Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 26, 2017

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and a great holiday weekend (if you had one of those)! I'm thankful for all of the loyal blog readers out there -- many have also become my friends, too -- who have followed this blog year in, year out ... even when Big Brother isn't in season! Safe travels to all heading home this evening.

Since it's a Sunday morning, it's time for my off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're not interested in either, please feel free to check out my previous and newer posts I will put up after this -- they will be television related! You can find my Survivor posts at this link.

I actually had two days off from work in a row this week -- a rarity in my life. True to form as of late, I spent a lot of time napping on the first day off. The days off in a row were Wednesday and Thursday. My third day off during the holiday week was the Sunday leading into the week. 

While the two days in a row off were nice, it's not enough time to even travel up to my nearest relative in upstate New York for the holiday. I had to be to work Friday morning (and Saturday, too). So, it was a solitary, with the exception of Vincent the Cat, holiday for me. I'm used to it. I often do get invitations to join in at local friends. But I feel it's uncomfortable to intrude on family gatherings when I'm not family. I don't like eating with a crowd of strangers where I might only know one or two people. I prefer to be alone rather than to do that.

On Thanksgiving, I made myself a little feast -- turkey breast, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, asparagus and a Mrs. Smith's apple pie for dessert. Heck, the rest of the stuff was more work than I usually do, no way would I throw in a homemade pie! I had/have enough leftovers to last me through the weekend so I didn't/don't have to cook for four days after my big kitchen doings. I spent a good part of the day binge-watching The Sopranos on Amazon Prime. After all, that's a family-related show, right? Right? Heh. It's even a New Jersey family! But, I'll admit I don't know anyone in the mob in NJ. I did know some in both New York and Connecticut. But I'm not part of those families, mind you.

What else? Oh, here's a bit of urban life in New Jersey for you ...
I was waiting for the bus to get across town one evening after work. A street kind of guy pushing a bike stopped to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving. He showed me his tire was flat. Um. Okay. What do you want, dude? He showed me the glue and patches for the tire from his pocket. But then he hit me up. He only had a dime and the cheapest air is 35 cents. Oh, well. It's a quarter. I gave him one. We commiserated a bit about how air used to be free and it no longer is such. As he parted, he told me he shoplifted the glue and patches from the store down the street. ACK! I felt like an accomplice after the fact! Thankfully, my bus came shortly afterwards. I cannot fall into a life of crime in my advanced years!

I'm thankful that the guy upstairs went away for the holiday weekend. The quiet is nice. He's had his loud visitors there for the past few weeks and I meant to call the landlord about his extremely loud stereo on Monday this past week, but I forgot. 

Onto the photos for this week. I don't have a lot of them for you and many were taken with the cell phone rather than the camera. The moon shot was the camera. I can't get the cell phone to focus on that.  

Okay, train station. I'm here.

Train be on time. A friend often drives me in these days when our work schedules mesh. However, she had a four day weekend. I didn't. Taking the train on random days the past few weeks has made me late to work twice even though I should have an "early cushion" with the departures. I'm not happy about that. I always plan to be early and NJT makes me late. I'm always at the train station early to catch my train. The least they could do is run vaguely on time!

Friday's moon

You know I can't resist shooting the moon. Had I been out about four hours later, some meteors streaked through the New Jersey skies.

Chotola Pigeon Gathering

Pigeons often line the roof at the front of the Chotola Apartment Building on North Avenue in Plainfield. When I feel I have little photo inspiration while across the street waiting for my train, I turn to them. I often wonder what the building was like in its heyday or what the apartments look like inside. But I wouldn't want to live there even though it's so close to the train. I prefer to live where I don't have to worry about the denizens of the night ... even in the daytime.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 8, 2017

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, it's time for my off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're not interested in either, please feel free to check out my previous and newer posts I will put up after this -- they will be television related! You can find my Survivor posts at this link. 

I had pretty much of a sucky worrisome day yesterday with relief only coming in the evening after I returned home from work. As some of you who know me might know, I'm SO not a phone person. I only bought a cheap prepaid cell phone about eight years back because of the lack of pay phones as time went on. I do have a landline -- just a very basic one which even works in power outages. But I've had the same prepaid flip phone for eight years. It cost me about $20 back when I got it. 

