Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - March 31, 2013

I hope everyone is having a fine Easter Sunday! Since it is indeed Sunday, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. The blog party post for The Amazing Race will be up tonight approximately 8pm EDT. Come on by and watch the show with us!

I have a small ham I'll be making for today's meal here, along with cabbage I bought very cheaply in my Peapod grocery order last week. I timed my order so that I was catching the end of their St. Patrick's Day specials. The corned beef was way cheap and out of stock. They issue rainchecks, so I'll try for cheap corned beef on my next order. They had actually been out of the sale ham for the last three orders I made and that came through with this one. So I'll have a bit of a feast today for myself. Every day is a feast for Vincent the Cat.

Although the nights have still remained cold here, the daytime highs are finally in the 50s. Woohoo! Unfortunately, I leave for work so early that I'm still wearing my winter jacket. By the time I go home, a lighter spring jacket would do. But I'm not lugging spare jackets back and forth to the train station.

I still haven't met or seen my new upstairs neighbor. However, I did ask Lee (building gossip) if he had seen him. He certainly has and it explains a few things. It's an African man, not to be confused with African-American although it's a possibility that the man might be a US citizen.

Aha! The mellow music that I can't identify explained. The chanting I heard explained (religious maybe?). This could very well be the perfect upstairs neighbor. My next door neighbor on one side is from Africa -- the one whose mother was confused in the hallway during a fire alarm. All that man does is work a lot and live quietly. While I'm sure not all African folks work a lot and live quietly, it appears my new upstairs neighbor falls in that category. It's not likely that the man will throw wild parties or play rap music with heavy bass. Nor will he have live Mexican polka bands playing up there. YAY!

Living in this building is like living in a real melting pot -- Peru on one side, Africa on the other, Jamaica, Costa Rica and well, Georgia (US) across the hall. Africa above and um, well, New Jersey below. I'm certainly not in Round Lake anymore, huh? 

Not much else has been happening. I so want spring weather so that I'm more willing to get out and about. The cold makes me just want to stay home a lot.

Onto this week's photos ...

SPRING!

Yes, these were planted by a landscaper. But, the main thing ... they didn't die and keel over in a frost. It's finally SPRING!

Not so full Worm Moon

The full moon this past week was the Full Worm Moon. I didn't get a good shot of it with definition until it wasn't really full anymore. Oops.

Hawk in flight

I caught this hawk in Bridgewater. Well, I didn't literally catch it. What would I do with a hawk? That's just silly!

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

Don't jump!

Oh, wait. You have wings. Go ahead and jump.

About time

They finally took down the "Grand Opening" banner at this bodega on North Avenue in Plainfield. It's only been over a year now. They put up an equally cheap and not permanent banner with lots more writing on it. Um. Okay. I still don't see how it's a restaurant. I've only been in there a few times as I can't depend on them to be open very early in the mornings when I'm going to the train -- sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. If they were consistently open, I would probably occasionally stop by for snacks for my workday. But, instead, I just make sure I'm snacked up before I leave home.

Crocuses are blooming ... almost

I took this photo and the next two at the Plainfield YWCA on East Front Street.

Future daffodils

These are on Berckman Street in Plainfield. It's weird ... the daffodils by the house are in full bloom. But these, along the hedge and sidewalk, have yet to bloom. I would creep myself out if I went on their lawn to take photos of the ones by their house. So I'll just keep watching these.

Berckman Street buds

Daffodils!

These have been out all week in the cemetery behind the Friends Meeting House in Plainfield. Alas, I only go by them early in the morning when it's still dark and they're a ways behind a fence.

Sneakers on a wire

East Fourth Street near the Watchung Avenue intersection. Plainfield. If I tried to throw my sneakers over wires, they'd probably come down and hit me in the head.

Barren trees

I liked the clouds in the background with the sunshine in back of me playing on the barren trees nearby the Plainfield Train Station. They won't be barren too much longer.

Full Worm Moon

I took this from the Plainfield Train Station looking up North Avenue towards Park Avenue.

Bridgewater mockingbird

The return of the fungus

The fungus on the trees in the toxic superfund site near the Bridgewater Train Station is coming back to life. Whatever it is, it's still outright splitting the bark on the trees.

The sunrise!

This photo and the next three are of the same sunrise I was lucky enough to catch at Bridgewater one morning. I liked the sunrise so much that I couldn't decide which photo of it I liked best. This is just when I got off the train.

This is looking through the almost completed solar panels at the Bridgewater Train Station parking lot.

Philadelphia?

This NJ Transit bus bound for Philadelphia was sitting on Gavett Place near the Plainfield Train Station early one morning this week. Weird. Oh, not that Philadelphia is weird. I like Philly. It's a cool city. It's weird because there is no bus that goes through Plainfield heading to Philadelphia. I believe you have to go to Newark or Manhattan to catch a bus to Philadelphia. I would have liked to have gone to Philadelphia rather than go to work that day.

The green house

I edited this shot to leave just the house and vehicles in color. While it comes across as stormy skies, it's really not. It's just before the sunrise and those clouds were actually kind of light and fluffy. But I liked it looking like this better! I took this looking towards East Second Street from Roosevelt Street (near the PMUA building for those in town).

Tsk, tsk

The light bulbs atop this row of buildings on East Front Street in Plainfield are usually lighted up along with holiday wreaths. They decided (apparently) to light them up all the time now. Well, they should fix the burnt-out ones if they're going to do that. It's not appealing to the eye with gaps!

"Chalkboard" billboard

I like this "chalkboard" style billboard for Oh Brians's Pourhouse. It's kind of cool. That said, I'm not sure about the placement. For some reason, I don't think it's going to attract a lot of new visitors to the Pourhouse when it's placed in a mainly Hispanic and black neighborhood. East Second Street, Plainfield. Hmm ... I'd like a $3 Guinness, though.

More catnip! More treats!

Poor neglected Vincent apparently doesn't get enough catnip or cat treats. Nor does he have enough toys. Poor kitty! (Yeah, right.)