Happy 4th of July - SEX, DRUGS, ROCK & ROLL - Uber vs. Walking - The Yankees

Saturday==>HAPPY 4th OF JULY EVERYONE!!

You know, it feels really strange to be here in Winter Park, in the Sunshine State, on July 4th.

This is what I mean ... For the past 15 years in The Big Apple my plans always included attending an afternoon concert by the New York Philharmonic that concluded with “The Armed Forces Medley,” which encompasses the official songs of the five branches of the Armed Forces.

Audience members who were in, or have family-members in, the respective services are asked to stand when the appropriate song is played. It is very very emotional, trust me on this ... it is. I would get tears in my eyes when it was my turn to stand with my group of Army guys.

Well, it ain’t gonna happen this 4th of July for your favorite Sunshine State blogger ... he ain’t in The Big Apple any more ... 

Nope, when he finishes this posting he will settle in to watch the Yankees/Rays game and then it will be a movie at the huge multiplex across the street in Winter Park Village ... oh well ... 

So ... let’s get started with Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s theater event ...

SEX, DRUGS, ROCK & ROLL, Eric Bogosian’s award-winning play is a series of darkly comic monologues by different unnamed characters. Each one is in some way related to one of the three vices of the title and is an indictment of America by shining a light on hypocrisy, insincerity, greed==>A

The plot is very very much in-your-face with virtually nonstop profanity that seems extremely realistic rather than forced, as is often the case, especially in one-man shows.

My friend David Lee does an outstanding job in creating each character with a unique voice and temperament. He captures the audience from the moment he walks onto the stage until the final scene.

Yeah, he totally deserves the multiple awards and favorable reviews he and this show has received.

I got to speak with him for a few minutes before the show started and that was nice.

The show has a running time of a little over an hour and the time flies by as the audience is totally transfixed by what is happening on stage.

Billi Pod says==>see this show if you can.

It is playing at the Footlight Theater at the Parliament House (a gay mecca in the Orlando area) on North Orange Blossom Trail, has a running time of 1:15, without intermission, and the remaining performance date is tonight at 8:00pm. 

As previously planned, I took a bus downtown to the Lynx Central Station Terminal. I then walked West on Amelia Street the 1.1 miles over to North Orange Blossom Trail. It was 6:30pm and I was the only person walking and, man, did that feel eerie.

Just before I got to OBT I saw a group of police officers standing around a police car. I walked over to them and asked if I could ask a question and they said yes.

I told them that I was seeing a show at The Parliament House, that it was going to be over around 9:15pm and would it be OK if I walked back to the bus terminal at that time.

Well, the unanimous answer was: “Only if you want to be robbed.” Apparently this is one of the unsafest areas in downtown Orlando.

Wow!! Glad I asked ... 

So ... when the show was over I decided to Uber back to the apartment.

A car arrived in 4 minutes and the trip back to the apartment in Winter Park took only 14 minutes and cost only $7.64.

When I got back to the apartment I was able to watch the final innings of the exciting Yankees/Rays game, which the Yankees won 7-5 in the bottom of the 12th inning on Brian McCann’s 3-run walk-off homer.

With the win the Yankees regained the lead in the AL East by 1-game over Baltimore.

This afternoon at 1:05pm, from Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed and Ego Built, is game 2 of the 3-game series.

On the mound for the Yankees (43-37) will be Michael Pineda (8-5) vs. Nathan Karris (4-4) for the Rays (42-40).

Thankfully, the Yankees and A-Rod reached an agreement on the issue(s) of whether he was entitled to receive a $6M bonus for reaching various home run milestones. According to reports the two sides have agreed that $3.5M will be donated to an assortment of charities. This will settle everything.

Also, Yankee management was instrumental in working out a deal with the guy who caught the 3,000th hit ball (a HR) so that it will be returned to A-Rod. This also involved a donation to a charity.

Billi Pod is glad that both sides have been able to move on.

Speaking of moving on ...

It is time to post this and then watch some baseball ... so ...

HAVE A GREAT 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!!

GO YANKEES!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.57  miles (or, 12,174 steps)

Total mileage for 2015==>755.32 miles (average 4.11 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.”