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 26, 2017

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and a great holiday weekend (if you had one of those)! I'm thankful for all of the loyal blog readers out there -- many have also become my friends, too -- who have followed this blog year in, year out ... even when Big Brother isn't in season! Safe travels to all heading home this evening.

Since it's a Sunday morning, 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.

I actually had two days off from work in a row this week -- a rarity in my life. True to form as of late, I spent a lot of time napping on the first day off. The days off in a row were Wednesday and Thursday. My third day off during the holiday week was the Sunday leading into the week. 

While the two days in a row off were nice, it's not enough time to even travel up to my nearest relative in upstate New York for the holiday. I had to be to work Friday morning (and Saturday, too). So, it was a solitary, with the exception of Vincent the Cat, holiday for me. I'm used to it. I often do get invitations to join in at local friends. But I feel it's uncomfortable to intrude on family gatherings when I'm not family. I don't like eating with a crowd of strangers where I might only know one or two people. I prefer to be alone rather than to do that.

On Thanksgiving, I made myself a little feast -- turkey breast, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, asparagus and a Mrs. Smith's apple pie for dessert. Heck, the rest of the stuff was more work than I usually do, no way would I throw in a homemade pie! I had/have enough leftovers to last me through the weekend so I didn't/don't have to cook for four days after my big kitchen doings. I spent a good part of the day binge-watching The Sopranos on Amazon Prime. After all, that's a family-related show, right? Right? Heh. It's even a New Jersey family! But, I'll admit I don't know anyone in the mob in NJ. I did know some in both New York and Connecticut. But I'm not part of those families, mind you.

What else? Oh, here's a bit of urban life in New Jersey for you ...
I was waiting for the bus to get across town one evening after work. A street kind of guy pushing a bike stopped to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving. He showed me his tire was flat. Um. Okay. What do you want, dude? He showed me the glue and patches for the tire from his pocket. But then he hit me up. He only had a dime and the cheapest air is 35 cents. Oh, well. It's a quarter. I gave him one. We commiserated a bit about how air used to be free and it no longer is such. As he parted, he told me he shoplifted the glue and patches from the store down the street. ACK! I felt like an accomplice after the fact! Thankfully, my bus came shortly afterwards. I cannot fall into a life of crime in my advanced years!

I'm thankful that the guy upstairs went away for the holiday weekend. The quiet is nice. He's had his loud visitors there for the past few weeks and I meant to call the landlord about his extremely loud stereo on Monday this past week, but I forgot. 

Onto the photos for this week. I don't have a lot of them for you and many were taken with the cell phone rather than the camera. The moon shot was the camera. I can't get the cell phone to focus on that.  

Okay, train station. I'm here.

Train be on time. A friend often drives me in these days when our work schedules mesh. However, she had a four day weekend. I didn't. Taking the train on random days the past few weeks has made me late to work twice even though I should have an "early cushion" with the departures. I'm not happy about that. I always plan to be early and NJT makes me late. I'm always at the train station early to catch my train. The least they could do is run vaguely on time!

Friday's moon

You know I can't resist shooting the moon. Had I been out about four hours later, some meteors streaked through the New Jersey skies.

Chotola Pigeon Gathering

Pigeons often line the roof at the front of the Chotola Apartment Building on North Avenue in Plainfield. When I feel I have little photo inspiration while across the street waiting for my train, I turn to them. I often wonder what the building was like in its heyday or what the apartments look like inside. But I wouldn't want to live there even though it's so close to the train. I prefer to live where I don't have to worry about the denizens of the night ... even in the daytime.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 19, 2017

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

Just another week here. Work, more work, home a bit to eat, sleep and pay attention to a cat. At least I can look forward to a four-day work week ahead. I'll even have two days off in a row, a rarity for me. I get so tired of people asking me how my weekend was or telling me to have a good weekend when I don't really have any idea what a weekend is. While I will have the two days in a row this week, it will be Wednesday and Thanksgiving Thursday. I have to work on Friday and Saturday. With no family really near me in the area, it will be a little feast for Vincent the Cat and me. At least I will be able to relax some. I'm used to spending the holidays alone. Work is hectic through the holiday season and I treasure any time off; holidays give me paid extra days off. I like that. Often the one day off at a time just doesn't do it. I'm chronically exhausted.

