Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Survivor: Cambodia, Second Chance - November 25 Blog Party


I hope you all brought snacks and tasty beverages -- we're in for two hours tonight! As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! As always, the real party is in the comments area -- come join in on the fun!

Here's the latest blog pool update from the Lovable Lifeguard Laurie:

Abi-Maria Gomes - Nobody is stuck with her!
Ciera Eastin - chrob61, Jackie, Russ
Jeremy Collins - Brian, meb, Nickelpeed
Joe Anglim - Delee, Mother Guru, PDX Granny
Keith Nale - Tammy, gaylos, Margo
Kelley Wentworth - monty 924, Grandi, RENOthunder
Kimmi Kappenberg - Glenn, Nana in the NW, Rbennie
Spencer Bledsoe - Ellen vdW, Nancerella, Terry is a Texan
Stephen Fishbach - Brenda, Matt, Rochelle
Tasha Fox - Donna in AL, Jennamom, Stephanie in Baltimore

Out
Vytas Baskauskas
Shirin Oskooi - Cheryl in NC, Kelly D, Sharon C
Peih-Gee Law - Becky, David, Joanie,
Jeff Varner - Donna in FL, Linda in MA, SueGee
Monica Padilla - ChicMC, Kelsey, sanra
Terry Deitz - Anonymouse, Merrilee, ORKMommy
Woo Hwang - Ed in Ohio, LafayetteLisanne, Laurie
Kass McQuillen - Donna NY, Marlo, Petals
Andrew Savage - Jennasmom, JoyzJenn, Silk
Kelly Wiglesworth - ML, Sharon N, Indiana Jane

Survivor fans ready?

After the recap, Jeremy tries to make good with Tasha for not including her on the voting block plan to oust Wiglesworth. She accepts his explanation, but will be on guard from now on. They try to convince Joe the move was for the best. Yeah, he'll buy that, right?

It's raining again and they're miserable. Ciera is feeling better about her game, but is bothered by the rain. Keith is taking the elements a lot better. He's thinking of the million. 

Reward - Two teams of five, taken away from the weather, roof overhead, food, blankets, Cambodian service. It's a water-based basketball game.

Joe, Tasha, Cierra, Spencer and Abi win Reward. It was rough! At Reward, Cierra proposes blindsiding Stephen. Back at camp, the others are talking about taking Joe out. Meanwhile, Stephen thinks he's in a pretty good secure spot right now.

But then Stephen gets sick and even cries to us. 

And the rain poured on. 

Immunity Challenge time! They each have to take a black rock and a white rock. Balance on one foot on a small block while balancing a ball on a piece of wood. The rain has stopped. Jeff makes a proposal -- construction crew will build the shelter, roof and fire ... but five people must give up their chance of immunity in this challenge. Will be determined by rocks. White giving up. All willing to give up except Joe and Keith! The challenge will be those two only. The shelter will be improved as all they needed was five to get the work done.

Joe wins once again! 

Stephen is excited about the new shelter. He also is thinking of trying to put the target on Ciera. No surprise there. She's working to get rid of him, too.

The new shelter came with food, too.  

They're a bit worried about Stephen's advantage he won last episode. Tasha is thinking that Ciera should go. Spencer, Tasha, Joe and Jeremy pretty much decide it should be Ciera. But Joe is a bit reluctant -- he'd rather Stephen go. So does Spencer.

Tribal Council time. 

The tally:
Before Jeff starts, he asks if anyone has a hidden idol to play. We hear, "Hey, Jeff" and then into commercial. It was a male voice. We know Jeremy has two idols, but really has no need to play either for himself. It could have been Stephen with his advantage (take a vote away from someone).

Whoa, Jeremy uses an idol to save Stephen! 

Fishbach, Fishbach, Fishbach, Fishbach, Fishbach, Ciera, Ciera, Kimmi, Kimmi, Ciera.

Since the votes for Stephen Fishbach didn't count, my blog pool person Ciera gets the the boot.  

Stephen is wondering who all turned on him and kicking himself for not realizing it was going on. Plus, his feet are all hugely swollen and bit/cut up. He's overwhelmed.

Reward has them getting Cambodian history questions, answering them correctly and receiving medallions. The winner gets a chopper ride and feast. Heh. Abi got one wrong because Fishbach fooled her. Spencer led for most of it, but Fishbach won by a few seconds. He first chooses Tasha to go with him, then Jeremy as a second person. 

Kelley found an idol clue during Reward. It leads her to the shelter itself. 

Knowing that Tasha put his name down last time, Stephen decided to build trust and tells Tasha and Jeremy that his advantage is to steal a vote during Tribal. 

Back at camp, they're talking Fishbach (Stephen) again. Abi proposes that she should be allowed to win the next Immunity. Ha.  

They decide it has to be either Stephen or Tasha going. Kelley sees her chance to search for the idol with only Abi left in camp. She gets it and recovers just in time as the others return to camp from their various distractions.

Immunity Challenge -- Only using their feet, they use a rope to drop blocks in a basket, then stack the blocks. Fishbach has problems because of his "prehistoric" feet.

SPENCER wins Immunity ... the first person other than Joe since individual immunity. Uh-oh. Joe be in trouble. But we know Spencer is leery of Jeremy, Tasha and Fishbach now. Hmm.

The consensus seems to be Joe. But Kelley has a plan to blindside Stephen.  Abi is creating all kinds of drama. She was initially in on the blindside Stephen plan but now wants to vote Joe.  Stephen tells Jeremy and Spencer that he will use his advantage to steal Abi's vote and make sure Joe goes.

Tribal Council -- Stephen uses his advantage. He's stealing Joe's vote and using it for himself.  Stephen's vote is for Abi and he has Joe voting for Joe.

The tally:
Joe, Abi, Fishbach, Joe, Abi, Abi, Fishbach, Fishbach, Fishbach.

Stephen Fishbach got his blindside! He's outta there! 

