Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - July 31, 2016

Good morning! Since it's 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 here for Big Brother news, everything I have for you can be found at this link. I'll be posting another live feeds report late tonight as well as live-blogging the aired show. But this ain't that. This post is a year-round regular "feature" while Big Brother is a summer obsession. Or, something like that.

It was another miserably hot and humid week here in New Jersey. On Monday we had a storm which almost rivaled Hurricane Sandy in intensity, albeit much more brief. It only lasted about an hour. It seems my workplace, where I was when it hit, was on the edge of what they call a "micro-burst." I was just glad I wasn't out in it!

We seem to have had pop-up storms almost daily. Unfortunately, I must have left my best big umbrella somewhere on Thursday. I didn't realize it had gone missing until late last night. Thinking back, I might have left it at the bodega around the corner on my way home from work on Thursday. I only brought a smaller umbrella to do my work commute yesterday. I don't really plan on going out today. But tomorrow, I'll ask at the bodega if anyone turned the good one in. Oh, well.

Work remains work. Gah. After six weeks come and go, I'll be into my next staycation and the weather should be a lot more bearable. Until then, I guess I'll just sweat (er, perspire, glow) and keep on working. I had to cancel the order for the Lamborghini when I heard someone in some obscure state won the Powerball Lottery after I invested two dollars in it! How dare they!

That's about it for today. Onto the photos! Clicking on an image will open a larger version.

Eastern Cicada Killer Wasp

These are so cool. Not only are they colorful and harmless, but they're a hoot to watch while they battle each other! The wing beatings actually make quite a noise. With the rain deluges we've been having, I've worried that the burrows -- they're digger wasps -- might be destroyed. But I keep seeing the males protecting them, so things must be okay. Bridgewater Train Station.

The Plainfield Train Station Groundhog

He is SO chubby! People keep feeding him bread, donuts, pizza and more. While he's still skittish around people -- he won't just walk up to them -- once they toss food, he'll certainly eat it. I would guess none of it is good for him. But, where he is, he's safe from predators and probably doesn't leave his little woodsy territory in search of food. He most likely will never get hit by a car or a train as he doesn't need to really forage. He looks healthy. Chubby, but healthy.

Honeybees are good bees!

While I'm severely allergic to bee stings, I rarely worry about your basic honey bee. It's wasps (not the Eastern Cicada Killer Wasp as it's the males you see and they have no stinger at all) and yellow-jacket hornets that worry me -- they're aggressive. Honey bees, carpenter bees, bumblebees ... they're all all rather mellow. Unless they feel really threatened, they aren't aggressive at all. Bees don't seem to mind cameras.

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

BB18: Live Feeds into Sunday Morning - July 31

I'm HoH! Friendship!

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

• Da'Vonne thinks Paul will put Natalie on the block when Paulie takes himself off.
• Michelle, who knows otherwise, agreed with Da'Vonne.
• We all know that, unless Paul thinks with his own mind and sticks to his guns that Bridgette is going home this week, it will be Backdoor Da'Vonne in motion.
• James knows, but isn't telling Natalie.
• He told her "someone" will be backdoored.
• Michelle told Da'Vonne that she doesn't mind Bridgette as much now that Frank is gone.
• Y'know, they can bake cookies and all together!
• Throwing marshmallows and jumping in the pool have ticked off the BB piped voice in the house lately.
• "I said, STOP THAT!"
• Despite Paulie telling all the guys he wants to drop Zakiyah and wouldn't mind if she got evicted, he still lets her hang all over and snuggle him.
• They're bored.
• I'm bored.
• They get silly.
• I do not.
• I yawn.
• That should all change when (if?) Da'Vonne goes up on the block with the PoV meeting!
• Eep. Michelle has around 40 grand in college debt. Natalie has 80 grand in college debt. I'm glad I went to college back in the dark ages and had a merit scholarship to help pay some of my way! Plus, worked full time. Plus, didn't go on reality TV shows hoping to win to pay the bill.
• Michelle's parents paid off her credit card debt. Yep, that's the way to teach a kid how to handle finances!
• Michelle told Victor all of her self-esteem woes. He told her that she can change all of them.
• Actually, I think most of them are in her mind.
• It has to be some sort of sociological statement that most of the girls in the house have low self-esteem issues while most of the guys have delusions of grandeur. What does it say of us as a society? Or, is it just casting?
• Natalie also tried to talk up Michelle.
• Paul told Zakiyah that he wants Bridgette to go home, but will put Da'Vonne up if the veto is used because "she isn't as paranoid as everybody else."
• Meanwhile, Paulie thinks Nicole might have told Zakiyah that Da'Vonne will go on the block.
• Paulie wants to use Bridgette to get out Michelle and Zakiyah.
• Then he'd be finished with her.
• Da'Vonne is talking scenarios with a final four of her, Zakiyah, Paulie and Michelle.
• Let's see what happens ... 