I really don't have a heck of a lot else for you this week. Not even photo-wise. But here you go ... clicking on an image will bring up the larger version. Some are from my camera, others are cell phone.

Autumn remains

I love these bushes in the fall -- so intricately colorful! Bridgewater, NJ.

Watching the pigeons on the Chotola

I took this shot with my cell phone and really should have edited it to make it a bit more level. I was waiting for my train and bored. North Avenue, Plainfield.

Seagrass run amok

They'll probably be chopping it down soon. Outside of the TD Bank Ball Park in Bridgewater, NJ.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 12, 2017

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

Brr! Baby, it's cold outside! The past few days around here have had record low temperatures. To be honest, as long as I'm dressed for it, I don't mind the cold of winter (even though it's still fall) as much as I hate the heat and humidity of the summer. With the cold, you can layer up and dress for it. With the heat and humidity, taking your clothes off, you're still all sweaty. And, in my case, I'd be all sweaty with people laughing and pointing at me before the police hauled me away! 

I bought a nice new winter jacket a couple of weeks ago. It's been some years since my last winter jacket purchase. I think it's money well spent -- this one is quite warm and fits well. And, my heat is included in my rent at my apartment and I have control of it. It's cozy in here. In the summer, I have to pay for electricity, thus pay for air conditioning.

As I get older, I don't care so much for snow or ice, though. If we could harness it just so it would fall everywhere except roads and sidewalks, I'd be a happy camper. I still find snow breathtakingly beautiful. I just don't want to fall.

I had yesterday off from work, having requested it off as a personal day long ago. It was the day of the Plainfield Public Library Photo Contest. I ended up not entering this year. The theme for the year wasn't a great one for me and the change in judging criteria turned me off last year. I don't really do photos of people posing and smiling or just candid uncropped photos with half-people at the edges which seems to be the draw of judging now. I like to be more art-related in my photos and I guess that's out now. I'll think about next year, but will see what won prizes and honorable mentions versus what was entered this year once they release it online. I was thinking of going yesterday, but spent the majority of the day sleeping it away. I needed the rest.

All that said, my photos this week aren't all that artsy! But, here they are ...

Kodachrome ... brings the nice bright colors

Um. Of fall. Although these leaves are gorgeous on their own, I found a Kodachrome filter on my Google Nik photo editor brings out the colors even more.

I find it easier to take videos with my new phone rather than the camera. Here's a train going the other way at the Plainfield Train Station while I waited for my extremely late, almost time for the next train, to arrive on Friday.

Plotting to overthrow humanity

Soon all will be barren

Looking out on Watchung Avenue from the eastbound platform of the Plainfield Train Station.

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Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 5, 2017

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

This past week included Halloween. I kept to my record of never having kids come to my door since I've lived in this building -- 18 years! Now, there are indeed too many kids living here for it being mostly one-bedroom apartments with supposedly a limit of two tenants in them. But the kids do know me and, even though I speak to them about playing in the hallway, they seem to like me and trust me anyway. (Just my luck!) Yet, no one trick or treats within the building. Oh, well. Each year I buy candy I like just in case someone comes by. All the more KitKat bars for me this year!

Other than Halloween and work, not much is going on in my life right now. Same old, same old. I'll be happy once we vote on Tuesday no matter who wins what -- I'm sick of all of the election junk mail in my mailbox! Although, I must say, I'm happy that there will be a new governor for New Jersey. I never cared for Chris Christie. He always comes across as a rather obnoxious bully to me. Perhaps he's not such, but I always get that feeling whenever I see him.

After our non-ending heavy rain and wind at the beginning of the week, we have had pretty nice weather. When you compare it to Hurricane (Superstorm) Sandy of five years ago or the seven-inch snowstorm the year before that, the weather has been gorgeous! The kids had a bit chilly Halloween, but it was sunny and clear and the power was on. We had a few really warm days this week, but now we're heading into more seasonal temperatures. That's fine by me. I do like a chill in the air. 

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

Heading to work

My NJ Transit train arrives at the Plainfield Train Station on Saturday morning.

Gotta love it!

I stopped into my local bodega on my way home from work on Halloween evening. These three also stopped in there. They had gone all out on their costumes -- I found it refreshing that young teens are still into the fun of the day! If their parents happen to see this, you've raised some friendly and polite children. I'm thinking they probably felt too old for the Trunk or Treat at City Hall, but made their own Halloween a happening.

