Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 14, 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.

I thought the heat and humidity that has been visiting us for most of the summer was bad. It was nothing compared to this past week's temperatures and accompanying humidity levels. It's been unreal around here. I'm still having sciatica issues and now the weather is against me, as well! Help! Help! Whine! Fuss! How bad is the heat and humidity around here, you ask? It's so bad that they're saying NYC cockroaches will be able to fly! Now, I know that they (palmetto bugs) do that in the South. But it's bad enough they scurry all over the place here. We don't need them flying, too!

Disclaimer: I personally have no cockroaches in my apartment. We have a monthly exterminator coming in to keep it that way. Vincent would get them anyway if I did have them!

I've noticed that all of the street peoples' baby carriages of their life stuff have disappeared from the Plainfield Train Station and the groups of vagrants there are being moved along more regularly. However, they still gather under the trees on the westbound platform side, throwing their beer cans all over the lawn. And now I'm seeing some right up on the platforms taking benches from actual passengers PRETENDING they're train passengers. Sheesh.

I really don't have much more than the photos to share with you. For the first time ever, after leaving home or getting out of work, my camera lens covered with condensation due to the change in temperatures. Gah. It was that hot and humid! I'm used to my eyeglasses doing that, but not the camera!

Clicking on an image will open a larger version.

Just after sunset on Monday

With my unusual weirder than normal work schedule this past week, I arrived back home in Plainfield not long after sunset. I was both surprised and pleased to hear and see several bats flying around. Years back, I used to see a lot of them in the hours around dusk. When white nose syndrome decimated the population and most of their vacant buildings habitat around the Plainfield Train Station were torn down, I wasn't sure they'd ever return. Yeah, I like bats. They're good for the environment and are actually kind of cute in a mouse with wings kind of way! Plus, they like to eat mosquitoes. Yes! Plainfield Train Station.

The 59 bus

The day I took this shot, I was tempted to jump on the bus and head back home! I was on my way to work and the heat was unreal. Of course, I don't live in Newark. But that bus gets me within a block of my apartment in Plainfield. Gavett Place, Plainfield, NJ