Next week is the loved ones episode and a hint at a serious medical emergency. 

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 22, 2015

Good morning! Since it's indeed Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're a television fan, please make sure to stop by on Wednesday and Friday evenings for the blog's Survivor and The Amazing Race live blogging parties!

Let's see ... what of any consequence happened last week? Hmm. Not really a heck of a lot. I worked (of course). I didn't go to any Broadway shows, nor did I win millions of dollars. I just worked, ate, slept, turned to computer and television diversions, read and such. You know, the normal, albeit boring, things of life.

Here's the Reader's Digest condensed version of the week:
  • We had good weather and we had bad weather. Thankfully, the bad weather was rain, not snow. It's trying to turn a bit more seasonable with the temperatures here, but we've had a warmer November than many.
  • I'm not complaining.
  • The biggest event of my week had to do with the NJ Transit replacement of the Park Avenue railroad bridge in Plainfield. That's actually still in progress as I write this up for you.
  • Due to the shutdown of the trains between Westfield and Dunellen, that bus shuttle thing was going on again this week. I was 45 minutes early to work and left work a half-hour early only to finally get home at about the same time I would have if I had left on time.
  • But I couldn't leave on time because the trains heading that way were running a half-hour early to make time for the busing. That should make the Westfield east to Newark/NYC trains run on time ... theoretically.
  • This time the trains were more screwed up than the shuttle buses! My train into work, once on the far side of the shutdown, kept stopping and/or slowing to almost a halt and creeping. My train back sat in the Bound Brook station for almost fifteen minutes, making me miss the (real) bus I had intended to take home from Dunellen instead of the shuttle.
  • Once again, I knew this whole bridge replacement/train shutdown was going to happen, but the general population was clueless. A woman stuck in Bound Brook was worried she'd miss her Greyhound bus at Newark Penn. I estimated she'd miss it, but didn't really share that with her. After all, it's not like I could help her. I was just sympathetic towards her and explained how she'd get back on the train in Westfield. 
  • She had been late onto the train as it sat in Bound Brook anyway. Had the trains been running regular and on time, she had given herself about five minutes to get to her bus. That ain't gonna cut it no matter what. She had luggage with her and everything. 
  • Why don't people plan better? If I'm traveling, I make sure to be very early for any connections. I'd rather have to wait for a half-hour than to be a minute late and miss a connection. Kind of like NY Penn Station, Newark Penn has restaurants, coffee places and such where you can waste some time waiting for a connection.
  • Some probably wait there for a totally different kind of connection, but we won't go there.
  • Heck, I always try to be ten minutes early for my own daily commute trains!
  • When people called NJ Transit, just like the situation three weeks back with the other bridge, they were told there were no alerts. But the information was on the website. This whole thing hasn't been handled right by NJ Transit. Once again, I saw NJ Transit people directing folks in Dunellen, but not a soul at the Plainfield Train Station (which is a busier station overall).
  • Gah. Frustrating!
  • It's supposed to be over by the time I go to work tomorrow.
  • Yay.
Onto the photos of the week! Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version.

Apt ad placement

What could be better than advertising Jersey Boys (Broadway show) on an NJ Transit train? That's our new Watchung Avenue bridge in Plainfield. They have yet to place the end-pieces, kind of like bookends, on it. The train is a morning one heading towards Newark/New York City. I'm surprised to see they've changed it to a single level train for that run this week. We've been double-deckers for a number of years now.

Who could it be now?

Men at work. (Get it? The rock group and song from the 80s?) With all these NJ Transit bridge workers, not one woman is on the crew. Hmm. I also have noted that hardhats have gone from simply functional to a fashion accessory with many of the guys.

No yolk about it!

Actually, more yolks than normal. As I was cooking up breakfast one day early in the week, one of the eggs had a double yolk. I haven't seen one of those since my childhood days when we bought eggs fresh from a farm. Out of curiosity, I looked it up on the internet to find that commercial eggs are usually "candled" (lighting up the egg through the shell) to remove any eggs with abnormalities. That would include double yolks. Any such eggs are usually discarded. This particular egg came from Eggland's Best Eggs. It's an "abnormality" I don't mind at all although I wonder what would happen if I used it in baking.

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

Friday, November 20, 2015

The Amazing Race 27: November 20 Episode Blog Party


Hi, everybody! As the show airs here tonight, I'll be updating this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Come join in on the fun!

Last week was a non-Philimination (with Josh and Tanner last, facing a Speed Bump tonight), so The Marvelous Margo's blog pool remains like so:

Denise and James Earl #TeamAlabama - Becky, Ginniejulie, ORKMommy, Willie J
Justin and Diana #TheGreenTeam - Chauncey, Cherry Pie, Monty924, Nickelpeed
Kelsey and Joey #TheReporters - beachmom, ChicMc, David, Grandi in MD,
Logan and Chris #ThePaparazzi - Delee, PDX Granny, Rbennie, SueGee
Tanner and Josh #TeamTexas - Buzzmaam, chrob61, meb, ML
Tiffany and Krista #TheCheerleaders - Brenda, Brian, Cheryl in NC, Ed in OH, Nana in NW

Philiminated
TMZ girls (not in pool)
Adam and Alex #TheCousins -Anonymouse, DKNYNC, Jackie, Kelsey, Sharon C
Ernest and Jin #TheDancers - Glenn, Marlo, Nancerella, Russ
Jazmine and Danielle #TheTrackStars - Joanie, LafayetteLisanne, Margo, Merrilee
Cindy and Rick #ChacAttack - Donna in AL, Donna in FL, Jennasmom, Sharon N

Ready? Let's GO! 

Teams are flying to New Delhi, India. They'll travel to the home of the Taj Mahal once there. U-Turn ahead. They're bunching at the airport.

Logan/Chris rat out the fact the girls U-Turned the Green Team. Then they lie once Justin asked the girls and said they didn't. The girls lied, too. They told Justin they didn't U-Turn Justin/Diana. 

