Things And Stuff From Winter Park Village - The Yankees

Sunday==>Well, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, at 12:30pm in Winter Park, FL, it is 85º with considerable cloudiness and there is the possibility of showers in the late afternoon. The high will only be 88º.

About  yesterday ...

In summary==>yesterday was spent doing more unpacking and storing. In the early evening did a major walk and wander session and then settled in to watch the 10:00pm Yankees/Oakland game.

I didn’t go to an AA meeting as planned/reported because the group that I wanted to attend doesn’t meet until Tuesday. Oh well ... will go on Tuesday.

Now ... what about today? Well ... 

This morning I did my usual morning walk-around and my plans for the afternoon are to complete the unpacking and then watch some baseball on my 42” flat screen TV.

For the evening ... at 6:00pm I will be picked up by Randy Haag, who was The Bill’s classmate in High School, and then the three of us will have dinner someplace yet to be determined.

Moving on ...

Oh, man, I know this is so f**king boring, especially to all of my New York theater buddies ... but ... it is what it is ...

The only thing that didn’t successfully make the trip from The Big Apple down to Winter Park Village was my toaster oven. It died. As many of you know, the toaster oven is an essential part of Billi Pod’s lifestyle ... so ... tomorrow’s project will be to get a new one.

Unfortunately, the Publix store across the street doesn’t carry them. I have located a Home Depot about 2 miles away ... so ... tomorrow I will walk over to the store, pick one out and then Uber back to the apartment.

And speaking of the apartment ... I am really getting settled in and it feels totally good. I really like the staff and the few fellow tenants that I have met.

Starting midweek I will begin planning my entertainment schedule and I am happy to say that a lot is going on in the area in both the theater scene and the classical music world. So, stay tuned ...

On the sports scene ...

Well, the Yankees continue to have their up-and-down season. Last night we beat the Athletics, out in Oakland, 5-3 to remain in first place by 1-game over the Rays in the woeful AL East.

This afternoon at 4:05pm will be the final game of the 4-game series. The Yankees are hoping to split the series. On the mound for the Yankees (26-24) will be Adam Warren (3-3) vs. Jesse Chavez (1-5) for Oakland (19-33).

You are welcome, Marty ...

In closing==>I need help/input from you loyal and faithful readers and followers on what I should now call this blog. As you know, it is currently: 

“BILLI POD BLOGS - My Adventures in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In the World”

The BILLI POD BLOGS will remain ... it is the second part I need your help with ... so please ... give me the benefit of your suggestions/thoughts, sans irony and snarkiness, please.

HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEKEND!

GO YANKEES!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.77  miles (or, 12,609 steps)

Total mileage for 2015==>590.37 miles (average 3.94 miles per day)

Billi Pod

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

The Move-In Is Done - Thoughts & Comments

Saturday==>Yes, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, your favorite Sunshine State blogger has now officially moved into his 1-Bedroom apartment at Paseo at Winter Park Village.

Yesterday the mover showed up at 12:30pm, as planned, and the move-in process began. When I moved out of PHC there were 3 guys and the process took a little over 3 hours. Incredibly, when the Mayflower van arrived there was only the driver, Greg, and his 12-year old son, Conner. WTF?

Well, I am happy to report that everything went very well, including getting my large leather couch into the apartment without having to take it apart as I had anticipated.

The whole process was over around 4:30pm and then I began unpacking the boxes and putting things away, temporarily, of course.

During the move-in process the Brighthouse installer arrived around 2:30pm, again as scheduled, and he got the TV up and running, along with internet service and a landline. My son, Bill III aka The Bill was able to make the necessary arrangements to secure me a baseball package which will include the Yankee games.

This picture is what the apartment looked like before the mover arrived ...

and this is what it looks like now.

Needless to say, I still have a lot of unpacking and putting things away to do. I will put the paintings up sometime in the middle of next week when I am sure I like the furniture placement and stuff.

You know, everything in this whole moving process went extremely well==>Thank You Higher Power!!

After the movers left ... 

