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

Good morning! It's Sunday. You know what that means -- it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way.

Once again this week, the photos are a bit lacking. It's been way too cold to play with the various features of the new camera. They've determined it to be the third coldest February on record here. Only 1934 and 1895 were colder. But, of course, they didn't measure windchill temperatures back then. It probably hasn't been much colder than where I spent a good part of my youth in Saratoga County, New York. But I was a kid then. Cold doesn't matter as much to a child! Nor does a child have a fancy-schmancy new camera to explore!

We're due more snice (snow/ice) later today and during the overnight hours. We haven't had the snowfall amounts of Massachusetts. But, for some reason, every time it snows, we come out of the deep freeze momentarily and get ice, then return to the deep freeze. 

Unfortunately, because the new camera is too big to fit in my pocket and I didn't take it with me for a brief walk to PetSmart (someone demanded I not come home without cat treats) one evening at my workplace, I missed what probably was a shot of my lifetime.

I kept hearing ooo-oooo noises and footsteps behind me. I thought a child was imitating an owl. I slowed to a stop and the maker of the footsteps walked by. It was an older woman! I heard ooo-oooo again. I looked up. There was a HUGE OWL atop the nearby parking lot lamp! It wasn't a snowy white owl -- it was brown or grey, hard to tell in the dark. But it was HUGE! I told him to stay there and ran back to work for my camera. When I returned, he was gone. ARGH! I haven't seen an owl in person since childhood and never one that big.

Other than that, I don't have much to report from this end. I'm still not 100% health-wise and realize I probably will never be. I still really, really, really want to retire and do something I enjoy. Yet I don't dare as I can't cut my income. Gah. Childhood was a lot easier.

Onto the photos for the week --

 A very cold Big Top

You would think that, after last year's horrible winter, the Big Apple Circus might think of scheduling its annual appearance in Bridgewater, New Jersey, a few weeks later. Nope. There they are! I would imagine there's some kind of heat in the tents. But going there in this frigid weather to watch a dog and pony show would be amongst the last things on my list of fun stuff to do.

Like ships passing in the night

It's trains passing in the day! I took this shot just east of the Plainfield Train Station. While the locomotives are both facing the same way, the locomotive on the right is pushing the train while the one with the headlights is pulling the train.

The one coming my way (headlights) is a newer dual duty locomotive -- both diesel for my train line and has an extendable doohickey to attach to overhead wires, thus being powered by electricity to go into NYC. Diesel trains aren't allowed in the tunnels. (We're all gonna DIE!) Most of the trains on my line stop at Newark Penn Station and passengers have to transfer to get into Manhattan. Now they're up to several trains daily directly in and out of the city or, as they say, one seat rides.

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

The Amazing Race 26 Blog Party - February 27

 

Yes, we're here on Friday nights once again. I hated the Sundays due to delays. However, I really think they must have had a fall-off in ratings moving it to the Friday 8pm ET/PT slot. I know that many of the readers here kept forgetting it was on or had Friday evening plans.

In the premiere the other night, we saw three of the "blind date" couples arrive at the mat in the top three. Will that repeat tonight?

Here's the updated blog pool presented by the Magnificent Margo:

Mike and Rochelle - Cheryl in NC, Laurie

Aly and Steve - Jackie, SueGee

Lebya ang CJ - Donna in FL, PDXGranny

Harley and Jonathan - Becky, Willie J

Matt and Ashley - Delee, Merrilee

Bergen and Kurt - Nana in NW, Rbennie

Blair and Hayley - Terry in TX, Margo, Chris

Jeffrey and Jackie - Brian, Donna in AL, ORKMommy

Jelani and Jenny - Marlo, Lynn 1, dla

Tyler and Laura - Ed in OH, David, Nickelpeed

PHILIMINATED:

Jeff and Lyda - Jennasmom, Paula Bell, meb

Attention CHRIS -- I saw your name was on the list to sign up and was somehow missed. You now are on the Blair/Hayley team! My apologies!

As the show airs here on the East Coast, this entry will be updated with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! As always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

Heh. They all have to sleep in tiny places that Tokyo is known for. 

They're staying in Japan for now, but don't ask me to spell the name of the next town. They have to get there by bullet train.

