Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 9, 2015

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection of the past week in both words and photographs I've taken along the way! This post is a year 'round "feature" on the blog. If you're looking for Big Brother posts, they can all be found at this link right here. If you're not interested in this particular post, please feel free to skip on by it. I'll be posting a Big Brother blog party post coinciding with the East Coast airing of the show and, late this evening, another live feeds post. Stay tuned.

Yep, another week come and gone. While the children in some states are going back to school, things don't start here until September. That's more like it was where I attended school. Only college began in August. Of course, if school was year 'round, it would prepare the children more for the realities of real life!

Some random observations and musings from the past week:

• Plainfield Police seem to be chasing the ne'er-do-wells from the 4th Avenue side of the Plainfield Train Station to the North Avenue side and leaving them there. Every morning, riff-raff is occupying all the shelters with benches on the platform and the lawn on the North Street side. People using the train to commute back and forth to work, shopping, whatever, shouldn't have to deal with this! I'm talking MORNING. Nighttime is even worse.
• The humidity has been gone for most of the week, but it's still warmer than I like. I really don't care for temperatures over the early 80s. 
• I enjoy the fact that my apartment building superintendent is named Mario. I can call him Super Mario. I just can't get him to address me as plain old "Jackie." He's always so formal with me! I hope it's not because he thinks I'm old.
• The elevator button light for my floor still doesn't work. At least the elevator itself works.
• I'm spending an inordinate amount of time working on the blog and, though I do love the community it generates, I'm not getting much income from it. There used to be a time that writing BB through the summer would pay my rent for three months. Sigh.
• My new-ish neighbor remains quiet. I found out it's actually his brother I've met in the hallway and elevator. The brother's about my age, perhaps a bit younger. Late at night, I can occasionally hear the thumping of the wild child now living below them.
• I'm biding time until my week off from work next month.
• It's too long away!

Onto the photos for the week! Clicking on an image will open it in a larger form.

Train/bike combination rider

This man gets off the train in Plainfield every workday morning with his tie, suspenders and bicycle.

Look into my eyes

I'll tell you no lies. The pigeons of the Bridgewater Train Station remain curious about my camera. Or me. Not sure which it is.

There was a rabbit

I'd say this looks like a new one born this past spring. I kind of wonder about that growth on his nose, but he's cute nonetheless.

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

You can't see me. I'm hiding in the brush.

End of the rabbit tale

Birds not a feather gathering together

Is it time for the revolution? Is it time for the birds to unite to overthrow humanity? Or, is it crumbs on the ground?

Hibiscus about to bloom

The hibiscus went from bud to bloom

Or blooms!

Gone the next day

Did someone take his seat?

Morning men in front of Danny's Bakery on the corner of Watchung and North by the Plainfield Train Station.

The moon, not full, not empty

I call him Randall Flagg

Graffiti truck

As they always are, this truck came out of NYC -- Henry Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. No Plainfield trucks get this kind of treatment in town! This one was passing by the Plainfield Police Station/Municipal Court building on Watchung Avenue.

Free food!

Once again, there was a collection of food for the giving on top of the mailboxes in my apartment building. This time there seemed to be only a few off brands. I'm not sure who is doing this on a fairly regular basis, about once a month or so, but people are taking advantage of it. Hours later when I passed it again, only a can of carrots and a packet of instant potatoes remained. I didn't take any of the food. I did take a package of coffee last month because I was curious about Bustelo coffee. But I don't need free food. It wouldn't really make a difference to my budget. Free rent would, though!

Oh my

For the 15 years I've lived on the block, there has been a bench (and trash can) at the bus stop in front of the Richmond Towers apartments. It's gone (so is the trash can), replaced by a NO LOITERING sign. I'll admit that every time I've passed by the bench the past few months, there are always people on it. Instead of people who live in the apartments or people waiting for the bus, it seems to have been attracting a riff-raff element. So, now it's gone. This is why Plainfield can't have nice things. Or, more accurately, normal things.

Am I boring you, Mr. Pigeon?

Who knew pigeons have eyelashes?

No, I'm wide awake! See!

Vincent and his 'nip

After his catnip, he'll take a cat nap ... usually atop of me!