Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - March 26, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. If you're here for Survivor -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.  Remember-- The Amazing Race season premiere will be THIS Thursday, March 30th! I will be live-blogging the show and there will be blog parties!

Let's see ... what's new this week?

Well, the weather still isn't new -- we're still having winter temperatures for the most part although (thankfully) we've had no more snow. Yesterday was the first day with temperatures above the 40s. Today we're back to high in the 40s. March is often like this. But that doesn't mean I have to like it!

On the apartment front: I think Joe, my neighbor across the hall for fifteen years or so, is moving out. I stopped some kids I saw lugging things out during the week. I've never seen kids visiting him. Joe is one who will come out and yell at kids playing in the corridors! Since these were very young black kids I didn't know and they were taking stuff to the dumpsters, I just asked them if Joe was okay. He's in ill health and I thought he may have passed and relatives were clearing out his place. The oldest boy, about 12 years-old, told me Joe was fine, they're his great-nephews and they were just helping him by bringing stuff to the dumpster. Okay, sounds good. Until today ... when I took a bag of trash to the dumpsters. Uh-oh. I recognize furniture out there and the dumpsters (with the exception of one with closed lids and the recycle one) were over-fllled. That's JOE'S furniture! Yeah, he's alive, I guess. But he's moving, perhaps to an assisted living place, I would think. I wonder what the new neighbor will be like. Sigh. Joe and I always got along well. He has even offered to loan me his car if I ever needed it for something.

In other apartment news, the idiot ... um, guy with the loud thumping stereo upstairs has been quiet all week. Good.

In workplace news, a two-year nightmare has ended. It's like a weight off my shoulders, fresh air ... but I still want to retire as soon as I can. In health news, I really have no new news. I haven't been on my feet as much during the workdays and my leg issues feel a lot better. But I still have to have that vascular surgery done.

Onto the photos from the week. It's a bit gull heavy. We've had bitter cold temperatures and strong winds most of the week. So, I only took photos at certain times and some days I didn't want to kill off the camera's batteries with the cold. Clicking on an image will open it in a larger gallery window.

NJ Transit Plainfield Train Station

The main building off of East 4th Street is (of course) on the Newark/NYC bound Track Two side of the station. With NJ Transit, anything train or bus has better shelter on the side that heads in that direction. They're under the false assumption that people wait only on that side and just head home without having to wait on the other side.

Things are looking up?

Well, at least this ring-billed gull is looking up! Corner of Gavett Place and North Avenue.

Hmm ... another one

Perhaps they're waiting for the Rapture? I don't know.

Oh noes!

Snowstorm white and yellow daffodil victims in Plainfield. How sad is this?!?!

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

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

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. If you're here for Survivor -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here. A word of warning -- The Amazing Race season premiere will be Thursday, March 30th!

Around here the biggest news of the past week is the snowstorm (or blizzard) that hit us Monday night through into late Tuesday afternoon. Because Plainfield had a couple of inches of sleet in the middle of the storm, our snow totals were only about a foot. Many areas along the shore had rain and ended up with very little, if any, snow. Further north, it remained all snow and some totals were more than twenty inches.

Unfortunately, unlike many storms this late in the season, the temperatures didn't warm up and help rid us of the snow. Instead, we had days hovering right around the freezing point and bitterly cold nights. Looking at the forecast, we're going to be stuck with this for a while. Meanwhile, the warm temperatures last month brought out buds on trees, daffodils and some tulip activity. Not anymore! 

I went for the follow-up on my tests on my legs this week. The surgeon wants to do both about two weeks apart. The worst one, he wants to treat with injecting a foam which will close down the great saphenous vein and its affected branches. The other leg, he wants to do with more traditional laser treatment. He claims that other veins in the leg will take over for circulation. In researching about it, I found that the great saphenous vein is the one used when someone has a heart bypass. I better not ever need one of those down the line! Now it's just a waiting game for insurance approval and scheduling. It probably won't be happening until May.

