FOOD AND FADWA==>A

Yes ... the jury found that scumbag pervert Jerry Sandusky guilty on 45 of 48 counts, meaning he will spend the rest of his rotten life in prison.

When he finally dies, hopefully at age 102, I know that his soul will burn in HELL for all of eternity!!

Moving on now to more positive things ... like Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s entertainment event ... 

FOOD AND FADWA, about a Palestinian family fighting to celebrate love, joy and hope while living in Bethlehem==>A

Without a doubt this show earns its rave reviews with an engrossing story line and excellent acting, especially from the co-author Lameece Issaq in the lead role of Fadwa Faranesh.

In the name of fair and unbiased reporting I have to admit that most of the hundreds of cooking references sailed over my head, but that didn’t keep me from becoming totally involved with the story and Fadwa and her family.

I am so glad I finally saw it.

This afternoon’s entertainment event for Billi Pod is a 3-peat ...

3:00==>SILENCE! THE MUSICAL - “Campy, raunchy and mounted on the cheap, this tuneful parody of 'The Silence of the Lambs’ is sweet, tangy and very tasty.” (Off Broadway - discounted ticket).

I first saw this gut-busting funny show on September 10, 2011 at its original venue, Under St. Marks Place, and totally loved it, giving it an A+.

It moved to a new venue, PS 122, and I saw it on November 3, 2011 and loved it even more because the running time had been tightened up a bit.

So ... I am totally looking forward to seeing it again this afternoon in a 3-peat.

As I am writing this posting I am also trying to finalize plans to meet up with Dian Crystal aka My Lady for an early bite after my show, probably someplace down in the East Village area.

Unless something extra special shows up on one of my ticket services my current plans are to come on back to PHC and watch game 2 of the YANKEES/METS subway series from Citi Field in Queens.

Hey ... don’t be too judgmental. Yes ... I know it is a Saturday night in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World ... but remember my loyal and faithful readers ... as a retiree, every night is a Saturday night for Billi Pod.

Last night the Mets beat The Yankees 6-4 and earned a bit of revenge for the recent sweep at Yankee Stadium. Andy Pettitte just didn’t have it ... and, yes ... we hit the long ball, but again came up short with runners in scoring position, a flaw that has cursed us all season.

Tonight it will be Ivan Nova (9-2) for the Yankees vs. Chris Young (1-1) for The Mets.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>4.86 miles

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.”

Murder In The First==>Still An A!!

Yes, it is hot of here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, but guys and gals, stop your bitching and moaning because, as a person who was born and raised in Central Florida, Billi Pod has gotta tell you==>you don’t know shit about hot weather. These have just been routine Florida-type summer days.

So ... just get over it OK ... move on ...  case closed ... so saith Billi Pod.

My entertainment event for last night was a revisit to MURDER IN THE FIRST, about the 1940s murder trial that ultimately led to the closing of Alcatraz==>A.

This is the same grade it received when Billi Pod saw it in early previews back on May 25th and this is what he said back then ...

************

“The play is extremely well performed and the cast is superior, especially Chad Kimball as Willie Moore, the inmate who was “forgotten” in solitary confinement for over 3 years. When he is released from solitary confinement he almost immediately murders a fellow inmate. 

Guy Burnet makes his New York debut in the role of Henry Davidson, the young and idealistic Public Defender who represents and also bonds with Willie. He is outstanding and very believable.

Of course, as a retired Judge, I have to state, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting, that many “liberties” are taken in what transpires in the courtroom scenes, but no matter, because the whole production is engrossing, at times funny and extremely thought-provoking.

The show is in very early previews so I believe it will be tightened up because the 2:30 running time, with one intermission, is a bit too long.

I think the critics are going to like this show and I have added it to Billi Pod’s MUST SEE list.”

********************

Well, first of all, the show received basically rave reviews from the critics with an especially favorable one from The New York Times.

Secondly, it now clocks in at 2:15, with one intermission, and this is a major plus.

Thirdly ... you theater-buffs here in the Tri-State area have got to see this show at the 59th Street Theatre Complex before its final performance on July 1.

Yes, Billi Pod Says==SEE IT!!

When the show was over I walked back to PHC, a distance of 1.8 miles as shown on my newly acquired Pedometer.

And speaking of the Pedometer ... for a while I am going to record the total number of miles I walk on a daily basis, which will include walking around the apartment and stuff like that. I will keep the Pedometer with me for the entire day/evening and the mileage for the previous day will be reported at the end of the blog.

