Falling Skies: Mechs, Skitters and Overlords, oh my!

Yes, the second season of Falling Skies is almost here! The new season kicks off with two hours of action on Sunday, June 17 starting at 9pm ET/PT. Thanks to the good folks at TNT, I received not just the first two episodes that will air for the season premiere, but the first four episodes. Now, I don't have to say anything good about the show just because they sent me the eps. I'm under no obligation to TNT at all.

That said, thank you TNT! 

My one real obligation with the screeners is that I don't divulge spoilers. So, instead of giving you any kind of play-by-play, I'm just going to throw out lots of random thoughts on the show and this upcoming season. Make of it what you will, but I'd like you to join the Resistance with me.

While the premise of the series is certainly nothing that we haven't seen before -- the world as we know it is destroyed, mass lives are lost, small groups of folks try to survive -- it's a fairly tried and true kind of storyline. My favorite Stephen King novel is The Stand. Albeit by different means, society as we know it is tossed to the gutter.

A few of the aspects which truly make this show a fantastic TV series are the involvement of Steven Spielberg (executive producer) and the incredibly fine effects. I'm a person who grew up in the days of Star Trek: The Original Series and Lost in Space. Now 40-something years later, their special effects are laughable. Perhaps they were a bit laughable at the time, but I didn't care.

Well, I care these days. Between actual costumed skitters (the bug-like aliens) and CG skitters, it all comes across as so realistic that it's definitely movie quality action we're seeing. The stomping of the mechs echo in my mind long after they leave the area.

With Spielberg's work we've always had great characterization. He continues the trend here. When Noah Wyle's character Tom Mason stepped into that spaceship during last season's finale, my heart skipped a beat. Dang it, I've gone and gotten attached to the dude! (No, not like a harness attached to my spine ...!) All of the main characters in the show are fleshing out ... and I think we see a bit of them in folks we know. 

So, onto the action. I thought the first hour started a bit slow, but as I continued watching the action picked up. By the time I finished the fourth episode I was wanting more. The only real shame of getting a sneak peek at the first four episodes is that now I've watched a good chunk of the season ahead. Drat it all!

 

If you haven't been watching this series and you like science fiction type of action, definitely check it out. It's not a show for the squeamish, for sure. And, I don't recommend it for the hobbits and wizards crowds, per se. But if you want to watch a well-done series which will keep you on the edge of your seat and perhaps dip into your nightmares, here ya go.

You can find out more about the upcoming season and the show itself at the official TNT Falling Skies website.

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - May 27, 2012

Happy Sunday morning, all! I realize, though I dub this post "off topic," I haven't posted anything ON television topic this week! Oops. 

I really haven't been watching too many shows as the May Sweeps period fades away. I've been watching America's Got Talent (and still hoping for tickets to see one of the live shows this summer in Newark) and So You Think You Can Dance started this week. Both shows are still in their audition phases. Letterman went into repeats by Thursday evening with no Jack Hanna appearance during sweeps. I would think that's odd, but I know from Facebook that Jack Hanna had a knee replacement a few weeks ago.

My first day of another staycation started yesterday. Hopefully I'll finish watching some screeners sent to me by TNT and post on them for the lack of any other TV posts. Dependent on the weather, I might run into the city one day. It's Fleet Week there. Maybe I could get some sailor shots! I also have a few places in town I want to shoot (as in take photos of, not as in gunfire). Vincent will also have to go for his check-up and shots this week and i have a few other errands to run as well.

This past week was yet another fairly hectic one for me. I had notice that there would be a "new landlord inspection" Tuesday afternoon. Um. Okay. The state has been in. The city has been in. What could this one be? Cue panic mode. I dusted. I mopped. I waxed. I polished. I cleaned my oven!

All pretty much for naught. It was just a huge Orthodox Jewish man with a meter to check for lead paint. Stepping in the door, he saw Vincent sitting on a chair. "You don't have a dog, do you? I'm scared of dogs. Oh my. That's one big cat!" He then asked me if I heard him screaming this past Thursday. Er, no. He said a dog in the building attacked him. Oh my!

I automatically figured out what dog. "Pit bull with a man in a wheelchair?" "Yes!" Now, I know this dog. Technically, it bit me once. And, yes, someday the dog will be trouble as the man isn't training the dog right. But right now it's a puppy. It gets all happy around people and wants to play. That's how I got bit. The bite didn't break my skin, nor was it any sort of attack. It was playing.

Meanwhile, this lead meter guy jumps every time Vincent makes a sudden move. I'm standing there watching Vincent following him and occasionally carrying Vincent on my shoulder when I see the man tense up. My biggest fear is that Vincent would go for the zizit around the man's waist. After all, you have dangling strings near a playful cat and the cat might just jump up your leg!

The inspection ended with no lead paint found. The meter goes through all the layers of paint slapped on since the building was built in 1960. He told me that he only had about 8 apartments left to do, no lead paint found anywhere so far. Too bad. I was in the mood for fish and CHIPS! (My apologies to those who read my similar joke on Facebook. I felt it too good not to share here, too.)

As a result of my even cleaning the oven in preparation for some unknown aspect inspection, my place is all spic and span as I head into my staycation. Cool. A few Swiffers and keeping up with dirty dishes is all the housework I'll be doing on the staycation! Yesterday was hot and muggy here. I pampered myself taking a long soaking bath with Bomb Cosmetics bath rocks -- a scented fizzly bit of heaven while drinking a cold glass of Schmirnoff Ice bought specially for the occasion and listening to smooth jazz. I had steak, mashed potatoes and asparagus followed by Trader Joe's Ultra Chocolate (used to be Chocolate Blast) ice cream. I lounged about. I read. I listened to music. I napped.

