Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - April 10, 2011

It's Sunday morning, a bit later than I usually do this, but ... it's time for my weekly off television topic look back on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken. Although it felt good, I conked out early last night and slept in this morning. Thus, this is going up later than usual. I tell you -- eleven hours of sleep is indeed refreshing! I rarely do that.

It was a hectic week for me with tons o' stuff still going on in my regular job. I believe I've mentioned in the past that I do not like chaos and running around to put out fires. I'm more of a "do something right the first time, then move onto the next thing" kind of person. I swear I work with "let's do stuff fast and then have to redo them because we didn't do a good job" kind of people. Ack. My only saving grace is that I know, although it has its own stress, I'll be having time off this summer with my upcoming right knee replacement.

On my day off from my day job, I got fired from my main paying writing job. No, I did nothing wrong. I was amongst almost all of the freelancers fired from writing on contract at AOL due to Arianna Huffington's "vision." Getting fired via a non-personalized form email is very irking. I posted more about it on Wednesday here. It's nothing earth-shattering, although I'll miss being a part of it. But it's not like in my heyday when I was earning enough to pay my rent just from that site.

The folks who permalanced there and were dependent on the income are the ones really hurt in the wallet. For me, freelance has always been just that -- I have my day job. My eggs aren't in any particular writing basket. But, as I would like to continue freelancing, now I have to go through all of the connections hassles to see if I can find a paying home for my Big Brother live feeds reports for the summer. Not to worry, they'll always have a home right here on this blog too even if I do pick up a gig. I do know that I won't be posting them anywhere else for "free." There is an income stream from this blog although it's hardly a get rich quick scheme.

I wish the folks remaining at AOL the best of luck. But I'd advise them to have their resumes ready. I was looking at the HuffPo and, although other AOL weblogs blogs are incorporated into it, TV Squad is not (at least at this point). I believe it's going to definitely be a case of job insecurity.

I'll miss my private jet and comfy corner office with the windows I enjoyed at TV Squad. Um ... okay, I lie. There is no comfy corner office and AOL didn't even give me a used bike to get around on! One thing I won't miss is that, on a night like tonight when it's expected that The Amazing Race will be delayed by sports, I won't have to stay up late to write good copy on it and then get up at 5 AM on Monday for my most hectic day of work on my day job! Plus, I'll be able to record other shows I like while watching TAR and I'm not obligated to record TAR to double-check my facts as I write. Nor do I have to sit there and take notes during the show! It's fun to say you get paid to watch television. But in actuality it makes the watching far less enjoyable.

That's not to say I won't take more paying gigs reviewing shows, mind you.

Work (day job) and no work (AOL) issues dominated my week. However, we had a taste of spring with temperatures warming up a bit this week. Although we were off to a cold start and had more than our share of (cold) April showers, yesterday and today are actually spring-like. Tomorrow will be summer-like. Oh come on ... I want SPRING not SUMMER. Sheesh!

Onto this week's photos -- clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window, then hit your back button on your browser to get back to the blog --

I'd like to propose a toast.

This was on the sidewalk in Bridgewater. It brought to mind the midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show back in the late 70s. I was tempted to get a squirt gun, some rice and a newspaper to go with it.

In other odd sidewalk food sightings, there's a trail of wrapped hard candies leading from 520 East Front Street to downtown.

The daffodils are finally looking healthy.

Plainfield Train Station just after sunset.

This was last night as I got off the train. Gorgeous!

Red sky at night.

Last night looking towards the Plainfield Train Station from East Fourth Street.

Coming to life.

In a few months I'll be photographing the bees who frequent the blossoms on these bushes. No, don't ask me what they are. I'm rather flora-ignorant except for the basics.

Man vs. Nature

Nature will win this one. Abandoned railroad tracks outside of Bound Brook, NJ. Our train had to stop and sit yesterday morning as an eastbound train went by. We were down to one track due to track work. But, not on this track!

Man vs. Nature Part Deux

The forsythia is so much more magnificent than the chain link fence. Bridgewater, NJ.

Walk This Way

I edited this one to leave only the pigeon in color. And, I still have "Walk This Way" stuck in my mind from last week's CMA show with Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood performing it. So, there you go. Taken at the Plainfield Train Station.

Only the yellow.