He has to wear that HoH robe ALL THE TIME

Someone will be backdoored says James

Zakiyah, please remove your hair from the mic

She clings; he doesn't turn away

BB18: Live Feeds into Saturday Evening, PoV Winner - July 30

Now he looks like Clark Kent with fake glasses

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

• Now, keep in mind that Pawnie Paulie was placed as a pawn by Paul to prevent PoV being purloined by Pridgette. Er, Bridgette.
• I'd like you to say the above sentence three times fast.
• Are you done? Was it fun?
• That's the sole reason he's a pawn, though.
• Natalie was one of the veto players chosen. James told her that if they want her to use it to save Paulie (he knows Da'Vonne would most likely be the renom) -- make a deal for safety next week, no veto, no nominations, no backdoor.
• This, of course is coming from James, the one who broke his word/deal with Frank and Bridgette last week.
• Nicole hosted the comp. The other two chosen players were Corey and Victor.
• Paulie told Nicole and Corey that he wants Da'Vonne to go out instead of Bridgette.
• He thinks the only people pushing for Bridgette to go are Zakiyah, Da'Vonne and Michelle.
• He left out Paul, who has vowed to oust Bridgette this week.
• Paulie has grown weary of Zakiyah. I think he'd rather she get evicted than to tell her.
• Everybody is planning on Da'Vonne going home as a renom no matter who is taken off the block.
• But Paul, the one who will make the renom, isn't in these conversations.
• I'm pretty sure he'd go along with the plan. It's his best buds, after all. But nice of them to discuss it with him!
• The feeds were blocked for the comp.
• And, a rather odd and disturbing statement from Corey (who was upset that he lost). He said he wished his father would come and beat him so he could get his head in the comps. He's tired of doing poorly. 
• Oh my. This is the jock dude. Is that something that kept him going in sports all along? Sad.
• So, Corey didn't win Veto.
• Who did?
• Why, Paulie won the Golden Power of Veto!
• He's been telling Bridgette that she's safe.
• No, he'll save himself, for sure.
• But Da'Vonne will go up and they'll vote her out instead of Bridgette.
• That's his plan, anyway.
• James has come to the realization that he, Zakiyah, Da'Vonne and Natalie are no longer in with the in crowd.
• He thinks something is very wrong because Paulie seems to be working with Bridgette.
• Uh-oh.
• If I could offer him consolation, I'd let him know that he isn't as out of the in crowd as the other three.
• James knows of the Backdoor Da'Vonne plan, but kept mum about it with Natalie.
• He told Natalie that the guys will use Bridgette to go after the girls.
• Well, then ... you KNOW Michelle is on that list, too!
• The problems between Bridgette and Michelle have not been fixed and they probably can't be fixed.
• You know. Bridgette STOLE Frank from Michelle!
• Natalie tried to work things to her favor with Bridgette, telling her that she won't vote for her this week, nor nominate her if she (Natalie) wins HoH next week.
• It looks like the Backdoor Da'Vonne plan is in motion.
• Will it stick?
• I don't know. it would be a smart move on their part.

Crying! (Because he laughed too much.)

Not crying ... for now

Rolled her ankle. Ow.

