Boston Symphony Orchestra==>TOTALLY AWESOME!!

Saturday==>Well, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, summer has yet to arrive in the Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World. It was only 36º @ 8:30am this morning. It is, however, bright and sunny, making it very misleading because it is also very windy. Oh well ...

 I am happy to report that last night’s BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA concert @ Carnegie Hall, an All-Wagner program, was==>TOTALLY AWESOME!!

The program was:

Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey and Siegfried’s Death and Funeral Music from Gotterdammerung;

Overture to Tannhauser;

Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin;

Kundry’s Narrative from Parsifal, with mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung; and,

Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, also with Michelle DeYoung.

Honestly, I preferred the orchestra performing alone, but that is just me because DeYoung received a roaring round of applause after each number.

My full-price seat was excellent, in the main orchestra level, house left, about halfway back from the stage.

Yes, I left Carnegie Hall with a big smile on my face.

That was good because I actually arrived at Carnegie Hall with a scowl on my face because of the results of the afternoon’s YANKEE/TIGERS game.

As you loyal and faithful readers and followers probably know, the Wankies lost 8-3 behind lackluster performances from our starter Ivan Nova and left-handed specialist Boone Logan.

Injuries continue to plague the team. Eduardo Nunez, who has been filling in at shortstop for the rehabbing Derek Jeter, was hit by a pitch in the 4th inning and had to leave the game. He has a bruised right bicep and it is uncertain when he will be able to return to the lineup.

Totally unbelievable!

Game #2 of the series starts at 4:05pm this afternoon and it will be Phil Hughes (16-13) on the mound for the Yankees vs. Max Scherzer (16-7) for the Tigers.

BTW. Did you know that Billi Pod hates Tigers? Well, he does.

My afternoon plans are uncertain. I had hoped to meet up with my theater-buddies Dian Crystal aka My Lady and Marty Kosarik aka Numnutz for an early dinner at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Meske, on West 47th Street, in my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood. As of the moment, those plans are in flux.

Tonight’s entertainment event is an Off Broadway show playing at a theatre on my block ...

8:00==>ACCORDING TO GOLDMAN - “In an attempt to get back into the movie business, a screenwriter-turned-professor finds himself in an unorthodox collaboration with a student, while his wife struggles to define their evolving relationship, pitting the lure of fame and celebrity against domestic tranquility. (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

Tonight is the first preview performance. It is produced by Theater Breaking Through Barriers and will have a mixed cast of able-bodied, visually-impaired and hard-of-hearing actors.

Will post this and then put the finishing touches on the March entertainment stats report ... so ...

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>4.17 miles (or, 9,123 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,309.88 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.”

Billi Pod Is A Doofus

 Friday==>OK, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, your favorite blogger has to admit, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting, that yesterday he earned the title of Doofus.

What am I talking about I know you are all breathlessly asking your inner selves? Well ... selves ... this is what I am talking about ...

In yesterday’s posting I made a point of saying that there was “no f**king way” I was going to follow my original plans of staying in for the evening to watch game #3 of the YANKEE/FUCKSOX series. Instead I reported that I had booked a concert by the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra @ Symphony Space, one of my favorite venues. I had a discounted $9.00 TDF ticket.

The concert starting time was 7:30pm and the game starting time was 7:05pm. When I booked the concert I admit to having some deep-seated mixed feelings ... but book it I did.

As the afternoon wore on I began to feel unsettled about my decision ... I mean ... Andy Pettitte pitching vs. those scum bags from Boston ... WTF was I thinking??? But ... I had a ticket ... so ...

I showered and got dressed and @ 6:30pm was ready to head uptown to 96th Street when ... OMFG ...my inner Yankee fan suddenly took total control over my mind and body.

Yep ... I decided to skip the concert and stay in to watch the game. Of course the thought did occur to me ... “what if the FuckSox blow us away in the early innings, then what?”