In apartment living news, I ended up calling the police on my upstairs neighbor's blasting music late last night. I thought those days were over when he moved his speakers up off the floor. But, then came last night. He turned on his stereo at about 9pm, extremely loud and thumping. At 11pm, I went upstairs in the elevator just to see how loud it was from there. Sure enough, it was blasting through the whole hallway and was very loud from the elevator door. I don't want to confront him. I went back downstairs and, at nearly midnight, I called the police. Since the Plainfield Police changed over to an encrypted radio system, I can't hear them on the scanner anymore. But I did hear them pounding on his door about 15 minutes after I called. The stereo went right down. He continued to play the lowered stereo for about two hours more. I could hear it, but it wasn't all that loud. The damage was done, though. I ended up not sleeping most of the night.

As I'm typing this now, he has turned it on loud again. I'll give him a half-hour until I call the police again. Obviously he has no consideration for others.

Onto the photos -- clicking on an image will open it in a larger gallery version.   

Tomorrow is SPRING!

So this can all go away. Now. Tonight, overnight. Vamoose! Be gone, damn snow! Corner of Watchung and North in Plainfield.

Me and my shadow

It's not me, though. He and his shadow? The low angle of the winter morning sun caught this just right and I had to shoot the guy. (With my camera.) East Front Street, Plainfield.

Have a seat!

Most of the city street benches are buried in (now very dirty) snow. You need to take a bus? Chances are you'll have to stand in the street or take the risk of climbing over a huge snowbank. Back in the day, the climb wouldn't be an issue. Nowadays, I'm fearful I'll fall under the bus! Looking towards the Park Madison building from East Front Street in Plainfield.

Monday tree buds

Despite a few days of bitter cold arctic temperatures, I saw these buds growing on a tree at the Bridgewater Train Station on Monday before the storm hit. 

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

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

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. If you're here for Survivor -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here. 

Here near the NYC area we continue to have wacky weather patterns. We have had so many days through February and the beginning of March with outright spring temperatures that flowers are blooming and some of the trees have buds. But Mother Nature isn't letting us off that easy as we were fooled into thinking that this past winter wasn't bad at all. We started off the week with 60-plus degree temperatures and then we got some snow on Friday along with horribly cold temperatures and high winds. Now they're talking a major nor'easter Monday night through Tuesday with blizzard warnings around here and snow totals of more than a foot. It's just a waiting game to see if this storm will come to fruition or not. 

On the Living In My Apartment Building Front:

• I did my good deed for the day today. As I went to go downstairs for my Sunday morning newspaper, my neighbor on the one side (the one with the knee issues) was also leaving. I found out his name is Andy. He was struggling with his fancy seat walker and asked if I could get the door for him on the first floor. He's on oxygen and had left it in his car, so he was having trouble breathing. I not only walked him to his car, but I loaded his walker in the back seat for him and made sure he was all hooked up to his oxygen before I headed to the front for my paper. I'm glad I had my coat on (mainly so I didn't have to change out of my pajama top) -- it's SO COLD out. That's how neighbors should be -- he knocked on my door once to ask where I got my grocery deliveries from and I've knocked on his door once bringing up a package for him that the mailman just left sitting by the front door. He's not inconsiderate with his noise and told me he rarely hears any of my noise. Good neighbors rule. 
• Then there's the hallway playing kids. Sigh. I came home one evening from work and there were about eight of them running around, playing and making a mess on the first floor, front wing of the building. (I live in the rear wing.) The oldest boy, perhaps nine years old -- they ranged from him down to about four years old -- saw me coming and ran to open the front door for me. He then yelled at his underlings to get the first floor security door for me as well as call the elevator. Now, he KNOWS I've yelled at him before not to play in the building corridors! I guess I'm just not mean enough, huh? What a little Eddie Haskell albeit Hispanic in the making! No, I couldn't yell at them after he made such an ordeal about my arrival. Let them rip apart the first floor front wing of the building. Just don't be outside my door making that racket and mess!    

