Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - July 24, 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 and 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 don't have much to report this week. Another week of going back and forth to work and covering BB18 here on the blog. We're in another heat wave here. I made it to the train station and waited for my (delayed) train yesterday when I suddenly got sick -- nauseous, dizzy, etc. I'm thinking it was heat exhaustion. I ended up taking a taxi back home. I slept on and off all day yesterday and feel better today. But I haven't been outside. This whole week sounds like it's going to be heat wave city. I'm not happy.

But I'm happy I'm in here and my air conditioning works just fine!

Onto the photos I took this past week. Clicking on an image will open a larger version.

I'd like a mimosa, please

Um. I was talking the drink, not the flower! Berckman Street, Plainfield.

Monday's full moon

Easter Cicada Killer Wasp

These are so cool! A good part of the coolness is that they have no stinger (male) and pose no threat to me. Bridgewater Train Station.

Flower of the hour peak time

These flowers are fascinating me! Have I mentioned how easily I can get fascinated with nature? For most of the day, they look like a patch of weeds and then, for about an hour daily, the blossoms come out. Bridgewater Train Station. I have another series on them after the jump.

**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 - July 3, 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.

I'm finally on a staycation, my last one until September. From what I can see, a heat wave is due to be taking up a good half of my week. Grr. I'm not a summer person unless we're talking staying inside with air conditioning. That's what I'll probably do for a lot of the week. I have the BB live feeds, some other summer TV shows, a couple of new books to read and plenty of diversions.

My three and a half day work week this past week seemed to last a good ten days. I believe I'm actually pining for the day I can finally retire. Yeah, you heard me ... pining.

About the only good thing work-wise which happened this past week is that I received my catalog to choose my recognition award. Every five years of employment at the company gets to choose an award. Since I'm up there in years, I have some pretty decent choices. The last time (five years ago), I got a flat-screen LED television. This year, if I had a car, I'd be tempted by the cool kayak. If I had a lawn, I'd be tempted by a very nice charbroil gas grill or the smoker/grill/roaster one. There are a few cameras catching my attention, a larger HDTV set, a home entertainment system, a quality cookware set ... oh, decisions, decisions. Several watches and pieces of jewelry are in the catalog, but they're really not my thing.

Onto the photos I took this week:

Little green apples

I took trash out to the dumpster in the back of my apartment building's parking lot. I happened to notice a small half-eaten green apple on the ground. I looked up and saw the apple-eater with another one in his paws.

Flower of an hour

Thanks to Bernice, I now know what these beautiful flowers which are usually closed are! You can tell that they're a hibiscus type flower. These just sprouted up like weeds near the Bridgewater Train Station. After the jump, I have a photo of the plant itself.

My town (Plainfield, NJ) had its 93rd Annual 4th of July Parade yesterday.  If you want to check out the photos I took or the "story" below won't work for you, the actual slideshow on my Photobucket account can be found at this link. The link to the album is right here. It was great to see all the children from the city schools involved this year! While the Plainfield HS Marching Band is usually in attendance, the younger kids got involved with their Drama Club (do they still call it that?) doings.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 5, 2016

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, that means 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. As for television -- you might want to keep tuned here or on my Big Brother on Jackie's TV Blog Facebook page as I watch for news on the upcoming season of Big Brother 18! I will be posting here during the upcoming week and already have a few tidbits posted on Facebook.

While I only had a four-day work week due to the Memorial Day holiday, it was four chaotic and hectic work days. I'm glad to put the week behind me. I'm getting too old for this kind of stuff on an ongoing basis. I want to retire and work in a puppy play camp or something. You know ... something FUN and not stressful. Although I'm more of a cat person, puppies are fun. I could deal with that. If I could make a living at that, I'd go for it in a minute! Unfortunately, I have to pay for this roof over my head and other various things of life.

Our weather this week went from heat wave to rainy to muggy and today it's supposed to be very stormy later on. That's okay. I'm not planning on going anywhere today. It's good to be home. I only request that my power, cable and Internet remain working.

I finished reading The Girl on the Train earlier this week. Now, a lot of people recommended it to me because they think I'm "the girl on the train." Of course, it's also a bestseller. I enjoyed the book. It had an Alfred Hitchcock Rear Window (my all-time favorite movie) quality about it. Plus, it did hit home a bit as far as commuting via walking, bus and train for so many years. No, I don't drink on the train. Nor have I gotten involved in any murder investigations.

