BITCHES, THE ALL-MALE PSYCHO CHEERLEADER COMEDY==>C+

Sunday==>It is a rather gray and overcast day here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World. At 11:30am it is breezy with a temperature of 82º.

Actually this is perfect weather for The NYC Gay Pride March that begins @ noon at 5th Avenue and 36th Street. The parade will proceed south on 5th to 8th Street and then to Christopher Street, ending at Greenwich Street.

Will Billi Pod be there? No ... been there multiple times ... done that.

So ... let’s get today’s blog posting started with Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s entertainment event, the Off Broadway show ...

BITCHES, THE ALL-MALE PSYCHO CHEERLEADER COMEDY, an all-male cast depicts a cadre of killer cheerleaders involved in a plot for murderous revenge==>C+

Man, this show was a major, and I mean a major, disappointment for Billi Pod. He went in with pretty high expectations because of the author, Sean Abley, who wrote “Reefer Madness” and “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.” Your favorite blogger was in the mood for something funny and the show just wasn’t, or, at least, it wasn’t for him.

With the exception of the performer who did the role of the TV talk-show hostess, the acting was basically lackluster.

The people seated around me seemed to be fairly uncomfortable during most of the show, which seemed to drag (drag --- get it??) on forever and ever.

Yes ... I am ready for the flames this posting may invoke but I have a responsibility to my loyal and faithful readers and followers to call it as I see it.

The show is playing at the Network Complex on West 36th Street, has a running time of 80-minutes, without intermission, and the remaining performance dates are: July 6, 13, 20; August 3, 10, 17, 24.

To add to my misery ... when I left the theater around 8:30pm I checked my ESPN app to check the status of the YANKEES/ORIOLES game. And, the Wankies were losing 9-0 after 3-innings. WTF??

The final score was 11-2 and it was every bit as embarrassing as the score indicates.

Folks ... this is a mediocre team that has now lost 4 straight games and 20 out of the last 32.

Tonight @ 8:05pm The Orioles will go for the sweep. Hiroki Kuroda (7-5) will be on the mound for The Wankies vs. Chris Tillman (9-2) for The Birds. The game will be carried nationally on ESPN.

Moving on to a more positive note ... today’s entertainment event will be a concert ...

4:00==>YOUNG PEOPLE’S CHORUS & YOUNG VOICES OF MELBOURNE - TRANSMUSICA. “The program highlights music from Australia and America, including hymns and music from the Broadway stage.” (concert - complimentary ticket)

This concert is at the 92nd Street Y in the Upper Eastside.

I plan to walk back to the apartment after the concert, a distance of approximately 3.5 miles.

Speaking of walking ... I have now decided on the next part of my “Bridge Walk” adventure. My plan is to do the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges one after another, on the same day.

How? Well ... this is the tentative plan ...

(1). I will subway over to the Marcy Avenue station in Brooklyn and start by walking the Williamsburg Bridge back to Manhattan. 

(2). When I reach Manhattan, the Lower Eastside, I will then walk south over to the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge and walk it back to Brooklyn.

(3). When I reach Brooklyn I will then walk south over to the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge and walk it back to Manhattan.

My research suggests that the total time should be in the neighborhood of 2.5 hours.

Right now my plans are to start it around 5:00pm. The date is undecided at the moment. There is a possibility I might give it a shot tomorrow, weather permitting, of course.

So ... stay tuned ...

On this happy note ... will post this and finish reading the Sunday papers.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.40 miles (or, 11,802 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,719.79 miles 

GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

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

Yesterday’s Tripleheader Was Excellent

Saturday==>Your favorite blogger is happy to report that weather-wise the weekend is off to a good start here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

At 11:30am we have azure blue skies, a nice breeze and temperature of 77º. We do have the possibility of rain later in the afternoon.

After I post this timely update for you loyal and faithful readers and followers I plan to do a major walk and wander session, probably in the Upper Westside.

So ... let’s get started with Billi Pod’s report cards on yesterday’s tripleheader. Yes, I know, My Lady aka Dian Crystal, it is your position that yesterday was merely a doubleheader because one of the scheduled events was dinner rather than a show.

