Thank You Michael and Dennis - Glasses?? - Opening Day - Something Rotten - Baseball Predictions

Monday==>Your favorite blogger is happy to report that Easter Dinner last night with Michael Pederson and Dennis Dohman, at their Chelsea apartment with 10 of our mutual friends, was simply outstanding. 

I got to the apartment at 5:00pm and left around 10:00pm, stuffed, happy and, frankly, emotionally drained.

As expected, the food was awesome and the ongoing conversations, basically involving the entertainment industry/scene, were both interesting and educational for me.

Yes, I did receive a fair amount of grief for my decision to leave The Big Apple in May and return to The Sunshine State, but that was expected/anticipated. Make no mistake about it ... I will miss being a part of this group in the future.

So==>Thank you Michael and Dennis for including me on your guest-list over the years.

As a side note ... just before leaving the apartment to head downtown for dinner I put on my glasses. WTF? My vision was blurry? WTF??

Why? Because there was no right lens in the frame. WTF?? I hurriedly looked around the apartment and ... nothing ... so ... I headed out ... with blurry vision.

Man, just what I didn’t need ... having to schedule an emergency appointment for a new pair of glasses.

I explained everything to Michael and Dennis. Luckily at dinner I didn’t knock over anything or run into anyone. It was, however, very disconcerting, to put it mildly.

When I got back to the apartment I searched all over again and ... nothing ... then ... I looked in my backpack and guess what ... there was the missing lens in the bottom of the backpack. OMFG!!

How it got there I have no fucking clue ... I really don’t. I was kinda spooked. But ... the important thing ... no emergency appointment for new glasses.

Anyway ... let’s move on to today, which will be interesting ... starting with ...

1:05pm - Yankees vs. Blue Jays - Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed and Ego Built.

On the mound for the Yankees will be Masahiro Tanaka (13-5) vs. Drew Hutchison (11-13) for the Jays.

A-Rod will be in the starting lineup as the DH following his year-long suspension for using Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED). It will interesting to see how the crowd reacts when he steps up to the plate for the first time in 18 months.

For the first time in 10 years your favorite blogger will be watching the Home Opener on his 42” flat screen TV rather than in person at The Stadium. Oh well ...

GO YANKEES!!

Moving on ...

Tonight’s entertainment event is a Broadway show ...

8:00==>SOMETHING ROTTEN - “This brand new Broadway musical comedy is about the musical comedy that started it all. Set in the 1590s, it follows Brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom who are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as ‘The Bard.’ When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical.” (Broadway - discounted TDF ticket)

The advance buzz on the show has been mixed.

This show is in previews, it opens on April 22nd, is playing at the St. James Theatre on West 44th Street, has a running time of 2:30, with intermission, and is an open run.

Moving on some more ...

I have made a promise to self that this week I will secure a mover and set a moving date. 

Please keep your fingers crossed for me in this regard.

You have no idea how much I dread this.

In closing ... and speaking of crossed fingers ... as promised, Billi Pod will now share with you loyal and faithful readers and followers his predictions for the 2015 baseball season, with emphasis on the American League (because he doesn’t care about the National League) --

Billi Pod’s 2015 Predictions ...

Yankees record==>83-79

AL East==>Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays, Rays

AL Central Champs==>Tigers

AL West Champs==>Mariners

ALCS==>Mariners

NLCS==>Dodgers

World Series Champs==>Mariners

You are so very welcome.

GO YANKEES!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>2.31 miles (or, 5,064 steps)

Total mileage for the week==>25.95 miles (average 3.71 miles per day)

Total mileage for 2015==>382.05 miles (average 4.02 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.”

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!! - Easter Dinner with Michael and Dennis - The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron - Basketball

 Sunday==>HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY to all of my loyal and faithful readers and followers out there in the morass known as cyberspace and also to those in the hinterlands, boondocks and wastelands.

It is a really nice day here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, bright, sunny, with azure blue skies. At noon it is 54º with a nice breeze coming off The Hudson River.

Tonight I am having Easter Dinner down in Chelsea with my friends Michael Pederson and Dennis Dohman and 13+ of our mutual friends. I will get to their apartment around 5:00pm. 

It is always a lot of fun, with good food and lots of intelligent conversations. Almost everyone who will be in attendance can be classified as being “entertainment-involved.”

