August 2009 - OUTSTANDING!!

It is a wonderful day today in The Big Apple - bright, sunny and a bit breezy with temperatures in the upper 60s, low 70s. There is definitely a feeling that Fall is just around the corner.

As soon as I post the stats for the month of August I think I will head over to the river and take advantage of the outstanding weather.

Speaking of “outstanding” I have to admit that the summary of all of the things and stuff I did in August can be titled “outstanding.” Actually I really wanted to say “AWESOME” but as several of you loyal and faithful readers have commented, I use the word AWESOME way too much in this blog, so ...without further ado, this is what Billi Pod did during the OUTSTANDING month of August 2009 --

After checking my daily log (log, not diary - real guys don’t keep diaries), I find that during the month I saw/attended/did the following:

1 Broadway show (the outstanding revival of “South Pacific” @ Lincoln Center); 9 Off Broadway shows; 11 shows at the NYC Fringe Festival; 10 Yankee baseball games (their record for those games - 8 wins and 2 losses); 1 game at the new Citi Field to see the dismal Mets get their butts kicked; and, 2 movies (“District 9” and “Taking Woodstock”).

The highlights of the month were: the visit to NYC and PHC by Sandy Mullon of Anna Maria, FL. - during her all-too-brief visit we did a lot of things and stuff and it was all a lot of fun; face-time twice with student/bartender/manager Scott Reed (breaking news - that designation may soon change - stay tuned for further details as they develop); seeing the opening performance of “The Boys Upstairs,” produced by my young friend Justin Allen Pifer at the Fringe Festival; and, being in Yankee Stadium for each of the games in the 4 game sweep of the Boston FuckSox, including the awesome 15 inning win.

I posted 12 times to this blog.

When all of these activities are counted I discover that I only had one day’night without attending some entertainment event, an OUTSTANDING fact when you consider that the weather was pretty bad during most of the month and I am, ahem, 75+ years old.

It is also amazing for me to report that most of the month of September is already booked - as of today only 6 day/nights remain unbooked. Wow!! I am looking forward to seeing my friends actor David Huddleston and his wife Sarah Koeppe, who will be coming to The Big Apple and I will meet up with them on Sunday the 6th. As might be expected, baseball will take up the majority of my time in September since the 2009 season is coming to its conclusion. I have tickets for 13 games. I anxiously look forward to the playoffs, with the Yankees advancing to the World Series. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2009/10 season opens on Wednesday, the 16th, and I will be there, of course.

I am looking forward also to the beginning of the college football season and as a part of The Gator Nation I have high expectations for The Gators to repeat as National Champions and for Tim Tebow to win his second Heisman Trophy (he should have won again last year).

Happy Birthday in advance to: my sister, Ann Parker, on the 6th, and my oldest grandson, Alex Falletta, on the 12th.

This is what my schedule looks like for the next two weeks in The Greatest City in the World --

Tuesday - Sept. 1 - 7:00 - “9 to 5” - Broadway. “From multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter Dolly Parton, a humorous story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. This all-new Broadway musical comedy based on the hit movie features the popular title song plus a new score of 18 original numbers.” (discounted TDF ticket). This show opened to very mixed reviews and is scheduled to close shortly. I thought, what the Hell, a Broadway show for $35, I gotta give it a shot.

Wednesday - 2:00 - “A Lifetime Burning” - Off Broadway. “If you had the power to revise your past, what would you change? Who would you be? A trust fund darling Emma imagines what her life would have been like had she come from a less privileged background. Trouble is, she chronicles her alternate life in a new tell-all memoir that was sold for a hefty advance. When Emma is exposed, will her sister, Tess, stand by her? Or will Emma's deceit destroy their already fractured relationship? This dark comedy brings up questions of legacy, loyalty and what it means to belong.” (complimentary ticket). This show has gotten very good reviews.

Thursday - 8:00 - “Ghosts of Provincetown” - Off Broadway. This is the press blurb “Set against the untamed shores of turn of the century New England, these two short one-act plays, Ile by Eugene O’Neill and The Game by Louise Bryant, debut in New York City as a double bill, fully realizing the intentions of their legendary authors, whose torrid love affair was immortalized by the Academy-Award winning 1981 epic, Reds. These two American masterpieces explore the games we play regarding life and death and the games Life and Death play regarding us.” (discounted TDF ticket). This is going to be a “love-it or hate-it” event.

Friday - open at the moment

Saturday - open at the moment

Sunday - meet up with David Huddleston and Sarah Koeppe.

Monday - 1:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (extra full price ticket); 7:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (make-up game from June 5). I will, of course, stay up in the Bronx between games.

Tuesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (season ticket package).

Wednesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (extra full price ticket).

Thursday - 7:30 - “In the Daylight” - Off Broadway. “A darkly comic tale about a well-known writer and his homecoming to a family that he has been avoiding for many years. As the play unfolds, we discover the true reasons for his extended absence and the dark secrets his family has been keeping.” (discounted TDF ticket). I know, I know - the phrase ... darkly comic ... usually means very very dark and only slightly comedic.

Friday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles (season ticket package).

Saturday - 1:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore (extra full price ticket).

Sunday - 1:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore (season ticket package)

Monday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. LA Angels (season ticket package - make-up for rain out game).

Tuesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Toronto (season ticket package)

OK, now my loyal and faithful readers, you are up-to-date, with probably way more information that you ever wanted, so ...

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.”