Roadblock - Who's ready for laundry day? Wheel a bicycle full of dirty saris, wash them in the river and lay them out to dry. Josh and Tanner each have to do it as part of the Speed Bump. Kelsey and Joey finish first, then Justin and Diana.

Detour - Cans -- Load 120 oil cans and deliver or Candy -- make and deliver 90 pounds of candy. 

Logan and Chris are arguing. What a shock and surprise!

Tanner and Josh finally finish their double round at the Roadblock. 

Uh-oh. Justin and Diana are lost and they are/were in first place coming out of the Detour. Due to their team strength (and a bit of Justin's smugness), they're a target for other teams to U-Turn if they don't get through the U-Turn first. 

Ah, they make it to the U-Turn first and don't U-Turn any other teams. They're on the way to Moonlight Gardens to find Phil. Kelsey and Joey U-Turn Josh and Tanner thinking they'll make their own game a bit safer. 

Pit Stop:
1. Justin and Diana - Won a trip to Honolulu
2. Kelsey and Joey
3. Logan and Chris (boo) 
4. Tiffany and Krista

James Earl and Denise seem to be lost heading to the Pit Stop. Will the Texans be able to complete the second part of the Detour and catch up?  

5. James Earl and Denise -- they made it! 
6. Tanner and Josh -- Philiminated. 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Survivor: Cambodia, Second Chance - November 18 Blog Party


I hope you all brought snacks and tasty beverages! As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! As always, the real party is in the comments area -- come join in on the fun!

Here's the latest post-merge blog pool update from the Lovable Lifeguard Laurie:

Abi-Maria Gomes - Nobody is stuck with her!
Ciera Eastin - chrob61, Jackie, Russ
Jeremy Collins - Brian, meb, Nickelpeed
Joe Anglim - Delee, Mother Guru, PDX Granny
Keith Nale - Tammy, gaylos, Margo
Kelley Wentworth - monty 924, Grandi, RENOthunder
Kelly Wiglesworth - ML, Sharon N, Indiana Jane
Kimmi Kappenberg - Glenn, Nana in the NW, Rbennie
Spencer Bledsoe - Ellen vdW, Nancerella, Terry is a Texan
Stephen Fishbach - Brenda, Matt, Rochelle
Tasha Fox - Donna in AL, Jennamom, Stephanie in Baltimore

Out
Vytas Baskauskas
Shirin Oskooi - Cheryl in NC, Kelly D, Sharon C
Peih-Gee Law - Becky, David, Joanie,
Jeff Varner - Donna in FL, Linda in MA, SueGee
Monica Padilla - ChicMC, Kelsey, sanra
Terry Deitz - Anonymouse, Merrilee, ORKMommy
Woo Hwang - Ed in Ohio, LafayetteLisanne, Laurie
Kass McQuillen - Donna NY, Marlo, Petals
Andrew Savage - Jennasmom, JoyzJenn, Silk

Survivor fans ready?

Kelley is super happy with her success in playing the idol at the right time. Her tribemates are congratulating her, but they're thinking quite differently. Fishbach likens them (Kelley, Ciera and Abi) to the Three Witches. Now everyone is on an idol search. Joe is still a big target despite the threat of witches. Kelley wants a big move made at the next tribal. She should probably hope her wish doesn't come back to bite her.

The Reward Challenge is very physical. They're divided into two teams vying for a Survivor Spa visit. They're building, climbing, going through mazes and obstacles, doing puzzles and more. It's a schoolyard pick with one person not participating. Abi was not selected. Poor Abi. The challenge was first played out in Brains, Brawn and Beauty -- thus, Spencer and Tasha have done this before..

Spencer, Tasha, Joe, Fishbach and Ciera win reward.

During Reward, Ciera tries to get them thinking Jeremy or Wiglesworth as targets. Back at camp, Jeremy finds a clue to a second idol to ensure his personal safety. And now he indeed has two idols.

I keep wondering what will happen if Fishbach, the unofficial narrator for the season, goes. Hmm.

Joe, Jeremy and Wiglesworth are targets as well as the Three Witches. Fishbach doesn't seem to be on the radar, nor is Keith.

Immunity has them balancing on triangular platforms in the water. Last one remaining upright wins. Jeff is offering a chance to earn an advantage and gets buoys in place. First one getting buoy wins the advantage. Fishbach wins. Spencer and Fishbach were the only two to go for it.

Back at the challenge, they've moved to the top of the triangular platforms. Quickly only four remain -- Joe, Abi, Wiglesworth and Keith. Keith is down. One foot will be next. Wiglesworth out. It's down to Joe and Abi. Abi out. Joe wins his third individual immunity and is the only winner of immunity since the merge.

The Group of Eight wants to split the votes between the Three Witches. It sounds like Kelley Wentworth is the actual target.

Fishbach's advantage is that he gets to "steal" another person's vote and vote his own vote in place of it. He tells us he doesn't need to use it tonight. He tells Wentworth that Wiglesworth is the target to shake the game up a bit. He also tries to get Jeremy and Spencer on the Get Wiglesworth Out Plan. I guess we'll see how this plays out.

It's time for Tribal Council. It's storming and they're freezing. Lots of talk of the voting block strategy which was Fishbach's brainstorming.

The tally:
Cierra, Wentworth, Wiglesworth, Ciera, Wentworth, Wiglesworth, Ciera, Wiglesworth, Wiglesworth, Wiglesworth.

It worked. Kelly Wiglesworth is gone.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 15, 2015

Good morning! Yes, I slept in once again. But it felt so darn good! Anyway, since it is Sunday morning (albeit a bit late), it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. Keep in mind, if you want television posts, I guarantee that I will have posts for both Survivor and Amazing Race as they air in the upcoming week!