Well, My Lady, as much as I hate to incur your wrath I must maintain my original position because our experience at dinner was indeed an entertainment event, at least it was for moi ... so ...

The first part of the tripleheader was a staged reading at The York Theatre of UNEXPECTED JOY, about three generations of female singers who spend a week together in preparation for a family-related concert.”

Remember, Billi Pod does not assign letter grades to staged readings unless they are puke-inducingly bad. Billi Pod found this to be a totally enjoyable performance by a very talented group of performers. Hopefully, it will one day be produced Off Broadway.

Billi Pod was there as a part of My Lady's posse, which included Vera Olichney, Marty Kosarik aka Numnutz and Julie Miller.

When the reading was over Dian, Vera and I leisurely walked across town to our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Meske, located on West 47th Street. The weather was good and it felt great to be outside.

We were able to score our usual table by the window. We all ordered the same thing, The Vegetarian Platter, which was great as usual.

We did a lot of catching up and that was nice.

When we finished our meal we split. I came back to PHC while Dian and Vera began their walk downtown to TriBeCa for their evening’s show.

My show for the evening was the Off Broadway comedy/drama ALLIGATOR SUMMER, about two  families who have taken refuge in an attic after alligators overrun their small town in Louisiana==>B

The story line centers on young Antietam Julep, wonderfully played by Nicholas Yenson, who is a closeted prepubescent coming of age amid a mega-dysfunctional family and the ever-present specter of death by chomping Gators (hummmm ... isn't that the fear of every FSU fan?)

The show is well acted but there is way too much yelling and screaming passing for drama.

It is funny, dramatic, profane, dark, shocking and at times very confusing.

It is playing at The Abingdon Theatre Complex on West 36th Street, has a running time of 90 minutes, without intermission, and runs through July 7th.

So ... Billi Pod says==>see it if you want something totally different.

OK ... my loyal and faithful readers and followers, that was Billi Pod’s tripleheader.

Moving on to tonight, which is another “interesting sounding” event, the Off Broadway show ...

7:00==>BITCHES, THE ALL-MALE PSYCHO CHEERLEADER COMEDY - “Pom-poms are in the hands of an all-male cast as they depict a cadre of killer cheerleaders involved in a plot for murderous revenge.” (Off Broadway - $9.00 TDF ticket)

This 90-minute “campy comedy” is by Sean Abley who wrote "Reefer Madness" and "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians." It is playing @ The Network on West 36th Street.

Moving on some more ...

Things are getting even worse in The Yankee Universe as last night @ Camden Yards our ace CC Sabathia couldn’t protect a 3-run lead and The Wankies lost 4-3 to The Orioles. 

Tonight @ 7:05pm it will be David Phelps (5-4) on the mound for The Wankies vs. Zach Britton (1-2) for The Birds. 

Folks, as The Wankies are approaching the halfway mark of this woeful season even the most ardent fan must admit that for the remainder of the season the battle will be to avoid ending up in last place in the AL East, rather than for the usual return to the playoffs.

I am not trying to be overly dramatic, merely calling it as I see it and then reporting it to you loyal and faithful readers and followers.

Anyway==>HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.11 miles (or, 11,170 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,714.39 miles 

GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

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

A Tripleheader For Your Favorite Blogger.

Friday==>I want to express my heartfelt thanks for all of you loyal and faithful readers and followers out there in cyberspace who took the time to email/post/text me about reaching the awesome 1,700-mile walking challenge back on Tuesday the 25th.

I also appreciate the positive feedback about my “Bridge Walking” adventure that is now underway. 

And, in response to several inquiries ... yes ... your favorite blogger is indeed contemplating skydiving on his 80th birthday on April 23, 2014.

I made a serious omission in yesterday’s posting. What was it I know you are all breathlessly asking your inner selves? Well ... inner selves ... this is it ...

On June 27, 2001, I was admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital in the Upper Eastside, in the throes of congestive heart failure. 

It was there that I became a patient of cardiologist Dr. Fred Feuerbach. Fred's caring professionalism helped me recover and then survive for the ensuing 12 years.

So ... THANK YOU, Fred==>I am here today because of you.

