Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - 02/07/10

Another week gone by as we get closer to the new seasons of two of our blog mainstay television shows. That's right -- Survivor begins on Thursday followed by The Amazing Race season premiere next Sunday. But right now it's time to take a look back at this past week in words and photographs I've taken.

I guess this week's big news story was the huge snowstorm which blanketed most of the Mid-Atlantic. Well, most of. It wasn't bad right here in Plainfield where I live. Oh, cold, windy, some snow. But I think we got maybe three inches if that much.

However, I didn't know we'd get so little Saturday morning when I got up to go to work. I looked out the window and saw heavy snow falling. I listened to the National Weather Service on my scanner and we were still under a winter storm warning and snow was expected throughout the day. Me and my knee didn't want to deal with it. So I called work and took a paid personal day. Then it stopped snowing. Oops. Oh, well. After Saturday, I was to be on my staycation for a week. I just started a bit early.

On the writing front, it seems there will be a few changes down the road for my TV Squad blogging. Right now, it looks for the better. But we'll see. I'll be blogging both Survivor and The Amazing Race episodes there as I have been for the past few years.

On the personal front, karma got me for calling out of work. My neighbors had perhaps 100 kids screaming, yelling, thumping, running up and down the hallways all day and into the night. Okay, it was probably about ten or fifteen kids. But I couldn't help but wonder if ANY adults were over there supervising them. I'd hate to see what that apartment looks like. Sigh. I can only hope they move once their lease is up. If new neighbors move in below them, I'm sure the complaints will come rolling in. I've found there's no use in complaining to the landlord. Nothing is ever done about it. I'm better off calling the police. Sigh.

Onto another tangent -- it's SuperBowl Sunday. Um. Okay. I'm not a football fan. I received the first two new episodes of Southland (due to air in March on TNT) and will be watching them. What snow we have is going to be blowing all around ... and I'll be inside baking brownies and drinking hot chocolate. Yay, staycation!

Well, it's time for the photos I've taken this week. If you click on an image, it will open larger in a new window.

Squirrels' nest

The squirrels' nest outside my window is hanging in there. I haven't seen any baby squirrels or much activity right around the nest. Some squirrels were running around getting material for another nest in a tree further away the other day. This was taken Saturday morning out of my window as I contemplated calling out of work.

The Dead Zone

Yep, that's what the little sign in the window says. What makes it even better is that beyond that window is an annex of the Plainfield Police Department -- it's the offices of the narcotics cops. They don't bring prisoners there, but that's their headquarters. Odd, as the building is very iffy with many of the top floor windows broken out and in ill repair. But I guess it gives them room to do their stuff. Right now the drain pipe by their door is responsible for icing the entire sidewalk. I saw one cop almost fall coming out. If they ever run out, they're all going to go down.

It's KALE!

I found a neglected kale patch near the Plainfield City Hall on Watchung Avenue. Yay. (Not yay that it's neglected, mind you.)

Closer Kale

Yep. I miss my little kale patch closer to home.

Happy Holidays!

Does Plainfield City Hall not realize that the holidays are over and perhaps it's time to take down the adorned wreaths? I mean, it's only February. I made this photo black and white leaving only the wreaths in color.

Urban contrast

Almost like stepping blocks, we have the brick Salvation Army building, one of the city's historic homes (probably cut into apartments), and a larger apartment building (yeah, owned by my landlord). Taken from a Watchung Avenue viewpoint in Plainfield.

Bad, bad siding. Bad.

There's a preponderance of bad siding and bad addition jobs on what probably were really cool older homes throughout the city of Plainfield. Cheap jobs, I guess. But I don't like it. I recall my parents going through all kinds of red tape and having to keep the historical aspects of our battered Victorian home from my childhood. This should be a crime!

E&A Restaurant Supply entrance

I so love the graphics they've added to the building! East Fifth and Cleveland Avenue in Plainfield, the Cleveland Avenue side.

"Architectiral?"

Oh. My. Gosh. If you are in the sign-painting business, you need to check your spelling. And, if you're buying a sign, you do not accept one with misspellings! I blurred the phone and web URL to protect the foolish. By the way, it's architectural. Yes, that's right.

Into the light

The NJ Transit train overpass on Park Avenue in Plainfield.

Pants on the ground

"Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground." - General Larry Platt, the best part of this season's American Idol so far. When I saw these two walk by me with their pants on the ground, I had to shoot them. Now, these are grown men, probably late-twenties, early thirties. But their crotches do NOT start at their knees. I'm sure they don't. General left out big jackets (and shirts), but that's all a part of the look, too. How do BIG guys like these two find such BIGGER clothes to wear? Lookin' like fools, for sure. I edited this to keep the fools in color, the background black and white and "posterized."