That's about it for now. I plan on staying out of the frigid temperatures today -- perhaps a nice hot bath, catch up on television shows I missed, etc. My shows are slowly returning. Of course, there was the season premiere of Survivor this week. But I've also been watching Bates Motel, The Walking Dead and some other shows. I've missed the newest episodes of Blue Bloods and Elementary this past week, so I'll watch them today. I also have to catch up on Superior Donuts -- I'm enjoying that one. If I'm not mistaken, tonight is the return of ABC's American Crime. If it conflicts with TWD, I'll have to put it on my watch later list.

Onto the photos -- if you click on an image, a larger gallery version will open. 

Tuesday early evening

This was before the arctic temperatures took hold this past week. Plainfield Train Station as I arrived home from work.

Early week daffodils

Although not as perky as they should be had they waited until actual spring, the warmer temperatures we had last week and into the beginning of this week brought about the daffodils. The tulips want to come up, too. They will regret the decision to bloom. Wah. Berckman Street.

The Full Worm Moon

The March full moon is called a "Worm" Moon because this is the time of year when the ground warms up enough to generate earthworm activity. Um, well. Perhaps not this year since we seem to be observing February in March! I took this shot last night at the Bridgewater Train Station waiting for my train home from work. The wind chill was in the single digits.

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

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

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. I will finish posting cast entries for Survivor: Game Changers over the next few days -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.

If you want in on the blog's Survivor pool, you must sign up before noon on Tuesday ONLY on the pool sign up post which you can find at this link. If you try to sign up on this post, any other post of the Facebook page, your request might be missed. The two-hour season premiere will be live-blogged here on Wednesday evening (along with a blog party!).

Okay, that's out of the way.

We continue to have whacko weather around here in the NJ/Greater NYC Metropolitan Area. We had those spurts of weather with temperatures in the 60s and 70s to bitter cold with windchills in the single digits. That wind just won't stop blowing! We continue to remain quite snow-free around here. Heavy blinding snow squalls passed through the area on Thursday evening. But the wind ended up blowing away almost all of the snow overnight into Friday morning. The wind was also responsible for spreading some fires throughout the area making the flames go from one building to the next to the next, etc. Thankfully, none of those tragic fires were in the immediate Plainfield area.

My health issues have not improved. That's all I'll say about it at this time. I don't really like public whining. But ... WAH! Woe is me!

Ahem.

Oh! I know a good thing! I finally got a new toilet in my apartment after complaining about my old one for nearly 18 years! It was ancient when I moved in here, never looked good, never functioned really well and its tank decided to crack on its own (probably due to age). I swear I didn't take a hammer to it! Although, in retrospect, a tap from a hammer would have gotten me a new toilet years ago! I know it seems like a little thing. But it's heaven to have a toilet that looks sparking clean -- something the old one never did no matter how much I cleaned it -- and one that doesn't take ten minutes to fill the tank after flushing. The only bad thing about the whole ordeal this week is that I flooded the downstairs neighbor's bathroom. Oops. But, how would I know that the tank would decide to crack overnight?

Onto the photos I took this week. I really didn't feel well and the weather was uncooperative. So, I don't have a heck of a lot. Clicking on an image will open it in a larger gallery window.   

Cold little bird

I think the birds are as confused about the weather as we are. 

Reflections on a train

At night, the reflections in the train windows come to life. In the daytime, not so much.

The Chotola Building is under siege

The birds are taking over the upper floors. It's obviously part of their nefarious plot to take over the world.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 26, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. I swear I will continue posting cast entries for Survivor: Game Changers this week -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here. My apologies for not posting on the cast this past week. The season premiere isn't until March 8. I will also be posting the blog pool entry post later this week. Stay tuned!