For years, I've seen the same faces and the same places day after day. And, yes, I do think about them a bit and, though I don't assign them names like the protagonist in the book did, I assign them descriptors and sometimes think up stories of what their lives may be. For example:

• The Pool Guy. At a home in Dunellen by the tracks, there's a home with a pool. In the summer, I sometimes see him floating on an inflatable raft in the pool. In the winter, he has a fire pit and I only see one track of footprints in the snow leading to the one chair by it. I have seen him with small children, but never a woman. In my mind, he's a widower with young grandchildren. In reality, he probably has a wife in that house who doesn't care for the outside so much!
• The James Whitmore Eyebrows Man. Always walking with his newspaper under arm. I picture him to live in senior citizen housing but having little to do with bridge games or the other social events they hold there. He's too busy shaking his head at life and reading the paper while his bushy eyebrows accentuate the news stories as he reads them.
• The Wood Harris Dude. Looking much like the actor who played Avon Barksdale on The Wire, this guy comes across as slick and street-savvy. I've actually talked to him, though. He's very nice and I would have doubts that he's involved in any drug empire going on around here. While he definitely seems of the city streets, he's quite pleasant. But he still looks like Avon Barksdale!
• The Crawl Around the Train Station Guy. He's a rather new one at the Plainfield Train Station. Wearing clothes and filth from weeks on end, he comes up to the train station platform shelters and crawls around. At first I thought he was looking for abandoned cigarette butts to gather. But he crawls way too long for that and never seems to pick up anything. He always walks away smiling and chuckling to himself. I've never seen him panhandle or even talk to anyone. Maybe he's conversing with bugs. I just don't know.

Oh, there are plenty more characters I see all the time. And, some who I've seen yet they've vanished over the years.

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

Undergoing renovation

In my mind, I used to think of this house on East Second Street in Plainfield as "The Junk House." The lawn was always neglected with grass and weeds growing nearly thigh-high. Litter was scattered throughout the lawn and front porch while random dudes hung around it drinking beer. Last fall it was vacated and boarded up.

Now someone has gutted the inside, torn most of the blue cheap aged shingles off the outside, as well as the porch railings. And the lawn is even being mowed in between renovations! I've noticed at least three other homes on the stretch of East Second I often travel also being renovated without a cause such as fire. Sure, for a several years now the mansions in other parts of town have been bought, renovated and probably flipped. But I think it's even a better sign for Plainfield that folks are buying the more affordable homes and fixing them up! Note the flowers growing next to the stairs are even happy about this!

Yep, they're happy!

Get my best side, please!

I talked a young pigeon into a photo shoot at the Bridgewater Train Station. This is an adolescent, born perhaps five or six weeks ago. The cacophony of young birds in the nests under the bridges there has lessened as more of the youngsters are able to get around on their own. It's not just pigeons nesting there -- also sparrows, starlings and even squirrels! However, the squirrels were very quiet, unlike the birds.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - May 29, 2016

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, that means 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.

However ... a brief mention of television before I start rambling about other stuff -- you might want to keep tuned here or on my Big Brother on Jackie's TV Blog Facebook page as I watch for news on the upcoming season of Big Brother 18! The season premiere is less than a month away!

We jumped from a very chilly spring into a pre-summer heat wave here in my part of New Jersey. That's just not fair at all. I wanted a real spring, not a winter/summer combination of a spring. Grr.

I actually have a three day holiday weekend for a change. Normally I work on Saturdays, but I had requested a vacation day so that I'll make this into a bit of a mini-vacation. I need it. Yesterday I went to nearby Scotch Plains to visit the farmers' market (which I always miss because I work practically every Saturday of my life), stop in at CVS and hit up Park Beverage for some alcohol-laden goodies. I don't care for the liquor stores in Plainfield, at least the downtown ones near me. They tend to have limited selections, high prices and attract panhandlers and ne'er-do-wells. I don't want or need alcohol enough to deal with that. Park Beverage is huge compared to them and has a great selection of microbrew/craft beers and all kinds of fancy stuff. So, when I'm in Scotch Plains, I tend to stop by there.

