Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - May 20, 2012

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. Well, man ... this has been one busy and rather sucky week for me. Yeah, you heard me. Sucky.

Work has been busy with unexpected auditors popping in. Not through my doing at all, we didn't do all that well. It's one of those "I told you" so kind of scenarios, but of course it's not really politically acceptable to say that. (But I told them so before this went down. I did.) The sad part with some of the latest auditors is that I actually know more than they do about company practices.  That's what happens when you spend half your life in one workplace.

The home front has been a bit hectic, too. First, on Wednesday I received a notice under my door that I have a new landlord. Okay. That wasn't unexpected. The last real landlord went bankrupt (and more, as you'll see) a few years back and the building has been being run by a receivership appointed by the bank. I read last summer that there was a winning bid of 9 million on the building at auction.

No, I didn't buy it.

We recently had our five year state inspection. Then there was another inspection by the city (for the sale?). On Thursday, which was my day off this week due to a switch, there was a knock on my door while I was still in my pajamas. HEY! Day OFF! It was a new superintendent of another building owned by my new landlord. He had a list of repairs including removing the old caulking around my tub and replacing it with new, new bathroom ceiling tiles, fix the low cold water pressure in the kitchen and a few other things. Um. Okay. I told him, as I've told others, that they need to fix whatever is leaking upstairs in regard to the bathroom ceiling.

When will these repairs be done? Today.

Ack.

I made him give me ten minutes to put real clothes on. Then I let unexpected repairmen in to my apartment which had some housecleaning chores scheduled for my day off. Remember, it's my DAY OFF.

I watched a few episodes of the Falling Skies screener TNT sent me while a huge man was closed in my tiny bathroom choking on caulking fumes. Vincent peeked under the door at him either worried for his welfare or concerned that the man would use his litterbox.

That DAY OFF ordeal ended, fast forward to Friday after work. A notice under the door that the new landlord will be doing inspections on Tuesday between 4pm and 6:30pm. Argh! How many inspections can one tenant go through? I feel like Arlo Guthrie at Whitehall Street -- inspected, neglected, dejected, rejected!

Along with that notice, there was a questionnaire to send back to the new landlord. It asked the basics -- name, contact numbers, car info for the parking lot, who else lives there, etc. Along with the questions, it asked how much rent is being paid. Huh? I'm sure the receivership gave them that info. Heck, if David Connolly gave the info to the bank when he went bankrupt, you know the bank's appointed folks told the new landlord. As tempting as it was to try to lower my own rent, I told the truth. Maybe it's a test of my integrity.

But the story doesn't stop there. Saturday in the mail I received what looked like trouble -- a letter from a lawyer's office and a notice of certified mail being held at the post office. Huh? Is someone suing me? Nope. A neighbor in the elevator told me everyone got the same thing. Of course, he was telling me in Spanish, so I wasn't sure if I was understanding him right. I was. It was from the bank saying that the receivership was released of its duties, my security deposit transferred to the new landlord, and much legalese. Um. Okay. Apparently the certified letter is another copy of the same thing. If I get there while the post office is open, fine. If not, fine. The notice from the new landlord on the first day told me that they had my security deposit, what bank it's in and the account number.

Then there's my original landlord (not the original original one, but the last one). What comes around, goes around. He's facing two counts that could each net him twenty years in prison and five million dollars plus in fines. His real estate Ponzi scheme caught up with him. The FBI and Securities Commission went after him for wire fraud, laundering money and a host of other charges. That's what he gets for jacking up my rent each year he had the building and letting the elevator remain broken for months when my knees were bad!

Now that I've bored everyone to death, onto this week's photos. Clicking on an image will open it in a new window, clicking again will make it larger and closing that window will lead you right back here.  

Monarch Building reflected

A testament to all the rain we had (again) this week. The Monarch Building (condos) on East Front Street is reflected in puddles in their neighbor's driveway.

Plainfield Train Station irises

If I'm not mistaken, I think local blogger Bernice had a hand in planting these. East Fourth Street, Plainfield.

Westfield planter flowers

I don't know what they are, but they're big and pretty. Elm Street, Westfield. (I had to make a Trader Joe's foray on Friday due to stress!)

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

Survivor: One World Season Finale Blog Party

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends out there! I hope it's been a good one!

This is it! It's the first all women final five in the history of the show! For once in a reality television competition show, the women (kind of, sort of) stuck together. Who woulda thunk it? In the past on Survivor and other shows, the men are much better at actually staying with their bro'liances and the women tend to cat fight and backstab their sisters. Hmmm. I wonder why that is?