The forsythia on East Second Street in Plainfield seems to be the only color outside of brake lights.

The crocuses bloomed

Finally the YWCA crocuses on East Front Street bloomed earlier this past week. But they were all awkward and ungainly. Now they're already past.

Some looked "normal."

Dandelion

"Don't tell no lies. Dandelion will make you wise." - The Rolling Stones

Watch out worms!

Robin is heading your way! Until I got into photography I didn't realize robins had that white/black marking around their eyes. Odd.

Bunny in da 'hood

East Front Street, next to next door to my apartment building. Plainfield, NJ.

Boys in da 'hood

I've known these two since they were babies. They tell me they're big boys now. They're definitely more streetwise than I was at their ages -- six and seven. I don't know how I attract kids. I seem to be some sort of child magnet. When these two were younger I had to keep telling them they couldn't follow me home.

SAM!

For those who blog party on Wednesday nights, would this count as SAM? I know it's SPECIAL Agent Man instead of SECRET Agent Man, but ...! Drink up!

This was Tuesday late afternoon near the Plainfield Police Station. A bunch of strange cops were about the area going in and out of where the narcotics team offices are located. It seemed to be visiting police, mostly not in uniforms but with badges and guns. Perhaps they were touring the narcotics team's lovely digs?

Spring!

Y'know ... I DO see you!

This chipmunk thinks he's hiding behind the fence. It was hard to get my camera to focus on him -- it kept wanting to make the fence clear and the chipmunk fuzzy! Bridgewater, NJ.

Breakfast of Champions

I shouldn't say anything. My legs NEVER looked that good! North Street and Gavett Place in Plainfield.

Now all I need is ...

... opposable thumbs. Yep, I can walk on two feet. Give me those thumbs and I'll take over the world. Plainfield Train Station.

Forsythia against grey skies.

Plainfield Train Station.

Coming along.

The buds are really getting big on the Church Street trees. Soon it will be a spring wonderland of blossoms.

Vincent, you silly cat.

"I'm a cat. I can't be silly. You're the human running around taking pictures of me. Who's the silly one?"

My condolences to DonnaInAL on the loss of her beloved cat Fluffy. I know how much the loss hurts.

How was your week, folks?

The Grim Reaper visits AOL Freelance Bloggers

Yes, that would include me. It's been a fun four-year run on TV Squad, but it's all over now. Today all MOST* of the freelancers were dismissed. I was asked to submit a resume for a full-time writing job with the Arianna Huffington led new AOL incarnation.

But I just can't do that. I have a full-time job already -- one which is stable with a retirement pension I can actually collect anytime I leave now, good benefits and, most of all ... did I mention it's stable? I know from working with AOL for years that there is no job security with them, none at all. The majority of my friends at AOL outside of the freelancers have all been laid off.

So, you see why I can't just jump on the bandwagon for a full-time position which might even pay well, but may not last. Nor can I juggle both jobs, especially when Arianna has this vision of all of the writers and editors reporting 9-5 daily in one of three huge newsrooms. I'm close enough to the NYC headquarters for commuting, but I don't want to! Plus, how can TV reviewers be working those hours and amongst others? Perhaps they'll can all of the show reviews and just go with silly videos; I don't know.

What I do know is that I'll land on my feet in the long run. I'm not going to venture into the fickle.

What does this mean for my blog readers here? It's probably going to get even better! I'm shopping around for a paying home for my Big Brother live feeds reports. Whether that happens or not, I'll still be posting them right here on this very blog starting in July! Plus, I'm planning on posting more television content here once again and getting a Facebook Fan Page set up for the blog. Having the AOL gig made me lazy here. That is going to stop!

I'd like to give my thanks to both Sandy Deane and Kelly Woo (TV Editors at AOL), both of whom were my champions getting me aboard at TV Squad. As far as I know, one is still employed by AOL; the other moved on just prior to their recent layoffs. They're two great women who have always been supportive of my work and I can only hope they both do well in the their current and future endeavors.

I'd also like to give a shout-out to my fellow TV Squad freelancers. I know some make the bulk of their income from the site and it's going to be rough. I'm just grateful I was older and more settled when I came aboard in 2007. I knew not to quit a sure thing for something which might not last. While I'll miss the income, it's my day job which keeps the roof over my head (as well as catering to a cat named Vincent). Hang in there, guys!

