Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - July 7, 2013

Good morning! Welcome to my really late off television topic photo post! If you're looking for a Big Brother live feeds update, the most recent one I posted is at this link. This here is my weekly reflection of the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. It has nothing to do with television. You've been warned.

I can't believe how late I'm getting this post up. I conked out after coming home from work last night, got up early to review what I missed and get the BB live feeds post up and now I'm here. Between being sick in the beginning of the week, extremely hectic workdays, the heat, the humidity ... well, I'm not at my best for sure.

On the 4th of July itself -- I always have the 4th off as my employer says no way no how will do they want to pay me double time and a half for the day (and I don't blame them; I wouldn't want to pay me that much either although I don't mind earning that much) -- I had the day off. Plainfield, because they don't want to pay their workers extra holiday pay, has the city celebrations on the Saturday after the holiday. I worked yesterday, so missed all but the set-up pre-parade. I have no desire to go to the city fireworks in the evening. It's not only hard for me to get there, but I'm leery of problems which might arise with some of the people attending. The Plainfield Police do come out in strength for the event there and it's probably safer than I think. But it's still hard for me to get there.

I decided to cap off the 4th holiday by having a nice relaxing bubble bath. I drew the water, filled the tub, then went to shut off the water. The hot water faucet broke off in my hand. Frantically I tried everything -- screwdriver, pliers, sheer strength -- nothing would turn off the water.

Fortunately, my newish landlord has a 24 hour repairs number to call. Unfortunately, the person who responded was over in Jersey City to watch the fireworks with his family. I bailed water out of the tub quickly and vigorously for over an hour and a half awaiting his arrival. Otherwise, not only MY apartment would flood, but so would the one downstairs from me. He came, used vice-grips to turn it off and put in new hot, cold and shower faucets the next day while I was at work.

My back and shoulders still hurt from the extended frantic bailing exercise. I feel bad that I ruined his family's night at the fireworks, but it was truly an emergency.

The three days I actually worked this week were just as exhausting. Wah is me. I would have taken yesterday and this coming week off for vacation if not for the fact that I'm going up to Albany next weekend for my high school reunion. So, I'm working Monday and Tuesday, off until I return to work the following Thursday (18th). It will be a mixed week of staycation and a weekend with old friends (and some not so much) and family. I've somehow worked a trip to Ted's Fish Fry, a place I miss so much living away from real fish fry places since 1977 or so, with my brother and his wife into a big family reunion of cousins from upstate NY and Vermont. That will be fun! A few of them I haven't seen since I was a young child, but we're reunited on Facebook.

Onto this week's photos ...

It must have been the 4th of July

Or the 6th of July as the case may be. This woman is always in this get-up, marching along with the parade. She WALKS (in high heat!) from downtown to the start of the parade a good mile or so away, then WALKS back in the parade. More power to her!

Move aside, bunny rabbit!

I encountered this one as I was walking to the train one morning. He was near the corner of East Front and Richmond Streets in Plainfield. I shooed him towards the lawn at Richmond Towers because he was in the patch of grass between the street and sidewalk. I must say, though, I haven't seen any roadkill bunnies. They must be pretty smart when crossing the street.

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

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Saturday into Sunday - 7/06-7/07

Ew. That's all I can say. Ew

I apologize for not posting a lengthy report last night. I was just zonked. Either the heat or the hamsters are getting to me. I was gibberish! A post I made, if I were to make one last night, would have sounded like Judd typing. You don't want that.

But I'm here now and here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Bad Representation of Today's Youth:

