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

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, it's time for my off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're not interested in either, please feel free to check out my previous and newer posts I will put up after this -- they will be television related! You can find my Survivor posts at this link.

Just another week here. Work, more work, home a bit to eat, sleep and pay attention to a cat. At least I can look forward to a four-day work week ahead. I'll even have two days off in a row, a rarity for me. I get so tired of people asking me how my weekend was or telling me to have a good weekend when I don't really have any idea what a weekend is. While I will have the two days in a row this week, it will be Wednesday and Thanksgiving Thursday. I have to work on Friday and Saturday. With no family really near me in the area, it will be a little feast for Vincent the Cat and me. At least I will be able to relax some. I'm used to spending the holidays alone. Work is hectic through the holiday season and I treasure any time off; holidays give me paid extra days off. I like that. Often the one day off at a time just doesn't do it. I'm chronically exhausted.

I really don't have a heck of a lot else for you this week. Not even photo-wise. But here you go ... clicking on an image will bring up the larger version. Some are from my camera, others are cell phone.

Autumn remains

I love these bushes in the fall -- so intricately colorful! Bridgewater, NJ.

Watching the pigeons on the Chotola

I took this shot with my cell phone and really should have edited it to make it a bit more level. I was waiting for my train and bored. North Avenue, Plainfield.

Seagrass run amok

They'll probably be chopping it down soon. Outside of the TD Bank Ball Park in Bridgewater, NJ.

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Survivor 35: Heroes-Healers-Hustlers - November 15 Blog Party

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the latest happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! The party itself is in the comments -- join in on the discussion!

It looks like there might be a brouhaha afoot for tonight's episode! That sort of thing can change the dynamics some!


Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here ya go:

Merge!!
Ashley N. - Donna NY, MikesGirl, tbc.
Ben D. - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.
Chrissy H. - Donna in Alabama, meb, SueGee, KelseyNY
Cole M. - Dolores in Hollywood FL, Marthalight, Stormy
Desiree W. - Delee, Mario Lee, Skyriverblue, Buzzmaam
Devon P. - David, Margo, Laurie, Fred aka TwoBlackAces
Joe M. - Cheryl ICNY, Krysa Gibson, Sharon C.
JP H. - Cheryl in NC, Krisen from Ohio, Shannon
Lauren R. - Brian, Jennasmom, Rochelle, Judi Sweeney
Mike Z. - Becky, Janice, Rbennie, PDX Granny
Ryan U. - Anonymouse, Glenn Allen, Nickelpeed

Flame Extinguished
Katrina R. - Pool People moved to a different teams.
Simone N. - 4nancie, Nana in the NW, weenabe
Patrick B. - Beachbound Gmom, Jackie, Petals, Sara Welty
Alan B. - Ed in Ohio, monty 924, Terry is a Texan
Roark L. - Auntie Leigh, Indiana Jane, Pam
Ali E. - Dr_Celine, Monnie8, Tennistoe
Jessica J. - ChicMc, Silk, Sharon N.

Survivor fans ready? Eleven are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

Joe appreciates the smart play in getting Jessica out. He didn't see it coming at all. Ohh ... Lauren finds the clue in with the nails that no one else saw at all. It's an advantage. She can secretly not vote at the next tribal council. Then she can vote twice in another one. It involves a rather complicated blank parchment ordeal and fake voting. She's a bit concerned about getting caught. 

Oh my. It's right to a Reward Challenge! Race through obstacles, up a tower, slingshots. Trip to a private island, spaghetti, salad and red wine. They draw for teams, odd person out will get to go without having to compete. Joe got the white rock, sits out.

JP, Devon, Chrissy, Cole and Ryan win. Uh-oh. There's a twist. It's one big dish and they each have to eat separately - Joe decides the order. That means some may hog out and others have very little. Hmm. Weird reward. 

