Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - April 12, 2015

Good morning! This is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. My apologies for posting so late today, but I've been a bit under the weather. I hope you'll join me later in the week for Survivor and The Amazing Race blog parties!

Until yesterday, this past week was mostly chilly and rainy with night time lows hovering around freezing. Now it looks like we might have finally turned the corner. Every day this coming week is forecast to be above 60 degrees. Yes!

As for why I'm under the weather -- I've caught the Killer Cold that's being passed around throughout the Northeast. Now, it's just a cold. But it's knocking me (and everyone whom I know who has caught it) for a loop. I can't breathe. My sinuses are whacked. My ears are even all stuffy. I felt it coming on Tuesday and it hasn't left me yet. As a result I'm not sleeping well, either. Y'know, I'm getting really tired of one health woe after another. I should be due for a good health streak.

Today is simply beautiful outside. High expected around 64, sunny and dry. I plan on pretty much hanging low, staying inside, staying in bed a lot hoping to finish off this cold.

Oh, well. I should get this posted. Clicking on an image will bring up a larger shot ...

It's finally SPRING!

Crocuses! Spring! Yay!

Early in the week ...

... the daffodil buds were showing on Berckman Street in Plainfield.

1955 Chevrolet Nomad

Although my train to work yesterday passed over the Revolutionary War Battle of Bound Brook re-enactment too quickly for photos, another treat was in store for me at the TD Ball Park adjacent to the Bridgewater Train Station. Vintage cars were all backing up the sidewalk and parking along the front of the stadium. I sat on a bench photographing some of them. But then I ended up standing up near the bench after I saw this particular car hit a lamp post with its driver side. Love them fuzzy dice! More car photos (and others, too) after the jump.

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

The Amazing Race 26: April 10 Blog Party

 

It's Friday night! I hope you haven't forgotten that it's time for The Amazing Race! While I personally haven't forgotten it, tonight will be a bit hit or miss for me. Y'see ... I have the Cold From Hell that's been going around here on the East Coast. I can't breathe, sleep, think, etc. Tonight's updates will be the major major happenings without much detail because my mind is so fuzzy. I think I should invest in the facial tissue industries!

Plus, several of our regulars here won't be able to make it tonight.

Double whammy.

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

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 

Bergen and Kurt - Nana in NW, Rbennie

Teams are headed to Monaco. After a Roadblock with chocolates and flowers, teams are off the Casino Royale in Monte Carlo where they'll gamble to determine their Detour.  

Win by a Nose has them making perfume and cologne.  Don't Slack Off has them ziplining down and walking a rope back up.

Pit Stop Order:

1. Blair and Hayley - Won a trip to South Africa

2. Aly and Steve

3. Mike and Rochelle

4. Matt and Ashley

5. Jelani and Jenn

6. Laura and Tyler

7. Jeff and Jackie -- Philiminated

Next week is a two-hour episode.

Survivor: Worlds Apart - April 8 Blog Party

Survivor fans ready?

It sounds like Idol Fever is going to take over the castaways tonight ... and I'm not talkin' American Idol. Thankfully, my blog pool random pick person already has one. I still think it's not great that she (Carolyn) told Tyler about it, but they always seem to tell someone. Why, I don't know.

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 
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
Kelly - Petals, Ed in Ohio

Let's get started!

Rodney thinks he has Tyler, Carolyn and Will as allies against Mike. Mike calls Jenn's playing of the idol "sweet." Rodney does a lot of talking.

Onto the Reward Challenge. Walk across balance beams, retrieve puzzle pieces, three vie for the win. The Reward is a zipline trip and pizza picnic. Joe, Mike and Hali go for the puzzle solving part. Joe wins Reward! He picks three people to join him -- Tyler, Will, Carolyn. One more -- Shirin. (Eek.)

Carolyn unknowingly got an idol clue in her soda. She gave Joe the rest of her soda -- he had seen the note in it. Tyler saw Joe get the clue. The plot thickens. Joe gets Tyler to follow him in the night. Mike follows the both of them.

Oh my gosh! Joe goes missing and Mike freaks! 

Mike tries to convince the others that Joe has the idol. Ew, Mike eats termites while he searches for the idol. And ... then he finds the hidden idol!

Immunity Challenge is ON! They have to race to move a puzzle piece through three slide mazes, then solve a slide puzzle. Heh. Rodney is still on the first slide maze while just about all the others are solving the puzzle. Dan thought he had it. He didn't. Twice. 

JOE wins Immunity once again! (And he needs it, too.)

Shirin and Hali's names are being thrown about. The girls want Dan out. 

Tribal Council time. Probsting questions indeed. 

The Tally -- No idols played:

Dan, Hali, Dan, Hali, Dan, Hali, Dan, Hali, Hali, Hali.

Hali is voted out. It should have been Rodney, methinks.

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.