Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 18, 2013

Good morning! 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 along the way. If you're looking for Big Brother television show or live feeds reports, you can find the latest at this link.

It's been another hectic week for me with my real day job and the BB season in full swing. I'll be thankful for September with a staycation and the wrap-up of another season of live feeds. I really feel like a zombie. I hope I don't look like one!

In my real life, I have a new boss at my workplace. Gosh, I hate breaking in new bosses, don't you? More seriously, it's always an adjustment period when this happens. I'm not particularly worried as I'm good at what I do and know my stuff better than most. But, still ... I can tend to be a bit change-resistant, especially when I enjoyed the previous boss. However, life goes on. C'est la vie. She does have a llama, a pig and other farm animals. I have Vincent the cat. So, we have some common ground. (Yeah, that's comparable, for sure!)

We had temperatures that I love for most the week, accompanied by rain for the first part of the week. I could have lived without the latter. But the walk to the train station early on the mornings when it wasn't raining was PERFECT. A bit of an autumn chill in the early morning air. I couldn't ask for more! The days are getting quite noticeably shorter -- sunset is before 8pm again. I know I'm weird, but I like that. I love autumn. It's supposed to be summer again by mid-week this week. Sigh.

On the home front, after not seeing him the first three months he lived here, I keep encountering the now not-so-new upstairs neighbor. He's always so pleasant that he could make noise and I wouldn't be mad. Yet, he's very quiet up there, even in his walking on the hardwood floors. Best upstairs neighbor ever in that apartment! Woohoo! He also seems happy here, so he may stay around for a while. It is a nice quiet neighborhood.

How was your week?

Onto the photos ...

Ladybug, ladybug

As one who is now sporting a HUGE mosquito bite on my forehead, I'm appreciating the innocent little ladybug more and more. They're kind of cute and they neither bite, nor sting. You go, ladybugs! Bridgewater, NJ

Sunflower avec bee

Don't you just love it when I toss in French words here and there? Avec means "with." That's a bee in the center of the flower. East Front Street, Plainfield.

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

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Late Night Saturday into Sunday - August 17-18

Aw, poor pitiful GinaMarie

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Better Them Than Us:

• Of course, none of us would be foolish enough to make fools of ourselves on national television and the Internet for three months with a slight possibility of winning a rather (in the long run) paltry sum.
• In my last little bulletin, I made the announcement that Elissa won the PoV comp and that it was this season's Otev variation.
• For those questioning the comp, it's the one in which a god type entity gives a clue about hamsters who have left this season, they all scramble down a ramp and search for whatever form the answer is (doll, disc, etc.) and return up the ramp with it. The slowest (or wrong) one in each round is eliminated. 
• It can get pretty cut-throat.
• And, apparently Elissa got to the ruthless point.
• Well, good for her. 
• Helen did her happy dances and seems genuinely thrilled for Elissa.
• Now, she thinks that Spencer will be put on the block in Elissa's place, he's the target and she (Helen) is safe.
• Um, that's not quite the plan.
• Yes, they plan to put Spencer on the block. But, no. He's not the target.
• GinaMarie is in a world of self-pity. Naturally, she's disgusted that Elissa won. That would go without saying.
• But she's even more upset that they didn't have any NICK questions in the comp, yet had Jessie and Judd questions.
• BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
• She thinks the producers slighted Nick and is more upset about that than the fact that her hated nemesis won the comp?!?! Is she for realz? (As the Staten Islanders would say.)
• This season's Otev comp has left them all with bruises and scrapes.
• Poor hamsters.
• All of them, except GinaMarie, have been going on about great Elissa did in the comp.
• Amanda thinks Elissa is more dangerous than Spencer and if she (Elissa) gets HoH, they need to make sure she targets Spencer.
• Aaryn thinks that Spencer is more dangerous than Elissa and he must go next week.
• Spencer pointed out to the others that he was hoping to vote this week for the first time in weeks. They laughed at him.
• They apparently (or some of them) got love letters from Otev and GM is upset she didn't get one from Nick.
• @@
• Aaryn said she's angry at Helen. When Amanda asked her why, Aaryn said it's because Helen says she (Aaryn) is working with them (Amanda, McCrae, etc.). She is, of course. Even Amanda found the "angry" funny.
• It's sad to see Helen has bought all the lies hook, line and sinker. She really thinks both she and Elissa will stay in the game and Spencer will go home this week.
• She's dead wrong.
• And, even though Elissa was talking about self-eviction this past week and on occasion before, I doubt that will happen. 
• GinaMarie cried, then went to the Have Not room to try to sleep.
• Aaryn laughed at McCrae because he was upset that he made a rather homophobic comment with her influence and he doesn't want people to think he's homophobic. She said she no longer cares what people think and they can slap any label on her.
• No worries there, Aaryn. They have! And it's all because of your own words and actions.
• Aaryn thinks the people who watch or follow the live feeds spout things out of context and are mean.
• Heh.
• McCrae told her that the online world is part of his own world and he knows when it's wrong to say something.
• Amanda thinks McCrae must be the most politically correct person in the world.
• Er, no. But he has been a lot more wise about what he says online. 
• Then again, he got into a huge showmance with the biggest villain in the house. If he loses the game, he will be mocked in BB circles forever. If he wins, everyone will call it shrewd gameplay.
• Aaryn might be surprised sooner rather than later to find that she's low person on the totem pole of the 3am Alliance. McCrae/Amanda will dump her before they get rid of Andy.
• Oh my.