Joe puts himself last, Devon first because it's his birthday (and it will keep Devon on his good side). JP was second, wants all to have their fair share. Cole is going to eat as much as he wants. He finds a clue to the idol written on the plate. He tries to hide it under a napkin.  Ohh ... Chrissy finds the clue! Ryan finds it, too. He hides the entire plate (leaving food there). Cole figures out that Chrissy and Ryan know about the clue -- idol under the flag. He's determined to beat them to it.

Ryan runs off to dig it up when Cole leaves for a minute. Yikes! Ryan has it, Chrissy goes in as bait. And, as Ryan put it, pandemonium ensued. Cole ran in and jumped on Chrissy. Ben joined in. They all think Cole has the idol while Cole says Ben has it. Heh. You go, Ryan!  

Immunity Challenge time! They must stand on a narrow beam balancing a statue on a beam with a pole. Next, they move to a narrower part. Mike out first. Joe out. Devon out. Lauren out. Ryan out. Ashley out. Chrissy out. Ben out. Desi out.

It's between Cole and JP. COLE wins Immunity -- and he's the Number One target for so many!

While Cole is happy with his safety, he's worried about the Healers. Ben thinks the vote should be split -- Joe and Desi. 

Joe tells Devon and Ryan that Ben needs to go. Ben is eavesdropping in the background. Heh.  

Joe thinks he needs to blow up Ben's game to save himself. Joe claims (lies) that Ben swore on the Marine Corps three times when he didn't do such a thing. Desi is getting a bit worried. Lauren tells Ben about her secret advantage because they can't do a split vote -- it would be a tie. 

Ben goes to Mike to get on their side to vote out Joe. Mike is thinking it over.

Tribal Council. Jeff asks Joe if he feels the heat. Ben says others have his back and he has theirs. Heh. Chrissy shuts Joe right down. It's still not clear what may or may not happen. 

Lauren does use the advantage and fakes a vote.

The tally:
Ben, Lauren, Desi, Joe, Desi, Joe, Desi, Joe, Desi, Joe 

Re-vote except for Desi and Joe. Lauren fakes again.

Re-tally:
Desi, Joe, Desi, Desi, Desi, Desi.

They really should have voted Joe out. But Desi was indeed a strong player and a threat.

They didn't notice there were only ten votes the first time? Hmm.

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

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, it's time for my off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're not interested in either, please feel free to check out my previous and newer posts I will put up after this -- they will be television related! You can find my Survivor posts at this link.

Brr! Baby, it's cold outside! The past few days around here have had record low temperatures. To be honest, as long as I'm dressed for it, I don't mind the cold of winter (even though it's still fall) as much as I hate the heat and humidity of the summer. With the cold, you can layer up and dress for it. With the heat and humidity, taking your clothes off, you're still all sweaty. And, in my case, I'd be all sweaty with people laughing and pointing at me before the police hauled me away! 

I bought a nice new winter jacket a couple of weeks ago. It's been some years since my last winter jacket purchase. I think it's money well spent -- this one is quite warm and fits well. And, my heat is included in my rent at my apartment and I have control of it. It's cozy in here. In the summer, I have to pay for electricity, thus pay for air conditioning.

As I get older, I don't care so much for snow or ice, though. If we could harness it just so it would fall everywhere except roads and sidewalks, I'd be a happy camper. I still find snow breathtakingly beautiful. I just don't want to fall.

I had yesterday off from work, having requested it off as a personal day long ago. It was the day of the Plainfield Public Library Photo Contest. I ended up not entering this year. The theme for the year wasn't a great one for me and the change in judging criteria turned me off last year. I don't really do photos of people posing and smiling or just candid uncropped photos with half-people at the edges which seems to be the draw of judging now. I like to be more art-related in my photos and I guess that's out now. I'll think about next year, but will see what won prizes and honorable mentions versus what was entered this year once they release it online. I was thinking of going yesterday, but spent the majority of the day sleeping it away. I needed the rest.

All that said, my photos this week aren't all that artsy! But, here they are ...

