Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - Sept. 5, 2010

It's Sunday morning, time to take an off television topic look back at the week in words and photographs I've taken. I've tried "artsy" for some of my photos, others are just to share a bit of what I've seen in my daily travels. If you're looking for Big Brother live feeds, check out the previous posts and a new one will be up a bit later this morning.

We had another heatwave here in the New Jersey area this past week. I was so over those after the first one this summer. I believe the latest was the sixth heatwave of the season. I don't like sweating. If I'm sweating, I should be working out and losing weight or something ... not just standing there. This summer I didn't perspire, I didn't glow. I sweated. Ack.

Between my full time job, this summer's extreme heat, the blogging gig, and Big Brother my summer's been relatively limited as far as going out of my way anywhere or doing a lot. I guess that will change on Tuesday morning when I venture into Elizabeth for jury duty. My juror number is well within those who must show up at 8 AM.

I've been poking around Elizabeth via the Google Earth Street View to check out the courthouse and the neighborhood around it. There's a lot of history in the area, dating back to the Revolutionary War and even before it. The courthouse itself is supposed haunted and the television series Ghost Hunters once did a segment on it. There are also peregrine falcons nesting there. With interesting architecture, a cemetery dating back to the 1600s, urban street characters ... I should have a field day with my camera during my travels to and from the courthouse and my lunch time. Of course, if I get selected for a trial, I wouldn't be able to post about it while it's ongoing, nor will I be taking photos in the courtroom. But I'm thinking of this as an adventure!

It will be a nice change of pace, plus I'll be doing my civic duty. I need an excuse to get out and about somewhere other than going back and forth to work. It's only a shame that I can't take my air conditioning with me as I walk around Elizabeth. While it's beautiful weather now, Tuesday will see us near 90 degrees once again.

Without further ado, here are the photos I've taken this week -- clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window --

I look around, leaves are brown now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter
Look around, leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground.
-- "Hazy Shade of Winter" by Simon and Garfunkel

There I was walking in 96 degree heat and I came upon a pile of snow. Huh? What? Aliens? A mirage due to being delirious from the heat? I don't know. I took a photo just to prove it really did exist. Bridgewater, NJ

A pretty morning approaching the train station

This was taken Friday morning as Earl was supposedly moving closer. Where I live is far enough inland that coastal storms don't really mean much other than lots of wind. Perhaps the closest "shore" point would be the Elizabeth area which is actually secluded from the ocean by Bayonne and Staten Island. That's probably about 12 to 15 miles away. Earl turned out to be nothing but good surfing waves. This was taken at the Plainfield Train Station.

Turn on, tune in and drop out

Timothy Leary knew nothing about modern technology. Psychedelic drugs have nothing on the zombies walking the streets so involved in their own little technological play toys that nothing else exists. We have a generation of addicts without drugs, per se. Watchung Avenue, Plainfield.

Disclaimer: I admit to being a tech addict myself to a point with my digital camera and my Not an iPod. But, my cell phone is strictly for very rare phone calls. Real calls, I do at home. And I don't want a smart phone -- I'm Internet-addicted enough without one.

Plainfield Train Station at night

I worked later again last night and it was dark by the time I got home. Even if I hadn't worked later, this would have been the time I arrived home as there was yet another suicide by train on my line. The latest was nearby the station by my workplace. Earlier this week, there was one at the Roselle Park Station.

While suicide itself is often a drastic solution to what's often temporary problems and definitely not an advisable route, having someone else do the deed is reprehensible. My heart goes out to the engineers driving these trains -- they can't stop on a dime and they have to live knowing they killed someone. I know these NJ Transit engineers and conductors. They're mostly a great bunch of folks. There's been an increase this year with people jumping in front of trains.

It's definitely sad when someone ends their own life. But to involve others in the taking of it is even worse. Like suicide by cop, suicide by train isn't the way to do it. I don't really have answers.

Linger on the sidewalk where
the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?
The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles,
forget all your cares
So go downtown,
things'll be great
when you're downtown.
-- "Downtown" by Petula Clark

I guess I'm in a music mood this week or, at least some of the photos are lending to song lyrics. El Palacio restaurant on Watchung Avenue in Plainfield has installed brilliant blue-hue spotlights in addition to their neon signs. Yeah, it's a bit gaudy, but it's good photo fodder. When you're in the light, it's almost like a black light effect on white clothing.