Tuesday night's moon

As seen from the Bridgewater Train Station

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

BB18: Live Feeds into Sunday - August 14

ZingBot for President cap from the comp

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

• I last left you with the fact that Victor won the Golden Power of Veto. Now, I'll go into more details.
• It's now not only Nicole in a costume (Safety Cone) from the HoH comp, but Corey and Paul have their own stuff going on from the veto.
• Corey has an Uncle Sam type patriotic version of the unitard.
• Paul has a secret agent suit and appointed rounds he must make.
• The Veto Comp? Why, it was ... the annual ZingBot appearance!
• We all know that Michelle kept saying she wanted to experience it. Well, she got her chance. She's not crying, so it couldn't have been horrible. It had something to do with her crying and vomiting. Hmm.
• ZingBot apparently told Paul to shut up. We live feeders appreciate that, thankyouverymuch.
• Interesting ... Natalie and Corey both are on medication for ADD. It seems like more than a few hamsters each season lately are in that boat. That never used to be a "thing." It makes me wonder if pharmaceutical companies have something to do with all these cases of ADD diagnosed in recent years. (But that's another topic.)
• The hamsters all seem sure it will be Paulie being evicted, even Paulie.
• Corey tossed the idea to Nicole that they should team up with James. 
• Sorry, too late to do that now, Texas Boy!
• Nicole knows that wouldn't work at this point. She realizes that their connection with Paulie has both of their games doomed at this time. Unless they both pull out solid wins for the rest of the season, they're outnumbered and targeted.
• It's a sad and somewhat somber Paulie. Instead of saying it's James behind it all like he did over the past few days, it's Natalie.
• She's an evil, bad, mean person, y'know!
• Aww, Paulie doesn't want any harsh goodbye messages.
• He's sensitive, right?
• Unfortunately, he probably won't get mean goodbyes because no one ever wants to deliberately alienate a jury member.
• ZingBot must have portrayed Corey and Nicole as the showmance of the season. The Corey zing had something to do with Hayden (Nicole's failed shromance). 
• Corey denied the showmance; Nicole ain't too happy with that!
• Nicole won a trip to anywhere in the USA during the veto comp. Neither she nor Corey are really sure if Hawaii is part of the USA. @@
• Nicole said she could always cash the trip in for $5,000 as Zach did with his Germany trip a few seasons ago.
• Victor's zing was in Spanish, apparently calling him something similar to a d-bag.
• Paulie, the little Miss FussBudget that he is, is fussing that he doesn't want to go to jury. If he doesn't have the round trip ticket, he just wants out.
• Others are worrying that he'll self-evict.
• An ego is a terrible thing to lose, eh?
• Paulie thinks that he, Corey and Nicole have been ganged up on by the house.
• Obviously, it was different when he was leading the ganging up!
• He thinks that James, Paul and Victor are good people (outside the house) while Natalie and Michelle are bad people.
• Hmm ... sexist much? After all, it's his "good people" who are actually responsible for putting him in the position he's in!
• Then Paulie said he lied on his application for the show and a psychologist told him not to go on because he has "clinical claustrophobia."
• Grabbing at straws there, Paulie Boy. That was never a problem when you ran the house and it is now, huh?
• He continued to mope, whine, fuss throughout the evening and into the night.
• Oh my gosh. I think this must be what we get these days when children are mollycoddled and everything they do is viewed through rose-colored glasses.
• Perhaps I should be thankful that life has knocked me on the butt more than a few times, starting much before Paulie's age. Paulie must have always won everything and had everything he ever wanted or he'd be reacting just a tad better with the latest.
• As James says, "It's a GAME."
• Victor handed off the $5,000 prize money in the comp to James for the veto. Good. I think James can use the money more. I don't think he earns a heck of a lot and he does have to support his daughter. Plus, it gives Victor the responsibility of keeping his nominations the same without putting anyone else in the position.
• It seems like the latest final four group is Paul, Victor, Natalie and James. I wouldn't mind that one.
• (As long as James wins it all!) Heehee!
• Paulie must have a punishment of making pies on demand from the comp. He says he won't do and will take the penalty votes. After all, he's been ganged up on and his fate is sealed.
• Meanwhile, Paul is getting into his secret agent punishment gig. He has to make rounds of the house when the red alert goes off, clearing each area. He's trying to rock it.
• He has his suit, but is allowed to swim with a tie and bathing suit. He also must wear the sunglasses all the time.
• Paulie's pie punishment also has him doing some kind of anthem.
• Michelle offered Paulie a sympathy vote. You can guess how that worked out!
• Michelle keeps acting like she wants Paulie to stay and pep-talking him. I certainly hope that's just game play strategy of some kind.
• He's grabbing onto the dream, though.
• She feels sorry for him.
• I don't. Do you?
• The veto meeting won't be until tomorrow. I doubt Victor will save either of them, with Paulie being slated to go away. Victor knows that, in physical comps, Paulie is his biggest competition. 

Your friends don't dance, they're no friends of mine

(I keep expecting Nicole to break into The Safety Dance!)

On the block, too bad, so sad.

Meet Baldwin, the eagle

Corey has his stars and stripes

Paul is a Man in Black secret agent

BB18: Live Feeds Announcement - Power of Veto - Saturday, August 13

Nope, not Paulie!

VICTOR WON THE POWER OF VETO!

The others just want to make sure he doesn't change the nominations. I don't think he will.

