Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 29, 2014

Hey, folks! This is my weekly off television topic photo post! If you're looking for the latest Big Brother 16 stuff, you can find it at this link. In this post, I reflect on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way.

I've had some trouble with my Firefox browser freezing or the blog freezing my Firefox this morning. So, I'm running late at everything! Gah.

I really don't have much to report on this week. BB started, so I'm way busy. I'm working my full-time job atop of it, so I'm way busy. With the exception of some early week rain, it hasn't been horridly hot here this past week. Yay!

I think it might be best to get this up while Blogger and Firefox are working together well ...

Here's lookin' at ya, kid!

I thought this bee might be sick or dying. Then he turned and looked at me. Eep. I'm allergic, dude! He then flew away. Phew! Bridgewater, NJ.

A flower jungle out there

The house at the corner of Richmond and East Front in Plainfield is a cacophony of color!

Flower slideshow ahead

The flower slideshow of the week is just after the jump if you're reading this from the main blog page!

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 22, 2014

Good morning! For those now cruising the blog for Big Brother television show news, I'll be posting the blog pool sign-up post later today (don't sign up for it on this post, please!). This here post is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way.

As for the week gone by itself, it wasn't a heck of a lot of much more than work, work, work. The big news is that Big Brother started revealing the new hamster house, new hamsters and new twists. I've covered those things in previous posts and will be posting more daily as we head into the season premiere on Wednesday night.

The weather here in my area of New Jersey hit the nineties for the first time this year. As it was only two days, it wasn't a legitimate heat wave. It still felt like it. I'm not a big fan of summer with ultra-hot and humid days. If summers could have an 80 degree cut-off with low humidity, I'd like it much more. I don't like sweating!

I had good luck with critter photos this week -- a pigeon with its wings expanded during landing and the Plainfield Train Station groundhog, along with a rabbit and a squirrel. Had I been more prepared, I would have had a nice deer shot last night. I climbed up the stairs at the Bridgewater Train Station only to practically walk into a large doe. I gasped. She gasped. She ran so quickly that I couldn't get the shot. She even scared a bunch of rabbits who also hopped away quickly. I was happy that she ran into a fenced area rather than towards the train tracks.

Onto the photos for the week ... clicking on the photo will show it in its Photobucket page. In that view, there's a magnifying glass on the bottom right. You can make the photo larger twice there. To get back to the blog, just close the Photobucket window.

Can you see the hidden groundhog?

This groundhog at the Plainfield Train Station thought he found the perfect place to hide from me. Yeah, right. I've got you, groundhog!

Religion and Politics Shouter

With a nod to Stephen King's "Monster Shouter" in The Stand, I came across this man with a megaphone at the corner of Park Avenue and East Front Street in Plainfield one afternoon this this week. He was shouting against gay marriage, abortion, Obama ... you name it. No one was paying any attention to him. Also, no one was at the chess tables in the sun!

My flower slideshow teaser

If you're reading this post from the main page of the blog itself instead of the individual post, this week's flower slideshow is after the jump.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 8, 2014

Good morning! Soon we'll have all kinds of Big Brother stuff to gossip about! But, for now, this is my off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way.

I realize I'm getting this up late this week. I'm having trouble getting my flower photo slideshow working on the blog. My apologies.

As for the week gone by itself? Blah! It was a rather horrible work week fraught with the usual come back from vacation mess, lots of bad weather while I was walking to or fro, training a new person at my workplace and computer failures there, too. Gah. There really has to be a better way. Who the heck came up with this idea of working for a living anyway?

Oh, well ... onto the photos and let's see if that slideshow finally works ...

What's up, bunny?

Rabbits, the new squirrels in my New Jersey 'hood, are back once again. This one and an occasional friend or two can be found early mornings on the front lawn of the Richmond Towers housing complex on East Front Street in Plainfield.

Rose is a rose

Is a rose ... and so on, according to Gertrude Stein. Roosevelt Avenue, Plainfield. (See the slideshow after the jump for a plethora of flowers!)

