Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - September 20, 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. That is, if they actually do anything worth reporting! Stay tuned.

I was on a staycation from work this week. I had a slew of things I planned to get done. Alas, only some of the things on my list were finished. But I also needed to relax and I did get a lot of that done!

Here are some random bits from the week:

• I went to the Feast of San Gennaro in Littly Italy (NYC) where I took many photos, ate some (expensive) fried chocolate ice cream, stopped for an espresso and chocolate dessert, ate fried calamari and drank a $7 beer ($8 with tip). 
• I don't go to the city often enough.
• I'll have to go back soon. I still have money on my MetroCard. So, I need to go back before I misplace it.
• I also visited Mindowaskin Park in Westfield, taking photos.
• Despite getting a Peapod grocery order this week, I ended up picking up some things at Trader Joe's anyway.
• I bought alcohol this past week, first time in a while. I'm not a huge drinker kind of person. I bought craft beers, some of those little bottles of interesting flavored liqueurs and a bottle of strawberry vodka.
• Now I can predict I won't be by a liquor store again for months to come!
• I went to a Farmer's Market.
• The weather this week was beautiful, albeit a bit warmer than I like for this time of year. It's drizzling as I write this, but the week was free of rain until today.
• Coming back from the city on the bus Monday, I ended up with an old friend who takes the bus for work. His first words to me ... "I hear you had some excitement at your building." -- referring to the gunshots a week or two ago.
• My neighborhood is back to its quiet self.
• On Thursday I saw big hubbub (and took photos, after the jump) of a huge investigation into the fire scene on East Second Street. There were state fire marshals (with dog), county fire investigators and Plainfield Fire Department people there. I don't know if someone rekindled the fire or whether it was just some delayed reaction investigation.
• Google has finally updated its Plainfield street view map. Despite the fact I photographed a Google truck a few years back, the map is now really recent -- August 2015. It has the East Second Street construction going on and the two fire houses intact ... shortly before the fire.
• About time they updated us. Plainfield 2007 is way different from Plainfield 2015!

Onto the photos for the week. There's a whole bunch of them. If you click on an image it will open a larger version.

Eek! There's a large man there!

Now, I've arrived in the city numerous times via NJ Transit bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. I've taken photos of these buildings before. But I've never noticed the giant Peeping Tom dude! He has to be new. I didn't notice him this time until I was going through the photos I took.

Turn around, dragonfly!

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna ...

Krishna, Krishna, Rama, Rama. I have my personal doubts about this gentleman's whole gimmick. He approached me and I just shook my head no to him. He tried to give me something. I'm sure, had I taken it, he would hit me up for money next.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - January 19, 2014

Yep, another week has gone by and I still haven't posted about television. I plan to write up a bit on a few shows. I really do.

Yet, it is Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way.

Um. Well. I don't have all that much of either words or photos this week. I took a week of vacation time in hopes to ease the sciatica pain I've had for nearly a month. While it's not really gone entirely, the week has definitely helped. But I didn't DO ANYTHING this week! I lazed about my apartment, walked to the local bodega a couple of times, read, watched television and did NOTHING. I slept a lot. I'm well-rested.

I guess it's onto the photos, few that there are, for this week along with a new photo endeavor. Vincent the Cat fans should like this post!

A little cooperation please

Sheesh. Why don't you just turn your back on me? The squirrels are loving the recent lack of snow cover as they continue to find acorns on the local church lawn.

Vincent is having a ball

Well, he has been since I've been pretty much just here inside with him all week! It was "Dress Up Your Pet Day" and the only outfit I have his size is his Santa suit and I don't know where I put it. So, I put one of his balls on him. (Insert tasteless neutered joke here.)

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

Happy New Year!

I hope 2014 brings all of my friends here happiness and catnip!

Catnip?

VINCENT!!!

Merry Christmas!

My best wishes go out to all the blog readers here, hoping you're having a wonderful holiday full of love, fun and food. (And catnip, according to Vincent.)

Although some pesky health issues have kept me from my Christmastime photo stomp in the city (NYC) this year, I put together a slideshow of photos I've taken the past few years ...

Thank you all for being in my life!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - July 28, 2013

Good morning, folks! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. If you're looking for Big Brother live feeds reports, the most recent one is right here at this link. This particular post will have no show or live feeds content in it, but I will be posting later today and there will be a blog party tonight as the show airs here on the East Coast.