It is (was) a dumb phone. Yet, due to today's society and the fact that it can screen calls better than my landline, receive texts and more, I use it for almost all of my online stuff. The number for it is the one hooked into the intercom system to know if someone is at my apartment door for me and more. GAH! Without that number, I'm a bit lost. I also use it as an alarm clock and have stopped wearing a watch because I use it for the proper time.

The phone fell out of my pocket on the train going to work yesterday. I know I had when I got on the train. And, when I got off the train, as the train was pulling out, I went to check the time. OH NOES! It was gone! Now, if I were anyone else at my workplace, I could have either waited for the train to make its next run back to the station with that crew and retrieve the phone. If I worked in just about any other place, I would have access to the internet to at least suspend the service online. 

But ... NOOOO. I had new employees coming in which had me going into work an hour earlier than usual on a Saturday morning. I'm the ONLY one there who knows how to do all the paperwork, the computer programs needed (Oracle and Kronos Workforce Management) and stuff to get them in the computer system and to do the actual orientation for new employees. The one other person who knows it, but does things a bit haphazardly if I do say so myself, is on vacation.

While I didn't have outright banking information or anything like that on the phone, the payment system for the phone is hooked to my debit card. I had just put more money on it and someone could go to town with calling stuff on the phone. I worried all day. And, instead of working an hour extra due to my early arrival, I went home an hour early after doing the orientation for the new hires and the accounting. 

Now, it's been years since I bothered with the Verizon wireless web site. But I had made an account there and managed to get in to it from my home computer. The actual phone account is now suspended and I have a new phone ordered from Amazon set to arrive at my workplace on Tuesday. I can't have it come here as I would have no clue if someone rang my intercom buzzer! I need it by Wednesday as I have a Peapod grocery order coming and they text me. At this time, the worst case is that I will lose my contact list. With the new phone I'm getting (same number), my contacts will be stored on the Verizon cloud -- not sure of the old phone contacts or not. I'll find out.

The phone I'm getting finally puts me in the smartphone world. But I'm still getting a prepaid one. And, while I'll probably take advantage of some available apps, I refuse to be one of those people addicted to the phone. I'm buying the next to cheapest 4G Android phone (Samsung) I could find on Amazon with good reviews. It will still be more expensive than the one I lost. Grr. One reason I never bothered with a smartphone is because I'm cheap ... er, frugal. I'm just SO not a phone person and didn't need the extra expense. 

But one pro to it is that I will be able to take decent photos and video and finally get to have an Instagram account without a bunch of software on my computer to act like I'm posting photos from a cell phone. My dumb phone had a camera, but it was a pain to upload the bad photos to the online Verizon site which is the only place I seemed to be able to make them go and the reason I even had an account on the Verizon wireless site to begin with! Plus, the new phone has a much better camera and I can take more candid photos on trains and such without pulling out the actual camera I carry.

One last thing about this fiasco ... NJ Transit really needs to get more professional staff answering the phones for lost and found. When you call a business representative, you really don't need to hear someone say, "We ain't got nuthin' turned in today." AIN'T GOT NUTHIN?!?! My own workplace has strict standards for greetings and handling business calls. It reflects on the business itself.

Wait ... one more last thing! (Really.) Because losing the phone was all new to me -- I don't lose things and even still have an eight-track player that works -- I did the chat bit on the Verizon Wireless site last night to make sure I could keep the number and suspend the service until I got the new phone. The person I dealt with in the chat was delightful -- polite, not just canned responses, friendly, spelling and punctuation were professional and she did exactly what I needed done. Oh, and she told me it was her birthday. Happy birthday again, Casey! We ended up small-talking a bit while we waited for the computer to bring up my account. She was such a gem!
  
Onto this week's photos ... clicking on an image will open it in a larger version.

Starling in its fall coat

They go from glossy black with highlights in the sheen to spots over the seasons. 

When you see tracks, always ...

... think junkie. Er, um, train. Last night at the Plainfield Train Station as I arrived home from work. I guess I'm just too cynical.

Tiny flowers ...

... in the weeds. Make me feel happy. Make me forget my needs.
Or something to that effect. 