Regis is for the birds?

Pigeons and other birds love to gather just over Regis' head. I took this shot at the TD (Somerset Patriots) Ballpark in Bridgewater. Regis and Kelly, spokespeople for TD Bank, adorn the side of the stadium. And, might I add, draw birds.

I messed with this one

This is Watchung Avenue and East Fourth Street in Plainfield. I like what I did with it and I don't. I should mess some more or re-mess entirely. A train is pulling into the station while car traffic flows below.

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
-- "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay

Heh, more music. But I couldn't resist when I saw this guy pushing a vacuum cleaner up the street on Watchung Avenue in Plainfield.

Here comes the sun

Badahdah ... uh-oh. I'm singing again. The early morning sun all but silhouettes a commuter on the Plainfield Train Station platform.

Early morning Xpress Mart

Yes, I messed with the editing of this photo. But I'm pleased with these results. It gives it an almost Rockwell sort of "feel" albeit very different fodder than he used in his paintings. North Street in Plainfield.

Clinging to old technology

Just because they're technophobes hanging onto outdated television antennas doesn't mean they aren't going to take over the world.

First day of school

A mother hugs her child while awaiting the school bus. The city schools in Plainfield actually start this coming Tuesday. But some of the parochial and other private ones started last Wednesday and Thursday. It's hard to tell anymore as Plainfield's school uniforms are just about like what these kids are wearing.

He's yelling at me

Yes, he's wildly chirping, yelling and waving his tail all about. What did I do to him? Um, well, I accidentally threw my kitchen trash on his head. How was I to know a squirrel was in my apartment building's dumpster? Sheesh! Obviously, I didn't hurt him. But he gave me what for!

Bird fence

You know, if I'm walking in one direction, flying ahead of me and stopping will mean I'm coming again. Why don't you hide behind me and then I'll be gone? East Front Street, Plainfield.

A taxi rainbow

Right here you see four differently-colored taxi companies gathered at the taxi stand at the Plainfield Train Station. The yellow cabs (which used to be neon green) are Yellow, the blue cab is United, the red is Liberty and the orange is Caribe. There are also black, white, yellow minivans (not Yellow) and the occasional purple cabs.

Call me a cab!
You're a cab.
Thank you, I'll be here all week.

Sunrise for another hot day

The sun peeks through just after dawn on Monday. Plainfield Train Station.

Early morning El Palacio

The bright lights make the sidewalk and its bench glow even in the daylight. Watchung Avenue, Plainfield.

Now he's yelling at me, too!

And I didn't even throw trash on him! Apparently he's camera shy. Up on the wires overhead on East Front Street, Plainfield.

Vincent

I bought Vincent a new toy my downstairs neighbor must already hate -- a compressed catnip ball. Vincent loves it, but he likes to roll it on the hardwood floor more than on my carpeted areas. Oh, well. I can hear the chihuahua barking down there. So we're even!

How was your week? I hope everyone has a great holiday!

Big Brother 12 - Live Feeds Saturday, Sept. 4 - Including POV

Before I get into the news of the day, I'd just like to comment on comments here. Now, the houseguests put themselves in the public eye. I've always allowed opinions both good and bad about them. What I don't allow (and usually remove) are comments about fellow commenters. That's pretty much how I've run the blog year after year.

Of course, I don't want anything slanderous or outright lies about the houseguests -- those will be removed. But they put themselves out there and know that their actions are going to be nitpicked and they're going to be both loved and trashed dependent on how they're perceived by the public. You needn't "defend" your favorite nor try to convince others they're out of line if they don't like them or mock them. We all are free to like or dislike the hamsters and to mock or praise them as we see fit. Not so your fellow posters on the blog -- I don't have enough hours in my day to deal with flame wars.

Back to your regularly scheduled live feeds report ...