It's been a rather odd week for me here this past week. At least the heat wave finally ended. Folks were complaining it was too cold one day as I was dancing around saying how much I loved it! As I get older, I'm SO not a summer person. I don't like sweating while I'm just walking or even standing!

I also had to deal with an infected spider(?) bite this week, probably two bites next to each other. I'm not sure if it happened outside or at home. I haven't seen any spiders in my apartment lately although I've had a few here and there in the past. Vincent tends to not let any bug he can get to live, brave hunter that he is. I went to a doctor after a huge bright red swatch around the bites appeared a day afterward and my foot/ankle swelled up. The bite(s) were on the back of my left ankle. So I'm now on antibiotics and I missed a few days of work. But it did feel good to have it elevated on ice. I have paid sick time, too. So, things could be worse.

Without further ado, onto the photos I took ... 

First sunflower sighting

The sunflowers have blossomed on East Front Street in Plainfield.

Hey, whazzat?

I heard it first. Then I saw it -- a female downy woodpecker pecking away on a common mullein weed. (Or is it a great mullein? Some are about 12' tall!) As this is indeed a female woodpecker, there is no bright red patch on the back of her head. Bridgewater Train Station.

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

Off Topic: That Was the (two) Week(s) It Was - July 21, 2013

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. This week is actually two weeks worth of photos as I was away last weekend. If you're looking for the Big Brother television show live feeds report, the last one I wrote is here at this link. Another one will be posted later this morning.

Last weekend I went up to Albany, NY, from my NJ home to (a) attend my high school reunion, the first one I've been to out of more than a few decades worth and (b) visit my brother Russ and his wife Debby and have a fantastic reunion with cousins from the Massachusetts, Vermont and New York area -- some of whom I haven't seen since I was a young child. Plus, my niece Carrie, her husband Ryan and my fantastic 1-year old niece Taylor joined us!

Although I've been miserable with the heat we have had here on the East Coast, the memories of this past weekend will long outlast my memories of the heat wave!

My first experience with Megabus was overall good. I'll definitely use them again and will probably visit upstate NY more often. The trip up cost me $5 as it was more popular timing. They work it so at least the first two trips booked on a bus get the $1 price. My ride home cost me a single dollar. Can't beat that with a stick even though that bus ended up being late. It costs twelve times that just to go through the bridge or tunnel!

Because I have so many photos, I'm going to get them started now ...

NYC at 1:09am Monday morning

The problem is that the train I wanted to catch, the last train of the night on my line, left at 1:00am. The trains on other days run later. Oops.

Nipper

This 25 foot tall, four ton replica of the "His Master's voice" RCA dog Nipper is atop what's now a moving and storage warehouse in Albany, New York. Back when it was erected, the building was an RCA dealership. The "new" owners (it's been several years) not only kept Nipper there, but totally refurbished him and have kept him in pristine condition. I loved to look up and see Nipper when I was a child and must admit it was like seeing an old friend to see him last week.

Inside the bloom

You'd think a bee would be on this with all that pollen just sitting there for the taking! Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - December 30, 2012

It's the last Sunday of 2012! Why, that must mean it's time for my last off television topic photo post of the year. Woohoo! Of course, I haven't really been posting about television lately as everything is in repeats for the holidays. I did watch the Kennedy Center honors show this week and enjoyed it immensely. The ballet dancer seemed a bit out of her element, but I found the rest of the folks being honored people who have indeed played roles in my own life to a certain extent -- Dustin Hoffman, David Letterman, Buddy Guy and Led Zeppelin. I'm just not a big ballet fan albeit I find it beautiful when I do watch.

Last week I had a dearth of photos. This week, probably too many. You just might want to grab a big mug of coffee and some snacks before getting too involved in this. Not only did I find some things of interest in a bit better weather week locally to photograph, but I went into Manhattan on a whim on Christmas Day. 

Since I actually (for a change) had two days off -- Christmas and the day after -- with no real plans other than a quiet holiday at home with Vincent the Cat ... I decided to hop a bus into town. That means I walk about one minute to the bus stop and soon I'm dumped in Midtown. A storm was due Wednesday, but Christmas day was nice. Overcast, but I prefer that for taking photos anyway.

