The Amazing Race: April 21, 2013 Blog Party

The teams are off to Germany tonight and the show seems like it's actually starting on time for a change. Last week I wondered what they had on my GOLF network (included in my Comcast cable package) since CBS seems all involved in golf. During a channel surfing incident the other day ... I saw the GOLF channel was airing a Toronto Bluejays baseball game. Go figure.

As the show airs tonight, I'll update this entry with the major events. So, please refresh the page to get the latest. But, as always, the real fun is in the comments area. Come join the party!

The teams are all on the same train. Someone seems to have stolen Bates' bag while he was asleep on the train. He has his passport on him. Ford Fusion product placement gives them their next clues. After answering some questions, they're off to Berlin. They have to go to the top of a tall building and "base fly" to the bottom. Fun!

Detour - Train trials -- laying train tracks and keeping their train on track. Font follies -- carry huge letters to the museum.

Roadblock - Identify a JFK quote, go through a club funhouse-type labyrinth.

Bates and Anthony broke a letter, so are now running in last place in the detour. Max and Katie are already well into the Roadblock.

1. Max and Katie - Each won a new Ford Fusion (surprise, surprise)
2. Joey and Meghan -- I'm liking them more each leg. Good for them.
3. Caroline and Jennifer
4. Bates and Anthony
5. Mona and Beth, in a footrace with the boys ... non-Philimination!  

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 21, 2013

It's Sunday morning. Yay. Of course, that means it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. Later tonight, the blog party post for The Amazing Race will be in place by 8pm EDT. Whether the show will actually start on time ...? Who knows. Grr.

I actually wanted to watch the scheduled 60 Minutes this week, but I believe a special edition on the show going in depth on the happenings in Boston this past week will air instead. That's understandable. Originally scheduled was the first time the show interviewed a serial killer. That serial killer? Charles Cullen, New Jersey's most prolific serial killer, possibly the most prolific in the country with indications he might have killed more than a few hundred people. He admitted to around 45, I believe.

My interest in the case is because it's rather local, he was finally caught at the hospital where I had both of my knee replacements (he's one of those "angel of mercy" types) and an acquaintance of mine who worked at the hospital actually knew him. Cullen was caught five years before my first knee replacement. Although my nurses weren't all goodness and light there, they haven't killed anybody. That I know about, that is.

It's been a horrific week for the country. Between the Boston Marathon bombing and the unprecedented manhunt and the tragic fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas ... I don't know. Both incidents have their own horror about them. Knowing that fertilizer can be used to make bombs (mind you, I have no clue, nor desire, about how bombs are made with such), I wouldn't live near a fertilizer plant. I also wouldn't live near a nuclear plant. Sure, accidents are rare. But when they happen, it's horrible.

The Boston happenings struck my own life a bit more. Even though I lived a few years in California, I'm an East Coast kind of gal. My favorite East Coast big cities are NYC (naturally!), Boston and Philadelphia. I'm starting to feel jaded here since 9/11. That affected everything for me and made me realize that we ARE targets. Although I go about my everyday life, well, every day, I ride mass transit; I live in the Greater New York City Metropolitan area. Reminders are around me daily of the possibility of a terrorist incident.

So, I wasn't shocked about the Boston Marathon bombing. Saddened deeply, but not really shocked. I found it more shocking the manhunt and lockdown of the towns up there. I found it more shocking that the younger brother suspect was so well-liked and "normal" in his every day life. Did he idolize his older brother so much that he went along with the madness? I don't know.Even if that is the case, he's legally an adult. If guilty, he will suffer the consequences. 

It can be a sad, sad world.

At least the arriving spring breathes some new life into things ... onto this week's photos -- 

Pretty pigeon

One of Dave's (The Corner Store) pigeons, East Second and Watchung in Plainfield.

Sunrise in the 'hood

East Front Street, Plainfield.

Sunset at the Plainfield Train Station

East Fourth Street side.

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

Survivor: Caramoan - Fans vs. Favorites - April 17 Blog Party

Yes! Due to a miscommunication and then upload issues, I haven't been sporting Zoetawny's cool graphic for this season! But, I finally got it to work and here it is! She rocks, y'know.

Tonight's show should be interesting if the promos are true. While Dawn's breakdown isn't too desirable, Cochran's comment about the Tribal Council being the best one ever, as well as promises of a huge upset at Tribal ... well, it sounds like a winner to me!

As the show airs, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Remember to refresh the page to get the latest. As always, the real party is down in the comments. Come mock the show with us, the cool kids!

Ah, Dawn's breakdown is because she lost her bottom retainer bridge with her front teeth. Now, THAT I can understand freaking out about! Brenda retrieved it from the waters for her and now they're bonded.

Rewards Challenge -- two teams of fives, obstacles, muddy pit, bags of balls, dig through rice, balls into basket. Winning team goes to a hotel, luxury meals, etc.

Purple - Cochran, Phillip, Erik, Reynold, Dawn

Orange - Malcolm, Andrea, Sherri, Brenda, Eddie

Purple wins Reward!

Uh-oh. It's not just the teeth with Dawn. She's in unstable mode. Sigh.

After a good night's sleep, Dawn is normal once again. The Stealth R Us plan is to target Reynold.