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 1, 2017

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, it's time for my off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're not interested in either, please feel free to check out my previous and newer posts I will put up after this -- they will be television related! I am over (SO OVER) Big Brother 19 -- I personally have no interest in what the hamsters are doing since the show ended. Yes, I know Cody and Jessica will be on the next to be filmed season of The Amazing Race. At least a dozen people have told me. I don't care! If I had my druthers, I'd never have to see anyone from BB19 ever again anywhere. Meanwhile, you can find my Survivor posts at this link. 

In weather news around here, we finally seem to be rid of summer temperatures and into autumn. Yes! While some folks love the summer heat, I personally enjoy the days with temperatures in the low 70s and chilly overnights. Now, I don't want those overnights TOO chilly as I don't think the landlord turns on the heat until October 15, but ...! The heat has really been getting to me this past summer. As I get older, it seems harder to take and I feel like I've been on the edge of heat stroke at times. That's not good. But, when the autumn temperatures kick in, I feel so much better!

Random bits and pieces:

• I found out that my longtime across the hall neighbor Joe is in the Aristacare rehab place across the street. That's where I almost went for a knee replacement recovery but went home instead. I was worried that he passed and squatters moved in. It's now his daughter and her (at least) two children in the apartment. Oh, well. She doesn't let the kids run the halls of the building. But it is odd to see Joe's apartment door all decked out for Halloween. That is so not Joe!
• We're not into fall foliage yet around here. However, I've noticed some trees have just had their leaves turn brown and die. Hmm.
• Because I often have a ride with a friend to work these days, I'm not on the train every day. I no longer buy monthly passes as, economically, they don't pan out. Now, after my recent birthday, I can get my train tickets for less than half-price. I only pay $1.35 each way! But getting the tickets out of the machine is a hassle. You can buy individual round trip tickets, but I can't seem to make the machine understand I want like five round trip tickets. After the first round trip, I end up with tickets all going one direction! Thankfully, the conductors accept them for either direction. But it really should be easier to buy multiple round trips.
• Surfers are enjoying the off shore hurricane waves as of late on the Jersey Shore. But I think more people have died this past season than most years due to rip currents. While I love the ocean, I myself am a bit leery after getting caught in a rip tide back in the 80s. I not only thought it broke my shoulder by whipping my arm around to my back, but I was sure I would drown. I ended up nearly a quarter mile from where I had been. 
• I wonder if that might be a reason I seem to have developed such arthritis in my right shoulder. Hmm. It could be the water-skiing I did for years or just plain my body falling apart. Of course, I could blame Vincent. That's the shoulder he favors for draping over purposes!
• I would guess it's a combination of aging and stuff I did over the years. I do have a relatively new annoying health thing -- my neck wants to make noise every time I turn my head. Sheesh. 
• I need to find the fountain of youth, methinks.

Onto the photos I took this past week. I didn't take tons of them. Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version. 

Aesthetics down the drain

On one trip to work this week, they were working on the lamps on the eastbound platform of the Plainfield Train Station. In addition to replacing the bulbs that have been burnt out, some for years, they replaced lamp poles which were down, missing or damaged. Um. What is this?!?! The new poles aren't anything like the old ones! Ack! Now they've pretty much totally blown my train station lamps photos for good. Plus, when I got home last night after dark, while the train station's new white bulbs do make the station a lot brighter, there are still the golden bulbs mixed in. It looks all out of synch. Gah.

Sunset from a shopping center

Bridgewater Promenade Shopping Center (no, not an infamous New Jersey mall) as I sat outside of the Target store waiting for a friend to pick me up.

Blast from the past this week

On Monday's commute to work I was greeted with a single level NJ Transit train. Oh, my. Pink walls, blue seats, the dreaded three-seaters on one side, seats that flip the backs so you can seat groups ... I didn't quite know where I needed to sit to get out at Bridgewater where only one door opens on the platform! It was also longer than the double-deckers which serve the Raritan Valley Line -- eight cars with the end one closed. Hmm. I had to sit up in the front of the second car from the end to make getting out easier. It was a quiet car. I can always deal with that! I think this makes twice in the last eight or so years that I've taken a single level train on my usual train line.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - March 5, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. I will finish posting cast entries for Survivor: Game Changers over the next few days -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.

If you want in on the blog's Survivor pool, you must sign up before noon on Tuesday ONLY on the pool sign up post which you can find at this link. If you try to sign up on this post, any other post of the Facebook page, your request might be missed. The two-hour season premiere will be live-blogged here on Wednesday evening (along with a blog party!).