Today, my plans aren't all that much either. Sometime between 7:30 and 9:30 AM, my latest Peapod order will arrive. My big chore of the day will be putting groceries away. By Monday, I should be relaxed enough to walk downtown and watch the Memorial Day tribute to those who have served the country. 

Onto the photos -- clicking on an image will open it in a new page, clicking again will give you a larger image. Closing that new window will bring you back here.  

Squirrel photo shoot

It was raining, so his fur and tail are a bit frazzled. Plainfield Train Station.

Lush from the rains

Although they say we're still short for the year, the abundant rains of the past few weeks have turned everything lush and green. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Small bee on the weed

I don't know what kind of small bee this is, nor the weed. It's a pseudo-dandelion ... way too tall and different leaf structure than a dandelion. Bridgewater Train Station.

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

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - May 20, 2012

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. Well, man ... this has been one busy and rather sucky week for me. Yeah, you heard me. Sucky.

Work has been busy with unexpected auditors popping in. Not through my doing at all, we didn't do all that well. It's one of those "I told you" so kind of scenarios, but of course it's not really politically acceptable to say that. (But I told them so before this went down. I did.) The sad part with some of the latest auditors is that I actually know more than they do about company practices.  That's what happens when you spend half your life in one workplace.

The home front has been a bit hectic, too. First, on Wednesday I received a notice under my door that I have a new landlord. Okay. That wasn't unexpected. The last real landlord went bankrupt (and more, as you'll see) a few years back and the building has been being run by a receivership appointed by the bank. I read last summer that there was a winning bid of 9 million on the building at auction.

No, I didn't buy it.

We recently had our five year state inspection. Then there was another inspection by the city (for the sale?). On Thursday, which was my day off this week due to a switch, there was a knock on my door while I was still in my pajamas. HEY! Day OFF! It was a new superintendent of another building owned by my new landlord. He had a list of repairs including removing the old caulking around my tub and replacing it with new, new bathroom ceiling tiles, fix the low cold water pressure in the kitchen and a few other things. Um. Okay. I told him, as I've told others, that they need to fix whatever is leaking upstairs in regard to the bathroom ceiling.

When will these repairs be done? Today.

Ack.

I made him give me ten minutes to put real clothes on. Then I let unexpected repairmen in to my apartment which had some housecleaning chores scheduled for my day off. Remember, it's my DAY OFF.

I watched a few episodes of the Falling Skies screener TNT sent me while a huge man was closed in my tiny bathroom choking on caulking fumes. Vincent peeked under the door at him either worried for his welfare or concerned that the man would use his litterbox.

That DAY OFF ordeal ended, fast forward to Friday after work. A notice under the door that the new landlord will be doing inspections on Tuesday between 4pm and 6:30pm. Argh! How many inspections can one tenant go through? I feel like Arlo Guthrie at Whitehall Street -- inspected, neglected, dejected, rejected!

Along with that notice, there was a questionnaire to send back to the new landlord. It asked the basics -- name, contact numbers, car info for the parking lot, who else lives there, etc. Along with the questions, it asked how much rent is being paid. Huh? I'm sure the receivership gave them that info. Heck, if David Connolly gave the info to the bank when he went bankrupt, you know the bank's appointed folks told the new landlord. As tempting as it was to try to lower my own rent, I told the truth. Maybe it's a test of my integrity.

But the story doesn't stop there. Saturday in the mail I received what looked like trouble -- a letter from a lawyer's office and a notice of certified mail being held at the post office. Huh? Is someone suing me? Nope. A neighbor in the elevator told me everyone got the same thing. Of course, he was telling me in Spanish, so I wasn't sure if I was understanding him right. I was. It was from the bank saying that the receivership was released of its duties, my security deposit transferred to the new landlord, and much legalese. Um. Okay. Apparently the certified letter is another copy of the same thing. If I get there while the post office is open, fine. If not, fine. The notice from the new landlord on the first day told me that they had my security deposit, what bank it's in and the account number.

Then there's my original landlord (not the original original one, but the last one). What comes around, goes around. He's facing two counts that could each net him twenty years in prison and five million dollars plus in fines. His real estate Ponzi scheme caught up with him. The FBI and Securities Commission went after him for wire fraud, laundering money and a host of other charges. That's what he gets for jacking up my rent each year he had the building and letting the elevator remain broken for months when my knees were bad!

Now that I've bored everyone to death, onto this week's photos. Clicking on an image will open it in a new window, clicking again will make it larger and closing that window will lead you right back here.  

Monarch Building reflected

A testament to all the rain we had (again) this week. The Monarch Building (condos) on East Front Street is reflected in puddles in their neighbor's driveway.

Plainfield Train Station irises

If I'm not mistaken, I think local blogger Bernice had a hand in planting these. East Fourth Street, Plainfield.

Westfield planter flowers

I don't know what they are, but they're big and pretty. Elm Street, Westfield. (I had to make a Trader Joe's foray on Friday due to stress!)

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

Survivor: One World Season Finale Blog Party

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends out there! I hope it's been a good one!

This is it! It's the first all women final five in the history of the show! For once in a reality television competition show, the women (kind of, sort of) stuck together. Who woulda thunk it? In the past on Survivor and other shows, the men are much better at actually staying with their bro'liances and the women tend to cat fight and backstab their sisters. Hmmm. I wonder why that is?

