Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 9, 2015

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection of the past week in both words and photographs I've taken along the way! This post is a year 'round "feature" on the blog. If you're looking for Big Brother posts, they can all be found at this link right here. If you're not interested in this particular post, please feel free to skip on by it. I'll be posting a Big Brother blog party post coinciding with the East Coast airing of the show and, late this evening, another live feeds post. Stay tuned.

Yep, another week come and gone. While the children in some states are going back to school, things don't start here until September. That's more like it was where I attended school. Only college began in August. Of course, if school was year 'round, it would prepare the children more for the realities of real life!

Some random observations and musings from the past week:

• Plainfield Police seem to be chasing the ne'er-do-wells from the 4th Avenue side of the Plainfield Train Station to the North Avenue side and leaving them there. Every morning, riff-raff is occupying all the shelters with benches on the platform and the lawn on the North Street side. People using the train to commute back and forth to work, shopping, whatever, shouldn't have to deal with this! I'm talking MORNING. Nighttime is even worse.
• The humidity has been gone for most of the week, but it's still warmer than I like. I really don't care for temperatures over the early 80s. 
• I enjoy the fact that my apartment building superintendent is named Mario. I can call him Super Mario. I just can't get him to address me as plain old "Jackie." He's always so formal with me! I hope it's not because he thinks I'm old.
• The elevator button light for my floor still doesn't work. At least the elevator itself works.
• I'm spending an inordinate amount of time working on the blog and, though I do love the community it generates, I'm not getting much income from it. There used to be a time that writing BB through the summer would pay my rent for three months. Sigh.
• My new-ish neighbor remains quiet. I found out it's actually his brother I've met in the hallway and elevator. The brother's about my age, perhaps a bit younger. Late at night, I can occasionally hear the thumping of the wild child now living below them.
• I'm biding time until my week off from work next month.
• It's too long away!

Onto the photos for the week! Clicking on an image will open it in a larger form.

Train/bike combination rider

This man gets off the train in Plainfield every workday morning with his tie, suspenders and bicycle.

Look into my eyes

I'll tell you no lies. The pigeons of the Bridgewater Train Station remain curious about my camera. Or me. Not sure which it is.

There was a rabbit

I'd say this looks like a new one born this past spring. I kind of wonder about that growth on his nose, but he's cute nonetheless.

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

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds into Sunday - August 9

Taking out the queen

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Cards:

• Y'know, eventually all houses of cards fall down.
• Vanessa claims that production screwed up on her medication times and it messed with how she did on the PoV comp.
• Again, I ask, much as I've asked for many seasons: What the hell is it with all these young people on various medications? When I was the age of these house hamsters I had no psych meds (although I admit I probably could have used them). I had no anti-anxiety drugs. And, if the hamsters are taking medications, why do they drink alcohol whenever they can? Maybe BB should look into hamsters who don't need Mother's Little Helper to get through the day.
• /rant
• More info about the PoV comp was brought to light. It was comic books, as I said before. Vanessa was the Mad Hatter in hers. Liz is a bit upset as she was "The Evil Twin." After Jace's photo was removed to make room for Julia, they were glad his face was included in the comics. Apparently Audrey's comic had her in her shroud (whatever).
• Becky told her group (Jackie, James, Meg) that she'll take the heat for putting Vanessa up because Vanessa has nothing to dish on her.
• Huh. Steve doesn't know who Howard Stern is. What a sheltered life the boy leads ...
• Johnny Mac thinks Austin should be targeted as he's close with Vanessa.
• Heh. Liz doesn't like Austin's ponytail rat-tail beard and said it! Plus, she mentioned Austin's girlfriend at home. You just know, when it comes down to it, she'll be with her sister and Austin will be tossed to the wayside.
• Shelli told Austin that Liz doesn't like his beard. He told her his girlfriend (ex?) didn't like it either. But he just might trim it for Liz.
• I say, don't bother. Just keep your shirt on.
• Does Julia really like Steve? Hmm.
• Vanessa questioned James about what Becky might do. He said he really doesn't know other than she told him she was going to stick to the deal. Of course, he's implying the deal he and Becky made for his safety.
• But there's another deal entirely -- the Backdoor Vanessa deal.
• Becky talked to Shelli, telling her that she is targeting Vanessa over her because Vanessa isn't trustworthy.
• Meanwhile, Vanessa told James that if Becky backdoors her, she's going to be a bitter jury member and turn people against her.
• Um. As Becky mentioned afterwards when James told her, the first jury member can't "poison" anyone. Everyone is already in the house and knows what's been going on. It's the later jury members who might taint others.
• James told Vanessa he'd rather Shelli go as she bullies people into voting the way she wants. Hmm. Liar, liar, pants on fire.
• James reported the talk to Becky.
• Becky told Vanessa that she thinks she'll put Johnny Mac up as the replacement nominee and Shelli will be voted out.
• Liar, liar.
• Vanessa thinks that, if she goes on the block with Shelli, the votes might be there to keep her in.
• Ha.
• Becky complained that Austin and the twins aren't really playing the game -- it's as if they think they're at summer camp.
• Steve and Shelli had a long and pleasant non-game talk. At least it was a good change over Vanessa's paranoid non-stop ramblings.