Roadblock - Open a trick box by using a series of complicated moves, follow clue inside. There's a spa trip for one couple to be used the pit stop. A loud band is there for annoyance while the puzzle box is being worked on.

CJ and Lebya, already trailing, missed their train while talking about the train. 

Tyler and Laura are the first through the Roadblock. Jelani and Jenny follow them.

Detour -- Hitting the Ice (Chair) or Noodling with a favorite dish (share). Share has them feeding each other a bowl of noodles. A fan is blowing to make the noodles fly in the wind.

Tyler and Laura are the first heading to the Pit Stop. They did not hold their taxi. Jelani and Jenny finish and their cab is waiting. They take the lead. 

Chair has them pushing their partners around in a chair while on skates. Most chose Share. The Olympians chose the Chair.

Pit Stop:

1. Jelani and Jenny - won a FitBit kit, a year of gym, a year of groceries and more. 

2. Laura and Tyler 

Jonathan and Harley got the Date Spa Night slip. 

3. Aly and Steve 

4. Jonathan and Harley

5. Bergen and Kurt

6. Jackie and Jeffrey

7. Matt and Ashley 

8. Mike and Rochelle 

9. Blair and Hayley 

10. CJ and Lebya -- Philiminated

The Amazing Race 26 Season Premiere Blog Party and Pool!

 

Whoa! What a night of television! First we had the season premiere of Survivor: Worlds Apart, now the big twist on the premiere of this season's The Amazing Race! For those of you who might be unaware (I don't know how, but ...!), the theme for this season is "dating couples." That's not a big twist until you note that five of the eleven couples are on a blind date around the world. TAR hasn't really been a show full of "twists" like Survivor or Big Brother, but this season we have one.

After tonight's season premiere, The Amazing Race will be shown in its new (as of last season) time slot -- Friday nights at 8pm ET/PT. That will start THIS Friday, February 27th! I will have a blog party post set up for the show ... please remember it's on!

As tonight's show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest update! 

The Magnificent Margo (and Mom) have made the random matches for the blog pool and here they are:

Mike & Rochelle - Cheryl in NC, Laurie

Aly & Steve - Jackie, SueGee

Lebya & CJ - Donna in FL, PDXGranny

Harley & Jonathan - Becky, Willie J

Jeff & Lyda - Jennasmom, Paula Bell, meb

Matt & Ashley - Delee, Merrilee

Bergen & Kurt - Nana in NW, Rbennie

Blair & Hayley - Terry in TX, Margo

Jeffrey & Jackie - Brian, Donna in AL, ORKMommy

Jelani & Jenny - Marlo, Lynn 1, dla

Tyler & Laura - Ed in OH, David, Nickelpeed

Without further ado, it's onto the show ...

The five single men are standing apart. Phil will bring on the gals. And, there they are. They have to race through a mud run course to get the first flight (eight tickets) to Tokyo. An Express Pass will go to the winner of the leg and there's a U-Turn on this first leg.

Haley/Blair, Mike/Rochelle and Lebya/CJ are one the second flight. I think. I'll fix that if I'm wrong. The first flight will land 45 minutes earlier than the second.

Each team has been given a "selfie camera." @@ 

Detour - Synching Steps (choreographed dancing) or Samurai Sake (memorizing traditional sakes and taking orders).  

Jeff and Jackie get through the Detour first. They don't U-Turn anyone. They're now heading to the Pit Stop, but that's a challenge in and of itself. It's a parking garage. Jelani/Jenny and then Tyler/Laura come through, didn't U-Turn. NSYNC is lost.

Jelani and Jenny win the first leg and the Express Pass!

2. Jeff and Jackie 

3. Laura and Tyler

(Note all three are blind dates.) 

4. Aly and Steve

5. Harley and Jonathan

6. Bergen and Kurt 

Mike/Rochelle U-Turn the only team behind them they know of -- Jeff and Lyda. The other two teams come through, don't use the U-Turn and are shocked that Mike/Rochelle did that to Jeff/Lyda. 

7. Mike and Rochelle 

Jeff/Lyda U-Turn Jeff/Jackie not knowing they're already through.

8. Hayley and Blair

9. Matt and Ashley 

Lebya and CJ are totally lost. But they're there!