Really looking forward to it even though I know I will catch a lot of grief about my decision to leave The Big Apple in May. Oh well ... 

So ... let’s move on with Billi Pod’s report card on yesterday's entertainment event, the one-man Off Broadway show ...

THE MALE INTELLECT: AN OXYMORON? - Robert Dubac is in pursuit of the holy grail of male/female relationships, the answer to the age old question, “What do women want?” With the help of five bonehead chauvinists and his feminine side he miraculously comes up with the answer ... sorta==>A-

Yep, your favorite Big Apple blogger totally enjoyed this show that is very much in-your-face funny while being thought-provoking, too.

The premise is that Dubac has been dumped by his girlfriend and he is at a loss to understand why and/or what he has to do to get her back. In addition to his inner feminine side, he relies on 5 chauvinist friends, with hilarious results.

The show is very well written and extremely well performed and the running time flies by.

Billi Pod says==>see this show.

This is the companion piece in repertory with The Book of Moron, which I saw on the March 29th and gave an A.

It is playing at Urban Stages on West 30th Street, has a running time of 1:15, without intermission, and runs through April 26th.

When the show was over I walked back to the apartment and settled into a couch potato modality to watch some Spring Training baseball and then the two Final Four games.

As most of you loyal and faithful readers and followers know ... 

In the first game the Duke Blue Devils handily beat Michigan State 81-61 ... then ...

The Wisconsin Badgers beat the Kentucky Wildcats 71-64. In the final 6-minutes Wisconsin outscored the ‘Cats 15-4.

So ... on Monday night it will be Duke vs. Wisconsin ... and ...

Billi Pod predicts a Duke win.

Moving on ...

Tonight marks the beginning of the 2015 baseball season with the first game being the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Chicago Cubs carried on ESPN2 @ 8:00pm. I will watch the game, of course.

In tomorrow’s posting Billi Pod will share his predictions for the upcoming season ... so ... stay tuned.

Oh ... yesterday’s walking mileage got Billi Pod back on track with==>5.28 miles. This was accomplished by walking to and from my afternoon show and then a major in-apartment walking regimen during the basketball games.

HAVE A GREAT EASTER EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.28 miles (or, 11,537 steps)

Total mileage for 2015==>379.74 miles (average 4.04 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.”

Final Four Predictions - The Happy Family Sucked - The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?

Saturday==>OK, my loyal and faithful readers and followers ... here comes what most of you have been so anxiously awaiting ...

Billi Pod’s predictions regarding the Final Four ...

6:10pm - Duke vs. Michigan State==>Duke wins 75-68

8:45pm - Kentucky vs. Wisconsin==>Kentucky wins 73-70

Then on Monday @ 9:15pm - Duke vs. Kentucky==>Duke wins 75-72.

You are so very welcome!!

Now ... on to Billi Pod’s report card on last night's Off Broadway show ...

THE HAPPY FAMILY, this so-called “dark comedy”  follows three couples down intersecting roads of deception, greed and family dysfunction==>F

Folks, the only thing that keeps this piece of dog dung from getting an F- is the decent acting from the 4-person cast, two of whom play multiple roles.

There is nonstop screaming, cussing and anger from the first lines of dialogue to the final violent scene. None of the 6 characters are the least bit likeable and the story line, such as it is, is confusing, unbelievable and blah.

There are numerous scene changes and about 1/3 of the audience took advantage of them and fled the theater. Your favorite blogger, however, stayed until the bitter end, which seemed to take forever.

It has been a long time since I have seen such an unpleasant piece of theater. Trust me ... the critics are going to rip it to shreds ... so ... 

Billi Pod says==>stay far far away from this piece of shit.

It is playing at The Theatre Row Complex on my West 42nd Street block, has a running time of 1:35 (it seemed like 2:35), without intermission, and runs through May 9th.

So ... on this happy note  ... let’s move on to your favorite blogger’s entertainment schedule for today ...

First is the one-man Off Broadway show ... 

3:00==>THE MALE INTELLECT: AN OXYMORON? - “In this show Robert Dubac is in pursuit of the holy grail of male/female relationships. The answer to the age old question, ‘What do women want?’ And with help of five bonehead chauvinists and his feminine side he miraculously comes up with the answer.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

This is the companion piece playing in repertory with The Book of Moron, which I saw on the March 29th and gave an A.

