Sunday, August 23, 2009

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was 8/23/09

Welcome to my weekly off TV topic look at the week behind me and what caught my attention (and my camera's attention) here in um ... I guess it's called north central New Jersey. If you're looking for Big Brother live feeds news, just head to my BB posts here. If you want a ramble through the week and a peek at some things I saw and experienced this past week, read on.

We started the week with the first official heat wave of the summer -- highs in the 90s and high humidity levels. When it went down into the 80s, the humidity went up even more. That is, when it wasn't storming. Some terrific storms came through, but it's still just hot and sticky. I don't like sweating. Make it stop.

I actually saw Roofus the Cat from the Plainfield Train Station two separate mornings this week. One day was overcast, the other was horribly hot. I don't blame him for staying off the hot tar roof in the summer.

My week isn't much to write about:
  • Write up BB11 live feeds reports and show posts for here and TV Squad.
  • Watch BB11 live feeds.
  • Work.
  • Eat.
  • Sleep a bit.
  • Sweat a lot.
  • Turn up my air conditioning in my apartment.
  • Rinse and repeat.
Here's some of what I saw during the week -- clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window:


Roofus and the people below him

Yep, people are in three of the four windows below our beloved Roofus the Cat ... and they don't even know he's up there! I messed around with editing this photo to highlight the windows a bit more. Since Roofus is a black and white cat, there's not much I can do to highlight him. This photo is probably best viewed larger.


Hey! He buzzed me!

Cicadas do NOT belong indoors. This one was in the laundry room. Eek. He came out of nowhere and I thought it was a teeny helicopter attacking me. You know, with teeny aliens and all.


When good sunflowers go bad.

This one is the size of a dinner plate. Some of those leaves are longer than my forearm. East Front Street in Plainfield.


It must be love -- the US Open

I prefer this normal NJ Transit bus advertising over their tendency to shrink-wrap advertise. When they do that, it's hard to tell if it's an NJT bus and, if you sit looking out the window, you're looking through dots. I hate looking through dots. I'm a window sitter and observer and dots make me go dotty! Plainfield, NJ


Roofus the Cat before the roof gets hot.

Obviously, this was the sunny morning I saw him. North Street, Plainfield.


Goldfinch in flight

I really need more shutter speed. Bridgewater, NJ



Goldfinch on the rocks

Sounds like a tasty beverage, eh? Just mix it in the blender ... heehee! I also need a better zoom. One of these days, when I win the Mega Millions, I'll get a fancy-shmancy camera with all those cool lenses. Bridgewater, NJ


Walking in black and white

Urban image I took as I sweated in Plainfield, NJ.


What? The Yellow Cab Company went yellow?

The Plainfield Yellow Cab Company has always had puke neon green cabs. Well, they have all new yellow yellow cabs now. Yikes! They compete with orange, red, blue and other cab companies in town. Taking a cab here is very different from taking one in the city (NYC). About the only thing in common is that you might share a cab with strangers these days.



Red sky at night

This was no sailor's delight as it was Friday evening over Westfield, NJ, after a tremendous storm passed through. It rained all day Saturday.



Two in the door!

A friend and I went to the new Five Guys burger place in Westfield, NJ. I could never work there. They're all too energetic for me! But they do have good burgers and great fries.


Yay! A bat in Bridgewater!

I know the image quality isn't the best, but this is important to me. For years there have always been several bats up in the corners and eaves here from May until October. I've taken some amazing photos of them in the past right at eye level. This week I saw not one, but two, back at home. I feared white nose syndrome had gotten to them all. Yes, I like bats. I don't like them in my apartment, no. But they're really neat animals who eat evil insects and they have cute little faces.



The pit bull is waiting for the train

Sigh. This poor dirty pit bull was hanging around the Plainfield Train Station the other day. He's either lost or abandoned. While he wasn't vicious, he was very shy. Another commuter and I tried to give him water, but he slunk away from us and hid behind a trash can.

I got very nervous when he was on the platform as the train was arriving. However, he just waited amongst the crowd and tried to board the train. The conductor said he didn't have a ticket, so he couldn't ride. Maybe he just wants to get out of town. I hope the poor doggie finds his way home or some kind of help.


Get your minds out of the gutter!

It's a MUSHROOM. I think it's a stinkhorn or, as it's more officially noted, a member of the phallus family of mushrooms. I'm not kidding.