Immunity is up for grabs -- two heats, jump in ocean, move rings to posts. Phillip claims he's sitting out because he had a bad experience in water as a boy. @@

Reynold wins Immunity! I guess they'll need a new target, eh?

The new targets are Malcolm and Eddie. Malcolm has his idol, but doesn't want to use it. He's searching for another one. He's not the only one searching. He finds the second idol for himself right in front of people (or, played a clever hoax to get the vote off him).

Tribal Council time. Whoa! Malcolm gave the second immunity idol to Eddie! He really did have them both! Now, the three targets all have immunity. Malcolm says all three of them will vote for Phillip and calls him the fun sponge (sucks all the fun out of the game).

Erik votes "fillup" -- no other votes shown.

Eddie and Malcolm play the idols.

Votes: Malcolm, Malcolm, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Phillip, Phillip, fillup!

Phillip, my blog pool pick, is gonzo! Good, now I can cheer on Cochran! 

The Amazing Race: April 14, 2013 Blog Party

Sigh. Now we're delayed due to golf. Why does my cable company force me to have a Golf Network if these things aren't just covered on that? Once the show actually starts here on the East Coast, I'll post major happenings here in this very post.

As always, the real party -- assuming people are bothering to watch the show with these ridiculous delays week after week -- is in the comments area.

Okay, 60 Minutes just started a few minutes before 8pm ET. So we're running nearly an hour late. This is not acceptable.

8:56pm EDT and it's finally starting. The teams are off to Switzerland. All the teams are on the same flight, so all are caught up and starting out even once again.

Teams each get a St. Bernard rescue dog and must deliver them by train. Lots of trains so far in Switzerland. The scenery is stunning!

The Roadblock has teams climbing to retrieve a gnome, traversing the north face of a mountain cliff. Wynona/Chuck and Meghan/Joey are stuck at the Roadblock as the other teams move on.

Teams have to use a sled to transport 200 pounds of cheese in their next task. Okay, this has me laughing as they slide down with the cheese! It doesn't make up for my annoyance about the delays for the show each week.

After the cheese, it's on to the Pit Stop!

1. Bates and Anthony -- also won a trip to Bora Bora
2. Mona and Beth
3. Max and Kate
4. Caroline and Jennifer

Joey and Meghan finished the cheese. Chuck and Wynona abandoned their sleds and rolled the cheese down. I don't think they can do that. The editing is making a big deal about Joey and Meghan being lost, but there's no way ... because Chuck and Wynona didn't transport their cheese the right way. They get a 30 minute penalty.

5. Joey and Meghan
6. Chuck and Wynona -- Philiminated  

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 14, 2013

It's Sunday morning! Bonjour! As it is, that means it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. Be warned -- due to spring breaking out all over the place, there are tons of photos this week. You've been warned.

Hopefully it is really spring. This past week I've worn my winter jacket, short sleeves and my spring jacket for my walk to the train station for work. We've had winter, summer and spring all within the week. Two days this week, the temperatures were in the mid-eighties. We had a terrific thunderstorm as a cold front blasted its way in. Then it was winter-ish once again. Yesterday was nice with temperatures around 60 and just fluffy white clouds mixing with the blue of the sky. Today is supposed to be more of the same.

I actually worked a quasi-normal human being work week this past week -- Monday through Friday with this weekend off. I'm of two minds about that. While it's nice to have two days off in a row, I'm not used to working five days in a row (or nine days out ten) to get there. I've been working a two days on, day off, three days on, day off pattern for so many years that I was exhausted by Friday. That might also have to do with remodeling chaos at my workplace, though. I don't know. I won't be doing it every week. This week I'm back to my Wednesday off.

Let's see ... what else happened this week? Oh, I know. NJ Transit has a new class of train engineers out on the rails. Those are the train "drivers." I think I'd like a few to go back for remedial training. They keep overshooting the Bridgewater Train Station platform. I had to jump off the train into the rocks one morning. I stumbled a bit upon landing, but was fine. I should have been a sneaky sneakface when the conductor kept asking me if I was okay. I had told him I had two knee replacements before I jumped. I should have called an ambulance! I should have sued! Nah, not my style. I was fine. But, if it had been pre-surgeries, no way could I have done it.

Another time, boarding the train, we had to walk through two closed cars before we could sit. Now, that doesn't sound bad, but these are multi-level trains. Up the stairs, down the stairs, cross the car, more stairs. Grr. Another time the train had to back up as he entirely missed the platform. Scary. Each time when I've been on the platform waiting, I could tell the train was coming in too fast on the approach.

There's nothing new on the home living front. I still haven't met the upstairs neighbor. He's still the best person who's lived up there out of the four different folks/families that have been there since I moved into my apartment. The only better neighbor up there has been the times it has sat vacant in between tenants.

Onto this week's photos -- I have an abundance of spring going on. Plus, yesterday on my rare Saturday off, I took a walk downtown and attended a ceremony in the plaza by the Madison-Park building to kick off the primary season democratic headquarters opening. Yes, I lead an exciting life, don't I?  

Yes, it's really spring! (I think.)

East Front Street in Plainfield.

Pretty in blue

Berckman Street, Plainfield.

Daffodil

Also on Berckman Street.

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