Storm clouds move in

This is Watchung Avenue in Plainfield on Tuesday afternoon as I arrived home from work. Although you can't tell from the photo, the winds were horrific. Since it was hot and muggy, all that nasty street dirt kicked up by the winds stuck to me. It got in my eyes, too! Since the weatherman said the storms would start in the EVENING, I didn't bring my umbrella as I was due to come home mid-afternoon. I ended up ducking into one of the taxi places just as the skies let loose with torrents of rain, accompanied by lightening and thunder.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - May 25, 2014

Remembering those who served

Now, of course I'm not old enough to know anyone who lost his life in the Spanish-American War, mind you! I took this photo about three years ago right around Memorial Day and it seemed fitting to lead off today's post with it.

Welcome to my off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. I'm posting a bit later today because ... I'm in STAYCATION mode! Yep. This is the first time since last fall that I'm taking time off from work not due to health reasons. Naturally, I have my little aches and pains, but nothing debilitating such as the sciatica I had for months. I actually slept in this morning. Woot!

Since the slideshows were such a big hit with the readers last week, I made another flowers slideshow with the photos I took this week. Too many flowers, too many shots I liked to post each photo individually here. I hope you enjoy them!

Just an on television topic word of warning -- I'll be posting some Big Brother, Falling Skies and other TV topic news during the week ahead. Just because The Amazing Race and Survivor had their finales this past week doesn't mean I'm not watching television! Anybody watching Fargo?

Let's see ... what happened this past week? Well, we had quite a bit of rain. Nothing like last spring, but you'll see raindrops on many of the flower photos. Work was hectic trying to get all set for me to not be there for a week. Surely I'll come back to problems. But I refuse to think of it this week!

I had plans yesterday to go to the farmers market in Scotch Plains. But then I woke up really early (as per my work sleep schedule), decided to take a nap when the skies turned gloomy in the morning hours and woke up to sunlight at just about the time the market closes down. Just as well as the skies once again turned to rain. I'll go next Saturday.

The apartment hallway noise situation remains improved. Apparently the offenders are quite worried that we (the normal tenants in the hallway) will turn them in for too many people squashed into a small one-bedroom apartment. I plan to speak to the landlord anyway. I'm just waiting my latest rental renewal letter before I complain. I don't want them to think of me as a whiner or a problem before I know the latest increase. I'm hoping it's only the $5 once again (or less). I'm still above the market rate for the rehabbed units in the building while I have a thirty-year old stove and original kitchen cabinets and such.

Onto the photos for the week ...

Urban bunny

This rather large wild rabbit was grazing on a lawn on Berckman Street in Plainfield. I haven't seen many rabbits in the 'hood yet this year and definitely no babies. I'm sure they'll be coming soon. After all, rabbits are the new squirrels around here.

The magical iris

The stunning irises are growing across the street (on Berckman) from where the rabbit was grazing. There are blue irises growing on East Front Street, too. But I love the colors on these. All are included in the flowers slideshow after the page jump.

Adolescent squirrel resting

You never see adult squirrels resting! This week I've only seen the late bloomer young squirrel hanging around the bridge at the Bridgewater Train Station. The two more adventurous siblings seem to have moved on.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - July 7, 2013

Good morning! Welcome to my really late off television topic photo post! If you're looking for a Big Brother live feeds update, the most recent one I posted is at this link. This here is my weekly reflection of the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. It has nothing to do with television. You've been warned.

I can't believe how late I'm getting this post up. I conked out after coming home from work last night, got up early to review what I missed and get the BB live feeds post up and now I'm here. Between being sick in the beginning of the week, extremely hectic workdays, the heat, the humidity ... well, I'm not at my best for sure.