If, for some odd reason, an editor at a paying site (I won't write for the Huffington Post for free) is reading this, my contact information is in my sidebar. Not only have I been a writer at TV Squad for four years, but I've written for Blogcritics, too. I was also the TV Editor at Blogcritics prior to going to TV Squad. I come with a following of fantastic folks and I'm willing to write about any television show I enjoy. If I don't like a show, it's only good for one scathing post. I'm great with deadlines and dependable. I speel well and have gots good grammar, too! (Kidding!)

As for you folks, my regular readers ... get ready. This plane is about to take off once again. Stay tuned!

Here are some links regarding this for your reading pleasure and (dis)pleasure:

• My TV Squad profile page -- don't know how long that will last. But since some of the forum pages I programmed in Rainman for AOL more than a decade ago can still be accessed, it could be forever.
• My Blogcritics interview with (then) Big Brother Executive Producer Arnold Shapiro.
• My Blogcritics profile page
• AOL cuts freelancers loose at mediabistro.com
• Keith McDuffee's commentary on the situation at CliqueClack -- which, by the way, I'm still writing my The Big Bang Theory show reviews there.
• Huffington axes scores of AOL writers from newser.com
• Sigh ... goodbye, Patricia from All Things Digital
• A Google news search for the phrase "aol freelance."

Oh, well. Thanks AGAIN for all the fish, AOL. This should be the last time, I guess. We have to stop doing this.

Don't forget to stop back for the Survivor: Redemption Island blog party tonight!

* I've been informed that a few remain.

A Few Brief Notes

My review for last night's The Amazing Race is up on TV Squad. Please check it out! (And, no. I have nothing against deaf folks. As a matter of fact I have a deaf friend who could have run circles around Luke! And she's a SHE and even younger.)

I know there's a Presidential address tonight at 7:30 PM ET. I'm not sure it will delay television. But, if you're a fan of Dancing With the Stars, head on over to the new discussion post for this season!

I hope television isn't really delayed a lot. Jack Hanna is on David Letterman tonight and he's my absolute favorite guest on the show.

Oh. I'll also be watching Castle tonight. I love that one. Anyone else watching it?

Happy TV to you!

Amazing Race Review Up on TV Squad and BB is Casting!

Just a quickie for now --

My review of last night's The Amazing Race non-complete leg is up over on TV Squad. Give it a gander, if you'd be so kind.

Also ... I noticed a tweet from @Robyn Kass welcoming new Big Brother hopefuls. So, the casting process is starting!

Amazing Race Review is up on TV Squad, Plus Phil's Diary!

My review of last night's show is up on TV Squad -- please check it out!

For a peek behind the scenes, we have Phil's Diary:

Talkin' TV

I know I haven't been posting all that much television talk as of late. Perhaps I'm in a bit of the doldrums awaiting Big Brother with its live feeds and a bit too ambitious posting schedule here and on TV Squad. As of now, there are still no official announcements on casting or possible twists. Since it's due to start on July 8, I expect casting to be announced somewhere around the end of June.

My latest feature article on the show is up over on TV Squad -- A Wish List for Big Brother 12. As usual, those who don't like either the show or reality TV in general are posting comments. I never understand why folks who don't like something take the time to read, then complain. There are plenty of shows I don't like. Guess what? I don't watch them, nor do I waste time reading about them! That's the marvel of living in this technological era -- tons of TV channels from which to choose, shows on the Internet, movies on demand, a collection of DVDs and books. Let others watch what they enjoy. It's a big enough world for us all.

So, what have I been watching?

I've gotten hooked on Persons Unknown, reasons unknown. It's weird, perhaps a bit contrived. But, since it's only thirteen episodes and nothing else I'm hooked on is in the 10 PM Monday time slot, there I am. It seems obvious that the "kidnapping" of the mother has something to do with the grandmother. But then, many things aren't as they appear. It leaves me confused. But I'm mesmerized for the hour. Plus, it's created by the person responsible for The Usual Suspects. That was nicely done.

I like The Good Guys on FOX. Oh, I wouldn't panic if I were to miss an episode. However, it's a fun little romp through a non-realistic world of cops and robbers. The whole timing bit reminds me of the backwards Indian wedding episode of Seinfeld.

