Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - October 24, 2010

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in words and photos I've taken in my travels. For some reason, I took a lot of photos this week, not all of them necessarily artistic. But that's how things go sometimes. It helped that most of my walking and commuting times were rain-free, although it rained at night during the week.

I have an addition to my train passengers gripes from a few weeks back --

• For the sake of all that is good in this universe, invest in a box of Kleenex. Sheesh, I realize I had my super cold, but I don't constantly sniffle in public. Blow those noses and stop the sickly noises!

Work, eat, sleep ... then get up and do it all over again. I did take a diversion from my usual routine going to dinner at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, having a few beers, then hitting Trader Joe's with a friend on Wednesday. No, I wasn't drunk in Trader Joe's. I don't like getting drunk as I tend to get sick, so I stick to a limit. 42. Er, no. Two.

I really don't have much else to say. The photo exhibition for the Plainfield Library Photo Contest will take place in two weeks. I'm hoping for a decent showing and another ribbon (and check!) this time, but there's a lot of talent in town. Until then, you get what I got for the week -- clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window.

Clouds in the early morning

I know I tend to take a shot from this vantage point quite often, but things change. This time it was the just-after-sunrise sun's rays on the clouds which caught my eye. Plainfield Train Station.

Last night

Aaaooooo! The real full moon was the night before. But this is full enough for howling! Bridgewater, NJ.

Our house is a very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
-- "Our House" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

I don't think they meant lion statues. Note the straw gazelle in the background stalking the lions. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Watching, they're always watching

They're up to something!

You're not the only cuddly toy
That was ever enjoyed by any boy
You're not the only choo-choo train
(Or big stuffed pink thing)
That was left out in the rain
The day after Santa came ...
-- "Cuddly Toy" popularized by The Monkees
- written by Harry Nilsson

Berckman Street, Plainfield. Edited to leave the big stuffed pink thing in color, the rest black and white.

Late season weeds

Red sky in the morning again

Sure enough, it rained all night. I hope those sailors took warning. Bridgewater, NJ.

That same morning in Plainfield just a bit earlier.

The sun also sets

Looking at the sun's final hurrah over the Plainfield Train Station while standing on East Fourth Street.

Plotting in the sun

Yay, Trader Joe's!

I love that each store employs an in-house artist to do all their signs. If it were just lettering, it's something I'd love to do. Alas, they want a lot of drawing with the signs. I'm not as good at that. I'm a letterer kind of person. Years back I used to make signs for various businesses, but computers have taken over a lot of that.

Reflections

Trees are reflected in a bakery's window in Westfield, NJ. Again edited for the color/black and white look.

Yes, it's a flower.

It needed to be shot.

Okay, if you unravel the canopy,
We can attack the humans.

Westfield, NJ at the now-closed Leaders Store.

Westfield?

Yikes, I would have thought that they'd take better care of their real estate. You can see through the roof in the old Leaders Store. While they do seem to be doing something with the building, the upper floors and roof are letting in rain, birds, you name it. That can't be good for the structure. For those not familiar with the area, Westfield is the more posh town in the area.

It's also where John List murdered his family in 1971 but we won't go there.

He hit on me!

EEK! Westfield, NJ.

Vicki's Diner

I love this diner's building even though an SUV is blocking a lot of it. But I wasn't too thrilled the one time I ate there. It was full of high school kids and you couldn't even hold a normal conversation. Plus, the employees were as bad as the kid customers, all hanging out at a table. The food was only so-so, not good but not bad. It was the ambiance or lack thereof which did them in with me. Westfield, NJ.

Autumn's Glory

Westfield, NJ. As a matter of fact, this is the colorful tree reflected in the window in one of the shots above.

But no candy

Gotta love Five Guys Burgers and Fries ... and peanuts! But you can't do it too often. We're talking calories here. Westfield, NJ.

Full moon

I keep trying to get decent moon shots without fancy equipment. It's hard to get detail. This was Thursday evening in Plainfield.

Full moon over the Plainfield Municipal Court.

Taken shortly before the other moon shot. Watchung Avenue, Plainfield.

I can't see!
I can't SEE!
I CAN'T SEE!

Open your eyes, Vincent. You're a nut!

Don't forget to stop back tonight for the Amazing Race blog party! Hopefully the show will start somewhere near on time. How was your week?