Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 16, 2017

Good evening! I hope everybody had an enjoyable Easter Sunday! My apologies for posting this so late in the day. But that's sometimes how things go! This is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. If you're here for Survivor -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.  You can find any posts I make about TAR at this link -- The Amazing Race.

Once again this week, I don't have a whole lot going on. We're finally having spring here ... that's news! Flowers are blooming, people are sneezing. I even saw a ladybug riding the train one day. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good photo of her/him. I also didn't find out if the proper fare was paid for the trip.

Yesterday I witnessed a woman arguing with a man about which corner would be "her corner." Gee, whatever could they be up to on the city streets?

I'm glad that most of the kids around here will be going back to school tomorrow. They've been on spring break. Now, it's is I who could use a spring break! I personally would have no issue with children going to school year-round. I didn't think that way as a child, of course. But these many weeks off and long summer vacations certainly don't prepare kids to adult in the real world.

Onto this week's photos ... clicking on an image will bring up a larger version in a gallery format. 

No, it doesn't

This sign is posted on the lawn of the Friends (Quakers) Meetinghouse on Watchung Avenue.

Fullish Pink Moon

I took this shot Monday night, but the moon wasn't actually full until Tuesday. There was a bit of haze around it, but I was able to get detail. It isn't called the Pink Full Moon because it's supposed to be pink -- it's called that because it's time for flowers to bloom. (And they're starting!)

Everybody loves a pansy

Queen City Pride billboard

This billboard is at the Watchung Avenue underpass adjacent to the Plainfield Train Station. I don't work in town, but I certainly do live here. I enjoy seeing all of the revitalization going on. 

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

Happy Easter!

I'd like to wish everyone who celebrates the day a Happy Easter! My weekly off television topic photo post will be posted later today.

The Amazing Race: April 13 Blog Party

I'm going to keep having trouble with this later hour for the show! Please bear with me as I'm way tired after a very hectic day at my workplace. I will do my best to live blog the show's events as they air here on the East Coast. The real party is in the comments area -- come join in on the fun!

The Lovely Lifeguard Sharon C has made the random match-ups for the blog pool:
 
Shamir/Sara - Indiana Jane, Jenna's Mom
London/Logan - Delee, Sharon N
Seth/Olive - ML, Cheryl in NC
Brooke/Scott - Chrob61, Becky
Tara/Joey - SueGee, Willie J, Monty924
Becca/Floyd - Janice, Brian
Liz/Michael - Judi Sweeney, Dolores in Hollywood, Ed in Ohio
Matt/Redmond - MerriLee, Jackie
Vanck/Ashton - Nickelpeed, Donna in FL

PHILIMINATED:
Jessica/Francesca - Brenda, David, Sharon C


Are we ready? Yes, we are! 

Sara is still not happy with Shamir -- as she should be. Most of the teams are getting along fine. The teams are off to Tanzania next. There's a Blind Double U-Turn ahead. Will Vanck and Ashton get even with Matt/Redmond for not keeping their deal on the last leg? They're all on the same flight. 

Uh-oh -- Matt/Redmond alienated more teams by cutting in line.

U-Turn - Seth and Olive U-turned by Joey/Tara
             Matt and Redmond U-Turned by Vanck/Ashton

Detour is either Build It or Weave It. They're building a wooden desk or weaving two baskets. Aw, Shamir got a splinter.

Roadblock -- They have to find foods from a list at a marketplace and deliver it. 

Michael knows his foods! He and Liz are the first team heading towards the Pit Stop. 

Pit Stop
1. Liz/Michael -- won a trip to Amsterdam
2. Tara and Joey 
3. Vamck and Ashton
4. Matt and Redmond 
5. Becca and Floyd 
6. Scott and Brooke 
7. London and Logan

OH NOES! Becca and Floyd don't have their passports, they have to get them before they can check in!