Not that this group is all that cohesive, mind you. Everything isn't hunky-dory or lovey-dovey. (I don't get to use those phrases enough in life!) But it's all women at the end and it's just a matter of which woman will win it all.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with major happenings. The real fun, though, will be in the comments section. Please join in with your thoughts! Beverages, snacks and feasts befitting a Reward will be in ample supply!

Immunity is back up for grabs -- a balance beam maze, rope net, puzzle bags, solve a combination lock. Kim wins immunity!

Tribal Council -- Chelsea, Alicia, Chelsea, Alicia, Alicia. Karma got the gal and Colton's ally is done.

The Ritual Walk to the immunity challenge, remembering fallen castaways.

It's the final Immunity Challenge! They must maneuver bowls through a structure and stack them. Kim wins the final immunity!

Final TC and Christina's not even trying to stay! The tally -- Sabrina, Christina, Christina, Christina. It's fitting. She didn't even try.

It's time for the jury questioning. Like everything else this season, I don't expect it to be real exciting.

Opening statements, Chelsea up first. She spoke of her trust with Kim and how they did all the strategy moves together. Then she made excuses for voting the way they decided and played differently from the time she voted out Jonas.

Kim loves the game and thought she would play as hard as she could. She's proud of her strategic game, but sending each person home took a toll on her. She asks forgiveness from the jury.

Sabrina spoke of balance. She said that stepping down from challenges was a strategy and she played more of a social game by plan. She mentioned that she was laid off before coming to the show. (However, on the local news tonight, she talked about how her students are reacting to her on the show. She must have been rehired or taken on a new teaching position.)

Jonas is up first, lays out ground rules -- joking. He loves them all, talks about how badly Sabrina did in the challenges, but loves her. Chelsea is the hottest chick, asks her what her big game changing move was, answer was taking Kat out. Why Kim didn't take Christina. Thought that she would beat her if all mad about being voted out.

Christina up next. Kim thinks she would have a better chance of winning against Sabrina than Chelsea. "Chelsea, why do you hate people?" Oh my!

Jay up next. No hard feelings, you should be proud. Sabrina, did squat. Strategy? Yes, she thinks she's usually too overbearing, balance. 

Mike -- Kim, define blindside. She does. Did you perfect the art? She claims Mike was the only guy Troy would be willing to send home. 

Tarzan -- Um. Loves to use his extensive vocabulary and rambles about his wife's visit to the island. Um. Okay. Chelsea tears up.

Leif -- Still feels the sting of his exit. Kim says she didn't know if she could trust him. Sabrina admits "punking out."

Alicia -- Kim, we played similar, kingpins. I would have won. 

Troyzan -- Beef with Kim, she played a great game. Moment she made the move to demolish his chances of winning. Answer, taking Jonas out. He says she got it wrong.

Kat -- All three hurt her very badly. Kim, I'm destroyed. She talks of open heart surgeries she's had and another ahead. She doesn't have time to be angry with them, she will vote on the best game. She's making more sense than she did all season ... tells all to vote on best game.

Troy votes Sabrina, Kat true to her own advice votes Kim. Those are the only two votes shown.

Off to New York City for the results. Final tally -- Kim, Sabrina, Kim, Sabrina, Kim, Kim, Kim ... KIM WINS THE SEASON, as it should be.

Kim, Tarzan, Troyzan and Chelsea were the ones in the running for the $100,000 fan award. Kim won that, too.

What kind of hairdo is that on Bill Posey? A mulfro? Combination mullet/afro.

They're headed to the Phillipines with three airlifted out ex-castaways. Ack. I'm sure that will include Colton. Sigh.  

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - May 13, 2012

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. 

First, I'd like to wish all of the mothers out there a happy Mothers Day! May you be pampered, fussed over and fed all day long! Well, all day until the Survivor: One World season finale, that is. Yep, 8pm EDT I expect many of you right here for the big blog party!

Since I touched on television, I might as well run with it for the moment. Guess what? TNT sent me the first four episodes of Falling Skies (season premiere June 17) for review purposes. Woohoo! Now, I just need time to watch them! I'm looking forward to the return of that show. Once I get them watched, I'll post about them. (Yay!)

They also sent me seven hours of the new Dallas series, also premiering in June. Unfortunately, I just cannot watch seven hours of Dallas -- I never got into the original series. I gave them to a friend who's a huge fan of the show. He's going to report back to me.

On the home front, life in my apartment, building, and neighborhood is just fine. I do feel safe here, even at night. I have good neighbors and all is well. That said, just beyond my immediate neighborhood, on a route I walk daily ... there was a murder. It happened at about 4:15am, an hour when I might be up but I'm not walking to the train station! I generally leave a couple of hours later to catch the first westbound train. 

Nonetheless, this latest murder is unsettling. It doesn't seem to be gang or drug related. It was a hard working Hispanic man a few years younger than me just waiting for his ride to work. It appears to have been a robbery from the reports I read. 4:15am is not a time to be on the streets here. There's hardly anyone out and about at that hour. When I go through, there are several folks I see each day. A robbery isn't likely then. I hope someone saw something or knows something and comes forward. 

The police were still arriving to the scene as I passed through that morning. Thankfully, the body was covered and I didn't see any signs of blood, etc. Had there not been all the police around, I might not have even realized there was a body under the covering. As I passed by, I first thought it was a pedestrian struck as the body was adjacent to the crosswalk. I'm so leery of people running lights early in the mornings! But all the NYC news helicopters and the tons of Plainfield and Union County police seemed to indicate more than a hit and run accident. A victim of gunfire. Sigh.

