Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 27, 2013

Good Sunday morning to everyone near and far! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. Later tonight I'll be hosting the blog party for The Amazing Race episode. But now we're talking off topic.

By Wednesday of this week our temperatures dipped here to a bit below average and that's where they remain. I don't mind. Sure, it's a bit chilly, but I like the nip in the air. And, at least we don't have a monster storm looming on the horizon as we did last year at this time. It even looks like the kids will have Halloween for the first time in two years around here. Last year we had Sandy with wires and trees down all over and no power. The year before we had a snowstorm with wires and trees down and no power. Sandy was a lot more horrific, but the snowstorm knocked us out for three days nonetheless.

I keep disrupting the writing of this entry to go down to the front entrance of my building looking for my Sunday newspaper. Sheesh. It was finally there at 7:15. It used to be out there by 6am. The longer it sits out there, the more of a chance it will disappear.

Often it seems that I'm the only one up early in the morning on Sundays. Not so much today. Every time I went to the elevator, it was on a different floor. Then, once I had my paper in hand, I had to go down to the basement before I could head up to my floor. A man from the floor above me was already in the elevator heading down there with his laundry. I also saw someone going up the back stairs (we have glass doors leading to them). Hmm. I hope they're not all vampires or zombies at this early hour!

Let's see. What else? Well, work is a bit hectic once again. Or still. I have a new boss who doesn't really seem to be used to a very busy atmosphere. She's learning. As for me, I can only do what I can do. I can suggest things to her, but that's about it. I'm still training new management -- she's not new, just new to us. Oh well, it keeps the roof over my head and Vincent gets his catnip, cat treats and cat toys!

Back on the home front, it looks like all the windows except for Crazy Joe's across the hall have been done. That's odd as he's been fussing about wanting new windows for nearly ten years now. Since Mario the super seems to be knocking on doors to set up times for them to be done instead of calling, maybe they just haven't caught Joe at home.

Heck, Mario was lucky he caught me. Had he tried in the evening, I usually don't answer door knocks unless I'm expecting someone. They're usually people wanting us to switch our electrical supplier, FIOS, Spanish speaking Jehovah's Witnesses or Farrakhan's Nation of Islam folks. The latter two have absolutely no interest in me. We have an intercom system. If I don't let someone in the building, I pretty much don't want to see them.

Onto this week's photos ...

Defying the season

The roses at one home on East Front Street in Plainfield want to believe it's still spring.

I see the light!

My early morning train arrives in the dark of night. Well, pre-dawn. Plainfield Train Station, NJ Transit.

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

Survivor: Blood vs. Water - October 23 Episode Blog Party

Ah, tonight's the night! In the promos, Jeff is supposed to be "mixing it up" with the tribes. I wonder how they're going to do that ... will "loved ones" be on the same tribe? Will it be by gender? Hmm.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! But, as always, the real party is in the comments area. Come watch (and party) with us!

But first ... here are the latest blog pool standings from Lifeguard Laurie (who's hoping to see pretty leaves and a possible snowflake this week) --

Galang Team
ARAS -- Donna in FL, MikesGirl
GERVASE -- Jackie, Pam in NJ
KAT -- Jig, Petals
LAURA B -- Buzzmaan, Laurie, SueGee
MONICA -- Becky, KayBeeRN, Russ
TINA -- Cheryl in NC, Lynn1, Terry in TX
TYSON -- Delee, meb

Tadhana
CALEB -- Glenn, ORKMommy
CIERA -- Andrea J, Karen in CA, Rochelle
HAYDEN -- Joanie, Quixotic Elf
KATIE -- David, Margo, Zoetawny
VYTAS -- Donna NY, ML

Redemption Island
JOHN -- Ed in Ohio, Nana in the NW
BRAD -- Brent McKee, Kelly D. Sharon N.
LAURA M -- AlbGlinka, JOKATS, rbennie

Off the Island
RUPERT -- Brian, Kelsey NY, Sharon S.
RACHEL -- Donna in AL, Merrilee
MARISSA -- Jennas Mom, PDX Granny
CANDICE -- Dusty, Monty924

Quit
COLTON -- Gaylos, Nickelpeed

 ********************************************

Survivor fans ready?

Time for the duel! Laura won't let Ciera switch with her. They're on a balance beam untying bags of number tiles. They have to complete a "puzzle" with the numbers. Laura wins! John comes in second place. Bye-bye Brad Culpepper. Laura chooses to give the hidden immunity idol clue to Vitas. She doesn't want to put the target on Ciera's back. Vitas doesn't want it either and it goes in the fire.