Why am I doing this you are no doubt breathlessly asking? Well, I know that I am very active on a daily basis and I just want to record, for my own information, how active I have been.

So, for your information and enlightenment, yesterday’s mileage was==>3.35 miles.

Tonight’s entertainment event is ...

8:00==>FOOD AND FADWA - “Set in Bethlehem, this new play melds the 

fight a Palestinian family wages to hold onto its traditional culture with its 

need to celebrate love, joy and hope.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

Most of my theater buddies, including Dian Crystal aka My Lady, highly recommend this show. It closes on Sunday so I am glad I am finally getting to see it.

Tonight @ 7:05 at Citi Field in Queens The Yankees will play the first game of the 3-game subway series against the revenge-seeking Mets. It will be Andy Pettitte (3-2) vs. Jon Niese (4-3).

The BIG game will be on Sunday @ 8:05pm, carried by ESPN, when it will be our ace CC Sabathia (9-3) vs. their ace and currently the most dominant pitcher in MLB, the knuckle ball throwing R.A. Dickey (11-1). I will stay in and watch this game you can be certain of that.

Thursday's Pedometer mileage==>3.35 miles

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.”

A Heat Wave

It is blistering hot in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, and it is supposed to reach 100º during the afternoon.

Yesterday the Wankies got scorched by The Braves, losing 10-5. It was ugly. Phil Hughes had his worst outing of the season giving up 4 home runs in just 4 1/3 innings.

The balls went flying out of Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built, as the two teams combined for 9 home runs, the most in the history of the new stadium.

While the Yanks had 4 solo homers, they still were unable to get hits in crucial situations with runners in scoring position and the major culprit was ... tada ... Alex Rodriguez. There is growing concern about his lack of power hitting ... I mean ... WTF ... that’s what he is paid big bucks over a long-term contract to do ... WTF??

The only good thing about the game==>Billi Pod wasn’t there in person.

At 5:00pm I met up with my buddies Dian Crystal aka My Lady and Marty Kosarik at the Fallopian restaurant Meskerem, located on 47th Street in my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood.

As I posted yesterday, this was a first for Billi Pod since he had never been to a Fallopian restaurant before and thusly, had no clue what to expect food-wise. It was no problem, however, because Dian and Marty (he is a vegetarian) ordered for me and we all had the same thing ... 

The Vegetarian Combo, consisting of, I think, lentils, chickpeas, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and other veggies. You eat this stuff with your fingers after tearing off a piece of the spongy yeast-risen flatbread known as injera.

Actually, it was quite tasty and very filling and I totally enjoyed my first experience at eating Fallopian food ... even though I was told later by Marty that he had heard rumors that one of the items had been spiced by the blood of the children used to harvest the whatever it was ... I have no way of knowing whether this is true or not.

Anyway ... moving on ...  and ... hold it ... this just in ...

BREAKING NEWS==>Billi Pod has just been advised, very adamantly, by Marty that it was not Fallopian food after all but rather it was ETHIOPIAN food and we that dined at an Ethiopian restaurant. My bad!! Sorry guys!!

Moving on ... My Lady gave me an interesting gift ... a Weight Watchers Pedometer. She has been in the Weight Watchers program for about 6 months and has lost 43.4 pounds, which is awesome. Billi Pod doesn’t need to lose weight but she gave me the Pedometer so I could keep track of my daily walking stats if I wanted to ... and I do.

In fact ... I put it on when we left the restaurant. I walked up to Lincoln Center for my concert, then back from Lincoln Center to PHC and the mileage for that time frame was 3.16 miles.

So ... thank you My Lady.

Last night’s entertainment event ...

NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC @ Avery Fisher Hall, Emanuel Ax performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 and The New York Choral Artists performing Mozart’s Mass in C minor==>AWESOME, as usual.

I was really in the mood for some classical music and this was spot-on.

As I said, when the concert was over I walked leisurely back to PHC but I have to admit that when I got back inside the apartment I was drenching in sweat.

Tonight's entertainment event is ...

8:00==>MURDER IN THE FIRST - “This courtroom drama centers around the bond that develops between a young attorney in the Public Defendant's office and the prisoner whom he defends and ultimately befriends. The show is inspired by a compelling true story of the trial that ultimately led to the closing of Alcatraz - the most notorious correctional institution in U.S. history.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

I saw this terrific show in very early previews and loved it. It got a grade of A from Billi Pod and subsequently received basically rave reviews from the critics. It closes on July 1st and I wanted to see it again because some of my theater-nut friends have said that the show has gotten even better.