I got attacked by mosquitoes one humid night at the Bridgewater Train Station. Unfortunately, that allergy I developed to them about five years ago is still in full swing. Besides the huge swelling into red blisters that last about a month, I've been running a low-grade fever all week. (Thus the CVS stop.) Woe is me. How did I ever develop an actual allergy to mosquito bites?!?! At least now I'm geared up with repellent, anti-itch spray, Benadryl and Aveeno bath treatment.

Alas, the Benadryl makes me sleepy and I live my life perpetually exhausted to begin with. And, yeah. I'll end a sentence with a preposition if I want to. Call it literary license!

My upstairs neighbor has been quiet since my latest complaint. He seems to be gone for the weekend. Yay. I'm probably sticking around the apartment today. I was tempted to go into the city (Manhattan) for some Fleet Week stuff. But it's supposed to be another hot and sticky kind of day. I'd rather stay in my air conditioning!

I finally broke down and bought the book The Girl on the Train. Folks recommending it were right. It's mesmerizing. I should finish it today.

If the weather holds up tomorrow, I might go to the Memorial Day service in downtown Plainfield. There are also pretty flowers around City Hall I've been meaning to photograph. However, the weather prediction sounds very stormy. If it's bad, I'll just stay in again. I certainly have enough diversions and things to do at home.

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

Vietnam War Memorial

I guess it's been a while since I actually went by the front of the Scotch Plains Municipal Building. They now have a very impressive memorial to those who served in Vietnam just out front of the building. I found this very touching to encounter on this three-day Memorial Day weekend. 

Memorial Day

This is another shot I took of that Vietnam War Memorial in Scotch Plains, this time from the side. I played with editing on this one. I'm pleased with the results.

Clover blossoms

I saw these growing by a tree and felt the need to shoot them.

After the rain

Pansies in a planter.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - May 15, 2016

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, that means 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. Please stop by on Wednesday evening at 8pm EDT for east coast live blogging and the blog party for the season finale of Survivor: Kaoh Rong!

After having an entire week of rain the previous week, this past week was more sunny and spring-like here in New Jersey. Oh, sure ... we had some stormy weather. But, thankfully, not an entire week of grey dismal cloudy skies and rain!

As for me, just another week in the life of work, home, eat, (not enough) sleep, pay attention to a cat and then rinse, repeat. I didn't do anything exciting, nor did I go anywhere except to work. I often feel like I'm doomed to complete exhaustion and will end up working until the day I die. With my luck, I'll probably die AT work. Gah. I so want to retire and move onto doing something I actually enjoy doing and have less stress in my life. I'm tired of being so tired.

Wah. Sniffle. Sniffle.

Now that my whining is done, here are some random takes on the week gone by:

• The Somerset Patriots at the TD Ball Park in Bridgewater were rained out one night, but played last night as the dark stormy skies were rushed away by strong winds. Their ballpark food always smells SO good as I walk by on my way to the train station! 
• Other than some rare random hammering as they hang pictures or something, I haven't heard a peep out of the new neighbor(s) downstairs. Hopefully they can say the same about me. Well, except for the hammering part, that is. While I actually own a hammer, I can't tell you the last time I used it!
• On the other hand, my upstairs neighbor had his stereo going full blast in short spurts Friday night. Hmm. I've come to the conclusion that he's a loud guy whenever he has guests over. Unfortunately, he has guests every weekend. I have to work on Saturdays. If I were new here, I'd just think sound travels. But I know better. In the time I've been here, there have been a handful of different tenants in that apartment. He's the ONLY one with a pounding bass stereo at an unreal volume. He's also the ONLY one whose conversations I can hear when they're not even arguing/fighting. You pretty much have to shout for me to make out the words in my apartment and he does. Sigh.
• We might have record cold temperatures tonight. Eek. I hope some of this chilliness carries on through the summer. I wouldn't be upset at all if we had no heat waves!
• Is Norma really dead on the Bates Motel? 

That's all I have for you! It's onto the photos I've taken this past week. If you click on an image, it will open in a larger gallery version.

Spotlight on the azaleas

I edited this shot with the Google NIK Color Efex Pro 4 photo editor to darken the edges and bring out the color on the row of blossoms a bit more. These are growing outside of the TD Bank Ball Park in Bridgewater.

