Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 28, 2016

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you're here for Big Brother news, everything I have for you can be found at this link. I'll be posting another live feeds report later this morning (Paul's ongoing talking has made me crazy and late with the overnight post) and late tonight as well as live-blogging the aired show. But this ain't that. This post is a year-round regular "feature" while Big Brother is a summer obsession. Or, something like that.

While the temperature around here moderated a bit for some of this past week, the heat and humidity just doesn't want to leave.  Not only did we have one of the hottest Julys since the start of record keeping in the 1880s, we're in line for the top five of August heat, too. What's quite noticeable is that the top five for both months have been within the past thirty years. Either we've done that to our planet or it's just growing weary, as am I.

On the health front, the sciatica seems to be lessening. However, my right knee is still wanting to give out while climbing stairs and such. That worries me. There is no pain, just incredible weakness. I'm trying to exercise to build it back up, but the sciatica is interfering. What I don't want is to have to undergo a second knee replacement on the knee. I'm hoping it's just muscle weakness from the sciatica pain rather than the knee failing.

When I got home last night, I saw some people I don't know moving out of my building. This morning, there are all kinds of GOOD abandoned furniture and stuff by the dumpsters. I never understand why people just dump good stuff when moving. Hey, sell it on Craigslist, get a few bucks. Or move it with you! I did snag a huge folding frame doohickey that I want to eventually put my own photo works (blown up) in for display. I saw some nice photo frames, but they just dropped them there and the glass is broken. I didn't want to deal with that. There's a nightstand and bureau in very good shape -- almost new condition. But both pieces are too heavy for me to carry. I'm sure the furniture pieces in good shape will be gone long before the refuse hauler comes along.

I don't have much more for you other than the photos I've taken. Clicking on an image will open a larger version.

Sunflower with bees!

I'll admit I'm allergic to bee stings and my Epipen prescription is way expired. I've been following the controversy regarding the price. Perhaps because I haven't been stung in more than twenty years and the silly epipens expire within a year, I haven't bothered. Yes, I do go near bees. Most bees, like these on the sunflower, are much more interested in doing their work and aren't aggressive. Wasps and hornets are another thing. I'm very leery of them! This sunflower and more sunflower shots after the jump are growing by Bethel Presbyterian Church on the corner of Roosevelt and East 5th Street in Plainfield.

Who you gonna call?

Well, no one on that police phone! When I first started taking photos around town, I shot a lot of these call boxes. Those photos are held captive in an old hard drive which I will delve into some day. Most of them have been stolen by now, perhaps to sell on eBay or for the metal at junkyards. For me, that's a part of history lost. While this one has obviously been vandalized, it still stands at the corner of East 5th and Roosevelt in Plainfield.

Ring of red flowers

I fell into a burning ring of red flowers. Um, no. That doesn't flow very well at all. These are growing in planters in Bridgewater, NJ.

No, YOU are on camera, little sign!

Someone new has taken over Egenton's Auto Repair on the corner of East 5th and Roosevelt. I guess they have video security cameras.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 14, 2016

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you're here for Big Brother news, everything I have for you can be found at this link. I'll be posting another live feeds report late tonight as well as live-blogging the aired show. But this ain't that. This post is a year-round regular "feature" while Big Brother is a summer obsession. Or, something like that.

I thought the heat and humidity that has been visiting us for most of the summer was bad. It was nothing compared to this past week's temperatures and accompanying humidity levels. It's been unreal around here. I'm still having sciatica issues and now the weather is against me, as well! Help! Help! Whine! Fuss! How bad is the heat and humidity around here, you ask? It's so bad that they're saying NYC cockroaches will be able to fly! Now, I know that they (palmetto bugs) do that in the South. But it's bad enough they scurry all over the place here. We don't need them flying, too!

Disclaimer: I personally have no cockroaches in my apartment. We have a monthly exterminator coming in to keep it that way. Vincent would get them anyway if I did have them!

I've noticed that all of the street peoples' baby carriages of their life stuff have disappeared from the Plainfield Train Station and the groups of vagrants there are being moved along more regularly. However, they still gather under the trees on the westbound platform side, throwing their beer cans all over the lawn. And now I'm seeing some right up on the platforms taking benches from actual passengers PRETENDING they're train passengers. Sheesh.

I really don't have much more than the photos to share with you. For the first time ever, after leaving home or getting out of work, my camera lens covered with condensation due to the change in temperatures. Gah. It was that hot and humid! I'm used to my eyeglasses doing that, but not the camera!

Clicking on an image will open a larger version.