• Aaryn, Kaitlin and Jeremy continue to vilify Elissa. Now, I wanted to vilify her when I heard she was on the show. I never was a Rachel fan, not at all. 
• But, in this house, Elissa certainly comes off as much more decent than half of the other hamsters, maybe three quarters, maybe 90%! I wish the show would stop editing her as Rachel, Jr. She looks a lot like Rachel, but except for when she's joking and mimicking her sister, acts very little like Rachel.
• To rehash what I briefly touched on last night, Elissa was named MVP again, only told Helen this time. She nominated (in secret) Jeremy.
• The rest have figured out it was her again. That, of course, was a no-brainer.
• Having no brains, this crew of hamsters are natural at no-brainers!
• Heehee. I crack myself up.
• Ahem.
• Elissa ended up confiding in Nick (silly move) to try to get him to throw the PoV comp, promising not to put him up as a replacement nomination.
• Yes, if MVP's nomination is saved by the veto, the replacement is also chosen by the MVP.
• According to what the Diary Room told GinaMarie (when she asked), if the veto winner removes an MVP nominee, the veto winner could end up being the replacement nominee. Without the MVP scenario, the veto winner isn't eligible for nomination.
• I wonder if they're making up these rules as they go along.
• I'm assuming if the veto winner takes himself off the block, he can't just be slapped up there once again MVP or not.
• Rats. That would be great -- Jeremy: I choose to save myself! BB Voice: You're saved. You're now back on the block because the MVP really wants you there!
• Aaryn got all upset because someone told her that Elissa talked about her taking Aderall (sp?). (If I took it, I'd know how to spell it!)
• She said it's a rule that no one talks about others' medical conditions.
• My gosh, every year they talk about each other! Medical conditions affect gameplay, whether physical or mental.
• If she wanted it to be a secret, SHE should never have mentioned it.
• Helen, Candice and Elissa are kind of cast together by the tides of the house. 
• In talking, they said that when Jeremy comes down, Kaitlin will go up and they just might have enough votes to evict her.
• Judd and Spencer think that Jeremy is a huge competition threat and needs to go sooner rather than later.
• Well ... actually, Judd said: "Mumble, mumble."
• But I knew what he meant.
• Howard and Spencer think that Jeremy's harem is dependent on Jeremy to survive. Well, they put the harem reference a bit more crudely, but that's not how I roll.
• Spencer made another gay joke about Andy.
• Andy was very easily overwhelmed the first few days of the live feeds, but he's really toughened up a lot. He's working his way into all the little factions in the house.
• They don't trust him, but he's out there trying!
• Aaryn is realizing that if she sticks with Kaitlin and Jeremy exclusively, they would take each other to the end and she'd be cast aside.
• The end is a long, long way away.
• Will all three make it anywhere near the end? I doubt it.
• They're still speculating on Nick being gay. What difference does it make? I don't know.
• Aaryn told GinaMarie that Nick is probably interested in Andy.
• Sheesh. Even IF Nick were gay, why would one automatically assume he'd be interested in someone else just because they're there and gay.
• Oh wait. Maybe Aaryn is thinking just because she, Kaitlin and Jessie are willing to latch onto anything male, gay dudes go for anything gay.
• @@
• Gotta love how Aaryn keeps talking about all the "Wall Street" guys who leave their wives to go to work, then hook up with gay men.
• What does she know about Wall Street? She obviously knows little about normal gay men.
• Helen told Spencer that as long as Jeremy is in the house, he'll be winning comps.
• She's also worried that, if they vote out Elissa, America will think they're idiots and give MVP to the other side of the house.
• She might have a point there. While we on the Internet know what's really going on in the house, the Elissa/Rachel fan base and those who only go by the CBS edit of the hamsters, just might do that.
• Kaitlin once again fussed that Elissa called her a "whore" on national television.
• I say, "You made your bed, lie in it."
• Jeremy threatened Nick that he'll leave the Moving Company if the votes don't go his way -- that is, Elissa out.
• Hmm. He's already changed alliances, but they don't seem to know it.
• Kaitlin, obviously worried about her own demise in the game, trashtalked both Elissa and Candice.
• Jeremy told his gals that Spencer and Howard are in an alliance together.
• Well, duh. They obviously spend a lot of time together.
• Jeremy claims he will go after anyone who doesn't vote his way and will win HoH next week.
• Probably true.
• Jeremy and Spencer both think Helen got accidentally aligned with Elissa. Spencer thinks she has a good heart.
• She does.
• GinaMarie told Aaryn that she got a warning from Big Brother about threatening to kill people. She laughed it off as she "knows Mafia people." Stupid, stupid girl.
• Jeremy said he got a warning, too. I think he was referring to the Hatgate II warning.
• GinaMarie told Nick she acts more like a dude than he does. He agrees. 
• Helen, not knowing of the MC, told Elissa putting Nick up might be her (Elissa's) best chance of staying. Elissa is reluctant to put him up as he did indeed not win the PoV and she promised him if he threw it, she wouldn't put him up.
• Aaryn, still on the thought that Jeremy and Kaitlin aren't a good alliance for her in the long run, told Judd she had no one for a final two deal.
• Judd said, "Mumble, mumble."
• Actually, he proposed that they (Aaryn and him) try for a deal. He got called to the Diary Room, so we don't know if that will come to fruition.
• Jeremy keeps wearing his veto necklace more than anyone I've ever seen over the years.
• Amanda told McCrae that Andy said Jeremy said that if votes don't go his way (Elissa out), he'll come after her (Amanda) and McCrae.
• Actually, Jeremy isn't pushing for a McCrae ouster. He wants Amanda out, though.
• Heh. Elissa told Helen that Aaryn used derogatory comments about gay people right in front of Andy. Helen thinks they might air it (to show that side).
• We'll have to see this week's Aaryn edit without the David showmance.
• Aaryn thinks she and Jeremy will continue to rotate as HoH. 
• Yeah, right. Jeremy was a big part of her winning this one. That's not going to happen every week.
• Andy likes Elissa more than he likes Jeremy and Aaryn. He thinks Jeremy is a bully and Aaryn feels self-entitled.
• Well, duh.
• If I had to live with one of the three, it would be Elissa hands down.
• As long as she doesn't invite Rachel and Brendon over, that is.
• Helen told Candice that she likes Spencer and Howard the most in the house. But, she also said she wasn't there for a showmance. That didn't need to be said. We know that.
• Nick told Elissa she should put up someone who's more of a floater for a better chance to stay. He suggested Candice or Jessie.
• As it stands now, I really don't know what Elissa will do for the replacement. 
• I don't think Helen will be voted out.
• I seriously think that Elissa might go this week. Unless something major goes on between now and the vote, she's not in a good place in the house.  

