It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic photo post chronicling the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. I have to say this ... I want my hour back. I don't care about the extra hour of sunshine. I want my hour back NOW.
Oh my. I've had such a week here. With my apartment still not put together from the painting and renovation work, last Sunday I got a notice that there would be a city inspection on Tuesday. Gah. I had to move everything back, go into panic cleaning mode (mopped and waxed all my hardwood floors, cleaned closets, cleaned EVERYTHING). Then I ended up with a really long day at work Monday, getting home several hours later than usual. (There have been work issues all week long, too.)
All pretty much for naught.
The city inspector came in with his list of things to check from the last inspection -- painting done, new bathroom ceiling, bathroom sink faucet fixed (although it's a whole new sink, vanity and medicine cabinet), new kitchen floor. It took him about a minute and a half. I felt like screaming, "LOOK AT HOW MY FLOORS SHINE! WANT TO CHECK MY CLOSETS?!?"
But I didn't. I napped.
I'm just glad it's all over. I really don't like interference in my home life. I'm quite the private person and when I get home from work, I don't want to have to worry about workmen, inspectors, property managers, etc. I want to be left alone. I'll call them if I need them. That said, the building itself (and my apartment) look better than they have since I've lived here.
Now if they'd stop renting to riff-raff in the front of the building -- folks who let their children run wild in the hallways or, worse yet, the idiot father boy who plays ball in the hall with his toddlers letting them run, thump and scream in our section where he doesn't live! I pointed out to the property manager where he's already scuffed the newly-painted hallways with the ball. My own wing and floor of the building is fine. We all respect each other, have consideration for others and don't have children running the hallways.
At work, my computer software is still all messed up. It's a nightmare. I don't want to talk about it.
Onto the photos -- clicking on an image will open a larger view.
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| Sunset train |
I realize the sun will be setting even later tonight, but it's been a good month since I left work on a weekday at sunset anyway. But I worked late Monday and caught these great skies as I waited for my train home. The white trailers to the right are part of the Big Apple Circus entourage. I still haven't spotted stallions outside!
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| Sunrise reflected |
These are the row homes on East Second Street in Plainfield. Last week I posted their rather dismal courtyard. Yet the way the early morning sun reflected in some of the windows caught my eye on the way to work one morning. I edited the shot to leave only the windows in color.
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| Pretty skies |
Monday evening looking over the toxic superfund field of geese in Bridgewater.
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The show is about to start here on the East Coast! Have the women turned their bad luck (and bad choices) around? Will the men re-dominate the game? Will Colton remain an extremely annoying so-and-so ringleader of a solid alliance?
As the show airs, I'll update this post with the major events. However, the real fun is in the comments area and everybody is welcome to chime in with your thoughts on the show! Survivors ready?
The Rewards Challenge has them using a slingshot to knock panels out of a "wall." The winners will take one of three rewards: Comfort (pillows, blankets), Protection (tarp), Luxury (donuts, coffee).
The WOMEN won! It's the third challenge in a row won by them! They chose the tarp.
The Immunity Challenge has them tied together in pairs, going over a teeter-totter, solving puzzles. Welp, the streak is over for the women. Men win Immunity.
Hmm ... Colton wants to volunteer the men to go to Tribal Council in lieu of the women just so he can get Bill voted out.
And it's the MEN who show up at TC! Yoicks!
The tally: Leif, Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill.
Colton did Bill in. Oh my. This is just odd.
Be still, my heart. The show is actually starting on time here on the East Coast! Oh my. I supposed we shouldn't get used to it, eh?
As it airs here, I'll be updating this post with the major events. However, the real fun is in the comments area. Everyone is welcome to join in to cheer or jeer the teams!
The teams are heading to Paraguay. The Detour is Stacked Up or Strung Out. Stacking watermelons or attaching strings to harps. The Border Patrol guys are way ahead of the other teams. The Roadblock is to perform a cultural dance with a water bottle balanced on their heads. Er, well ... one head.
