Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - July 17, 2011

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic photo post reflecting on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. If you're looking for Big Brother 13 live feeds updates, check the post before this one and, most likely, the next post coming.

I'm still not really mobile enough to be wandering senselessly about, so my photo taking has been limited to trips I need to take -- basically back and forth to physical therapy. However, this week was the big invitational photo exhibition at the Plainfield Public Library, so I did have my first social outing since the surgery.

My knee held up pretty well for the opening and I was able to rotate between sitting and standing. After I got home, it was a bit angry with me so it was back to icing and elevating.

The opening itself was exciting. I've never been in a position like that with folks in person complimenting me on my work like I really know what I'm doing! My shots looked great professionally mounted and displayed. The other two photographers -- Paul LeGrand and William Monroe -- had some fantastic photos, some I definitely wished I had taken! They had a nice spread of snacks and beverages. I even broke down and drank about an ounce of Chablis, but stuck pretty much to lemonade and water.

Other than that, my week was very routine. Doing the BB13 posts, taking care of the knee. It's still doing well, but definitely has its good and bad days. I actually slept a full night a few nights ago, but I'm back to scattered sleep once again now. I'm pretty much down to only taking pain medication for my physical therapy, an occasional one at night hoping for sleep.

I had my first Peapod grocery delivery on Monday and was very pleased with the service. So I'll be going that route again. I'm really not up to walking around supermarkets. The ice cream I ordered via Peapod was still frozen, so that was a good test of freshness for me! The produce I ordered was also in nice shape, as if I had picked the items out myself.

This coming week I head back for a follow-up visit at the surgeon's office tomorrow and my PT is down to twice weekly (instead of thrice) because my health insurance only allows 20 visits per calendar year. Since I'm ahead of the game, so to speak, this will spread the visits out for a longer time. I also received an invitation for a joint replacement reunion dinner at the hospital in August. Um, okay. As long as I don't have to be a patient, I'll go.

More paperwork is coming in from work, the short term disability folks and bills, too. When I pay off the surgeon charges and the anesthesia people, I'll hit my out of pocket maximum for the year. So, with the exception of co-pays at PT, any medical bills will be covered. Of course, I'm not expecting many billing things from this point forward (surgeon aftercare visits are included in the surgery charges), but if any arise, they're covered. The last time with the blood clot, a lot of charges were yet to come at this point. This time, not so much.

Once again, I've bored you enough. Onto the (few) photos from this week:

Pictures at an Exhibition

Gotta love that Mussorgsky.

Freedom is not free.

But it is another word for nothing left to lose. This is the clock outside of the Scotch Plains Municipal Building.

Cool blue car

He saw me taking photos and even smiled and waved. He was waiting at a red light on Second Street in Scotch Plains as I goofed off on the bench outside of CVS.

Little yellow flower

Slightly larger red, pink and white flower.

Scotch Plains time capsule

"Italo Americans"? Hmm. Scotch Plains is a lot more Italian-related than nearby Plainfield where I live. Or is that Italo American related?

Statue in honor of Christopher Columbus

This is in the little park I while time away across from my PT in Scotch Plains. That's the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria (did I get those right?) in the palm of the hand.

Vincent in the window

He's not thrilled because the air conditioning is on and the window is closed. But he still sees squirrels and birds to watch!

How was your week?

Big Brother 13 Live Feeds Saturday into the Evening 7/16

Is my water spiked?

It's the big Power of Veto comp day for our hamsters. Will the nominations change this week. You can bet your bippie on it that they will! Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Codependent Couples:

• BB woke them up rather early (for BB) -- around 8 AM their time.
• It's good everyone had gone to bed early, by around 3 AM.
• Daniele and Kalia talked about not trusting Jordan as much because Jordan seems to trust Cassi.
• I believe part of that talk was Daniele's social game in play. Unlike the other veterans, she's making the time to simply hang out with the others, thus leaving her options more open and probably will be less of a target when her safety period ends.
• Most seem to be still hurting from yesterday's food comp.
• Adam had agreed to throw the PoV comp so he'd remain safe while Dominic got the boot.
• Rachel thinks the worst case scenario would be an Adam/Dominic win.
• Heh.
• Jordan told Shelly that if Dominic and Adam win the veto, she'll put up her and Cassi. Cassi would be the target.
• I just wish they'd think of putting up Rachel and Brendon with EITHER being the target. I'd like both of them gone.
• Daniele told Kalia that once the duos play is up, Brendon and Rachel need to go.
• At least someone is thinking properly!
  