My past week wasn't exactly a thrill a minute. I worked. I slept. I ate. I paid attention to Vincent, the cat. There was a big SNAFU with my Peapod grocery delivery this week, the likes of which I've never seen before. Nor do I ever want to see again! Only about a fifth of my order was delivered and I had to have a second evening delivery the next day. That delivery arrived late and things which were in stock for my real delivery were suddenly out of stock for the re-delivery. Grr.

The Plainfield Public Library Photo Competition exhibit and awards ceremony was held yesterday. I really didn't think I'd win anything this year when I submitted my photos. It wasn't a great theme for me. The theme was about Plainfield working, taking care of business, et al. I think the best photos of that sort of thing that I've taken, I've already submitted in past years.

That said, I was surprised to win third place. Yay!

So, now I have another paper check in hand. Oh gee ... I'll have to go to either Trader Joe's in Westfield or Park Beverages (for my favorite microbrew beer) in Scotch Plains as Plainfield itself has no branch of my bank. I love having an excuse to go to either of those places!

In weather, we had rain for the entire beginning of the week. Then it turned chilly with wind. I bought a new winter jacket last week, so I'm warm and comfy. I also wanted just a knit hat, beanie-type, to go under the hood of the jacket. My gosh ... look in women's at places and they all go nearly $20. I bought one for $3.99 in the mens department of Target. I'm not looking for fashion -- I just want warmth under the hood of the jacket. Sheesh.

Without further ado, it's onto the photos for the week. Click on an image and it will open in a larger form ...

Autumn's beauty

Once overnight freezes are commonplace, these flowers will be gone.

Crane at work

At least I had some entertainment this week as I waited for the train to work. One day the men would be cutting holes in the sides of the old (removed) railroad bridge for the crane to hook into. The next day they'd be cutting the bridge into sections so the sections could be loaded on flatbeds by the crane. Hey, I didn't say it was great entertainment! This coming weekend they're taking down the bridge on the other side of the Plainfield Train Station -- the Park Avenue Bridge. Then the process will be repeated once again.

I see dead people

The saga continues. Raritan Valley Line on NJ Transit. 

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

Friday, November 13, 2015

The Amazing Race 27: November 13 Episode Blog Party


Hi, everybody! As the show airs here tonight, I'll be updating this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Come join in on the fun!

Here's the latest blog pool update as per The Marvelous Margo:

Denise and James Earl #TeamAlabama - Becky, Ginniejulie, ORKMommy, Willie J
Justin and Diana #TheGreenTeam - Chauncey, Cherry Pie, Monty924, Nickelpeed
Kelsey and Joey #TheReporters - beachmom, ChicMc, David, Grandi in MD,
Logan and Chris #ThePaparazzi - Delee, PDX Granny, Rbennie, SueGee
Tanner and Josh #TeamTexas - Buzzmaam, chrob61, meb, ML
Tiffany and Krista #TheCheerleaders - Brenda, Brian, Cheryl in NC, Ed in OH, Nana in NW

Philiminated
TMZ girls (not in pool)
Adam and Alex #TheCousins -Anonymouse, DKNYNC, Jackie, Kelsey, Sharon C
Ernest and Jin #TheDancers - Glenn, Marlo, Nancerella, Russ
Jazmine and Danielle #TheTrackStars - Joanie, LafayetteLisanne, Margo, Merrilee
Cindy and Rick #ChacAttack - Donna in AL, Donna in FL, Jennasmom, Sharon N

Ready? Let's GO! 

Teams are flying to Krakow, Poland. They have a Travelocity product placement in buying their tickets. I prefer the gnome. 

Detour: Mine has them pushing salt in mines and pick up wood beams for fortifying mine walls. Music has them accompanying street musicians, then busking. 

Justin and Diana remain in the lead. They finished the mine task and are on their way to the next clue. They go through the Schindler Museum and reflect on the Jewish people killed in Poland under Nazi occupation.

Roadblock: Who can handle a big order? They have to prepare a tray from a list (written in Polish) and deliver it. 

Uh-oh. Team Texas is lost trying to get to the Detour. They make quick work of it.

Justin got the order right first time.

Pit Stop:
1. Justin and Diana -- Also won a trip to China. U-Turn ahead.
2. Kelsey and Joey
3. James Earl and Denise 

All of the teams have checked with someone else on the dishes. The girls are lost. She didn't even ask. Finally she checks with someone. Meanwhile, Chris is doing poorly. The Texans just finished the Schindler tour. Okay, they're there again. Josh is working with Tiffany. Whoops! Chris got it and now either the girls or the guys will be last.

4. Chris and Logan

Josh lets Tiffany go first with the platter of food.

5. Tiffany and Krista
6. Josh and Tanner

NON-Philimination! The boys are safe. Speed Bump for them ahead.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Survivor: Cambodia, Second Chance - November 11 Blog Party


I hope you all brought snacks and tasty beverages! As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! As always, the real party is in the comments area -- come join in on the fun!

Here's the latest post-merge blog pool update from the Lovable Lifeguard Laurie:

Abi-Maria Gomes - Nobody is stuck with her!
Andrew Savage - Jennasmom, JoyzJenn, Silk
Ciera Eastin - chrob61, Jackie, Russ
Jeremy Collins - Brian, meb, Nickelpeed
Joe Anglim - Delee, Mother Guru, PDX Granny
Keith Nale - Tammy, gaylos, Margo
Kelley Wentworth - monty 924, Grandi, RENOthunder
Kelly Wiglesworth - ML, Sharon N, Indiana Jane
Kimmi Kappenberg - Glenn, Nana in the NW, Rbennie
Spencer Bledsoe - Ellen vdW, Nancerella, Terry is a Texan
Stephen Fishbach - Brenda, Matt, Rochelle
Tasha Fox - Donna in AL, Jennamom, Stephanie in Baltimore

Out
Vytas Baskauskas
Shirin Oskooi - Cheryl in NC, Kelly D, Sharon C
Peih-Gee Law - Becky, David, Joanie,
Jeff Varner - Donna in FL, Linda in MA, SueGee
Monica Padilla - ChicMC, Kelsey, sanra
Terry Deitz - Anonymouse, Merrilee, ORKMommy
Woo Hwang - Ed in Ohio, LafayetteLisanne, Laurie
Kass McQuillen - Donna NY, Marlo, Petals

Survivor fans ready?