Just after sunset on Monday

With my unusual weirder than normal work schedule this past week, I arrived back home in Plainfield not long after sunset. I was both surprised and pleased to hear and see several bats flying around. Years back, I used to see a lot of them in the hours around dusk. When white nose syndrome decimated the population and most of their vacant buildings habitat around the Plainfield Train Station were torn down, I wasn't sure they'd ever return. Yeah, I like bats. They're good for the environment and are actually kind of cute in a mouse with wings kind of way! Plus, they like to eat mosquitoes. Yes! Plainfield Train Station.

The 59 bus

The day I took this shot, I was tempted to jump on the bus and head back home! I was on my way to work and the heat was unreal. Of course, I don't live in Newark. But that bus gets me within a block of my apartment in Plainfield. Gavett Place, Plainfield, NJ

Tuesday night's moon

As seen from the Bridgewater Train Station

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - July 17, 2016

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you're here for Big Brother news, everything I have for you can be found at this link. I'll be posting another live feeds report tonight as well as live-blogging the aired show. But this ain't that. This post is a year-round regular "feature" while Big Brother is a summer obsession. Or, something like that.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate heat and humidity? During my staycation, I practically barricaded myself inside with air conditioning to avoid the weather. I wish I could have done the same this past week (and, I'd like to do it next week, as well). We had another week of horridly hot and humid weather and next week looks pretty much the same. I'm dreading my electric bill because I've been running the air conditioning so much. Yesterday, I think I might have even had signs of the beginning of heat exhaustion when I arrived at my workplace. I was sweating profusely, dizzy and suddenly nauseous. It went away after a few hours, but ...!

Other than going back and forth to work, sweating a lot and blessing air conditioning for any time I can spend inside ... it's been a rather dull week. I think I got a few decent photos despite sweat dripping down into my eyes. And, on a positive note, living in this area, I won't have to invest in a sauna.

I wouldn't mind if my apartment had a pool, though. I have decided that, if I ever were to come into enough money to go wild, I'd buy a house with my own INDOOR personal pool that I could enjoy year 'round. For now, I guess I'll have to make due with my bathtub. I'm not into going to the public pools or down the shore where everybody is. I like solitude or just close friends, not crowds or a gazillion kids running amok.

Onto this week's photos ... clicking on an image will open it in a larger version.

Flower-of-an-Hour (Hibiscus trionum)

Thanks and a shout-out go to Bernice for telling me about these way cool flowers! This is the first year they're growing in a patch of rocky dirt near the Bridgewater Train Station. After the jump, I have a short series of their various incarnations at different times of the day.

Oooh! A pet for Vincent!

A sign outside of Pete's Fish Market on East Second Street in Plainfield.

Monday night's moon

Hibiscus Tree blossom

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 19, 2016

Good morning! Happy Fathers Day! My own father passed away decades ago and I still miss him. I wonder what he would think of the world today. He was a good father, hard-working and he passed much too young.

Since it's Sunday, 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 interested in my latest posts on Big Brother 18, hit this link to see them all! A very important TV note -- the blog pool is open for BB18 -- if you want in, the cut-off is Tuesday at 3pm ET and you need to sign up on this linked post ONLY. Please don't sign up on this here post or any of the other BB18 posts as your request might be missed!

After I posted last week's off topic photo post, I learned of the horrible events in Orlando. It's still bringing tears to my eyes even though I didn't know any of the 49 victims. The presence of such evil in our world is incredibly sad. I have no answers. I know from early childhood, mass murderers exist. I recall the guy on the watchtower in Dallas in the 60s. But I fear some people are fueling the fire of such evil with homophobic, racist and even Islamophobic ways. Perhaps I'm naive, but can't we just stop all this hate and exist together in the world? Sigh.

This past Friday evening, the city of Plainfield (NJ) where I live held a candlelight vigil for Orlando's victims. I was in attendance. Many of the photos beyond the jump are of the ceremony. Plainfield is a city of diversity; this area of New Jersey is a true melting pot of all cultures, religions, colors and more. I'm proud to live here. It enriches my own life to know and be friends with so many diverse folks. I honestly think many folks who direct hate on generalizations don't personally know any individuals in the groupings they hate so much.

Onto this week's photos -- clicking on an image will bring it up in a larger version:

Nature's glory

Teeny bee

Or, perhaps it's a mimic fly. As seen on Berckman Street in Plainfield.

Mayor Mapp speaks

Mayor Adrian Mapp speaks to the Candlelight Vigil for Orlando crowd at Plainfield City Hall on Friday evening.

