Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - December 3, 2017

Good early afternoon! Yeah, I'm getting this up a little late this week. Since it's a Sunday, it's time for my off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're not interested in either, please feel free to check out my previous and newer posts I will put up after this -- they will be television related! You can find my Survivor posts at this link.

Nothing really exciting went on this past week. One interesting thing ... maybe. I think my upstairs neighbor with the booming loud stereo may have moved out. He was extremely loud for about a week and a half leading into Thanksgiving. Then I heard no more from him since the Wednesday before Thanksgiving night. No stereo. No footsteps. In the daytime on my day off this week, I heard someone enter the apartment, walk through each room, then leave. Sometime yesterday while I was at work, a ton of furniture was dumped by the dumpsters along with several contractor type bags of trash. It might not be related, but ...! This morning when I took my own trash out to the dumpster, I noticed his air conditioner was gone, as were his two over the air digital antennas for TV that were always in his living room and bedroom windows. Hmm. The shades are all drawn. 

I know his lease renews/expires in the beginning of December. When he first moved in, he showed his lack of consideration by vacuuming (for the first time) at 3:30am on Christmas morning. Since he's lived there, he might have vacuumed a half-dozen times. While my apartment is hardwood floors, there's wall to wall carpeting up there. If he's indeed out, they'll probably have to replace the carpet. I'm sure to have to endure daytime noise of work crews up there fixing the place up. But at least they won't have booming stereos vibrating my ceiling, walls and floors at any hour day or night.

I just hope the landlord decides to follow their own rule that no more than two people are allowed to live in a one-bedroom apartment. I've had toddlers up there before and the noise of them running is ridiculous. This landlord has decided to advertise vacancies as "luxury apartments" when they're not. Then they go ahead and let couples with two kids into a one-bedroom! I'm hoping they'll be a bit picky as they know I've filed numerous noise complaints about the guy (who's hopefully out). Maybe they'll rent to a single retired person! That would be perfect.

If wishes were horses ...

Anyway, onto this week's photos ... 

It's a bird's world

A seagull poses on a lamppost as one flies overhead. North Avenue and Gavett Place in Plainfield.

Pedro's latest

Pedro Baez, commissioned by Plainfield to paint some of the utility boxes, has added some color to the corner of Watchung and East Second. That's the Main Post Office in the background. 

The eye has it

I edited this shot to leave only the orange eye of the pigeon in color.

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

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

Good morning! Since it's Sunday, 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. This is a regular Sunday part of this blog in addition to the television posts. Right now I'm covering Big Brother: Over the Top daily -- you can find those posts at this link. I'm also live blogging Survivor episodes as they air on Wednesday evenings. Come join the blog parties!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving will be upon us in just a few days! Around here, we've had more warm days than cold so far. Of course, Thanksgiving is early this year, so there's that. I wouldn't mind temperatures in the 50s all through the winter season, though! But it's already changed. They don't expect temperatures to get out of the forties starting today and remaining for the rest of the week. They predicted snow not far north of here and flurries for here overnight leading into today. I saw no flurries.

With the exception of a Red-Tailed Hawk sitting atop the Chotola Apartment Building on North Avenue (across from the Plainfield Train Station) one morning as I headed to work, it wasn't a great photo week. But I certainly took advantage of the hawk sighting! One of the best things about digital photography is the ability to shoot and shoot ... and shoot. I think I took a total of about fifty shots of him before he flew away!

I found out that the Trader Joe's in Westfield will be reopening in about two weeks. I'm SO looking forward to that! I'm still going through Trader Joe's withdrawal pains since their roof collapsed in a blizzard last January. I have a Peapod grocery order set for Wednesday. But, since it's the day before Thanksgiving, I doubt all items will be in stock. I just know I'll be way busy at work from Friday on, have to work weird hours Monday and Tuesday ... Wednesday is my only day to get groceries other than today. I don't want to go out there today! After making the mistake of going into a food store the day before Thanksgiving in the past, I also refuse to madhouse once again. I figure if Peapod is out of the turkey breast I ordered, they will have the Porterhouse steak and I'll have a good meal on the holiday no matter what.  

Today I'm making up a big batch of beef stew in my crock pot. That will last me through Wednesday for my main meals. When you're me and live with a cat, you don't mind living off of leftovers for three days! I only cook things I like because I have no one to please with my cooking but myself. Often I'll make a big dish on a day off to have for a few days so I don't have to cook on workdays. When you only have one day off at a time and no "weekend" to speak of, it makes life easier. 

Anyway ... onto the photos. Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version.
  

Artsy Red-Tailed Hawk

I edited this shot to highlight the hawk. Deadly to some, yet a magnificent bit of nature.

Morning moon and the hawk

I was so happy to see the hawk sit in place for so long! It's hard to capture them in flight.

The original Hawkeye

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 16, 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. This is a regular Sunday part of this blog in addition to the television posts. Right now I'm covering Big Brother: Over the Top daily -- you can find those posts at this link. I'm also live blogging Survivor episodes as they air on Wednesday evenings. Come join the blog parties!