Whoa! Art and JJ are at the Pit Stop and no other team has even finished the Detour! They won a trip to the Bahamas. Rachel and Dave used their Express Pass when they realized that all the other teams were already at the harps. Most of the teams switched from watermelons to harps.
Dave ended up breaking all the bottles in the dance. While they arrived second at the Pit Stop, they have to wait out a two-hour penalty. Rachel and Brendon came in third, which became second. Then the Jersey/Staten Island "Fitness" team came in third. Kentucky, four. Nary and Jamie, five. Rachel and Dave's penalty is up, six. Kerri and Stacy, seven.
Vanessa and Ralph made it to eight. The twins were last and were Philiminated.
It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. While my own week has been on the quiet side, my thoughts and prayers are with those folks in the Midwest and South who have suffered through horrible tornadoes on Friday. I heard there were 96 tornadoes in one single day while the average for the entire month of March is only 72. Unbelievable!
We did have rain and some chill here. But no severe weather, not eeven a thunderstorm. Nor did we have snow, something which came down north of this area.
Local blogger Dan Damon is also still in my thoughts this week. How suddenly one's life can change! Hopefully his most recent surgery went okay and he's into rehab now. Shout out, Dan! Holla! Now that I won't be having knee surgeries every three years with the accompanying medical tests, I guess it's a heads up to me to be checked for diabetes, etc., on a fairly regular basis.
My own week has been on the uneventful side. I'm still playing with furniture and decorations as I slowly put my apartment back together after its renovations. The building itself is painted throughout (interior, exterior is brick), mailboxes redone, new laundry machines along with the paint job there and more. It's in better shape than I've ever seen it in the almost eleven years I've lived here. Now they need to clamp down on the children from the front apartments thinking the hallways are a playground. I know we're due for another state re-inspection, plus it was supposedly bought at an auction last year although we're still paying the receiver from the bank after the last landlord went bankrupt.
My work computer software is still not functioning. I'm still working in the stone age with a chisel and piece of granite there. It's going to be dreadful when it's finally fixed and I have to sit and enter weeks worth of data. Wah.
Onto the photos ... clicking on an image will open it to a larger view!
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| Blue sky, yellow glow |
I like the blue and yellow hues in this photo I took while walking to the train just after the rain stopped early one morning. The sky is actually pretty light these days, but the clouds made it seem darker. This is on East Front Street near the YWCA in Plainfield.
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| Daffodils! |
The annual daffodils came up this week in the cemetery behind the Friends (Shaker) Meeting House on Watchung Avenue in Plainfield. These don't usually bloom until late March or early April here.
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| Synchronized geese |
Honk. Bridgewater, NJ
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Welcome one, welcome all! Survivor: One World is starting here on the East Coast. I can only hope that the women might get their act together. What a dismal start for the tribe ... probably enough to make Colton Cumbie to beat feet back to his own tribe thankful that he avoided disaster. Not only are the women performing poorly in challenges, they're making horrible decisions. Sending Nina packing last week? Oy!
I'll be updating this post with major events. However, the real action (and fun) is in the comments section. Everyone is free to jump in with thoughts on the show, the cast, Jeff's Probst-ing ways, etc. See you there!
The Rewards Challenge is a memory test -- memorizing items and recreating. The reward is a complete fishing gear set and canoe. Oh my gosh, Sabrina took the first round! I think it's the first time a woman has won. Now Monica is also right. The women are leading! Alicia continues the streak. Then Kat. OMG! The women win reward!
Immunity Challenge time -- caller and blindfolded pairs going through an obstacle course, then puzzle. I'm in shock. The women started out doing horribly, then caught up and passed the men on the puzzle. The women have won Immunity!
Tribal Council time. Will Colton's alliance stick together on the vote? Will he use the hidden idol? Nope, he doesn't use it.
The tally: Colton, Bill, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt. Bye-bye, Matt! Colton's alliance stayed true. Interesting.