Red pansy

I used the same effect on this shot, but made the edges even darker. There were not so healthy blossoms nearby this beauty. By using this vignette filter, they were taken out without cropping the photo and they no longer distracted from the beauty of the red pansy.

How do these things happen?

This is right down the street from my apartment. There is no cross street there. Plus, traffic shouldn't be moving all that fast if adhering to the speed limit. That's a cast iron fence. Sheesh. A drunk driver is the most likely cause.

Pretty pansies in a row

I did absolutely nothing other than resize this photo down for posting. It's all just plain ol' nature's beauty.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - March 20, 2016

Good morning! It's Sunday! That means (a.) I have a day off from work and (b.) it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're a Survivor fan, stop on back Wednesday evening during the East Coast airing of the show for my live blogging and blog party in the comments area! If you're an Amazing Race fan, you'll have to wait until the next show on April 1. We're going two weeks without that one due to March Madness college basketball.

Even though spring arrives today (yay!), we have the threat of at least a coating of snow later today and tonight. Thankfully, the storm is moving more out to sea and won't live up to the dire predictions of a nor'easter we had earlier in the week. It's unfortunate for more coastal areas of New England, for fortunate for us! We're only predicted to get a dusting or up to two inches. I'm so over it. I want spring to be spring!

Other random notes:

• Although the NJ Transit rail workers strike was averted, three of the five trains to work I took this week were late and one going home was late. It's a good thing I deliberately build in a time cushion for my to work commute. If I'm not early, I consider myself late. So, even though the trains were late, I made it to work on time. 
• Speaking of NJ Transit -- true, they opened the Watchung Avenue rail bridge to street traffic once again. But now they've shut down the Park Avenue street traffic at the bridge on the other side of the Plainfield Train Station once again. They've milked these bridge projects for 13 months now. Yeah, they were using the marvelous new doings which placed the bridge sections in over a weekend. Otherwise, I could see the projects lasting five years!
• A drunk woman riding a bicycle on the sidewalk annoyed me yesterday morning. She could barely keep upright. I have a personal policy that I do not move for bikes on the sidewalk -- they're supposed to be on the street by law. THEY need to alter their path, not me the pedestrian. Since she almost fell over, I did move. But I was nasty to her and she quickly (as slowly as her quick was) moved out into the street. I have little tolerance for adults riding bicycles on the sidewalks, nor for drunks.
• There was also a very drunk guy dressed in summer shorts and a tank top (when I dragged my winter jacket back out for yesterday) on the train. The conductors had given the two-buzz signal that the doors were closed and the engineer could move the train when the man started yelling he had to get out. Usually the train will just keep going, but they did stop again and let him stumble out. They probably preferred he get off the train.
• Train etiquette deems that you should be out of your seat and ready to exit by the time you get to your stop. First off, the departing passengers need to get off before the new passengers board the train. Second, the train will leave and you're stuck until the next stop ... usually.
• Why did I see two drunk people before 10am on a Saturday morning? What's up with that?
• While I will drink alcohol, I don't believe I've been actually drunk since about 1976 or so. I don't like the feeling. I get sick to my stomach and I really hate stumbling around or falling over. I learned my lesson way back then!

Enough of all of that. It's onto the photos for the week! Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version. Have a good week, folks ... and Happy Spring to y'all! (Even though it's a last hurrah of winter here tonight!)

Are you looking at me?

Are YOU looking at ME?!?! There's no one else here. Are you looking at ME? -- said in my best DiNiro impression. If the pigeon pulls out a gun, run for the hills.

No strike, yay!

Yet this train seems to be dirty and running dirty. While that locomotive is a dual diesel/electric powered one, it's diesel until it goes into the tunnels into Manhattan. Diesel isn't allowed in the tunnels. I find the diesel trains much more reliable in bad weather than the electric ones. NJ Transit, unlike the MTA, uses overhead wires instead of the third rail system for electric trains. Since the line I take (Raritan Valley Line) used to be all diesel until they bought the dual-powered locomotive engines, we used to have to transfer trains in Newark to go into Manhattan. Now, with the new locomotives, there are many trains that are one-seat rides into the city. But, not all of them.

Yellow and white daffodils make me happy

Well, at least when I'm looking at them.

I'm still waiting for good blossoms!