It is playing at Urban Stages on West 30th Street, has a running time of 1:15, without intermission, and runs through April 26th.

When the show is over I will come back to the apartment and settle into a couch potato mode to watch some Spring Training baseball and then the two Final Four games.

Oh ... I have no plausible excuse for the low walking mileage, the lowest for 2015. I just didn’t get out and about. Oh well ... hopefully today Billi Pod will be back on schedule.

HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>1.63 miles (or, 3,577 steps)

Total mileage for 2015==>374.46 miles (average 4.03 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.”

Happy Easter Weekend - Spring Training Baseball - The Happy Family

Friday==>I hope everyone out there in the morass known as cyberspace will have a great Easter Weekend.

On this Good Friday here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, it is gray and overcast at noon, but ... the temperature is 62º, with a forecast high in the upper 60s. On the downside ... rain is expected for most of the afternoon and into the evening. Oh well ...

Moving on ...

In yesterday’s posting your favorite blogger shared that his entertainment plans for the evening were in flux ... well ... even though he had multiple choices of interesting shows ... he opted to remain in the warm and cozy confines of his apartment to watch Spring Training Baseball, including The Yankees 6-2 win over The Pirates.

This afternoon The Bombers will play Washington in the final game in Tampa with our former ace CC Sabathia on the mound. CC has had a decent Spring Training and that is good because he is needed in the rotation, big time.

Now ... about tonight ...

It will be the Off Broadway show ...

8:00==>THE HAPPY FAMILY - “The Happy Family centers around three couples whose lives are provocatively intertwined with scandalous results. Cornelia and William weather a seemingly frustrated, tired marriage. Her mother and step-father’s relationship eerily mirror her own - especially with regard to feelings about the family business, an underground quasi–Ponzi scheme involving high art. When Dennis and Elizabeth, a sexually progressive, happy couple, are introduced, layers of dysfunction, deceit and disease seep in, with permanently damaging results.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

Oh yes ... just what you need on a Good Friday ... dysfunction, deceit and disease. Oh well ... we will see ... 

This show is in early previews, opens on April 8th, is playing at The Theatre Row Complex on my West 42nd Street block, has a running time of 1:35, without intermission, and runs through May 9th.

OK ... time to post this and then settle in for some baseball.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>2.76 miles (or, 6,036 steps)

Total mileage for 2015==>372.83 miles (average 4.05 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.”

Good Weather - The 39 Steps - Plans In Flux

Thursday==>Totally unbelievable ... yes my loyal and faithful readers and followers out there in the boondocks, wastelands and hinterlands ... your favorite Big Apple blogger is happy to report that at noon the temperature here in Gotham City is a balmy and sunny 58º ... and ... the forecast is for it to rise to the mid-60s in the afternoon. YES!!

This means that today will be a major walk and wander session for Billi Pod, probably in his Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood.

So ... let’s get started with ...

Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s Off Broadway show ...

THE 39 STEPS, the comedic spoof of the classic 1935 film, with only 4 actors portraying more than 150 characters. They sometimes changing roles in the blink of an eye. The madcap story follows dashing hero Richard Hannay as he races to solve the mystery of The 39 Steps, all the while trying to clear his name==>B+

The acting is excellent as the stellar cast does indeed change roles in “the blink of an eye” while also handling props and scene changes. There are a lot of laughs from the beginning to the end.

Robert Petkoff as Hanny carries the show and he is on stage 99.5% of the time.

My only quibble ... since it is set in England/Scotland some of the local references are not understandable.

My theater-buddies Dian Crystal aka My Lady and Marty Kosark aka Whatever each gave the show a B.

Billi Pod says==>it is worth seeing.

This show is playing down at the Union Square Theatre on East 17th Street, has a running time of 1:40, with intermission, and is an open run.

Moving on ...

At the moment my entertainment plans for this evening are in flux. Have multiple interesting shows currently on my ticket services so I am confident I will be out-and-about tonight. Stay tuned.

In closing ... on the sports scene ... for you Marty ... the 2015 baseball season opens on Monday so you can expect Billi Pod’s thoughts/comments/predictions in the next several days. More reasons to stay tuned.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>2.75 miles (or, 6,011 steps)

Total mileage for 2015==>370.07 miles (average 4.07 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.”