Andrew is thrilled to have lasted until jury. He schemes with Jeremy to get out Ciera and Wentworth. Meanwhile, Ciera wants to convince Fishbach that it's time to make a big move -- get Joe out.

It's Rewards Challenge time! Two teams of six, paddle out to retrieve crates, stack them so no repeating colors on any side. Winning team goes to Survivor Cafe for sweet goodies. It's a schoolyard pick.

Tasha, Jeremy, Spencer, Fishbach, Abi, Andrew on one team, the rest on the other.

Keith, Ciera, Wiglesworth, Wentworth, Joe and Kimmi win. At the cafe, Ciera works the crowd. Keith decides to drive one of the tuck-tucks that delivered them around the beach and all have a grand ol' time. Meanwhile, Fishbach is all worried because he fears Joe is bonding with his alliance. He goes to his fellow stuck on the beach mates and convinces them that it's time to blindside Joe. Or, tries to convince them, that is. Andrew is very NOT convinced and this could backfire on Fishbach.

Immunity Challenge time! Balance a ball on a disk attached to a rope. At intervals, they have to move their hands to a different location on the rope. Keith and Jeremy did this in their season -- Jeremy was first out, Keith won.

Wentworth out, Ciera out. Wiglesworth out, Jeremy out. Abi out. Fishbach out, Savage out. Second round starts -- Kimmi out, Tasha out. Spencer out. After thirty minutes, Keith and Joe get a second ball on the disk.

Joe wins Immunity once again!

Joe, knowing that Fishbach was trying to get him out, gets the three bottom tier girls in on a plan to blindside Fishbach. Andrew tells his bunch and Jeremy isn't keen on getting out Fishbach.

If Savage doesn't watch it, he's going to get himself blindsided, I think! Nope, he backs down to Jeremy and it looks like Wentworth and Ciera are once again targets.

Tribal Council. Time for Jeff to instigate! Ciera calls out some for running the show -- Jeremy, Savage, Joe, Fishbach and Tasha.

The tally:
Whoa! Wentworth plays her idol!
Wentworth, Wentworth, Wentworth, Wentworth, Wentworth, Wentworth, Wentworth, Wentworth, Wentworth, Savage, Savage.

Savage is SO blindsided!

Sunday, November 08, 2015

Misery on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre - A Review

The Broadhurst Theatre

Yes, I know that this blog is about television shows with a weekly photo post thrown in. But, as they say, "The Show Must Go On." I believe that saying has its origins in the theater. Today I'm reviewing Misery on Broadway with Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf in the lead roles as I attended the play on Saturday, November 7.

Spoilers be ahead -- you've been warned!

There are several reasons I was compelled to go see this when I really don't go to hardly any Broadway shows:
  • I'm Stephen King's true Number 1 fan. Er, well. Okay. I'm just a huge fan of his work. I'm not a stalker. Really. I'm not.
  • I like both Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf. I've enjoyed Bruce since his Moonlighting days and Laurie since she played Rosanne's sister, Jackie, on Rosanne.
  • I found the book Misery to be one of my favorites -- I prefer The Stand, but that's a whole 'nuther story.
  • The movie Misery was mesmerizing. I have it on DVD and now feel the need to re-watch it.
So, I decided I must go see Misery the Musical. Oh, wait. It ain't that. It's Misery on Broadway!

Another thing it isn't is Misery, the Hollywood movie. Nor is it Misery, the Stephen King novel.

I'm not saying that's such a bad thing. However, the play takes a much different approach than either the book or movie. It was a bit unsettling at first to be amused and giggling during the show. But then it seemed like a great adaptation to me -- making the show a dark comedy with moments of terror thrown in.

Before getting into the meat of this review, I should mention the stage set. It was a revolving affair. There were three sets altogether -- a wintry outdoor front porch set, a bedroom (where most of the action took place) set and a kitchen with hints of a staircase and another room set. Music, most often suspenseful, played as the scenes almost seamlessly rotated through the show. The lighting job was also superb with car headlights shining in the windows, thunderstorms and such.

The show is still in previews at the present time as they perfect things. With the exception of one incident when the curtain came down and they announced technical difficulties, it seemed quite perfected to me. That only lasted shut down for just a minute or two. But it was just before the hobbling scene and built the suspense for it as the audience knew what was coming! It wasn't an issue with the revolving stage set(s) as it was in the bedroom set. They picked it back up repeating the last few lines and action, going on from there.

Like Kathy Bates, who won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Annie Wilkes, stole the show from James Caan ... as does Laurie Metcalf steal it from Bruce Willis. Oh, she does it in a much different manner, mind you. She's outright hilarious at times in the role of Annie! I call it a brilliant performance and think she made the show entertaining, often funny and sometimes jump in your seat scary. Kudos to Laurie Metcalf!

Then there's Bruce Willis in the role of Paul Sheldon. Hmm. Well, he looks much different from the Bruce Willis we all know. His shaved bald head is now sporting gray straggly hair around the ears and back of the head and he has a scruffy beard. Of course, the beard fits in with the held captive bit. I've heard some negative things such as he used an earpiece to tell him his lines and he's flubbed lines. I didn't see an earpiece. I do think he may have flubbed a line or two, but recovered decently. The role of Paul Sheldon hasn't the lines to reign supreme like Annie Wilkes. I think he did okay with the role. He was funny at times, screamed well at other times.

A third actor, Leon Addison Brown, played the minor role of the sheriff. He did well, but we didn't see him a heck of a lot. He died quite expertly.

