Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - March 19, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. If you're here for Survivor -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here. A word of warning -- The Amazing Race season premiere will be Thursday, March 30th!

Around here the biggest news of the past week is the snowstorm (or blizzard) that hit us Monday night through into late Tuesday afternoon. Because Plainfield had a couple of inches of sleet in the middle of the storm, our snow totals were only about a foot. Many areas along the shore had rain and ended up with very little, if any, snow. Further north, it remained all snow and some totals were more than twenty inches.

Unfortunately, unlike many storms this late in the season, the temperatures didn't warm up and help rid us of the snow. Instead, we had days hovering right around the freezing point and bitterly cold nights. Looking at the forecast, we're going to be stuck with this for a while. Meanwhile, the warm temperatures last month brought out buds on trees, daffodils and some tulip activity. Not anymore! 

I went for the follow-up on my tests on my legs this week. The surgeon wants to do both about two weeks apart. The worst one, he wants to treat with injecting a foam which will close down the great saphenous vein and its affected branches. The other leg, he wants to do with more traditional laser treatment. He claims that other veins in the leg will take over for circulation. In researching about it, I found that the great saphenous vein is the one used when someone has a heart bypass. I better not ever need one of those down the line! Now it's just a waiting game for insurance approval and scheduling. It probably won't be happening until May.

In apartment living news, I ended up calling the police on my upstairs neighbor's blasting music late last night. I thought those days were over when he moved his speakers up off the floor. But, then came last night. He turned on his stereo at about 9pm, extremely loud and thumping. At 11pm, I went upstairs in the elevator just to see how loud it was from there. Sure enough, it was blasting through the whole hallway and was very loud from the elevator door. I don't want to confront him. I went back downstairs and, at nearly midnight, I called the police. Since the Plainfield Police changed over to an encrypted radio system, I can't hear them on the scanner anymore. But I did hear them pounding on his door about 15 minutes after I called. The stereo went right down. He continued to play the lowered stereo for about two hours more. I could hear it, but it wasn't all that loud. The damage was done, though. I ended up not sleeping most of the night.

As I'm typing this now, he has turned it on loud again. I'll give him a half-hour until I call the police again. Obviously he has no consideration for others.

Onto the photos -- clicking on an image will open it in a larger gallery version.   

Tomorrow is SPRING!

So this can all go away. Now. Tonight, overnight. Vamoose! Be gone, damn snow! Corner of Watchung and North in Plainfield.

Me and my shadow

It's not me, though. He and his shadow? The low angle of the winter morning sun caught this just right and I had to shoot the guy. (With my camera.) East Front Street, Plainfield.

Have a seat!

Most of the city street benches are buried in (now very dirty) snow. You need to take a bus? Chances are you'll have to stand in the street or take the risk of climbing over a huge snowbank. Back in the day, the climb wouldn't be an issue. Nowadays, I'm fearful I'll fall under the bus! Looking towards the Park Madison building from East Front Street in Plainfield.

Monday tree buds

Despite a few days of bitter cold arctic temperatures, I saw these buds growing on a tree at the Bridgewater Train Station on Monday before the storm hit. 

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

Daffodils down!

However, the cold did down the daffodils before they got buried in the snow.

But, you may defecate and spit?

This sign in on a rather ill-fated closed fried chicken business on the west side of Plainfield. The place opened to a fanfare and then just closed down quietly within a year or so. If this sign was there during its open period, I'm not surprised it closed down. For the majority of folks who would be good customers, the sign is certainly off-putting. Of course, it's possible that the sign went up after the restaurant closed down. 

As the storm did its thing

I took this shot out of my window as the snow/sleet came down sideways full-force Tuesday morning. The plow had already been through the parking lot once at that time.

Driving that train ...

Well, I doubt he was high on cocaine as in the old Grateful Dead song. But there surely was plenty of real snow around!

Big man on a tall bike

Bicycles seem to go to extremes around here. We have all the grown men and older teenage boys riding around on those tiny-wheeled bikes, bikes better suited for smaller children or BMX moto-cross fanatics. Then there are these high bikes. It's usually big guys on them. But I doubt that their feet touch the ground when seated upon the bike. It's all very odd.

Plainfield Train Station FAIL

Apparently NJ Transit thinks people only access the westbound platform of the Plainfield Train Station from its tiny parking lot off North Avenue. Forget about the taxi stand on North Avenue with customers being dropped off and picked up. Forget about regular cars dropping off or picking up passengers. Hey, forget about NJ Transit's own shuttle buses which stop at that curb to pick up and discharge passengers! Let them climb over the snow!

No access to the street cleared

This is a closer view of the hurdles I described above. I twisted my ankle climbing over it last night. Not horribly twist it, but bad enough to make me afraid I'd fall!

They're not taking a train

They never do. And, there's usually more of them hanging out taking up the Plainfield Train Station shelters and benches. Seriously, if the loitering problem is this bad in the winter, what are we in for come summer? They throw trash all over the grounds, drink at the station and are very annoying to have to walk through. NJ Transit Police need to come more frequently and keep moving them along. The Plainfield Police do stop by more frequently. Perhaps some sort of trespass warning and fine system needs to be initiated. 

I see dead people

The saga continues on New Jersey Transit trains. If the conductor hadn't come by and woke her up, she would have missed her stop in Dunellen. It's actually not the conductor's job to babysit. If they lock someone in the train up in the rail yard at the end of the night, the conductor can get suspended without pay. So, they should be checking that last stop on the last run of their night. But, broad daylight? Passengers should take care of their own selves!

How NOT to sit on a bench

More loiterers NOT taking the train. I hate when people sit on the bench back and get their muddy/snowy/salty feet all over the bench seat. I carry an empty large store plastic bag with me for when I want to sit on a bench due to idiots like this. Whatever happened to consideration for others?

Saturday seamstress is way up there!

I see her pink bag of gowns she's working on as she rides! I don't believe I've ever seen her ride way up in the front of the car. It's not like the train is crowded. But I recognize the hanging pink bag.

My chauffeur arrives

I've cheated on NJ Transit this week. I only worked three days due to one planned day off due to a doctor's appointment midday. On Tuesday I had an unplanned day off as my workplace didn't open due to the blizzard/winter storm. And, on two of the three days a friend gave me a ride to work and home. Yesterday I took the train in and home. I haven't missed anything new.

He's either guffawing or yawning

Since I've never seen Vincent guffaw or even chuckle, it must be a yawn. Being a cat is such tiring work!