The Beaver Moon

It actually went full sometime during Friday night. I took this shot last night (Saturday). I'll trap the moon with my camera, but I won't go out trapping beavers.

Flags, Flakes and Bikes

Saturday morning, before cars took over Watchung Avenue, a herd of bicyclists took over the street. All in all, there were a good dozen of more bikers racing through. Oh. And I guess it's Christmas season now. Way too early! Plainfield.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 22, 2017

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

My apologies for not posting last week. I'm still tired and not feeling all that great this week. But at least I took some photos! I'm still working on improving my photo-taking with the new cell phone. Most of the shots here are from my actual camera unless I note cell phone. 

Nothing much is happening here -- the weather has been incredibly nice, temperatures in the 70s most days and chilly evenings. We're now at the point that we need rain, though. I'm sure it will decide to rain as I'm out and about heading to work and have to be caught in it.

Last night seemed to be party night in my apartment building. No, not for me! After I got home from work, I had my own party of one with a cat companion. (Someone may have imbibed too much catnip.) On the first floor in the front of the building, it was incredibly loud as I got home. Today when I went down to the front door of the building to get my Sunday newspaper, I saw busted balloons -- dozens of them -- all over the corridor floor, stairs and in the elevator. I know they were popping some in the front wing of my floor last night, too. I wasn't really sure WHAT the noise was, but I knew it was NOT gunfire. Now I know. The guy upstairs also had a party. Since he's been quite amazingly quiet for months, I tolerated it even though the noise went beyond 11pm. It wasn't as loud as he's cranked it in the past. But he definitely invited some real clodhoppers up there. Thank goodness he has carpeting in that apartment.  

I'm hoping for a quiet peaceful Sunday.

Here are the photos for the week -- clicking on an image will open a larger version.

De train! De train!

Oh, wait. That was Tattoo yelling, "De plane! De plane!" on Fantasy Island. I'm certainly aging myself with the memory of that television show, eh? The sun was almost set to the left just out of this photo shot as my train home from work arrived at the Bridgewater Train Station one day this week. A more colorful sunset would have been nice, but ...!

If the NJ Transit bus breaks down ...

... he has wheels of his own. I've noticed more skateboarders on the trains and buses since the Skate Park opened in Plainfield. I keep telling myself I need to get over to the park with my camera. Unfortunately, I haven't really felt well enough to be out and about more than I have to be lately. I took this photo with my cell phone, making it accidentally a video. So I edited a still from said video.

White and Yellow Lamps

Well, I will say that keeping the eastbound side of the train station so brightly lighted at night seems to have cut down some of the ne'er'do-wells who spend the evenings/nights there. As it was just after sunset when I took this shot, you can't really see the white brightness. NJ Transit Police and the Plainfield Police still need to move along the non-passengers during the daytime hours. Now they tend to hang out right on the platforms taking up benches for people who want to take the trains. Plainfield Train Station.

Let me pose for you

A posing squirrel on a fence post on the west side of my apartment building. My windows look out on the east side and only have a chain-link fence.

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Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 8, 2017

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

I had pretty much of a sucky worrisome day yesterday with relief only coming in the evening after I returned home from work. As some of you who know me might know, I'm SO not a phone person. I only bought a cheap prepaid cell phone about eight years back because of the lack of pay phones as time went on. I do have a landline -- just a very basic one which even works in power outages. But I've had the same prepaid flip phone for eight years. It cost me about $20 back when I got it. 

It is (was) a dumb phone. Yet, due to today's society and the fact that it can screen calls better than my landline, receive texts and more, I use it for almost all of my online stuff. The number for it is the one hooked into the intercom system to know if someone is at my apartment door for me and more. GAH! Without that number, I'm a bit lost. I also use it as an alarm clock and have stopped wearing a watch because I use it for the proper time.

The phone fell out of my pocket on the train going to work yesterday. I know I had when I got on the train. And, when I got off the train, as the train was pulling out, I went to check the time. OH NOES! It was gone! Now, if I were anyone else at my workplace, I could have either waited for the train to make its next run back to the station with that crew and retrieve the phone. If I worked in just about any other place, I would have access to the internet to at least suspend the service online. 