Fading away signs

No Parking and Entrance are slowly deteriorating at the closed Crown Cadillac car dealership in Plainfield.

No Caddy for you!

Nope, not from the closed Crown Cadillac, anyway. The afternoon sun was a bit harsh, but not as harsh as the economy.

Abandoned Glory

Peeking inside the window of the old Crown Cadillac building, I saw this trophy sitting on a bucket, a remnant of glory days gone by.

Coffe and News Papers

More bad spelling on Park Avenue in Plainfield. Oy. How do you spell coffee wrong? And, of course, newspapers is a single word. Gotta give 'em credit ... they spelled ATM right.

Uh-oh

Now the birds are rolling in dirt to camouflage themselves in their bid to overthrow mankind.

Who you gonna call?

No one, because the phone has gone missing! I swear more public phones don't have phones than ones that do. With the exception of the clearly vandalized ones (which have broken phones), it seems the phone companies are removing the phones as the wires are capped off. But they leave the shell. What's up with that?

Isn't he too cute for words?

Vincent enjoys a cat nap. So do I.

How was your week?

Looking at the Survivor Villains

The new season of Survivor begins this coming Thursday at 8 PM ET/PT. I previously covered the "heroes" and now it's time for the "villains." In going through the list, I think the criteria in choosing the villains had to be a bit more grey than the heroes. I believe it was Parvati who said in her video that "the women were chosen because they're strong players while the men are characters." The men all seem like easy choices. But, with the women, the only outright villainess I'm seeing might be Jerri Manthey.

Make sure you're signed up for the blog pool (in comments at the Heroes post) if you want to play!


Ben "Coach" Wade, age 38, from Susanville, California. I don't want to talk about him. He does nothing but annoy me. He was the 11th out and 5th jury member on Tocantins. He's full of himself and needlessly "out there." While he's a legend in his own mind, he was a failure at just about every challenge in his season. I hope the first person voted out is him because he's so pitifully annoying.


Courtney Yates, age 28, originally from Boston, currently living in New York City. Courtney was the runner-up in China. She's one who isn't really such a villainy villain. I hope she's gained some weight. Whenever I think of her in her season, I see a walking skeleton in my mind.


Danielle DiLorenzo, age 26, from Boston, Massachusetts, currently living in Los Angeles. She was the runner-up in Panama. Once again, she isn't someone who screams "VILLAIN" to me. I think Parvati hit it on the nose with her comment about the women villains mainly being chosen because they're strong players. Danielle will probably do well. These women should team up and get rid of the guys ... and make it work this time. They're strong enough!


Jerri Manthey, age 38, from Los Angeles and still residing there. Now, here's the only woman who I feel was a real villain in her original season. She was the 8th person out and 2nd jury member in Australia, and 7th out in All-Stars. She had quite a bunch of brouhahas with Colby Donaldson. We can only hope for more. I doubt she'll win.


Parvati Shallow, age 27, from Atlanta, Georgia, now living in Los Angeles, California. On Cook Islands, she was the 15th out and 7th jury member. She was the winner of Micronesia. While she's definitely a bit devious with her flirtations, she's more of a smart player than a villain. She's not my favorite, but she thinks out and plays a good game. I think she could very well put in a good showing once again. I should keep count how many times it sounds like Jeff Probst is calling her "Poverty."


Randy Bailey, age 50, from Austin, Texas. He was the 11th out and 3rd jury member in Gabon. He's a bully. While I don't find him as annoying as "Coach" because he's not as whacky and doesn't get as much camera time, I don't care for him or his game. He can go. Thank you.


Boston Rob Mariano, age 33, from Boston, Massachusetts, now living in Pensacola, Florida. Husband of Survivor winner Amber, as we all know. He was the 7th out in Marquesas, and the runner-up in All-Stars. He was also on The Amazing Race. He has also used up too many fifteen minutes of fame. That said, I'd rather watch him than Coach or Randy. I don't think he's going to get really far this season. I don't think people will trust him.


Russell Hantz, age 37, from Dayton, Texas. He was the runner-up on Samoa. He's fresh in our memories and probably the most evil player since Richard Hatch. While he's the master of finding hidden idols and manipulating people in the moment, he doesn't seem to have learned a better social game plan. Loose lips and gloating cost him the million once. Will it happen again?


Sandra Diaz-Twine, age 34, from Stamford, Connecticut, now living in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She was the winner of Pearl Islands. Is she really a villain? I'm just not getting that. She was tight with Rupert in her season. Her chances? I don't know -- she's against a tough crowd and she's really not too villainy. If she makes it to the merge, maybe final six.