10. Lebya and CJ

11. Jeff and Lyda -- Philiminated.

Survivor: Worlds Apart - Season Premiere Blog Party and Pool!

Survivor fans ready? Tonight's 90-minute season premiere will be followed up by a 90-minute season premiere for The Amazing Race 26. The TAR blog party post will show up a few minutes before that premiere. So, if you're watching both shows, refresh the blog main page at show time to join in on that party!

Here we go again. This time the gimmick, er ... twist, is that the castaways are separated by the kind of jobs they have in real life. Like every other twist separating castaways, all will be null and void once it comes to the merge. But, let's see how they do.

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be posting the major happenings in live time here on this entry. Refresh the page to get the latest news!

The Lovely Lifeguard Laurie is once again running the blog pool (thank you!)  Any castaway(s) booted tonight will result in the blog pool people who had them being reassigned to another castaway. Here are our random match-ups for the season:

Blue Collar
Dan - Brian, CherylinNC 
Kelly - Petals, Ed in Ohio 
Lindsey - Donna in FL, David 
Mike - meb, Nickelpeed
Rodney - Margo 
Sierra - Jennasmom

No Collar
Hali - Zoetawny, monty924 
Jenn - Merrilee, Becky 
Joe - SueGee, Chris 
Nina - Lynn1 
Vince - Delee 
Will - Rbennie

White Collar
Carolyn - Jackie TerryinTX 
Joaquin - Laurie, Rochelle 
Max - PDX Granny, Marlo 
Shirin - NanaintheNW 
So - ORKMommy 
Tyler - Donna in Alabama

Okay, it's on with the show we will go!

Jeff is introducing the tribes. All newbies, no veterans of the show and many are big fans. Yellow is WC, Blue is BC and Red is NC. Jeff wants them each to pick a leader. WC chooses Joaquin. BC picks Dan. NC picks Will. Each of them have to pick a second member. So for WC, BC has Mike, NC has Jenn. Once they get to their camps, the two "in charge" must make a big decision for their tribe. Hmm.

Deceive -- they can a small bag of beans to camp and get an idol clue
Honesty -- they can bring big bag of beans back, no clue.

Jenn/Will take the big beans, Mike/Dan the same -- their tribe is already talking about how they actually took the small bag. Joaquin wants the advantage and ally with So. They go for the small bag. So feels like she's making a deal with the devil. She just might be. Their tribe also thinks they're lying.

BC has a fire built in less than two hours.

Must Dan wear a speedo while he calls himself a fat man? He's alienated most of his tribe due to his mouth or bossiness.

Joe earns brownie points with his tribe because he has now made fire without a flint.

Oh my gosh ... Carolyn, my pool person, found an idol without a clue. Mind you, Joaquin and So did NOT share the clue nor the fact they had one. Ha! WC can't start a fire, nor build a shelter.

Immunity Challenge -- free a ladder and bring it through a series of obstacles, then choose a puzzle to solve out of three. The puzzles each address a different approach to thinking. First place winner gets reward of a fire-making kit, second place gets a flint.  Last place gets to go to Tribal.

NO COLLAR wins! Blue Collar wins second place. White Collar gets to go to Tribal and someone will go home.

So is working on getting Carolyn out even though Shirin is the one who blew the puzzle. Thankfully Carolyn has an idol and a clue that her name is being brought up. She tells Tyler (who let her know the others are talking about her going) about the idol. Now Carolyn is working to get So out.

Tribal Council time! Catfight time. Meow! So voted Carolyn and vice versa.

The tally -- Carolyn does not use the idol.

Carolyn, So, Carolyn, So, So, So.

So is voted out first of the season!

The Amazing Race Blog Pool OPENS!

The Magnificent Margo is once again in charge of the blog pool! We all know how much she rocks!

Here's how the blog pool works --

• Blog readers are randomly matched with a team
• They can cheer on that team until the team gets Philiminated or win the million!
• There is no wagering! We're playing for the bigger stuff of life here -- bragging rights!
• If you wish to be in on the pool, please sign up in comments in THIS POST ONLY. If you ask on another post, it could be inadvertently missed.
• The cut-off for getting in on the pool will be Tuesday, February 24 by 6pm ET.

Ready to race?