion and to see The House That Ruth Built in its final season. None of them are Yankee fans, but that didn’t matter. Tom and I had a nice running conversation with them during the course of the game and it was so obvious that these were 5 guys who genuinely cared for one another, were avid baseball fans and understood the significance of being in The House That Ruth Built for their first and last time. There was such positive energy coming from these guys and it made us all feel real good, even though one of them did get a bit loud and profane in the late innings, but it was in a funny way.

One of the guys couldn’t believe that Tom and I didn’t know one another and he said that he thought that Tom was my son. Hum ... not sure how I feel about that. Anyway, we kept explaining to him the randomness of our meeting but he never really bought it. It didn’t help matters that when Tom left in the top of the 9th he said: “Seeya later Dad.” But, there is more ...

To add to the evening - the early 50s guy sitting to my right grew up in the Bronx but now lives in Sarasota, FL, has a 20 game partial season ticket package like mine, and comes up from Florida 5 or 6 times during the season. He said he found my “Reverse Snowbird’ status to be “most interesting.”

What an interesting evening. When the game was over it got pretty emotional and we all shook hands first and then hugged and said goodbye. I haven’t been able to get the feeling out of my head, quite frankly.

Oh, about the game - the Yankees kicked ass and won 12-4 making it 4 in a row. Bad news - Jorge Posada is going on the Disabled List (DL) and will probably be out for the rest of the season.
THE BAND OF BROTHERS
The guy on the left is the one still on active duty. To his right is the most vocal of the group and the funniest. The two on the right are actually brothers. The 5th guy is not in the picture because he is now a New York City Cop and didn’t want to be photographed. He is also a White Sox fan.

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com

Monday - What Is An INTP Myers-Briggs Personality Profile?

Portrait of an INTP - Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving (Introverted Thinking with Extraverted Intuition)

The Thinker

As an INTP, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you deal with things rationally and logically. Your secondary mode is external, where you take things in primarily via your intuition.

INTPs live in the world of theoretical possibilities. They see everything in terms of how it could be improved, or what it could be turned into. They live primarily inside their own minds, having the ability to analyze difficult problems, identify patterns, and come up with logical explanations. They seek clarity in everything, and are therefore driven to build knowledge. They are the "absent-minded professors", who highly value intelligence and the ability to apply logic to theories to find solutions. They typically are so strongly driven to turn problems into logical explanations, that they live much of their lives within their own heads, and may not place as much importance or value on the external world. Their natural drive to turn theories into concrete understanding may turn into a feeling of personal responsibility to solve theoretical problems, and help society move towards a higher understanding.

INTPs value knowledge above all else. Their minds are constantly working to generate new theories, or to prove or disprove existing theories. They approach problems and theories with enthusiasm and skepticism, ignoring existing rules and opinions and defining their own approach to the resolution. They seek patterns and logical explanations for anything that interests them. They're usually extremely bright, and able to be objectively critical in their analysis. They love new ideas, and become very excited over abstractions and theories. They love to discuss these concepts with others. They may seem "dreamy" and distant to others, because they spend a lot of time inside their minds musing over theories. They hate to work on routine things - they would much prefer to build complex theoretical solutions, and leave the implementation of the system to others. They are intensely interested in theory, and will put forth tremendous amounts of time and energy into finding a solution to a problem with has piqued their interest.


INTPs do not like to lead or control people. They're very tolerant and flexible in most situations, unless one of their firmly held beliefs has been violated or challenged, in which case they may take a very rigid stance. The INTP is likely to be very shy when it comes to meeting new people. On the other hand, the INTP is very self-confident and gregarious around people they know well, or when discussing theories which they fully understand.

The INTP has no understanding or value for decisions made on the basis of personal subjectivity or feelings. They strive constantly to achieve logical conclusions to problems, and don't understand the importance or relevance of applying subjective emotional considerations to decisions. For this reason, INTPs are usually not in-tune with how people are feeling, and are not naturally well-equiped to meet the emotional needs of others.

The INTP may have a problem with self-aggrandizement and social rebellion, which will interfere with their creative potential. Since their Feeling side is their least developed trait, the INTP may have difficulty giving the warmth and support that is sometimes necessary in intimate relationships. If the INTP doesn't realize the value of attending to other people's feelings, he or she may become overly critical and sarcastic with others. If the INTP is not able to find a place for themself which supports the use of their strongest abilities, they may become generally negative and cynical. If the INTP has not developed their Sensing side sufficiently, they may become unaware of their environment, and exhibit weakness in performing maintenance-type tasks, such as bill-paying and dressing appropriately.

For the INTP, it is extremely important that ideas and facts are expressed correctly and succinctly. They are likely to express themselves in what they believe to be absolute truths. Sometimes, their well thought-out understanding of an idea is not easily understandable by others, but the INTP is not naturally likely to tailor the truth so as to explain it in an understandable way to others. The INTP may be prone to abandoning a project once they have figured it out, moving on to the next thing. It's important that the INTP place importance on expressing their developed theories in understandable ways. In the end, an amazing discovery means nothing if you are the only person who understands it.

The INTP is usually very independent, unconventional, and original. They are not likely to place much value on traditional goals such as popularity and security. They usually have complex characters, and may tend to be restless and temperamental. They are strongly ingenious, and have unconventional thought patterns which allows them to analyze ideas in new ways. Consequently, a lot of scientific breakthroughs in the world have been made by the INTP.

The INTP is at his best when he can work on his theories independently. When given an environment which supports his creative genius and possible eccentricity, the INTP can accomplish truly remarkable things. These are the pioneers of new thoughts in our society.”
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So, there it is, in much more detail than you could have ever wanted. God, it is so scary to see how accurately this describes me, even to me.

Entertainment and stuff will come a bit later.

Go Yankees!!

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com