Well, as you loyal and faithful readers and followers know ... it was an exciting game. Andy Pettitte, who turns 41 in June, pitched 8 strong innings, holding the FuckSox to 1-run on 8-hits. We scored our runs on a crucial hit from Lyle Overbay (who was earlier released by Boston) and the long ball from Gardner and Cervelli.

In the top of the 9th in came our closer, the legendary Mariano Rivera, to a standing ovation as Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” blared. Mo was a bit shaky but still got the save and The Bronx Bombers won 4-2, for our first win of the season.

So, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, I admit to being a Doofus in scheduling the concert, when I basically knew in my inner self that I would, in all likelihood, skip it to watch the game.

This afternoon @ 1:05pm it will be YANKEES vs. TIGERS, in Detroit. It will be Ivan Nova (12-8) for The Bombers vs. Doug Vester (10-10) for The Tigers.

BTW==>Billi Pod hates Tigers.

Moving on ...

Tonight is going to be a concert that I cannot miss ...

8:00==>BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA @ Carnegie Hall - “An All-Wagner Program, with selections from: Gotterdammerung; Tannhauser; Parsifal; Lohengrin; and Tristan und Isolde.” (concert - full price ticket)

According to the program notes tonight’s concert celebrates the bicentennial of Wagner's birth with excerpts from five of the composer's operas, encompassing the themes of love, identity, and redemption that pervade his works.

Really looking forward to this.

I have just finished the draft of the entertainment stats for March 2013 and will probably post the awesome results later today or early tomorrow ... so stay tuned.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>1.20  miles (or, 2,624 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,305.71 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.”

Wednesday Was A Major Downer

Thursday==>Yes, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, yesterday was pretty much of a downer-day for your favorite blogger here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

It began with an Off Broadway show that totally failed to live up to my expectations and ended with another dismal outing from my Bronx Bombers ... so ... I will share the details with you now ...

Report card on yesterday afternoon’s Off Broadway show at the Baryshniknov Arts Center ...

KAFKA’S MONKEY, about a reluctantly civilized ape discussing his prior life with a group of scientists==>C+

The show just didn’t work for me and the C+ is giving it the benefit of the doubt. Yes, there is decent acting from Kathryn Hunter, who has a lithe and very flexible body. It was the story itself that totally failed to involve me.

I wasn’t alone. At one point the ape tells how frustrating it had been because he couldn’t escape ... well ... a guy seated behind me said ... “neither can we.” 

My theater buddies Dian Crystal aka My Lady and Marty Kosarik aka Numnutz were also at the show and they each gave it lower grades than I did. So ...

Billi Pod says==>you are warned!!

When I got back to PHC I had plenty of time to have the usual fruit and cheese plate and basically chill until it was time for my second planned event and that was to watch the second game of the YANKEES/FUCKSOX series at Yankees Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built.

At 7:05pm I settled in front of the tube ... and ...

Well, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, that game was also a major downer because we lost 7-4, a score that is a bit misleading because we were never truly in the game.

Our starting pitcher, Hiroki Kuroda, had to leave the game in the second inning after he took a line drive off his pitching hand. Downer!!

These are the headlines in the 3 local newspapers ...

“PITCH SLAPPED. Hiroki hurt as ailing Yanks get hammered again.” - back page of the New York Post.

“BRUISE BROTHERS. Kuroda joins list of Yankee wounded as Bombers drop another to Bosox.” - back page of the Daily News

“KURODA IS HURT, ALONG WITH YANKS’ PRIDE. Hafner’s homer offers only a brief reprieve in another loss to Boston.” - front page of the sports section of the New York Times

I have to say, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting, that in this 7-4 loss we looked about as inept as our most pessimistic observers envisioned. By the end of the game the stadium was virtually empty.

Yes, I know, it is only two games, but I have seen them in person (game one) and on the tube (game two) and they exude nothing but gloom, doom and despair.

Billi Pod says==>Major Downer!!