Ah, next week is the return of The Walking Dead. We'll finally see who Lucille did in. I'm thinking it might be Glenn or Maggie. Maybe Carl?!? I dunno.

My work week has been one from heck (or someplace worse) this past week. Between undependable coworkers, a boss who's been taking vacation every other week for two months now (leaving me to do the work) and undependable technology, I'm just shy of a breaking point. Geez, I get five weeks vacation. If I took vacation every other week, my work would never be caught up. Gah. 

At least we're out of summer and into autumn. 

I don't have much else for you other than the photos. Clicking on an image will open a larger version of it.

The Full Hunter's Moon

It's supermoon lighting up the night's sky last night. And, for me, shooting the moon is always a challenge.

Ring in October love!

The landlord at my workplace grounds has gone above and beyond with the decorations this autumn and I'm loving it! Between the pumpkins, the gourds, the stalks, the bundles of hay and the mums in planters, I'm in photo heaven! At first it was huge pumpkins which would take more than one person to steal, but now there are smaller pumpkins as well. I'm talking all over the place. I'm sure many will end up stolen. Sigh.

Early in the week, the day moon

Tis the season for mums!

The mums in planters near my workplace were so photogenic that I have many shots of them this week (see after the jump) -- some I messed around with photo editing software with and others I left just as taken.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - September 14, 2014

Good Sunday morning to y'all! Since it is Sunday, this is my weekly off television topic reflection of the past week in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're looking for Big Brother live feeds content, you can find my latest (and the whole shebang!) right here at this link.

I know I'm late with this this morning, but I actually slept in. I'm on a staycation, having spent any vacation monies on my new refrigerator. It's the first time I've ever had a brand spanking new refrigerator in my lifetime of apartment renting. So, this thing better entertain me this week! I do plan a few small day things, maybe even the Feast of San Genaro in the city, but buying a refrigerator used up most of my discretionary cash.

September 12 marked what I call Vincent's birthday -- the day I adopted him. We met at New York City Animal Care & Control on September 12, 2009. So, this is his fifth birthday even though they thought he was around five when I adopted him. He's still my Spanish Harlem munoquito. Yes, the shelter is in Spanish Harlem ... so I can sing all kinds of songs at him. "There is a cat in Spanish Harlem ..."

A few refrigerator notes:

• They do have an equivalent of a new car smell!
• While I'll miss the side-by-side freezer space, this 18.2 is definitely big enough for me.
• I had to buy it as the old one started being sporadic. It always looked beat-up and nasty as I bought it for $200 on September 11, 2001. Yes, THAT day. I was in my car heading to my then used refrigerator connection when I heard the news on the car radio. I had never had to buy my own refrigerator for an apartment before and cash was short as I had just spent all my on hand money (or most of it) on security deposit and rent while not having my previous security deposit in my hands yet.
• I can't really complain. That was a lot of years for a cheap used refrigerator.
• Alas, the used refrigerator connection has since passed away and I was desperately searching. I needed not only the refrigerator delivered, but someone to haul away the old one.
• I checked out Craigslist, but no individual sellers want to deliver! Gah.
• So, I checked out the Sears online -- there's an outlet location roughly a half-mile down the street from me.
• For under $500 I got your basic refrigerator with both delivery and haul away of the old. Brand new, although they say it has a dent on it. 
• I can't find the dent.
• It has a humidity controlled crisper drawer and door bins large enough to hold gallon bottles. Despite some internet reviews, it's very quiet and the freezer door (top mounted freezer) does NOT open when closing the refrigerator doors. Nor are the shelves flimsy. What are they putting on them? Cases of beer?
• I was going by price and the delivery/haul away factors when I panicked about the old one dying and ordered it. Afterwards, I read reviews. Overwhelmingly, people seemed to like it. However, as always on the internet, there were some haters. 
• So far I really like it. Plus, it has a warranty anyway. I didn't buy their extended warranty. I have a couple of weeks to decide on that. I'm not rough on things -- I still have a working 8-track tape player and a microwave I bought in the late 80s. As long as it's built well, it should last me.
• From the refrigerator manual in the troubleshooting pages

Problem: My refrigerator doesn't seem to stay as cold as it should.
Cause: Opening and closing the doors too often.
Solution: Stop opening and closing the doors so often.

Heh.

Onto the photos of the week. I didn't really take a ton of photos as I only worked four days and only really walked/commuted on three days. On Thursday I had an all day meeting in Parsippany (NJ). Someone else drove. I had my camera, but you don't want to see photos of us stuck in traffic heading into NYC in the morning and traffic stuck coming out of NYC in the late afternoon. Oy!

Sunrise over Plainfield

I love seeing the sunrise as I head to the train station heading to work! This was one morning looking at it from Roosevelt Avenue in Plainfield.

Due to the night's darkness lasting longer, I got some decent shots of the Harvest Moon, the last "supermoon" of the year, as I headed to work earlier in the week. To make the images full screen, click on the diagonal arrow on the bottom right of the slideshow.