8. Shamir and Sara
9. Becca and Floyd
10. Seth and Olive -- Philiminated   

Survivor: Game Changers - April 12 Episode Blog Party

Everybody ready? Got your snacks? Got your tasty adult beverages? As the show airs here on the east coast, I'll be live-blogging with all the major happenings. Refresh the page to see the latest news! But, as always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

This season seems to be one of twists, turns and Debbie freak-out delusions. I wonder what's in store for us tonight?

Here's the updated pool! Lifeguard Laurie, I wish you aloha and hoping all is going great at your daughter's wedding!

NUKU
Andrea Boehlke - Indiana Jane, ML
Debbie Wanner - Glenn, tbc
Jeff Varner - Donna in FL, Rochelle, DonnaNY
Ozzy Lusth - KelseyNY, Margo, PDX Granny
Sarah Lacina - Delee, Rbennie
Tai Trang - Cheryl in NC, Sharon C
Zeke Smith - Janice from GA, Paula Bell

MANA
Aubry Bracco - Ed in Ohio, meb
Brad Culpepper - Brian, Sharon N
Cirie Fields - Leonia Hart, Terry is a Texan
Hali Ford - Buzzmaam, Nana in the NW
Michaela Bradshaw - David, Jackie
Sierra Thomas - Becky, monty924
Troyzan Robertson - Donna in Alabama, Lifeguard Laurie

No more fire!
Ciera Eastin
Tony Vlachos
Caleb Reynolds
Malcolm Freberg
JT Thomas 
Sandra Diaz-Twine

Survivor fans ready?

Debbie is thrilled to be back with her "buddies" and tells us she won't tell them about what really happened on Exile. Tai is nervous because he threw out Ozzy's name. He has two idols, though. Varner is ticked and knows he could very well be blindsided. Zeke tries to bond with him a bit and promises he won't lie to him again.

Reward Challenge time -- unspool ropes, release key, build ladder, climb, go through net, five targets with a ball. Playing for Surivor pizza - ten different kinds. Soft drinks, too. Nuku wins Reward!

Mana is all crying over lost pizza, lost dreams and how hard it actually is to be on the show. We're talking even Brad. Aubry thinks Brad is the most genuine person on the tribe. Now all love Brad it seems. If he gets cocky, he might fall, I say.

Over on Nuku, Jeff wants to target Ozzy. He feels Ozzy is too dangerous to keep in the game because he could win it all. He talks to Sarah about it and she seems to seriously considering making a big move. Hmm. 

Time for the Immunity Challenge -- 4 swim out to rafts, collect buoys, solve puzzle. Mana wins Immunity!

Uo-oh -- they seem to be liking Varner. The biggest question is how long Ozzy might stick with them and will it be better for the tribe? Hmm. Jeff tells Sarah and Andrea he thinks Zeke is working with Ozzy more than them and starts throwing shade Zeke's way.

Tribal Council time. Jeff says he's sure he's going home tonight. He tells them that Ozzy and Zeke have a secret alliance and pushes them all to vote out Ozzy. He also asks Zeke why he hasn't told anyone he's transgender. He might have blown his Ozzy target right there as all fall in to defend Zeke. Now that he outed Zeke to the world, Jeff Varner is crying. It's a tear-jerker for many.

Zeke said he didn't reveal it because he didn't really want to be known as the trans Survivor -- he wanted to be known for himself.

Jeff went home without even a vote being taken. They all agreed he had to go. Even Jeff agreed at that point.  

Next week is the merge. 

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 9, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. If you're here for Survivor -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.  You can find any posts I make about TAR at this link -- The Amazing Race.

We had another week of cold and flooding rains. (Yet the drought advisory hasn't been taken down.) Yesterday we actually saw the sun! However, the temperatures were chilly and the wind chill almost required a winter coat. Today is supposed to be leading off a warmer temperature trend. Supposedly, Tuesday's highs might be in the 80s. Now, I don't really want that. I just want low 70s -- I want SPRING, not summer or winter! Sheesh.

My week has been a bit of the doldrums. It seems like I've worked and came home, rinse, repeat. That said, I think I'll just move on to the photos I took this past week -- clicking on an image will open a larger version in a gallery format.