He has THOSE socks on, biting his nails again

Bound to be block-bound again

Looking squirmy nervous a lot

Ms. PoV Winner

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Bulletin - PoV Winner - August 17

Oh my gosh ... we have a new PoV winner.

ELISSA WON SOMETHING.

To be a bit more clear, she won the Power of Veto. She thinks it's because she wore her sister's colors. It was the Otev comp.

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Saturday into the Evening - August 17

Turn that frown upside down! Bouncy, bouncy.

"O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive ..." - Sir Walter Scott. Obviously he had no premonition about the Big Brother house, eh? Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Deceptive Dawgs:

• With Elissa and Helen on the block, the plan remains the same -- Helen is the real target but they're telling her Elissa is the target.
• I'm still kind of shocked to see that she's falling for their lies. I thought she was more shrewd than that.
• Aaryn even told Spencer that Helen wanted him out ... that will help secure his vote.
• I don't think anyone would be nervous if they thought Elissa was gunning for them.
• Bwahahaha!
• Andy asked not to be picked if they choose a "houseguest's choice" tile from the PoV players box.
• Hmm ... have we even seen one of those this season? I think not, but my memory might just be bad.
• But then he said he'd go for slop the remainder of the season in PoV if that could send Helen home.
• So, who knows? He either wants to play or not. Fine.
• EWW! Aaryn told GinaMarie that John Mayer was the "Frank Sinatra of our time." Oh, that's just so wrong.
• More trashtalking previous hamsters on and off all day, as well as talking about previous seasons. Yawn.
• Amanda told Elissa that if she (Elissa) wins veto, she can't give it to Helen or they'll vote her (Elissa) out no matter the replacement.
• As if Elissa could even win the veto! And, if she won it, dippy as she is, I think she'd be smart enough to use it on herself.
• However, she (Elissa) is talking about how she wants to leave.
• When Elissa told Amanda that Helen told her that she (Helen) was told she was safe, Amanda said that Helen should use the veto to save her (Elissa) then (if she wins it).
• Follow that?
• Now, if Elissa isn't a complete bobble-head doll, she should realize that she and Helen are being told each other is safe and that Helen is the target.
• Amanda quickly told her that she and McCrae always wanted her (Elissa) to stay.
• @@
• Meanwhile, they now want to convince Helen that Spencer is the target.
• Wake up, dammit, Helen! Smell the coffee and win that veto or you're gone!
• Ahem. That was me virtually trying to shake some awareness into Helen.
• Heh. Spencer told Aaryn that her agency must be getting tons of offers for her. Little do they know ... that just ain't gonna happen!
• The BB voice in the house has a new line: "Houseguests, remember to enjoy yourselves today. These are the good old days."
• Okaaaay ...
• McCrae lied to Helen some more.
• And, she seemed to believe him.
• How could she even think he'd buck the trend, not vote her out and work with her to get rid of Amanda?
• The PoV comp trivia started about 9pm ET. We'll see who wins when the feeds come back.

Hashtag annoyed

Making pretty

Hamster with chipmunk cheeks on right.

What's happening on her forehead?

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Friday into the night - August 16

Who woulda thunk she'd still be here?

While it's been a day of activity in the house, not so much here on this end as the feeds get blocked for both the Have Not comp and nominations. Here's the day's happenings inside that Big Brother House of Misanthropic Misfits:

• As I previously mentioned, the 3am Alliance has decided that Helen and Elissa will go on the block. Helen will be told that Elissa is the target and she's only on the block as she would be a vote to keep Elissa.
• What? The HoH? Silly you ... it's the alliances who make the decisions these days, not the HoH! Where have you been? Under a rock?
• That said, Aaryn does personally want Elissa out. But, since Elissa isn't really the target -- said target is Helen -- this is not her decision at all.
• As good as Helen is at playing people, shame on her that she seems to be falling for the lies everyone is telling her. Shame on her. 
• Before the nominations went down, Elissa apologized for her comment about not wanting to sit next to GinaMarie and Aaryn during the live show.
• So ... Aaryn tells her that she (Elissa) isn't the target. The target is Spencer.
• (Personally, I'd rather Spencer or Elissa leaving rather than Helen. I think those two, particularly Elissa, have a lot less game in them than Helen.)
• Amanda told Aaryn that she (Aaryn) needs a vocal coach to strengthen her vocal chords. She needs something. That gurgling almost like it's underwater voice drives me bonkers!
• Amanda told Helen that Aaryn was going to put her (Helen) on the block with Elissa so that Elissa won't be saved with the veto. Amanda said she wasn't sure if the plan was to backdoor Spencer or what.
• Now, Helen is buying all these lies.
• Shame on her. She should know better.
• Helen is leery enough that she went to Aaryn and promised if she won the veto, she wouldn't use it to save Elissa.
• Nope, that ain't gonna work because YOU are the target, Helen!
• All the ongoing lies were put on hold for the Have Not Comp. Woohoo.
• GinaMarie, Elissa, Helen and Amanda are the new Have Nots.
• I'd love to see Spencer and McCrae given a stint with this. Wouldn't you?
• America chose head cheese and habaneros for them. Oh my. If it were me, all I would eat would be the slop!
• They think head cheese is gross.
• So do I.
• Apparently Spencer was the shining star of the comp. Um. Okay.
• Aaryn told Amanda she really wants Spencer out.
• So, nominations time came.
• She nominated Elissa and Helen as per plan.
• Helen's only chance to save her game would be to win the veto.
• We'll see.

Slop chef

Hiding behind the pillow again

Nick came! She kissed him and ...