Tyson Apostol, age 30, from Lindon, Utah, now living in Heber City, Utah. He was the 8th out and 2nd jury member in Tocantins. He looks much better in this picture than I recall him looking on the show. He's another one I don't like -- that chip on his shoulder should make him list to one side. But he is strong in challenges and the tribemates always seem to think he's entertaining. I'd rather he didn't win, though.

The Bachelor Spoilers

No ... don't panic! I'm not writing them here. However, I received a press release from the Entertainment Weekly EW.com folks and thought some of you might be interested. Discussion in THIS post about the spoilers is fine (YOU'VE BEEN WARNED NON-SPOILER FOLKS!), but please don't bring the discussion to the main blog discussion post for the show. Merci!

Here's an excerpt from the article:

Bachelor producers are busy preparing for the Jason Mesnick-Molly Malaney nuptials on March 8. But in some ways, the wedding opens old wounds for producers — specifically how the spoilerific blog realitysteve.com, run by Steve Carbone, accurately revealed last year that Mesnick would first propose to Melissa Rycroft and then dump her for Malaney on a shocking After the Final Rose special. So far this year, Carbone’s blog has already leaked several details about the latest season of The Bachelor starring Jake Pavelka, including locations of dates, which contestants received “date roses,” and who would be sent home.

The EW.com article itself can be found right here.

Lost Geeks Discuss the Premiere

I found this video of AOL Television Lost Geeks discussing the major points of the premiere. I thought for those blog readers a bit lost about Lost might want to see it. Just click on the arrow to play the video. Be warned that it's about twelve minutes or so.

One thing I'd also mention would be a correlation to The Wizard of Oz. We know that in the first season, there were several references to Oz (like Ben claiming he was Henry Gale crashing his hot air balloon). I thought, while watching the season premiere, that the whole approach to the temple reminded me of Dorothy and her cohorts approaching the Emerald City. Plus, the music was definitely reminiscent of Oz ... as Maggie briefly mentions in the video.



Don't forget ... tonight at 8 PM ET/PT, there's a Surviving Survivor hour-long special!

Looking at the Survivor Heroes

Here we are in countdown for the start of the next season of Survivor. It's just a week (and a day) away! Margo has the blog pool rolling along, but there still are openings for those who want to join in. The deadline for joining in on the blog pool is noon (ET) on February 9. The prizes? Um, well ... you get to brag about your winner! It's still a lot of fun even if the winner won't win a million dollars.

Most of us are dedicated show fans, so we've seen our "Heroes and Villains" in action before. However, I figured I'd refresh your memories with some images, a few facts, and my own opinions. Please feel free to jump in with your thoughts in comments ... and may the fun begin.


Amanda Kimmel, 24, from Kalispell, Montana, currently living in Los Angeles. She was the second runner-up in China and the runner-up in Micronesia. Former Miss Montana and Miss Earth, she wants to prove she can win. My thoughts? Well, she's certainly better than the winner of the past season -- at least she plays the game. That said, she's not my personal favorite for the win and I think the competition might prove too tough for her.


Candice Woodcock, age 27, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, currently residing in Washington, D.C. She was the 13th out and 5th jury member on Cook Islands. Um, okay. I'm not quite sure why she was chosen. While I have nothing against her, I barely remember her. I get the feeling she won't make it to the jury this time around. It's up to her to prove me wrong.


Cirie Fields, age 39, from Jersey City, New Jersey, currently living in Norwalk, Connecticut. Okay, her showing on the show wasn't any better than Candice's finish -- 12th out and 6th jury member in Panama; 15th out and 7th jury member in Micronesia. But Cirie, unlike Candice, made a real impression on me. Her sense of humor, her "least likely to succeed on Survivor" background ... I enjoyed watching her on the show. Well, except for the icky underwear on Panama. I really don't think she can win against this group, but I'll be cheering her on just because I truly enjoy her.


Colby Donaldson, age 35, from Christival, Texas, now residing in Los Angeles. Colby should have been the winner of Australia, but he practically handed it over on a silver platter to Tina Wesson. On All-Stars, he had a rather rapid exit as the 5th out. His hair seems to have thinned some, but that winning smile is still there. Colby was definitely my eye-candy for the Australia season. Plus, he just came across as such a nice guy. I remember them shutting him down quickly on All-Stars. If he can get a good alliance going with his heroes buddies, he could very well last a long time.


James Clement, age 32, from Lafayette, Louisiana, he currently has homes in both Lafayette and Malibu, California. James was 10th out in China and, due to an injury, he made it to 4th jury member in Micronesia. James is another person I'm looking forward to watching -- he has these cool James-ism expressions which definitely reflect on his background and not necessarily his age. I should have known, but it's odd that he's only 32. In so many ways, he's an older soul than that. Definitely nice eye-candy for me with that physique and I love his voice. I hope he goes far and doesn't get hurt!


