Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - December 19, 2010

It's Sunday morning once again. Huh. Funny how that goes, eh? It's like we have a Sunday once a week or so. But ... since it is Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by both in words and photos I've taken.

Once again, the weather here wasn't all that conducive to taking photos. I can't really use my gloves when shooting and need to keep the camera bundled up a bit in the cold so that the batteries don't die too quickly. For the majority of the week, the temperatures were below what they should be and we had fairly heavy winds as well. Grr.

Although we've had all of this super-cold weather, with the exception of a light dusting of snow one night, we're probably looking at a not white Christmas this year here. But I'm sure the temperatures will be seasonably cold!

I've been way swamped at work and I'm looking forward to actually having a weekend off next weekend as much for rest as for the holiday itself. Well, maybe not as much, but ...! I'm also working a shortened 4-day work week, so that will be nice. I'm tossing around the idea of heading into the city either Wednesday or next Sunday. However, it will all depend on fatigue levels and how cold it is. If it's like it's been with gusty winds and extreme cold, I may just stay in.

Things are still quiet here with the rowdy neighbors (Greta Garbo's Home for Wayward Boys and Girls) gone. I've noticed that the hallway smells like real home cooking once again instead of Chinese food. I hadn't connected that odor with them, but it must have been. With the heat on, all windows closed, I now come home to the smells of good dinners cooking, cookies baking and such. It's almost enough for me to want to knock on the door. "Remember, you invited me over sometime. I smell cookies, so now is the time!"

Onto the photos I've taken this week. I have nothing all that artsy for you, but I do have one special shot. I'll put that one up first. Clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window.

Here's the money shot of the week (for regular blog readers, at least) --

Look who I found ...

ROOFUS!

It's been months since I've seen him and I was sure he was gone for good. Of course, he can't get up on the roofs anymore as they tore down the building he used to access them. Although I've peeked in the old Budget Car Rental office building where he was holed up on and off, I haven't seen him in ages. Well, there he was on Saturday morning, looking healthy, clean and almost a bit chubby!

This was taken through a dirty and frosty window and he zoomed away shortly after I got the one shot. Also, the reflection of the rocky gravel-ish parking lot shows. I didn't see the grey cat that I previously saw with him, but I'd bet he's there too. So he's still around and obviously being fed. Yay! Gavett Place, Plainfield.

When the cat's away ...

The birds have taken over the Chotola apartment building! Actually, they're not always there. With the temperatures so cold, the morning sun heats up the front of the building a bit. You know Roofus wouldn't have put up with this! North Avenue, Plainfield.

Just a light dusting

Not long after sunrise on Tuesday morning, the snow hangs in there on the eastbound track of the Plainfield Train Station.

Free parking, free commentary

Folks from The 'field will get this one. The seasonal free parking bags are covering the meters and one city administrator got her termination notice effective on Christmas day, a week before she was scheduled to go on maternity leave. I'm basically an observer of politics in town, but this one's gonna be a brouhaha for sure.

PS: I should note that I edited the photo to add the words in black print.

Squirrel Claus, please bring me nuts.
I've been good.

And this pizza from the Dumpster is frozen and icky! East Front Street, Plainfield.

Two in the bush ... again.

I don't really want one in my hand. He'd probably peck me! East Front Street, Plainfield.

A killing frost?

Without a doubt, the light dusting of snow murdered these bicycles at the Bridgewater Train Station.

The 'hood shot

Even though all was coated with snow when I peeked out at about 11:30 Monday night, the wind blew most of it away before I headed out to the train station in the morning.

But the street is half-closed!

No, not due to the dusting of snow. Further down, back past my apartment building, it looks like there was a water main break or something. I didn't notice it the morning of my shot (because I didn't walk that way!). But walking home that way after dark I noticed several huge, perhaps 3-feet, 2-feet high, piles of chopped up ice and ice all along the one side of the street.

Oh. And there's a cute bunch of little PSEG flags marking something. They're gathered in a group, so maybe it's just a meeting. The shot above was taken at Richmond and East Front Streets.

Ice, Ice Baby

Okay, can you tell the real icicles from the radioactive NJ corrosion icicles? I know, they're not really radioactive. They're stalactites, I know. But I prefer to think of them as radioactive as they're around all summer. I know I don't like them dripping on me! Under the Bridgewater Train Station overpass. Yes, they did some woodwork under the bridge. But that doesn't stop the radioactive icicles!

Furious wind-driven snow flurries

Westfield in the Trader Joe's parking lot Monday evening.