Not that this group is all that cohesive, mind you. Everything isn't hunky-dory or lovey-dovey. (I don't get to use those phrases enough in life!) But it's all women at the end and it's just a matter of which woman will win it all.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with major happenings. The real fun, though, will be in the comments section. Please join in with your thoughts! Beverages, snacks and feasts befitting a Reward will be in ample supply!

Immunity is back up for grabs -- a balance beam maze, rope net, puzzle bags, solve a combination lock. Kim wins immunity!

Tribal Council -- Chelsea, Alicia, Chelsea, Alicia, Alicia. Karma got the gal and Colton's ally is done.

The Ritual Walk to the immunity challenge, remembering fallen castaways.

It's the final Immunity Challenge! They must maneuver bowls through a structure and stack them. Kim wins the final immunity!

Final TC and Christina's not even trying to stay! The tally -- Sabrina, Christina, Christina, Christina. It's fitting. She didn't even try.

It's time for the jury questioning. Like everything else this season, I don't expect it to be real exciting.

Opening statements, Chelsea up first. She spoke of her trust with Kim and how they did all the strategy moves together. Then she made excuses for voting the way they decided and played differently from the time she voted out Jonas.

Kim loves the game and thought she would play as hard as she could. She's proud of her strategic game, but sending each person home took a toll on her. She asks forgiveness from the jury.

Sabrina spoke of balance. She said that stepping down from challenges was a strategy and she played more of a social game by plan. She mentioned that she was laid off before coming to the show. (However, on the local news tonight, she talked about how her students are reacting to her on the show. She must have been rehired or taken on a new teaching position.)

Jonas is up first, lays out ground rules -- joking. He loves them all, talks about how badly Sabrina did in the challenges, but loves her. Chelsea is the hottest chick, asks her what her big game changing move was, answer was taking Kat out. Why Kim didn't take Christina. Thought that she would beat her if all mad about being voted out.

Christina up next. Kim thinks she would have a better chance of winning against Sabrina than Chelsea. "Chelsea, why do you hate people?" Oh my!

Jay up next. No hard feelings, you should be proud. Sabrina, did squat. Strategy? Yes, she thinks she's usually too overbearing, balance. 

Mike -- Kim, define blindside. She does. Did you perfect the art? She claims Mike was the only guy Troy would be willing to send home. 

Tarzan -- Um. Loves to use his extensive vocabulary and rambles about his wife's visit to the island. Um. Okay. Chelsea tears up.

Leif -- Still feels the sting of his exit. Kim says she didn't know if she could trust him. Sabrina admits "punking out."

Alicia -- Kim, we played similar, kingpins. I would have won. 

Troyzan -- Beef with Kim, she played a great game. Moment she made the move to demolish his chances of winning. Answer, taking Jonas out. He says she got it wrong.

Kat -- All three hurt her very badly. Kim, I'm destroyed. She talks of open heart surgeries she's had and another ahead. She doesn't have time to be angry with them, she will vote on the best game. She's making more sense than she did all season ... tells all to vote on best game.

Troy votes Sabrina, Kat true to her own advice votes Kim. Those are the only two votes shown.

Off to New York City for the results. Final tally -- Kim, Sabrina, Kim, Sabrina, Kim, Kim, Kim ... KIM WINS THE SEASON, as it should be.

Kim, Tarzan, Troyzan and Chelsea were the ones in the running for the $100,000 fan award. Kim won that, too.

What kind of hairdo is that on Bill Posey? A mulfro? Combination mullet/afro.

They're headed to the Phillipines with three airlifted out ex-castaways. Ack. I'm sure that will include Colton. Sigh.  

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - May 13, 2012

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. 

First, I'd like to wish all of the mothers out there a happy Mothers Day! May you be pampered, fussed over and fed all day long! Well, all day until the Survivor: One World season finale, that is. Yep, 8pm EDT I expect many of you right here for the big blog party!

Since I touched on television, I might as well run with it for the moment. Guess what? TNT sent me the first four episodes of Falling Skies (season premiere June 17) for review purposes. Woohoo! Now, I just need time to watch them! I'm looking forward to the return of that show. Once I get them watched, I'll post about them. (Yay!)

They also sent me seven hours of the new Dallas series, also premiering in June. Unfortunately, I just cannot watch seven hours of Dallas -- I never got into the original series. I gave them to a friend who's a huge fan of the show. He's going to report back to me.