Anyway ... onto this week's photos. Clicking on an image will open it in a new window, clicking again will make it larger. Closing the new window will land you right back here on the blog.    

Squirrel on duty

This squirrel was kind enough to pose for me Saturday morning in the sunshine. It rained and/or was windy for most of the week. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Help me! Help me!

Oh no! The fly (left) is stuck on the azalea! Bridgewater.

Damselfly on poison ivy

I had my first damselfly sighting Friday afternoon on my commute home. Yes, that was when the sun broke through! Like the squirrel, he was kind enough to pose for me. They are so hard to photograph with detail as they're not much larger than a big sewing needle ... in flight, they're impossible.

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

Survivor: One World May 9th Blog Party

So here we are ... it's the penultimate episode of the season. The big finale is Sunday evening, hopefully at 8pm here on the East Coast. The one thing which has made this whole season worthwhile is the community here on the blog. If I were just watching it alone, I might have given up by now. As it is, this whole season gets an "eh" from me in the entertainment rating.

As the show airs here, I'll update this entry with major happenings. But, as usual, the real fun is in the comments! Come join us!

Reward challenge has them spinning around collecting discs (getting dizzy) and decoding a box. The winner is taken by yacht, cocktails, shower, big meal and sleep away overnight on the yacht. Chelsea wins Reward! She chose Sabrina because she hasn't had much food, then Kim, too.

The Immunity Challenge has them using large fish hooks to pick up bags of puzzle pieces, then completing a fish puzzle ... all with one hand tied behind their backs. Alicia won immunity with Kim on her tail.

Tribal Council -- it should be down to a vote between Tarzan or Chelsea. 

The tally -- Chelsea, Tarzan, Tarzan, Tarzan, Tarzan ... let's see if he'll swing from vines on the way out!

The Amazing Race 20 Season Finale Blog Party

Welp, this is it. It's the season finale. And, much to my dismay, Brendon and Rachel are still in it. Sigh. Tonight is a two-hour show ... I wouldn't mind it if the last hour didn't include them! I know. I'm a cruel person. But I'm SO tired of seeing their drama! If I had to cheer on a remaining team, I think I'd go for the Other Rachel and Dave.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major events. However, the real fun is in the comments area. Come join us! (And bring snacks!)

The teams are headed off to Japan. The teams will bunch up on the same flight. Brenchel missed the bus which the rest of the teams caught. Too bad, so sad. Sigh. They caught up. Now it's Dave and Rachel behind by missing the ferry.

Heh. The Roadblock is a Japanese TV game show!

The Detour has sushi and sumo premises. Sushi bingo, then eat. Or, with the latter, convince locals to pose for photographs with sumo wrestler cut-outs.

Rachel and Dave hit the Pit Stop first, tying the record for the most first place wins. They won a trip to New Zealand.
2. Art and JJ
3. Brenchel

Vanessa and Ralph are Philiminated

Teams are heading to Hawaii. After rappelling up and down a 45 story tower, the Roadblock has them shaving ice. JJ and Art are trailing.

Whoa! Brenchel took a cab when the clue said to go on foot!

Rachel and Dave arrived at the Pit Stop before completing the Roadblock! Eek! JJ and Art are at the Roadblock while Brenchel has yet to reach it. Art is stuck at the Roadblock, Rachel and Dave are on their way back to the Pit Stop.

RACHEL AND DAVE WIN THE AMAZING RACE!

Art and JJ make it second. Brenchel is third.

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - May 6, 2012

Yes indeed. Yes, it is Sunday morning and time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. On a television note -- remember, tonight is the two-hour season finale of The Amazing Race -- stop by the blog for the big party. (I so want Brenchel to be last!)

Let's see ... what happened this week? Well, it rained quite a bit. They claim that we're still in danger of a drought, though. For some reason, we've been having early morning thunderstorms this past week. Lucky me, I got drenched Friday morning going into work. I had my umbrella, but I should have worn a rubber suit!

Last night was the "super moon." It's a full moon and closest it gets to us in orbit. It sounds like a perfect photo op, but the clouds were obscuring it when I looked. And, once I had my pj's on, that was it. I wasn't going to go out again.

On both the work and home fronts, not much to share. I worked a lot, didn't sleep enough yet ate quite well. I have no drama to report. Nor did I mysteriously or miraculously receive a million dollars. I was hoping for the latter, but it never seems to happen. 

Onto the photos. Since they're on Photobucket, clicking on an image will open a new page, clicking again will open a larger view, then closing that page will land you back here.

Handicapped bird roost?

This one-legged sparrow seems to be fending for himself just fine in Bridgewater, NJ.

Purplish and poufy

Someone told me what these flowers were once, but I've forgotten. In the words of Dan Quayle, "A mind is a terrible thing to lose." Berckman Street, Plainfield.

An explosion of spring!

Here's "purplish and poufy" in their native habitat with pink azaleas.

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

Survivor: One World Blog Party - May 2

Survivor fans ready? If not for parties each week, this might be a season to give up on. Sure, it's great to see the women stomping their way to the final four. But things are SO predictable. Perhaps this will be the week Tarzan steps up to the plate and his real game will finally be afoot! Maybe this week Christina will tromp all the others winning both Reward and Immunity!

Yeah, right.

As the show airs, I'll update this post with the major happenings. However, the real fun is in the comments ... come join the party!

