Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - August 21, 2011

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic look at the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken. If you're looking for BB13 content, check out the post before this one and the one after it (once I get that one written!).

I've not had a good week. I realize the week before wasn't great either with injuring my knee and setting back the recovery. Well, this past week was even worse ... starting last Sunday afternoon. I had the most awful stomach virus I've ever had in my life. I'm still not quite over it.

I had to cancel my orthopedic surgeon's appointment I had for Monday. So I scheduled it for Friday as surely I would be better. Well, I lived through the trip, but that's about it. I was weak, sweaty and shaky all the time I was outside. The good news is that he checked out the knee without all of its swelling from the week before and declared it well enough to go back to physical therapy.

So I only left the house one day this week. I actually got a few decent photos (I think). Clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window.

Mushroom

Bees in a flower

I have no clue what kind of bees these are -- they're very small with green heads.

Whazzat?

Hmm ... is that a vintage Rolls Royce sitting at the traffic light of Union and Mountain Avenues in Bound Brook? The driver is on the wrong side!

Why yes, yes it is.

I wonder what year it is?

Oh 49 Rolls

Thank you, sir.

Bingo neon

I keep trying to get a decent shot of this sign from the bus. It's on West 7th Street (if it's still West 7th) in Plainfield or maybe just over the border into Piscataway. I love old neon.

A pet peeve of mine

PLURALS DON'T HAVE APOSTROPHES. Unless Saturday is possessive, there should be NO apostrophe. Who started that apostrophe stuff? I see it all over the Internet. That was drilled into me in grammar school. You don't want to get me going on it's and its.

Sad closing

What? Two Fish and Five Loaves is closed? They've been a fixture for years in downtown Plainfield. I've had their fried whiting sandwiches on more than a few occasions. Sad.

Sprouting fungi at the base of a tree

We've had so much rain this past week that I'm surprised they're not sprouting on people who stay still too long.

A carpenter bee is looking at me!

Slithery creepy bug

As long as YOU are comfortable, Vincent!

I have this set-up next to my computer chair so I can elevate my knee(s). You see, if I sit with my legs down for any long periods of time, the healing knee swells and gets painful. Of course, Vincent thinks it means he can sprawl over both of my legs. He's lucky he's so darn cute!

Big Brother 13 Live Feeds Into Saturday Evening 8/20

My eye candy boy

I realize I already posted the winner of the Power of Veto. However, I need to get you up to snuff with what's been happening in that Big Brother House of Indecision since my last full update. So, this starts with last night ...

• Rachel's good behavior lasted all of one day.
• As night fell and booze arrived, she reverted back into The Bad Seed.
• Now I know many think Daniele is a mean girl. I personally don't. I think she's been stepping up and playing the game, albeit with some foolish errors on her part.
• Rachel is the true mean girl.
• She kept harassing Daniele, asking for all of her old HoH treats (which Daniele said she could have), rubbing it in about her birthday as a Have Not, talking about when she turned 25 (last year), repeatedly asking Daniele what was wrong and why she seemed so quiet. Was she depressed?
• When Daniele, who gave very little reaction, went to the backyard, Rachel stood there for a moment with her death glare eyes reminding me of Billy Mumy in the old Twilight Zone episode wishing people to the cornfield.
• Then she followed Daniele out there.
• When Daniele went back inside, Jordan snapped at her to stop it.
• Rachel gave her annoying little giggle.
• Sigh.
• Meanwhile, everyone in the house either saw or heard of the incident.
• Shelly is still on her anti-Rachel wagon although she's agreed to work with her for Jeff and Jordan.
• Shelly, Kalia and Daniele giggled and giggled about the thought of cutting off the foot of Rachel's (still hidden) stuffed dog and putting it on her pillow.
• I don't think I'm mean. But that would be funny!
• I guess I'm mean.
• Thankfully the alcohol conked Rachel out.
• Kalia made Daniele a crown and sash and the crowd sung "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow" -- royalties free, of course.
• BB told them that birthdays are celebrated on Sundays only. So something should happen tomorrow, too.
• The other big celebration of the night was Jordan's humilitard.
• No, she didn't put on a strip show like Adam did with his elf suit.
• Eventually came morning ... then later morning ... as they were in indoor lockdown with lots of construction noise in the yard.
• Finally, after lots of scenario thinking and an extended feeds block, the feeds returned with Jeff the winner of PoV.
• It was a puzzle.
• Jordan says she couldn't get even one piece done.
• That (stupid) Zingbot was there.
• They can retire that idiocy at any time, please.
• Since then, in between eating, working out, non-game talk ... it's hard to say what Jeff is going to do.
• He's definitely not sure he'll use it.
• If he doesn't, the target would be Kalia because she's sneakier.
• If he does, Daniele will be backdoored.
• Shelly still hates Rachel.
• Kalia still hates Rachel, yet had a long pleasant civil talk with her.
• When you're on the block, you do what you have to do.
• But Kalia SERIOUSLY needs to stop pulling on her hair, then throwing loose strands all over the floor wherever she may be.
• I cringe each time I see her do that.
• The veto meeting isn't until Monday.
• Who knows what could go down between now and then?
  

A crown and a sash for her 25th.

Cruddy has a chubby dance

Jordan finally got out of the humilitard

At least hard-boiled eggs don't crunch

Big Brother 13 PoV Bulletin

I'll be posting a full report later tonight, but need to get this out there:

Jeff won the Power of Veto

It was some sort of puzzle.