Okay, that's out of the way.

We continue to have whacko weather around here in the NJ/Greater NYC Metropolitan Area. We had those spurts of weather with temperatures in the 60s and 70s to bitter cold with windchills in the single digits. That wind just won't stop blowing! We continue to remain quite snow-free around here. Heavy blinding snow squalls passed through the area on Thursday evening. But the wind ended up blowing away almost all of the snow overnight into Friday morning. The wind was also responsible for spreading some fires throughout the area making the flames go from one building to the next to the next, etc. Thankfully, none of those tragic fires were in the immediate Plainfield area.

My health issues have not improved. That's all I'll say about it at this time. I don't really like public whining. But ... WAH! Woe is me!

Ahem.

Oh! I know a good thing! I finally got a new toilet in my apartment after complaining about my old one for nearly 18 years! It was ancient when I moved in here, never looked good, never functioned really well and its tank decided to crack on its own (probably due to age). I swear I didn't take a hammer to it! Although, in retrospect, a tap from a hammer would have gotten me a new toilet years ago! I know it seems like a little thing. But it's heaven to have a toilet that looks sparking clean -- something the old one never did no matter how much I cleaned it -- and one that doesn't take ten minutes to fill the tank after flushing. The only bad thing about the whole ordeal this week is that I flooded the downstairs neighbor's bathroom. Oops. But, how would I know that the tank would decide to crack overnight?

Onto the photos I took this week. I really didn't feel well and the weather was uncooperative. So, I don't have a heck of a lot. Clicking on an image will open it in a larger gallery window.   

Cold little bird

I think the birds are as confused about the weather as we are. 

Reflections on a train

At night, the reflections in the train windows come to life. In the daytime, not so much.

The Chotola Building is under siege

The birds are taking over the upper floors. It's obviously part of their nefarious plot to take over the world.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 26, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. I swear I will continue posting cast entries for Survivor: Game Changers this week -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here. My apologies for not posting on the cast this past week. The season premiere isn't until March 8. I will also be posting the blog pool entry post later this week. Stay tuned!

The weather this week was almost early summer-like from Thursday through yesterday. It was all capped off with a very vivid and violent thunderstorm last night. And, yes, it's February. Global warming? I don't know. Unless something changes a lot in the next few days, it should be declared the warmest February on record for this area. While I personally enjoyed the warmer temperatures, it's probably not good for nature overall. It's back to seasonal today. However, nature might have already fallen for the ruse of warmer temperatures. Spring growth seems to want to burst through and a gazillion geese are heading north. I saw a mosquito yesterday.

As for me myself, I'm not doing all that well. I went to the hospital for some tests needed to proceed with the vascular surgery. It was a glorious day in Somerville. In normal circumstance, I'd roam the town I don't go to much and take photographs. Instead, all I want to do is be home elevating my legs to ease the pain. I'm not sleeping well, either. Overall, I just don't feel well at all. My blood pressure is high and has never been high before and more. I'm gaining weight because walking hurts so much. Gah. But, mind you, the knee replacements are both doing well. People keep asking if my knees are feeling any better. It's not the knees. It's the rest of me! 

I also seem to have shrunk two inches from my normal height somehow. It's been years since anyone measured my height and I'm two inches shorter! That's just weird. Perhaps a combination of the knee replacements and poor posture due to pain? Age? I don't know.

Enough woe is me ... 

Onto the photos I took this past week -- clicking on an image will open it in a larger version.

Wheels

I was once again at the Somerville Train Station on Friday. This is another shot of the train wheels/smoke-stack sculpture.

Early morning on North Avenue

On Friday, I took my old regular train to work at 6:40am -- the train I took for several years before work decided to mess with my schedule. (Yes, I'm still ticked about that. I HATE getting home at 7pm!) I took this shot looking towards the north over North Avenue from Track One of the Plainfield Train Station a few minutes before the actual sunrise. 

Bird on a wire

Not quite like a cat on a hot tin roof.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 5, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. Right now I'm still in between seasons of the television shows I regularly cover.

I'm officially on staycation. Good. I can elevate my swelling leg! Oh, it's the small things that thrill me, I guess. 

