Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 5, 2015

Good morning! And, I wish everyone who celebrates the holiday a Happy Easter! This is my weekly off television topic post in which I reflect on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. Later this week you can find both Survivor and The Amazing Race blog parties right here!

Hmm ... what happened this week? Well, I'd say we got out of winter, yet even this morning the temperature remained below the freezing mark. One day we got up near 70 degrees but it was a grey rainy day. Looking at the week ahead, it seems like the temperatures won't be bad but we're due quite a bit of rain. Oh, well. It's better than snow.

In the ongoing noisy neighbors saga, it sounds like they've put carpet down on the hardwood floors. I hear muffled thumping and my own floor in the dining room does still move some with the thumps. It still can't be good for the neighbor underneath them. I can hear the occasional scream from the child, yet nowhere near like it was. Yet, I was in the hall corridor and could hear the child screaming away loud and clear . I went in my apartment and could no longer hear him. Huh. Not sure how they did that, but I'll take it.

I really don't have much more to report. This past week was neither great nor terrible ... just another week in the life. Onto this week's photos -- you can see larger versions by clicking on the images.

Happy Ester

No, I didn't do this to the bench. If I had, I would have spelled it right. The bench at the corner of Watchung and North Avenues in Plainfield was covered with egg, chicken and other ink stamps accompanied by the holiday greeting.

A cloudy morning ...

... at the Plainfield Train Station.

The "charcoal drawing" version

If you like messing with photos you've taken, this PhotoCat website is fun. It's very simplistic, online interaction (you don't need to download a program), free and has a lot of cool options.

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

The Amazing Race 26: April 3 Blog Party

 

It's Friday night! I hope you haven't forgotten that it's time for The Amazing Race! It's been bad enough that people haven't been adjusting to the Friday time slot. But now, after a two week absence due to March Madness basketball, my hopes are just that someone shows up for the blog party!

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

Mike and Rochelle - Cheryl in NC, Laurie

Aly and Steve - Jackie, SueGee

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

Lebya and CJ - Donna in FL, PDXGranny 

Harley and Jonathan - Becky, Willie J

As the show airs here, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party will be in the comments area. Come join us there!

The teams are flying off to Germany where they will end up being part of Oktoberfest. All teams are on the same 17-hour flight. In native garb, they have to climb to the top of a tower, find their cars and head off. One team switched cars and left behind a fanny pack ... probably containing the important stuff. It's Tyler's fanny pack -- Jackie and Jeff find it. For doing so well before, they're quibbling now!

Their destination inside what looks like an old factory is actually a winter wonderland. They have to drive their product placement cars backwards using the rear view camera through it. 

This must be the Quibble and Bicker Episode. 

Tyler and Laura get through the backwards snow course first, but now have to wait for the other car to show up with his fanny pack.

Kurt and Bergen decide to give up the car, take a taxi and the penalty. They won't be able to do that because they need the car for the challenge. 

Now Aly and Steve are leading the pack, rowing away.

Detour - Stein or Stack.  Deliver many steins of bear without spilling. Stack is stacking crates.

Kurt and Bergen are allowed a two hour penalty.

Roadblock has them singing a song.  Sing it wrong and get drenched.

Jeff and Jackie tried to lie about the fanny pack. Didn't work.

Aly and Steve are the first heading to the Pit Stop. Hayley is getting more and more annoying. Not only does she have a Bernadette voice (from The Big Bang Theory), but she won't stop nitpicking at Blair. Laura referred to her as the Wicked Witch of the West.

Pit Stop --

1. Aly and Steve -- each won a 2015 Ford Focus (product placement vehicle) 

2. Matt and Ashley

3. Jeff and Jackie

4. Jelani and Jenny

5. Hayley and Blair 

6. Laura and Tyler 

7. Mike and Rochelle

Bergen and Kurt are totally lost trying to take the train. Phil has to go find them at the train station. They are Philiminated. And, it's all Kurt's fault. Poor Bergen. He seems to be a decent guy who was trying to be in it to win it. Kurt wanted love. Blech on him.