I love my Westfield Trader Joe's!

Of course, if there was a Plainfield one, I'd love it more. I've heard rumors and innuendo, but nothing concrete. It's a different shopper-base, but I think they could do decent business in town. Unlike Wegman's (which I adore, too), the prices are more reasonable and they don't need a ton of space.

Oh my

One of the Westfield Train Station Christmas trees was so battered by the wind that its lights started slipping down. It's a wonder they weren't blown off. This was Monday night when all of a sudden the temperature must have dropped twenty degrees and we had wind gusts over 40 MPH.

Pink is the new Westfield

I have no clue why the street has a pinkish hue. I blame that store. East Broad Street, Westfield.

This is just sad

To be fair, the bottom half of the window lights up sporadically, but rarely top and bottom at the same time. North Avenue, Plainfield.

Much better

Finally I got a shot of the home kitty-corner from the other elaborately decorated house on the corner of East Front and Richmond Streets. This is the one that was always either off or it was daylight with the kids waiting for their school bus.

The "rude" light is at it again

Not quite the holiday color scheme -- Watchung Avenue, Plainfield.

Skritch-scratch time

Vincent likes to have his chin scratched, behind his ears scratched, being petted, etc., etc. He has really turned out to be a great companion. I'm glad he chose me.

Stop back later for the big Survivor season finale blog party! At least, with TV Squad not assigning me the reviews of the show, I don't have to worry about being up for half the night writing up a three-hour show.

Survivor: Nicaragua - December 15th Episode Blog Party Post

Survivors Ready?

Welcome one, welcome all! The blog party is ready to start! Everyone is welcome to join in with comments as the show airs here on the East Coast or even later in West Coast time. As the show airs, I'll post major events here, but the real fun and most of the reactions are in the comments section. See you there!

Look out, it's the product placement family episode! Chase won reward and chose Sash and Holly after telling Fabio he would choose him. @@

Yay! Fabio won immunity!

Chase and Sash both played their idols. Jane voted out.

The Amazing Race - Season Finale Blog Party Post

Sigh, football again even for the season finale! I'm not a football fan at all to begin with and it really bugs me that CBS constantly schedules full episodic television on nights they KNOW the games run over. They ought to juggle the schedule and, if need be, schedule the football until 8 PM with commentary or whatever and lose a show on Sunday nights.

TAR is delayed by about a half-hour here in the NYC viewing area. Once it starts, as it airs here, I'll update this post with major happenings. Later tonight (or at least by morning) my show review should be posted over on TV Squad. But the real fun will be during showtime right here in the comments area. Everyone is welcome to join in! I'd like to see either Brook/Claire or Nat/Kat win, but all three teams going into this finale are strong!

NAT AND KAT HAVE WON THE AMAZING RACE!

Jill and Thomas haven't even gotten to the final task yet. Brook and Claire almost to the final pit stop.

Brook and Claire, number 2.

Jill and Thomas in, didn't show them doing the final task.

Wow! Next season's "Unfinished Business" looks like a bunch of great teams including some from this season!

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - December 12, 2010

Sunday morning, time to take an off television topic glance back at the week gone by in words and photos I've taken. My photo fodder is lacking a bit this week as the temperatures were frigid here in the Northern Central NJ area. Since my jacket pockets don't keep my camera warm enough, I've been putting it in my tote. Plus, I had gloves on, too. So photography was a bit time consuming each time I wanted to take a photo. Sigh.

It did get a bit warmer yesterday with highs up in the 40s. Yay! Thankfully we were spared the snow that other parts of the country received. But today, with the higher temps again, we're expecting wind-driven rain all day, ending as snow tomorrow morning. Then it's back to the cold. Oh well, it's almost winter. I guess it's to be expected.

Anyone who regularly reads this off topic weekly photo post knows I talk about birds taking over the world. Well, this week I peeked for Plainfield, NJ, on YouTube. THIS video (not taken by me) is of the recent blackbird migration going through Plainfield. Beware -- the person filming it has a bit of a PG-rated vocabulary --



See. It's not just me thinking the birds are taking over! It's not all in my mind!

I also found a video someone took in line at the Pollo Campera grand opening on East Front Street last week. Once again, it's not just in my mind. They lined up all the way down the block --




Then I found bizarreness with something from ithappenedinPlainfield.com. I checked it out and the writing is a bit too convoluted for me, plus it's set in areas of town I don't know well. But you'll recognize the train station in the video --



In this last video, there's this bar crawl in Plainfield. They ended up at Casanova Pizzeria on East Front Street. Huh. When I was photographing that place, the owner didn't want to be in any shots. Maybe it helps if you order pizza ...