Is Vanessa cheating on her hat?

Good social game, bad knees

Keep the shirt on, PLEASE

The Meow Meow reincarnated?

Becky! Don't lie on your transmitter!

Cold without her armor, I guess.

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Saturday, Power of Veto - August 8

Examining an apple

Since the live feeds were blocked so long first for the picking of the PoV players and then hours for the PoV comp itself, today is a bit short and sweet. Here's the latest from that Big Brother House of a Jeffish Day:

• Shelli and Steve believe they're on the same page.
• Well, they're surely in the same nominations chairs!
• Vanessa told Steve that if she wins PoV, she'll take him down. She is going to try hard for it because of her (very valid this time) fear of being backdoored.
• She honestly thinks that Becky will put up Johnny Mac because she made deals with everyone else.
• Vanessa doesn't know that Becky and Johnny Mac are working together.
• Meg, Austin and Vanessa will be playing for veto with Steve, Shelli and Becky.
• Vanessa told Steve (and Shelli) that if Shelli picked her for Houseguest's Choice, and she won, she'd take her (Shelli) off the block.
• And, guess who got Houseguest's Choice?
• Why, Shelli did. She told Johnny Mac she chose Vanessa because Vanessa would freak.
• Finally, after more than five hours, the PoV comp was over. It was something to do with comics and art.
• STEVE won the Power of Veto!
• Becky and James are thrilled, Backdoor Vanessa in motion.

How I feel

Containing a guffaw

Llama up for eviction

After PoV, the winner relaxes

The PoV shirts

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds into Saturday pre-dawn - August 8

Time for the armor striptease

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Flipflopping Flunkies:

• Vanessa is scrambling. She's paranoid, as usual. However, this time it's rightfully so.
• She asks Austin to let her know of any plans he might hear that she's a backdoor plan.
• Hey, Vanessa ... you're the backdoor plan!
• I said that, not Austin. 
• Although he knows she is.
• Becky is now thinking that she'd rather take Shelli off the block than Steve.
• She's worried that Shelli would be angry with her.
• Hmm.
• I guess Steve being angry with her is just fine. She doesn't think he'd come gunning after her.
• Enough people would probably vote Vanessa out, but it's still playing with Steve's life in the game.
• Jackie finally got to take off her knight armor-tard.
• Johnny Mac has switched his game on. About time!
• He told Shelli that Vanessa had made plans to take the remnant of Clay/Shelli out to protect herself.
• He told her that Vanessa had been behind all the evictions so far in the game.
• He told her that she (Shelli) is only there because Vanessa wanted her to stay one more week, not Clay.
• Johnny Mac told her that if he wins veto, he would save her (Shelli) from the block.
• Steve thinks he's the only superfan to make jury. He doesn't count Austin, I guess. And he doesn't really know about Johnny Mac.
• Vanessa thinks that Austin and the twins trust Becky more than them.
• Oh, I'd say they'd float to wherever the power might keep them safe.
• Then, the most interesting thing of the night happened -- Johnny Mac "talked game" with Steve.
• He told Steve that if he won Houseguest's Choice for the PoV, to choose him.
• He told Steve he wanted blood on his hands.
• He told Steve that he (Steve) is in the alliance with himself and Shelli and that Vanessa was by herself.
• (Johnny Mac didn't mention his private alliance with Becky, mind you.)
• Instead, he told Steve that if Vanessa didn't go out this week, it would be him -- Johnny Mac going as the secondary backdoor target.
• He told Steve that if he won the veto, he'd save Shelli.
• Say what?
• He got Steve to promise to pick him if he got HG choice AND to throw the veto.
• When Johnny Mac gets his game on, he really gets his game on.
• After Johnny left him, Steve cried. He said he needs his mother. He has promised to keep the Johnny Mac talk secret.
• But he has the SOS alliance -- final two -- with Vanessa.
• Is he loyal to her? Should he be?
• Should he tell Johnny Mac about SOS and Freaks and Geeks?
• Yeah, I'd like him to tell him.
• Heh.
• That's all for now!