Reflective bling on the train

I actually wanted more from this photo when I took it. It does look a bit like the giant watch is over the Dunellen NJ Train Station, eh? What got me was the guy with the bling watch had the dirty t-shirt and jeans of a day laborer. The bling was so incongruous!


Roofus' downstairs neighbor at the window again

I'm not sure why this woman is always looking out the window. The apartments in the building tend to be seasonal migrant sort of folks. No screens, no air conditioning, and across the street from the Plainfield Train Station. I couldn't live there. But I bet some nights it's better than watching TV ... but I wouldn't be hanging out the window!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

ROOFUS ROCKS!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the photos, Jackie. I love the black/gray building with highlights and the red sky also. And, hamburgers and fries sound great.

thanks for your week update and ot. I appreciate it. (and the new browser info !)

joy n said...

That's quite the mushroom you found there! And yes, you did catch my mind in the gutter!

Hope that pit bull gets where he needs to go.

The sunflower looks like it's mourning the impending end of summer, like me.

Seeing Roofus always cheers me up. He looks good. Glad to see that he appears to be well.

We've had that same endless humidity here for the past week but it seems to be easing up a bit here finally. Hope it will do the same for our New Jersey neighbors.

Sally said...

Thanks for sharing your week, Jackie! I look forward to it.


Always good to hear reports of Roofus sightings. Hope that poor dog found home or help.

I saw a stray dog in my neighborhood twice this week, once with an animal control guy following it. A couple of days later I saw what seemed to be a recently bathed version of that same dog happily walking at the end of a leash, with a young couple on the other end. I'm hoping it was the same dog--I love animal stories with happy endings.

joy n said...

I have to add that seeing that mushroom made me think immediately of John and Lorena Bobbitt. I'm such a bad girl. LOL!

PDX Granny said...

Jackie, your photos never cease to amaze me. You have such a knack of making the normally mundane works of art. I've begun carrying my camera with me, and taking a few shots as well. None worthy of even being compared to yours, but fun just the same. I did get a pretty good shot of a bumble bee on clover the other day. : ) Thanks for the inspiration!

RyzandShyn said...

Hi,
ARGHHH, I agree, this heat is stifling. The air is so heavy I can feel it weighing me down, and I don't want any help in that department. It's not worth going swimming even because it's just exhausting to sit out in the heat in between swims. The air quality isn't too good either.
The storms have been unlike our typical summer thunder storms, crazy wind and white blinding lightening.
I like 5 Guys too, they opened one in Hackensack ack ack ack ack ack a few years ago. Bobby Flay opened a burger place (Bobby Flay's Burger Palace?) at the old Bergen Mall (reopened now as Towne Center I think, haven't paid attention to the new signs) which is very a lot great! He makes sweet potato fries that are out of this world. One burger comes with avocado relish that I practically licked off the plate.
Glad to see Roofus enjoying the summer again!
I've never been to Plainfield, didn't realize it was so urban.
My sister lived in Bridgewater for a few years, but is now in Plainsboro.

Becky said...

Jackie, I look forward to your OT post and pictures each week.

There used to be a sunflower farm we passed each day when we lived at the lake. The owner grew them for sunflower oil and I believe seeds.

Glad to see a picture of Roofus. I agree with another poster, I always feel good when I see a picture of him.

I hope the dog found it's way home. A pit bull will not stay alive long in the pound.

My WV reminds me of Natalie: wormatic

Laurie said...

Jackie, I love the picture of the goldfinch on the rocks. Hey, that sounds like a drink! I was wondering if you played with that to make the bird the only color in the shot or if it's just the color of the rocks. Either way, I love it.

My sunflowers looked just like your picture until I cut them down last weekend. I leave them up as long as possible because the birds and the bees enjoy them so much, but once they hang their heads like that, down the go. I love them when they are blooming!

Jackie S. said...

Laurie - I did edit the goldfinch on the rocks shot so the rocks were in black and white. There were some weeds and litter which detracted from the yellow of the bird. The rocks themselves are gray and black, though.

Margo said...

I'm talking to myself on the party post - come on over

Unknown said...

This poor dirty pit bull was hanging around the Plainfield Train Station so sad poor bull!!!
Carol
Professional Monitering security systems for Homes, Offices & Appartments

Anonymous said...

Please call the pit /rescue he is so sad. HELP HIM!!!