MVP ... last time?

Superfan not playing as well as he should

Howard-a-Day

Stirring the pot, winning comps

True Staten Island

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds - MVP Nomination/PoV Winner Update 7/06

Elissa, the MVP, nominated Jeremy. Shh. It's a secret. Well, it's not a secret that Jeremy's on the block. It's a secret who done did the deed.

But then Jeremy won PoV.

Well, that was a waste.

Here's a Howard to make us all feel better ...

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Into Saturday Morning - 7/06

What a player!

The most noteworthy thing which happened in the overnight hours is that there was a Diary Room "slip" allowing the live feeds to see that Elissa once again did win the MVP vote. I'm always curious about well-timed slips like this. Intentional from the PTB to get internet talk going? Intentional on the part of a staffer to create a buzz and put his/her job in jeopardy at the same time? Whatever it is, it's surely no accident.

That out of the way, here's what's been happening in that Big Brother House of And I Don't Like Anybody Very Much:

• How many BB men does it take to lift a bed?
• Four and one to squish the spider which ran under it.
• Y'see, Jeremy has gotten one nasty spider bite (no, not from Kaitlin) on his neck and another suspected one on his elbow.
• So, when a bunch of them saw a spider, they freaked!
• Helen talked to Aaryn. She does know that Elissa is the target, but she's rightfully worried that all might backfire and she might go home. She told Aaryn she has no hard feelings with her, but might still act mad in public.
• I think she's really mad, but is too nice to act out on it.
• Helen suggested that they (her and Aaryn) should work together secretly.
• Aaryn claimed that she put Howard and Candice last in the key order at nominations because she trusts them the least.
• Eep. Howard!
• Kaitlin is still all panicky about going up on the block.
• I'd put her up there just to ease her anxiety!
• Judd said, "Mumble, mumble."
• Kaitlin talked about her father being upset watching her make out with Jeremy as she made out with Jeremy.
• GinaMarie told Helen that Elissa is probably nice but needs to go due to the MVP thing. She wants Helen to stay.
• Apparently part of Aaryn's suspicions about Howard is because he threw out Helen's name as a possible nomination even though everybody knows they're working together.
• Now, Howard and Helen WORK OUT together. Yes, they're friendly. But they don't really scheme together much at all.
• Unfortunately, Howard and Spencer scheme. Howard's all excited about visiting Spencer and his family after the season.
• Elissa told Helen (and swore her to secrecy) about getting MVP again.
• Well, that was a better choice than telling McCrae last week, I think.
• I'm really not sure why she tells anyone!
• They (Helen and Elissa) did approach McCrae with a "hypothetical" about who should be nominated if one of them were to win MVP.
• @@
• Andy thinks MVP should put up Jeremy.
• But if Jeremy won veto, that would open another can of worms.
• Aaryn said she doesn't want to be the person America hates for lying all the time.
• Oh, that's not a worry, Aaryn. Don't fret your pretty little head about that!
• You'll be remembered for something else entirely different!
• Judd said, "Mumble, mumble."
• Helen and Elissa think nominating Jeremy is the way to go. They think that Nick would go up in his place if he wins veto.
• Hmm.
• I still think Elissa would go home in that scenario. I think the only way she'll squeak through this week is to win veto.
• Your thoughts? 

Just a reminder, folks ... please keep the language as clean as you can in comments. I hate to be a damper on things, but try to keep this blog at a PG rating tops for various reasons. I know it can be hard with the topic at hand, but I'd appreciate it. Merci!

Hamsters in hats!

Howard-a-Day

Emulating Trump?

The vixen stare

Big Brother 15: Nominations are in - 7/05

As expected, Elissa and Helen are on the block.

Elissa is being much more compassionate than Rachel ever was about it. Helen is crying, but vows to play hard for the veto and remove herself from the block. Elissa told her that she knows she (Elissa) is the target, Helen should be safe.

No word on the MVP nomination.