I've been watching both So You Think You Can Dance and America's Got Talent. Tonight I will record the latter as SYTYCD is two hours. I'm still not sure whether I like the idea of only eleven new contestants and the return of the best from the other seasons. While I enjoy seeing folks like Twitch again, it seems to limit the possibilities for new dancers on the show. I guess we'll see how it works for tonight's first real competition show. The fact that it will be live intrigues me. I'd surely fall on my butt! But, then again, I never thought I could dance. Well, at least since I stopped being a teenager.

What are you watching and enjoying?

TV Stuff and Stuff

I'm a pseudo-celeb and I'm stuck in weeds ... get me out of here!

Yes, I watched the second night of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. I'm not proud. It seems that Heidi and Spencer are gone. I hope it stays that way. The next one I want out is that Janice. Not only is she annoying, but she looks a bit like that Cat Lady with too much plastic surgery. She was really a supermodel at one point? I find that hard to believe!

I find it a bit incongruous that the show was followed by an NBC special featuring President Obama's day in the White House. As I watched that one, all I could think was that if I had so much important for the world stress on my shoulders I'd be screaming, "I'm not really the President! I was joking! Get me out of here!" I'd definitely crack under the pressure. But the burgers looked good.

Tonight on Letterman it's Jack Hanna! I'm such a sucker for those segments. Not only do I find the animals so interesting, I enjoy the interaction between Dave and Jack. I took a nap. I will stay up! I peeked in on Conan last night on and off between Dave. He's got some good guests lined up, but nothing will take me away from Jack Hanna tonight.

On writing bits, I wrote up a brief article on I'm a Celeb, blah-blah for TV Squad. Yesterday TVS posted my short newsy bit about the upcoming Big Brother 11. It's been confirmed that once again I'll be posting live feed reports from the BB house on TVS. Of course, I'll still be posting them here, too. And, not the same reports. Also yesterday, my latest Reality Clack column for CliqueClack TV was posted.

Other than that, there's not much TV going on in my life. Tomorrow will bring us So You Think You Can Dance. I haven't really checked the schedule, but watching that over the pseudo-celebs is a given.

Today's musical non sequitur:
The monkeys stand for honesty,
Giraffes are insincere,
And the elephants are kindly but
They're dumb.
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages,
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum.
-- "At the Zoo" by Simon and Garfunkel

I'm a pseudo-celeb and I'm stuck in poison ivy ... get me out of here!

TV Doings This Week

Yikes! What a TV week ahead of us, starting tonight! Before I get into some of my viewing plans, just a quick mention on the photo. I took this one a while back as the stereo sign lined up nicely with the double "stereo" lamp post. I liked the way it turned out messing around with a photo editor above. The original shot is at the bottom of the post and was taken in North Plainfield, NJ. And, no. That has nothing to do with television.

Sunday: Argh. I have to write up two shows tonight -- The Amazing Race for TV Squad and Cold Case for CliqueClack TV. Barring any sports delays, TAR begins at 8 PM ET and my other shows schedule is clear. Good. Then comes 9 PM ET -- Cold Case starts, but there's also a two-hour Celebrity Apprentice starting at 9 PM. Waah! I know CA will be available online tomorrow and rerun on Saturday night, but I'd really rather watch that than CC! Throw into the mix that A&E has a Sopranos episode I want to see on at 10 PM (repeated at 11) -- what a night I have!

So, my plan is: Get my Reality Clack column for CliqueClack TV out of the way this afternoon except for the TAR bit. Watch TAR with a post going here as is my standard. Take notes on TAR and Cold Case as they air. I'll write up both reviews at 10 PM, hopefully to be done by 11 PM so I can catch the second airing of The Sopranos episode. As I write, I'll have the second hour of Celebrity Apprentice on in the background. I guess I can catch up with the first hour online. Sunday nights didn't used to be this complicated!

Monday: In the 8 PM (ET) prime time hour, I'll watch The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. I will have to write up a review of TBBT for CliqueClack TV. But I probably won't do that until after I've watched Heroes. My 10 PM hour has lots of possibilities for background as I write -- Saving Grace on TNT or maybe the new Animal Cops Phoenix on Animal Planet.