Big Brother 13 Live Feeds Into Friday Evening (inc. noms) 8/19

A content Big Jeff

It was a busy busy day for those little hamsters spinning in their little wheels. Let's get right into it! Here's what happened today in that Big Brother House of Maladjusted Mutant Ninja Hamsters:

• All of them are paying the price for their HoH comp workout last night.
• Better them than me. An ambulance would have hauled me out early in that one!
• Even the backyard is still suffering with suds here and there.
• At least BB didn't put them through the rigors of a tough Have/Have Not comp atop their aches and pains from the HoH comp.
• What happened this time is that BB had an outdoor lockdown.
• When they went inside ... lo and behold ... hard boiled eggs and jalapenos abounded!
• Those, of course, were America's choice.
• I was kind of hoping they'd get that funky fruit, durian.
• Jeff had a card from BB, He started to read and the feeds cut down.
• After a very short feeds cut, they came back and Daniele, Porsche and Kalia are the Have Nots for the week.
• Daniele took being on slop well, especially considering it's her birthday tomorrow.
• BB does usually let Have Not birthday people have cake and ice cream.
• None of the three think it's fair that Jeff just chose them and there was no competition.
• Neither Daniele nor Kalia will eat the jalapenos.
• Nor would I.
• Jeff laid down the word with Kalia. Without coming out and saying he was putting her up, he reminded he that he had told her before that if she put him up, he'd put her up.
• She acted very calm yet concerned.
• In the talk, she threw Rachel under the bus for doubledealing with "the other side."
  
• Then she went into the Have Not room and cried.
• After another outdoor lockdown ... voila! A smaller table!
• Kalia fussed about Jordan not having on her humilitard for four hours while sunning.
• Adam kept his on all the time.
• Adam doesn't sun.
• Nor does Jackie, but that's for another forum.
• Jeff had a talk with Daniele telling her that he was keeping his word and not putting her on the block, but not to use the veto.
• She said she wouldn't.
• Yeah, right.
• Jeff believes her as much as I do.
• Yet another feeds block for the nominations ... and back ... and what a shocker!
• Jeff put JORDAN on the block!
• Okay, just messing with you.
• Kalia and Porsche are nominated for eviction.
• There will be seven veto players tomorrow because Daniele is playing with her ticket.
• She actually doesn't want to win and thus wouldn't have the dilemma of using it or not.
  
• But if someone else wins and uses it, she knows she could be backdoored.
• After yet another feeds block, the PoV players were revealed.
• Everyone is playing except for Rachel. Rachel is hosting.
• That's where we stand ...

Oh ... an additional note I forgot to mention:
While Julie is acting like the double eviction will be such a shock for the hamsters, it won't be. No, production didn't tell them. They had already figured it out by tracking the weeks -- the schedule is way too predictable. BB should have flung it on them the second week or something to throw all their comp tracking awry.

This time BB actually trusts Rachel with a knife.
(Last time they took it away as she
was stabbing the coconuts.)

Very concerned

Who's that in the Have Not room wearing a sombrero?

Big Brother 13 Live Feeds Into Friday Morning 8/19

A new HoH is in town

If you missed the previous post, Jeff won HoH with Porsche most likely in second. Here's what's been happening since inside that Big Brother House of Sudsy Duds:

• The soap has been taking its toll on the hamsters -- Shelly has a possible allergic reaction rash, Adam's voice is even more hoarse than it usually is and everyone is saying their eyes burn.
• I didn't mention it in the post last night, but Daniele kept running with bottles of water and towels for all the others.
• That was nice and needs to be mentioned.
• For her first night alone, Rachel held up quite well compared to the last time.
• That is until she spent half the night roaming around looking for her lost stuffed dog wearing her sad eyes.
  
• Shelly told Rachel if they were going to have to work together the looks and rolling eyes need to stop.
• Then she said it about a half-dozen more times.
• This was in front of Jeff and Jordan.
• Rachel, amazingly, remained quiet and didn't give her death glare.
• In his HoH room, Jeff got a Bob Marley CD , a drawing with words from his 6-year-old niece (which brought out the question "Who's Brown Spots?" much too long), a basket of goodies, a letter from his brother.
• A first, the HoH robe is a plush grey one and the slippers are black.
• Which led to an odd racial discussion later on when Adam called the slippers "blackies" in front of Kalia.
• I know Kalia's point because I've written for an internet audience for so many years.
• People tend to pick up on something like that to twist things to racism. But, geez.
• Jeff told Jordan she should have covered her cup in the comp.
• He made her feel bad. :-(
• As for the nominations, Jeff keeps toying with a combination of the three -- Kalia, Daniele and Porsche.
• They assume Daniele will play veto as she has the pass.
• He'd like to act like he was keeping his deal with Daniele telling her he was going to put up floaters -- Kalia and Porsche -- and not her IF she doesn't save one them winning the veto.
• @@
• Of course, if Kalia and Porsche are on the block, if Daniele takes one down, Jeff has to put up one of his group.
• Wouldn't really matter as they have the votes now.
• Unless he put up Rachel! I bet a lot of people would abandon ship then!
• But that's not going to happen. He won't be putting up Rachel.
  

Adam deliberately looking weird because he is a tad off.

Rachel looking weird just because she's Rachel.

And the cheese stands alone.