BB18: Live Feeds into Saturday - August 13

Nicole thinks it was all James's doing

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

• Oh, the live feeds after nominations were some of the best ones ever!
• You know I love kerfuffles and brouhahas!
• While gathered in the kitchen, Paulie did his best to stare everybody down. It was like he didn't know who he wanted to kill first.
• While I haven't been a huge Victor fan and the move to nominate Paulie and Corey was actually Paul not Victor ... I have to give the dude credit for standing his ground while Paulie just kept at him and at him.
• Victor told Paulie that they all knew he had alliances more than the guys alliance -- he had an alliance with Corey and Nicole.
• Paulie denied it.
• In front of Corey and Nicole.
• Victor told him that he was at least giving him a chance to save himself with the veto, a chance that he himself never had.
• But Paulie was relentless.
• James kept saying, "It's just a game."
• Victor said that since Paulie didn't like any of his reasons for nominating him, "Okay, I have no strategy."
• That didn't work either.
• Meanwhile, during all of this, Corey sat sipping from his sippycup making odd facial expressions while keeping his eyes vacant.
• A few times voices were raised a bit from both Victor and Paulie. And, each time Victor bristled, Paulie roughly accused him of wanting to get physical. 
• Um. I saw BOTH of them bristle. I saw no real indication that fisticuffs were imminent from Victor.
• But if Paulie's eyes could kill, it would have been a mass murder scene.
• In a later talk with Corey and Nicole, Nicole decided this whole thing was James's doing and she needs to make amends with him.
• Once Nicole talked to James, she realized that Paulie was the main target. She advised Corey to lay as low as possible and let Paulie make the target on himself even bigger.
• Michelle admitted to Nicole that laughing when Paulie went on the block was rude and wrong, but she couldn't help it. Nicole, Natalie and Michelle all said they know they've laughed at inappropriate times.
• Michelle said she would apologize to him (and later did).
• That was another huge rambling rant from Paulie -- kicking him while he was down. Oh, like he didn't laugh or mock Michelle during one of her many crying jags!
• Paulie ran around the house trying to blow up the games of others, mostly to no avail.
• Y'see, ratting out James to Natalie and vice versa just isn't going to work. They've already talked and know the truths and lies and even areas where they've conflicted during the game.
• Ha!
• A few times, Paulie was fighting back either real or really good fake tears.
• I don't think he's ever thought that he might not rule the roost.
• He kept going on about loyalty even though it was pointed out that most of his moves had nothing to do with loyalty, but getting out targets that were his own, not for the good of others.
• He was so pathetic that even Michelle started feeling sorry for him.
• Gag me with a spoon.
• Paulie asked Paul if he could sleep with him in his bed because he doesn't like sleeping alone. Hmm.
• A lot will depend on the veto and if either Paulie or Corey hold the return trip ticket.
• It's good this game got into gear!

Psycho Killer, qu'est-ce que c'est, fa-fa-fa

Holds his ground with Paulie's interrogation

What do I do? What do I do?

Paul and Victor happy dancing

Laughed during nominations

Happy to be a safety cone this week

BB18: Live Feeds into Friday Evening, Nominations - August 12

King of Vacant Odd Faces

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

• Once again, they slept really late.
• When they finally made their way out of their beds (or car), the screen in the living room said NOMINATIONS TODAY.
• Paulie just can't get over things.
• Bridgette and Michelle slandered his good name!
• (What good name is that?)
• He wants to win PoV tomorrow and he'll show everyone!
• Of course, he's not considering that he might very well be on the block.
• He kept sulking, ranting, whining about people turning on him.
• Heh.
• Nicole got the care package. It seems more punishment than prize. She has to wear a costume. She did get safety for a week.But her Safety Hero costume looks like a Halloween comical witch. I guess she's supposed to be a safety cone. She also got hair scrunchies, insect repellent and a few other tidbits.
• Now, that costume would be a hoot on Corey!
• Corey and Nicole tried to calm Paulie down. They said he doesn't want to put a target on himself. After all, it's Michelle who's going home.
• Or ... is it?
• Paulie at this point might as well wear a Target-tard.
• Nicole thinks she was sent the package because Michelle called her a snake.
• I don't know. I didn't send it!
• Paulie got to the point of claiming that Nicole's season had the best ratings, James's season had the worst.
• He is so put out!
• How DARE people not do his will?!?!?
• It seems like the plan to nominate Paulie and Corey is still strong as the hours head towards the nominations.
• As I wait here for the feeds to return from the nominations ceremony, I can only hope Victor makes the move.
• At the moment, the feeds have been down about an hour.
• So I'm just wasting time typing snippets of nothing right now.
• The repeating Jeff interview loop for this is one with Austin. Ick. Although, he's more bearable in the interview than he was in the house. He has a shirt on and no beard ponytail junk. He does still have a beard and is sporting a man-bun.

YES! Victor did it! Paulie is sitting around nodding his head with a serial killer look in his eyes as he keeps staring at everybody. Corey is his usual rather vacant-eyed sippycup self, but subdued. Natalie told Michelle that the guys were laughing at her (Michelle) crying so she shouldn't feel bad that she laughed at them. Heh.

Paulie and Corey are on the block!

What is with these odd faces?!?!

Nicole's "prize" reeks of "punishment"

Cuddled in a car

They besmirched my good name! Slander!