The magnolia tree across the street decided to blossom right at the beginning of a cold snap! The blossoms haven't really opened wide as of yet. Or, if they have, it's been during times I've been at work. Today's prediction of cold and possible snow covering isn't going to help them any. 

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 23, 2014

Sometimes you feel like a nut

I realize it's Sunday, the day I usually post a gazillion off television topic photos of the week gone by. But this week, I didn't really take many photos. I pretty much only went out of the apartment to go to a neurologist appointment (bitter cold, nothing interesting to photograph), go have an MRI done (dark outside, not cameras allowed in MRI room itself) and hit up the local bodega around the corner a few times.

The neurologist ruled my injury indeed a concussion and ordered the MRI to rule out anything more serious. The MRI experience was ghastly, but I didn't move and they didn't have to redo any of it. The only cool, yet weirdly creepy, thing about the MRI is that they gave me a CD of it for my own records. There's a built-in viewer and everything. At least I know I still do have a brain even though it's not working quite right at the moment. 

Sometimes you're always a nut

A tough nut to crack?

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 12, 2014

Good morning! It's Sunday, time for my weekly off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. My next post will be all about television, I swear!

Not much has been going on here this past week. Work, work and more work. The temperatures are turning fall-like and we've had some rain, too. I guess we need the rain. But I do wish it would confine itself to the overnight so I don't have to walk in it. However, it's not so bad unless it's pouring and the wind is blowing. Thankfully that kind of weather happened in the overnight hours this past week.

I really don't have a lot to say this week. So, I guess it's onto the photos ...

Home at last

After a long day at work, being home is always welcome. Not that I live at the Plainfield Train Station, mind you.

It's a marvelous night for a moondance

The day after the Hunter Moon, the skies were lit up through the clouds as I walked to the train station. This scenario set up one of the most beautiful sunrises I've seen in years.

Just before sunrise

The same morning of the Hunter Moon, the skies looked like this when I arrived at my destination. This shot and other sunrise shots from the very same day and earlier in the week are in the slideshow below. It's amazing how fleeting the beauty is -- just a few minutes and it's gone. Clicking on the diagonal at the bottom of the slideshow will make it full screen.



My second slideshow this week is of the flowers and fall foliage. We're still a few weeks from peak foliage, but we have bright colors popping here and there.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 5, 2014

Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. I promise you the next post I make will be about television!

This week as has been a bit blah for me -- I've had a stomach bug accompanied by a headache on and off since Tuesday. No, it's not Ebola! I actually think the headache is more sinuses than anything else. But I've generally felt icky. A lot of people around here are sick. They must have breathed on me. Ew!

I still haven't met the latest new upstairs neighbor living overhead my apartment. I think it's a he rather than a she. I also think it's a he with weekend custody of a child. While it's nowhere near as annoying as when a toddler lived up there full time, I hear child running on the weekends. Not horrible, mind you. Unlike the toddler who was all over the place all the time on hardwood floors in shoes walking/running on his heels, this is just now and then and a quieter running. Shoes seem to be off and it's not rattling my walls or windows, plus it ends by 8 or 9pm. I can deal with that. But I do notice it starts on every Friday night, ends on Sunday night. Thus, my deduction of weekend father.

I'm going to reprint something I posted on Facebook earlier this week called Monday's Tales of New Jersey. If you saw it there, head onto the photos. If you're not on Facebook, go for reading it:

1. This morning while walking to the train station, I saw either a 113S or 114 NJ Transit bus go by. Instead of the lighted bus number, this message was flashing: "Emergency! Call Police!" The interior was lighted and there were only a few passengers. I didn't see an emergency, but I went ahead and called. At least if the cops stop the bus, they'll turn that message off!

2. Then, coming home, I decided to wait for the NJ Transit 59 bus nearby the train station (my train pass gets me on the bus for free and it saves me a long walk). As I waited with a bunch of folks, a young man with a Jamaican accent came along. He started pacing back and forth shouting, "Jesus is coming! I will pray for you! Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! Jesus is coming!" He kept it up for the ten minutes or so until the bus came. The odd thing is that as he paced he kicked one foot out kind of like the Elaine dance on Seinfeld. At one point, I mentioned to the other folks waiting that perhaps we should ask him when the 59 bus was coming since he obviously knows when Jesus is coming! They all laughed. He thought we were laughing at him, glowered a minute, then started his Elaine Kick Jesus Shouting once again.