I see Dan; he doesn't see me

We need to change the world

Did you know that more hate crimes are committed against the LGBT community than any other group? For the life of me and based on my own life experiences, I cannot understand why. I just don't get the anger directed at people being gay. All I know is that I'm glad I was raised to accept people for who they are no matter religion, gender identity, color, culture ... and on and on. After all, I certainly expect people to accept me for who I am. I don't expect everyone to like me, but I don't expect anyone to hate me for no good reason! I don't like everybody in the world. But that's based on a personal traits level, not a wide-sweeping generalization. I don't direct violence at people I dislike. If folks aren't doing you any personal harm, don't do them harm. That should be easy. But, apparently in the world today, it's not. It's sad.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - January 17, 2016

Good morning! Yes, it's Sunday morning -- time for my weekly off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. I swear I'll get back to posting about television soon! I promise!

Here are some random observations from this past week:

• I was saddened to hear on Monday morning that David Bowie had passed away on Sunday last week. I had just quoted one of his songs in last week's photo post not knowing he was even in ill health. A true innovator and such a talent ... he will be missed.
• My upstairs neighbor now seems to have a new girlfriend living up there and a new stereo as well. Lots of thumping around, arguments and loud music. One night as they were fighting late into the night and I contemplated calling the police, someone beat me to it and the police came. It's so much better (and quieter) when people live alone! Sigh.
• Our winter weather here remains very weird. We've only had snow flurries and it's past mid-January now. We'll have record-setting warm temperatures followed by cold snaps. Even the cold hasn't been as cold as it could be! All the precipitation has been coming during the warm periods, so we've had plenty of rain. Mind you, I'm not complaining. I could do without ice and snow for a season. Small children will have the opportunity to see snow in their lifetimes. My wish isn't to deprive them permanently of such. Just one winter. That's all I want.
• That said, it does limit my photo fodder when most of the trees are barren and there are no flowers nor bugs to shoot.
• I've a few short weeks (four days, not five) ahead at work. Yay! This coming week I'm taking a paid day off mid-week and next week I have a vacation day to start off my staycation the following week. Yay! It's not as good as retirement because I won the Powerball, but I'll take it.
• Yes, I played the Powerball. I lost four dollars doing it. But, when I bought the tickets I didn't spend any more than I minded losing. Heck, I could have gone higher. However, I'm rarely lucky at winning stuff. I'm not much of a gambler at all. I probably spend a whole ten dollars a year on lottery. I was never into casinos or betting. At least, by working I'm guaranteed a paycheck! My 401K is the most "gambling" I do and I let other people do that for me.

Onto this week's photos. Clicking on an image will bring it up in a larger gallery version.

Y'know ... we need new bulbs

NJ Transit's haphazard maintenance at the Plainfield Train Station is ruining the possibility of symmetry and balance if I want to take shots of the rows of lamps on the platforms. Yet the ne'er-do-wells and denizens of the streets have found access to power outlets enabling them to loiter more at the station. 

Saturday night's moon

Yep, I shot the moon. It's been mostly overcast as of late when I've been out in the dark. At least clear skies give me the challenge of moon shot with my carry around point and shoot digital camera.

Every step you take, every move you make ...

... I'll be watching you. I got out of work in the daylight for the first time in ages. As I got to the top of the stairs at the Bridgewater Train Station I had that uncomfortable feeling that someone was watching me. Sure enough, I looked at the fence and there were three deer, two of them intent on watching me.

I believe they're the same ones I've photographed before. They're quite curious about either me or the camera, not sure which. They don't seem to have fear of humans as much as they have curiosity about us. They're in the "field of geese" -- a fenced-in field at the Superfund toxic waste site adjacent to the train station. There is no hunting, nor trespassing, allowed in that area. They don't have much to fear from humans at all. They hopefully have a healthy fear of fireworks, cars and trains. Oh ... and geese. I've seen the geese charge at them. More deer shots (and closer ones) after the jump.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 22, 2015

Good morning! Since it's indeed Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're a television fan, please make sure to stop by on Wednesday and Friday evenings for the blog's Survivor and The Amazing Race live blogging parties!

Let's see ... what of any consequence happened last week? Hmm. Not really a heck of a lot. I worked (of course). I didn't go to any Broadway shows, nor did I win millions of dollars. I just worked, ate, slept, turned to computer and television diversions, read and such. You know, the normal, albeit boring, things of life.