Survivor: Worlds Apart - April 1 Blog Party

No party tonight. I'm giving up on Survivor.

April Fool's!
Heehee.

Survivor fans ready?

Judging from the promo for tonight's show, it looks like the individual game might be on. If so, that's probably a good thing because it's not a fair fight if physical challenges pit the present two tribes together. All the alpha males are on one tribe! Had they not thrown the challenge last week, they would have won once again.

As the show airs here, I'll update this post with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to "see" you there!

Before we get into the show, here are the latest blog pool standings from that Rockin' Lifeguard Laurie:

Blue - Escameca
Dan - Brian, CherylinNC
Joe - SueGee, Chris 
Mike - meb, Nickelpeed 
Rodney - Margo 
Sierra - Jennasmom 
Tyler - Donna in Alabama, ORK Mommy 

Red - Nagarote
Carolyn - Jackie, TerryinTX 
Hali - Zoetawny, monty924 
Jenn - Merrilee, Becky 
Kelly - Petals, Ed in Ohio 
Shirin - NanaintheNW 
Will - Rbennie 

Out 
WC - So
NC - Vince - Delee 
NC - Nina - Lynn1 
BC - Lindsey - Donna in FL, David 
Max - PDX Granny, Marlo
Joaquin - Laurie, Rochelle 

Let's get started!

Rodney isn't a happy camper and perhaps even less so when Mike tries to reel him back in.

Tree mail hints at the merge.

Yes, the merge and its related feast is on. Tyler is relieved as he was Joaquin's buddy. Carolyn tells us that, although she has a strong bond with Tyler, no one is going to know about it. I'm liking my pool pick so far this season. She found an idol without a clue and has been flying under the radar a bit while making quietly strategic moves.

They find the camp is basically gone and they have to start from scratch again.

Mike and Kelly renew their bonds. It looks like the five remaining Blue Collars might be a power to be reckoned with. The No Collars want to hook up with the White Collars. Rodney wants to get recruits against those who "disrespected him" by voting out Joaquin.

Dan got stung by a jellyfish. Poor baby.

Mike comes up with the tribe name of Merica. @@

Okay, time for the first individual immunity challenge! It's endurance, hanging onto a pole. Dan's out first. Now Will is out. Then Tyler. Sierra out. Then Shirin, then Kelly. Mike falls. Rodney asks Momma C (Carolyn) if she has it. Now Rodney out. Jenn got stung by a bee in the um ... upper thigh. Hali is out. Now it's raining. Jenn is out. They've been up about an hour. It's down to Joe and Carolyn.

Carolyn falls. Joe wins Immunity!

Mike thinks Jenn or Hali should be the targets. He thinks Will will be swayed by Rodney. Will thinks the first vote will show loyalty. That's their plan. Shirin thinks the old BC hate each other, but vote as a block. The WC players are in the middle. The NC want to target Kelly.

Tribal Council. Shirin denies being a swing vote after Jeff mentioned that the numbers make old WC swing votes.

The tally -- Jenn plays her idol.

Hali, Jenn, Jenn, Jenn, Jenn, Jenn, Jenn, Jenn, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly.

Kelly is voted out. Rodney's reaction, although blurred, is almost as good as his reaction when Joaquin was voted out.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - March 29, 2015

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. During the upcoming week, we'll have both Survivor and return of The Amazing Race. The latter has been off the schedule for a few weeks due to March Madness basketball.

I'd kind of like to know who watches March Madness basketball myself. With all the hype about "brackets" and other hoopla, I don't think I know anyone who's personally into it. Oh, I can see if your alma mater is involved. I noticed my old alma mater was in it at the beginning and was rather surprised -- it was known as more of an academic college when I attended rather than having much more than losing sports teams. I guess times have changed.

Oh, geez. I sneezed and Vincent just realized I'm here. He came bounding from the other room and leaped on me. Sheesh. It's like he was launched like a kitty cannonball.

Ahem.