• Rachel wants Brendon to change the nominations if he wins PoV -- she wants Cassi out.
• Rachel thinks Cassi would come after them if she won HoH, plus Jeff is too defensive about Cassi.
• She also thinks that Cassi has Jordan's ear way too much.
• Worry about how you play your own game, Rachel!
  
• When the veto players were chosen, the third duo picked randomly was ... Rachel and Brendon.
• That, of course, made Adam speculate that the others (Cassi/Shelly, Lawon/Kalia) weren't even in the bag and it's all rigged.
• I go back to when I knew the producer in charge of the comps and defend the producers. While they could very well have their favorites, they would never not include all the names in the bag or rig a particular comp!
• After a long feeds block, the results are in.
• Adam and Dominic won the Power of Veto.
• Rachel, in some kind of choosing aspect of the comp, is on slop for two weeks.
• Sucks to be Rachel, huh?
• Dominic is beside himself with joy, taking all the credit for the win. (Which is probably likely his doing anyway.)
• He's walking around talking in his high-pitched Mario voice gloating about the first win for the Newbie camp.
• Now all deals are off with the Veterans, as far as he's concerned.
• Apparently Rachel's behavior in the comp -- loud and agreeing (whatever) to the slop irked Jeff. He's ticked. Daniele told him Rachel is sinking her own ship.
• Rachel's comp behavior also caused another Brendon condescending lecture to her. Argh.
• At one point Rachel said, in her whiny voice with lips quivering, "No wonder America hates me."
• YES! You got it, girl! You're damn annoying!
  
• The Veterans think they have enough votes for Cassi to go since they need to go to Plan B.
• In a talk with Shelly, Jeff and Jordan told her that they don't plan on a final four with Rachel and Brendon.
• Good.
• Apparently Rachel took the two weeks of slop because she wanted to win and yelled something about if the HoH (Jordan) isn't willing to take it or win PoV, she didn't deserve to be HoH.
• But she didn't win anyway and just alienated Jordan and Jeff.
• Keep sinking that ship, Rachel!
• Jordan told Jeff that Rachel doesn't like any of the girls because she's so insecure in her relationship with Brendon.
• Y'know, Jordan can be ditzy, but she often reads people pretty well.
• That said, she trusts Cassi more than Cassi deserves to be trusted.
• The jellybeans they have are actually JellyBelly ones, not cheap outdated dollar store jellybeans. I'm shocked!
• After the big excitement of the day, they're down to small talk.
• The veto meeting won't be until Monday, so we'll be in a lull until then.
• It looks just about certain that Shelly and Cassi will be on the block with Cassi being the target. We'll see.
  

I wonder what that chin really looks like.

I think the colors in that room would keep me awake.

Note Brendon's jacked-up knees due to the food comp.

Ahh, it's Jeff looking contemplative.

Big Brother 13 Live Feeds Bulletin: PoV 7/16/11

Ah, the game gets interesting -- Adam and Dominic (the nominated duo) won the Power of Veto.

Might I suggest that Brendon and Rachel go on the block?

I know. I'm just dreaming.

A full report of the day's events in the house will be posted late tonight.

Big Brother 13 Live Feeds Into Saturday Dawn 7/16/11

To sleep, perchance to dream.
Okay, just sleeping will do!

The nominations are in. Two days of hectic stressful activity have taken their toll. This is the first night the hamsters all went to bed before dawn. Today they will tackle the PoV comp. Time to catch up on the latest happenings from inside that Big Brother House of Persnickety Pairs:

• Lots and lots of small talk.
• Kalia told Lawon (over and over again) that she doesn't trust Cassi, doesn't like Cassi.
• Okay, I think he gets it!
• She says Cassi is doing exactly what she criticized Porsche for doing -- sucking up to the Veterans.
• Rachel pointed out to Jordan that now that she won HoH, Cassi is all of a sudden her friend.
• Well, duh!
• Jeff warned Jordan not to say much to Cassi, too.
• It looks like they've figured her out, eh?
• Brendon fussed to one of the cameras about his missing toy turtle Franklin. It's been five days.
• No, I don't know where Franklin is. If he's smart, he got out of the house and hitchhiked a ride up the coast.
• Lawon told Cassi he still trusts her despite what she thinks of his partner.
• Hmmm ...
• Jeff told Adam not to play seriously (throw!) the PoV.
• Brendon told Jeff that the girls always play the game with their emotions, not their minds.
• This comes from the emotional needy Brendon Bookie Boy.
• Daniele wants the noms to change so that Cassi goes up.
• Yeah, she's taken a liking to Dominic.
• Cassi told Daniele that she heard that people are talking about how she (Cassi) can't be trusted. She wants Daniele to come to her if she has any questions.
• Like that will happen.
• The majority of the Veterans are still for a Dominic eviction.
  