Sprint tree mail, the families time is here. Reward challenge has them getting a brief hug with their loved ones and participating in the challenge. Each castaway and loved one have to go through a rope course with knots while tied together.

The relationship between Kat and her cousin seems a bit much to me. Very unsettling. Kat wins, chooses Kim and Alicia as the ones to spend time with her and loved ones. The girl doesn't think. The others think Tarzan and Christina should have been chosen.

Once again, Immunity is up for grabs. It's endurance. I'm sure Tarzan has a chance at this one! Er ... or not. Sabrina's out, then Tarzan. He did better than I thought he would. Alicia is out, so is Chelsea. Christina is out. Despite her pouting that she wants to win, Kat is out. Kim wins Immunity!

The tally -- Sabrina, Kat, Kat, Kat, Kat.

Buh-bye, Kat! She will probably go down as the one who cried the most at the boot.

The Amazing Race 20 Blog Party - April 29

Oh, wow. The show is going to start on time again here on the East Coast. Amazing! From the promos, it looks like this week will be full of Brenchel drama and Mark's health is failing him. I really don't want to see the latter. 

I'm one who always claims that folks who need the money "that bad" shouldn't bother with being on television competition shows. But I really enjoy watching Mark and Bopper! Their relationship is fantastic, they don't argue, and they really work at staying in. I only hope they can.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major events. However, the real fun is in comments ... come join us!

There is a Fast Forward -- Brenchel is the first to try to go for it as Dave and Rachel can't. Ralph and Vanessa are also trying for it. It's the shaven head FF we saw a few years back. Cue Rachel drama.

The Roadblock has other teams making 40 feet of rope from husks. Rachel of Brenchel infamy, did NOT shave her head. She "needs hair to be pretty." @@

Detour - Pachy-derm or Pack-a-box. Decorate a live elephant or pack ginger for shipping.

Bopper and Mark JUST left the Pit Stop as others are approaching the Detour. Hopefully they will go for the not-yet-taken Fast Forward. They're at a Speed Bump, painting a tiger on the belly of a dancer.

YES! Kentucky is going to check out the Fast Forward!

1. Rachel and Dave - won ten grand each!
2. Brenchel
3. Vanessa and Ralph

Vanessa thinks that Brenchel cheated on the wheel barrow counts of elephant dung, now we have MEOW.

4. Sigh. Art and JJ.
5. Bopper and Mark ... Philiminated. Wah! 

Off Topic: That Was The Week It Was - April 29, 2012

Good morning everyone! It's Sunday morning once again. And, once again, it's time for my weekly off topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. 

I've had a bit of a stressful, hectic and just plain annoying at times week here. The weather has been at times cold and windy, other times rainy and it really wasn't conducive for photography. Yet I got in a few good shots and noticed some out of the norm kind of things. 

At home, the people upstairs managed to flood my bathroom once again. Thankfully the floor plans are in line here -- their bathroom over mine, bedroom over my bedroom, etc. So nothing of my own got damaged. Well, the brand new roll of toilet tissue I had put out was a goner. But it's not like they flooded my computer equipment or anything. I hope they finally get whatever up there fixed this time. Since I moved in here 11 years ago, it's been one thing after another leaking and subsequently fixed. 

There was some excitement here very early yesterday morning. Although I don't have to get up as early on Saturdays as I work later, I tend to wake up by 5:15 or 5:30. Well, I heard a ruckus in the hallway with police radios involved. Hmm ... I turned on my scanner. It turns out that a man fell from the fire escape shared by Crazy Joe across the hall and new tenants in the apartment next to him.

Now, they may call him Crazy, but Joe's not stupid. Nor is he athletically inclined. He's a retired guy who's lived here for nearly ten years without climbing the fire escape. So I would guess it was either the new tenants or a burglar. Since the cops didn't say anything about an arrest, I assume tenant. It's possible they only have one key, lost the key, didn't know who to call, aren't on the intercom system yet (as they connect the intercom to a phone number) or something. A compound fracture of the arm and a head injury. I bet he won't climb that again.

On the other hand, I wish I hadn't chucked my old small Hibachi years back. Although totally illegal, it would be so tasty to cook up steaks on a grill using the fire escape outside my bedroom window! I'm sure if I still had it, I wouldn't have the nerve to use it. But, still ...!

This week's quirky observation  -- when an automatic IN door doesn't function, a crowd will gather and stare at it instead of just pushing the door open. They'll back up and look. Then they'll get closer and give it a hard stare. But will they push it open? Nope. 

Since I had the hectic week, even to the point of working really late last night, I have a treat coming to myself with a Peapod grocery delivery in a few hours. I get the deliveries about once a month now. It's heaven not to worry about heavy items without a car. Plus, I do like the cuts of meat better than at the local supermarket a few blocks away. Yet I do stop in there on occasion because their produce department is fantastic!

Onto the photos ... remember, as of last week, they're hooked to my PhotoBucket account. Clicking on an image will bring you to the shot there, click again and it's large, close that window and you're back here!   

The NYC taxi again by the Plainfield Police Station

Nope, this is not the photo I took a week or two back. But it is the same passenger in the cab. Very odd. I'm not sure if it's the same taxi driver, but it could be. I don't feel bad spending $6.95 for grocery delivery when I see something like this! I edited the shot to leave only the taxi cab in color.

Up Close and Personal

Despite temperatures below freezing a few nights this past week, the flowers continue to bloom by the Bridgewater Train Station.

***HIT THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS!***

Survivor: One World Blog Party April 25

Survivor fans ready? The show is about to start here on the East Coast. As it airs, I'll update this entry with major happenings. However, like always, the real party is in the comments area!