The weather this week was almost early summer-like from Thursday through yesterday. It was all capped off with a very vivid and violent thunderstorm last night. And, yes, it's February. Global warming? I don't know. Unless something changes a lot in the next few days, it should be declared the warmest February on record for this area. While I personally enjoyed the warmer temperatures, it's probably not good for nature overall. It's back to seasonal today. However, nature might have already fallen for the ruse of warmer temperatures. Spring growth seems to want to burst through and a gazillion geese are heading north. I saw a mosquito yesterday.

As for me myself, I'm not doing all that well. I went to the hospital for some tests needed to proceed with the vascular surgery. It was a glorious day in Somerville. In normal circumstance, I'd roam the town I don't go to much and take photographs. Instead, all I want to do is be home elevating my legs to ease the pain. I'm not sleeping well, either. Overall, I just don't feel well at all. My blood pressure is high and has never been high before and more. I'm gaining weight because walking hurts so much. Gah. But, mind you, the knee replacements are both doing well. People keep asking if my knees are feeling any better. It's not the knees. It's the rest of me! 

I also seem to have shrunk two inches from my normal height somehow. It's been years since anyone measured my height and I'm two inches shorter! That's just weird. Perhaps a combination of the knee replacements and poor posture due to pain? Age? I don't know.

Enough woe is me ... 

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

Wheels

I was once again at the Somerville Train Station on Friday. This is another shot of the train wheels/smoke-stack sculpture.

Early morning on North Avenue

On Friday, I took my old regular train to work at 6:40am -- the train I took for several years before work decided to mess with my schedule. (Yes, I'm still ticked about that. I HATE getting home at 7pm!) I took this shot looking towards the north over North Avenue from Track One of the Plainfield Train Station a few minutes before the actual sunrise. 

Bird on a wire

Not quite like a cat on a hot tin roof.

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

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

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. I will continue posting cast entries for Survivor: Game Changers this week -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.

Not a great week for me this past week, but not the worst in my life, either. I had the appointment with the vascular surgeon. This coming Friday I'll go to the hospital for more intensive testing to determine the best surgery options (and to make sure I'm good for the surgery). While I've been focusing on the right leg which swells so rapidly when I'm on it and hurts so much, the other leg is in rough shape, too. The doctor told me that I probably didn't really notice because the right one is so painful. My blood pressure was also high once again. Hmm. I never really had a problem with that before this year. I guess I'll have to have that looked into this year. Heck, I might as well meet my out of pocket maximum on my health insurance and have all my health woes done!

The weather here this week has been fluctuating between record high highs and bitter cold with lots of wind. I can deal with the cold, but the wind was killing me earlier in the week! After a cold morning, yesterday's temperatures hit above 60 although I was inside work and didn't get to enjoy it. Today, it's supposed to be even warmer. Alas, I'll probably stay in for the day anyway. I'm really not feeling well enough to go out and roam around if I don't have to go out to go to work. I'll compromise -- I'll open my windows this afternoon and sit in the recliner chair by the open window!

I'm thankful for the local friends I have! One friend, originally a train friend for years, now has a car on the road and, when our work schedules permit, she's been giving me rides in the morning to work. Another, originally a blog then Facebook friend, has offered me transportation needed for medical doings (and did take me to the ER when I went)! Yay! There are really good people out there, more so than evil ones, for sure!

Oh, well. Enough about me. Onto the photos I took this past week -- clicking on an image will open up a larger one in a gallery format.   

Tunnel tile art -- it's the bee's knees!

At least, when the rehabbed the tunnel at the Somerville Train Station, while the previous murals went away, the tile art pieces remained. Why a beekeeper, I don't know.

Can you strike a pose, pretty pigeon?

How's this? -- A pigeon atop the Chotola Apartment building on North Avenue in Plainfield.

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

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

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. Although its season premiere is still almost a month away, CBS has announced the entire list of castaways for Survivor: Game Changers. I posted yesterday on a few of them and will continue slowly posting on the cast. The blog pool won't open up until we're a week or two away from the premiere. You can always find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.