But then, later on, I have to absolutely positively see Letterman! He has two (not one, but TWO) of my all-time favorite guests on! First, Jack Hanna and animals. Those segments are priceless. Not only are the animals always fantastic, but I love the banter between Jack and Dave. Then, he also has Russell Brand on. That guy's a trip to a delightfully quirky place.

Tuesday: Ah, a relatively easy TV night. Two hours of American Idol, then I want to catch Trust Me (which I haven't seen) on TNT. Letterman has Stupid Pet Tricks, always a must see segment for me.

Wednesday: I plan to check out the new cooking reality show, The Chopping Block, on NBC in the 8 PM hour. Then it's American Idol and Criminal Minds on during the second hour. I'll record CM. LOST is a repeat. Even though I know it's going to be canceled, since they promise answers at the end of the season, I'm sticking with Life on Mars in the 10 PM hour. Letterman has on Tom Brokaw, another guest I enjoy. So I'm staying up.

Thursday: Gee, I think I'll watch Survivor for a change! Heh. Of course, I'll be writing that episode up for TV Squad. I see Bones is also a new episode running up against Survivor, but I'll catch it on the FOX website. In the second hour of the night, I'll probably catch Hell's Kitchen ... a show I've been keeping up with on the FOX website for the most part this season.

Friday: I sleep. Er, I watch shows I've recorded or shows on the Internet. Or, I catch up with my Bonnie Hunts recorded all week. Or I read. I sometimes catch Wife Swap. I'm not proud.

What are your TV plans for the week?

Today's musical non sequitur:
If there’s music we can use it
We need to dance.
We don’t have that time
For psychological romance
No romance
No romance
No romance for me mama
Come on baby tell me what’s the word.
Ah – word up.
-- "Word Up" by Cameo

Sunday, Sunday - Some Off Topic and a Bit o' TV

Oh my gosh, Roofus the Cat was watching me take photos of him from his little balcony roof yesterday! (If you click on the image it will open larger in a new window.) I get the feeling that Roofus is one of those cats who does anything he can to avoid contact with humans. Actually, the feral cats near the train station are pretty amazing in their street smarts.

Once, at night, I saw a parked car with its lights on alongside the street. The ferals were crossing the street and, although the car was parked and not even running, each cat looked at the headlights and changed direction to run in back of it, not in front of it. I see the cats stop and look both ways before they run across the street as fast as they can. My own cat would be a goner in the feral cat world.

To my bit o' TV:

I'm still not really into anything airing on Friday nights. Usually that's okay as I can take time to watch daytime shows like The Bonnie Hunt Show which I record as I'm off to work. This week Bonnie was in reruns all week. I decided to take a brief nap after dinner and ended up waking up in time to watch Letterman. Argh. I hate when I do that!

But I do know why I was so tired. Y'see, after I watched Survivor on Thursday night, I wanted to watch C.S.I. before I got into writing my Survivor review for TV Squad and my TV Shows Off the Beaten path column for CliqueClack TV. So my plans already had me staying up pretty late writing when I have to get up at 5:45 AM for work. I watched C.S.I., turned to the computer determined to speed write my way through the two articles and then it happened ... my power went out. Poof. No storm. No nothing. No power. I looked out my windows and saw my own block was dark for as far as I could see yet the block in back of me had lights. I got out my scanner and heard fire and police talking about a pole down on the street in back of me. Yet they had power! Grr. It came back on about an hour later and I finished writing at about 1 AM. No wonder I power-napped.

Cold Case and The Big Bang Theory are both repeats this week. So I won't be writing them up for CliqueClack TV. Later today I'll write up my weekly Reality Clack for that site, though. It will go up on site tomorrow. Later tonight (of course), I'll be posting an Amazing Race post here and my full review of the show for TV Squad.

One thing I will certainly be watching tonight is the airing of The Sopranos on A&E. I got into the show over the summer when I was home recuperating from the knee replacement but kept wondering how I kept missing the last few episodes in the A&E airings. Well, duh. That's because they weren't showing them! But now on Sunday nights, they have the last handful. Sure, I know how it ends, but I want to see it for myself! If the entire thing wasn't so cost-prohibitive, I'd buy the DVDs.

