Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was 8/30/09

Yes, it's Sunday. You know what that means -- it's time for my off topic ramble through the week in thoughts and photographs I've taken. If you're looking for Big Brother 11 news, head to the BB blog tag. If you want to take a walk with me, stay right here.

We've had yet another week of muggy and often stormy weather. Even on the days when the temperatures were fairly low, the humidity was right up there. I want it to end. I want crisp clear autumn weather ... and I want it now. Do you think that will work?

I really don't have any excitement for you. I, once again, didn't win the Mega Millions. But I did only spend a dollar on each big jackpot. I suppose that made the odds go way against me. However, I didn't want to throw away more than a dollar on it. You see, I'd never be a good one to go to Atlantic City or Las Vegas. It bothers me to throw away money.

I worked all week as I'm wont to do. My life outside the day job is still tied up with all the Big Brother doings. While I enjoy the excitement in the blog and the freelance TV Squad writings during the live feeds, I'm always ready for them to end when it comes time. More than four or five hours sleep is so welcome.

While I'm here and off topic, I want to give a shout out to Bernice of the Plainfield Plaintalker and Dan Damon of Plainfield Today and Clips. Thanks go to Bernice for bringing up my blog once again. Thanks go to Dan for adding my link to his Clips blog. You both rock! Although my own blog tends to focus on television, I always read those blogs to find out what's going on in the city around me. I find this city very interesting and a friendly place in which to live. Plainfield often seems to have a bad reputation, but it's a place where almost everyone greets me with a friendly hello when I'm walking on the sidewalk. That just doesn't happen everywhere.

Onto the photos for the week - clicking on them will open them larger in a new window:

Feral cat at the Plainfield (NJ) Train Station

He looks hefty in this photo, but he's pretty thin when he stands. This one, or one who looks like him, has been around for more than a year. I feel sorry for him, but he doesn't trust people at all.

A slice of sky

Plainfield Train Station with a double-decker in port. Um ... in track. Something like that. At least the rain stopped for a few minutes.

Is it autumn yet?

The poison ivy in Bridgewater (NJ) is starting to pick up its first hint of fall color. That is, the leaves not attacked by the poison ivy leaf gall mite.

Same bees, new flowers

The flowers the carpenter bees were on last week have passed, so they're on these now. I was taking shots as it started to rain and the bees started to come after me like it was my fault that it was raining. Eek!

Planning to overthrow democracy

I know they're up to something. Something sinister would be my guess. Bridgewater, NJ.

Moth in the wind

I haven't seen too many butterflies this year. It should be Monarch season soon. However, this yellow moth was willing to pose for me until the wind flapped its wing. That irked it and it flew away.

It IS a stinkhorn!

I was reluctant to outright declare the shot I took in last week's post as a stinkhorn mushroom as the colors weren't just right. I took this shot earlier in the week this week and the colors match the website information I found. Supposedly the tip smells like carrion. I'll take their word for it.

The stinkhorns yesterday

They droop over next. Minds, gutter ... I know.

Scott Drugs in Plainfield

I used the illustrator mode plus sepia in this photo. It's too bad they misspelled "neighborhood" on the awning, eh? I believe that's been there, misspelled as it is, since I moved to town eight years ago.

Waiting on a train

Bound Brook Train Station, New Jersey

Eek! A spider!

This little guy (maybe a half-inch) was zooming around building a web. I took dozens of shots, but in most he was just an orange/red blur. Such a busy guy ... he makes the ant look lazy.

Now defunct Telephone Building in Plainfield

I imagine at one time this building was full of Ernestines. Nowadays, the front doors are padlocked. I can't help but wonder what this town was like 70 years ago.