Grumpy cat

Tell me if I'm the target!

Johnny Mac talking game?

With Steve?

In turmoil, he needs his mom

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Friday, Nominations - August 7

Our illustrious HoH hard at work

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Wayward Boys and Girls:

• First, I notice there were questions about the Diary Room "leak" with James saying, "America's Player card? Thank you." -- I have no clue. I did hear it. I even replayed it a few times to make sure it's what I heard. I even checked other sites and they heard it, too. But that's all there is to it. Unlike Steve, James doesn't talk to us.
• All of the hamsters were sore today from the falls in the comp yesterday. I believe it. If I had taken some of those falls, I'd probably have a cast or two today. They're fun to watch, but I always think someone could actually hurt themselves.
• The day started off with Ants Marching. No, not the Dave Matthews Band tune ... actual ants all over the kitchen. I always cringe when I see them spraying Raid on the counters and near the food. That can't be healthy. But I've never had any sort of rampant insect invasion in my kitchen (knock on wood), so I'm not sure what I'd do.
• Vanessa fussed that Becky didn't want to listen to her. She was even to the point of being hostile to her, claims Vanessa.
• Well, Vanessa ... I often don't want to listen to you, either. You talk too much, make the same points over and over again and it's always a mile a minute. You give me a headache.
• And that green hat needs to go. Someone called 'Vanessa's Hat' has started following me on Twitter. I might have nightmares.
• Once again, the HoH chose the Have Nots. In continuing the fairness, everybody needs to be one sometime theory, Becky chose James, Meg and Jackie.
• I miss the old food comps in which the entire house had to win the foods they'd eat for the week. Plus, they were the only comps we'd actually see on the live feeds.
• Liz and Julia, fairly sure they won't be going on the block, think they need to win the veto so the nominations will remain the same.
• They are quite worried that people will think of them as the next "couple" who needs to be broken up. Neither seem all that worried that Austin will be targeted. 
• Jackie told Meg and James how Vanessa had been going around telling everyone James was bullying people about the vote.
• I never saw any bullying from James. I'll admit I saw him play the pity card in that he made this big move and really needed people to back him.
• That's not bullying.
• Clay bullied James. Jace bullied Steve. That was physical intimidation and bullying.
• Steve thinks the target is Austin.
• It's not.
• From late night talks, we know that Becky intends to put Steve and Shelli on the block with the backdoor target of Vanessa. Of those, it's expected that Vanessa would go home ... or Shelli would.
• Vanessa went on to Shelli that she thinks she's going to go on the block and, if nominated, she's going to hold up a flip-flop.
• Vanessa and Shelli think Becky has totally forsaken them.
• She has.
• Steve is very worried. He's still upset that Vanessa told Shelli about the Freaks and Geeks alliance. He thinks he might be targeted.
• Blocked to the feeds, the nominations ceremony went down.
• Surprise, surprise ... Steve and Shelli are on the block.
• Becky told Shelli that Steve volunteered to go up. Hmm.
• Steve now realizes that it's Vanessa who's the target, not Austin. He doesn't think that's good for his own game.
• Hmm.
• Vanessa has an epiphany! She tells Shelli they can get Johnny Mac on their side because she can PROVE Becky's in with James, Meg and Jackie.
• Well, duh. I think he realizes that. He's a lot tighter with Becky than Vanessa knows.
• Vanessa went on and on (and on and on) about how Becky is a flip-flopper.
• And on.
• And on.
• James, Meg and Jackie wonder if it would be better to get rid of Shelli than Vanessa.
• Meanwhile, Austin and Vanessa actually think they can get Becky to backdoor Johnny Mac.
• Oh, the drama of it all!

Not too appetizing?

Are we boring you, James?

Happy gals

Jump ship entirely or not?

I never get hair like that.

Armored for a full week, I guess

On the block again ...

How dare Becky flip-flop?