But ... NOOOO. I had new employees coming in which had me going into work an hour earlier than usual on a Saturday morning. I'm the ONLY one there who knows how to do all the paperwork, the computer programs needed (Oracle and Kronos Workforce Management) and stuff to get them in the computer system and to do the actual orientation for new employees. The one other person who knows it, but does things a bit haphazardly if I do say so myself, is on vacation.

While I didn't have outright banking information or anything like that on the phone, the payment system for the phone is hooked to my debit card. I had just put more money on it and someone could go to town with calling stuff on the phone. I worried all day. And, instead of working an hour extra due to my early arrival, I went home an hour early after doing the orientation for the new hires and the accounting. 

Now, it's been years since I bothered with the Verizon wireless web site. But I had made an account there and managed to get in to it from my home computer. The actual phone account is now suspended and I have a new phone ordered from Amazon set to arrive at my workplace on Tuesday. I can't have it come here as I would have no clue if someone rang my intercom buzzer! I need it by Wednesday as I have a Peapod grocery order coming and they text me. At this time, the worst case is that I will lose my contact list. With the new phone I'm getting (same number), my contacts will be stored on the Verizon cloud -- not sure of the old phone contacts or not. I'll find out.

The phone I'm getting finally puts me in the smartphone world. But I'm still getting a prepaid one. And, while I'll probably take advantage of some available apps, I refuse to be one of those people addicted to the phone. I'm buying the next to cheapest 4G Android phone (Samsung) I could find on Amazon with good reviews. It will still be more expensive than the one I lost. Grr. One reason I never bothered with a smartphone is because I'm cheap ... er, frugal. I'm just SO not a phone person and didn't need the extra expense. 

But one pro to it is that I will be able to take decent photos and video and finally get to have an Instagram account without a bunch of software on my computer to act like I'm posting photos from a cell phone. My dumb phone had a camera, but it was a pain to upload the bad photos to the online Verizon site which is the only place I seemed to be able to make them go and the reason I even had an account on the Verizon wireless site to begin with! Plus, the new phone has a much better camera and I can take more candid photos on trains and such without pulling out the actual camera I carry.

One last thing about this fiasco ... NJ Transit really needs to get more professional staff answering the phones for lost and found. When you call a business representative, you really don't need to hear someone say, "We ain't got nuthin' turned in today." AIN'T GOT NUTHIN?!?! My own workplace has strict standards for greetings and handling business calls. It reflects on the business itself.

Wait ... one more last thing! (Really.) Because losing the phone was all new to me -- I don't lose things and even still have an eight-track player that works -- I did the chat bit on the Verizon Wireless site last night to make sure I could keep the number and suspend the service until I got the new phone. The person I dealt with in the chat was delightful -- polite, not just canned responses, friendly, spelling and punctuation were professional and she did exactly what I needed done. Oh, and she told me it was her birthday. Happy birthday again, Casey! We ended up small-talking a bit while we waited for the computer to bring up my account. She was such a gem!
  
Onto this week's photos ... clicking on an image will open it in a larger version.

Starling in its fall coat

They go from glossy black with highlights in the sheen to spots over the seasons. 

When you see tracks, always ...

... think junkie. Er, um, train. Last night at the Plainfield Train Station as I arrived home from work. I guess I'm just too cynical.

Tiny flowers ...

... in the weeds. Make me feel happy. Make me forget my needs.
Or something to that effect. 

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Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 27, 2017

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic post taking a look at the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. This weekly post is done year in, year out. Big Brother, the main draw for so many of you, only lasts about three months -- although sometimes it seems to be a lifetime. If you're here solely for the BB posts, please feel free to skip this post. You can find my latest BB19 posts by using this link.

This week has been rather icky for me. I caught some kind of bug and was down for the count for several days at the beginning of the week. I missed the eclipse entirely. But, since I didn't have proper eye protection, didn't want to ruin my camera and it wasn't all that full around here, plus a gazillion people across the country photographed and took video of it, I don't really regret my extended rest at the time. I certainly saw enough of it! I'd rather photograph things the whole world isn't watching or those things we all see but don't take the time to appreciate.

That's not to say I took such great photos this week. I was only out and about for three work days. Other than that, I was confined to my bed ... and my bathroom.

Hey, maybe I was taking bubble baths!

Or not.

Without further ado, here are the photos I took this week ...

Nature remains wondrous

When you walk with Jesus ...

