Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - June 6, 2010

It's Sunday morning. That means it's time to settle in with a cup of coffee, an old Law and Order episode on TNT in the background, and get to posting my look back on the week gone by in words and photographs I've taken. It hasn't been a great week for me. I'm SO not a heat and humidity kind of person and that's what the weather has been like all week. I also had some sort of stomach bug during the week, gah!

Huh. The actor who played Bunk (Wendell Pierce) on The Wire is playing a Nigerian on the old L&O episode, accent and all. I know I haven't been writing a lot about TV as of late. Of course, that will change come Big Brother! I have been watching a few shows -- So You Think You Can Dance and America's Got Talent. Both of those are still in their beginning phases. I also found THE BEST alternate ending for Lost -- it's Vincent's dream!

On the home front things are same old, same old. The elevator still isn't working. I still have annoying neighbors on the one side. I finally met the guy on the other side (the bedroom in that apartment is up against my bedroom wall). I knew someone has been living in there for months, but never hear any noise. He's pleasant enough and seems to work all the time.

At least he's not like the children raising children on the other side -- no one works there, boyfriends come on their bicycles (yes, you heard me, bicycles), doors slam all the time, people argue, people party, children scream. Sigh. I don't even know who all lives there. The children I know. I know them because they keep playing in the hallway and their mother(s) haven't a clue where they are. I'm talking under five years old. They're not bad kids, but I fear for their future. It's sad that I hope they aren't paying their rent (or share thereof since no one works) and get the boot.

The other apartment was vacant for months after the last tenant left. I still have memories of her as I bought the TV she had purchased for her adult son with developmental needs. He didn't like it, nor understand the controls. I found that he had accidentally set parental controls on it and, while he had some issues, he didn't want to watch children channels. But he already had another TV by then and I now had a brand new larger one for $75 from them. That's my "good" TV these days.

Oh well, I've fussed and moaned enough ... onto the photos for the week, clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window.

Monday was Memorial Day

My father served in WWII, my grandfather served in WWI sneaking in underage, then re-upped for WWII. Although I'm an anti-war kind of person (there really have to be better ways to solve problems!), I salute all of those who have risked or lost their lives to protect our freedom.

Pigeon Mutt

Looking like Heinz 57, this pigeon has a conglomeration of patterns and colors. It's like he doesn't know if he wants to be brown, black, gray or iridescent purple.

Weeds

Flowers get all the attention, but I enjoy a good weed bloom now and then, too. Since I don't personally have a lawn, I don't need to pull them!

Plainfield Rescue Squad

Now, why couldn't I have gotten this shot when I pitched the plea for donations? Of course, it looks like a pedestrian with no feet or hands is trying to climb in. The man has no neck! (Tell me what film that's from!) East Front Street, Plainfield.

Potted Flowers

A Wild Animal!

What is it? A bear? A badger? A bobcat? Oh. A groundhog. Move along, nothing to see here.

Future Sunflowers

Those leafy plants on the right will be my sunflower photo fodder before long. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Honeybee on a flower

These flowers are on the edge of my neighbor's lawn. The honeybees seem to like them. I haven't seen many bees yet this season -- an occasional wasp or hornet, a few carpenter bees, and (oddly enough) more honeybees than anything else. Last year they were talking about the severe decrease in honeybees. Go figure. I'm still allergic, I'm sure.

Early Morning at the Train Station

Another hot day dawns at the Plainfield Train Station.

It's MY Ramp!

Yes, I lay claim to the ramp. It's mine. Plainfield Train Station.

Vincent looking inquisitive

He sees something. He hasn't been staring at the radiator, so hopefully the mice are gone. He did freak out when a fly got in the apartment. Sheesh! Knocked over a lamp and all! It didn't break, but it took a while before I figured out what was going on. My protector. He's really a great cat. To think he would have probably been euthanized at New York City Animal Care and Control because he's "older." But he lives the good life now -- cat treats, cat toys, food, water, shoulder, lap, bed and affection.

How was your week?

Happy Birthday Chuck Barris!

While we have America's Got Talent, American Idol, and So You Think You Can Dance these days, we had The Gong Show back in my formative years. Chuck Barris is 81 today and was born in Oakland, New Jersey. Don't ask me where Oakland is -- it's nowhere near me! He was the force behind The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game as well as my personal favorite ... The Gong Show.

