Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - May 12, 2013

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I hope you get deservedly pampered!

Since it is Sunday morning, it's time for my off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. But, as usual, I have a few television topics to touch on first:

• Tonight is the two-hour season finale of Survivor: Caramoan Islands Fans vs. Favorites. It will be followed by the hour long reunion show. So, the prime-time block of 8pm - 11pm ET/PT will be Survivor! Hopefully it will start on time here on the East Coast. I will have the blog party post up by 8pm ET. Come watch the show with us!
• I have watched all five of the screener episodes of Falling Skies and will be posting a bit on them during the upcoming week. Right now I'll just lament that it will be about July something before I see a fresh episode of the show. Wah!
• Big Brother is set to debut on June 25 this year, earlier than just about ever! For the last several seasons, it's been premiering right after the 4th of July weekend. I've heard that Real.com is NOT handling the live feeds this season, but I will be posting live feeds reports from wherever they're available. Rumor has it CBS itself will be hosting them. I have no idea of the costs.

Onto other stuff ...

Um. Well. Ah, I've got it!

It rained for a good portion of the past week. We are now caught up to the levels expected. It can stop for a few days now. To be honest, I don't mind a light rain if I'm outside with an umbrella. I don't care for downpours when I'm stuck in them, though. I do love a good thunderstorm when I'm inside and my power remains on. I also like to sleep to the sound of rain. But it can stop for a few days anyway!

The not so new landlord here continues to do various things. We got new fancy-schmancy side and front glass and metal doors the week before last. They installed new brighter lighting at the entrances and by the elevator on the first floor. Heck, they even mulched the bushes which haven't been mulched in all the time I've lived here. 

As far as neighbors in the building -- I still haven't seen or met the upstairs neighbor who arrived in March. He also remains the least noisy person who's ever lived up there in the dozen years I've been here. Sure, he makes some noise, but not bad at all. The worst of the playing in the hallway children upstairs seems to have moved out. I haven't heard that in a while. And, as I could hear him when he arrived home from school because he always runs on his heels and never walks ... I'm thinking gone. YAY!

Work remains quite workish. I hope you're all aware that the government has issued a new version of the I-9 form. It comes with nine pages of instruction! Whoopie! The HR Think Tank thing I'm a part of at my workplace has been analyzing it and setting up tips for the company to use so we'll pass audits and any possible government inspections. Yeah, I get to have all the fun on my job. I bet you're jealous!

Onto this week's photos: 

Pink azalea

New growth

Bee on honeysuckle

This bee looked like he was trying to match his body weight in pollen. I love to sniff the honeysuckle at the Bridgewater Train Station. I don't really like to sniff bees. Nope.

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

Yep, Plainfield

I took this at the Plainfield Train Station. Um. Not much more to say, I guess.

Hunk alert!

I spotted this truck on Watchung Avenue in Plainfield. If you ask me, it might be a case of false advertising. One of them looked quasi-hunkish, the other not so much.

Framed

The poison ivy in Bridgewater is creeping all around the overpass by the train station.

Bugs resting

Two little gnats and one I don't know what it is are sunning themselves on a poison ivy leaf in Bridgewater.

Bridgewater poison ivy

I know I posted a shot similar to this one last week, but I like the way it turns out shooting through the bottom of the leaves. It was also a rare sunny time this week.

Plainfield poison ivy

This is growing on the fence along the sidewalk on East Third Street by the cemetery in back of the Friends Meeting House.

I love the dark tulips!

This is from the house with all the seasonal decorations and flowers in the summer -- corner of Richmond and East Front in Plainfield.

A mind is a terrible thing to lose

Argh. I know local blogger friend Bernice told me what this one is last year. I cannot remember. Gah. East Third and Church Street, Plainfield.

Nifty little wildflowers

These are growing in lawns not recently mowed on Berckman Street in Plainfield. Very cool ... until folks mow the lawns, that is.

I don't know

These blossoms are on a fairly small tree outside the Target store in Bridgewater. I haven't a clue.

Honeysuckle in Bridgewater

AZALEA MANIA

The azaleas of many colors at the TD Ball Park adjacent to the Bridgewater Train Station are in their glory days. I love to photograph them and how some of the anthers look almost metallic. Some of these shots were taken with raindrops on them, some not.

RETRO TRAIN

Whoa! Blast from the past Saturday morning!

My train commute line is the Raritan Valley Line, New Jersey Transit. We've had all double-deckers on the line for about three, maybe four, years now. In that time I've only been on single-level trains if I transfer in Newark going to or from Manhattan. I rarely ride the train into Manhattan as I have to walk to the station here while the bus stop for Manhattan is right on either end of my block. Coming home, the bus stop is almost directly across the street.

On Saturday, this pulled into the Plainfield Train Station. I forgot they're actually easier to get in and out of at low platforms -- not this one, Plainfield is a high platform. On low platforms, they have four steps down. The double-deckers go down the same distance with three steeper steps. This train set-up was apparently a fluke as it was double-decker again going home last night.

All aboard!

Memories

I totally forgot I like to hog a three-seater. The seats on the left are three-seaters, ones on the right are two-seaters. The seatbacks are flippable so people can make four or six-seaters with them. They have unmovable armrests along the aisles. Since the trains work a bit like Push Me-Pull Me, the conductors flip all the seats as they approach the last stop before going the other direction.

On the double-deckers, there are four four-seaters on each level of each car and the armrests flip up (so people can sprawl out in the aisles, I guess). Also on the double-deckers, the seating is only two seats wide. The seats are a bit roomier, so the center aisle isn't noticeably more wide. They're also affixed and you can't flip the seatbacks to make group seatings. The cars have seats going one direction for half the train, the other direction for the other half. On a full train car, half of the passengers are riding backwards. 

Even different era single level cars!

Not the greatest photo, I'll admit. But look at these last two cars of the train -- note that they're mismatched. The car on the left has maroon seats and off white walls. The car on the right (which is the one I was in) has pinkish divider walls and blue seats. I should have looked at the other cars to see if they had one of the real old ones with big brown comfy (until they break) seats. The maroon seat cars are newer than the blue ones, if memory serves. Bridgewater Train Station.

Caught in the act

SOMEBODY is rolling in catnip once again. Not naming any names, though, Vincent. Oops.