In yesterday’s posting I shared that I had planned to stay in the warm and cozy confines of PHC tonight to watch game #3 on the tube, with Andy Pettitte (5-4) on the mound for The Yankees vs. Ryan Dempster (12-8) for the FuckSox.

Well ... no f**king way is that gonna happen ... yep ... instead, this morning I booked the following entertainment event for tonight ...

7:30==>NEW AMSTERDAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA @ Symphony Space - “Movie Music - Out of This World. Music from Middle Earth to Outer Space.” (concert - $9.00 TDF ticket)

Now, this does sound interesting, doesn’t it?

Moving on ...

Well, it is now official==>Jimmy Fallon will be replacing Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show” in February 2014. The show will move from Los Angeles to the NBC headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, here in The Big Apple.

NBC paid Leno an extra $14M to ease him out of his contract in order to move the transition to February. Money talks, so Jay has decided to walk-the-walk.

I like Fallon a lot so this will cause Billi Pod major problems because he has been a devoted follower of David Letterman for years and years, especially the first 30-minutes of the show. Oh well ... will just worry about that when the time comes.

So ... I think it is probably past time to end this downer/negative posting ...

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>2.84  miles (or, 6,217 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,304.51 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.”

SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR==>B

Wednesday==>it is still cold up here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World - 34º @ 8:30am. Damn!! At least it is bright and sunny. Billi Pod is more than tired of the cold weather. When will it finally warm up? When??

Oh well ... let’s get started this morning with Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s Off Broadway show, the staged concert reading of the 1975 musical ...

SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR, about a married couple’s affair that takes place once a year from 1951 until 1975==>B

Decent acting saved the plodding story line. The score is just so-so. I understand why it never appeared on Broadway. Still, it was a decent evening’s entertainment, also helped by the theatre location (on my block) and a comp. ticket.

Today’s entertainment event is something that certainly sounds a bit “different” ...

2:00==>KAFKA’S MONKEY - “A reluctantly civilized ape, dressed in white tie, tails and a bowler hat, addresses a group of distinguished scientists who have asked to hear about his prior life.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

This one-person show is playing at the Baryshniknov Arts Center on West 37th Street.

Then for the evening ... I will stay in the warm and cozy confines of PHC to watch ...

7:05pm==>YANKEES vs. BOSTON FUCKSOX @ Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built.

It will be Hiroki Kuroda (16-11) on the mound for the Bronx Bombers vs. Clay Buchholtz (11-8) for the other team.

The Yankees also play The FuckSox tomorrow night and my plans are to again stay in to watch the game. Yeah, I know ... but remember my loyal and faithful readers and followers, in my prior mindset I would have purchased extra tickets for both games. This year I just saved the $180.

Interesting coincidence ... on Friday night I have a ticket to a Carnegie Hall concert featuring the Boston Symphony Orchestra, meaning that I will be “Boston Involved” for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Yeah ... I know ... very scary.

So ... on that scary note will post this and, hopefully, finish up my now overdue errands and chores.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>1.54  miles (or, 3,370 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,301.67 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.”

Billi Pod Blogs Returns

Tuesday==>yes, yes my loyal and faithful readers and followers out there in the hinterlands, wilderness and boondocks, your favorite blogger failed to fulfill has literary obligations to you yesterday when he failed to make a timely posting to this blog. The first such transgression in a long time. 

While it would be easy for me to give the usual excuses of too much to do in too short a time frame or just too tired to sit down in front of this ‘puter etc etc etc ... I will simply say==>I’M SORRY!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR MY TRANSGRESSIONS!!

So ... let’s get started with updates and observations since the last posting on Sunday afternoon, in basically chronologic order  ...

Easter Sunday - the barf-inducing performance by my Florida Gators in their embarrassing 79-59 loss to Michigan on national TV put me in a major funk, to put it mildly.

No, I don’t expect my teams to win every game but I do expect them to perform up to expectations. In this game they stunk in every conceivable category, reminding me of the equally barf-inducing performance by our football team in the 33-23 loss to Louisville in the 2013 Sugar Bowl aka the Booger Bowl.