Sorry For Not Posting - Updates - The 39 Steps

Wednesday==>Sorry about the delay in today’s posting and for not posting yesterday.

This is just further proof to my loyal and faithful readers and followers that Billi Pod is indeed human ... so ... let’s just get started with my heartfelt apology and then on to what went down yesterday ...

OK .. here we go ... in the morning I had a “routine” followup appointment with my eye doctor, Dr. Dina Weintraub, at her Eastside office.

That was a pretty draining experience with lots of eye drops and then the hated “field-of-vision” tests for both eyes. Happily, the ultimate results showed that my eye conditions are stable.

Had a detailed conversation with Dr. W about my move back to The Sunshine State and what I needed to do to find an eye doc down there. She will do some research and give me her recommendations.

Frankly, the whole thing was pretty emotional because she has been a big part of my life over the years. We took the selfie just before I left the office.

I felt drained when I left the office and my eyes were still very blurry.

I then walked up to 51st Street to The Senate East, where I had lived for 8 years prior to moving to my current Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood. 

I wanted to say goodbye to my friend Vinny Kenney who is one of the doormen. That was emotional, too.

Then I walked back to PHC. I was tired and drained, physically and emotionally.

Just didn’t feel like sitting down in front of this ‘puter and writing ... so ... 

I settled in watch some Spring Training Baseball on MLB ... and ... feel asleep on the couch. Pains in my neck and back woke me up. I had slept for about 90 minutes.

When I woke up the afternoon had gone bye-bye and it was time for my usual fruit and cheese plate.

My entertainment event for the evening, according to my log entry, was ... 

8:00==>LONESOME TRAVELER - “Nine young singer/musicians dramatize key moments in the history of the American folk revival, portraying characters such as The Carter Family, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Odetta, Leadbelly, The Kingston Trio and Joan Baez.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

This show is playing at the 59E59 Theatre Complex, one of my favorite venues, has a running time of 2:00, with intermission, and runs through April 19th.

At 6:45pm It had begun to lightly rain as I was getting ready to head out. Just before I was about to leave the apartment I re-checked my confirmation voucher ... and ... WTF ...

The correct starting time for the show was 7:00pm, not 8:00pm as I had recorded on my log. WTF ... 

Oh well ... it was a kinda fitting end for a rather strange day ... so ... I spent the remainder of the evening watching Spring Training baseball.

One positive for the day ... I had recorded some decent mileage==>4.72 miles.

Now ... to further bring you up-to-date ... I will share Billi Pod's report cards on Monday’s activities, in summary form ...

Morning - meeting up with Dian Crystal aka My Lady and Marty Kosarik aka Whatever for a 2:30pm tour of Streit’s Matzos on Rivington Street in the Lower Eastside==>Interesting and informative.

Evening - MUSICALS IN MUFTI BENEFIT CONCERT, hosted by John Tartaglia. 25+ Broadway and Off Broadway performers who have appeared in Musicals in Mufti programs and will include musical legends Tom Jones, Sheldon Harnick, Richard Maltby and David Shire==>A<==extremely well performed and totally enjoyable.

Now ... let’s move on to tonight’s entertainment event ...

The Off Broadway comedy ...

8:00==>THE 39 STEPS - “A comedic spoof of the classic 1935 film, with only 4 actors portraying more than 150 characters, sometimes changing roles in the blink of an eye. The brilliantly madcap story follows our dashing hero Richard Hannay as he races to solve the mystery of The 39 Steps, all the while trying to clear his name!” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

This show is playing down at the Union Square Theatre on East 17th Street, has a running time of 1:35, without intermission, and is an open run.

Really looking forward to seeing this ... and ... yes ... I have verified the starting time.

So ... my loyal and faithful readers and followers ... again ... I am sorry for the delays and whatevers ... but ... you are now up-to-date.

Oh ... forgot to mention ... the mileage for the month of March was totally excellent==>127.38 miles, especially when you consider how cold and nasty the weather was for most of the month.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>4.72 miles (or, 10,323 steps)

Total mileage for March==>127.38 miles (average 4.11 miles per day)

Total mileage for 2015==>367.32 miles (average 4.08 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.”