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 - August 3, 2014

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly Sunday morning reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you're looking for Big Brother live feeds reports, you can find those posts at this link right here. The post you're currently reading is off television topic and a weekly post I make throughout the year on the blog. You can read it or not -- your choice!

Here in New Jersey, we had more than enough rain once again. Our reservoir levels have remained in the positive all summer long. It's a shame that we can't steer the rain off to areas in the West which are experiencing droughts! Overall, after a harsh winter, it's been a mild summer. Hey, I'm not complaining! I'm not a fan of the extreme heat. I'm not one to lay around on a beach sunburning and sweating. I don't like to sweat. Give me the 70s and I love it!

I was bitten by another mosquito this week, going into the full allergic reaction once again. Well, not to the point of anaphylaxis, but yet quite serious. I have no clue why all of a sudden I'm having these allergic reactions. I've been wearing Eau D'Off pretty much wherever I go, but forgot to put it on the morning I visited Mindowaskin Park in Westfield. I put it on after a while as I carry an Off "pen" in my pocketbook, but it was too late.

That's all for me for now. It's onto the photos! If you click on an image, it will open a new window and you can increase the size of the image twice by clicking on the magnifying glass on the lower right. If you click on the X to close that page, you end up right back here where you left off. I have two slideshows this week -- to make those full screen, just click on the diagonal arrow on the bottom right!

I hope everyone has a great Sunday and I'll be posting the latest BB16 live feeds soon!

NJ Transit, Raritan Valley Line

Because the double-decker trains are so tall, they look quite short when seen from a distance. Don't let the optical illusion fool you -- this train is seven or eight long cars long! Thankfully for drivers, it's nowhere near as long as some of those freight trains which take forever to pass by.

Ducks at rest

I made a trip to Mindowaskin Park in Westfield this week. The ducklings I photographed at the beginning of summer are growing up! After the jump, I have a slideshow of my day in the park. This is just a sneak peek!

East Front Street bunny

I don't have to go to the park to see cute bunnies ... they're all around my neighborhood. This is a young one resting in the grass.

Blue Dasher Dragonfly

This is another shot from the day in the park. Dragonflies were all over the place! I wonder why more Blue Dashers than other varieties seem to have wing damage of some sort. I've seen in in photos I've taken before. Their wings must be more fragile than other kinds of dragonflies, I guess.

After the rain

Again, more than enough rain here this week (and it's raining more as I write this). This is the reflection in a huge puddle after the rain stopped one morning.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS AND SLIDESHOWS OF BOTH THIS WEEK'S FLOWERS AND THE DAY IN THE PARK**