Overall, despite the humor in the show, the terror moments made the audience gasp and squirm. Once, Annie Wilkes smashed a manuscript down on Paul Sheldon's broken legs. I didn't expect that and actually jumped a bit in my seat. I think I felt the pain! The hobbling was done with perfection (after their "technical difficulties" show stop mentioned above). I don't really know how they did it. Yikes! When Annie shot the sheriff (but she didn't kill the deputy), people actually screamed with surprise. And, when Paul fought back against Annie, it was horrifying! Well played, well played.

The performance I saw received a standing ovation. So, I wasn't the only one really enjoying it!


A few notes on the Broadhurst Theatre:
  • My seat was in the first row center of the mezzanine. I had a great view and was close enough to see details on stage, facial expressions and such. I hear the latter part of the orchestra section has the top of the stage obscured by the low-hanging mezzanine. Sucks to be them, huh?
  • The theatre is NOT accessible as far as I could tell. There is no elevator. Going up to the mezzanine, I had to climb a gazillion steps. Bless handrails. Even the orchestra seating seemed to be at such an incline that trying to get a decent view seated in a wheelchair might be impossible.
  • The legroom, or lack thereof, actually beat the Astor Place Theatre where I saw the Blue Man Group. I'm talking about the LACK of legroom. It wins the prize! While the seats themselves were comfy and spacious enough, my knees and feet were actually touching the mezzanine wall while I was sitting upright with good posture. Halfway through the show, I ended up shifting a bit sideways. I've had a DVT already. I don't want another.
  • There was no intermission during the (over) 90 minute show, but there was a bar set up both upstairs and downstairs. Since they don't want you to take drinks to your seats, I guess people have to chug their wine. I didn't get a beverage.
  • When I picked up my tickets at the box office in the morning for the 2pm matinee, I asked the agent/clerk/whatever when it would be best to return for the show. He said ten minutes before two. Hmm.
  • I returned a half-hour before the show to find a line stretching almost to the corner of the block, thus confusing Matilda attendees. 
  • While I ended up getting in line near the nearby Shubert Theatre (Matilda is there), it was only due to a fluke because a car wanted to cut through the line to get into the parking garage and there was no room for anyone to really move. It almost broke into fisticuffs between a woman theater-goer and the driver while an NYPD cop watched from the street. Nonetheless, I got stuck and ended up talking to the people around me, then just moved forward with them.
  • Because they too were told to arrive ten minutes before the show and the line was so long (all ticket holding folks), the theatre filled up late and the show started late.
  • One man in line was telling people we were in line for Obama, the Musical. They believed him. He and I discussed various possibilities for the show.
  • The theatre staff was pleasant enough.
  • Even considering its late start, the show did run overtime. Maybe that's one thing they need to work on while it's in previews. It's supposed to last 90 minutes. It ended up running about ten to fifteen minutes over that. I didn't really care about that.
A final note:
I'm not a Broadway show reviewer, nor do I even play one on television. I personally would go again to see this show if it were in my budget. Laurie Metcalf rulz!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 8, 2015

I'm SO late with this week's off television topic reflection of the past week in both words and photos I've taken along the way! But, I did way too much walking around (and standing around) yesterday. I overslept and I'm a bit on the lame side today. Okay, I know some people consider me usually lame ... but I mean physically! Sheesh!

I took so many photos yesterday when I went to see 'Misery on Broadway' with Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf that I'll have to post some Plainfield area photos and some of the NYC ones next week, too.

Here's the week in rough --
  • Four day work week as I requested Saturday as a vacation day to go see the show. Yay!
  • I also have a four day work week next week as I've requested Saturday as a personal day for the Plainfield Public Library Photo Competition. I have my doubts about winning first place again as the theme wasn't a great one for me.
  • I left early yesterday to go into Manhattan. I had to pick up my tickets at the box office before the 2pm matinee show. I got to town around 10am, got my ticket, ate a late breakfast and roamed around Times Square until about 1:30.
  • I will post a full review of the show and theatre later tonight.
  • It's very weird, but three of the people I talked to during the day were from Los Angeles. One was a 20-something woman who put a cling on a pole I was leaning against in Times Square. I looked to see what it read and she said, "I'm taking it down. I just need to get a photo of it with Times Square in the background." I didn't care if she left it there. It turned out that her fiance had designed the cling, was killed in an automobile accident and they had dreamed of coming to Times Square together. Aww. She and I talked for about fifteen minutes. Sad story, very nice young woman.
  • The other two were a lesbian couple outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Fun people! We mocked some of the people passing by and counter-intimidated a surly bum who approached us for money. We talked East Coast vs. West Coast and really had a pleasant conversation as we stayed out of the lane of pedestrians by standing up against the building.
  • The show ended late (started late, too) and I ended up taking the 6pm bus home. Oh. The 6pm bus was late, too.
  • While I had a seat alone heading into the city, I shared a seat with a young man from the Ukraine here to go to college. He was interesting. He's been in the USA for only two months and didn't know any English before he came here. While he has to hesitate at times, his English is much better than many!
Onto the gazillion photos for this week. Clicking on an image will bring it up in a larger window.

West 44th Street

Although it's technically NOT Broadway, this block is the home of many Broadway shows. The expensive Sardi's restaurant is across the street from the Broadhurst Theatre where I saw 'Misery on Broadway' but that was way out of my budget. I ate a late breakfast at the Evergreen Restaurant over on West 47th Street and a not really lunch at Ben and Jerry's which is past the bowling alley in this photo. I ate dinner at home.

SO cool ghost sign!

They're doing construction on West 47th Street and this is now exposed -- a ghost sign for the Hotel Longacre, Rooms $1.00 a day, Rooms with bath $1.50. Lunch is 40 cents, dinner is 65 cents and, I assume, the "Club Breakfast" comes with the room. I wonder how many years back it dates.

Who wants lunch?

A sign I saw in the window of Pete's Fish Market on East Second Street in Plainfield this week.