Some random ramblings:

• After many years of doldrums, Trump has made Saturday Night Live great again. 
• I don't watch football. I hear rumors some game is on this evening. I don't care. If I so desire, I can catch the commercials and half-time show on YouTube later on.
• Please, please ... do NOT STOP when entering or leaving a store, at the top or bottom of stairs. You are in the way, fools!
• I didn't win the lottery this past week. I didn't really lose, either. I didn't buy any tickets.
• I'm thankful we've had a mild winter so far around here. Please keep up the good work!
• It was old friends day one day on the train. The new conductor must think I'm a social butterfly because I stayed with one ex-employee (from over 20 years ago) of mine, then moved upstairs to join two train friends I hadn't seen in ages. The first time the new conductor saw me was when her coworker sat with me and we all encountered someone I mention later in this post after the jump. I am not a social butterfly. She's already not bothering to check my monthly train pass.
• Speaking of which, NJ Transit moved around so many of its conductors! I'm seeing old faces return and new faces aboard.
• I'm getting too well-known on public transit. One day, a train conductor picked me up at the bus stop and gave me a ride to the train station. Another day, both a taxi driver and an NJ bus driver beeped and waved at me.
• I wish CBS Sunday Morning would make a show totally made up of their "Moments of Nature." I'd watch!

Onto this week's photos ... clicking on an image will open a larger version. I hope everyone has a great week!   
  

Last night's moon

As seen from the Bridgewater Train Station.

It's Christmas once again!

On Groundhog Day, I noticed that the Christmas trees at the Plainfield Police Department were all lighted up once again. They had been dark since early January.

Man vs. Nature

I caught the sunset on Thursday evening. I took this shot at the Bridgewater Train Station.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - March 13, 2016

Good morning! I hope you remembered to Spring Forward! I personally feel like an hour of my life has just been yanked from me. Oh, well. Maybe I'll find it in the fall. Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you're a fan of either Survivor or The Amazing Race, please stop back on show nights for live blogging blog parties!

The biggest news around here this past week is that the uncertainty of an NJ Transit railroad workers strike is over. That's something that has been worrying me for months as I depend on the trains for my work commute. I even requested yesterday off as a paid vacation day over a month ago as I read rumors there might be a "soft strike" that day leading into the midnight strike. Finally, on Friday evening, a deal was made and the strike was averted. Phew!

So, I had/have an actual whole weekend off. And, what have I done? Um. Well. I caught up on un-watched television shows. I made my corned beef and cabbage meal. I napped. Even though it was a nice day out, I stayed indoors and just had a mellow quiet kind of day. Maybe I'll venture out into the world today. 

Random thoughts on the week:

• I saw my first robin of the season, but the photograph I took wasn't good. So, you won't see it. Other years I've seen them come back during very wintry weather. But I haven't seen one since early December (when it was still unseasonably warm here).
• I also saw my first mosquito of the year. Grr.
• Along those same lines, the gnats are swarming the Bridgewater Train Station as they do each spring.
• The homeless dude hanging out at the Bridgewater Train Station needs to move along. I was told he was kicked out of the Somerville Train Station, the next stop west. He's becoming annoying and more aggressively panhandling each day.
• Someone, perhaps the homeless dude, moved a Platform Closed sign and construction barrel down to the street under the railroad bridges at Bridgewater. It took me several minutes to convince an Asian woman with only a very basic knowledge of English that the platform was open, that's not how NJ Transit closes a platform, they put the signs on the platform itself and that it was a prank. "That's not funny," she said when she finally believed me.
• Vincent liked the open windows this week. So did I. Well, until the motorcycles and brakes on the buses from NYC got too loud.

That's about all I have for you this week ... other than the photos. Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version.

As the crow flies

I'm not sure why that saying exists. I've watched crows fly. They definitely rarely fly in a straight line!

The Sunset Express

My train home from the Bridgewater Train Station coincided with the sunset this past week.

Where's the beach, dude?

You're in a parking lot, you silly seagull.

Looking north on Watchung Avenue

I won't get the opportunity to take this shot again if the bridge opened on Friday night as I was told it would. I took it standing in front of the barricade fencing at the closed railroad bridge. Those are the Watchung "Mountains" in the distance. When I first moved here to the area, I was amazed about the flatness of it all. And, then they showed me the Watchung Mountain Range. Bwahahaha!