A rainbow over Plainfield

After a horribly cold and stormy day, the sun came out on Thursday creating a beautiful rainbow over the city of Plainfield. I took this shot from inside a car driving on West Front Street headed into town with sun at our backs. No, I wasn't driving.

Whazzat?

It's a hawk

I'm not sure what kind of hawk as it has its feather spread out on its tail. It had been rainy -- he (she?) was probably drying them that way. Red-Tailed Hawks are the most common around here. But, if it has its red tail, it's hiding it under those spread feathers. 

When I got off the train in Bridgewater one day, I spotted a large bird atop the stadium lights at the TD Bank Ball Park in Bridgewater. I was hoping it was a small eagle. They are around but tend to stay closer to the Raritan River.

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

The Amazing Race: Blog Party - April 6, 2017

Man, I'm going to have trouble with this later hour for the show! Please bear with me as I'm way tired and I'm still a bit iffy on some of the team names. I will do my best to live blog the show's events as they air here on the East Coast. The real party is in the comments area -- come join in on the fun!

The Lovely Lifeguard Sharon C has made the random match-ups for the blog pool. If you missed the post announcing them, here they are again:

Shamir/Sara - Indiana Jane, Jenna's Mom
London/Logan - Delee, Sharon N
Seth/Olive - ML, Cheryl in NC
Brooke/Scott - Chrob61, Becky
Tara/Joey - SueGee, Willie J, Monty924
Becca/Floyd - Janice, Brian
Liz/Michael - Judi Sweeney, Dolores in Hollywood, Ed in Ohio
Matt/Redmond - MerriLee, Jackie
Jessica/Francesca - Brenda, David, Sharon C
Vanck/Ashton - Nickelpeed, Donna in FL

Are we ready? Yes, we are! 

But CBS isn't. I was watching Chicago Med which had one news brief during it. I turned to CBS and they have news coverage. I don't know how long this will go on.

Okay, five minutes in we're joining the show. It seems we missed some recapping from each team. 

Teams are heading to Brazil. We find out that Shamir is not a patient dude. The teams end up on six different flights. Once there, they take a helicopter ride over the city.

Redmond and Matt dishonored a coin flip with Vanck and Ashton. Oops. Not the way to win friends.  

Detour: Keep the Beat or Work Your Feet - Learn the music and keep up with the band or build work-out station. 

Redmond and Matt seem to work together very well.  Next they're heading to find marked bicycles. They're in the lead, followed by Vanck and Ashton.

Brooke has hurt her arm, but refuses to let it stop her. 

Vanck and Ashton take over the lead when the boys get lost. They will have to wash a marked window. On a high-rise, of course. It's the first Roadblock of the season.

Scott has to do the Roadblock because of Brooke's injury. He has a horrible fear of heights. Will he be able to do it? 

Oh my gosh! Liz and Michael took over the lead in the Roadblock. They're the first team heading to the Pit Stop. Vanck and Ashton are on their tails.

Pit Stop Order:
1. Liz and Michael - won a trip for two to Barbados. 
2, Vanck and Ashton 
3. Matt and Redmond 
4. Seth and Olive

Shamir is fussing and whining, claiming his testicles hurt from the harness. He wants an ambulance ... and gets one. 

Oh geez ... Jessica and Francesca don't see the marked bike going by them a million times. Sara leads them wrong. The girls arrive while Shamir pouts.

5, Becca and Floyd
6. Brooke and Scott
7. Joey and Tara  
8. London and Logan 
9. Shamir and Sara

Shamir is being a jerk.

10. Jessie and Francesca, Philiminated 

Survivor: Game Changers - April 5 Episode Blog Party

Everybody ready? Got your snacks? Got your tasty adult beverages? As the show airs here on the east coast, I'll be live-blogging with all the major happenings. Refresh the page to see the latest news! But, as always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

It sounds like tonight will be another evening of twists and turns -- Exile Island, the dropping of buffs once again and the return of a castaway. With the last, we don't know if it's someone from this season or another or whether they're there to stay or not. Oh my.