Made a trip to Publix, across the street from my building, did some unpacking, had a fruit and cheese plate for dinner, watched the Yankee game which began at 10:00pm (the Yankees lost to Oakland 6-2) and then crashed around 1:00am.

Man, I was really tired and emotionally drained but it sure did feel good to be in my own bed in my own, new, apartment.

Woke up this morning at the usual 8:00am. I did a walk and wander session in Winter Park Village and adjacent property and then made another quick run to Publix for the papers and some cleaning stuff.

When I finish this posting I will resume the unpacking and putting away. Man, does it feel great to be working on my desktop again. My plans are to spend today and most of tomorrow getting the apartment into shape.

I do plan to attend an AA meeting tonight, in the downtown Winter Park area

Sunday evening will have dinner with The Bill and our friend Randy Haag.

So, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, you are now pretty much up-to-date ... so ...

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

GO YANKEES!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>3.32  miles (or, 7,254 steps)

Total mileage for 2015==>584.60 miles (average 3.92 miles per day)

Billi Pod

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

Billi Pod’s Update From The Sunshine State

Thursday - Yes, my loyal and faithful readers and followers ... this is your favorite blogger writing to you from Orlando, in The Sunshine State. Billi Pod will now give you an update on what is going on in his New Adventure.

On Tuesday I signed the lease on my apartment at Paseo at Winter Park Village. To take full advantage of the perks I had to sign a 15 month lease but that wasn’t a problem. The lease itself ... well ... the document, with all of the addendums, was a mere 30 pages long. It was only after I reviewed the document later that I discovered that I had consigned the body and soul of my only son, William A. Norris, III, aka The Bill, to the leasing agency as collateral in the event of a default on my part. Oh well ...

With the signing I officially became a resident of Winter Park, FL.

Yesterday, Bill and I went back to the complex to pick up the keys, actually called fobs since there is electronic entry, and did a walkthrough of the apartment. I am the first person to occupy the unit. 

We were given a rather long “Inventory and Condition Form” to complete to list any defects or damages to the apartment. We did note a few minor things and were assured that they would be immediately corrected.

So ... at this point the only thing remaining is to make arrangements with Brighthouse (the building’s provider) for TV and internet service.

Actually, there is one other small thing ... the arrival of my furniture. I still haven’t received a firm date from Mayflower and as I am writing this I am awaiting a callback to get a status report. When I signed the contact with them I was given a window of May 28 - June 7th ... so ...

To say that I am getting antsy is putting it mildly.

Tonight, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm is the “Ribbon Cutting Ceremony & Grand Opening Event” at Paseo’s Clubhouse. According to the invitation: “food, drinks and live entertainment will be provided.” Bill and I will be there, of course.

Moving on ... 

Bill III and I have gotten along well, as expected. Yesterday was his final day with his kids and his final work day is Friday. Then is he off for the summer. 

I have gotten into a new walking regime to handle the heat, humidity and sun. I have been going out around 8:15-8:30am and walking for an hour in Bill’s neighborhood. There is decent shade. I would guess I am in the shade about 75% of the time and that is excellent. The temperature at that time has been ranging in the high 70s, low 80s with a light breeze.

Have spent a lot of time in front of Bill’s mammoth home entertainment center, watching more TV than I anticipated. He has Direct TV and gets every channel known to man, including every baseball game, and that is really good.

Tomorrow I will go to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in the mall in our ‘hood and get a new Florida ID card with my new address. I will also see what it will take to get my expired Florida driver’s license renewed. Whether I should do that remains to be determined.

So ... I guess the important message is that everything is going very very well for me down here. Do I miss The Big Apple and all of my friends up there? Yes, of course I do ... but ... that was expected.

Bottom line==>I still remain confident that returning to The Sunshine State was the right decision for Billi Pod.

So ... stay tuned!

GO YANKEES!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>4.06 miles (or, 8,891 steps)

Total mileage for 2015==>576.75 miles (average 3.92 miles per day)

Billi Pod

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

Hello From The Sunshine State - All Is Well - Billi Pod Has A New Apartment

Monday==>Yes, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, your favorite blogger is now an official resident of The Sunshine State, having made the transition from The Big Apple to Florida back on Thursday, May 21st.