When I posted yesterday I told you loyal and faithful readers and followers that I hadn’t scheduled an entertainment event for the evening, but that I had several options.

Well ... after sifting through the various options Billi Pod opted for a movie ...

THIS IS THE END - “While attending a party at James Franco’s house in Hollywood, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.”

I totally loved this movie because it has the frat-boy, gross-out humor that I like.

It is in-your-face profane and filled with blood, gore, body-fluids and endless jibes at the Hollywood scene. Nothing is spared or off-limits, including Emma Watson spewing the F-word and killing people with an ax so that they may be eaten.

It is, of course, totally a guy movie and not one to take your bible-thumping relatives to.

My only quibble is that it is runs just under 2 hours and that is about 15 minutes too long.

Having said that ... Billi Pod says==>if the comments above turn you on ... then see this movie. If not ... then stay far far away.

Moving on ...

Today is a tripleheader for your favorite blogger here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, starting with a staged reading that I am seeing as a part of Dian Crystal’s posse ...

1:00==>UNEXPECTED JOY - “Features three generations of female singers, long-held family tensions and a week together where change is in the air.” (free ticket)

This is part of the York Theatre’s Developmental Reading Series.

Hopefully Dian’s posse will include Marty and Vera.

When the reading is over we will leisurely walk across town to my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood for an early dinner at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Meske, located on West 47th Street.

After dinner we will split and I will come back to PHC and chill until it is time for my evening’s entertainment event, the Off Broadway show ...

8:00==>ALLIGATOR SUMMER - “In this dark farce two southern families have taken refuge in an attic, Anne Frank style, after an endless army of alligators have overrun their small Louisiana town.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

The show was originally developed and performed at the 2010 NY Fringe Festival where it received mixed reviews.

It is playing at The Abingdon Theatre Complex on West 36th Street, has a running time of 90 minutes, without intermission, and runs through July 7th.

I have a deep feeling that this will be in the “loved-it” or “hated-it” category.

Moving on to a bit of sports for Marty ...

Last night, out at Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built, The Wankies were blanked by The Rangers, losing 2-0. Need I say that our bats are totally dead? I think not.

Tonight The Wankies are in Baltimore for the first game of a 3-game series against The Orioles. 

On the mound for The Wankies will be David Phelps (5-4) vs. Kevin Gausman (0-3) for The Birds.

OK, everyone ... time to post this and then get ready for my tripleheader.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>2.37 miles (or, 5,192 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,709.28 miles 

GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

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

So Much Stuff Going On In Billi Pod’s World.

Thursday==>Good afternoon to all of you loyal and faithful readers and followers who are, no doubt, concerned about the status of your favorite blogger here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

Yes ... I know ... I know ... I failed to post yesterday ... but ... Billi Pod found himself totally overwhelmed by the events happening around him, details below, and just didn’t feel like sitting down in front of this ‘puter for any extended period of time. And, of course, when that happens things just keep piling up ... 

So ... will try to update everything, not in a chronological order, but rather how Billi Pod feels like reporting them ...

Let's get started with ...

A. The rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) regarding the gay marriage issue(s).

The two decisions by a sharply divided court were a major step forward in reaching marriage equality and there is every reason to celebrate.

Billi Pod needs to remind you, however, that the two rulings that do indeed bolster gay marriage rights do not remove all barriers to same-sex unions, by a long shot. Where gay couples live still will have a lot to do with how they are  treated.

There is still a long way to go.

B. Billi Pod reaches his goal of walking 1,700-miles since 7/1/12.

At 10:48pm on Tuesday, on the way back to the apartment from Yankee Stadium, your favorite blogger reached his 1,700-mile goal. AWESOME!!

As you loyal and faithful readers and followers know, back on July 1, 2012, I set the goal of walking 1,079 miles by my 79th birthday on April 23, 2013 (1,000 + 79 = 1,079, get it??). All of the mileage to be recorded on my WeightWatchers Pedometer.

When I reached the 1,079 mile plateau on January 26, 2013 I then revised the challenge to 1,700 miles by July 1, 2013.

When the walking year ends at midnight on June 30th I will post a rather detailed analysis of the total mileage.