So, after I talked to my brother in California on the phone for a while, I was on my way. I thought it might be a bit quieter with all the big stores closed. Um. No. All the people just mobbed the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center instead of shopping! Oy. I will say that it wasn't as bad with the crowding as was the Chinese New Year parade in the city last year. I was concerned I might have a rib broken in the crowd crush for that.

I walked from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, through Times Square, over to Fifth Avenue, up to Rockefeller Center, back over by Saint Patrick's Cathedral (which had huge crowds, but scaffolding all about as they rehab the exterior), back down Madison Avenue to escape the crowds and breathe, back through Times Square, then back home. Yeah, that was one sentence. Want to make something of it? Uh-oh. I was in my travel in crowds in Manhattan persona. Oops!

The knees held up just fine. I only sat for a few minutes on a chair in Bryant Park. (Oh yeah, I went there, too.) For some reason, five different people stopped me to ask directions to five different places. Hey, just because I'm walking alone in the city doesn't necessarily mean I know where everything is! Thankfully, they all asked for places I do happen to know like Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Center and such. So I guess I was a good one to ask. I couldn't answer the folks who asked me a bus question, though. I have never been on a New York City bus. Subways, taxis and on foot, yes. Bus, no. 

Three separate groups of people -- an older white couple, a group of five black hip-hop garbed teenagers, and a family who seemed to speak either Russian or Polish -- handed me their iPhones and asked me to take photos of them. Don't they know that Mayor Bloomberg claims the rise in the robbery rate is due to iPhone and iPad thefts? Do I NOT look dangerous and thuggish? Sheesh. Yeah, I took their photos for them and handed them back their expensive playtoys. I figured I could probably only outrun the elderly couple.

Other than the trip into the city, it was a quiet week. Some real icky weather at times, but quiet for me. How was your week?

Onto the MANY photos -- clicking on an image will open it in a new Photobucket window, clicking again will make it larger. To return here, just close out the Photobucket window.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The holiday light show at Saks Fifth Avenue ...

Empire State Building

The lights are even better now! They replaced the old lighting system with new LED lights and can actually do "light shows." Before, every time they wanted to change colors, they had to physically remove a huge colored lens from each light. Now, it's computerized. Since the colors atop the building change per event, celebration, whatever ... this is going to be fantastic now!

Bryant Park tree and skaters

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

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - February 12, 2012

Yes, it's another Sunday. That means it's time for another off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. Never fear, TV fans --- Survivor returns this Wednesday! As usual, I'll have the blog party going on as the show airs here on the east coast. Everyone is welcome to join in!

The esteemed Lifeguard Laurie will be running the blog pool. If you want to get in on the action (no real wagering, but bragging rights if your random pool pick is the sole survivor!), please respond here in comments or email her at lifeguardlaurie@gmail.com. This is the list Laurie has so far:

Ann
Becky
Brent McKee
Delee
Donna
Ed in Ohio
Jackie
Jenna's mom
Laurie
Leigh
Margo
meb
ML
Monty 924
Nana in the NW
PDX Granny
Petals
rbennie
Rochelle
Sue Gee
Terry
Zoetawny

******************************************************

In other business, we had snow not once, but TWICE this past week! Wow. I'd say the total of both storms combined was less than an inch. Wow. During my skiing heyday, I'd be miserable about the lack of snow this year. But I'm not missing it at all. We've paid our snow dues the last few years, last year in particular.  I just wonder what effect it will have on the other seasons. I've never seen a winter in the northeast this warm.

On Friday morning, there was a big fire in Plainfield. There I was, making my lunch to take to work with the TV news on in the other room -- WCBS out of Manhattan. I heard, "We're over Plainfield ..." Huh? It must have been a slow news day in NYC as all the network affiliates had their helicopters hovering over Plainfield.  As I waited for my train, there were four helicopters just hovering there like dragonflies watching for prey.

Usually if they give that much coverage to a fire in NJ, it's huge. This one wasn't really huge like a city block or a forty unit apartment building -- it was a single home with an attached vacant body shop. But it was a relentless fire fueled by a gas main. And, the smoke as I headed to the train station was unbelievable.

No one was injured which, of course, is a good thing. However, I was very saddened to hear that the family there had three emaciated pit bulls in the yard, one which had to be put down on the scene as he was in such bad shape ... and not anything to do with the fire. Didn't the neighbors see the poor dogs suffering? Please, folks, if you see neglect like that, report it!