This is being written from my son’s house in Orlando, on my ancient and slow and clunky iBookG4, so it’s gonna be kinda short.

The big news==>the movers were excellent, the trip down to Orlando went well ... and ... then ... Thank You Higher Power ... I secured a new apartment ... yes ... a new apartment.

Last Friday I spent most of the afternoon looking at available apartments at two apartment complexes in Winter Park Village, Paseo and The Lofts. It was kinda stressful, to tell the truth.

In the late afternoon I took a deep breath and selected a 858 square foot 1-Bedroom apartment on the second floor of Paseo, which is a newly constructed complex with 209 units. It features every possible amenity. At present it is about 50% occupied. This is the website for Paseo: paseoatwinterparkvillage.com

And the floor plan for my apartment is ...

It is facing North and will receive plenty of natural light. And, for inquiring minds ... the rent is only 40% of what I was paying at PHC.

My residential application has just been approved so we will have a lease signing at 1:00pm on Wednesday.

I have contacted the movers and delivery will be made to the new apartment although I still don’t have a firm arrival date, but I expected that.

I am now in the process of doing things and stuff in preparation for the lease signing, including securing renters insurance, getting a certified check and setting up the utility account(s). Not fun.

So ... everyone ... please know that I am extremely pleased with how well things have gone thus far. 

Please forgive me for the lack of postings. I hope to get back to my daily routine, soon.

And ... in closing==>thanks everyone for all of the supportive emails, texts and posts. They all meant so much to me.

GO YANKEES!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>3.68 miles (or, 8,057 steps)

Total mileage for the week==>25.78 miles (average 3.68 miles per day)

Total mileage for 2015==>566.55 miles (average 3.93 miles per day)

Billi Pod

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

Countdown (-3) - Justin’s Celebration Luncheon - The Wankies - Dinner with Dian Crystal & Marty Kosarik - Plans

 Monday==>Sunday was a super-excellent day that went down like this ...

At 11:15am I met up with John Scott Reed, Maria Claudio, and Justin Archibald (known as Archie) and we Ubered up to Yonkers for the luncheon in celebration of Justin Allen Pifer’s graduation earlier in the morning from Pace Law School in White Plains, NY.

In the picture it is Archie, Maria, Moi, and Scott.

We arrived at the trendy restaurant,  X2O Xaviar's on the Hudson, around noon. 

When the crowd finally gathered I estimate that there were about 60 people in attendance, with 8 tables.

It was an excellent experience as we spent time getting to know one another and how we were all connected to Justin.

Scott had met him at a dance camp back when they were Juniors in high school and they maintained that friendship through the years. I met Justin through Scott, as did Maria. Archie met him at Penn State.

Scott made a very thoughtful toast to Justin and Justin followed up with remarks and thank-you’s to family and friends. Frankly, it was all kinda emotional, at least it was for me.

The luncheon was over around 3:15pm and our group used a car service to get back to Manhattan. Frankly, Uber was the best of the two rides.

So ... Justin==>CONGRATULATIONS and now let the next part of your adventure/life begin.

Also==>a MAJOR shout-out to Amber Lee who also graduated from Law School on Sunday, American University - Washington College of Law. 

The picture is Amber and her father, Robert Lee.

Moving on ...

Another good thing about the luncheon==>I didn’t have to watch the Wankies getting their asses kicked by the Royals, as they lost 6-0 for their first shutout of the season.

They have tonight off and then Tuesday will start a 2-game series against the Nationals, in Washington, DC. 

After I post this I will spend the remainder of the morning and early part of the afternoon doing some more packing.

This final bit is the most difficult because it entails, among other things, assembling the boxes for my 4 largest paintings, not an easy task for a total klutz like moi.

Oh well ...

Moving on ... 

At 4:00pm I will meet up with my dear friends Dian Crystal aka My Lady and Marty Kosarik aka Whatever at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Meske, on West 47th Street in my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood, for our final time together.

After dinner I will come back to PHC to conclude the final (hopefully) packing, which will include deciding on what I will take with me on the plane Thursday.