The darkest hour is before the dawn

My early morning walk to the train station is in the darkest of night these days. It won't be until November that the time will change. One morning a huge dude passed me and told me to be careful. He didn't see me roll my eyes. Although dark, it's a very safe time of day. There are working folks out and about at that hour although this photo doesn't show that. It's always the same people. The denizens of the night are long gone, too. It's much more safe than a few hours earlier or probably even the evening hours. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Autumn is here!

Most of the trees are still green right now, but we have some pretty colors working their way in. Our peak foliage in this area isn't usually until late October. Where I grew up, the trees were barren of leaves before Halloween. Not so much here ... we still (usually) have some nice color going on around then. I took this shot near the Bridgewater Train Station.

Instead of just flowers, this week's slideshow is Flowers and Foliage. There are also some berries -- nightshade and Kousa Dogwood berries from the Plainfield Train Station (see, Bernice ... I remembered!). The sunflowers were growing on East Second Street in Plainfield; the mums are from both Plainfield and Bridgewater as is the foliage. The "veiny" foliage shots are poison ivy leaves in Bridgewater. Although my apartment building has little or no yard (paved parking lot) -- the pink morning glories, late season honeysuckle and the nightshade have taken over the back chain link fence.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 24, 2014

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly off television topic post which reflects on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. There is no television content in this post and it's something I do weekly year 'round. If you're looking for Big Brother content, my latest can be found right here at this link.

Another week down. Another week with nothing really exciting going on -- just working, blogging and giving a certain cat his required devotion. Here's some quickie random thoughts on the week:

• I really really need a vacation. I have two four-day work weeks ahead of me. But that's not good enough. I want vacation.
• Without endurance comps and a predictable season at hand, BB isn't as financially good for me this season as in the past. Few people are motivated to donate via Paypal although the ad income is just about the same as other years. Yet I'm still working as much at it. Sigh. If I didn't enjoy the community I built, I'd be tempted to give it up. It's almost like having a full-time job atop a full-time "real" job. I'm so tired!
• It seemed to rain a lot this week. We had another one of those bizarre three-hour long thunderstorms on Thursday night. I don't recall having that long of a thunderstorm ever, yet we've had more than a few of them this year.
• I, for one, am enjoying a rather mild temperature summer. Alas, they're predicting a bad winter for around here. I can take the cold -- I know how to dress properly. I just can't deal with ice and snow on the sidewalks and streets!
• I still have no clue who the new upstairs neighbor is. Nor do I have any idea male or female. It seems to be one person -- always a plus in my mind! No kids (which I don't know why they let people with children in one bedroom apartments when their own rules say no more than two people in a one bedroom). I hear footsteps and occasional music. I don't recognize the music. It's not Mexican Polka, nor classic rock or classical. It has a beat. I'm thinking either pop or rap played rather low. He/she hasn't flooded my bathroom. All is good.

Onto this week's photos -- clicking on an image will lead you to my photobucket page of the image. From there, you can make the image larger twice by clicking on the magnifying glass at the bottom right of the screen.

Plainfield Train Station lamps

At sunset last night. The day was cloudy and drizzly but cleared up enough for a very nice sunset.

The I See Dead People saga continues

People really shouldn't sleep near me on the train! This guy is so cool that his bike has blue tires. I noticed his legs are shaved. I would guess for aerodynamics. Of course. I'm sitting in the vestibule level handicapped/bike/etc. section as I had a bunch of stuff I bought at Target with me and I didn't want to lug it up and down the train stairs. Although the seats are padded there, the seats in the main section of the cars are more comfortable. Raritan Valley Line, NJ Transit.

Hanging in there

A busy bee at the Bridgewater Train Station.

My ride home

It's Saturday evening and I'm home. Well, not really home. I might seem to spend a lot of time at the Plainfield Train Station, but I certainly don't live there!

To see this week's flower slideshow and the rest of the photos, click the 'Read More' link below!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 17, 2014

Good Sunday morning to you all! Welcome to my weekly off television topic post in which I reflect on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're looking for Big Brother live feeds (or show) content, you can find all of that right here at this link. No television content in this weekly post that I make year 'round -- you've been warned!

