Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 8, 2015

Good morning. Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're a fan of The Amazing Race, I've started going through the cast videos and online bios for the upcoming season. I should be posting more on that subject soon.

Okay, to the week. Hmm. Gah. It certainly won't go down in the history of the best weeks in my life, that's for sure. Here's a round-up.

• An ice/snowstorm on Monday practically crippled my personal travels until mid-week and there are still some rather treacherous areas. 
• I really don't feel well and work is doing me in.
• While having to walk atop an ice-soaked snowbank, one leg went through nearly to the hip. I thought I might have to call for a winch to get me out from where I was stuck. Nobody had better have recorded my efforts to get free and put it on YouTube. If someone did, they'll die.
• My apartment superintendent told me a family with two small children is moving in to the apartment vacated by Carlos and his wife. Joy, joy. At least that apartment is a two-bedroom. I never understand outright families of more than a couple moving into the one-bedroom units.
• I dropped my best point and shoot digital camera and then completely killed it while trying to fix it. I have back-up cameras, but they're not as nice. I ordered a new camera on sale ($150 off!) from Amazon that's much better than the one I killed. Yet I mourn its demise.
• Ritz Garlic Butter crackers are da bomb.
• The Grammy Awards are on tonight. I'll be watching The Walking Dead as it returns tonight.

Onto this week's photos. Alas, none are works of art except perhaps Vincent just because he's Vincent. 

Ice Ice Baby

A combination of snow and ice clung to the trees for days after our ice/snowstorm early in the week. While the sun melted a bit of it, the sun couldn't win the battle with the frigid temperatures.

Somebody is way too comfy

Vincent has practiced sleeping on just about every inch of the new couch. 

ONENANYAY

The ONENANYAY sign is much more visible since they took out the bush in front of it this past summer. 

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

The Amazing Race 26 - Casting the Singles, Part One

I think this "blind date" bit for a twist this season might be rather interesting. Perhaps the five couples will be strangers at the start. However, by the end they'll have shared a special experience and should either love or hate each other.

Oh. That's kind of like the established already couples on the show. Never mind. Let's check these people out:

KURT

Hmm. He seems to place more emphasis on physical qualities in his "blind date" than the real stuff of a relationship. Now, I'm not talking physical qualities as in what's needed to endure and compete in the race. Nope. He's talking the shallow stuff.

Kurt Jordan Belcher is 24 years old and hails from Butler, Kentucky. His online bio kind of confirms the video with little else thrown in there for us to ponder. He's matched up with ...

BERGEN

Bergen Olson is 23 and currently living in Sunnyvale, California. He's originally from Minnesota. While Kurt tends to go for such deep things as good looks and muscles, it seems that Bergen tends towards more laudable traits in his online bio -- good personality, sense of humor and commitment. That conflicts a bit with what he says in the video (in which he's also going for looks a lot). Overall, I think I like him better than I do Kurt. Neither has ever been out of the country.

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JELANI

Jelani Roy is a 32 year old lawyer from New York City, New York. I like him. He comes across as both smart and knowing that the concept of the date is to WIN THE AMAZING RACE. Unlike the first person in the last couple I looked at, Jelani seems a lot more laid-back regarding any sort of romance. It sounds like, to him, if that happens ... cool. If not ... he still wants to win the race. In his bio, he mentions the fact that he passed the NYS bar exam on the first try. He seems confident and I'd certainly partner up with the dude! He's matched up with ...

JENNY

Jenny Wu is a 32 year old lawyer/blogger from Los Angeles, California. A blogger! Woot! Woot! I think she's got a good match with Jelani. She doesn't seem to be searching for the love of her life -- she wants someone she can work with. Unlike Kurt (and to a lesser extent, Bergen), she wants strengths of the mind, humor and athleticism. In her bio, she mentions photography being a hobby. I already like her! A relationship deal-breaker for her is "an aversion to desserts." Boy, I like this gal. I'm not sure if she'll see any resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio in Jelani, but she'll get over it. I think these two could be contenders!