So ... hope you will agree with me that walking 1,700+ miles in 12 months is pretty AWESOME for a 79-year-old guy.

C. Beginning my new challenge to walk all of the bridges in Manhattan.

As I reported earlier, this will be my new challenge. There are 21 major bridges in Manhattan but some of them do not permit pedestrian traffic.

The George Washington Bridge (GWB) was opened in October 1931, has a distance of 4,760 feet between anchorages and the water clearance at midspan is 212 feet.

It is the busiest bridge in the US. The total NY bound traffic in 2012: 49,110,921 vehicles.

So ... this would be a good beginning for my adventure ...

At noon, as planned, I met up with my theater-buddy Marty Kosarik at the West 178th Street pedestrian entrance and our adventure began.

The weather was excellent for this type of venture, overcast and breezy. Our departure time was 12:05pm.

We leisurely walked across the bridge, being very careful to avoid the bicycle traffic. Took lots of pictures, as might be expected. When we crossed into New Jersey the air quality plummeted, of course.

We actually exited the bridge for a very brief walk-around to document the fact that we had actually been in that foreign country known as New Jersey.

Then we headed back to Manhattan, which included clearing passport control. Thought we might have a problem when a couple of the hunky border guards expressed skepticism that two Manhattanites had actually voluntarily entered New Jersey. They finally accepted our story and let us back into Manhattan.

We arrived back at our starting point @ 1:30pm and our recorded mileage was 4.05 miles. We split and I subwayed back to the apartment, with the total mileage for the adventure @ 5.52 miles.

So ... Marty ... thanks for joining me on the first part of my new adventure. I will send you details about the next bridge.

As I reported, the weather was just perfect for being outside for a couple of hours in mid-day but, frankly, I had forgotten that the sun rays can be a factor even if it is cloudy. I definitely felt the effects. This, combined with some decent mileage caused me to take an unexpected nap, which contributed majorly to not posting on a timely basis.

C. A totally gut-busting funny Off Broadway show.

My entertainment event for last night was ... 

ELSINORE COUNTY, a parody involving the characters from Hamlet, set in modern times==>A

Folks, I can’t remember when I laughed harder. The humor is, at times, very raunchy and in-your-face. The cast is excellent and the show, as a whole, is a lot of fun for the open-minded.

It is playing at the Theater Row Complex on my block, runs through July 3rd and has a running time of 1:45, with an intermission.

Billi Pod says==>need a laugh? Then see this show.

D. The continued turmoil in The Yankee Universe.

Since the last posting I was out at Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built, for the Tuesday night YANKEES/TEXAS game, won by The Bronx Bombers 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th, with 2-outs, on a walk-off homer from Ichiro Suzuki. The stadium went crazy. So did I.

Then, last night, Andy Pettitte had another lackluster outing and the Bombers lost 8-5.

This afternoon @ 1:05pm is the final game of the 3-game series. On the mound for The Yankees will be Phil Hughes (3-6) vs. Derek Holland (5-4) for Texas.

Bad news continues to build for the 2013 season with the announcement that Mark Teixeira will require surgery to repair the torn tendon sheath in his right forearm and, as a result, will be out for the remainder of the season.

But ... that isn’t the biggest/baddest news ... oh no ... that involves the continuing controversy surrounding A-Rod.

It started when A-Rod tweeted that he was physically able to begin his minor league rehab assignment. This caused GM Brian Cashman to go ballistic. At a news conference he told A-Rod to: “shut the fuck up.”

Oh, the drama ... these are the headlines in today’s papers ...

“A-ROD’S EVIL PLAN. 1. Get Yanks to put him back on field now. 2. Say he can’t play and retire quickly. 3. Collect all his money even if he’s suspended.” - back page of The Daily News

"HIP FLOP. Source: Now, A-Rod tells Yanks he’s not ready for rehab games.” - back page of The New York Post

"All About A-Rod On Day Yankees Lose Teixeira." - front page of Sport Section of The New York Times.

Moving on ...

At the moment have nothing scheduled for this evening. Have many options. May even give myself the day/night off. Time will tell.

So ... my loyal and faithful readers and followers ... you are now up-to-date.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>6.81 miles (or, 14,886 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,706.91 miles 

GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

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