Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - April 15, 2012

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic post reflecting on the past week in both words and photographs I've taken. Remember, tonight there will be a blog party during the east coast airing of The Amazing Race -- if you watch the show, please stop by and share your thoughts! Of course, since CBS doesn't know how to juggle shows and sports well, I can't guarantee the show will start on time. I will be putting the post up on time, though.

Let's see ... what happened this week? Hmm, a heck of a lot of nothing for me. Well, not really nothing, I guess. I worked. I ate. I slept. I spent an inordinate amount of my time at home under a purring cat. Work has been hectic with lots of folks either picking up a stomach bug or perhaps it's spring fever. I don't know, but I was certainly there all week unlike many. I don't want to waste my paid time off being sick!

The weather here has been pretty -- many a day with few clouds in the sky. However, the overnights and early mornings have been chilly down near the freezing point. The wind has been much too much, too. As we've had hardly any rain for nearly a month, wildfires are popping up aided by the winds. Oh, they're nothing like the fires I witnessed in California when I was a young child. But they're scary nonetheless. Heck, even one of those swampy areas near the NJ Turnpike caught fire. (A side note -- I always thought those swamps were the perfect place to bury mob hit bodies!)

Starting yesterday the temperatures have been going up. It sounds like today will be a glorious day with highs in the mid to high seventies. Tomorrow, too hot. I don't want 85 to 90 degrees! Say nothing about too early, I don't want those temps ever! I'm not a fan of hot heat and humidity. I like spring and fall so much because the temperatures usually average out in the 70s with cooler overnights. 

Time to go onto the photos -- clicking on an image will open it larger in a gallery-like feature.

By lamplight

This is one of the lamps at the YWCA on East Front Street in Plainfield. It's now almost daylight as I make my early morning trek to the train station. I edited this show to leave only the lamp in color.

Some call it a weed

I call it nature's magic.

Don't fence me in

Despite the lack of rain, the spring colors are flourishing in "the wild." This is the field of geese, also known as the toxic superfund site in Bridgewater NJ by the train station.

***CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS!***

Survivor: One World - April 11 Episode Blog Party

The show is about to start here on the East Coast. Will the women be able to decimate the men one by one this season? Or, in more typical reality show fashion, will they fall apart and cat-fight? I still don't have a clear-cut favorite this season. Do you?

As the show airs, I'll update this post with major happenings. However, the real fun is in the comments area! Stop on in and share your thoughts on the show and the castaways!

Reward has them dividing into two teams, building a totem kind of thing, then throwing a version of Click-Clacks at the totem for points. The reward is a BBQ.

Immunity is one of those in which they stand barefoot on a piece of wood, hand tethered to an overhead bucket. Last one standing wins. They're also being tempted with food. Tarzan out immediately. Christina out. Sabrina took cookies and milk. Kim and Kat took cupcakes. Alicia got a bowl of candy, chosen sight unseen. Troyzan out, Jay out for chicken wings and beer. It's down to Chelsea and Leif.

Leif, buying Chelsea's claim that he's not in danger (or won't be), went for beer and burgers. Chelsea wins immunity!

Tribal council -- the girls want Troy out, now some know he has an idol. Troy wants Kim out. Hmm ...

Troy plays his idol!

The tally: Troy, Troy, Kim, Jay, Alicia, Jay, Alicia, Jay, Jay.

Bye-bye, Jay. You're way too gullible for this game!

The Amazing Race 20 Blog Party - 04/08/12

Happy Easter all! Amazingly enough, the show is going to start late. Yes, that's sarcasm.  Tonight, it will be nearly an hour late. Sigh. 60 Minutes started at about 7:52pm EDT.

Since it's a holiday, I'm not expecting a huge crowd in comments tonight. However, the show looks like it's going to be pretty interesting -- Rachel gets accused of looking much older than she actually is. (Well, she does look older!) Perhaps tonight will be the end of Brenchel. I can only hope.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the major events. Everyone is free to hang out in comments and share your thoughts!

8:51 PM and it's FINALLY starting. I'm so sick of these delays. CBS/TAR needs to get its act together and schedule the show for a different night or time.

The teams are heading to Africa.

Detour - Masai way of life -- Marksmenship or Courtship. Break a target with a native weapon or a jumping ritual.

No Roadblock. The teams have to set up their camp to specifications, then head to the Pit Stop.

