Survivor: Game Changers - Casting Part 2

In just one week, we'll be settling into a new season of Survivor! Woot! Woot! While I don't necessarily love the idea of people playing on the show multiple times, it looks like this cast is going to make it all worthwhile.

Hali - Game changer or not? I'm thinking not for her. I don't know. She might have a trick or two up her sleeve. But being pretty, playing under the radar ... those seem to be standards we see in a few every season. I barely remember her from her original season. Yeah, she made some decent alliances. Yeah, she won a few challenges. I think this season I'm more interested in seeing her and Sierra maybe get into a cat fight. Meow.

Zeke - Game changer or not? I believe he indeed can be a game changer. Although he got weaselly last season, often times Survivor calls for weasels ... and rats and snakes. He's definitely a thinking strategical player who can sometimes really throw himself into the comps. I like his thinking in this intro video. Might he win it all? In the words of Rudy, "Don't know."

Tai - Game changer or not? Darn-tootin' right he's a game changer! This guy named the chicken and made it into a camp pet! He weighs less than most prepubescent children, yet can climb trees and give his all in challenges. He's entertaining. And, think about it ... he will be reunited with Caleb! "Reunited and it feels so good ..." He is so not the typical Survivor castaway that he's the perfect Survivor castaway. I do hope he works on that social game and remembers the jury can be bitter.

Jeff - Game changer or not? Hmm. In my opinion, he was certainly not a game changer in his previous two seasons. I liked him in Season 2, not so much in Cambodia. So, he has this new game strategy -- he's going to be everybody's best friend! Ohhh! While he definitely needs a better social approach because he tends to make enemies on rapid order, we'll see how that works for him.

Debbie - Game changer or not? Oh my. The female version of Coach is returning to share her delusions of grandeur and tall tales once again. Hmm. She thinks she would like to work with Culpepper and Tony? I'm not sure they would be that willing to work with her! Perhaps we should take wagers on whether she'll get Aubrey out before Aubrey gets her out. I don't really want her to win. Her game changing claim to fame might be that the show sometimes attracts the lunatic fringe.

Anybody have any thoughts on these five castaways?

Stay tuned for the blog pool sign-up post. It's coming soon!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 26, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. I swear I will continue posting cast entries for Survivor: Game Changers this week -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here. My apologies for not posting on the cast this past week. The season premiere isn't until March 8. I will also be posting the blog pool entry post later this week. Stay tuned!

The weather this week was almost early summer-like from Thursday through yesterday. It was all capped off with a very vivid and violent thunderstorm last night. And, yes, it's February. Global warming? I don't know. Unless something changes a lot in the next few days, it should be declared the warmest February on record for this area. While I personally enjoyed the warmer temperatures, it's probably not good for nature overall. It's back to seasonal today. However, nature might have already fallen for the ruse of warmer temperatures. Spring growth seems to want to burst through and a gazillion geese are heading north. I saw a mosquito yesterday.

As for me myself, I'm not doing all that well. I went to the hospital for some tests needed to proceed with the vascular surgery. It was a glorious day in Somerville. In normal circumstance, I'd roam the town I don't go to much and take photographs. Instead, all I want to do is be home elevating my legs to ease the pain. I'm not sleeping well, either. Overall, I just don't feel well at all. My blood pressure is high and has never been high before and more. I'm gaining weight because walking hurts so much. Gah. But, mind you, the knee replacements are both doing well. People keep asking if my knees are feeling any better. It's not the knees. It's the rest of me! 

I also seem to have shrunk two inches from my normal height somehow. It's been years since anyone measured my height and I'm two inches shorter! That's just weird. Perhaps a combination of the knee replacements and poor posture due to pain? Age? I don't know.

Enough woe is me ... 

Onto the photos I took this past week -- clicking on an image will open it in a larger version.

Wheels

I was once again at the Somerville Train Station on Friday. This is another shot of the train wheels/smoke-stack sculpture.