Oh ... The Yankees have the day off and then begin a 3-game subway series @ Citi Field against The Mets, who are seeking revenge ala The Braves.

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.”

Every Good Thing Must Come To An End==>WTF?

Well ... as “they” say (whoever in the f**k “they” are) ... every good thing must come to an end ... and that is just what happened last night at Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built, when none other than Alex Rodriguez made the final out in the bottom of the 9th in the Yankees 4-3 loss to The Braves. With his pathetic pop up the 10-game streak came to a close, not with a bang ... but a whimper. WTF??

Yes, my loyal and faithful readers, Billi Pod was there and the weather was awesome but ... The Bomber bats failed, yet again, to get hits with runners in scoring position, going an anemic 2 for 11.

I know you are asking yourselves ... “selves, does Billi Pod expect them to win every game?” And the answer is ...  of course not. He knew that the streak would eventually end, but ... he didn’t expect it to end with a whimper ... jus sayin ...

Anyways ... moving on ... kinda ...

The final game of the series is this afternoon at 1:05pm and, of course, I will stay in PHC to watch it. Phil Hughes (7-4) will be on the mound for The Bombers vs. Tommy Hanson (7-4).

Then around 5:00pm I will meet up with my theater-nut friends Dian Crystal aka My Lady and Marty Kosarik for an early dinner at a Fallopian restaurant called Meskerem, located on 47th Street in my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood.

I am really looking forward to doing some catching up with them. Also ... Billi Pod has never eaten Fallopian food before, so this will be another first for him.

When dinner is over I will walk up to Lincoln Center for my evening’s entertainment event, which is ...

7:30==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC @ Avery Fisher Hall - “Emanuel Ax will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 and The New York Choral Artists will perform Mozart’s Mass in C minor - Great.” (subscription series)

This is the final concert in the 2011-12 subscription series.

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.”

Yankees vs. Braves Tonight

Good afternoon all of my loyal and faithful readers.

Let’s get right to it regarding Monday’s entertainment  choices by Billi Pod. Guess what? Are you ready? Are you sure? Well ... OK ... gotta tell the truth ... last night Yankee baseball won out over all of the other stuff ... yes ... Billi Pod stayed in PHC to watch game #1 of the YANKEES/BRAVES 3-game series.

The Bronx Bombers won 6-2 behind a complete game from our ace CC Sabathia, clutch hitting from Jeter and homers from Cano and Teixeira. This was our 10th win in a row and it was a very exciting game to watch.

Tonight I will head out to Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built, for game #2 of the series. Hiroki Kuroda (6-6) will be on the mound for The Bombers vs. Tim Hudson (4-3).

The weather is supposed to be great ... in the mid 70s.

Dammit==>my Gators basically sucked in The College World Series. They were eliminated yesterday by a loss to Kent State (who???). Unbelievably sloppy game for the team that went into the Series as the #1 seed. Barf!!

Oh well ...

Were you surprised by the verdict in the Roger Clemens perjury trial? Well, I kinda was but since I have great faith in the jury system I will just go with it. 

You know, it’s funny ... all of the commentators, pundits, whatevers are supportive of the jury system so long as the jury returns a verdict that they, the commentators, pundits, whatevers want. Otherwise, they are quick to brand the jury members as fools and incompetents ... jus sayin ...

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.”

A Back To Work Monday

Yes, the weekend is over my Worker Bee friends, so just accept the realities of this Back To Work Monday.

Need I remind you that Billi Pod shares your pain? Yes ... this being a Monday, he must spend his day doing errands, chores and stuff and still try to find the time to schedule some entertainment event(s) for this evening.

I hope you loyal and faithful readers out there in the hinterlands, boondocks and wastelands understand that it is soooooooo burdensome being a poor retiree up here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, because there is sooooooo much to do and sooooooooo little time in which to do it.

Maybe Billi Pod should leave Gotham City and move to some other fabulous but less demanding city, like Des Moines, Iowa, or perhaps Fargo, North Dakota ... hummmmmm ... 

But ... enough negativity ... on to other things ... like ...

Yesterday afternoon The Bronx Bombers won their 3rd consecutive series, beating The Nationals 4-1 behind another outstanding performance from Ivan Nova and homers from Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano.