• They're all sleeping as I get this posted.
  

What? Just a boring Yale sweatshirt?

Who was it that said she wouldn't clean up after others?

Jeff and Jordan, reflected in a mirror, watch the spy cam.

Big Brother 13 Live Feeds Into Friday Evening (Nominations, too!) 7/15/11

Seriously, that hair is way too dark!

Well, here we are again -- Friday, a busy day in the Habitrail. Almost all of the action in the house (with the exception of brouhahas) is crammed between Thursday and Saturday. Thursday is live eviction and HoH. Friday is the food comp and nominations. Saturday is the PoV comp. While the PoV meeting is on Sunday, that doesn't really count as action in my book.

So, how have the hamsters handled their busy day in that Big Brother House of Busy Bees?

• Shelly was up first. It's odd how the "older" hamsters usually tend to be the earliest risers.
• Had Evel Dick stayed in the game, the two could have done some early morning scheming.
• Alas.
  
• Right now I'd say that Shelly definitely has the best social game and strategy of the Newbie Crew.
• Adam made (and ate) a ton o' bacon. He must have had a premonition.
• They talked 9/11 and Star Wars, not at the same time, of course.
• Shelly said that Cassi swore on her father that she wouldn't put Jeff and Jordan on the block if she won HoH next week.
• I think she would put Brendon and Rachel up, though.
• That's fine by me!
• They were told to wear athletic clothes for the food comp.
• Rachel worried about it being a "messy" comp and not getting proper warning.
• I just shrug at her lately. She's not worth an eyeroll.
• The feeds were blocked for a couple of hours for the comp.
• Our new Have Nots are: Adam, Dominic, Cassi and Shelly.
• America voted for them to have jellybeans and jerky. I could handle that. I'd demand fresh gourmet jellybeans, though -- none of that dollar store stock!
• The food comp apparently was pretty rough physically. Most of them are all banged up, plus Rachel was throwing up in the bushes.
• A medical unit had to be called, but no broken bones!
  
• I heard talk about bananas and hot dogs. So they were being physical and eating, too.
• Blech.
• Kalia told the HoH crew she thinks that Cassi would be better to be put up than Dominic because she can't trust her.
• And she thinks she can trust Dominic?
• Fool if she does!
• In Dominic's talk with the HoH crew, he admitted to making an alliance with one of each Newbie Duo.
• Jeff told Dominic he (and Adam, his duo buddy) would be going on the block.
• Jordan, remembering the rule that you can't tell them beforehand, said it wasn't 100% sure.
• But, with Jordan as HoH, we know it's more Jeff as HoH, right?
• Dominic also told them he knew about Adam's early deal with Evel Dick.
• Dominic still thinks Adam and Kalia were the "betrayal" votes and wouldn't mind if Adam got the boot.
• He also said he has no problem in voting Cassi out.
• Plus he told Jeff and Jordan that he thinks Daniele is spying on him.
• The kid is scrambling, eh?
• As he should.
• Jeff and Jordan trust Kalia over Cassi.
• As they should.
• Jeff told Cassi that she and Shelly (her duo buddy) aren't on their radar.
• Brendon once again started lecturing Rachel, this time about her hanging around Cassi too much.
• Both of you! Brendon and Rachel! Get out of my life and off of my television! Unless we get a knockdown cat fight smackdown, I don't want to see you!
• Huh. Jeff had laser eye surgery with Jordan handling the bill. Interesting!
• And, the moment we've all been waiting for ...
• ... the feeds have been blocked forever ...
• Nominations are in and ...
• Adam and Dominic are indeed on the block.
• Dominic is the target.
  

I know the feeling, Kalia!

First Dominic's butt on the kitchen table,
now Adam's nasty sneakered feet.
EWWW!