Okay, so there's a taste of the town. I don't really know the bar scene so much, nor have I seen any celebrities involved in deep dark mysteries.

My life is a bit quieter. It's especially quieter since my rowdy ne'er-do-well neighbors in the apartment next door vanished. I do believe they're really gone. I know the maintenance folks were there drilling the door and I see new-looking locks. Good riddance, I just wish it hadn't taken that long!

My day to day social life tends to include my train commute friends. That changes as people retire or, in one case, NJ Transit closed down a friend's destination station. Yet I remain friends with the local to me train buddies, seeing each other outside of the train life. I don't know how these things happen, but most of the friends are men. Huh. Go figure. Their wives seem to approve and I've gotten to know the families, too. I guess I don't need to go to a bar to meet people!

My latest train friends are Frank and Chris. We sound like the start of a bad joke -- a blind guy, a white woman and a black man enter the train station ...
It's odd how people tend to gravitate to each other and become friends merely over a commute. That doesn't happen in a car stuck in NJ traffic, for sure!

I've rambled enough ... onto the photos of the week. Clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window.

The latest

In the continuing saga of the bird feeder whose tree died and fell over, this is the latest solution. There are no birds because it's empty. But you just know if they went through all of this trouble, bird feed is on the shopping list! East Front Street, Plainfield.

Watching, always watching

This European Starling looks ready for the attack.

They control the landlines.

Bridgewater Train Station, NJ.

Vacancies

These apartments usually house migrant workers who head to nicer weather come winter. This is on North Street right across from the train station. While it might be better than TV at times, I wouldn't want to live there. I prefer to hear the train whistles in the distance from my own apartment. That's pleasant. But they have to endure all of the station announcements on the PA system, loud on-top-of-them trains, plus the area itself is somewhat rowdy at night.

Speaking of the train station ...

That person found out that they will NOT open the doors for late boarders once the doors are shut. I always make sure I'm at the station five minutes before the train is due. I'd rather be ten minutes early to the station than 20 seconds late.

Done up for the holidays

The Plainfield Police Department decorated trees around the memorial with blue and white lights. No, I doubt it's for Chanuka -- the blue most likely represents the police themselves. Watchung and East Fourth, Plainfield.

Fall falls

The mums (planted way too late) on East Front Street are getting frostbitten. Perhaps they should have little petal mittens?

Foggy windows time at the bakery

Yep, the windows on Danny's Bakery (North and Watchung Avenues, Plainfield) are all steamed up once again. That's always a reliable indicator of low temperatures.

Snow on the roof

We had lots of bouts of heavy snow flurries, but none stuck on the ground. The only place I saw snow was atop of the old Miron warehouse which is undergoing a rehab into apartments. With the very low temperatures, I have noticed that the snow pile (shaved ice from the Zamboni) at the Rock Ice Pavilion skate center in Dunellen is huge! There's snow there in a pile all summer. But it's now taking over a stretch of the old defunct railroad tracks.

Sunrise

It's a black and white world when you sleep on the train and miss stunning sunrises. I edited this one to leave only the window in color. NJ Transit.

As dawn arrives

Watchung Avenue, Plainfield. This is a similar location to the one I took in the fog a few weeks back, perhaps a bit farther from the train overpass.

Ta-ta!

The house on East Front and Richmond is finally in full gear. The house kitty-corner from it is also full of decorations. But I haven't caught that one in the dark with its lights on. And, when I pass in the morning on my later mornings (not Monday), it's daylight and kids are waiting for the school bus. I don't want their parents to think I'm some kind of whacko taking photos of their kids!

All it needs is snow

Another angle on the house above.

You say Santa Claws is coming?

"What do you mean, have you been naughty or nice? With a face like this, it's obvious that I'm just a sweet innocent NICE cat!"

Sure, Vincent. Innocent, yeah ... right. But, yes. NICE cat. (When he's not attacking my ankles from his hiding spot under the bed. I had to trim his claws because he actually slashed my ankles! Of course, he thought he was just playing. Ow.)

That's it for this week. Tonight's The Amazing Race season finale will probably be delayed due to double-header football coverage on CBS. But I'll get a blog party post up at 8 PM ET anyway. I hope to see you there!

Survivor: Nicaragua - December 8th Episode Blog Party Post

Survivors Ready?