For years I lived in the Danbury, CT area. I still read the online version of the local paper there. One of the most notorious American Idol contestants this year, Nick Mitchell (Norman Gentle), is from nearby Brookfield. When I first moved to CT, I lived in Bethel and his father's oil company was my heating oil supplier for the rented cabin I had. The Danbury News Times has an interview with Nick. Should he make it through this week? I just don't know. But I recall those Mitchell oil delivery payments I made way back when! I had to order a minimum of 150 gallons. Oy!

I probably won't watch any of the Oscars. I know, I know. But I don't think I've seen any of the movies up for wins and I'm not all that into Hollywood glitz and red carpet stuff. If any of you want a discussion blog post for the Oscars, let me know and I'll get one going for you.


Here's a different angle on the fancy-schmancy double-decker train from NJ Transit. I was standing on the ramp leading to the raised platform and had the camera at ground level of the platform. Most of the trains I ride are still the older one-level ones. But I'm seeing fancy-schmancy more often. In a way, it's not so good for my knee as, unless I sit in the vestibule area which is between levels, I have to go either up or down stairs. As much as I ride the trains, I'm still a window seat kind of person. I like to sit high and oversee the terrain. One thing I want to note -- as much as I ride the commuter trains, I've never been in the bathroom of one. Not once, never. I just don't want to know.

Today's musical non sequitur:
Good sense, innocence, cripplin' mankind
Dead kings, many things I can't define.
Occasion, persuasions clutter your mind
Incense and peppermints, the color of time.
Who cares what games we choose?
Little to win, but nothin' to lose.
-- "Incense and Peppermints" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock

TV Bitsy Bits

As they say --- "police activity" by my NJ Transit train this morning. Thankfully they held the train at my arrival station instead of the one before it. It was something to do with a non-responsive passenger. I don't think he was non-responsive because he didn't give a nod when asked "howyadoin." The conductors didn't seem all that excited and they weren't helping the person, so my guess is drugs or drunk. Ah, at 7:30 in the morning!

Onto my TV Bitsy Bits

I watched my recorded Bonnie Hunt Show from today. Two things. First, I had forgotten how funny, quick, and sometimes way raunchy Joan Rivers can be. She was a hoot! And then there was Phil Keoghan. It's great to see him in a surrounding other than a welcome mat in a strange country. He's adorable and also has a quick wit. More importantly, he's thrilled with the attention Bonnie gives The Amazing Race and all the teams will go on the show as they get Philiminated. He said the teams are looking forward to it.

My Survivor review on TV Squad is here if you haven't seen it yet. I push monkeys. You've been warned. Reality News Online has an interview with the ousted castaway Carolina. Uh-oh. Those cowboy boots I mocked were JT's, not hers. She borrowed them because her sneakers were wet. Now I have another two things. First, I like JT and hope she didn't give him fungus foot or root rot or something. Second, um ... small feet there, JT? Oh, by the way, she decided God didn't want her to be on the show. Little did she know that no one wanted to listen to her helium voice all season!

My latest TV Shows Off the Beaten Path column is up over on CliqueClack TV. I did this week's one on America's Most Wanted. I foresee running out of shows eventually on the column. Yikes.

Today's musical non sequitur:
Very superstitious, writing's on the wall,
Very superstitious, ladder's 'bout to fall,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin' glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past.
-- "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder

I'm Baaack! And TV Stuff, Too!

I ended up going off for the weekend rather unexpectedly (nothing bad, mind you). I left a certain cat alone as I was only gone two nights. She decided to pout in an amazon.com box. I thought she'd be better off alone stocked with plenty of food and water rather than be boarded. She's decided she wants to live in a box.


I heard a loud metal CLANG on New Year's night. It was late at night. I peeked out my window to check on the cars in our lot. All looked fine and I couldn't see anything amiss. Uh-oh. This is my neighbor's fence facing the street. The boulders they had in place so people don't park halfway up off the curb were all awry. There are various scattered car parts and a section of metal fence about 8 feet long is in a messed-up heap piled against the still standing section. I have a feeling this is another case of damaged parked cars, too. How do people do this? It's a straight-away with city speed limits.


This is the latest photo of the kale. The patches of snow only exist as this is somewhat shaded by a brick wall doohickey.

Onto television stuff!

The Bachelor returns tonight. I'll be putting up a new discussion post for the show early this evening. I hope to see you there!