... he'll save your soul. (Credit to Tom Waits) 
I've been rewatching The Wire on Amazon Prime. It reminds me of the correlations between Baltimore and Plainfield albeit Plainfield is a much smaller city. Since the show was aired, Plainfield's Hispanic population has grown to the point where they'll be tipping the percentage scales soon, if not already. I don't know if Baltimore's percentages have changed in the same manner. But, when the show first aired, it reflected this town, too. Now, in the current day, the violent crimes seem to be MS-13 or 18th Street related more than sects of the Bloods. Hey, I'm just a citizen as are the majority of folks living here. I took this shot from the Plainfield Train Station looking at North Avenue.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 20, 2017

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic post taking a look at the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. This weekly post is done year in, year out. Big Brother, the main draw for so many of you, only lasts about three months -- although sometimes it seems to be a lifetime. If you're here solely for the BB posts, please feel free to skip this post. You can find my latest BB19 posts by using this link.

I really don't have a heck of a lot for you this week. It seems like the majority of my commutes were rain-filled or high heat and humidity bearing. So, I didn't really take many photos and, you realize if I take photos of landscaping rocks, I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here. I will say that, with all the rain we've had throughout the summer, everything is amazingly green and lush for late August. Usually by this time, the lawns that aren't watered are dry and leaves on some of the trees are even dying.

Some random thoughts this week:

• I'm not as thumpy or door-slammy as many neighbors in the building. I'll have to work on that.
• People seriously need to keep moving when they step off a train or enter/exit stores. Ahem! People are BEHIND you. 
• Amazon Prime needs to stop using USPS for their "guaranteed two day delivery" packages. USPS is the most undependable carrier out there. A huge part of why I went to Amazon Prime is the delivery guarantee time. I'm only home two specific days a week. If I order something heavy for home delivery, I time it to appear on that day. I don't want to schlep heavy stuff from work to home on the train.
• That said, I will be re-watching all five seasons of The Wire for free on Amazon Prime.   
• Soon I'll qualify for less than half-fare on NJ Transit.
• But I won't be able to retire due to the added ridiculously high expense of health insurance on a reduced income even though I'd have Social Security, my work pension and my 401K. If not for the work-related health insurance ending -- although I can still carry cheap life insurance -- it would be easy to make ends meet. If you can retire at 62 on Social Security, you should be able to get Medicare at the same age!
• Grr.
• I have two full weeks of work, then a three day work week, then my next staycation. I seriously need it.

Onto the few photos I'm posting this week ... 

Please

Not only on NJ Transit trains, but in the employee lounge at work, too! Sheesh, I'm the one with knee replacements and all kinds of leg and back issues. Yet the people nearly 40 years younger than I am tend to not be able to sit upright with feet on the floor. They have to sprawl out and practically be lying down in the chairs. I don't even like to sit on the chairs in the lounge -- they're all feet grungy. I feel like I should sit atop a plastic bag like I do on street benches.

Let the sun shine ...

Caught in the sun's morning rays, this morning glory is quite splendid indeed.

Fashion, beep beep

Trendsetter in motion on North Avenue in Plainfield.

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Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 6, 2017

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic post taking a look at the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. This weekly post is done year in, year out. Big Brother, the main draw for so many of you, only lasts about three months -- although sometimes it seems to be a lifetime. If you're here solely for the BB posts, please feel free to skip this post. You can find my latest BB19 posts by using this link.

It's been just another week in the life. We've had nightly or early morning thunderstorms almost every day and hot, humid days.  The streak seems to be over for now. I left my windows open last night for the first time in days. It was great not to be running the air conditioner and not to worry about rain coming in the windows! Tomorrow it's supposed to rain again. Sigh.

Mind you, I actually kind of like rain and storms ... just not when I have to be out commuting in that weather!

I really don't have much for you this week other than the photos I took. So, without further ado ... clicking on an image will open a larger version in a gallery setting.

Mama Sparrow still feeds baby ...

... even though baby looks fatter than her and is perfectly capable of picking up his own bread crumbs!  The youngster chases after Mom, fluttering his wings repeatedly and cries for food. Sheesh. I don't know about this younger generation! Plainfield Train Station.

A small murder of crows gather

 While waiting for my train (delayed by a half-hour!), I watched crows gather on the obsolete technology across the street from the Plainfield Train Station. At least their antics gave me great photo fodder and passed the time while I waited to be late for work.