BB18: Live Feeds into Saturday - July 30

Chatting

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

• I have to remind myself that the actual airing of the show hasn't even shown the HoH winner yet.
• A whirlwind recap -- Paul won HoH, Have Nots are Zakiyah, Paulie, Natalie and Corey (due to low score HoH comp), nominated are Brdigette (Paul's goal) and Pawnie Paulie, Natalie received the care package which included the "Never Not" pass and other stuff.
• Oh geez ... last night was the night for pity parties.
• And, it was all female ones.
• Gah. It makes me sad to think they're representing my gender in the house!
• Of the pity parties, I could most accept the one from Bridgette. She has been trying to mingle with the others and put on a good game face at times.
• But, when she was alone, she told the camera how alone she feels in the game, especially with Frank gone.
• True, it's her own fault for getting so segregated from the others by hanging out so much with Frank. Now it's coming back to bite her in the butt and it hurts.
• She knows she's the target even though she's been told otherwise.
• It's her party, she'll cry if she wants to cry.
• Then there was Zakiyah, crying to Paulie about how inept she is at comps and how people think she's worthless.
• In Paulie's credit -- he's the one on the block even if he's Pawnie Paulie, yet he was patient, understanding, consoling and kind to Zakiyah's personal pity party.
• You would cry too if it happened to you.
• Er.
• Michelle also had her own little private pity party with the camera -- talking about how much weight she's gained, she wants to win the HoH just so she can wear the robe to cover her fat body, everybody mocks her, the clothes BB allowed her are horrible (she says she doesn't usually dress like a homeless person), she's running out of make-up, her hair looks horrible ... and yada-yada-yada.
• Probably a lot of her own issues stem from having a crush on Frank before the house, then watching Bridgette with Frank in the house. "He's holding her hand, when he should be holding mine." You would cry too ...
• In other news, Paulie told Michelle that he'd like to see Da'Vonne go on the block as a renom.
• No kidding. Sheesh, he's been preaching that for a while.
• He'd rather Da'Vonne get backdoored and then focus on Bridgette, then Natalie.
• Interesting he's not targeting the guys, huh?
• He told Michelle that Da'Vonne's whole game strategy is turning people against each other.
• Y'think?
• Actually, Paulie nailed that one spot on. Gotta give the boy credit for putting her entire game so succinctly.
• It's catching up to Da'Vonne, though. Paulie and Michelle are teaming up more than ever with Nicole and Corey mainly because Da'Vonne is targeting Nicole.
• Paulie, though he didn't say anything to Zakiyah about it, told Corey that he's ready to "cut Zakiyah loose" before long. He's tired of her getting all petty and jealous about the least little thing.
• Gah. Too many tears! Too Many tears! Nicole cries, Michelle cries, Bridgette cries, Zakiyah cries. I can't take it anymore!
• No wonder the guys are getting together to target the girls. There's only so much coaching and consoling available in the hamster hearts.

Pity party with Paulie

Stop picking at your face. We see you.

What if Bridgette wins PoV?

Low self-esteem pity party

Paul's new sports bra

Wrapping things up

BB18: Live Feeds into Friday Evening. Nominations - July 29

What a heartthrob, huh?

Here's the latest from inside than Big Brother House of Misguided Miscreants:

• They slept in ... again.
• Even those who don't stay up most of the night sleep in and nap.
• BB told them something about the care packages, but it's hard to tell how much. They block the feeds when production tells them anything other than to change their batteries, "Stop that!" and things like that.
• Paul and Michelle seem to share a rather irrational hate/dislike of Bridgette.
• Now, I don't care much for her myself from the feeds. But I don't see where she's all that horrible as to cause such vitriol.
• Whoa! A care package was dumped in the backyard! That didn't take them long.
• And, the first care package goes to ... (drum roll, please) ... Natalie!
• She has the Have Not Pass (and she was chosen to be a Have Not this week due to the low HoH comp score), socks, stickers, cookies and more.
• Ones who didn't get the package are sure the following ones will be so much better.
• Natalie had told Paul she didn't want to go up as a pawn with Bridgette because she would be weak and tired from being a Have Not.
• Can't use that excuse now!
• But, as Paul says, she can't win comps anyway. He wants someone to make sure Bridgette doesn't win PoV.
• She better watch herself, though. A group -- Paulie, Nicole, Zakiyah and Michelle -- think that Natalie's getting a bit too cocky and too comfortable, like no one would ever target her.
• Paul is still determined that Bridgette must go this week.
• If not for that, he'd entertain the thought of targeting Natalie.
• James heard the scuttlebutt about Natalie being a target and told Natalie that Nicole was pushing for it.
• Now, it wasn't JUST Nicole.
• Victor keeps complaining about how nasty Natalie's goodbye message was to him while Natalie keeps saying it wasn't mean.
• If memory serves, it was mean.
• Not as mean as some we've seen. But mean nonetheless.
• Paulie talked to Bridgette, but didn't tell her she's the target.
• I've been waiting for the feeds block to end so I could post the nominations.
• They really don't need this much time to do noms!
• Grr. 
• FINALLY!
• Bridgette is nominated! What a shock and surprise!
• And, pretty much as expected ... Paulie is on the block with her as a strong pawn who can beat her in veto.
• It would be fun if she won the veto, wouldn't it?

How many will yawn looking at this?

Will she continue to ride coattails?

I want a package (with Frank inside).

He really needs a Meg

70s Donny Osmond rather than Cabbage Patch