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 28, 2016

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the past week in both words and photos I've taken along the way. Please come by during the week and join in on the Survivor and The Amazing Race blog parties! I live blog those shows as they air while folks party in the comments area. It's a fantastic group of show fans. Please stop in!

But this ain't that.

We had yet another odd/wild weather week here in New Jersey. Some days were bitter cold with wind, but sunny. On Wednesday we had all day flooding rains with severe thunderstorms and a tornado watch. No, we did not have a tornado. (Yay!) The late-night temperature was in the high sixties! It remains a very odd weather pattern (or lack thereof) for February in New Jersey.

In other random stuff:

• NJ Transit train workers might go on strike mid-March. I've requested the Saturday of the "soft strike" off as a vacation day. If they don't strike, I have a weekend off. Win-win. If they do strike going into the week, I'll have to deal with buses and rearranging my work schedule to have a co-worker pick me up near the Shop-Rite not all that far from work. (But farther than I want to walk!) More co-workers go through there than anywhere near here.
• The bright side of that is that there's a Burger King there and I haven't had a Croissanwich in years. It's my favorite fast food breakfast sandwich.
• Things are going better at my workplace. I have new knowledgeable bosses I can actually work with and we share mutual respect. I forgot what that's like in the past few years.
• I'd still rather be retired and perhaps just do something I like to do.
• I've worked for the same company for about 34 years. I think I've paid my dues.
• But there's this pesky thing called keeping a roof over my head. I don't see Vincent the Cat going out there working to help me!

Oh, well. That's about it. Onto this week's photos! Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version. I hope everybody has a fantastic Leap Day tomorrow!

Into the light

While I like how this photo turned out, it shows the deplorable conditions of the NJ Transit Plainfield Station pedestrian tunnel between the westbound/eastbound platforms. When it rains outside, it now rains in the tunnel. Some light panels are entirely missing, others often have the rain running through them. The floor is always wet, slippery and grimy. It desperately needs repairs and regularly scheduled cleaning. Hey, NJ Transit. What's up with this? 

Don't fence me in

A sparrow rests on a fence and makes for a cute shot.

Coming in for a landing

A pigeon making a landing on a ledge on the Chotola Apartment building on North Avenue in Plainfield.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 18, 2015

Good morning! It's Sunday, so it's time for my weekly off television review of the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. I've really been hit hard by a vicious cold since about Wednesday or so, so this will be a bit short and sweet.

Random thoughts on the week:

• I'm so tired of being sick. I blame the general public for breathing on me.
• We were set for our first freeze of the season overnight last night. I think we got it.
• Not that I could tell inside my apartment. I had to get up and turn down the heat as it got so warm in here.
• Of course, that might also have to do with my not feeling well.
• But it felt like an oven! Wah!
• For the second week in a row, my Sunday morning Courier News didn't come. This is ridiculous. Today I checked for it at 6am and every half-hour since. I doubt it was stolen this week. They credit my account mere pennies claiming I can read it online. But I don't have the inserts and lose out on using coupons (many of which Peapod doubles) in my grocery shopping. 
• We're getting some fall foliage colors now, but nowhere near peak.
• I think I need more colds meds.

Clicking on an image will bring it up in a larger window.

Church steeple at sunset

Wednesday early evening, East Front Street in Plainfield.

Sneaker salesman

Business must be slow. I saw this get-up on East Front Street in Plainfield. I was a bit dismayed that it was just a rack of sneakers underneath.

It's definitely mums season

This mums shot and the ones that follow after the jump were all taken of planters lining a porch on Berckman Street in Plainfield.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 30, 2015

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection of the past week in both words and photographs I've taken along the way; This post is a year 'round "feature" on the blog. If you're looking for Big Brother posts, they can all be found at this link right here. If you're not interested in this particular post, please feel free to skip on by it. I'll be posting a Big Brother blog party post coinciding with the East Coast airing of the show and, late this evening, another live feeds post. Stay tuned.

