Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - 5/09/10

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there!

Yes, it's Sunday and time for my weekly off TV topic look back on the week gone by in words and photos I've taken. I think I can sum up this past week in just a few words -- work, hectic, annoying weather. Yep, that's it! G'bye!

Er ... well. I guess I can go into a little more detail. The weather just won't stay nice here. We went from too warm last week to tons o' rain to high winds and frost warnings. Last night the local police ran themselves ragged trying to respond to all of the downed trees/wires calls. Of course, those calls were in addition to the regular "It's Saturday night, I'm gonna get drunk and fight with people or crash my car" calls.

My work wish for this week is just one day without crises. It seems that every single day lately has some sort of drama or critical emergency going on. I hate coming home and just wanting to collapse day after day. Please ... just one day. Thank you.

In regard to the writing work, a feature I wrote about my favorite moments from this season's The Amazing Race should go live a little after 1 PM (ET) today on TV Squad. The easiest way to see if it's up is to go to my individual blogger link on the site. The big season finale is tonight. Of course, I'll have a blog party post here for it as well as writing a review for TVS. I was offered the opportunity to interview the teams by TVS, but can't do it due to my day job. Now, if they want to have me go to the Survivor finale next Sunday in the city ... I have time to alter my work plans!

On the home front, nothing much is going on. Vincent is fine and the elevator is still broken. The season of mice in the walls might be over. Vincent isn't staring at the radiator anywhere near as much as he had been. I spotted the four and five year old kids from the apartment next door a block and a half away on their own. I shouldn't be surprised since they're allowed to play in the hallways at all hours. Why aren't parents licensed? I swear animal shelters take more care to find caring homes for pets than some people put into the thought of parenthood. I realize that's not a great topic for Mothers Day, but I'm jus' sayin' ...

Onto the photos -- clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window.

From Manhattan to Queens skyline

I'm not sure if I've ever seen the Manhattan skyline from this vantage point before. I took this from the shuttle bringing me to LaGuardia for my vacation trip. I generally don't have many reasons to go to Queens and, if I do, I tend to take the subway. I recall as I rode the shuttle bus, as I watched the skyline the song which came on my not-an-iPod was "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City" by Nilsson. Last Saturday night might have been proof of that, eh?

Fortitude

Nah, I'm not talking about character traits. I'm talking the lion. Also taken from the shuttle bus window that day, this is Fortitude -- one of the two lions gracing the entrance of the main New York Public Library in Manhattan. The lion to the left of the steps is Patience. They're rehabbing the building. If you visit the city and haven't been before, it's a free sight not to miss -- stunning and intricate architecture. And lions. Can't forget the lions.

Speaking of famous lions

Lion at rest, master of his domain (so to speak), Vincent naps. His latest thing is he wants to be carried around. Y'know ... it makes me walk crooked to have a cat draped over my shoulder and it's hard to hear anything over his purring! No, he's not spoiled. Not much.

Spring is still springing in between wind gusts

Berckman Street in Plainfield

He didn't watch the gap

See? No feet, no hand, no entire arm! That's what happens when you step into the gap. Plainfield, NJ

Vroom

I edited this one to leave only the car in color. Watchung Avenue and East 4th Street in Plainfield.

Wall of Azaleas

Bridgewater, NJ

Love the metallic appearance of the hmm ... anthers?

North Street demolition "fixing" still going on

Now they've filled where the basement was with dirt and are shoring up the walls. The other building wall is the one which presents more problems -- a "party wall" with exposed shared fireplaces between the ex-building and its neighbor. No sign of Roofus.

From the house for all seasons

The flowers are stunning at the house located on the corner of East Front and Richmond in Plainfield. Every season, the woman who lives there has something going on. I think she hires men to do a lot of the work!

Rainy Monday Morning

It's now light when I go to work earlier for my early day(s). Looking up East Third Street from the Plainfield Train Station platform.

Saturday night odd skies

With the wind roaring, the sunset took on strange hues last night. Looking up Watchung Avenue to East Front in Plainfield.

Same sunset, different location

North Street looking up Gavett Place towards the back of East Front in Plainfield. You understand if you live here.

Same shot, edited with the "posterization" mode in GIMP.

Transportation

Bike to the train, train to the plane ...

Deadly Nightshade

Growing along the cemetery fence in back of the Friends Meeting House on Watchung Avenue/East 3rd Street in Plainfield.