Here's the news from inside that Big Brother House of Top Heavy With Testosterone:

• Although they went to bed rather early (for them - 1 AM their time), BB didn't wake them up until around 10 AM.
• Then they didn't want to get up.
• They woke up to an indoor lockdown with construction noise coming from the yard.
• Britney tended to her finger, cut while searching for the "coins" yesterday.
• Apparently it's bad enough of a cut for the show to call in a medic last night.
• Lane and Hayden talked about how they think if Britney gets in the final two, she'll win.
• Yet WE know Lane actually wants her in the final two with him.
• But he's not telling Hayden that!
• The boys bragged Brigade ... not to Britney, mind you.
• Britney told Lane she feels like Ragan did last week, shunned.
• He denied she's being shunned.
• She has been leaving the guys alone going off napping and things.
• This is the time she should be with as many of them as much as she can.
• Lane ended up getting perplexed with her after telling her she went off to bed early and everything. He told her he won't baby her.
• Lots of small talk, then napping time.
• BB apparently gave them some more Dollar Store kids toys to amuse them.
• As I get this posted, the feeds have been blocked with trivia for a few hours. It should be the PoV comp.
• I will post the results when I know them.

BULLETIN: IT SOUNDS LIKE HAYDEN WON THE POV
Yes, Hayden won.

Big Brother 12 - Ragan's Exit Interview

The repeated slow motion of the veto comp shows that Enzo really didn't "tackle" Ragan at all.

'Big Brother 12 - Live Feeds Into Saturday Morning - Sept. 4

A thrill a minute.

Hmmm ... for the first time since I've been doing this, I have a bit of trouble with reporting any news from inside that Big Brother House of Britney and da Boys. Let me give it a try:

• One thing I don't believe I mentioned in my last report is that Britney is the one who cleaned up the mess from the coin hunt.
• The bedrooms remain a mess.
• Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.
• Enzo made a huge thing about washing his own plate after eating aimed specifically at Britney.
• But she's the one who does the most actual cleaning these days.
• They heard someone over the fence shouting that "Big Brother rules!"
• I miss the days of Miss Kitty with her megaphone, people throwing candy, etc. That's back when it was a real house, not just a studio on the CBS lot.
• They're all worried that Britney will win the veto and blow all the Brigade plans.
• I don't think Lane is as worried about that as are Hayden and Enzo.
• They actually went to bed fairly early for them -- about 1 AM their time.
• And that's just about it.
  

Big Brother 12 - Friday Live Feeds Report (including nominations) - Sept. 3

Their housekeeping is getting worse and worse.

Scared by a mouse? Or could it be something else?

At least something happened in the house today -- a "treasure hunt" and the nominations. Excitement by the minute, I tell you. Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Tearing Down the House:

• After a mundane start to the day, the feeds were blocked with trivia.
• Yep, that's usually a sign that a comp is going down.
• This time they returned during the action.
• BB had made an almost CD-sized "coin" for each of the houseguests, then gave them time to hide their own coin.
• Then the others had to search. The owner of the last coin found would win $10,000.
• Although we didn't see all of it, we saw a lot of the action.
• They tore the house apart!
• Hayden was out first when Enzo found his coin.
• Next Enzo was out when Britney found his coin.
• Britney found Lane's coin, so she's the big winner. She had hidden her own coin in a box in a bag with chicken ick on it in the trash.
• Then they got to put the whole house back together before nominations.
• Hayden once again broke something and fussed a few times about how he's always breaking things in the house. Enzo also broke a big urn. The breakages happened in the heat of the coin search.
• According to BB, the search was supposed to last about a half-hour.
• It lasted more than three hours.
• They had discussed the limited possibilities for nominations since Hayden won.
• More than once Lane said Hayden should just put up Britney and himself.
• Who is Hayden to refuse?
• They'll all play in veto and the winner of veto is the sole vote this week.
• Lane and Britney are on the block. If Britney wins, Enzo will go home.
• I'm not so sure on Lane. If he sticks to his Britney F2 plan, he'll boot Enzo.
• If Hayden or Enzo win, I believe Britney will go.
• We'll see.
• As I typed this, Britney is talking about there being no big alliances in the house this season.
• Lane even led her on about "what if there was a four-person alliance?"
• I can't believe she doesn't see it!
• Ack.