Will Troyzan survive another week as the main target of the women? Can he keep winning (or finding) Immunity? Will he be able to convince anyone to jump the Women Ship? I guess we'll find out! Come join us ...

Tree mail promises them that "your powers of perception will take you away." There are little effigies of each castaway. The premise is that they answer the majority rule on questions about each other. The reward is a helicopter ride and feast.

The group thinks Christina doesn't deserve to be there. They feel they can trust Kim with their life. They've knocked Troyzan out of the comp by cutting his figure down. Who most needs a wake-up call in life? Kat. Tarzan is out. Chelsea is out.


Who is the biggest poser? Troyzan. Who does the least for the tribe? Sabrina. Kat is out. Sabrina is out. Who would you most like to be stranded with on an island? Kim. Christina is out. Who do you hope to never see again? Troyzan. Kim wins Reward! She chose Alicia, then Chelsea as the second.

Troyzan, of course, works on the remainders.

Kat cries.

With all back at camp, the girls expect Troyzan to kill a pig who wanders into camp. Pig apparently survived and it's time for the Immunity Challenge. We're talking a slip and slide course, grabbing rings, into a ring toss and rounds of play. Whoa! Troyzan is knocked out in the first round by Tarzan.

Kim wins Immunity!

Plenty of worries that Troy has an idol. Plenty of talk about splitting the vote between Christina and Troy -- with five votes for him, he'd go. We're about to see.

The tally: Chelsea, Troy, Troy, Troy, Christina, Christina, Christina, Troy.

Welp, the end of Troyzan.

The Amazing Race 20 Blog Party - April 22

It's truly AMAZING! What is? Well, The Amazing Race is actually going to start on time here on the East Coast! I don't know if my heart can take it. While my blog pool random pick team is Ralph and Vanessa, I don't like them all that much. I don't care for Rachel, yet if I were on the race with her I wouldn't get all personally insulting to her. I'd just avoid her a lot or have little to say to her. Vanessa definitely has a mean streak in her and I don't like people who bully others even if the others are Brenchel.

The team I'd like best to win and enjoy watching the most is Kentucky -- Mark and Bopper. While they're surely backwoods, they're fun to watch. They get along well together and are doing much better stats-wise than I thought they would. I guess they don't really have much of a chance of winning with such alpha teams all around them. But it would be cool.

As the show airs here, I'll update this entry with major events. But the real fun is in the comments area. Come party with us as you watch the show!

The teams are heading to India. They encounter a Roadblock which has them learning a Bollywood dance routine.

Rachel and Dave are first to the Detour -- Cricket (the game) or Clutch It (rickshaw driving).

Pit Stop --
1. Rachel and Dave -- won a trip to St. Lucia.
2. Brendon and Rachel 

Sigh. Mark and Bopper seem to be goners. Mark tried and tried the Bollywood routine and finally gave up when Mark was almost at the point of collapsing.

3. Art and JJ
4. Vanessa and Ralph

All the teams have made it to the Pit Stop and Mark is giving the dance one more time so he won't be a quitter (for his children). He makes it through. They finally make it to the Pit Stop -- NON-PHILIMINATION!!! Woohoo! They're still in the race!

Off Topic: That Was The Week It Was 4/22/12

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic foray reflecting on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. And, this week, I even got to experiment with technology while composing this post. Such fun!

First off, Blogger went to a new composing page. Since I've been dealing with various programs for too many years to mention, I know sometimes stuff just has to change because ... well, change is GOOD. (Cough) Okay, it's just a matter of figuring where they moved everything and what they've added. I can deal with that.

But then my photos started all sticking together like a long run-on sentence. I thought it had something to do with the new composition page until I somehow opened the real old Blogger photo upload page. I've hit my limit! I can't add any more photos to the Google Picassa album.

No real worry as I have a paid Photobucket account with pretty much unlimited space. However, the last time I tried to use that to post photos here, they were huge and knocked my blog sidebar askew. So I figured I'd have to resize all to a small size to fit on the blog and direct folks to the Photobucket pages to see the larger view.

Not so! Since all the world is owned or hooked up to Google and I have been using the newer Blogger format, I can post them normally with captions even. Coolio.

So that was my nightmare. 

In other news, there isn't much other news. We had a light rain (very light) one night during the week. We're expecting heavy rain through most of today. It started last night with sudden wicked winds and rain so that I had to run about closing windows. Then it stopped. We really do need the rain. Brush fires around the area have been the worst I've seen in years. Of course, we're under a flood warning, so it's one of those "be careful what you wish for" scenarios. 

Let's see ... what else? Oh, I know! I found this rather disturbing. A young person attending a local college was standing in front of clock. She asked me what time it was, her back to the clock. Instead of pointing at the clock, I was polite and said "Quarter to three." She replied, "No, the other way." "What?" "Numbers." "Um ... like 2:45?" "Yes! Thank you!" 

Oh my gosh. Now, I know the kids are raised on digital clocks, but plenty of old school clocks are all around the world. I can only think if I were coming of age in these times, I'd teach myself to tell the time on standard clocks. It would drive me crazy not to know such a basic thing or understand what "quarter to" or "half past" means. 

I won't even mention folks who stand in front of clearly marked automatic EXIT doors and don't have a clue why the doors aren't opening for them.