Not much else has been going on. As promised, I'm first bringing you photos of the Tropicana Train -- the Times Square shuttle. I'm really not sure how orange juice will make you feel better when the day goes awry, but it does make for a different NYC subway experience. I took them on January 29th. 

***HIT THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS!***

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - February 5, 2012

It's Sunday morning once again. Odd thing, that. It seems like it comes around once a week or so! But, because it's here again, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken.

First, let's talk a little about television. I'm tired of the American Idol auditions. I'm glad they're over and it's onto Hollywood next week. Perhaps I've just wearied of the show concept, but no one I've seen has rocked my socks. Eventually, in just a few weeks, Idol will be up against Survivor on Wednesday night. When that time comes, I go Survivor. 

Since we've entered the February sweeps, at least Letterman was new this week. I can't believe he's been hosting late nights for 30 years. The scary thing is that I think I've seen most of the shows! Although I got a new Southland, I want a new Castle!

Okay, onto my week ...

As I mentioned last week, on Sunday I went into the city to the big Lunar (Chinese) New Year parade in Chinatown. Oy. I really didn't think of how crowded it would be. I'm not a fan of crowds, especially ones which totally squish me. Had I realized it, I would have headed in earlier. Instead, I decided to watch CBS Sunday Morning and, at 10:30 when it ended, I packed up my DSLR and my best Canon point and shoot, then moseyed to the bus stop on the corner to catch the 10:41 bus which ended up being late. The parade was supposed to wind through the streets of Chinatown from 11 to 4.


But I didn't know 400,000 people would show up! The crowd situation was worse than the two years I've ventured into Times Square (and never will again) for New Year's Eve. The bus I took ends up at Port Authority which is way uptown from Chinatown. By the time I took three separate subway lines to end up down there, it was going for 1PM and the crowds were unbelievable.

Although there were tons of police, NYPD really did a horrible job with crowd control. I got really SQUISHED, to the point of being scary squished -- the pressure of the bodies was probably capable of breaking brittle bones. On one block on Mott Street (that's almost the Main Street of Chinatown), the police kept letting people in one end while the police at the other end blocked them in. The crush was horrid and only relieved when a bunch of folks started screaming that someone was hurt, someone fainted and one yelled that someone was dead. But no one either fainted or was dead that I saw. I think they just wanted to get the cops to let us out of the crush. 


So the cops opened a barricade and let us go right into Hester Street where another segment of the parade was coming through. Now, they wanted us to go back onto the sidewalk on Hester. But I found a safe crowd-free place between two parked cars on the street and stayed right there for the rest of the parade. So, while this was a great photo op in thought, the reality was not as exciting. If I go again, I'll go early in the morning and stake out a spot right along the street, not stuck in the masses in the middle of the sidewalk.


Yet I'm glad I went. I did get some nice shots, not necessarily of the parade. Because I have so many photos, you can expect the Tropicana subway shots next week. Since I took the 6 train back uptown and planned to take the 7 over towards Port Authority only to find out that the 7 is shut down on the weekends right now for maintenance, I ended up on this bizarre Times Square shuttle which hyped Tropicana orange juice. It was kind of cool, but I didn't want to add that series to this already photo-laden entry.


Oh yes, I always seem to end up in Times Square. But, never again on New Year's Eve. The reason I always end up there is because I take the bus home (it stops right across the street from my apartment) and the Port Authority Bus Terminal is in the edge of Times Square. If I take a train home, I don't go that far uptown.


That was my big excitement for the week. Other than that, it was work, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat. Onto the photos ... clicking on an image will open it larger in a gallery thingee.

Call me a cab!

Yes, that's a NYC cab. But take a closer look. That's the Plainfield Police Department in the background. Apparently some folks have money to throw away. The train or bus would cost $10 or less. I believe the going rate for the cab is $135 these days. That's not including the tip! Since his number light was lit, he was available. I should have hailed him to bring me home and found out the difference for the crosstown trip from him versus the local cabs. This was taken Monday afternoon on Watchung Avenue, Plainfield.

Cover me -- I'm going in!

I guess the parade is in there somewhere!