Are they arguing?

Last call for alcohol! Er, um ...

Last call before the Flower of an Hour closes up for the day, that is.

If I had the time, I'd love to time lapse these

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Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - July 23, 2017

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic post taking a look at the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. This weekly post is done year in, year out. Big Brother, the main draw for so many of you, only lasts about three months -- although sometimes it seems to be a lifetime. If you're here solely for the BB posts, please feel free to skip this post. You can find my latest BB19 posts by using this link.

We had another heat wave this past week here in the NJ/NYC Greater Metro Area. I don't like heat. I don't like humidity. No one should sweat merely standing. For those who say I'll miss it come winter ... no. I actually don't mind cold temperatures. I'm not too keen on ice and snow as I'm pedestrian and public transportation based. But the cold itself? Not really a problem. 

Heat is included in my apartment rent. Air conditioning (electricity) is not. So I pay more in the summers. Plus, if outside, you can bundle up against the cold. In sweltering heat and humidity, even taking off your clothes wouldn't help. You'd still be all sweaty and people would point and laugh before the police hauled you away!

Give me autumn any day!

My apartment building is going through fixes needed as per the NJ Five Year Inspection last month. I got a notice entirely in Spanish to move my car away from the building Friday and Saturday as they would be painting the fire escapes. They tried a few weeks ago to do that but got rained out. Now, I don't speak Spanish much at all. But I do find it odd that I can read it. Yet, I don't have a car, so I didn't care about the notice.

I did care that on my day off on Wednesday some maintenance dude knocked on my door at 8:05am. I was awake, but not dressed. He said he was here to replace the ceiling tiles in my bathroom. I asked him to come back in fifteen minutes so I could get dressed. He never came back that day. I wasted most of the day not daring to take my shower or go anywhere because I expected him back. Grr. 

On Thursday, I had to go to work. I left Vincent's litter box in the living room -- it's usually in the bathroom -- in case they came back to do the bathroom ceiling tiles. I worried about Vincent all day while I was at work. I don't like people in my apartment when I'm not home. And, if I know for sure someone is coming, I confine Vincent to the bedroom. But I didn't know for sure and he gets stressed being trapped in there for hours on end.

Well, they came. Vincent is fine. However, they made my bathroom into a nightmare. They spray-painted the frames for the new ceiling tiles getting white spray mist all over my (relatively) new sink and vanity and my new toilet! Apparently, they got white spray paint on the walls (which were a light peach and didn't need painting) and then they painted my bathroom (above the tiles) a blinding white. They did that painting with a brush. Thankfully they moved my towels to the living room. But paint drops are all over the floor, the tub, my cheap shower curtain liner, my big bottle of foam bath, etc. There are even a few drops of white paint on the hardwood floor leading into the bathroom!

Why, I don't doubt they got paint drops on Vincent and I just can't see them because he's already white!

I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night Friday night. I was almost blinded by the white. Eek. I think I need to get a dimmer bulb in there! At least the bathroom ceiling tiles were the only thing brought up during the inspection. Although my kitchen cabinets are ancient, I don't want them tearing them out while I'm trying to live here. I don't like outside intrusions.

That's the big news of the week. It's onto the photos now ...

Please strike a pose, pigeon.

Ah, that's a good one. Um, no. I'm not paying you. Don't be like the costumed characters in Times Square! Bridgewater Train Station.

Teensy bee on the chicory blossom

The bee is very tiny. For reference, the chicory blossoms are only about an inch, perhaps a tad more. Plainfield Train Station.

Photogenic fungi

Growing on a fallen tree near 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 16, 2017

Good morning! Since it's a SUNDAY morning, this is my weekly off television topic post taking a look at the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. This weekly post is done year in, year out. Big Brother, the main draw for so many of you, only lasts about three months -- although sometimes it seems to be a lifetime. If you're here solely for the BB posts, please feel free to skip this post. You can find my latest BB19 posts by using this link.