I am happy to report, however, that Easter Sunday ended on a very positive note with the wonderful dinner at the Chelsea apartment of my friends Michael Pederson and Dennis Dohman.

Not only was the food, prepared by Michael, excellent but so was the ongoing conversations and interaction(s) with the other guests, all of whom are/were “entertainment-industry” involved. Lots of funny stories and reminiscing. I got there at 5:30pm and left at 11:00pm.

THANK YOU MICHAEL AND DENNIS FOR INCLUDING ME ON YOUR FRIENDSHIP LIST.

Monday - very much a minus, then plus day. It was the  2013 Season Opening Day game out at Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built. The pre-game ceremonies were scheduled to begin at 12:30pm and the first pitch to be at 1:05pm, so I left the cozy confines of PHC around 11:00am.

The day had started off well, with nice weather, so I dressed a bit lighter than I had expected to ... and that was a major mistake because as the afternoon progressed it got windier and windier and colder and colder. In fact, it was extremely unpleasant as the game was coming to an end.

On a positive note ... I am very pleased with my new seat location (the picture is the view from my new seat) in Section 213 on the first base side of the field. I am in row 23, which is the last row in the section, so it is well protected from the elements. My seat, #8, is positioned so that I am not bothered by the vendors in the aisles. As I said, all of this is very positive.

What wasn’t positive was the ball game itself. As you loyal and faithful readers and followers know, The Bronx Bummers lost to the Boston FuckSox 8-2, a game we were never in. Our starting pitcher was our ace, CC Sabathia, and he just didn’t have it, lasting only 5-innings and giving up 4 runs. 

Our bats were anemic and we failed to get hits with runners in scoring position, something that doomed last year’s team, too.

Of course I stayed until the bitter end. It began to lightly rain in the 9th inning and the stadium was virtually empty. It was eerie, to put it mildly.

When I finally got back to PHC I had time for the usual fruit and cheese plate and then it was time to head out to my evening’s entertainment event, a Broadway show, in early previews, that I had booked in the morning just before leaving for the game ...

8:00==>THE TESTAMENT OF MARY - “In this one-woman play Fiona Shaw is Mary, the mother of Jesus, 20-years after the crucifixion, in a tale of motherhood, grief and the loss of faith.” (Broadway - complimentary ticket) 

Just before the show I ran into my theater buddies Dian Crystal aka My Lady and Marty Kosarik aka Who Is That? and we walked over to the theater. Marty had seen the show and was making a second visit.

He told me that before the show starts the audience is invited to come on stage and walk around the set. And, I did just that ... so ... I can truthfully say that last night was Billi Pod’s Broadway on-stage debut.

Now ... Billi Pod’s report card==>A.

Fiona Shaw gives a Tony-worthy performance as Mary, the troubled mother of Jesus, as she talks about the events leading up to the crucifixion and the spine-tingling details of the brutal act itself.

Of course the story line is informative and the 90-minute running time flies by. She received a well-deserved standing ovation.

Billi Pod says==>see this show.

When I got back to PHC I was emotionally drained and in no mood to finish the earlier draft of this posting. Thank God I had some pizza in the ‘fridge.

OK, now that pretty much takes care of the past ... so ... what about today ...

Billi Pod still has most of his usual Monday errands still to do, so that will be the afternoon.

Tonight’s entertainment event is an Off Broadway musical playing at a theatre on my block ... 

7:30==>SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR - “Doris and George are happily married - to others - when they meet and have an affair at an inn in Mendocino in 1951. They return, each year, and we see them every five years until 1975.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

This is part of the Musicals Tonight Series and I have liked their work in the past.

So ... finally ... there you have it my loyal and faithful readers and followers. You are now up-to-date and it is time for me to begin working on my errands and chores list ... so ...

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.15  miles (or, 11,253 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,300.13 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.”