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HALEY

Haley Keel is looking for the win and the man of her dreams. Okay. Haley is 28 years old, a registered nurse currently residing in St. Petersburg, Florida. She original hails from Ohio. She's um ... perky, bubbly and upbeat it seems. I personally don't do those traits, but more power to her. She's intelligent and likes to do athletic kind of things. Having a need to control might not work in her favor seeing that she's on a blind date race around the world. We'll see. She's partnered with ...

BLAIR

Blair Townsend is a 31 year old physician from Amelia Island, Florida. He's originally from Virginia. Obviously, TAR is really trying to set up relationships here -- lawyer/lawyer, doctor/nurse. From his online bio, he mentions doing Ironman competitions and such. Haley should like that! I really like how he came across in his video. If Haley is strong, these two could make a formidable team on the show. I think I like him more than her. Bubbly tends to get on my nerves. Hopefully she won't be bubbly on the show. (No offense meant for those who enjoy bubbly.)

What do you think of these matches?

The new season premieres Wednesday, February 25.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 1, 2015

Welcome to my weekly off television topic post in which I reflect on the week gone by and photos I've taken along the way. If you're a Survivor fan, please check out the most recent posts I've done on the topic at this link right here. Otherwise, we're onto the week that was ...

I returned to work this week, kind of sort of. I ended up missing the end of the week due to severe adverse reactions to the medication prescribed for me, almost ending up in the hospital. I'm now off the medication, still having headaches, but at least feeling better than I did.

Let's see ... this week we had a blizzard Storm of the Century that wasn't. All told, we ended up with about five inches of snow. I had left work early on Monday as they were talking about shutting NJ Transit down and it had started snowing and getting slick. After all, they were predicting the end of the world as we know it! Didn't happen, though.

I arrived at the Plainfield Train Station just in time to witness the ticket agent kicking out all the homeless and street bums so she could close the station. Now, I tend to use the machines to buy my train passes, so I never really go in there. The few times I've been inside have been way early in the morning -- it's only open from about 5am to 1:30pm or so.

It was cold and blowing snow rather heavily when I arrived (despite the fact it petered out overnight). There had to be 35-40 people she had to get to leave the warmth of the station! Yikes! Some, like Omar, were regulars I've seen before. Many I've never seen. I'd say a good percentage are homeless folks. But others probably have someplace to stay, yet would rather hang out with the drink and drug crowd. I felt sorry for the woman trying to get them all out so she could go home. I'm sure many headed to the library from there. Most of the shelters only do nights. Sigh.

Supposedly we're to have another winter storm tonight overnight into tomorrow. They've changed our Winter Storm Watch into a Winter Storm Warning here in Plainfield. But, after last week, I'll believe it when I see it. I am very irked that the winter snow held off until I returned to work!

The Cool Cat Snowman of East Front Street

He's got his shades. He's got his cap and scarf. He doesn't seem to have arms, but I'm thinking they must be in his pockets.

The "blizzard" starting on Berckman Street

I left work a few hours early on Monday because the snow had started and things were getting slick. As I walked up Berckman Street towards my place, the wind was whipping ice pellet-ish snow into my face. Little did I know this would be the blizzard that wasn't. 

The day after the "blizzard"

Yep, what a blizzard! Notice my walk where I'm standing is cleared properly. The walk next door is cleared about 8" across. They did that all last winter throughout the season, thus making their section of the sidewalk the most treacherous on the entire block. Shame on them.

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

Survivor: Brad Culpepper - Workers Comp Fraud?

Oh my. Brad Culpepper, who appeared with his wife Monica on Survivor: Blood vs. Water, is being sued by the insurance company who handled his workers compensation settlement case. The original Good Morning America segment and article can be found at this link.

Now, as a true Survivor fan (as if you couldn't tell) and also a person who once received a workers comp settlement for an injury, I feel the need to comment on this. Just to clarify my own workers comp experience -- I injured my right knee about 20 years ago. After surgeries and much pain, about six years after the accident I was rated as a 40% permanent disability of the entire right leg and received a settlement but a fraction of what Culpepper received.

