Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 14, 2015

Good morning! Since it's indeed a Sunday morning, 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. If you're interested in Big Brother 17 television show news, I have posts at this link and will be posting on the new cast reveal this coming Tuesday evening.

I really don't have much for you this week. It was either raining or hot and humid all week. That's so not my favorite kind of weather. I prefer highs in the low 70s! Here are some random thoughts on the week and stuff:

• Two different bugs seem to be going around at work -- a stomach bug and a coughing bug. I don't want either one. People need to stop breathing on me.
• For the most part, I can't even tell I have a neighbor where the noisy screaming thumping family lived. Good. Hopefully he feels the same about me.
• I filled out the latest NJ Transit customer service survey. I complained about all the riff-raff hanging out, drinking and such at the Plainfield Train Station as well as the horrid condition of the tunnel and elevators. I'm sure they'll listen to me. Right?
• I don't like to sweat. Wah.
• I think I need a nap.

Onto the photos for the week -- clicking on an image will bring it up larger in a gallery of all the photos on the post.

Berries

I didn't realize my camera was in a bizarre mode when I shot these berries at the Plainfield Train Station. But I kind of like how it turned out.

A posing pigeon

This is an adolescent pigeon who was a roly-poly fluff ball just a few weeks ago at the Bridgewater Train Station.

Canned goods

These were atop the mail boxes in my apartment building one day, apparently for anyone wanted to take them. The only brand name I've seen before is the Del Monte. I have my own canned goods and would be more likely to do this than to take them. But, I'm sure someone can use them, off brands or not.

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

Big Brother 17 -- Timeline for stuff!

Yesterday, there was a Derrick VIP live chat on the live feeds. On Monday, Frankie will have his own VIP live chat. Both of these chats had/have to do with questions directed at themselves or advice for those who want to be BB houseguests. No information on the new cast will be revealed. The Big Brother Access site has posted a transcript of Derrick's chat here at this link.

But ... then ... on Tuesday (June 16), the big live feeds cast reveal goes down! I'll be posting that evening on the live feeds interviews. Websites who get to do cast interviews probably won't be able to post until the next day. Remember, the live feeds this year are via CBS All Access and, while the cost is a negligible $5.99 a month, the first week is free! (Plus you can watch tons of other things, including full seasons of BB and Survivor from the start!)

The season premiere of BB17 is a two night event -- June 24 and 25, starting at 8pm ET/PT both nights. Starting Sunday, June 27, the regular schedule will be Sunday and Wednesday nights at 8pm ET/PT with the live eviction shows airing at 9pm ET/PT on Thursdays.

Once again, I plan on posting daily live feeds updates at least twice daily -- morning and evening, most likely three times daily with a late night post as well. Of course, I'm here East Coast time, so my late night isn't necessarily the late night of the hamsters! I do a work a full time real job, so I can't be posting all happenings live as they happen.

The season finale date is already set for 90 minutes on Wednesday, September 23. How much do you want to bet that it will follow the Survivor season debut?

Get your Habitrails ready for some hamster-watching!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - June 7, 2015

Good Sunday morning, folks! Since it is Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic review of the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. For television fans -- I don't expect any concrete news about the upcoming Big Brother season until after this upcoming week. I have written some about the show which you can find at this link.

We had a lot of rain this past week. True, we needed it. But I'd personally prefer it to rain when I'm sleeping. Sleeping or even just lazing about goes so much better with the rain than trying to commute to work in it. Yesterday, after a rainy start, the weather turned perfect. That's in my own opinion, of course. Partly cloudy, highs somewhere in the mid-seventies with a slight breeze. I could do that year 'round.

On the home front, all is well. Vincent is fine. My new neighbor, a retired gentleman who already lived in one of the landlord's buildings, remains extremely quiet. He moved here because he has problems with his knees and will be getting a knee replacement. We have an elevator; his building didn't and he lived on the third floor there. I've heard kitchen sounds such as putting away dishes in the cabinets. One evening I heard the sound of a faint television. I can sometimes slightly hear movement or walking, but my floorboards aren't moving and nothing is even irking. If I have my television or music on (which I don't play loud), I hear absolutely nothing from that apartment. Blissful!

Meanwhile, down on the first floor, the screaming child can be heard all the way to the front of the building. That means prospective and existing tenants, along with the super, can hear him upon entering or leaving the building. I can't think they're going to be long for the place. I doubt their lease will be renewed. And, rental leases in New Jersey automatically renew unless there are critical problems with rent payments or violations of said lease. But, for the health of the apartment building, I can't see them staying. I feel sorry for the kid. I think he screams for attention and he gets none.