Poison Ivy berries

Bridgewater Train Station

How was your week? I leave you with one last slideshow of Texas photos --

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains - Blog Party Post 5/06 Episode

The show is starting in a few minutes. This post will be updated with the major events as they air here on the East Coast. Late tonight, my full review will be posted on TV Squad. But, until then, the real fun is in the comments area right here -- feel free to jump in with your thoughts on the show, everyone is welcome! Survivors ready? Two go home tonight!

1st - Immunity - Sandra and Russell quit for food. Colby out for donuts. Only Rupert and Parvati still in it as the others step down for PB&J. Rupert slips, Parvati wins immunity. Twist - clue to hidden idol for all.

1st Tribal Council - Candice voted out.

2nd Immunity - Russell wins!

Russell wished Danielle to the cornfield because he can't trust her with Parvati. It worked.

TV Hash - American Idol, Lost, and TV Blogging Stuff ...

I meant to post last night, but I fell asleep. I hate it when I do that! The local news on WCBS is having a series on sleep all this week. It's too bad I'm getting so sleepy I can't concentrate enough to watch it. Had I not thought ahead to record Letterman on Monday night, I would have missed Jim Parsons (Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory). He always makes me smile.

I have several things I want to talk about -- the first being last night's Sinatra spotlight on American Idol. Oh my. Casey didn't do well, neither did the projected winner Crystal Bowersox. While Aaron did okay, I'm tired of seeing him in that one pose -- one foot forward, some odd attempts at quasi-pelvic thrusting (or whatever it is that he's doing). He has no stage presence. I can't imagine going to a concert and enduring an hour of him standing there doing that no matter how well he might sing. Big Mike looked the part and did well. But, the winner of the night for me was Lee DeWyze.



The more I see him and hear him, the more I like him. He's gaining confidence in his performance skills and I've always liked the slightly raspy tone. I think working with Harry Connick, Jr. last night improved his outlook greatly. I'd like to see a Bowersox/DeWyze finale. Of course, I'm typing this up before the results show. For all I know, one might be going home!

Then there's Lost. Eek! I missed the show the week I was in Texas and, for some reason, the web site episode hangs at the very end. But I should be relatively caught up. Yet, I'm still a bit lost. We lost four people in the episode! Lapidus, Sayid, Sun, and Jin, all dead. Hmm ... maybe the finale is that no one gets out of it alive.

FLocke has to be a bad guy. But Widmore seems to be one, too. I realize it's some sort of epic good/evil battle going on, but neither of these two seem really "good." And Hurley cried. Aw, man.

Then there's TV Blogging stuff

I forgot to mention my The Big Bang Theory post up on CliqueClack TV the other night. I really have to get back in the habit of posting the links here, on Twitter and Facebook.

My TV Squad blogging gig is undergoing major changes, kind of sort of. AOL, the owner of TV Squad, has merged their Inside TV blog with TV Squad under the name of TV Squad. The blog's look has changed. The pay rate is a bit better for me, so the changes aren't anything I fear. There are technical differences for images and new contract doohickeys, but I'll get used to it all. I'm hoping that, with the changes, I might be able to do the Big Brother live feeds there this summer. Right now it's too early to tell. Of course, I'll have feeds stuff here. (But it's nice to get paid for it there!)

As for readers of TV Squad, one of the major complaints seem to be that folks can't find their shows. If you input the show name in the search box, you can find all posts about the subject. Or, it's easy to just do the site - http://www.tvsquad.com/ with "category" and the show name at the end - http://www.tvsquad.com/category/survivor -- I think that should work. If not, I'll have to edit this post!

Now a little late news --

We all know that Adam, winner of Big Brother 9, got busted for drugs. More recently, Matt was also charged! It's right here in this article. Plus, Matt, the apple of Natalie's eyes, has been arrested for beating up his girlfriend. Yikes.

There you go. That's what I had to say. I'll be watching American Idol while recording the new episode of Criminal Minds. Hopefully, I'll stay awake for Letterman. I was off today and even napped a bit. But I had to get up for a conference call for the blogging. By the way, Vincent jumped on me and wouldn't get off during the conference call. It's almost easier to take them at work!

The Amazing Race - Blog Party Post - 5/02/10 Episode

Tonight's show is actually starting on time again on the East Coast. They're going to spoil us! Once it starts, I'll update this entry with major events including the Pit Stop order and Philimination. My actual show review will be posted late tonight over on TV Squad. But the real fun (and most information) will be right here in the comments area. Everyone is invited to join in with your thoughts!

Sigh. Brent and Caite came in first, won a trip to Spain.
2. Jet and Cord
3. Dan and Jordan

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - May 2, 2010

Welcome to yet another Sunday of photos I've taken and reflection on a week gone by. I've had one of those hectic weeks at work -- you know the kind, when you're running around putting out fires rather than just getting stuff done. I'd rather be proactive than reactive, but sometimes things seem to work against me. Oh, well.