Now that the Culpepper disability bit is coming to light, I'm surprised that:

• He's been rated as an 89% TOTAL disability due to the injuries he received as an NFL player. To me, that kind of rating should just about put him in a wheelchair!
• He only received $175,000 for that rating in view of his NFL income (or perhaps it just might be what I perceive as the income an NFL player gets). It would seem to me that if an NFL player were to lose his livelihood due to injuries, that amount should be much higher. If I'm not mistaken, the settlements take into consideration future medical costs (unless dealt with separately) and loss of future income based on income itself.

One of the problems with Culpepper's performance on the show that's being brought up doesn't seem quite fair. The insurance company claims that he said he has trouble getting in and out of a bathtub, then shows him jumping into the water on Survivor.

Two totally different things, I say! Due to my original knee injury and later knee replacements, I myself have problems getting into and out of a bathtub. Yet, I could easily jump into the water like that. My doctor might recommend against it, but physically it's really not hard to jump into water from a platform! That particular athletic "feat" shouldn't even apply to the lawsuit.

That said, he shouldn't have gone on the show. He was a powerhouse that season. Sure, he "worked through the pain." But it does seem to me that if he has an 89% total disability rating, he simply shouldn't have been able to physically DO the stuff he did on the show. With that kind of rating, there should be no way he could physically perform like that, pain or no pain.

I'm not saying that the man doesn't have some serious injuries and probably does have pain. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve workers compensation for those permanent injuries. I do question the extremely high rating of disability when he can exert himself to the level he did on Survivor. He simply shouldn't be able to physically do the stuff he did. But then again, I think that in view of his income as an NFL player, the amount he received for such a high rating is quite paltry.

All in all, he shouldn't have gone on the show. By doing so and performing as he did, it makes a mockery out of his disability rating. In my opinion, he wasn't out to defraud workers compensation. The amount he received probably was adequate for the injuries he received. It's not like he got millions. My only concern is the rating. Brad Culpepper is obviously not 89% totally disabled. I realize the man was/is an athlete. But I couldn't have done the show with my dinky 40% permanent disability of one leg. However, in my own experience, I had nothing to do with the final rating I received. I could only present the medical findings. It was all doctors and lawyers who came up with the rating. I'd imagine with Brad Culpepper, it was the same sort of thing. He presented with his injuries and "they" decided the rating and settlement.

What are your thoughts on this?

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Survivor: Worlds Apart - No Collar

I've already chatted about the two other tribes -- Blue Collar (BCT) and White Collar (WCT) -- which you can find with my Worlds Apart Casting tag for the blog. I will continue my lazy tribe monickers with NCT for No Collar Tribe. CBS might be calling this tribe Nargarote, but for me ... NCT!

HALI FORD:
Hali might currently be a no collar, but she plans to be a white collar. She's 25 years old, a law student presently residing in San Francisco, California. She seems smart and even athletic. Oh ... and she knows how to clean a fish. Does she know how to make a fire? I doubt it. Sure, she might know the concept, but I don't believe she'd take the time to actually try to make one. I'm getter neither great nor terrible vibes from her bio.I am getting that if she's studying to be a lawyer, she's not quite the free spirit I expect of NCT.

Once again, she's another castaway not really from where they list her in the bio. She's a "Southern Belle" from Nashville, Tennessee. She most definitely isn't a real No Collar type. She aspires to be a public defender dedicated to helping the indigent. She does talk a good talk about the game. And, it is indeed likely that she might be able to do well in endurance challenges. She's obviously seen her tribemates, but hasn't really mixed with them before this clip was shot. I'll have to figure out the curly blond guy she wants the alliance of two with as I go along. Is she going to be able to walk the walk until the end? I don't think so. Maybe she'll prove me wrong.

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JENN BROWN:

Okay, she's a bit more No Collar than Hali. Jenn is 22 years young, a sailing instructor currently residing in Long Beach, California. Huh. That's the second one mentioning Long Beach this season. She seems to be quite athletic, can swim and might even know woodsy kind of doings. She's been a fan of the show since the first season when she was in third grade. She's seen all the strategies. The only thing I found off-putting was her referring to the fact that she should "kill it." Okay, I get it. Confidence. Let's just see about that.