Some random notes on this past week:

• Yesterday morning at 6:27am, the dude upstairs turned on his stereo. No, not full blast. But it has to be up pretty loud for me to hear it in my apartment. Well, at least the beat. I hear and feel the bass. Then, at 7:05am, the neighbor's landscapers started making all kinds of blower and mower noise. Now, I was already awake, but it's a Saturday morning. Don't normal people sleep in a bit?
• I'll admit I'm not a normal person, mind you. But I don't make all kinds of racket that can annoy others!
• When I came home from work last night, the cylinder on the front building door lock was sideways. Because of that, the key wouldn't work in the lock, just spinning and spinning. I took my back door key which fits in that lock but won't unlock it and turned the cylinder back to its proper position. I then unlocked the door with the right key and entered. Someone was in the hallway and asked how I got the door open. Okay, landlord, you can pay me what you would have paid the locksmith to come fix it.
• As I expected, I returned to chaos and disaster after my staycation from work. I don't want to talk about it. It's bad mojo, I tell you!
• I'm ready for autumn. I'm tired of being sweaty while just existing. Inside my apartment, I'm fine due to air conditioning, my new tower fan and all. But they make me go out in the world just about daily. Gah.
• It's hard to believe it's been 50 years since the Newark and Detroit riots (1967). I was living in Saratoga County in New York at that time. They made the national news. I didn't know that, within the same time period, there was a Plainfield riot -- that didn't make national news at the time. But it was quite the incident here and still affects the city to this day. But Plainfield has made tremendous strides ahead during the last several years. Let's all keep on working together!

Onto the photos I took this past week. No real masterpieces, but a slice of life here in what they call the Greater NYC Metropolitan Area in New Jersey. Sometimes they call it North Jersey; sometimes Central Jersey. It's all Jersey to me ... 

Clicking on an image will open a larger version.

More utility box art

This one is on East 4th Street at the corner of Watchung Avenue by the police station. I don't think it's finished as the other sides only have the green base paint.  I'll watch it to see if more is added than this side. The adjacent town of North Plainfield has shrink-wrapped art on their boxes. I prefer Plainfield's efforts, using actual artists to paint them. We have a lot of talent here in Plainfield and these are great!

Bunny resting in the sun

More on this bunny a bit later in the post.

The Keyboard Man

Summer sounds at the Plainfield Train Station. While I don't care for the regular bums who hang out at the station day and night, this guy really improves the atmosphere there. I've also seen him there playing a trumpet. Sometimes a few others join him with guitars.  Nah, neither he nor they would ever win a talent contest, but it's always good to see and hear him at the station playing away.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - July 9, 2017

Good afternoon! Since it's a SUNDAY, this is my weekly off television topic post taking a look at the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. This weekly post is done year in, year out -- usually in the morning hours. But I was lackadaisical this morning. Big Brother, the main draw for so many of you, only lasts about three months -- although sometimes it seems to be a lifetime. If you're here solely for the BB posts, please feel free to skip this post. You can find my latest BB19 posts by using this link.

I've been on a staycation this past week -- a much needed one. Of course, I wouldn't mind being on a permanent staycation called retirement. I'm still trying to figure out angles for achieving that. If nothing else, in two months I'll be able to take NJ Transit trains and buses for half-fare or less.

The big happening this week here was the annual Plainfield 4th of July Parade which goes right by my apartment building. Watching the parade reminded me how much Plainfield really does have to offer. There were many youth sports groups, the high school marching band, the robot from the robotics club, steppers, churches and various cultural organizations. It was a sea of diversity! Plainfield has indeed become a melting pot. Having so many folks so different from myself around me reminds me how much people are actually alike.

Speaking of which, I met a man in my apartment building elevator this morning. He told me he was visiting from Trinidad. No, not visiting the elevator ... visiting family in the building. Heck, my building itself probably has people for a dozen or more countries living here.

I really don't have a heck of a lot to say this week. Yes, I'm rested. But I could rest more! I'm including the photos I took of the parade this week in a Photobucket link. There are a ton of them -- the parade was almost four hours long! They may take a while to load if you have a slow connection.




The lilies are still in bloom

Finally ...

I've had my office chair for nearly 25 years and it's been in sad shape for about the last ten of those years. I ordered a new one from Amazon this week and put it together rather easily. It's not an expensive chair. It's not a fancy chair. But it does have good back support and arms that don't fall off.  Ignore the catnip mouse on the floor, as well as the catnip. Vincent is a kitty slob!

Day lilies came to life this week

Vincent and his new favorite chair

Yes, Vincent has claimed my new office chair as his own! I ended up putting a towel over it to fend off cat fur! When I'm not in it, he usually is. No, I'm not going to buy one for him.