Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - July 13, 2013

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're looking for the latest Big Brother show or live feeds posts, you can find them right here at this link. This here is a weekly post I make year-round; you can peruse it or skip by it if you wish.

About the biggest thing this week here is about next week. My landlord's exterminator is going to be fogging most of the building next week. I'm sorry ... but (a) I haven't seen a cockroach in the past ten years or so, (b) they already treat the apartment once a month and were just here last week, (c) I really don't want to have to spend weeks bleaching or otherwise cleaning that poisonous residue off of all the surfaces in the place, (d) I don't want to take chances with my own health or Vincent's health with dangerous poison in here, (e) I don't have a bug problem, neither do my immediate neighbors with whom I've talked, (f) I can't board Vincent on such short notice, nor can I take him to work (g) if I have to pack up all of my worldly belongings in plastic bags, I might as well just MOVE as my lease renewal is September 1. Part of the reason I'm not moving is because I hate to pack everything up!

I got the notice Thursday evening and the fogging is planned for Tuesday. With my work schedule, there isn't even enough time in the day for all of this even if I don't sleep for three days! So, I called the office to tell them I wouldn't be able to have the apartment ready for Tuesday. They told me it's fine to refuse the service and they'd note it with the exterminator not to do my apartment, no problem. Yay! I plan on putting Vincent and his stuff in my bedroom with a towel under the door to keep any fumes out if they spray the hallway common area. I'll leave a "NO FOGGING" note on the door referring them to the office and I'll call the office to remind them.

I personally doubt it will happen (I don't think this wing of the building has any infestation issues), but if my apartment is buggy after they do the fogging elsewhere, I will deal with it. The bait traps they sell for cockroaches work better than the silly spray they spray my place with every month anyway. I honestly think the exterminating company, a new replacement of the old one, is looking at the building as a cash cow and trying to milk the landlord for more money. If the building had such an issue with roaches, I think I would have seen a few in the past decade. I guess I'll find out! But, if the bugs do come in here, I'll take care of it without dangerous poison residue all over everything. I worry about the sick and elderly people here, as well as the cat down on the first floor. I think this is all very unnecessary.

Anyhow ... onto the photos for the week --

Dapper Dude

Not what the average Plainfield man is wearing ... especially on a 90 degree humid summer day! Although not "cool," that suit is cool! Watchung Avenue, Plainfield

Chowing down

This squirrel on East Front Street in Plainfield kept digging for treasure and he found it!

Rabbits are the new squirrels

I wonder where the East Front Street bunnies go in the winter. They seem to be pretty street smart when it comes to moving traffic, unlike their squirrel friends.

****CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE FLOWER SLIDESHOW AND THE REST OF THIS WEEK'S PHOTOS!****

This week's flowers slideshow includes flowers, wildflowers and perhaps a weed or two. I took the photos in both Plainfield and Bridgewater, NJ. If you look closely at some you'll see some bees and even a fly!

Independence Day Festival Hispano

Last Sunday I went to the festival for its third and final day of the big three-day holiday weekend. Yup, this is indeed America -- an Hispanic celebration of "la independencia de USA" with a beer brewed in Holland beer tent! Indeed America? Yep. It's a melting pot. I went to the festival itself, not the nightclub, mind you. And, I didn't have a Heineken, either. I'm not keen on Heineken. It smells like skunk. Plus, at the festival, the beer was overpriced.

Mmm ... roasted corn

The roasted corn looked very good.

Suppose they gave a festival and ...

... nobody came. Supposedly the festival opened at 11am (all three days). I went at around 1pm and it was practically empty. I know the music in the evenings -- festival ran until 10 or so each of the three nights -- was loud enough so I could hear it from my apartment more than four blocks away! Perhaps the evenings rocked the crowds. But, with the exception of the food vendors and booths selling various goods (and cheap carnival fare) from Central American countries, it was all but empty of crowds.

The rides were a ghost town

While many of the rides had the person who runs them hanging out, the ticket booth was closed and the rides weren't operating while I was there.

Chicken on a stick!

It seemed that every food booth was selling this. It smelled SO good! Now, had one booth offered to undersell the others, I would have taken them up on it. Seeing the lack of crowds there at the time, it would have been a smart move for them. Everyone wanted four dollars. Had one said three dollars to me, they could have had a sale. It's not like the chicken would last forever and, at that point, some money is better than none.

A few more people arriving

I edited this photo to just leave the seats of the non-moving Ferris Wheel in color, as well as to emphasis the rectangle shape.

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Contrasts

Yep, it's the same man in the long-jacket pinstripe suit with his man-purse and wheeling bag. He's crossing the street as two bleached blond boys walk in the other direction -- like ships passing in the night. They don't seem to even noticed each other, but I notice them.

You can always tell NYC delivery trucks

Trucks from Plainfield and NJ on the whole don't bear such graffiti. Every time I see a graffiti-laden truck like this, I look to see where it's from. According to the door, this one came out of Flushing, Queens (a borough of NYC). Most of them come out of Brooklyn or lower Manhattan. Watchung and East Front Street, Plainfield.

Sittin' in a railway station ...

... got a ticket for my destination. Mmm-mmm ... (apologies to Simon and Garfunkel). A young couple waiting for the Manhattan bound train as I headed to work going the other direction. Plainfield Train Station.

Do fireflies drink water?

I spotted this lightning bug in the early morning hours on a railing at the Plainfield Train Station. In my own neighborhood, it's a magnificent light show nightly as the lightning bugs do their thing. Nature can be so cool. That said, I can't believe I could move so fast as to catch them when I was a child. I can't do that anymore. Sigh.

Police activity

Something was going on as we went by the Bound Brook Train Station one day. Normally there aren't plainclothes and uniformed police hanging out there. NJ Transit Police actually tend to all of the crime issues at the rail stations. However, sometimes they're not nearby and local police are the first responders. That said, other than a relaxed man sitting on the bench, I saw no other activity.

My limo

In the hazy and humid afternoon, my train leaves the Plainfield Train Station after dropping me off.

The 1st floor cat in the window

I hope this poor kitty is okay in light of the fogging. He (she?) lives in a studio apartment on the first floor. I hope the owner said no to the fogging and will take precautions as the apartment is so small. I actually think the front of the building where this apartment is might be where they're having bug issues. That is, unless the new exterminator is milking the place for excessive fees.

I see dead people continues

Yes, the saga continues, both on and off the trains. This "dead person" was on a bench at the Dunellen Train Station.

Guarding the sidewalk

Please let me pass, Mr. Squirrel! Plainfield Train Station grounds.

Cicada killer wasp

I couldn't get a good photo of it because it wouldn't stay still long enough. Almost two inches long (flying mouse!), this cicada killer wasp isn't likely to sting. Unless it's a female, it can't even sting at all. Even the female won't sting unless you try to crush her in your hand or something. Imagine a wasp about six or seven times as large ... and you have a cicada killer wasp!

Driver-less car?

How do people do this? Why do people do this? When I spotted this car stopped at the light on Watchung Avenue and East Fourth Street, I wondered at first if it was one of those Google driver-less cars. Nope. The guy has his seat so far back and down that he's basically driving the car from the back seat with his range of vision cut way down. Along with the huge amplified stereo systems (some ATOP the cars these days), I'd like to see laws passed against this. While the stereo systems are just incredibly rude and annoying, this is unsafe driving.

I'm ignoring that camera

Vincent is aware of the camera -- if you look, his eyes are open a teensy bit. But he's ignoring it. I'm disturbing his cat nap. I guess I have to give him some catnip in apology.