But I do feel the need to mention the folks on the block in back of me whom I've dubbed "The Deliverance Family." They've moved into the most rundown house in the area, wear their wife-beater undershirts (dirty, of course) with or without dirty down jackets or dirty plaid flannel shirts, sit on their front steps selling exotic birds (cockatoos, parrots, lovebirds, etc.) which are probably stolen ... and THEY HAVE A ROOSTER. That darn rooster crows constantly from before sunrise until around sunset. I live in the city limits. GAH!!

What the Deliverance Family doesn't know is that they've moved in next to the live Mexican Polka Band All Summer Long People. That might be interesting. 

Onto the photos. Hopefully, (remember I'm posting them from Photobucket), clicking on an image will open it larger in a gallery feature. Well, scratch that. It opens the image in a separate window, clicking on it at that point brings about a larger image, closing the window returns you to the blog.

Disorganization

The birds better get their act together if they plan to overthrow humanity. Oh. Wait. Humanity is always in a state of chaos, too!

Purty planter

They put out pretty flowers in planters and throughout the lawn at the corner Scottway Townhouse off of East Front Street in Plainfield.

Yes, yes they are

This ad is on the back of a New Jersey Transit 819 bus. I love it! So does Vincent. However, Vincent really has to learn to sleep vertically in the bed and not hog it up horizontally!

***HIT THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS!***

Survivor: One World - April 18 Episode Blog Party

Survivor fans ready? The show will be starting in a few minutes here on the East Coast. It sounds like it's going to be One World against One Man this week. Troyzan is definitely on the outs with the world! Will he survive? I guess we'll find out!

As the show airs here, I'll update this entry with major events. However, the real fun is in the comments area! Come join us! The water is fine, the beverages flowing ... and we all get comfy floats in the pool.

It's auction time! While others spent on food and letters from home, Troyzan went for the clue to help him in the next immunity challenge. His advantage is that he's automatically forwarded to the second round of the challenge. Now he's searching for another hidden idol.

Untangling ropes in the first round. Second round with four including Troyzan is knocking out targets. Oh my, Tarzan was first, Kim and Christina. Troyzan is moving on to the next one. It's Troyzan and Tarzan. Yipes! The final round has the two slingshotting coconuts at a paneled wall doing a tic-tac-toe dealy.

Troyzan wins Immunity!

If the girls stick together, it will be Leif or Tarzan out. Troyzan is pushing the underlings -- Alicia, Christina, Tarzan and Leif to join in with him in voting out Kim.

Tally: Leif, Leif, Leif, Kim, Kim, Tarzan, Tarzan, Tarzan, Leif.

Leif is history.

The Amazing Race 20 Blog Party - 04/15/12

Hopefully (I wasn't watching CBS), the show is about to start here on the East Coast. As it airs, I'll update this post with major events -- tonight has a double U-Turn and more! But the real fun is in the comments area! Everyone is free to jump in with your comments on the happenings!

Detour -- Water supply or air supply. The first has them going to a well, then delivering water. Air supply has them patching leaks on bike tires.

Bopper and Mark are in the lead and didn't U-Turn anyone, nor did Dave and Rachel.

The Border Patrol U-Turned Rachel and Brendon. They thought they were first to the U-Turn as Dave and Rachel had promised to U-Turn Brenchel. But they weren't.

Brenchel U-Turned Vanessa and Ralph. No surprise there!

The Roadblock has them collecting honey in protective bee suits. Fun, fun, fun!

Border Patrol has cut their ties with Rachel and Dave over the U-Turn promise. Bopper and Mark are having trouble with Mark's knee heading to the Pit Stop. But they make it FIRST ... yes! Rachel and Dave are second. Bopper and Mark won a trip to Hawaii.

3. Art and JJ
4. Brendon and Rachel
5. Vanessa and Ralph
6. Nary and Jamie just couldn't catch up. They were Philiminated. 

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - April 15, 2012

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic post reflecting on the past week in both words and photographs I've taken. Remember, tonight there will be a blog party during the east coast airing of The Amazing Race -- if you watch the show, please stop by and share your thoughts! Of course, since CBS doesn't know how to juggle shows and sports well, I can't guarantee the show will start on time. I will be putting the post up on time, though.

Let's see ... what happened this week? Hmm, a heck of a lot of nothing for me. Well, not really nothing, I guess. I worked. I ate. I slept. I spent an inordinate amount of my time at home under a purring cat. Work has been hectic with lots of folks either picking up a stomach bug or perhaps it's spring fever. I don't know, but I was certainly there all week unlike many. I don't want to waste my paid time off being sick!

The weather here has been pretty -- many a day with few clouds in the sky. However, the overnights and early mornings have been chilly down near the freezing point. The wind has been much too much, too. As we've had hardly any rain for nearly a month, wildfires are popping up aided by the winds. Oh, they're nothing like the fires I witnessed in California when I was a young child. But they're scary nonetheless. Heck, even one of those swampy areas near the NJ Turnpike caught fire. (A side note -- I always thought those swamps were the perfect place to bury mob hit bodies!)

Starting yesterday the temperatures have been going up. It sounds like today will be a glorious day with highs in the mid to high seventies. Tomorrow, too hot. I don't want 85 to 90 degrees! Say nothing about too early, I don't want those temps ever! I'm not a fan of hot heat and humidity. I like spring and fall so much because the temperatures usually average out in the 70s with cooler overnights. 

Time to go onto the photos -- clicking on an image will open it larger in a gallery-like feature.

By lamplight

This is one of the lamps at the YWCA on East Front Street in Plainfield. It's now almost daylight as I make my early morning trek to the train station. I edited this show to leave only the lamp in color.