Here's the updated pool from the best pool lifeguard ever, Lifeguard Laurie:

NUKU
Aubry Bracco - Ed in Ohio, meb
Jeff Varner - Donna in FL, Rochelle, DonnaNY
Michaela Bradshaw - David, Jackie
Sandra Diaz-Twine - Jennasmom, SueGee

MANA
Brad Culpepper - Brian, Sharon N
Debbie Wanner - Glenn, tbc
Hali Ford - Buzzmaam, Nana in the NW
Sierra Thomas - Becky, monty924
Tai Trang - Cheryl in NC, Sharon C

TAVUA
Andrea Boehlke - Indiana Jane, ML
Cirie Fields - Leonia Hart, Terry is a Texan
Ozzy Lusth - KelseyNY, Margo, PDX Granny
Sarah Lacina - Delee, Rbennie
Troyzan Robertson - Donna in Alabama, Lifeguard Laurie
Zeke Smith - Janice from GA, Paula Bell

No more fire!
Ciera Eastin
Tony Vlachos
Caleb Reynolds
Malcolm Freberg
JT Thomas 
 
Survivor fans ready?

Sandra tells the others that JT had to go because he "betrayed" them and, due to him, they lost Malcolm. (So, vote the next strongest out? Hmm. As long as it's not Sandra!)

At his camp, Tai found another idol. Hopefully he will keep this one to himself!

Immunity Challenge time? Nope. Jeff tells them to drop their buffs. Their switching things up again. Orange and blue buffs. Debbie is without a tribe -- has no buff! 

I'll have to catch up with who's on what tribe during this. It's back to Mana and Nuku again.

Debbie goes to Exile Island, returning to the game at the next Tribal, joining the tribe which loses a member. No, she won't have a pony to keep her company.

Brad and Troyzan are the only two guys on their tribe with five women. Troyzan doesn't want to "get bamboozled by women" again.

Varner and Sandra are kind of on their own in their tribe. She vows the"queen stays queen." Well, not if Zeke and Ozzy get their way! Andrea thinks that, although they're targeting Sandra, she thinks Tai needs to go. Tai wants to get Sandra out but is concerned that he might be a target. He looks for a similar placed idol at the new camp and ... he's got it!  

Debbie's Exile Island is actually a yacht! It's fully stocked with food and beverages, even alcoholic ones. A boat pulls up and it's ... Cochran!

He's there to be an Exile sounding board and advisor on strategy. Well, that's different. How can one offer her advice? She knows everything and has done everything? Yes, Cochran, she's over-confident. He tells her she should pander to people like Brad. He also gives her an Advantage Option.  

She can pick from three options -- fake idol materials, extra vote or advantage for tribe in next challenge. She goes for the extra vote. 

Varner tries to bond with Zeke. Zeke wants to convince him that Tai is the target, not Sandra. Varner isn't 100% that he's not being fooled, but it's his best bet. He reports back to Sandra. But Sandra is a lot more dubious about the others wanting Tai out more than they want her or Varner out.

Now it's time for the real Immunity Challenge -- dive, race through monkey bars, retrieve puzzle pieces, puzzle. 

Sierra, Cirie, Aubry work on the puzzle for Mana. Mana wins Immunity!

Nuku - Tai, Sandra, Varner, Zeke, Andrea, Sarah, Ozzy ... go to Tribal. And, they get Debbie after Tribal.    

Although Varner believe Tai will go, Sandra goes to work on Ozzy. Uh-oh -- Ozzy talks to Andrea and is quasi-buying Sandra's ideas that the three -- Debbie, Tai and Sierra -- are more dangerous. Dang -- Tai tells Varner they're all voting for Sandra.

Tribal Council time -- Sandra tells Jeff Probst that she thinks she's going tonight. Oh my. Tai whispers a name to Sandra and it's Ozzy. Will that vote go down? The others are all whispering about voting out Tai.

The Tally -- Tai doesn't play one of his idols!

Tai, Tai, Sandra, Sandra, Sandra, Sandra

The Queen ain't remaining Queen!