Early morning on North Avenue

On Friday, I took my old regular train to work at 6:40am -- the train I took for several years before work decided to mess with my schedule. (Yes, I'm still ticked about that. I HATE getting home at 7pm!) I took this shot looking towards the north over North Avenue from Track One of the Plainfield Train Station a few minutes before the actual sunrise. 

Bird on a wire

Not quite like a cat on a hot tin roof.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 19, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. I will continue posting cast entries for Survivor: Game Changers this week -- you can find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.

Not a great week for me this past week, but not the worst in my life, either. I had the appointment with the vascular surgeon. This coming Friday I'll go to the hospital for more intensive testing to determine the best surgery options (and to make sure I'm good for the surgery). While I've been focusing on the right leg which swells so rapidly when I'm on it and hurts so much, the other leg is in rough shape, too. The doctor told me that I probably didn't really notice because the right one is so painful. My blood pressure was also high once again. Hmm. I never really had a problem with that before this year. I guess I'll have to have that looked into this year. Heck, I might as well meet my out of pocket maximum on my health insurance and have all my health woes done!

The weather here this week has been fluctuating between record high highs and bitter cold with lots of wind. I can deal with the cold, but the wind was killing me earlier in the week! After a cold morning, yesterday's temperatures hit above 60 although I was inside work and didn't get to enjoy it. Today, it's supposed to be even warmer. Alas, I'll probably stay in for the day anyway. I'm really not feeling well enough to go out and roam around if I don't have to go out to go to work. I'll compromise -- I'll open my windows this afternoon and sit in the recliner chair by the open window!

I'm thankful for the local friends I have! One friend, originally a train friend for years, now has a car on the road and, when our work schedules permit, she's been giving me rides in the morning to work. Another, originally a blog then Facebook friend, has offered me transportation needed for medical doings (and did take me to the ER when I went)! Yay! There are really good people out there, more so than evil ones, for sure!

Oh, well. Enough about me. Onto the photos I took this past week -- clicking on an image will open up a larger one in a gallery format.   

Tunnel tile art -- it's the bee's knees!

At least, when the rehabbed the tunnel at the Somerville Train Station, while the previous murals went away, the tile art pieces remained. Why a beekeeper, I don't know.

Can you strike a pose, pretty pigeon?

How's this? -- A pigeon atop the Chotola Apartment building on North Avenue in Plainfield.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 12, 2017

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. Although its season premiere is still almost a month away, CBS has announced the entire list of castaways for Survivor: Game Changers. I posted yesterday on a few of them and will continue slowly posting on the cast. The blog pool won't open up until we're a week or two away from the premiere. You can always find any Survivor posts I make at this link right here.

Welp, I was on staycation this week and I pretty much stayed home trying to keep the swelling in my leg down by elevating it a lot. I ventured downtown on Wednesday when we had record highs. On Thursday, we had a rather cruel (windy and raw) snowstorm. We got only six inches or so, but the wind and the temperatures made it quite slippery and treacherous. I stayed inside. Today we're expecting sleet, freezing rain, rain and snow. I'm so over it. Bring on spring! It felt glorious on Wednesday when I was out and about!

I saw my neighbor on the bedroom wall side of my apartment building this morning -- the one from Africa who has/had his very elderly mother living there. We've been neighbors for probably ten years or more, but I only see him in passing. I had been worried about him because his rent invoice, hanging in a packet from his doorknob, stayed on his door up until the day before the late cut-off for paying. That's not like him at all. He told me he went to his home country, Nigeria, for four weeks. He reports that it's always hot there! I'm thinking his mother must be gone, though. I didn't ask. But there's no way she could stay alone and no way she could make a trip like that. She looked over 100 the last time I saw her about six years ago. He's a good neighbor -- quiet, pleasant whenever we see each other and seems to work a lot. No, he's not the Nigerian king sending out scam emails! If he were, he wouldn't have to work as much as he does!