Happy birthday Chuck and let's take a peek at Gene, Gene, the Dancing Machine from back in the day. In the first clip, a young David Letterman looks a bit confused as Arte Johnson, Jaye P. Morgan, and Chuck Barris (and the crowd) go wild.

'America's Got Talent' - New Season, New Judge, New Talents

Huh. I must be out of the loop. I didn't realize that David Hasselhoff has left his judging slot on the show. I'm sure it's because he has such other fantastic things happening in his career, right? When I heard Howie Mandell was taking on the judge position, I was a bit leery. I liked Howie when he started out as a stand-up comedian, but I was SO not into Deal or No Deal that it actually soured me on him. Plus, he's all kinds of OCD and stuff. I'm OCD enough for my own life, thank you very much.

But, surprise, surprise. He works for the show! Just like Nick Cannon is so much better than Jerry Springer in the host role, Howie is perfect for judging. He, unlike Sharon Osbourne who gets all emo (as the kids say) with Piers, challenges him and doesn't back down. He's actually funny with the contestants, too. It's a shame that the show will eventually butt up against Big Brother 12 next month and I won't be able to keep track of it. But, until I can't, I will.

I don't care for all who went through last night. I was familiar with one group -- The RingMasters out of Brooklyn. For some reason, this contortionist break dance crew is down to two members and there was no mention of them appearing on Randy Jackson presents America's Best Dance Crew (MTV) a few seasons back. They didn't win, but they were pretty amazing. I found a break.com video of one of their appearances on that show with the crew intact --


The RingMasters - Watch more Funny Videos

They had a woman with a cat-woman outfit and a whip who enthralled both Howie and Piers with her "painting" act. More like pole-dancing sans the pole! The only good thing about that act was the very end when she placed the painting bits together and posed. It actually was her face in the cat mask. She can go away now.

My favorite act of the night were the two little kids who started out the show, Future Funk. If they succeed, they're probably going to have to go for a name change. When I was searching around, I found someone else already has the name going. Sigh. The kids are cute and extremely talented for the tender ages of five and nine. They seemed to be having a ball, too. Hmm ... what was I doing at five? Um, well. I was taking tap dancing lessons. But let's not go there, please.



One of my other favorites was the French street performer dude, Haspop. As they did the pre-interview, I was expecting a dud. Well, how wrong was I? Folks like this guy are why I pay attention to street performers in the city. Some of these people are incredibly talented. I also must give a nod to one of my other summer show passions, So You Think You Can Dance. One of the reasons I'm hooked on that show is that they find people with Haspop-esque talents.



The sentimental favorite of the evening would be the ex-homeless veterans group who sang "Old Man River." They were perfect!



Did you watch? Your favorites? Remember, the auditions continue tonight!

The Bachelorette Summer 2010 Blog Discussion

I received a few requests for a blog discussion post for the new season of The Bachelorette which airs on Monday evenings at 8 PM on ABC. The official website is right here. I don't watch this one, so I won't be blogging about it. However, this is a place where you and your friends can comment on the episodes. Enjoy!

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - 5/30/10

Sunday morning is upon us once again. Gee, it seems like this happens every week at this time! Go figure. What it means for me (and anyone reading this) is that it's time for me to take an off TV topic look back at the week gone by in words and photographs I've taken.

It's the Memorial Day holiday weekend and lots of folks are hitting the shore here in New Jersey (going down the shore, as they say), but I'm only a Jersey shore person when others aren't. I like the shore during stormy winter days, off season, and away from the sweaty crowds. I'm also a bit leery about swimming in the ocean since a rip tide at Jones Beach snagged me back in the early 80s. It took me away a good two hundred yards, almost drowned me and wrenched my arm in back of me so hard I thought it broke. It didn't. But my will to swim in the ocean has been broken ever since that incident.

I actually have two days off in a row from my workplace, an oddity for me. I plan to stay in today, catching up on some chores and watching TV shows I've recorded. Oh. I must give Vincent some quality time, too. That could mean anything from running around the apartment playing with him to sitting reading a book while he conks out on my lap or shoulder. Silly cat! It's supposed to be very hot with high humidity today, not my favorite weather to be out and about.