Here's the Reader's Digest condensed version of the week:

• We had good weather and we had bad weather. Thankfully, the bad weather was rain, not snow. It's trying to turn a bit more seasonable with the temperatures here, but we've had a warmer November than many.
• I'm not complaining.
• The biggest event of my week had to do with the NJ Transit replacement of the Park Avenue railroad bridge in Plainfield. That's actually still in progress as I write this up for you.
• Due to the shutdown of the trains between Westfield and Dunellen, that bus shuttle thing was going on again this week. I was 45 minutes early to work and left work a half-hour early only to finally get home at about the same time I would have if I had left on time.
• But I couldn't leave on time because the trains heading that way were running a half-hour early to make time for the busing. That should make the Westfield east to Newark/NYC trains run on time ... theoretically.
• This time the trains were more screwed up than the shuttle buses! My train into work, once on the far side of the shutdown, kept stopping and/or slowing to almost a halt and creeping. My train back sat in the Bound Brook station for almost fifteen minutes, making me miss the (real) bus I had intended to take home from Dunellen instead of the shuttle.
• Once again, I knew this whole bridge replacement/train shutdown was going to happen, but the general population was clueless. A woman stuck in Bound Brook was worried she'd miss her Greyhound bus at Newark Penn. I estimated she'd miss it, but didn't really share that with her. After all, it's not like I could help her. I was just sympathetic towards her and explained how she'd get back on the train in Westfield. 
• She had been late onto the train as it sat in Bound Brook anyway. Had the trains been running regular and on time, she had given herself about five minutes to get to her bus. That ain't gonna cut it no matter what. She had luggage with her and everything. 
• Why don't people plan better? If I'm traveling, I make sure to be very early for any connections. I'd rather have to wait for a half-hour than to be a minute late and miss a connection. Kind of like NY Penn Station, Newark Penn has restaurants, coffee places and such where you can waste some time waiting for a connection.
• Some probably wait there for a totally different kind of connection, but we won't go there.
• Heck, I always try to be ten minutes early for my own daily commute trains!
• When people called NJ Transit, just like the situation three weeks back with the other bridge, they were told there were no alerts. But the information was on the website. This whole thing hasn't been handled right by NJ Transit. Once again, I saw NJ Transit people directing folks in Dunellen, but not a soul at the Plainfield Train Station (which is a busier station overall).
• Gah. Frustrating!
• It's supposed to be over by the time I go to work tomorrow.
• Yay.

Onto the photos of the week! Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version.

Apt ad placement

What could be better than advertising Jersey Boys (Broadway show) on an NJ Transit train? That's our new Watchung Avenue bridge in Plainfield. They have yet to place the end-pieces, kind of like bookends, on it. The train is a morning one heading towards Newark/New York City. I'm surprised to see they've changed it to a single level train for that run this week. We've been double-deckers for a number of years now.

Who could it be now?

Men at work. (Get it? The rock group and song from the 80s?) With all these NJ Transit bridge workers, not one woman is on the crew. Hmm. I also have noted that hardhats have gone from simply functional to a fashion accessory with many of the guys.

No yolk about it!

Actually, more yolks than normal. As I was cooking up breakfast one day early in the week, one of the eggs had a double yolk. I haven't seen one of those since my childhood days when we bought eggs fresh from a farm. Out of curiosity, I looked it up on the internet to find that commercial eggs are usually "candled" (lighting up the egg through the shell) to remove any eggs with abnormalities. That would include double yolks. Any such eggs are usually discarded. This particular egg came from Eggland's Best Eggs. It's an "abnormality" I don't mind at all although I wonder what would happen if I used it in baking.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - September 6, 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. Stay tuned.

Yes! Another week closer to staycation week! I have a short week ahead. I'm only working three days, plus going in for a couple of hours (like two) tomorrow. I so need the rest even though I'll still be covering Big Brother. But I can do that in my pajamas and slippers! My workplace's dress code frowns on such attire there.

A few random observations on the week gone by:

• No means NO. If you're a bum asking me for money or cigarettes, go away. No means NO. I should only have to say it once. Go away. Shoo. If you're peddling religion and I say NO, I mean NO. Shoo. Leave me alone. Don't act shocked. Don't be surprised. Don't argue with me. Just go away. Yes, I'm starting to get surly with these people. I work for what I have in life and I already have my own thoughts on religion.
• I'm starting to see a bit of color (other than green) here and there in the trees and bushes. But the temperatures sure have been screaming summer.
• I met the man who lives upstairs from me this past week. He's lived there over a year now and I've never seen him ... heard him now and then, but never a face-to-face. We met looking out the building's front window at the crime scene (below) Tuesday night. Pleasant enough guy. He'd be a bit thumpy had they not put wall-to-wall carpet down up there, though. I didn't tell him that. Nor did I tell him that I heard him vacuuming at 3:30am this past Christmas morning.
• Keebler Grasshopper cookies taste a lot like Girl Scouts Thin Mints cookies, but are a heck of a lot cheaper.