My neighbor on the other side -- sharing kitchen/dining room walls -- came knocking on my door one day. Now, he's only lived there for about a year. He replaced the screaming kid/thumping family. He listens to his TV a bit loud, but not to the point where it's annoying. I just can hear it when I'm in my dining room turned computer room. He came from another building the landlord owns which doesn't have an elevator. He had a knee replacement and, unfortunately, it ended up being a failed one and he's now in a wheelchair. I found out that if someone in a wheelchair is off slightly to one side knocking on my door, I can't see them in the peephole which is pretty wide-angled. But he told me who it was. He wanted to know where I get my grocery deliveries from. I hope he can do Peapod. If anyone needs grocery delivery, it's him!

I return to work tomorrow. Wah. My appointment with the vascular surgeon is Friday afternoon. Right now, with keeping off my feet a lot, the swelling is down and it really doesn't hurt like it was. But, I'm sure after working up until seeing him, it will blow up and be painful once again. My workplace really needs to adhere to the limitations set forth for walking and standing! They didn't want to do so the week before my staycation. The job duties listed for my job do not include any long periods of standing or walking. Yet, they want me on my feet for hours each day. It's not gonna happen. I'm just sayin' ...

Anyway, onto the photos I took this past week. Clicking on an image will open it in a larger window.

Jazzy utility box!

It may have been there for a while, but I just discovered it this past Wednesday. It's yet another utility box painted to deter graffiti and spruce up the city. I realized right away that it didn't seem to be the work of Pedro Baez, the one who's painted other utility boxes that I've seen and photographed. It's signed off by a "Grayson III." If my research on that name is correct, the artist is an art teacher who has painted utility boxes for the city of Newark. He's quite renowned for his African-American art and loves to create jazz-themed art. This utility box is on the corner of Watchung and East Front in Plainfield.

A shame

The over 100-year old BPOE building on Watchung Avenue continues to sport gang and other graffiti. With all the renewal going on downtown, I'd love to see that building restored to its previous glory. It's truly a neat building which has been neglected and abused for just about all the years I've lived in Plainfield. I don't think there would be any saving of the giant lobster on the roof -- that's pretty much down to its frame. But, the building itself? It could definitely fit into a Transit Village kind of project. It doesn't seen to be in horrible shape -- just neglected and not in use.

Let there be kale!

I've been meaning to photograph some of the ornamental kale growing at the apartment buildings across the street. On Wednesday (in the 60-some degree weather), I crossed the street to take the 113 bus downtown. I wanted to run a few errands before the expected snow on Thursday. Now they're covered with snow. But, nevertheless, they will persist.

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

Survivor: Game Changers - Casting, Pt. 1

Well, the hype is on with the official cast release for Survivor: Game Changers. Remember, the season premiere isn't until March 8th! I won't be posting the blog pool sign-up posts until we're closer to that date. But, I might as well take a look at the casting and give you my thoughts. Are they really "game changers?" We'll see about that!

I usually not all that keen on returning players. And, some of these castaways are making their 4th appearance! Yikes! As on says in the video above, "If you've been married four times, does that make you an expert on marriage?" There are a few I'd rather not see again. However, the majority of these returnees are ones who played great games or were cut down way too soon. Caleb comes to mind for the latter. Hopefully, he won't burn and crash (and get Med-Evac copter treatment) again this season.

While there are some folks from the most recent season, they're wild cards to the others. They hadn't seen Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X when they went into filming for this season. 

Michaela - Game changer or not? I'd have to say she's leaning towards the yes on that Game Changer Scale. Why? I think she's a female powerhouse, akin to a female Ozzy. (It's interesting that she mentions possibly wanting to work with Ozzy in the video.) She's also quite strategic, but wasn't given the best hand to deal with in her season. Hopefully, she'll be a bit sneakier and not betray her motives. I thought she could have done so much more last season. I'm glad she's back!

Troyzan - Game changer or not? I'd say "kinda not" with him. He's going to have to not play the game like he's all that and a bag of chips this time. While I think he's got a great grasp on what to do, he doesn't go about doing it all right on the social end. He misses clues that others might be scheming against him and he himself is a bit too blatant in his own schemes.

As the days go by, I'll be posting more on the others we'll see this season. What are your thoughts on these two? Game changers?