Tuesday - Why Billi Pod Is A Reverse Snowbird

It is bitterly cold out and the snow accumulations remain. The Off Broadway show I had scheduled for tonight, “Hell’s Kitchen The Musical,” was canceled after the producer withdrew the complimentary tickets from my ticket service because the show’s ticket sales had taken off following a cast appearance on The Today Show. Oh, well. It was OK with me because the theater is located in Chelsea on the far westside, a long long walk from the subway station.

This has given me an opportunity to prepare my activities summary for the month of February, and in doing so I was somewhat surprised to discover that I had failed to post a summary for January. Why I don’t know. This “discovery” gave me an opportunity to reflect on why this southern born and raised retiree lives in New York City during the winter, rather than in warmer Florida. I will post some thoughts on this later, but first, the activities for February 2009 --

In checking my daily log (log, not diary - real guys don’t keep diaries), I find that during the month of February 2009 I did/saw/attended the following: 5 Broadway shows (33 Variations, The Story of My Life, Will Ferrell’s You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush, Blithe Spirits, and Impressionism); 18 Off Broadway shows; 5 classical music concerts (The New York Philharmonic and The London Philharmonic); and 2 movies (Doubt and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

I think the entertainment highlight of the month was being able to score tickets for future tapings of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report.

I had a negative result from my semi-annual HIV test and that is always good news,

I was able to spend some quality time with: student/bartender/manager Scott Reed and also with Scott’s Dad Stan from Lakeland; and, recent Penn State graduate and now a Big Apple resident Justin Allen Pifer.

On the “strange” side was the discovery early in the month that a prostitution ring had been operating out of apartment 1-B on my floor. See the February 1st posting for details.

I also received notification from the Yankees that I would only receive a 20 game partial season ticket package, but, as you now know, that was upgraded yesterday to a 41 game package. Go Yankees!! (Oh, and an aside to my oldest grandson Alex - today I verified that the offer was legitimate and not some scam operation).

Even though the weather for the entire month was cold and nasty there was only 1, repeat, 1 night during the month when I stayed in the apartment without going out to some entertainment event during the day/evening. That, my loyal and faithful readers is, in my humble opinion, an awesome statistic.

OK, now that we have those stats in hand, let me plug in the stats for January to give a 2 month total for January and February as follows:

7 Broadway shows; 35 Off Broadway shows; 8 classical music concerts; and, 4 movies. I stayed in the apartment 7 nights without going out to some entertainment event during the day/evening (bad weather and watching the BCS Championship game and The Super Bowl). I posted a total of 19 times to this blog.

And, this is what the next 5 days look like:

Wednesday - March 4 - 2:00 - “The Cripple of Inishmaan” - Off Broadway. “Set in 1934 on an island off the west coast of Ireland, Hollywood filmmaker Robert Flaherty arrives on the neighboring island of Inishmore to film his movie The Man of Aran and excitement ripples through the sleepy community of Inishmaan. For orphaned Billy Claven, who has been relentlessly scorned by the islands inhabitants, the film represents an escape from the poverty of his existence. He vies for a part in the film, and to everyone's surprise, it is the cripple who gets his chance.” (discounted TDF ticket). This has received rave reviews.

8:30 - “Heroes” - Off Broadway. “Three Tony®-nominees with three Tony Awards® between them star in the New York premiere of this comedy about World War I veterans who dream of escape from an old-soldiers' home.” (discounted TDF ticket).

Thursday - 8:00 - “God of Carnage” - Broadway. “Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden star in Yasmina Reza's new Broadway play. Two sets of parents meet up to deal with the unruly behavior of their children. Will it be a calm and rational debate between grown-ups about the need to teach kids how to behave properly? Or will it turn into a hysterical night of name-calling, tantrums and tears before bedtime?” (discounted TDF ticket).

Friday - 8:00 - “The Rivals” - Off Broadway. “According to Prince there is the possibility for "23 positions in a one night stand." But how much confusion can be experienced when one is pursuing a true love? Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The Rivals is a comedy of bad "manners" that finds would be lovers complicating their own lives and relationships to bring to reality their deepest romantic and sexual fantasies.” (complimentary ticket).

Saturday - open at the moment.

Sunday - I will meet up with Justin Pifer and his parents, who are visiting from Pennsylvania, to see a matinee performance of The Tony Award winning musical “In The Heights” - This is the blurb from TimeOut New York: “This bouncy barrio musical has plenty of good old-fashioned Broadway heart, and that heart has a thrilling new beat: the invigorating pulse of modern Latin rhythms, mixed with the percussive dynamism of hip-hop. The fast dancing ensemble cast and joyous score give classic musical-theater themes a contemporary urban twist.” Justin was able to score complimentary tickets for us.

So, my loyal and faithful readers, these statistics and scheduled activities are why I am here in The Greatest City in The World during the winter. I ask you, seriously - where else could I be that would even come close to having these entertainment opportunities available?

Oh, I know that my lifestyle isn’t for everyone, or perhaps isn’t for anyone else, but it is me, Bill Norris aka Billi Pod, living out my dream(s) as best I know how. And, I am blessed.

I report - you decide.

Billi Pod