Without further ado, onto this week's photos! Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version.

The moon on Monday night

I always love the challenge of taking a good shot at the moon. Monday's moon wasn't quite full, but was like a golden globe large in the sky. And there I was, with a point and shoot camera (a decent one, but ...!) and no tripod. Yay, a challenge! I'm thrilled with the shots I got -- details of craters and all. Of course, I also got a lot of shots which called for the delete button. But that's the beauty of digital photography. It's not like I'm paying to process film which contains yellow-white globs in a sea of black!

Eek. A crime scene at my apartment!

Well, not really AT my apartment. At my apartment building, though. It was Tuesday night. There I was innocently watching the evening Judge Judy block on WLNY when I heard four gunshots which sounded like they were right outside my window. Eek! Vincent even jumped and he doesn't jump for fireworks! I thought someone was either shooting at cars in the parking lot or perhaps the guy downstairs's ex-girlfriend was shooting at him. (She's been coming around yelling at him a lot lately.) But I heard no glass breaking. Hmm.

I was going to call 911, but turned on my scanner instead. Aha, they were already chasing the guy, even broadcast his name. No sense calling 911. It turns out they had been looking for him for some sort of gun sale sting and he fled through backyards, ending up at my building. From behind the big tree in the front on my side of the building, he fired the four shots ambushing one of the police cars. So, not right outside my window ... but we're talking maybe 200 feet away. Much too close for comfort. No one was hit.

The news story is at this link. He ended up running across the street and into the brook, then getting caught about two blocks away. One interesting thing to note is the the police prefer to get paper cups, not Styrofoam ones, to mark bullet casings. The crime scene, all lighted up and lots of hubbub, lasted until the wee hours. It wasn't conducive to sleep.

Look, deer

As a friend and I hit the landing heading to the Bridgewater Train Station eastbound track, I saw these two fawns on the other side of the fence. I said, "Look, deer." three or four times until my friend gave me a puzzled look which seemed to say, "Why are you calling me 'dear'?"

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 26, 2015

Good morning! Since it's not just a morning, but a SUNDAY morning -- it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. Tune in on Wednesday and Friday evenings for the Survivor and Amazing Race blog parties!

It seems much of this week was windy or rainy or very cold (freeze warnings out and about) and rather sucky for taking photos. Yet I got some decent ones. At least I think I did. Of course, I was better off with more stable objects. No bugs! I had more failed flowers photos due to the wind, too. Grr.

Once again, I don't have much to report on regarding happenings during the week. Work, eat, sleep, give a cat attention, rinse, repeat. So, I'll offer up some random ponderings and observations:

• NJ Transit is considering up to a 9% increase in bus, light rail and train tickets. They could probably get at least 5% of that if conductors in every train collected/checked tickets of every passenger instead of not bothering. That and actually enforcing the $5 surcharge for buying tickets on the train itself instead of via online, machines or ticket agents.
• While they're at it, they seriously need to enforce the "no feet on the seats" rule. I remember decades ago getting bopped with a nightstick on my toe when I did that on the subway in NYC.
• I hear no coyotes at night around here. Yet they've been spotted in Manhattan.
• Good manners in public go a long way -- it doesn't matter whether you're a child or an adult.
• I'm looking forward to summer TV series. Big Brother will premiere on June 24. Under the Dome will be following BB on either Wednesday or Thursday nights, can't remember which one. Woot! I just saw a commercial for Falling Skies. So You Think You Can Dance should be popping up again. I'm also interested in the upcoming James Patterson series Zoo even though it brings back memories of the defunct whacked series When Good Pets Go Bad.
• What is the record for the length of time a cat can purr?
• I saw a Lamborghini this week during a rare moment without my camera. It was dirty. If I owned a Lamborghini, I'd pay someone to wash it. 
• They ripped out the hedge where I used to shoot periwinkle growing underneath. I wish they'd stop doing things like that. It's bad enough they removed the flowering bushes which used to attract butterflies and bees up by the TD Ball Park in Bridgewater. 
• I'm looking for the snakes to reappear at the Bridgewater Train Station. Although, it could be like the Year of the Snails there -- only showing up one year, then gone.

Onto the photos -- clicking on an image will open it up larger in a gallery doohickey!

The moon last night

Rockin' Robin

Tweet, tweet.

Looking more like spring in da 'hood

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