Welcome one, welcome all! The blog party is ready to start! Everyone is welcome to join in with comments as the show airs here on the East Coast or even later in West Coast time. As the show airs, I'll post major events here, but the real fun and most of the reactions are in the comments section. See you there!

Chase won reward, taking Holly and Jane with him after promising Sash he'd take him. Uh-oh. Sash is the odd man out between the two alliances.

Sash won immunity. Tribal should be interesting.

Hmmm ... Benry was voted out.

The Amazing Race - December 5 Episode Blog Party Post

Sigh, football again. The show is delayed by about fifteen minutes here in the NYC viewing area. Once it starts, as it airs here, I'll update this post with major happenings. Later tonight (or at least by morning) my show review should be posted over on TV Squad. But the real fun will be during showtime right here in the comments area. Everyone is welcome to join in!

1. Brook and Claire but took taxi instead of subway or walk - 30 minute penalty

Really 1 - Jill and Thomas, won a trip to Argentina
2. Brook and Claire
3. Nat and Kat

Nick and Vicki Philiminated.

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - December 5, 2010

It's Sunday morning, time for that weekly off television topic jaunt through the week gone by in words and photographs I've taken. In a few more Sunday mornings, Christmas will be in the past. I swear time is skewed with age. As a child, the month of December seemed to take an eternity. Now, I blink my eyes and it's all over. How about you?

Although it's not winter yet, we're in a winter-like pattern sans the snow here. Yesterday we had some pretty heavy snow flurries now and then. But earlier in the week the high temperature was around 60 on Wednesday. Unfortunately the warm temps were accompanied by monsoon weather and high winds. Thankfully I was off for the day and just glanced out the window now and then telling Vincent, "Gee, it's nasty out there."

Work is still hectic and I'm still basically going home and vegetating until I must get up and do it all over again. On the home front, it's odd. My real annoying neighbors seem to have vanished, yet their cars are still in the lot. I haven't heard a noise, nor their friends beeping or yelling for them for well over a week. I'm hoping they might be gone although the cars are here. They're not the type to be traveling. I can't recall what month they moved in. So I have no clue if their lease is up. I can only hope.

At least with my walks to the train station, the train commute itself, and the sometimes bus to get closer to my apartment at the end of the workday give me people to watch. When I was younger, I'd watch people and imagine their lives. Here and now, I no longer have to do that ... I watch and listen.

For example, last night on the train, there were two dancers heading into the city (NYC). No, not strippers. Male dancers. No, not male strippers. One was talking about how he preferred the floors in the studio versus the floors in the theater. The other mentioned how he hated teaching dance to kids who knew absolutely nothing. Although they had different disciplines (one was ballet, the other was modern), they're apparently working on a show together. It can't be anything huge as they'll only earn $150 a show. Hmmm.

Then an arguing couple with a woman threatening to kill her man boarded and sat down. The dancers stopped conversation immediately, one looked my way and we simultaneously rolled our eyes. Then we listened to the couple fight.

Since I didn't feel like walking all the way to my apartment in the cold and dark, I took the bus (covered by my monthly train pass) to my neighborhood. Usually the questionable characters tend to drift to the back of the bus. Nope, not last night. Since I don't go really far, I sit in the front. So ... I was surrounded by gangbangers talking about how could "they" jump Wally out and beat him so badly. Yikes. This Wally only weighs 120 pounds and is trying to go to college. The gangbangers thought they (the gang) should just let him go on with his life and let him be. Had they asked my opinion, I would have agreed with them.

I felt like I was in an episode of The Wire or something. I don't think they were from my town. The bus eventually goes to Elizabeth and onto Newark. They didn't bother me, but I didn't think they would. I wouldn't want to be Wally, though.

On a brighter note, Pollo Campero (which I photographed last week) had its grand opening on Friday. I was in a car as I went by, so no photos -- but the line stretched halfway up the block! I'm impressed. But I'll wait for things to quiet down before I give it a try.

I've rambled enough -- onto the photos I've taken this past week. Clicking on a photo will open it larger in a new window.

She's getting there.

The house at Richmond and East Front is just about in full holiday gear. The wind wreaked havoc on some of the decorations and I haven't seen the lights come on yet, but soon. Plainfield, NJ.

NJ Transit incognito

I understand why they do this -- advertising dollars. But that doesn't mean I like it. Sometimes it's hard to tell a bus is actually NJ Transit. Note the solar panel in the background. They're all over now. I wonder if anyone is actually tracking the savings and when they'll break even for the cost of installation. Watchung Avenue and East Fourth Street, Plainfield.