On the work front ... hmm ... forget it. I don't want to talk about the work front. I'm not a happy camper these days. I seriously have to figure out how to swing things financially so I can retire in a few years. It's a toxic place and I fear I'm getting too old for such stress in my life. I'm still having headaches from my injury last fall and I feel the tension is making things worse.

That's about all I have for you this week. Onto the photos -- if you click on an image, it will show larger in a gallery type display. I hope everyone has a nice Sunday!

A rose by any other name ...

... would smell just as sweet. These were growing in front of a home on East Second Street in Plainfield.

Pretty in pink

They've redone the planters near my workplace.

An elegant dove

A dove on a wire in the waning sunlight near the Bridgewater Train Station.

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

20 Things We Can Expect on Big Brother 17

1. There will be the requisite black male and/or black female. However, never more than two folks of color.
2. Someone will try to set up an alliance on the first night.
3. The old person will be slightly over 40. Hey, maybe a real old one at 45. We can dream.
4. There will be at least one woman with a shrill loud voice that will disturb the neighbors in my apartment building as I watch the live feeds late at night.
5. There will be a gay guy. But never two gay guys. If there were, they'd probably not like each other.
6. We'll have a new array of tattoos to see ... some will have to be covered with Band-Aids.
7. A bunch of the hamsters, convinced that the show is Big Brother: The Musical, spontaneously burst into song periodically during the season. Thus, the live feeds will go into fish (or, old-style FOTH) every time they sing.

8. There will be several model wannabes, both male and female. They will hang around in bathing suits and live for comps akin to wet t-shirt contests.
9. At least three hamsters will think that stardom comes after the wrap party at the end of the season. They would be wrong.
10. There will be "twists" we don't like or want.
11. Fish will die. Yes, the fish in the HoH fish tank die all season. No, they don't show that on television.
12. Ants will invade the kitchen. They always do.
13. BB will dole out a paltry amount of alcohol and the hamsters will act like it's a keg party at a frat house.
14. The hamsters will rush around cleaning up the house on live show days not caring that they're SLOBS daily on the Internet.
15. More than one person will have to dress up in a silly costume as a punishment.

16. Most of the competitions will require the hamsters to make fools of themselves.
17. The women will think of forming a women's alliance, but it won't work out.
18. Both men and women will pop pimples in the mirror. Ew.

19. BB will give them dollar store toys and arts and crafts when the doldrums get too dull.
20. There will be at least one person who cries a lot. It would be nice if she were named Amber so we could call her WAH-mber as we've done in the past.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - May 31, 2015

Good morning! It's Sunday morning. You know what that means. It's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the past week in both words and photographs I took along the way. I've been on a staycation (budget not allowing any extended trips, but I needed to take the time off) this week. I was thinking of going into the city to capture Manhattanhenge but it was too muggy, I was too lazy and now it's such a crowded event that it's almost annoying.

I did make a trip into neighboring Westfield and spent a part of one day at Mindowaskin Park. Most of this week's photos are from my park visit. For the first time since I started visiting the park several years back, I saw three bullfrogs. I didn't get any photos of them as I startled each one of them and they leaped into the water. Hey, they startled me, too!

A chipmunk also scared me at the park. There I was, innocently sitting on a bench, looking through photos I had taken. Next to the bench, set in the grass, was an old sewer grate. I just caught movement from the side and my thought was RAT or PENNYWISE THE DANCING CLOWN! Er, no. It was a chipmunk. I did get a few shots of it, but they didn't turn out all that well as he ran so darn fast.

The biggest news of the week is that my horrible, noisy, thumping so my floorboards move, child screaming at all hours neighbors moved out! I hadn't voiced any more complaints to the landlord about them since the first time. I figured whoever moved in under them would take care of that. And, so it did. Apparently the landlord lost a second tenant who moved under them.

Alas, they only moved downstairs to the first floor -- the very same apartment that two different families moved out of because of them.  I would guess the were given the ultimatum to move to the first floor or out of the building. It's been blissfully quiet here since they went away. Yay!

If you missed it, I wrote a post with some Big Brother news in it the other day. As more information comes around, I'll be posting. You can always find my BB posts by using this tag.

Onto the photos from the week! I might share some more of the gosling shots next week as they were so cute. I didn't make a slideshow as some people were having trouble loading it. If you click on an image, you'll get a larger view in a gallery.

Wood (or Carolina) Duck

This is the second time in several years that I've photographed a male Wood Duck at Mindowaskin Park. I have yet to see a female there. This male, like the last one I saw, stayed alone, refusing to mingle with the mallards or (heaven forbid) the Canada geese.

The mallard has his own beauty

The males are the ones with the white bodies and iridescent heads. Both male and female sport a swatch of blue or purple speculum feathers on their wings.

Mallard's colors close-up

I love the color of the blue on this mallard!

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