Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 11, 2015

Good Sunday morning to y'all! I hope all is well with you. Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. Remember -- on Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm ET, I post live updates on Survivor and The Amazing Race respectively. If you watch the show(s), this blog is the place to comment on them with fellow show fans! It's really a great bunch of folks and the internet trolls have learned their comments are deleted practically as they post them. If you're looking for a fun place to discuss either show, please feel free to stop by one of the blog parties ... and bring snacks!

Because I have a lot to say in the photo paragraphs, it's random notes in this beginning of the post:

• I'm ready to welcome back The Walking Dead tonight and Fargo tomorrow. Well, the latter I'll watch on Tuesday. 
• I obviously have problems staying totally television topic free in these posts, huh?
• Although this time of year is my favorite weather of all, I'm dismayed by the shortening of the daylight hours. It's staying dark so long in the mornings and the sun is setting way too early in the evening. Wah.
• Now I remember how the extended power outage in Sandy taught me to make the most of the hours during which there is daylight.
• Someone stole my Sunday newspaper today or it wasn't delivered. That hasn't happened in months now. I'm assuming stolen rather than not delivered. We have new tenants in the front of the building. I guess I have to start going out for my paper before 6am once again to keep it from being stolen. Sigh. Wah. I'm usually awake at that hour, but not really wanting to throw clothes on and go downstairs and to the front of the building.
• If I ever saw the actual newspaper delivery guy, I'd see if I could get him to toss it up on my fire escape. Then I wouldn't have to get dressed to go get it and no one could steal it! With my luck he'd throw it up on the neighbor's fire escape.
• I've noticed the Super Mario (not the game, the superintendent) has been working seven days a week lately rehabbing some apartments as people move out. My wing remains the same with long-term tenants, but the front apartments have a higher turnover. I saw a boxed new toilet in the elevator. I want one!
• I was fighting the virus that seems to be going around well into the week this past week. I think my immunity to such things seems to be decreasing as I get older.
• I don't know my own strength -- I broke my floor mop this past week. Truth to be told, it was a cheap one I've had for years, but it could have waited until I was on my last mop stroke, couldn't it? The mop stick just broke in two. Eep! I'm just so darn strong!
• Work remains work. Four more days and one worry will be out of my life. Mind you, I still have to work and the damage is already done. But things should improve some.
• But I'd still rather retire from there and do something I enjoy doing instead. It's just that the latter doesn't keep the roof over my head and give me health insurance for $25 a week!
• It's a beautiful day out there today. Maybe I'll walk downtown and buy me a new cheap floor mop!

Onto the photos -- more stories than artistic endeavors this week, but that's how it sometimes goes. Clicking on an image will open it in a larger version.

It's time for the mums!

As the flowers of summer fade into the past, planters with mums emerge on Berckman Street in Plainfield.

Been on the right track ...

... must have been the wrong train. I've been in the right place, must have been the wrong time. Ack! All the promos for the new season of Fargo have got Dr. John's 70s hit stuck in my head! I'm looking forward to the show's return tomorrow night. In this photo, I was on the right track and that is the wrong train. I'd rather take that train and skip work, though!

Assembling bridge faces

For months we've been rotating between shutdowns of the railroad bridges on either side of the Plainfield Train Station. If Park Avenue is open, then Watchung Avenue is closed. And, then vice versa. Now they have all of Gavett Place (all short block of it!) closed and they're assembling the bridge "faces" which will supposedly be set in place without huge shutdowns of the streets. We'll see how that goes. I swear more construction -- streets, gutters, underground stuff, curb cuts, sidewalk sections and buildings, too -- has gone down in the past six months than I've seen in the past three years.

Stop, drop and roll!

While it's easy for us to remember the saying, I'd be willing to bet most people on fire aren't quite thinking of it. Then it's up to us to knock 'em down and cover. I think most people on fire probably run in panic. Not that I've seen all that many people on fire, mind you. But I do know it's instinct. I watched them set up yesterday's annual Plainfield Fire Department's Fire Prevention and Safety Fair yesterday as I waited train. More shots of the set-up phase follow the jump.

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

Gots me some film camera stuff!

Thanks to a friend from my childhood days, I now have some decent film cameras, zoom lenses and all kinds of accessories. She was going to throw them out and thought I might be interested. Well, YEAH! I've never had a film camera any better than your basic Kodak 35mm. And, to top this off, my regular evening train conductor friend who shares a love of digital photography brought me some rolls of film his son gave him after I told him about the cameras. This is going to be an adventure!

Getting the box was the hard part. I received a notice in my mail box on Saturday, 9/26. On Monday, 9/28, I went online with the tracking number and requested redelivery on my day off, Wednesday, 9/30. I was home all day that day and I don't think a mailman even came to my large multi-apartment building. The tracking online just stalled there with my redelivery request the last thing listed, no more notices, nothing. I finally picked up the box this past Wednesday, 10/07. They didn't say anything when I asked why it wasn't redelivered on the date I requested. I had to take a taxi home as the box was so heavy. I'm glad I didn't try to pick it up on my way to work on my late day -- I would have had to stash it in Dave's Corner Store and pick it up on my way home (and then take a taxi). Of course, had the Plainfield Post Office done their job right ...!  