After the sun dips below the horizon.

Plainfield Train Station just after sunset.

"Don't jump, Fred!"

A touch of Christmas

I edited this one to leave the background black and white. This is looking down Watchung Avenue near the North Avenue intersection. The police department has lighted beautiful trees in white and blue around their memorial. However, some SUV was parked (illegally) right in front of them last night and I couldn't get a clear shot.

A crow will lead them.

Stephen King knew it. It's the crows! They will lead the birds in the battle against mankind!

Fresh Seafood

Well, I do like to photograph odd things I see, too. At the back of Pete's Fish Market on East Second Street, Plainfield.

Plainfield Train Station at night

Update

Continuing the saga of the dead tree bird feeder: last week the tree was propped on the jungle gym doohickey. The winds blew both the tree and the jungle gym up against the fence. So the people re-hung the bird house on the tree right there. It looks like a success. The people involved must be traitors aiding and abetting the birds in exchange for being spared when the revolution goes down! East Front Street, Plainfield.

A bit of color

Not much remains now. East Third Street, Plainfield.

Sure, he looks cute.

But he can peck you to death! It's weird. Some weeks I end up with people shots, other weeks it's birds. It goes without saying that this is a bird week. Plainfield Train Station.

His wife watches with suspicion
in her beady eyes.

A bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush

Oh my, Mi Ranchito II

What have you done? They redid the front and I'm just not too keen on it. The addition of the bars (in lieu of the roll-up security gates which were removed) and orange um ... I don't even know what you'd call it, and fake rocks ... sigh. The bars on the windows look like jail bars on psychedelic drugs. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Frost on the rocks

And on the weed, too. Bridgewater Train Station.

They're going to HIT! Run!

Oh. They're not on the same track. Never mind. Bridgewater Train Station early one morning. That's the scoreboard for TD Bank Ballpark on the right.

Odd happenings.

In all the time I've traveled on NJ Transit trains, this was a new one on me. I heard a bell, kind of like a doorbell, ring three times and that message came up on the screen. We were paused at a station at the time. It definitely wasn't the "two to go" buzzer indicating the doors are shut and the train can move. Nor was it the bell as the train arrives and leaves. I would assume the number on the little screen would be the train I was on. I don't know train numbers. I know the times to expect them.

Dawn at Plainfield Train Station

This is just about where I was when I took the foggy shot of the station last week.

Now, this is just pitiful.

Um, this is the kind of decoration used for a mantle, maybe a tabletop. But not a store window. I'd love to actually decorate these windows. It could be fun! Watchung Avenue, Plainfield.

Early morning on Watchung Avenue

I'm headed to the Plainfield Donut Shop for breakfast! (They have a full breakfast menu, not just donuts.)

I love the pre-dawn

For most of my walk, I have the sidewalks to myself. Once I turn the corner, I'll run into all the early morning day laborers, factory workers and the occasional teacher or two. East Front Street, Plainfield.

The words of the prophets
are written on the subway walls
and tenement halls ...
and whispered in the sounds of silence.
-- Simon and Garfunkel "Sounds of Silence"

Nothing better be written on these walls and it's not quite a tenement. This is a hallway in my apartment building. I don't know why some folks have mats. The hallways are all carpeted. The boxes on the walls are fire extinguishers. The hallway, like objects in your mirror are closer than they appear, is actually longer than it appears in the photo.

All bow to Vincent, the Invincible!

He thinks he's something, doesn't he?
And he is.

How was your week?

Survivor: Nicaragua - December 1st Episode Blog Party Post

Survivors Ready?

Welcome one, welcome all! The blog party is ready to start!

This is post number 3000 on this particular blog. Oh my. I could have written a dozen novels by now! But this is more fun. Tonight's episode sounds very interesting ... according to promos, two might quit. And, on Jeff Probst's blog, he said he thinks we'll all be happy with the outcome. Ohhh ... does that mean we might be rid of Na'Onka?

Everyone is welcome to join in with comments as the show airs here on the East Coast or even later in West Coast time. As the show airs, I'll post major events here, but the real fun and most of the reactions are in the comments section. See you there!

Whoa! Na'Onka gave Chase her hidden immunity idol. She seems ready to pack it in.

Benry. Chase, Na'Onka and Holly won reward. Dan won for supporting him. Now Na'Onka and Kelly both claim it's their last day and they're quitting.

Holly volunteered to sit out the reward so that they all will have a new tarp and rice.

THEY BOTH QUIT!