Another dance show makes its debut tonight -- Superstars of Dance on NBC. It's running the same two hours as The Bachelor, from 8 to 10 PM ET/PT. I might give it a shot tonight as I'm not into The Bachelor and the shows I do watch on CBS are repeats tonight.

Over on CliqueClack TV, you can find my latest review of Cold Case (plus a lot of other neat articles). Then, if you like spoilers (nothing earth-shattering), I have a post up over on TV Squad with some rather gentle (no winners, etc.) spoilers for the upcoming season of The Amazing Race. It's mostly locations, a few links to pictures taken of a few of the teams as they raced, and a reveal of who one of the teams are.

It's nice to have some new shows to watch after the last few weeks, isn't it? Of course, it won't be long until TAR and Survivor (along with American Idol) take up our lives again! Unfortunately, I have to return to work tomorrow. Boo. Hiss.

Today's musical non sequitur:
Black and orange stray cat sittin' on a fence
Ain't got enough dough to pay the rent
I'm flat broke but I don't care
I strut right by with my tail in the air
I wish I could be as carefree and wild,
but I got cat class and I got cat style.
-- "Stray Cat Strut" by The Stray Cats

Meow.

Survivor Gabon Bob Gets His Check and Stuff

Bob Crowley, the big winner of last night's Survivor finale, appeared on The Early Show this morning and picked up his check. Aw, he's such a nice guy!


Watch CBS Videos Online

In other news, my Survivor finale review is up over on TV Squad. And, over on CliqueClack TV, my latest Reality Clack column is up and running. Late tonight, my review of tonight's The Big Bang Theory will go up there.

Today's musical non sequitur:
Say what do you think of gentlemen wearing mink?
Gentle and soft
But who'd just as soon off you
For looking the wrong way as not
Jojo, Jojo
-- "Jojo" by Boz Scaggs

Just Some TV Stuff ... and Stuff

I haven't seen Roofus the Cat since Saturday but the weather has been icky. He's probably under a roof, not atop one. But I went to GoogleEarth and pulled up this satellite image of the area (obviously not really current as we have no leaves these days). You can click on it to make it larger.

The yellow dot is where I stand at the Plainfield Train Station taking Roofus photos. The red dot is the "Chotola" apartment building where he rests on the bay roof between the front fire escapes. The purple dot is the ex-Budget Car Rental where the elderly man feeds all the feral cats. The big aqua arrow means it's two more blocks that-a-way to my apartment building.

My latest Survivor review is up on TV Squad. And, over on CliqueClack TV I have my latest "TV Shows Off the Beaten Path" column posted. This one is about the show Cold Case. Bob Sassone over at TVS has spilled the beans about the next location for Survivor -- Brazil. Actually, Jeff Probst spilled the beans to Ryan Seacrest and Bob must have been eavesdropping.

Reality News Online has an interview with ousted Survivor castaway Crystal posted. Gee, she did so poorly on the physical challenges because she "threw her physicality out the window." Um, yeah. That's what she said --

Crystal: That just went out the window after I had a chance to run up the first hill. It’s hot as hell, I’m hungry. It just snowballed downhill. I think I had one good challenge, when I pulled Paloma off the pole.

RNO: But why did you go downhill?

Crystal: The challenges are not devised for everyday things that people do. They were hard as hell. For a person who’s been in tip-top shape, those challenges were hard. So I threw my physicality out the window and [decided to] play a social game.

Whatever. I'm just glad she's gone. And she is NOT in "tip-top shape."

RNO: What do you think of the reason behind you being voted off?

Crystal: I thought of the fact that I was social threat out there. I think folks didn’t want to go to the finals with me because I would have won. I think I had a great relationship with many of the castaways out there. To some extent, we had some sort of connection with every single one of the castaways. I would have won.

Delusional, I say!

So ... any C.S.I. fans out there? What did you think of the introduction of the Lawrence Fishburne character (to replace William Petersen) last night? I like Fishburne, so I think it might add a new dimension to the show.

Today's musical non sequitur:
Uno, dos, one, two, tres, quatro
Matty told Hatty about a thing she saw.
Had two big horns and a wooly jaw.
Wooly bully, wooly bully.
-- "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs

Happy Halloween!

Don't let the ghouls get you! Zoetawny made us a neat new Halloween graphic for the blog. Give her some candy!