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Friday, November 06, 2015

The Amazing Race 27: November 6 Episode Blog Party


Hi, everybody! As the show airs here tonight, I'll be updating this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. Come join in on the fun!

Keep in mind that last week was another "to be continued" leg, but here's the latest blog pool update as per The Marvelous Margo:

Cindy and Rick #ChacAttack - Donna in AL, Donna in FL, Jennasmom, Sharon N
Denise and James Earl #TeamAlabama - Becky, Ginniejulie, ORKMommy, Willie J
Justin and Diana #TheGreenTeam - Chauncey, Cherry Pie, Monty924, Nickelpeed
Kelsey and Joey #TheReporters - beachmom, ChicMc, David, Grandi in MD,
Logan and Chris #ThePaparazzi - Delee, PDX Granny, Rbennie, SueGee
Tanner and Josh #TeamTexas - Buzzmaam, chrob61, meb, ML
Tiffany and Krista #TheCheerleaders - Brenda, Brian, Cheryl in NC, Ed in OH, Nana in NW

Philiminated
TMZ girls (not in pool)
Adam and Alex #TheCousins -Anonymouse, DKNYNC, Jackie, Kelsey, Sharon C
Ernest and Jin #TheDancers - Glenn, Marlo, Nancerella, Russ
Jazmine and Danielle #TheTrackStars - Joanie, LafayetteLisanne, Margo, Merrilee

Ready? Let's GO! 

The teams are on the way to Rotterdam (Amsterdam?) and Phil told them to keep their Fitbit tallies handy. James Earl and Denise are still stuck at the rapping detour. Finally, they got through! 

All the teams were booked for the same train, but a few teams snagged earlier trips. Once at their destination, they have a bunching point. Justin and Diana did get there first, not that it mattered. The bunching has them entering in groups fifteen minutes apart. At least Josh and Tanner explored Paris. Uh-oh, ChacAttack found out that Rotterdam is NOT Amsterdam.

The clue they get hints they should walk -- "every step counts." Justin and Diana are arguing about taking a taxi or not. Other teams are taking taxis to the water taxi they're supposed to board.

Roadblock amongst windmills -- "Who wants to pick sunflowers?" They have to find a Van Gogh sunflowers painting and match it up with one in a windmill.

Joey and Kelsey have it first. The Fitbit comes to play. They have to take their highest heartrate from the last leg and pick the difference between what it reads doing this in tulips. 

From the Roadblock, it's on to a distillery via water taxi. Justin and Diana have fallen way back, as have Josh and Tanner. 

Detour -- Ship or Skip -- Ship has them on a simulated mission in a ship, skip has the Double Dutch jump roping. Tiffany and Krista nailed the jump roping and are headed to the Pit Stop. Justin and Diana (redeemed their time) are heading there from Ship.

Pit Stop:
1. Justin and Diana - They tell Phil their amount of steps 31,000+ will be turned into dollars. They also get a massage. 
2. Kelsey and Joey
3. Krista and Tiffany
4. Josh and Tanner
5. Logan and Chris 

ChacAttack took the wrong tram. 

6. Denise and James Earl 
7. Cindy and Rick -- Philiminated

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Survivor: Cambodia, Second Chance - Blog Party November 4


I hope you all brought snacks and tasty beverages! As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! As always, the real party is in the comments area -- come join in on the fun!

The merge is on tonight! This should be very interesting indeed. Here's the latest blog pool standings from that lovable Lifeguard Laurie:

Bayon
Jeremy Collins - Brian, meb, Nickelpeed
Kelley Wentworth - monty 924, Grandi, RENOthunder
Joe Anglim - Delee, Mother Guru, PDX Granny
Stephen Fishbach - Brenda, Matt, Rochelle
Kimmi Kappenberg - Glenn, Nana in the NW, Rbennie
Keith Nale - Tammy, gaylos, Margo
Tasha Fox - Donna in AL, Jennamom, Stephanie in Baltimore

Takeo
Andrew Savage - Jennasmom, JoyzJenn, Silk
Spencer Bledsoe - Ellen vdW, Nancerella, Terry is a Texan
Kass McQuillen - Donna NY, Marlo, Petals
Abi-Maria Gomes - Nobody is stuck with her!
Ciera Eastin - chrob61, Jackie, Russ
Kelly Wiglesworth - ML, Sharon N, Indiana Jane

Out
Vytas Baskauskas
Shirin Oskooi - Cheryl in NC, Kelly D, Sharon C
Peih-Gee Law - Becky, David, Joanie,
Jeff Varner - Donna in FL, Linda in MA, SueGee
Monica Padilla - ChicMC, Kelsey, sanra
Terry Deitz - Anonymouse, Merrilee, ORKMommy
Woo Hwang - Ed in Ohio, LafayetteLisanne, Laurie

Survivor fans ready?

Savage is feeling betrayed by his tribe's blindside of his boot Spencer plan. He's trying to figure out how to get in with them until the merge. Spencer has come to the realization that he needs to rely on Kass. Oh my.

They get tree mail which tells them they'll meet with visitors. Meanwhile, Takeo's mail has them gathering up their belongings and heading to their new home. Both tribes are thinking merge.

It is indeed the merge even though there's a lot of people -- 13 -- left in the game at this point. They get to feast.

Savage warns Jeremy to watch out for the ones who turned on him. Kass is thinking she now can work with Spencer since saving him. They're all wheeling and dealing trying to build alliances. Savage works on getting Joe onboard. But Joe, though he likes Savage, might have his own plans. More scheming and alliance planning. Tasha tells us she will not allow Kass to ruin her game again. Meanwhile, Kass had been sincere about working with her and now is dead set against her.

Now chaos ensues. Seeds are planted. But, so far this episode is mostly talk. Finally, it's the the Immunity Challenge. Good. Standing on a narrow beam balancing a ball on a little platform. At intervals, to a narrower section of beam and they have to move their hand down farther on the pole with the ball.