Kodachrome ... brings the nice bright colors

Um. Of fall. Although these leaves are gorgeous on their own, I found a Kodachrome filter on my Google Nik photo editor brings out the colors even more.

I find it easier to take videos with my new phone rather than the camera. Here's a train going the other way at the Plainfield Train Station while I waited for my extremely late, almost time for the next train, to arrive on Friday.

Plotting to overthrow humanity

Soon all will be barren

Looking out on Watchung Avenue from the eastbound platform of the Plainfield Train Station.

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Survivor 35: Heroes-Healers-Hustlers - November 8 Blog Party

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be updating this entry with the latest happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! The party itself is in the comments -- join in on the discussion!

Tonight is going to be the merge -- not a moment too soon for Soko! Since I'm out of the blog pool, I'm cheering on the two NJ castaways -- Chrissy and Ryan!

Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool and here ya go:

Levu Tribe
Ashley N. - Donna NY, MikesGirl, tbc. 
Desiree W. - Delee, Mario Lee, Skyriverblue, Buzzmaam 
Devon P. - David, Margo, Laurie, Fred aka TwoBlackAces 
Joe M. - Cheryl ICNY, Krysa Gibson, Sharon C.

Soko Tribe
Chrissy H. - Donna in Alabama, meb, SueGee, KelseyNY 
JP H. - Cheryl in NC, Krisen from Ohio, Shannon
Ryan U. - Anonymouse, Glenn Allen, Nickelpeed

Yawa Tribe
Jessica J. - ChicMc, Silk, Sharon N. 
Mike Z. - Becky, Janice, Rbennie, PDX Granny 
Cole M. - Dolores in Hollywood FL, Marthalight, Stormy 
Lauren R. - Brian, Jennasmom, Rochelle, Judi Sweeney 
Ben D. - Donna in FL, Merrilee, Tammy.

Flame Extinguished 
Katrina R. - Pool People moved to a different teams.
Simone N. - 4nancie, Nana in the NW, weenabe
Patrick B. - Beachbound Gmom, Jackie, Petals, Sara Welty
Alan B. - Ed in Ohio, monty 924, Terry is a Texan
Roark L. - Auntie Leigh, Indiana Jane, Pam
Ali E. - Dr_Celine, Monnie8, Tennistoe

Survivor fans ready?

Chrissy thinks she's in a secure place. Yawa thinks they're in a secure place. Ben is still leery of the Cole/Jessica relationship, though. Levu is a split tribe, broken spirits as well. They're out of food and suffering. 

And then we're right into today's ... drop your buffs! They're thrilled. They're all hungry and know this is the pivotal point for the game.

They get purple buffs and know food will come. Joe thinks he's in a great place with his hidden idol.

Uh-oh. No feast? Nope. Jeff says they have something better -- it's Outback Steakhouse (hmm ... they also do Big Brother) feast. Chrissy catches onto Joe right away. Jessica is already scheming about building up alliance numbers. Ben wants his alliance with Chrissy being on the down low. He thinks they can look forward to blindsides and tears.

They have all kinds of new tools to build a new shelter. Cole can't see any clues for another idol. But they are right nearby. Ryan gets back with his buddy Devon. He thinks an alliance with them, Lauren and Chrissy would be perfect.

Lauren isn't keen on the idea. She rats out Devon's proposal to Dr. Mike. Mike expects a war as the lines are being drawn in the sand. Devon would like to take out either Cole or Joe. I actually think they're fairly good targets. Ben still isn't sure he can trust Cole. Cole is still alienating his buddies with the exception of Jessica. Mike is a bit perturbed that Ben is thinking Cole of their Alliance of Yawa Five should go. Mike warns Cole. Oh my.

It's time for the first individual immunity challenge of the season. Stand on a narrow beam while spinning a ball in trap -- like a centrifugal force round one. They have to move down the beam which narrows as time goes on. Ryan was out almost immediately. Mike is out. 