Not sure what to make of it all

I took this one stuck in the mob on Mott Street. Some parents were foolish enough to bring strollers. The best place for small children was atop the shoulders of their parents. It kind of spoiled the view for people like me, but it was the safest for the kids. This one wasn't quite that high. One idiot during my squished state actually had rolling luggage! I couldn't figure out why my upper body was moving around a bit in the crowd but my legs seemed to be stuck against a rock or something! I thought the knee replacements got bent!

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

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was and Happy New Year 2012!

Happy New Year!

I'm posting this a bit earlier than usual -- at midnight, for some odd reason! My best wishes for a happy and healthy 2012 (or, I believe, 5722) to all. Over the years, the community on this blog has become a part of my life ... and definitely a welcome part! I can only hope each and every one of you have a wondrous and amazing year ahead.

Thinking back on this past year, 2011 actually was a good year for me. Finally I have two knees which are, for the most part, painless. I've had chronic knee pain for more than twelve years and I can finally walk once again without pain. Sure, it was a bit rough getting there with the knee replacements. However, except for the dislocation kerfuffle with the new right knee, the recovery was so much easier than the first knee!

Also in 2011, I had a fantastic vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with fabulous friends I originally "met" through this very blog! Laurie, Margo, Ruth, Marge, Elaine, Delee, Ann and a tremendously cool waterfront house made me forget my knee was still healing! Wild horses, the ocean, great food and fun. You can't beat that with a stick!

Also in 2011, I had my first invitational photography exhibit. True, it was the local city library and not some fancy-schmancy gallery in SoHo. But it was an honor to have my photographic works on exhibit all summer at the Plainfield Public Library. Perhaps 2012 will brng about a fancy-schmancy artsy exhibit in NYC and worldwide photography recognition! Well, I can dream, can't I?

There have been some down moments during 2011. However, I've definitely had worse years throughout my life. Thanks to my new knee, I feel better than I have in years. Vincent (the cat) is still a treasure and remains in excellent health. I can't complain. Well, I could but that would be whiny and ungrateful of me. So I won't.

I do have one brief whine. I sort of kind of broke my best camera. It technically works, I guess. But I dropped it on Christmas Eve. Since then, each time I take a photo, it wants me to input the date and time. I can skip the step, but then the photo file has no date or time and each photo becomes its own folder. Ack! It's a nightmare when I take lots of photos and put them on my computer.

For a few days I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then I realized there's an opening on one side there never was before. Huh? I researched online and found out there had been a door there with an internal battery (not to be confused with the regular batteries). That battery controls at least the date and time. GRR! I found the battery size -- a watch type battery -- and will order it from Amazon. I also found the missing battery holder/door doohickey on Ebay. So it looks like I can fix it myself. 

With the camera the way it is, it's put a damper on my photo taking this past week. I ended up taking my next best camera out just so I'm not as annoyed. The zoom on that one isn't as good. But least it doesn't want me to program in the date and time with each photo! Soon I'll have my first DSLR camera as I'm buying a used one from a friend ... that I met on the blog! I can't justify a new one, but it will be a treat for me nonetheless. I've never had anything other than a point and shoot. Maybe that fancy-schmancy gallery exhibit might just happen!

Onto the photos ... these are from the past couple of weeks ... 

Times Square

NO ... not tonight (or last night)! I'm not crazy! I stayed home! Do you know that you have to go through a metal detector to get in Times Square on New Year's Eve these days? I fail that at airports and courthouses. No way would I even think of going into that mass of people going through that! I took this shot a couple of weeks ago when I went into town. With the latest lighting, Times Square has an almost pinkish brighter than daylight color about it.

Just an illusion

Playing with the "Illusion" filter on the GIMP photo editor, this is a street lamp in Bridgewater, NJ.

Holiday police

Huh. The Plainfield Police Station has two less trees than last year and only white lights. Last year they had blue and white lights. The city tree in front of City Hall is done up in red lights. Alas, it's never lighted when I'm near it!
 
IF YOU'RE ON THE MAIN BLOG PAGE, HIT THE "READ MORE" LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS!

Merry Christmas!

As it's Christmas morning, I'm going to skip the photos this week. They will return next week! 

I want to wish everyone a happy holiday and hope you can spend some time with loved ones. Thank you all for being a part of the blog this year!

In closing, here's a bad video of clips I took while looking at Christmas in NYC ...