Now, she currently lives in Sonoma, California but is FROM Long Beach. I know I'm being a Picky Patty, but can't they make all these residence references uniform from bio to bio? She's without a doubt more of a free spirit than is Hali. Like many other women, she'd rather ally with men than with women. I think this girl has spunk even if her life work ambition is a bit lacking. She might be good at the game.

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JOE ANGLIM:

Here's another one that doesn't come off totally No Collar to me. Although he lists his occupation as a jewelry designer, he is a college grad and was actively involved in sports. Joe is 25 and currently residing in Scottdale, Arizona. I believe he's probably the blond guy with whom Hali wants to form an alliance of two. Another young one with long-term memories of the show and aspiring to be on it for years. His bio is really long-winded. I kinda sorta like him, but need to see his video.

Hmm. He just might do well. He has the country and athletic background as well as a love for the show. My only thing about him after watching the video is that he just might be too nice a guy to win this. While he says he'll lie to people and such, I think he just might be a bit naive and trust others a tad too much. Is he cut-throat enough to win? Again, another with my jury out until I see him in action.

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NINA POERSCH:

I guess my personal perception of No Collar is way skewed. I think of hitchhikers or young ones traveling through Europe with backpacks. I think of people waiting tables or tending bar until the next inspiration strikes them. I think of street performers. I don't necessarily think of someone like Nina -- 51 years old from Palmdale, California. She's deaf but can hear with cochlear implants. As a result, she's an advocate for them. She's proud of her Mom, apparently from Japan, who moved here, learned English and became a citizen despite bearing the brunt of prejudice and bigotry. Then comes her downfall in her bio. She likes Tina Wesson (that's not the bad part) and wants to play the game with integrity. Uh-oh.

At least she realizes she's going to have to lie to get through the game. The problem is ... will she be a good enough liar? She thinks she might have a problem when conversations overlap. She also hopes her work around the camp will keep her in the game. In the video she mentioned being a housewife and I can only assume she has children. I'm going to peg Nina as the Camp Mommy and I'm sure they'll keep her for a while. But when it comes to staying on her own through challenges and such, I doubt she has a chance to "kill it."

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VINCE SLY:

Now, here is true No Collar. Vince is a 32 year old coconut vendor residing in Santa Monica, California. His online bio is fairly short and just a bit full of himself reveling in his rather freewheeling lifestyle. Okay, I get it. He doesn't like stuff stuck in his teeth. He likens himself to a mix of Parvati, Coach and Fabio. Um. Well. Let's go to the video.

Cross him off as a true No Collar. This dude first off doesn't mention Santa Monica at all in the video. Instead, he has homes in San Francisco and New York City ... both places are rather prohibitive to reside in without a decent amount of income. He doesn't mention coconut vending; he's a "life coach." I'm thinking more Coach than Fabio going on here but with a better physical game than Coach. He might be one to watch unless he puts his tribe mates off with his Kung Fu moves.

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WILL SIMS II:

Will's bio is rather short and sweet. He is listed as a YouTube sensation, age is 41 and he's from Sherman Oaks, California. Now, YouTube sensation isn't quite a long term occupation for a man that age. As I never was a Leno fan, I had to check out the YouTube video that created such a sensation. Okay, he was a bartender before his big viral video. He's married to a personal trainer. I think I like him. I'm glad to actually come across a black person in this age-diverse, but not racially diverse so much cast. But does he have a chance?

In his video, he doesn't even mention YouTube at all. He talks about his people skills and bar tending. He also does mention his wife and daughter. I think he's going to be enjoyable to watch on the show. But I don't think he really has a chance to win it all. He comes across as too nice and easygoing to win. I can't see him being a fantastic liar or a villain.

There. The cast peeks are done here. Now we just have to wait until Wednesday, February 25 to see the premiere!