On the home front, life in my apartment, building, and neighborhood is just fine. I do feel safe here, even at night. I have good neighbors and all is well. That said, just beyond my immediate neighborhood, on a route I walk daily ... there was a murder. It happened at about 4:15am, an hour when I might be up but I'm not walking to the train station! I generally leave a couple of hours later to catch the first westbound train. 

Nonetheless, this latest murder is unsettling. It doesn't seem to be gang or drug related. It was a hard working Hispanic man a few years younger than me just waiting for his ride to work. It appears to have been a robbery from the reports I read. 4:15am is not a time to be on the streets here. There's hardly anyone out and about at that hour. When I go through, there are several folks I see each day. A robbery isn't likely then. I hope someone saw something or knows something and comes forward. 

The police were still arriving to the scene as I passed through that morning. Thankfully, the body was covered and I didn't see any signs of blood, etc. Had there not been all the police around, I might not have even realized there was a body under the covering. As I passed by, I first thought it was a pedestrian struck as the body was adjacent to the crosswalk. I'm so leery of people running lights early in the mornings! But all the NYC news helicopters and the tons of Plainfield and Union County police seemed to indicate more than a hit and run accident. A victim of gunfire. Sigh.

Anyway ... onto this week's photos. Clicking on an image will open it in a new window, clicking again will make it larger. Closing the new window will land you right back here on the blog.    

Squirrel on duty

This squirrel was kind enough to pose for me Saturday morning in the sunshine. It rained and/or was windy for most of the week. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Help me! Help me!

Oh no! The fly (left) is stuck on the azalea! Bridgewater.

Damselfly on poison ivy

I had my first damselfly sighting Friday afternoon on my commute home. Yes, that was when the sun broke through! Like the squirrel, he was kind enough to pose for me. They are so hard to photograph with detail as they're not much larger than a big sewing needle ... in flight, they're impossible.

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

Survivor: One World May 9th Blog Party

So here we are ... it's the penultimate episode of the season. The big finale is Sunday evening, hopefully at 8pm here on the East Coast. The one thing which has made this whole season worthwhile is the community here on the blog. If I were just watching it alone, I might have given up by now. As it is, this whole season gets an "eh" from me in the entertainment rating.

As the show airs here, I'll update this entry with major happenings. But, as usual, the real fun is in the comments! Come join us!

Reward challenge has them spinning around collecting discs (getting dizzy) and decoding a box. The winner is taken by yacht, cocktails, shower, big meal and sleep away overnight on the yacht. Chelsea wins Reward! She chose Sabrina because she hasn't had much food, then Kim, too.

The Immunity Challenge has them using large fish hooks to pick up bags of puzzle pieces, then completing a fish puzzle ... all with one hand tied behind their backs. Alicia won immunity with Kim on her tail.

Tribal Council -- it should be down to a vote between Tarzan or Chelsea. 

The tally -- Chelsea, Tarzan, Tarzan, Tarzan, Tarzan ... let's see if he'll swing from vines on the way out!

The Amazing Race 20 Season Finale Blog Party

Welp, this is it. It's the season finale. And, much to my dismay, Brendon and Rachel are still in it. Sigh. Tonight is a two-hour show ... I wouldn't mind it if the last hour didn't include them! I know. I'm a cruel person. But I'm SO tired of seeing their drama! If I had to cheer on a remaining team, I think I'd go for the Other Rachel and Dave.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major events. However, the real fun is in the comments area. Come join us! (And bring snacks!)

The teams are headed off to Japan. The teams will bunch up on the same flight. Brenchel missed the bus which the rest of the teams caught. Too bad, so sad. Sigh. They caught up. Now it's Dave and Rachel behind by missing the ferry.

Heh. The Roadblock is a Japanese TV game show!

The Detour has sushi and sumo premises. Sushi bingo, then eat. Or, with the latter, convince locals to pose for photographs with sumo wrestler cut-outs.

Rachel and Dave hit the Pit Stop first, tying the record for the most first place wins. They won a trip to New Zealand.
2. Art and JJ
3. Brenchel

Vanessa and Ralph are Philiminated

Teams are heading to Hawaii. After rappelling up and down a 45 story tower, the Roadblock has them shaving ice. JJ and Art are trailing.

Whoa! Brenchel took a cab when the clue said to go on foot!

Rachel and Dave arrived at the Pit Stop before completing the Roadblock! Eek! JJ and Art are at the Roadblock while Brenchel has yet to reach it. Art is stuck at the Roadblock, Rachel and Dave are on their way back to the Pit Stop.

RACHEL AND DAVE WIN THE AMAZING RACE!

Art and JJ make it second. Brenchel is third.