Jessica is out. Ben is out. Whoa -- they're starting to drop like flies! Four remain. Desi, Cole, Chrissy and Ashley remain. Cole out. Chrissy out. Ashley out.

Desi wins Immunity!

Cole wants to mend fences with Ben. Ben acts receptive, but tells us differently in confessional. He tells us that if he tactically needs to work with Cole, he will. Cole talks to Joe and spills the beans. Joe will use the idol if he feels he needs it. Yipes! The Healers are going to target Chrissy because she's smart. They don't know if Ben's with them or not. Lauren wants Ben on board, but he wants Cole out.

Others are thinking of either Joe or Cole, or forcing Joe to play an idol (which they think he has). Ulp. Now Jessica's name is on the list. 

We're having many possibilities thrown at us. At least Tribal Council won't be predictable! And, now it starts ... 

No fisticuffs, but lots of talk of trust and alliances via the original and secondary tribes. Joe is irking me. Maybe he'll irk them enough, too. Joe gets up and tells them he has another idol. Now Cole is worried because he thought Joe might be a target. Ben says that battle lines have been drawn and they'll find out who is with whom.

It's time to vote. 

Joe plays his idol for himself.

The tally:
Chrissy, Jessica, Chrissy, Jessica, Chrissy, Jessica, Chrissy, Jessica, Chrissy, Jessica, Jessica, Jessica.

Phew! I want Chrissy to stay. But, as a game observer, I don't know if Jessica would be the best to send packing right now. But they sent her packing anyway.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - November 5, 2017

Good morning! Since it's a Sunday morning, it's time for my off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're not interested in either, please feel free to check out my previous and newer posts I will put up after this -- they will be television related! You can find my Survivor posts at this link.

This past week included Halloween. I kept to my record of never having kids come to my door since I've lived in this building -- 18 years! Now, there are indeed too many kids living here for it being mostly one-bedroom apartments with supposedly a limit of two tenants in them. But the kids do know me and, even though I speak to them about playing in the hallway, they seem to like me and trust me anyway. (Just my luck!) Yet, no one trick or treats within the building. Oh, well. Each year I buy candy I like just in case someone comes by. All the more KitKat bars for me this year!

Other than Halloween and work, not much is going on in my life right now. Same old, same old. I'll be happy once we vote on Tuesday no matter who wins what -- I'm sick of all of the election junk mail in my mailbox! Although, I must say, I'm happy that there will be a new governor for New Jersey. I never cared for Chris Christie. He always comes across as a rather obnoxious bully to me. Perhaps he's not such, but I always get that feeling whenever I see him.

After our non-ending heavy rain and wind at the beginning of the week, we have had pretty nice weather. When you compare it to Hurricane (Superstorm) Sandy of five years ago or the seven-inch snowstorm the year before that, the weather has been gorgeous! The kids had a bit chilly Halloween, but it was sunny and clear and the power was on. We had a few really warm days this week, but now we're heading into more seasonal temperatures. That's fine by me. I do like a chill in the air. 

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

Heading to work

My NJ Transit train arrives at the Plainfield Train Station on Saturday morning.

Gotta love it!

I stopped into my local bodega on my way home from work on Halloween evening. These three also stopped in there. They had gone all out on their costumes -- I found it refreshing that young teens are still into the fun of the day! If their parents happen to see this, you've raised some friendly and polite children. I'm thinking they probably felt too old for the Trunk or Treat at City Hall, but made their own Halloween a happening.

The Beaver Moon

It actually went full sometime during Friday night. I took this shot last night (Saturday). I'll trap the moon with my camera, but I won't go out trapping beavers.

Flags, Flakes and Bikes

Saturday morning, before cars took over Watchung Avenue, a herd of bicyclists took over the street. All in all, there were a good dozen of more bikers racing through. Oh. And I guess it's Christmas season now. Way too early! Plainfield.

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