Here comes the switch-up.

Er, after the commercial, that is.

"Drop your buffs, we're going to draw for new tribes." Tyson goes last so the fates can decide. Gervase, Aras and Tyson switch, with Ciera being the only woman on that tribe (Tadhana). Vytas is the only man on his tribe (Galang).

Caleb shared the hidden idol clue and Tyson is already a food sneak once again. Tyson is also trying to get any target on himself switched to Aras. Meanwhile, Vytas is working on fitting in with his women.

Immunity challenge time ... diving down to a cage, releasing gate, getting puzzle fish trap, vertical puzzle. Reward is a picnic lunch including sandwiches and brownies.

Eek! Laura and Tina forgot to get the trap! Sheesh! Despite that, they almost won the challenge. But it was indeed a Tadhana win.

Kat worries about Monica strategizing too much. Tina told Monica. Kat lies to Tina. Hmm. Vytas might be able to squeak by this week. Things seem between Kat and Vytas even though I'd rather see Monica go.

Tribal Council time.

The tally: Vytas, Kat, Kat, Kat, Kat ... Hayden's gal is headed to Redemption Island!

The Amazing Race: October 20, 2013 Episode Blog Party

Tonight's episode isn't scheduled to start here until 8:30pm (ET) due to football games. You know how I love that. Grr. Once it does start, I'll post the major happenings here in this entry as it airs. But, as always, the real party will be in the comments area. Everyone is welcome to join in!

Here's the latest blog pool standings from Margo the Magnificent:

Ally And Ashley - LafayetteLisanne, Jackie,Tammy
Brandon And Adam - Donna in FL, Monty924, Sharon
Jason And Amy - Nicklepeed, PDXGranny, Brian, DLA
Leo And Jamal - MEB, Margo, Brenda, Caela
Nicky And Kim - Nana in NW, Jennasmom, David
Tim And Danny - JOKATS, Dusty, Zoetawny
Tim And Marie - SueGee, DKNYNC, Rbennie
Travis And Nicole - Delee, Laurie, Lynn1, Merrilee

Sorry you have been PHILIMINATED
Hoskote And Naina
Rowan And Shane - ML, Becky, Cheryl in NC, KayBeeRN
Chester And Ephraim - Buzzmaam, Donna in AL, Sharon S

***************************************

It's starting! The teams are heading off to Norway next! All teams are on the same flight this time.

Detour - Hang Your Heads (hanging fish heads) or Hammering the Cods (smashing cod into jerky).Heh. Tim and Marie (the evil ones) don't know they're hanging their heads on an unmarked pole instead of a marked one. Everyone is passing them!

Roadblock - Who's the biggest swinger? An arctic plunge from a bridge in a harness, then a swim for the clue. Then they have to pull a boulder with a brand placement vehicle to get their next clue.

Ha! Tim and Marie left their clue behind thinking the coins they found were the clue.

Can you tell I'm not keen on Tim and Marie?

Pit Stop:
1. Brandon and Adam - also won $5,000 each.

Uh-oh ... the teams are still racing. They got a clue to carry on.

Heehee. The doctors realize Tim and Marie don't know where the Pit Stop is and try to get the spare Express Pass from them.

Then we get "To be continued."

Sigh.

On a bright note, they played a bit of Fish Heads by Barnes and Barnes during the credits.

Double U-Turn ahead next week!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - October 20, 2013

Good morning! It's Sunday morning, yep. You know what 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 we'll have The Amazing Race blog party. I do hope to see you there!

I do have a few television related things I'd like to bring up before I get into the week. Odd, but both have to do with commercials --

First, I see the YouTube "Kid President" is now on the Meineke commercials. Very nice. Not only is his upbeat attitude infectious, but he has some serious health issues -- he has a brittle bone disease and has suffered over 70 broken bones so far in his life. It's good when good things happen to someone who's had their share of bad.

Second, as I was watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine (one of the only new sitcoms I haven taken to so far this year), I was wondering if there would be an Allstate "Mayhem" commercial as Dean Winters was the guest. Yup, there was!

Okay, enough television for the off television topic post!

My week started last Sunday morning -- yes, it always does, but this was different! Workmen showed up to rip out my old original (about 50 years old) windows and replace them. What an ordeal that was! They were supposed to have been here the day before, but switched to Sunday. That's good in a way as I was home on Sunday, not Saturday. The project lasted from about 9am until 1pm, partially because the contractors were doing another apartment at the same time. I wouldn't want them in here when I wasn't home and the super (whom I trust) can't be everywhere at once. Poor Vincent was trapped in the bathroom for all that time. There's a window in there, but it only leads out to the ventilation chute. That one wasn't replaced.