The Yankees return to Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built, for the first of a 3-game series against the Atlanta Braves. Game time is 7:05pm and our ace CC Sabathia (8-3) will be on the mound vs. Mike Minor (3-4)

Make no mistake about it, The Braves are seeking revenge for the recent 3-game sweep in Atlanta.

I only have a ticket for tomorrow’s game, dammit.

Last night’s NEW YORK CITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA AND MASTERWORKS FESTIVAL CHORUS concert @ Avery Fisher Hall was terrific and was just what Billi Pod needed.

My complimentary seat (face value $95.00) was in the first tier, Box 1, extreme house left. It was awesome and I was the only person in the 4-seat box. WOW!!

Included in the participating choral groups were the Manatee High School Singers, Bradenton, FL, and the Riverview High School Choir, Sarasota, FL. How about that?

When the concert was over I walked back to the apartment, a distance of a little over a mile. The weather was just a bit nippy, especially for mid-June. It was a great way to end an awesome weekend.

As I am preparing this posting it is 10:30am and I haven’t yet solidified my entertainment event(s) for today. Have multiple options so it is merely a matter of choosing one or more of them.

Oh ... the pressure never ends ... 

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.”

Most Happy Fella==>A+

A very HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to everyone out there in cyberspace.

I hope that your weekend has been awesome up to this point because I can honestly say that it has been for Billi Pod way up here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

Yesterday, after doing a bit of walking and wandering during the late morning Billi Pod came back to PHC to settle in to watch game two of the YANKEES vs. NATIONALS series, with Andy Pettitte on the mound, celebrating his 40th birthday.

Andy had a good outing, going 7 innings, giving up only 2 runs on 5 hits. He left the game with the Yankees leading 3-2. Unfortunately, Boone Logan blew the save opportunity and the game went into extra innings.

When I say extra innings, I really mean E-X-T-R-A innings, like 5 of them The Yankees finally won 5-3 in 14 innings and the game lasted a mind-numbing 4 hours and 45 minutes. The winning runs came on a double from Mark Teixeira.

This was the 8th win in a row for The Bronx Bombers and at 1:35pm this afternoon they will go for their 3rd consecutive series sweep. It will be Ivan Nova (8-2) vs. Edwin Jackson (3-3).

Billi Pod had a wonderful time at his entertainment event for the evening which was MOST HAPPY FELLA, playing at the Dicapo Opera Theater located on E. 76th Street, in the Upper Eastside of Manhattan.

It had been a while since I was in this trendy Upper Eastside area so I got there a bit early so I could spend some time just walking and wandering. Man, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting I have to state that the difference between this area and my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood is night and day. The two areas couldn’t be more different. 

Yes, I love my apartment on the 41st floor and love being so close to so many theaters and entertainment venues and having such close access to public transportation ... but ... damn ... I do miss the comfortable neighborhood feeling I had when I lived in Midtown East. Oh well ... it ain’t gonna change in the foreseeable future, so just live with it Billi Pod.

So ... let’s get back to MOST HAPPY FELLA about a May-September romance==>A+

This is a vocally stunning masterpiece performed in an intimate acoustically natural setting by a cast of extremely talented performers, headed by Michael Corvino in the lead role of Tony.

The show, with book, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, is really an opera because there is minimal spoken dialogue. The cast is supported by a 25+ piece orchestra located in the rear of the stage. They were outstanding.

The running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes, with one intermission, and I can honestly say that I was transfixed during the whole performance.

The show had an run earlier in the year with virtually the same cast and earned a rave review from The New York Times. It is running until thru July 8th. 

Billi Pod says==>SEE IT!

When the show was over I came back to PHC to watch the final innings of the GATORS/GAMECOCKS game. A major shout out thanks to my grandson Alex aka Army Guy for the text updates.

Dammit to hell ... The Gators came unglued in the top of the 9th and ended up losing 7-3. The Gamecocks are going for their 3rd consecutive College World Series Championship - WOW!!

Anyway ... moving on some more ...

This afternoon I will stay in and watch the YANKEES/NATIONALS game and then for the evening is ... 

8:00==>NEW YORK CITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA AND MASTERWORKS FESTIVAL CHORUS @ Avery Fisher Hall - “Selections from Handel’s Messiah and works by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Bernstein.” (complimentary ticket)

Of course I have no clue where my complimentary seat will be.

OK my loyal and faithful readers ... it is time to post this and then settle in for some baseball. I hope the rest of your weekend is excellent.

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.”