Not much going on here this past week. In the ongoing unreasonable and disturbing noise issues from the new neighbors, progress has been made. The downstairs people called the police and I backed them up on their complaint. Then I called the landlord and filed my first official complaint against another tenant in the 14 years I've lived here. It's been quiet over there since. We'll see.

Work remains work. Sigh.

Onto the photos I took this week. Clicking on an image will bring it up in a larger version.

Colorful bike

I wonder if it's his primary bike! Heehee ... I crack myself up. Parked at the Plainfield Train Station. Note that the snow piles are still existent, albeit dwindling, near the building.

Look out!

Coming in for a landing atop a roof on North Avenue in Plainfield.

Oh, deer

Just after sunset last evening I saw a deer at the Bridgewater Train Station. I didn't really have the opportunity to do more than get out my camera and shoot, thus getting really sketchy photos. She was wary of me and kept watching me. I kept trying to get to the opening in the fence near me so I could take photos. She watched me. I watched her. She edged away. I edged towards her. And so the story goes.

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

Survivor: Worlds Apart - March 25 Blog Party

Survivor fans ready?

It's post-merge into two tribes with a really uneven playing field tonight. I can't believe how the one tribe is all guys except for one and the other one is mostly female. Yeah, that second tribe did vote out Max, a rare guy, but he's not such a great loss. I personally would have gone for Shirin out first due to the annoyance factor. However, I wasn't there.

I'll update this post with the major happenings as the show airs here East Coast time tonight. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

Here's the latest on the blog pool from the Lovely Lifeguard Laurie:

Blue - Escameca
Dan - Brian, CherylinNC 
Joaquin - Laurie, Rochelle 
Joe - SueGee, Chris 
Mike - meb, Nickelpeed 
Rodney - Margo 
Sierra - Jennasmom 
Tyler - Donna in Alabama, ORK Mommy 

Red - Nagarote
Carolyn - Jackie TerryinTX 
Hali - Zoetawny, monty924 
Jenn - Merrilee, Becky 
Kelly - Petals, Ed in Ohio 
Shirin - NanaintheNW 
Will - Rbennie 

Out 
So
Vince - Delee NC Nina Lynn1 
Lindsey - Donna in FL, David 
Max - PDX Granny, Marlo

On with the shenanigans! Er, show. On with the show! 

Aw, Shirin feels like she's all alone. "Is it me?" Yes. Yes, it is.

The Joaquin/Rodney bromance is getting its start. 

Reward Challenge time -- race up a tower through obstacles, launch sandbags to hit six targets out in the field. They're playing for a trip to a turtle sanctuary to watch turtles migrate and lay eggs. They're also to have a feast. No. Not turtle soup. Dan sits out. 

OMG! Nagarote wins Reward! Now, that was unexpected! 

Uh-oh. Sierra wants to link up Joaquin. Actually, it's the other way around. Rodney and Sierra both think they need Joaquin and Tyler to get ahead, though.

Rodney tells Mike that he has Joaquin like a puppetmaster and they have to throw the challenge to get Joe out. Meanwhile, Mike isn't against throwing challenges because it would keep his ally Kelly safe on the other tribe.

The Immunity Challenge is memorizing objects in a certain order. Carolyn blew Rodney out of the water in the first round. Hali also does well. If Will gets it, they can win in this round. Joe beats him. Shirin vs. Dan now. That ties it up. Either tribe can win now. Mike vs. Kelly ... hmm. Both are wrong. Mike threw it. They go again. He tells her he's giving it to her. Mike is wrong, so is Kelly. Down to five items. The blatant throw finally works. Nagarote wins. Kind of sort of.

Too much talk about Joe going home. So, I kind of doubt he will. 

Both sides are after Sierra for the vote.

Tribal Council brings out honesty from Sierra. Lots of talk of trust or the lack thereof. A teaser with the Sierra vote -- she's shown writing JO ..

Joe, Joaquin, Joe, Joaquin, Joe, Joaquin, Joaquin.

Good. I like Joe more than I like Joaquin!