Welp, I was on staycation this week and I pretty much stayed home trying to keep the swelling in my leg down by elevating it a lot. I ventured downtown on Wednesday when we had record highs. On Thursday, we had a rather cruel (windy and raw) snowstorm. We got only six inches or so, but the wind and the temperatures made it quite slippery and treacherous. I stayed inside. Today we're expecting sleet, freezing rain, rain and snow. I'm so over it. Bring on spring! It felt glorious on Wednesday when I was out and about!

I saw my neighbor on the bedroom wall side of my apartment building this morning -- the one from Africa who has/had his very elderly mother living there. We've been neighbors for probably ten years or more, but I only see him in passing. I had been worried about him because his rent invoice, hanging in a packet from his doorknob, stayed on his door up until the day before the late cut-off for paying. That's not like him at all. He told me he went to his home country, Nigeria, for four weeks. He reports that it's always hot there! I'm thinking his mother must be gone, though. I didn't ask. But there's no way she could stay alone and no way she could make a trip like that. She looked over 100 the last time I saw her about six years ago. He's a good neighbor -- quiet, pleasant whenever we see each other and seems to work a lot. No, he's not the Nigerian king sending out scam emails! If he were, he wouldn't have to work as much as he does!

My neighbor on the other side -- sharing kitchen/dining room walls -- came knocking on my door one day. Now, he's only lived there for about a year. He replaced the screaming kid/thumping family. He listens to his TV a bit loud, but not to the point where it's annoying. I just can hear it when I'm in my dining room turned computer room. He came from another building the landlord owns which doesn't have an elevator. He had a knee replacement and, unfortunately, it ended up being a failed one and he's now in a wheelchair. I found out that if someone in a wheelchair is off slightly to one side knocking on my door, I can't see them in the peephole which is pretty wide-angled. But he told me who it was. He wanted to know where I get my grocery deliveries from. I hope he can do Peapod. If anyone needs grocery delivery, it's him!

I return to work tomorrow. Wah. My appointment with the vascular surgeon is Friday afternoon. Right now, with keeping off my feet a lot, the swelling is down and it really doesn't hurt like it was. But, I'm sure after working up until seeing him, it will blow up and be painful once again. My workplace really needs to adhere to the limitations set forth for walking and standing! They didn't want to do so the week before my staycation. The job duties listed for my job do not include any long periods of standing or walking. Yet, they want me on my feet for hours each day. It's not gonna happen. I'm just sayin' ...

Anyway, onto the photos I took this past week. Clicking on an image will open it in a larger window.

Jazzy utility box!

It may have been there for a while, but I just discovered it this past Wednesday. It's yet another utility box painted to deter graffiti and spruce up the city. I realized right away that it didn't seem to be the work of Pedro Baez, the one who's painted other utility boxes that I've seen and photographed. It's signed off by a "Grayson III." If my research on that name is correct, the artist is an art teacher who has painted utility boxes for the city of Newark. He's quite renowned for his African-American art and loves to create jazz-themed art. This utility box is on the corner of Watchung and East Front in Plainfield.

A shame

The over 100-year old BPOE building on Watchung Avenue continues to sport gang and other graffiti. With all the renewal going on downtown, I'd love to see that building restored to its previous glory. It's truly a neat building which has been neglected and abused for just about all the years I've lived in Plainfield. I don't think there would be any saving of the giant lobster on the roof -- that's pretty much down to its frame. But, the building itself? It could definitely fit into a Transit Village kind of project. It doesn't seen to be in horrible shape -- just neglected and not in use.

Let there be kale!

I've been meaning to photograph some of the ornamental kale growing at the apartment buildings across the street. On Wednesday (in the 60-some degree weather), I crossed the street to take the 113 bus downtown. I wanted to run a few errands before the expected snow on Thursday. Now they're covered with snow. But, nevertheless, they will persist.

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