I'm suddenly craving cookies

When I first moved from the Albany (NY) area decades ago, I mourned the loss of Freihofer's chocolate chip cookies. Then I discovered the very similar Entenmann's chocolate chip cookies in lower New York state, Connecticut and New Jersey. Then Freihofer's also arrived in this area. Mmm! This truck was sitting on Watchung Avenue on Wednesday. Mmm. I want cookies!

Nice day for a dog walk

I took this shot on Watchung Avenue as I went to pick up my package from the post office (since they apparently can't be bothered delivering it). I noticed as I took it, the benches in front of the Investors Savings Bank have all gone missing. I'm getting really tired of normal people such as myself losing benches throughout town due to riff-raff hanging out on them. It's a shame we can't have anything nice or even just plain normal due to street people ruining it. I'd rather get rid of the riff-raff than the benches. Grr.

Good morning, glory!

Bad pizza

An entire pizza, cut into slices, is strewn by the side of East Front Street. Although not shown in this photo, the missing slices are out of frame. Not even the squirrels, raccoons, opossum, birds or other wildlife are eating it. That must be really bad pizza! Note -- I would have included rats in this, but I've never seen a rat in Plainfield. I'm sure there must be some, but not in my neighborhood! I have seen rats in Westfield, Newark Penn Station and the subways and streets in the city (NYC). But not here. Knock wood. Vincent would get them anyway. So there.

But I WANT to be on the swing area!

Is the construction on East Second Street EVER going to end?

No trespassing. Hear me, squirrels?

This is new and different. The church next to next door from my apartment has put No Trespassing signs rather high up on their trees. About the only ones who hang out in said trees are squirrels and birds! I actually do have a clue why they're posted -- in the winter when the leaves are gone, I can see the back parking lot from my windows. I've seen cars with their headlights on sit there for long periods of time in the middle of the night. Now, there's no reason for people to be back there at that hour. It has to be something illegal -- drug dealing, prostitution ... something! Some years ago I mentioned it to a cop I know and suggested they occasionally drive through there at night. I would guess that it's still going on although I can't see it through the leaves this time of year.

No frosts yet

I think the hibiscus plants near my workplace think summer is still here. They'll have a rude awakening soon.

It must be May!

Maria's Mi Buenaventura Restaurant relocation finally went live this past week. The sign promised a May opening. Her other location down the street on North Avenue was literally squished in the poorly executed demolition of the old Bull Durham ghost sign building which had been ravaged by fire a few years back. They took a few years before deciding that building needed to be demolished, then did it in a manner that it came through the roof of the adjacent restaurant. So, now it's in the rehabbed building across from the train station. And, hopefully she has good insurance now -- she didn't before.

Get Out and Stay Out!

Yes, I'll do that. I have an issue with the random capitalization in the quote. Make it stop!

Sigh. This should be bright red.

A lot of leaves around here have just turned brown and died; many are still green. Fall colors are starting to seep in, yet not the vibrant reds, oranges and yellows of most years. The foliage this year seems to be a victim of the weather -- extended heat waves well into September with extremely dry conditions. While we've had more rain the last week or two, it's too late. This tree between the main Plainfield Post Office and the Friends (Quaker) Meeting House on Watchung Avenue is usually sporting vivid reds, not burnt-orange reddish-brown.

Sparkie's bounce house

I watched them blow this up rather quickly. I do have a quibble with the spelling of the name -- now, is it Sparky or is it Sparkie? Different spellings exist on the different related things. If memory serves, on the Sparky radio controlled life-size car doohickey in the parades, his fireman's hat has it spelled with a "y."

Junior Air Force ROTC were there

Not quite fire-related, though.

It was interesting watching them attempt to do various drills with their guns. I might not have the right word with drills -- I'm talking about when they present arms and attempt to do all kinds of fancy maneuvers with the "weapons."

Still greeting the morning sun

Although more sparse than usual this season, the morning glories are still greeting the arrival of each day. But, as you can see, not all on the fence is thriving this year. The excessive temperatures and lack of rain are the most likely cause once again.

Vincent's cat cave

He's taken the box from the camera equipment as his new cat cave. I can buy expensive cat condos and he'd rather a big cardboard box.

There are days I'm jealous of him

Vincent has such a good cat life. I know that wasn't always the case. I adopted him from the animal shelter in NYC where he was a stray a week away from being euthanized as few people want adult cats when they can adopt kittens. I wanted a cat, not a kitten. He's turned out to be an extremely special cat (and I've always had cats in my life ... he's very special!). However, in here, Vincent leads a life of luxury. I wonder what that's like.