I'm in New Jersey, Get Me Out of Here!

No! Really! I'm stuck on a NJ Transit train ... get me out of here! I'll be like the man who never returned. You know, Charlie on the M.T.A.! You do see I can't escape from television, not even on the train. That's an ad for Top Chef Masters which premieres on Bravo on June 10.

Okay. I lied about being stuck on the train and in New Jersey, too. I can leave. My cat would be upset, but I would come back. But, it's a tip of the hat to the show I just finished watching -- I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

Celebrities, eh? I know Lou Diamond Phillips, Stephen Baldwin, and Sanjaya Malakar. Well, not personally, mind you. And Sanjaya is more notorious than an actual celebrity. I don't watch The Hills, but hear a lot about it on The Bonnie Hunt Show. The one time Spencer Pratt was on Letterman, he was a jerk. Guess what? He still is.

Then there's Patti Blog ..er , Blag ... um ... Blagojevich, the wife of the impeached husband with the hair. She sort of surprised me. I think I like her, but her husband irks me just with his hair alone, not even taking any crimes he may or may not have committed into consideration. He's a new age Trump hair man.

The rest of the celebrities, I haven't a clue.

However, I was entertained. I'm not sure if I'll watch its entire run. Four nights a week is a lot to ask of viewers. I came away from tonight's show thinking Spencer is so full of himself. He shouldn't accuse others of being non-celebrities when he's such a non-celeb in his own right. Sanjaya remains very eager and personable, much like he was on American Idol. I just hope he doesn't burst into song.

Did you watch the show? Your thoughts?

I'm now stuck in a flower! Get me out of here!

OFF TOPIC: So You Think You Can Hop

So, there I was at the Bridgewater Train Station ready to head home. Hey! What's that? (No, not the big yellow circle -- I did that!) I saw movement from whence I came. I must investigate. Reminder: clicking on any of the images will open them larger in a new window.


Why ... it's an animal ... as opposed to vegetable or mineral. I must get closer.


Baby bunny alert! Baby bunny alert! I must get closer.


Aww. How cute is that? He's only about five or six inches long. I must get closer.


Warm fuzzy baby bunny alert! Whoops ... there's my train coming in. Must get farther away!


I managed to get about two feet away from the bunny. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's a good thing. He knew I was there, but was very frightened. I hope he reacts more quickly to hawks and other predators.

So You Think You Can Dance Blog Discussion

It's the 5th season of So You Think You Can Dance and here's your place to chat about the show with your friends ... even if you know you can't dance, or you can dance, but you could never do THAT! I don't blog about this show on a regular basis, but I'm a fan. I'll be joining you in comments, for sure.

Jump aboard -- we're all hot tamales on this train!

Happy Memorial Day

I hope everyone is having an enjoyable kick off to the summer season and that the weather is cooperating for you.

I'd also like to pause for a moment to reflect on the reason for this holiday -- to remember those who have served for our country. My own father was a WWII veteran and my grandfather re-upped to help in that effort. I recently read a book written by a quasi-family member (my brother's first wife's sister's daughter's husband if you can follow that). He joined the National Guard at 17 and served in Iraq at 19, all inspired by the attack on 9/11. For me, the epitome of today's young soldier is indeed Ryan Smithson. His book, Ghosts of War, was an amazing effort and really told the story of war from a different perspective.



I'd rather a world without wars. But that seems unlikely. Bless the men and women who serve our country.

So You Think You Can Dance, Some Off Topic, and Hooked on a Commercial

I'm sitting here watching So You Think You Can Dance. I have no clue why I always get so addicted to this show but don't care for Dancing With the Stars. Maybe it's because it often has more of a street vibe and/or because the kids on the show work so hard to achieve their dreams.

Obviously, since it's the first night, we're in the auditions phase. Do you want me to set up a discussion post for this season? I'm sure to comment, but don't know if I'm up to blogging each show.

Some off topic --

Due to so much rain and timing, I haven't seen Roofus the Cat lately. However, local blogger Bernice emailed me and told me she spotted Roofus inside the garage building where the food and litter box sit. I'll keep looking! BTW -- if you look at her blog, the new Senior Citizen Center is just a few doors down from where I took all my kale shots and I walk by there on my way to the train every day. It's just a bit away from my own neighborhood and is where the business district starts up.

Many of my commuting NJ Transit trains have gone to the fancy-schmancy double-deckers. If you sit in the top level, it tends to sway a bit like a boat on a mild sea. If you sit in the lower level, you bang your head when you stand and there's a step up to the seats (which I've already tripped over). If you sit at the main level in the bikes/handicap area, the seats aren't as comfortable and it's like a fancy-schmancy version of the NYC subways with passengers facing each other.


Above is a shot of the nearly empty lower level on one of my rides. The conductor is watching me shoot him. Oops. (Clicking on the image will open it larger in a new window.)


There's a fancy-schmancy at my train station. One thing which will take getting used to -- you can't flip the seats. Half of each car faces backwards for the trips. They're only two-seaters instead of two-seaters down one side and three-seaters down the other. I can't sprawl my stuff. BUT ... the seatbacks are one-piece molded plastic. No one in back me can poke me with their feet working them between the seatback and the seat itself. I hate toes poking me in the butt! I'm funny like that.

I'm still putting in extra time at work, but it's paying off as we're acing all of our audits. Phew! Also, I went for my year follow-up with my orthopedic surgeon for the knee replacement. He's happy. I'm happy. My knee can grin if I hold it sideways (the scar). He gave me another cortisone shot in the other knee. Hopefully it will last more than four days. My plans are to get the knee done before winter. I have to build up financial doings and stuff.

Hooked on a feeling commercial
"Front, back, side to side, front front back back side to side, up down ..." I have mad hamster love going on for those Kia hamster commercials. The songs are catchy, but the hamsters are the bee's knees. Or something like that.