My living situation sans the landlord seems just about the same as when he was here. The elevator, not working for a month before the bank booted the landlord, hasn't been working. I came home one day through the front door of the building and immediately trudged up the stairs only to pass the elevator with its door open and fan blowing on my floor. Yay! The next morning, I gathered my trash to take out on my way to work only to find the door still open, yet the elevator car sitting about two feet low. Sigh. Now it's all closed up and turned off once again.

The elderly woman from upstairs had some sort of operation and is in the nursing home/rehab center across the street -- the one I was set to go to with my knee replacement rehab, but didn't go. They won't let her out until the elevator is fixed. I plan to visit her tomorrow.

Onto the photos I took during the week ... clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window:

New batch of deadly nightshade

This is on Church Street in Plainfield, NJ. The blossoms are tiny, but I wouldn't suggest eating them. I took the shot on the way to the train station after a night of rain.

Beauty in weeds

This was taken at the Bridgewater Train Station (NJ). It's not quite a clover, I don't think. The plants are fairly tall and quite rampant.

Spotted Knapweed

Also taken at the Bridgewater Train Station. I edited this photo to leave only the spotted knapweed in color while also muting the background some.

The return of the stinkhorn mushrooms

These popped up overnight in Bridgewater. No, I'm not going to smoosh that icky stuff on their ends. I'll take the word of the Internet that they smell like rotting carrion.

Cardinal

As I was walking to the train, I saw a flash of color. A quick shot and he was gone. I edited the shot, leaving only the cardinal in color. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Supermarket cacti

I swear this is the same cactus I saw growing wild all over Texas when I was there. I took this at Supremo Supermarket on East Front Street in Plainfield. They have a great produce department full of all kinds of Latino, Jamaican, and other ethnic favorite fruits and vegetables. I wouldn't know how to prepare cacti for consumption. All the card in front of it said was "Product of Mexico." Um. Okay.

Blue-eyed Grass

Thanks to Bernice, I now know what this cute little flower is! The shot I took of them last week was in bright sunshine. A cloudy day makes the colors turn out much more vibrant. Bridgewater Train Station.

New recruit

This young robin doesn't fly well yet. He kind of hopped/flew away from me, yet I shot him anyway.

Grown robin

Oh my, nowhere near as cute, eh? Plainfield Train Station.

Not the weekday crowd

I worked this past Sunday and noticed the crowd heading to Newark/New York City is much different from the business suit folks of the weekday mornings. Plainfield Train Station.

North Street Demolition Site

It's coming along. They've filled in the basement and have sealed the wall. Although someone other than the city of Plainfield owns the property, this is MY proposal for what should be done. I think grass should be planted, perhaps a small flower garden, too. Benches. And, people (artistic ones, not me) should paint a huge mural of what the block USED to look like on the side of building on the right of the cavity. On the left, perhaps a sunny scene with children playing? Anything is better than a plain wall and gap.

Mr. Lee in his Sunday Best

Well, he told me it's his pimp suit, but he was coming from church. The pants match and he's even wearing white shoes while showing off a pink Bic lighter. My downstairs neighbor -- he usually wears jeans, sweatshirts, or overalls. Plainfield, NJ.

My Elite Bus

Yep, it's my tour bus! Okay ... it's not. I saw it parked at the ball stadium in Bridgewater, NJ.

Flower in the rain

Vincent pays homage to Kliban Cats

I came home on Friday to find a little mouse body in one spot with its head a foot away. Who could have done this crime? Why, Vincent, Jaws of Death! Now, the exterminator was just in the building on Monday, so I'm glad the mouse was just brutally murdered and beheaded, not eaten. Thankfully, it's hardwood floors, not carpet. But I really want this to stop. While Vincent might think it's the best toy ever, I'm not into killing or having dead little bodies in my apartment. However, when I saw the mouse, I couldn't do anything other than think of Kliban Cats and the blues song. Although B. Kliban (a true cat genius artist) passed on some years back, his website lives on. And, it's on the eatmousies.com domain. Heh.

How was your week? Doing anything exciting this holiday weekend?