Yet another week in the (seemingly never-ending) countdown to Staycation for me. Here's some random notes on the week:

• I woke up very early one morning this past week smelling smoke -- like house-burning smoke -- in my apartment. That was one of the first nights that I had turned off the air conditioning and threw the windows wide open as the heat had lessened.
• It turns out that two homes were destroyed and one damaged in a huge three alarm fire with 80 firefighters responding right on the street in back of my building. The fire was actually across the street from the Mexican Polka live band people. I'm so running on empty these days that I slept through all the hoopla.
• (Side note: The Mexican Polka live band people were at it until nearly midnight last night. Grr.) 
• In the urban jungle news arena: There I was, resting on the ledge by the Plainfield Police Annex waiting for the bus home from the train last night and this creepy drunk non-English speaking dude plopped down practically on top of me. "Ola!" I reacted with exaggerated shoo hand motions and "Go away! Shoo!" I already had plans to knock him to the ground if he didn't go away -- I'm larger and sober, he's drunk. I scared him. He stumbled away. A cop who had been sitting at the traffic light watching called out to me, "Nicely played!"
• I find it very depressing that I'm old enough to join the Plainfield Senior Center which I don't have time in my life to join because I'm not old enough (or financially set) to retire.
• Not that I'd really want to join. I'd probably rather do something like join a whitewater rafting club than do many of the activities they have going on for seniors.
• In more urban jungle news: One early evening on the 59 bus, a guy tried to board with one of those personal shopping carts well overloaded with scrap metal (he probably stole). The bus driver wouldn't let him board and started screaming, "No! No! NO!" -- thus scaring an innocent dude who was paying his fare. I was looking at the scrap metal pieces haphazardly piled atop the cart and thinking it would be dangerous. I was glad the bus driver told him no and drove off forcing the guy to get his foot out of the bus door.
• We're expected another heat wave this week.
• Wah.

That's about it. Onto this week's photos! Clicking on an image will open it in a larger window.

I love the flowers

But I'll love autumn temperatures a lot more! Of course, autumn has its own flowers, plus glorious fall foliage.

Fireworks at the TD Ball Park

On Monday night, just as the 10pm train was coming in, they started the after game fireworks in Bridgewater.

East Second Street fire scene

Despite the local newspapers saying the fire was at 240 East Second Street, it was not. It apparently started in the attic of 640 and spread to 642. Both of those homes seem totally destroyed, with the roofs caving in on them. 644 has its siding all melted, but the building didn't catch on fire. No one was hurt. More of the fire scene photos after the jump ...

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Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 19, 2015

Good morning! Since it is indeed Sunday, you know what that means. It's time for my weekly reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. Remember to come back on Wednesday and Friday evenings for Survivor and The Amazing Race blog parties!

Let's see ... what has been happening with me this past week? My Killer Cold has lessened a great deal. What I have now is either leftover remnants of the cold and/or allergies kicking in. All day yesterday I was sick to my stomach, but that seems to be gone today. I have no clue what's up with that. I feel better today in that aspect. Perhaps it was something I ate.

Spring has finally taken hold here. I wouldn't mind if it lasted until autumn. I'm not a summer heat kind of person. While I love a cool storm, I'm not into extremes of temperature -- either heat or cold. I can actually take cold weather better than hot and humid.

Random bits:

• I bought Vincent some fresh catnip yesterday and he loves it. Yes, I'm an enabler.
• Seriously, if you get off the train, do NOT stand on the stairs blocking others while you mess with your smart phone.
• Sometimes you have to grin and bear it. But that doesn't mean you're happy inside.
• If you forget to give your Peapod grocery delivery dude your coupons (they double up to 99 cents), you can mail them in for credit.
• Yes, I forgot to give him about $12 worth of coupons.
• Peapod drivers who get this route with Plainfield like it more than the Manhattan routes. Too many walk-ups there, too much traffic and no parking.
• I need to clean my windows.
• But most of the "dirt" is on the outside. I have to remember how they put them in so I can take out the panes to clean the outside. I don't have a squeegee on a pole to reach up from outside.
• Hmm ... maybe I'll just do the insides.
• NJ Transit cops or the Plainfield police really have to get someone stationed at the Plainfield Train Station from late afternoons into late late nights. The bums, druggies and street people loitering is ridiculous. They ought to limit it to ticketed passengers. That would clear up the problems there.

Onto the photos for the week. Clicking on an image will bring up larger versions of the photos.

Sunset at the Bridgewater Train Station

Complete with the edge of woods, birds on a wire, stadium lights and the back side edge of the scoreboard doohickey for the TD Ball Park.

Love me some forsythia!

Basic yellow daffodil

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