Some call it a weed

I call it nature's magic.

Don't fence me in

Despite the lack of rain, the spring colors are flourishing in "the wild." This is the field of geese, also known as the toxic superfund site in Bridgewater NJ by the train station.

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

Survivor: One World - April 11 Episode Blog Party

The show is about to start here on the East Coast. Will the women be able to decimate the men one by one this season? Or, in more typical reality show fashion, will they fall apart and cat-fight? I still don't have a clear-cut favorite this season. Do you?

As the show airs, I'll update this post with major happenings. However, the real fun is in the comments area! Stop on in and share your thoughts on the show and the castaways!

Reward has them dividing into two teams, building a totem kind of thing, then throwing a version of Click-Clacks at the totem for points. The reward is a BBQ.

Immunity is one of those in which they stand barefoot on a piece of wood, hand tethered to an overhead bucket. Last one standing wins. They're also being tempted with food. Tarzan out immediately. Christina out. Sabrina took cookies and milk. Kim and Kat took cupcakes. Alicia got a bowl of candy, chosen sight unseen. Troyzan out, Jay out for chicken wings and beer. It's down to Chelsea and Leif.

Leif, buying Chelsea's claim that he's not in danger (or won't be), went for beer and burgers. Chelsea wins immunity!

Tribal council -- the girls want Troy out, now some know he has an idol. Troy wants Kim out. Hmm ...

Troy plays his idol!

The tally: Troy, Troy, Kim, Jay, Alicia, Jay, Alicia, Jay, Jay.

Bye-bye, Jay. You're way too gullible for this game!

The Amazing Race 20 Blog Party - 04/08/12

Happy Easter all! Amazingly enough, the show is going to start late. Yes, that's sarcasm.  Tonight, it will be nearly an hour late. Sigh. 60 Minutes started at about 7:52pm EDT.

Since it's a holiday, I'm not expecting a huge crowd in comments tonight. However, the show looks like it's going to be pretty interesting -- Rachel gets accused of looking much older than she actually is. (Well, she does look older!) Perhaps tonight will be the end of Brenchel. I can only hope.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the major events. Everyone is free to hang out in comments and share your thoughts!

8:51 PM and it's FINALLY starting. I'm so sick of these delays. CBS/TAR needs to get its act together and schedule the show for a different night or time.

The teams are heading to Africa.

Detour - Masai way of life -- Marksmenship or Courtship. Break a target with a native weapon or a jumping ritual.

No Roadblock. The teams have to set up their camp to specifications, then head to the Pit Stop.

Pit Stop --
1. Rachel and Dave - won trip to Costa Rica
2. Bopper and Mark, with accompanying bluegrass music
3. Art and JJ
4. Brendon and Rachel
5. Vanessa and Ralph
6. Nary and Jamie -- non-Philimination leg! They're still in it and even stopped to watch elephants because they knew they were last.

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - April 8, 2012

I hope everyone is having a fine Passover, Easter or even just a fantastic spring Sunday! Since it is indeed Sunday, it's time for my weekly reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken. 

While the weather was technically very nice and even spring-like, it wasn't all that conducive for my photo taking jaunts. It's still darkish in the mornings when I leave for the train station, yet the winds every afternoon blow my targets around. I've had to put layers on for the early morning walk, then shed them in the afternoon. Yet it's been WINDY every day! Excuse me ... I'd like 55 degree mornings and 72 degree afternoons. Er, all summer even!

I plan on spending a quiet Easter at home with Vincent (my cat, for those not in the know). I don't have any local enough family to make a trip when I work into Saturday evening and I'm out heading to the train station by 6:15am Monday morning. I might make some boiled eggs, but won't color or hide them. The hiding isn't fun when you know where they are! The real joy in that is finding a hidden Easter egg in August.

I'm not even set on what I'll be eating today. Since I had a Peapod grocery delivery Friday evening, I'm WAY stocked up. I have a plethora of foodstuffs to choose from, but didn't really order anything special for the holiday. I do know that I'm going to make blueberry muffins this morning. Hmm ... they could be for dinner, too! 

Both the work front and the home front have been on the mundane side this week. Busy at work, but that's not unexpected. Not so busy at home, but that's been my choice. I have yet to hang some things back on my walls.  I'm thinking of storing away some of the stuff I've had up for years and framing some of my own photos. Then again, I might just nap.

At home, I've heard the tow truck prowling the lot nightly looking for prey. They had backed off, but now they're towing full force once again. I still think it's ridiculous to charge tenants $40 a month to park their cars here. Back when I had my car, it was free, then $10 a month. There's been some new tenants moving in and I don't think they realize they really do tow unauthorized vehicles. They will learn.

Onto the photos ... clicking on an image will open it larger in a fancy-schmancy gallery doohickey.

Azaleas about to bloom

These should be in full blossom next week. It's odd that there are red, white and pink azalea bushes and only the pink are at this stage. The white is next with itsy bitsy buds. Bridgewater, NJ

Probably more costly than the fine

I just don't understand people who pay a New York City taxi to take them to Plainfield. Once the taxi leaves the five boroughs, the rate goes even more sky-high than it already was. With the exception of fairly set trips like Newark Airport, the price is roughly doubled (due to driving back empty) plus tolls. Just the tolls alone cost nearly what the train or bus costs for the trip. Oh, well. As I said on my Facebook page, some people must have more money than brains.

In the early morning sunlight

The blossoms on this little tree will be passing soon. I'm happy I caught this shot not long after sunrise. Bridgewater, NJ

***HIT THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS!***