The landlord who bought this building about a year and a half ago has really made many improvements. New attractive glass entrance doors on the side and front. Railings for the steps at the door in the rear as well as a raised platform for the exit -- rain water used to puddle right in front of the door. New washers and dryers in the laundry room. Brighter lighting in the stairways and halls. IF the elevator goes wonky, it's fixed within a day.  They also installed a new emergency phone in there -- one I'm less likely to accidentally set off while toting packages or bags. Heck, they even fixed the light on the first floor button in the elevator. I can't recall that working in the past ten years. This landlord is the first (out of four since I've lived here) who has actually stopped ALL the leaks from the apartment above me! And, they only raised my rent $5 this year.

All that said, I do wish they'd watch how many people, including children, live in the apartments. I don't see how, when the building is only studio, one bedroom and two bedroom units, people can have five kids in an apartment ... often with two adults! There's a sticker from 1983 inside one of my kitchen cabinets saying my unit passed inspection and maximum occupancy is two tenants. Mine is a one bedroom. I guess that's all changed, huh?

In other news, I had good news this past week on the personal front. At least, good prospective news. I'll go more into things when (and if) they come to fruition. One has to do with blogging, the other with photography. Ah, two of my passions! 

The weather this past week wasn't as dreary as the last few. What rain we had confined itself to the overnight hours. As it should, of course! So, I got in some decent photos. This week it's supposed to be about ten degrees cooler on the average. That's okay with me. I have new less drafty windows!

Red leaves in the sun

Although the leaves are growing more sparse, the color is glorious at this tree outside the Friends Meeting House (Quakers) on Watchung Avenue in Plainfield.

Late season bee

This one's working the spotted knapwood at the Bridgewater Train Station.

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

Survivor: Blood vs. Water - October 16 Blog Party

Good evening, Survivor fans! The promos for tonight's show are hinting quite blatantly at yet another blindside. It brings to mind last week's show in which it seems like Caleb all of a sudden thinks he's in charge after Brad's ouster. While I so didn't want another season of Colton (and got my wish), as of this point, I've kind of liked Caleb. Hmm ... wonder if the blindside will be him.

How's the swimming, you ask? Well, the water's just fine. For some of us, that is. Here are the latest standings from the Super Soaker LifeGuard Laurie:

End of Week Three 10/9
Galang Team
ARAS -- Donna in FL, MikesGirl
GERVASE -- Jackie, Pam in NJ
KAT -- Jig, Petals
LAURA B -- Buzzmaan, Laurie, SueGee
LAURA M -- AlbGlinka, JOKATS, rbennie
MONICA -- Becky, KayBeeRN, Russ
TINA -- Cheryl in NC, Lynn1, Terry in TX
TYSON -- Delee, meb

Tadhana
CALEB -- Glenn, ORKMommy
CIERA -- Andrea J, Karen in CA, Rochelle
HAYDEN -- Joanie, Quixotic Elf
KATIE -- David, Margo, Zoetawny
VYTAS -- Donna NY, ML

Redemption Island
CANDICE -- Dusty, Monty924
JOHN -- Ed in Ohio, Nana in the NW
BRAD -- Brent McKee, Kelly D. Sharon N.

Off the Island
RUPERT -- Brian, Kelsey NY, Sharon S.
RACHEL -- Donna in AL, Merrilee
MARISSA -- Jennas Mom, PDX Granny

Quit
COLTON -- Gaylos, Nickelpeed

*********************************

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh this page to get the latest! But, as you know, the real party is in the comments -- come join in on the fun!

Redemption Island Duel Time!
They have to build a bridge with planks, then un-build it and solve the puzzle with the planks. John wins! Brad comes in second. Candice is out of the game. He once again gives Monica the clue to the hidden idol. She once again tosses it in the fire.

Ew. They really don't need to show us disgusting wounds and toenails falling off. Ew.

Time for the Immunity Challenge!
Race down a slide, grab a ring, toss on a post, get a point for the tribe. Reward is steak, vegetables, spices and a wok ... or fishing gear.

OH MY GOSH! Tadhana won a challenge! About time! They chose the steak, possibly not the best decision as they could use the fishing gear for the rest of the game.

Aras would like Laura M. to be the vote as she might knock Brad out of Redemption Island and thus become a better ally for their own game.

The tally: Laura B, Laura M, Laura M, Laura M, Laura M. She's blindsided and headed to Redemption Island.

Ah, looks like Jeff is mixing things up with the tribes at the next Redemption Duel. Hmm ...