Television should be picking up with May Sweeps in effect. That's a good thing. I've only been watching a few selected shows religiously -- Castle, American Idol, The Amazing Race, Survivor, Letterman and the local news. I was in Texas and missed the AI in which smiley boy Tim Urban got the boot, but caught Siobahn's (sp?) swan song. No great loss (for me) on either of them. I also missed the local auditions for the next season of Big Brother while in Texas. Not that I would apply, mind you. People have been asking when BB is coming. It's always in the beginning of July.

On the home front, it finally happened. My landlord went under, at least on my building and the others in this particular LLC he set up. The bank has taken over the building but I see no difference so far -- the elevator is still broken and some fool still vacuums the hallways at odd hours. I usually mail my rent the day before the first of the month so they get it on the first. When Friday morning came, I stalled as the most recent article in the local paper made me think twice before sending payment to the landlord.

When I came home from work on Friday, there was an envelope full o' legal mumbo-jumbo taped to my apartment door. Now, I know what's going on and I know my reading comprehension level is perhaps even a bit above the norm. Yet, reading through the legalese is a bit off-putting for even me. I can just imagine the folks in the buildings who aren't fluent in English or have limited reading skills trying to get through the paper.

I don't pay the rent (now due yesterday) to my landlord, "referred to hereinafter as 'the defendant'." They named a receiver for the rents, yet gave us only a name -- no address or any way to contact him. Um. Okay. I guess I'll send my rent when they tell me where to send it. I don't suppose we get a month off for the trauma, eh?

I had a bad fall at the Baltimore Airport (BWI) on my journey and had written Southwest Airlines about it as it was mostly due to their flight crew blocking a walkway. I received an email back from them with a $100 flight voucher albeit admitting no liability on their part. I guess I'll have to fly somewhere before the voucher expires in a year.

I've put together some slideshows of the zillions of photos I took while in San Antonio. Grab some coffee and settle in ... but, first I'll show this week's shots --- clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window.

Vincent

She left me with strangers while she went gallivanting across the country. Then, yesterday she closed the windows and turned on the air conditioner for a while. How dare she!

Isn't this illegal?

Both Papa John's pizza and In and Out Bail Bonds have tacked up advertisements on power poles and trees throughout the East Front Street area in Plainfield. I don't frequent either establishment. I don't eat pizza (yes, I'm weird) and, unless my lifestyle drastically changes, I doubt I'll ever need a bail bondsman.

I need to celebrate the squirrels of Plainfield, NJ. When I was in San Antonio, I saw absolutely NO squirrels. I know they must have them, but ...!

Near the Plainfield Train Station

East Front Street in Plainfield

If I flatten myself on the tree, no one can see me

Near the Plainfield Train Station

Jus' hangin' in there

Be gone, or I'll drop a house on you, too!

We had wicked winds earlier this week, but nowhere near tornado levels. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Trust me, it IS poison ivy

Look, there are vines. It isn't poison sumac -- that's an entirely different leaf structure. Where I've been taking my poison ivy shots at the Bridgewater Train Station, it's grown crazy. Like many plants, it grows towards the sun. Perhaps it appears in the photos that it's on bushes, etc., but it's on vines.

See? Vines.

Some of the vines are thicker than my arm as they've grown unchecked for so many years. Other new vines are spreading all the time.

Flowery

Azaleas

That's what they are -- I found the little gardening placard.

Gone to seed

In the rain, the day after

Who watches the watchers?

I'm not the only one on NJ Transit camera in hand. He has a lot better equipment than I do. But he's a railfan headed to Bound Brook to film freight trains. I'm just a commuter on my way to work.

One day ...

... the next day, in the rain

How quickly nature moves. The day after, they were just blackened bits in the grass. Bridgewater Train Station.

Here are a few shots I liked (and played with) from my vacation ...

When Pigs Fly

Watchers

The San Antonio police perch above the Fiesta at the Marketplace.

One Way

Riverwalk in San Antonio

Not San Antonio

I was bored waiting for my shuttle bus from Manhattan to LaGuardia, so I shot stuff.

Still not San Antonio

An architectural contrast in Midtown Manhattan

Outside Port Authority in Manhattan

This isn't all that far from the big bomb scare in Times Square last night. Gosh, we live in a world of jerks. Yay for the t-shirt vendor who reported the car!

Thank you for your patience with this entry and here are some Texas Adventure slideshows --