Fishbach out in three seconds. Keith out. Ciera out. Kimmi out. Second round -- Abi out after one second. Kass out, Wiglesworth out, Wentworth out.

Third round. Savage out. Tasha out. Jeremy out. Only Joe and Spencer remain. Spencer lost this one to Tasha in his season. Spencer out. Joe wins first individual immunity!

Savage really wants Ciera to go while Kass seems to be the target for most. They decide to split the vote between Kass and Ciera in case Kass has an idol. Since this is so blatant, it's probably not how it's going to go down. Kass wants Tasha. Spencer is caught in the middle. He likes Tasha, but Kass and Ciera saved him last Tribal.

Tribal Council -- Ciera tries to get everyone to play for themselves while the targets are three women (Ciera, Kass and Tasha).

The tally --
Kass, Ciera, Tasha, Kass, Ciera, Tasha, Kass, Ciera, Savage, Kass, Ciera, Kass, Kass.

It's Kass out of there tonight!

Sunday, November 01, 2015

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 1, 2015

Good morning! Since it's indeed Sunday morning, that can just mean one thing. Yep, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. Please, if you're a fan of either show, join us for the live update/blog party posts for both Survivor and The Amazing Race on Wednesday and Friday evenings respectively.

Here are my random thoughts, happenings and observations on this past week:
  • My apologies for being so late with this today. I was exhausted after coming home last night and it continued through this morning. Also, I've been having to go downstairs every half-hour looking for my Sunday newspaper. This makes three weeks out of four with no Sunday paper -- the ONLY day I have delivery. Courier-News SUCKS.
  • It was the big Halloween week. On Friday I went by the City Hall Trunk or Treat event. While it was great for the costumed car owners and the costumed kids, it wasn't good for photo taking as it was so dark there. I didn't want to run around with my flash going off. I ended up taking the bus home from there accompanied by a rather strange woman who snagged her own huge bag of candy at the event. A man sitting nearby and I had rolling eye contests going on as she talked about each piece of candy.
  • This is also the weekend of the big Watchung Avenue bridge replacement with no rail service between Westfield and Dunellen train stations. I planned ahead. It did no good. Saturday morning was a debacle. Ack.
  • While I plan and watch out for these things, many commuters don't or don't have internet access to see details. If you called NJ Transit on the phone over the weekend, they said there were no traffic alerts.
  • Meanwhile, special buses were shuttling passengers from Westfield, Fanwood, Netherwood and Plainfield train stations to the Dunellen Train Station where rail service west of the shutdown resumed (and, the reverse trip as well). Going eastbound from before Dunellen, the trains were running a half-hour or so early to make up for the wasted half-hour bus commute and the trains from Westfield east were supposedly to run on time. Arrival at points Dunellen and west was a half-hour or so later than it should be.
  • I had new hires to start at my workplace, so I figured I'd go in early and tried for the first bus/train combo west.
  • My bus for that was late after one went whizzing right by and the bus going the other direction was right on time.
  • Then two buses came (late for that second run) and no bus for the other direction came anywhere near on time.
  • The bus driver was going crazy as people were all shouting at her. She had just been asked to work the day as overtime and thought she was running a regular bus route. She had a bus following her that had no idea where he was going and she didn't dare lose him in traffic.
  • She told the screaming eastbound people to get on her bus and she was just doing the turn in Dunellen and then would be heading to Westfield. She had no idea where the bus(es) headed to Westfield were but would get them there.
  • One woman was totally unreasonable. Now, I had talked with her while we're were waiting and I knew she was unreasonable. I just decided I wasn't going to argue with a stranger. She had arrived five minutes after the first Westfield-bound bus left and kept insisting it never came. It did. I saw it. It was on time to the minute. I even asked the driver where it was going. (That's when a bunch of people realized they boarded the wrong bus and got back off.)
  • While I wasn't foolish enough to argue with an unreasonable crazy woman, another woman on the bus did. It almost got to fisticuffs. Meanwhile, the bus driver just kept pleading with them to stop fighting. 
  • I suggested singing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." The guy next to me and the driver joined in as we tried to sing over the arguing women. 
  • Then this Jamaican dude decided to ring the bell to get off.
  • "No stops! Dunellen Train Station only!"
  • "These ladies are giving me a headache!"
  • The night trip home went better as NJ Transit actually had a guy at the Dunellen Train Station communicating with the bus drivers and passengers. Once again we led a second bus (inexplicably with the lighted sign for IVY HILL, NEWARK on its front while all the rest read RARITAN VALLEY LINE) who didn't know where he was going.
  • As it was Halloween night and costumed people were heading to the Village (NYC) for the big costume parade, some of the people on the bus were in costume. It made for a rather surreal trip to Plainfield. Unfortunately, people were so grouchy over the bus/train situation that I didn't think it a good idea to try to get photos.
  • While I knew what was going on, NJ Transit dropped the ball with the lack of communication with its bus drivers (who know nothing of rail services) and its customers on the whole.
  • We'll see if everything is really back to normal Monday.
Onto the photos for the week -- clicking on an image will bring it up in a larger version.

Vincent conquered his Halloween costume

There are more photos of his Halloween costume adventure after the jump. I had to bribe him with catnip to slip it on. But it didn't last long. He thinks it's a cat toy and was walking around with it in his mouth last night, throwing it up in the air and then pouncing on it. Silly cat.

Not taken this week, but ...

... since I didn't get any good Halloween-themed photos this past week, I thought I'd add this one in. I took it a few years ago in Manhattan. It's the skeleton costume in a store display with the reflection of nearby buildings in the window.

The new bridge sections await placement

More photos of the big Watchung Avenue bridge replacement project are after the jump. In this one, taken last night after I got home from work, the old bridge is out and the new sections are lined up on Watchung Avenue and North Avenue awaiting their mission in life.

Monday night's full supermoon

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