My latest Survivor review is up over on TV Squad and a new "TV Shows Off the Beaten Path" should be posted over at CliqueClack TV sometime later today. And I'm off to work. I'm going as myself. I figure that can be scary enough.

Tv Stuff and My Return to the Rat Race

Just another plant in the wall. I always enjoy man vs. nature kind of shots. I took this last week at the old stone wall surrounding the Old Presbyterian Graveyard in Bound Brook, NJ. I also took some interesting old grave shots ... but I'll save them for Halloween.

I returned to work today. I lived. But I'm really tired. I didn't review The Big Bang Theory for CliqueClack TV as it was a rerun. My Reality Clack column went up there this morning and tomorrow morning (Tuesday), a Halloween special post with a video I made will be posted around 9:00 ET. All of my work there can be found at this author link, but check out the place ... quite a bit happening! Last night my review of The Amazing Race went up over on TV Squad.

I watched Heroes tonight, but I'm getting more mind-muddled by the week with the show. I don't know -- since they have Marlo and Bubbles from The Wire on it, maybe all we need is McNulty to look into the case and explain it all.

I think I'm going to have to head to bed early. I've got to get used to this working for a living kind of thing again. Grr, now that my 401K has been hit so hard lately, I'm not thinking early retirement!

TV Squad, CliqueClack TV, and Signs of the Times

Roaming the neighborhood near my orthopedic surgeon's office yesterday, I found these two signs about a block apart. The first one is so welcoming, so um ... bilingually friendly. The second is forbidding. Sure enough, as I was shooting the second sign, a very vicious watchdog started barking furiously at me. But they're both typically New Jersey -- a rising Latino immigrant population meets The Sopranos.

My latest Survivor review is up over on TV Squad for your perusal. Later today (not sure when), my latest TV Shows Off the Beaten Path column will go live over on CliqueClack TV.

As for me, I'll be heading out to the vascular surgeon appointment before long. I'll let you know when I know.

TV Squad, CliqueClack TV, and Off Topic Photos

My review of last night's Survivor episode is alive and well over on TV Squad. And, I have a new TV Shows Off the Beaten Path column up over on CliqueClack TV. I want to thank everyone for the well-wishes. I'm feeling okay now, mainly just really tired. But that didn't keep me from going to the vampires for my weekly blood draw or my Doppler test yesterday. I won't know the results of the latter until next week, but I didn't like the look on her face as she did the test. The sounds would make a cool Halloween wav noise, though.

Here are some of the photos (click on them to enlarge) I took on my rounds yesterday:


Now, what are the chances of me noticing this bench graffiti on the way to my blood draw? I think it's the same vampire slayer as in this older post of mine. Along with the vampire reference, it had that "lovescool, warkills" tag line.

Detour on the way to the Doppler test.

The hawks were circling above me. No, I am not a small bunny, nor am I a mouse!


I think this ornamental kale was perhaps planted a bit early as we have been having a warm streak lately. But it's a neat plant nonetheless.


Perhaps if we all go to the market and invest, do you think we might actually have peace on Earth?

CliqueClack, TV Squad, and Other Things

I have no idea what kind of bird this is -- I call 'em dotty birds. They're kind of ugly and have evil beaks.

I have a new Reality Clack column up over on CliqueClack TV and my Amazing Race review is up over on TV Squad.

My condolences go out to blog reader Nana in the NW on the loss of her mother. Words can't always express how we feel, but know you're in our thoughts and prayers today.

Survivor Review up on TV Squad

Why, yes it is... my Survivor review can be found right here.

TV and Writing, Writing and TV

This is a Manhattan subway shot I took a few weeks ago, messed with a bit with my editing software. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here to mention some of the writing I've been doing.

Last night over at TV Squad, I had a Survivor article posted. The comments are interesting (speaking of bananas). ;-)

Although I'm still with TV Squad, I'm pleased to announce that I'm also writing for a new venue -- CliqueClack. That site is having its "grand opening" today. The articles I write there are unique to CliqueClack and can be found at my author link on the site. But do check out the whole site! A bit later today another post is due to er ... post. I hope I see you there!

Keep tuned here, too. I have an exciting (well, not like skydiving or going off to Paris exciting) contest with a prize coming up just for you guys!