On the 4th of July itself -- I always have the 4th off as my employer says no way no how will do they want to pay me double time and a half for the day (and I don't blame them; I wouldn't want to pay me that much either although I don't mind earning that much) -- I had the day off. Plainfield, because they don't want to pay their workers extra holiday pay, has the city celebrations on the Saturday after the holiday. I worked yesterday, so missed all but the set-up pre-parade. I have no desire to go to the city fireworks in the evening. It's not only hard for me to get there, but I'm leery of problems which might arise with some of the people attending. The Plainfield Police do come out in strength for the event there and it's probably safer than I think. But it's still hard for me to get there.

I decided to cap off the 4th holiday by having a nice relaxing bubble bath. I drew the water, filled the tub, then went to shut off the water. The hot water faucet broke off in my hand. Frantically I tried everything -- screwdriver, pliers, sheer strength -- nothing would turn off the water.

Fortunately, my newish landlord has a 24 hour repairs number to call. Unfortunately, the person who responded was over in Jersey City to watch the fireworks with his family. I bailed water out of the tub quickly and vigorously for over an hour and a half awaiting his arrival. Otherwise, not only MY apartment would flood, but so would the one downstairs from me. He came, used vice-grips to turn it off and put in new hot, cold and shower faucets the next day while I was at work.

My back and shoulders still hurt from the extended frantic bailing exercise. I feel bad that I ruined his family's night at the fireworks, but it was truly an emergency.

The three days I actually worked this week were just as exhausting. Wah is me. I would have taken yesterday and this coming week off for vacation if not for the fact that I'm going up to Albany next weekend for my high school reunion. So, I'm working Monday and Tuesday, off until I return to work the following Thursday (18th). It will be a mixed week of staycation and a weekend with old friends (and some not so much) and family. I've somehow worked a trip to Ted's Fish Fry, a place I miss so much living away from real fish fry places since 1977 or so, with my brother and his wife into a big family reunion of cousins from upstate NY and Vermont. That will be fun! A few of them I haven't seen since I was a young child, but we're reunited on Facebook.

Onto this week's photos ...

It must have been the 4th of July

Or the 6th of July as the case may be. This woman is always in this get-up, marching along with the parade. She WALKS (in high heat!) from downtown to the start of the parade a good mile or so away, then WALKS back in the parade. More power to her!

Move aside, bunny rabbit!

I encountered this one as I was walking to the train one morning. He was near the corner of East Front and Richmond Streets in Plainfield. I shooed him towards the lawn at Richmond Towers because he was in the patch of grass between the street and sidewalk. I must say, though, I haven't seen any roadkill bunnies. They must be pretty smart when crossing the street.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 30, 2013

Good Sunday morning to all those reading this! If you're here for the Big Brother live feeds posts, the last one is located right at this link. The next one will be posted a bit later today. One of the things I do year 'round here is an off television topic post reflecting on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. You've been warned!

Once again this week, at least in the early week, I got caught in storms heading home. Grr. I thought I put in a request with Mother Nature for the storms to occur during the overnight hours!

On one of the stormy, hot and humid days, I got into a bit of a kerfuffle with some rowdy kids on the train home. They weren't familiar to me and I really didn't expect them to get off at my stop ... screaming and yelling at me. Eep. Thankfully, there were two Plainfield police officers working at the station. When one went to move the obnoxious teens along, the other (after asking where I live), gave me a ride home. Yes, in the front seat! That sergeant ROCKS! That was so nice of him! And, no, he's not one of the officers I actually know on the Plainfield PD.

Those who follow the show know, but others who tune in specifically for this weekly post might not realize -- Big Brother and its live feeds started up for the summer. Working a full-time "real" job and covering the house happenings make for a lack of sleep for about three months. Oy. But, on the other hand, I never have to be worried about having nothing to do!

On the home front, I shared the elevator once again with the now not-so-new upstairs neighbor. No tennis clothes this time, but shorts nonetheless. He's very pleasant and polite. And, that South African/quasi-British accent is a nice change of pace for my ears. He's still quite quiet up there. He can stay.

That's about all I have for you right now ... onto the photos!

Bunny in the grass

Much better than a snake in the grass, don't you think? Corner of East Front and Berckman in Plainfield.

By any other name

East Front Street, Plainfield

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