Pit Stop --
1. Rachel and Dave - won trip to Costa Rica
2. Bopper and Mark, with accompanying bluegrass music
3. Art and JJ
4. Brendon and Rachel
5. Vanessa and Ralph
6. Nary and Jamie -- non-Philimination leg! They're still in it and even stopped to watch elephants because they knew they were last.

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - April 8, 2012

I hope everyone is having a fine Passover, Easter or even just a fantastic spring Sunday! Since it is indeed Sunday, it's time for my weekly reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken. 

While the weather was technically very nice and even spring-like, it wasn't all that conducive for my photo taking jaunts. It's still darkish in the mornings when I leave for the train station, yet the winds every afternoon blow my targets around. I've had to put layers on for the early morning walk, then shed them in the afternoon. Yet it's been WINDY every day! Excuse me ... I'd like 55 degree mornings and 72 degree afternoons. Er, all summer even!

I plan on spending a quiet Easter at home with Vincent (my cat, for those not in the know). I don't have any local enough family to make a trip when I work into Saturday evening and I'm out heading to the train station by 6:15am Monday morning. I might make some boiled eggs, but won't color or hide them. The hiding isn't fun when you know where they are! The real joy in that is finding a hidden Easter egg in August.

I'm not even set on what I'll be eating today. Since I had a Peapod grocery delivery Friday evening, I'm WAY stocked up. I have a plethora of foodstuffs to choose from, but didn't really order anything special for the holiday. I do know that I'm going to make blueberry muffins this morning. Hmm ... they could be for dinner, too! 

Both the work front and the home front have been on the mundane side this week. Busy at work, but that's not unexpected. Not so busy at home, but that's been my choice. I have yet to hang some things back on my walls.  I'm thinking of storing away some of the stuff I've had up for years and framing some of my own photos. Then again, I might just nap.

At home, I've heard the tow truck prowling the lot nightly looking for prey. They had backed off, but now they're towing full force once again. I still think it's ridiculous to charge tenants $40 a month to park their cars here. Back when I had my car, it was free, then $10 a month. There's been some new tenants moving in and I don't think they realize they really do tow unauthorized vehicles. They will learn.

Onto the photos ... clicking on an image will open it larger in a fancy-schmancy gallery doohickey.

Azaleas about to bloom

These should be in full blossom next week. It's odd that there are red, white and pink azalea bushes and only the pink are at this stage. The white is next with itsy bitsy buds. Bridgewater, NJ

Probably more costly than the fine

I just don't understand people who pay a New York City taxi to take them to Plainfield. Once the taxi leaves the five boroughs, the rate goes even more sky-high than it already was. With the exception of fairly set trips like Newark Airport, the price is roughly doubled (due to driving back empty) plus tolls. Just the tolls alone cost nearly what the train or bus costs for the trip. Oh, well. As I said on my Facebook page, some people must have more money than brains.

In the early morning sunlight

The blossoms on this little tree will be passing soon. I'm happy I caught this shot not long after sunrise. Bridgewater, NJ

***HIT THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS!***

Survivor: One World - April 4 Episode Blog Party

Welcome Survivor fans! The show will be starting in a few minutes here on the East Coast. As it airs, I'll be updating this entry with the major events. However, the real fun is in the comments section. Please feel free to join in on the conversation during the show, partake in a few cyber (or not) beverages and enjoy the show with good folks!

Reward has them sliding down water slides and getting puzzle pieces. Reward is a BBQ with plenty of 7-UP product placement. Heh. The only one not chosen in the schoolyard pick was Tarzan. Sabrina, Michael, Leif, Christina and Kim won it. The girls on Reward want to get Mike out and keep the women united. The non-rewarders are also talking about taking out Mike.

Mike is my random blog pool pick guy. Uh-oh.

Immunity Challenge time.  Racing across a ladder bridge, bags of puzzle pieces and ... guess what? A puzzle! Four moving onto the final round -- Jay, Troyzan, Alicia and Kim.

Jay (who hates puzzles and was last for most of the challenge) won Immunity! Jay wants Christina to go -- keep Salani strong and even up the men/women ratio. Kim is still working on the Mike angle.

"The game is afoot and that's why we're being ambiguous. We're playing you, Jeff," Tarzan said at Tribal Council.

The tally: Christina, Christina, Tarzan, Tarzan, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. Mike is voted out. There goes my pool boy!