That said, it's basically been just another week of hectic stuff between the blog and my "real" job. Nothing earth-shattering happened in my personal life. I didn't win the lottery, nor did I have much time to do much other than work and blog. I felt like I was running late all week and didn't seem all that inspired to take photos. Sigh.

This week's random ramblings:

• They're demolishing that building by the Bound Brook Train Station with the structural cracks and caved-in roof I've been photographing for a few years now. I think they're just taking down that rear addition with the issues, not the whole building. It's about time. I couldn't get any decent shots of the demolition from the train, though.
• OCD Guy has been missing from the train for a good three weeks now. 
• That's how trains go -- people ride them for a while, then lose their jobs, change their work hours, perhaps decide to drive, etc. But I remain.
• I expect NJ Transit to give me flowers when I retire!
• My new upstairs neighbor is even more quiet than the last one although I have yet another person who's up late and up again early above me -- kind of like my own hours. I hear footsteps, not in shoes, above me and nothing else. I think I heard music coming from there one evening, but I couldn't tell. It was faint -- could have been from a car in the parking lot or next door. It didn't bother me, mind you. I could just hear it.
• Speaking of music from cars -- there needs to be a law outlawing those ridiculous sound systems they're putting ATOP cars these days! OMG, who came up with that? It's bad enough the huge systems IN cars! 
• And, while I'm fussing, they definitely need to crack down on bicyclists on the sidewalks here in Plainfield. I stand my ground on the sidewalk. I figure if they hit me, it's the bicyclist who will fall, not me. I'm rather solid.
• One of the Plainfield Narcotics/Gang cops bought me a cold bottle of water when he saw me waiting for the bus. Aw, how sweet of him! I really like those guys!
• A month from now I'll be on staycation. I can't wait! I need the sleep.
• My latest rent increase for the new yearly lease is $7. I guess I can afford that even though there are cheaper places to live. I do like this location and these landlords now are the best yet -- new windows, they maintain the elevator, new machines in the laundry room, new drainpipes, quasi-landscaping (mulch, hedge trimming and such), things fixed quickly, no regular $50 yearly increases like the past criminal landlord, good neighbors on my wing (most there for years although the apartment above has turned over about four or five times in my years here), location is good for public transportation and walking places.
• Moving would also be a huge hassle. So, I'm staying. Now it's going to be on 14 years. Oy.

Onto the photos for the week. Clicking on an image will bring it up in a Photobucket page. From there, you can increase the size twice by clicking on the magnifying glass. Just X out of that page to return to the blog.

The Plainfield Train Station groundhog

He thinks he's hiding from me. But I see him. Alas, I had no bread for him. He doesn't look like he's starving to me!

Spiderweb in the morning sun

No spider, though. This is on the railing alongside the parking lot of the Bridgewater Train Station. It's HUGE!

Chicory blossom, Plainfield Train Station

The blossoms close up overnight and open in the morning. They're usually unfurling their petals on my early work commutes. This and more in this week's flowers slideshow after the jump!

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 10, 2014

Happy Sunday morning to y'all! Just a word of warning -- this post is my weekly off television topic photo post reflecting on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're looking for my Big Brother live feeds content, those posts can be found at this link right here. You've been warned. Feel free to skip this post if you wish!

We continue to have a not horrible but a bit rainy summer here. While I hear some people whine that it's not hot enough, you won't hear any complaints from me! I don't like heat and humidity. I love night time temperatures in the 50s. The last thing I ever would want to do is lay in the hot sun sweating while I burn to a crisp. While we've had some warmer days in the 90s, it pales compared to many summer in the past. Good.

This week's random musings:

• If you have a July monthly NJ Transit train pass, don't expect the conductor to take it in August just because you haven't had a payday yet. (No, not me. I always have mine by the 1st.)
• If you're a substitute driver on the NJ Transit bus from Dunellen to Newark, please know your route and don't depend on passengers (me) to tell you that you missed a major turn.
• I wish the sunflowers that I pass by were growing closer to where I have access without going up on lawns.
• I have yet another new neighbor(s?) upstairs. My good upstairs neighbor of the last year plus a few months got the boot after his girlfriend left and he either didn't want to pay the rent or couldn't do it on his own. Other than moving in at nearly midnight one night this past week, he/she/they walk quietly on the hardwood floors and I just hear some not unexpected movement around the apartment noises. So far, so good.
• I'm expecting a Peapod grocery delivery today and the elevator door stuck when I went down to get my newspaper. Eek! I fixed it myself with some WD-40. Yay, me! I don't want the delivery guy/gal to have to lug all my heavy stuff up the stairs.