Oh ... yes, I know I haven’t posted about the show I saw on Saturday afternoon, TUESDAY AT TESCO’S. Honestly, I am just not in the mood to say anything about the show other than it just didn’t work for me and it gets a report card of==>C.

In all likelihood tomorrow’s posting will be my final one from The Big Apple. I will, of course, attempt to post daily on my Facebook Timeline.

Have no fear==>Billi Pod Blogs will resume once he gets down to The Sunshine State.

GO YANKEES!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>3.03 miles (or, 6,621 steps)

Total mileage for the week==>27.49 miles (average 3.93 miles per day)

Total mileage for 2015==>540.77 miles (average 3.95 miles per day)

Billi Pod

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

Departure==>-3

Countdown (-5) - Conan O’Brien & Anderson Cooper - Tuesdays at Tesco’s - The Yankees

Saturday==>I cannot believe that I am now down to Departure - 5. It seems as if the clock has speeded up and I am beginning to feel some concerns in my gut about the progress I am making in getting stuff prepared and packed for the arrival of the movers on Wednesday morning.

One of the things that is slowing me down was my decision early-on to go through my “stuff” and discard things that I no longer need/want. Well, let me tell you ... after all of this time in The Big Apple, I had accumulated a lot more “stuff” than I realized. Just going through it all has been very time consuming.

And, then, in the typical Billi Pod fashion, I have also scheduled entertainment events and things.

Oh well ... it all will get done ... so ... let’s get this posting underway with ...

Billi Pod’s report on ...

FIRE AND ICE: A Conversation with Conan O’Brien and Anderson Cooper, Conan O’Brien discusses his latest foray into international relations - a special episode of Conan filmed in Cuba, in recognition of its evolving relationship with the U.S. - and other matters, with esteemed journalist and host Anderson Cooper.

This was totally enjoyable and very informative. The auditorium was full.

It started @ 6:00pm with a showing of the entire hour-long film on Conan’s recent trip to Cuba. Then Conan and Anderson came on stage and spent about 30 minutes in a back-and-forth regarding details of the trip. Bottom-line==>The various scenes in the film were mostly improvisational and without structure as Conan was basically interested in just meeting Cubans and getting involved in their culture.

The program ended at 7:30pm and Conan and Anderson received a roaring round of applause.

I am very glad that I booked this event.

Came back to PHC, fixed a bit of food ... and then settled in to watch ...

Game 1 of the 3-game YANKEES/ROYALS series, from Kansas City.

And, man, did the Yankees suck. We lost  12-1 as Michael Pineda got pummeled and our bats remained nonexistent. It was a painful game to watch. Our fourth straight loss.

Game 2 is tonight at 7:10pm. On the mound for the Yankees (21-16) will be CC Sabathia (1-5) vs. Danny Duffy (2-2) for the Royals (23-13).

My plans are to stay in and watch the game.

Moving on ...

Today’s entertainment event is an Off Broadway show ...

2:00==>TUESDAYS AT TESCO’S - “Every Tuesday, Pauline visits her elderly father to do household chores and take him to the supermarket. Desperate to connect with her father between the aisles and in line for the checkout, Pauline is met with gruff disrespect and embarrassment. For her father much preferred things when his daughter used to be his son, Paul.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

Starring in this drama is Simon Callow, one of Britain's greatest actors with a remarkable career that spans “Amadeus,” “A Room with a View,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” and “Shakespeare in Love.”

It is playing at the 59E59 Theatre Complex, on East 59th Street (duh), one of my favorite venues, has a running time of 1:15, without intermission, and runs through June 3rd.

Alert==>tomorrow's posting will be delayed because in the late morning John Scott Reed and I will Uber up to Yonkers to join Justin Allen Pifer, and his family, for a luncheon celebrating Justin's graduation from Pace Law School earlier in the day.

OK, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, it is time to post this and then do some packing ... so ... 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

GO YANKEES!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>3.61 miles (or, 7,909 steps)

Total mileage for 2015==>533.09 miles (average 3.95 miles per day)

Billi Pod

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

Departure==>-5