Onto this week's photos! With the slideshows (groundhog here, flowers after the jump), clicking on the diagonal arrows on the bottom right of the window will make them full-screen. With the photos, clicking on them will bring you to my Photobucket where you can make them larger twice by clicking on the magnifying glass on the bottom right. Just X out to return to the blog. Have a great Sunday!

I had a bit of a treat yesterday morning, as did a certain Plainfield Train Station groundhog. Now, I've seen this groundhog at the station before. But he usually scurries away and hides. It turns out that some of the Latino guys who hang out at the station have been feeding him bread and hard rolls daily. I happened upon one throwing down chunks of hard roll for him and we sat back to watch him come out. Very cool.

Let freedom ring

One of the streetlamps in the business district on East Front Street, Plainfield.

Flowers grow on Westervelt Ave.

One of the business on the corner of East Front Street and Westervelt Avenue in Plainfield has a gorgeous display of flowers growing this year. The sunflower caught my attention. One of these mornings on my walk to the train, I'll have to cross the street for some close-ups! Kudos to them for beautifying a rather otherwise boring corner!

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - July 13, 2013

Good morning! Welcome to 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 looking for the latest Big Brother show or live feeds posts, you can find them right here at this link. This here is a weekly post I make year-round; you can peruse it or skip by it if you wish.

About the biggest thing this week here is about next week. My landlord's exterminator is going to be fogging most of the building next week. I'm sorry ... but (a) I haven't seen a cockroach in the past ten years or so, (b) they already treat the apartment once a month and were just here last week, (c) I really don't want to have to spend weeks bleaching or otherwise cleaning that poisonous residue off of all the surfaces in the place, (d) I don't want to take chances with my own health or Vincent's health with dangerous poison in here, (e) I don't have a bug problem, neither do my immediate neighbors with whom I've talked, (f) I can't board Vincent on such short notice, nor can I take him to work (g) if I have to pack up all of my worldly belongings in plastic bags, I might as well just MOVE as my lease renewal is September 1. Part of the reason I'm not moving is because I hate to pack everything up!

I got the notice Thursday evening and the fogging is planned for Tuesday. With my work schedule, there isn't even enough time in the day for all of this even if I don't sleep for three days! So, I called the office to tell them I wouldn't be able to have the apartment ready for Tuesday. They told me it's fine to refuse the service and they'd note it with the exterminator not to do my apartment, no problem. Yay! I plan on putting Vincent and his stuff in my bedroom with a towel under the door to keep any fumes out if they spray the hallway common area. I'll leave a "NO FOGGING" note on the door referring them to the office and I'll call the office to remind them.

I personally doubt it will happen (I don't think this wing of the building has any infestation issues), but if my apartment is buggy after they do the fogging elsewhere, I will deal with it. The bait traps they sell for cockroaches work better than the silly spray they spray my place with every month anyway. I honestly think the exterminating company, a new replacement of the old one, is looking at the building as a cash cow and trying to milk the landlord for more money. If the building had such an issue with roaches, I think I would have seen a few in the past decade. I guess I'll find out! But, if the bugs do come in here, I'll take care of it without dangerous poison residue all over everything. I worry about the sick and elderly people here, as well as the cat down on the first floor. I think this is all very unnecessary.

Anyhow ... onto the photos for the week --

Dapper Dude

Not what the average Plainfield man is wearing ... especially on a 90 degree humid summer day! Although not "cool," that suit is cool! Watchung Avenue, Plainfield

Chowing down

This squirrel on East Front Street in Plainfield kept digging for treasure and he found it!

Rabbits are the new squirrels

I wonder where the East Front Street bunnies go in the winter. They seem to be pretty street smart when it comes to moving traffic, unlike their squirrel friends.

****CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE FLOWER SLIDESHOW AND THE REST OF THIS WEEK'S PHOTOS!****

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**