James "JT" Thomas, Jr;, age 25, from Samson, Alabama, currently living in Mobile, Alabama. JT was the winner of Tocantins. He's going to be a force to be reckoned with this season on the show. While he's one of the good guys, he's one of the fiercest competitors ever on the show. Unless he's targeted early, he's likely to make it to at least the final four. I like him, but he's not my favorite personality-wise to watch. Okay, okay, I know that's not what the show is all about. But he's like a friendly pitbull to me. Sure, he wags his tail and smiles, but when action is called for, he will risk his own self to win.


Rupert Boneham, age 45, from Indianapolis, Indiana (and still there). Rupert was the 8th out, 2nd jury member in Pearl Islands and 15th out, 6th jury member in All-Stars. He also won the first (I think, correct me if I'm wrong) fan favorite prize. Rupert's perhaps one of the most animated and colorful characters ever on the show. He's positively a good guy in real life, dedicating time and money to his charity helping kids. I know he's a favorite of many show fans, but not necessarily my own personal favorite. I'm not sure he can hold up to the heavy hitters this season. We'll see.


Stephenie LaGrossa, age 29, from Briarcliff, Glenolden, Pennsylvania, currently living in Philadelphia. (Huh ... why was I thinking she was from New Jersey?) She was the 10th out and 3rd jury member in Palau, runner-up in Guatemala. She's one tough cookie. She was the surviving Ulong member and went through some really hard times that season. I think she's the best bet for a female win on either heroes or villains. That is, unless they also figure that and target her to get her off before she wins it all.


Jessica "Sugar" Kiper, age 29, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, now residing in Los Angeles. Sugar was the 2nd runner-up on Gabon. Now, she's not going to win. Just the thought is preposterous. She gets rattled too quickly and is too emotional. Sure, she made some good moves in her season. And, yes, I really enjoyed watching her. She, for the most part, is a good judge of people. Hopefully she'll make strong allies. I want her to do well. I just don't think she will.


Tom Westman, age 45, from Long Island, New York, currently living in New York, New York. Tom was the winner of Palau and he deserved it. Until JT came along, I think Tom held the record for consecutive individual immunities. He's someone who has represented the FDNY so well on the show -- a nice guy, played the game with integrity as well as amazing physical feats. I like Tom. I wouldn't mind seeing him win again. But I don't think the villains will let him get that far.

Your thoughts?

Photo Credit: CBS

Tonight Will Be a Lost Evening for Me

Yep, it's back! Lost returns this evening with a big three-hour ordeal a'goin' on. From what it looks like, the first hour (although listed as new material) answers some questions and points out remaining mysteries. Then it's onto the two-hour actual season premiere. Most likely I'll NEED to watch that first hour as I've totally forgotten what happened last on the show!

Now, I don't think I'll be blogging the show in-depth as I'm so lost to begin with and it will take me some time to catch up. But if folks want to comment on the premiere, I'm sure to join in. It's the last season of the show and they did promise us answers. We better get them and it better not be a "Who shot JR?" scenario!

I'll be recording tonight's American Idol audition show due to Lost. What are YOU watching tonight?

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - 01/31/10

Yay, another winter month GONE! A step closer to spring! And, of course, another week has gone by. So it's time for my weekly off topic post reflecting back on the week in words and photographs I've taken.

The weather here in the NJ/Greater NYC Metropolitan Area has been crazy this past week. We started out with near record highs (and a monsoon) early in the week, then dipped to way below freezing for the end of the week. In both extremes, we had heavy duty winds. Oh. And we had an unexpected snowstorm early Thursday morning which wreaked havoc on the local roads. That's on top of the flooding earlier in the week.

I braved it all. Rain, sleet (we had none of that), snow, gloom of night ... I slogged through it daily for work. I had my trusty warm waterproof Totes winter boots -- not fashion boots for sure, but very functional in bad weather and they don't slide on snow, either! My big umbrella met an unfortunate demise in Monday's rain and wind. The second time it turned inside out, it was time to say goodbye.

It seems most of my co-workers are sick, mostly bronchitis and laryngitis. I have neither and I don't want to catch anything. Hand sanitizers have been my best friend along with their friend, antiseptic wipes. I've been wiping down my computer keyboard at work as I know I'm not the only one to touch it, just the main person. I've been wiping down phones. I've had a slight cold for a while, but if I can avoid the severe stuff, I will. I do have chapped lips. Grr.

Thankfully the heat in my apartment has been working fine since Monday. With the weather the way it's been, all I want to do is get home from work and hibernate in my warm robe and slippers. Someone let Jehovah's Witnesses (the Jesus people!) in the building and I ignored them as I was already all warm and comfy the other day. Yeah, I knew it was them ... I heard them knocking on every door. (Grr.) FIOS people have also been in the building this week soliciting. I want to know who's letting these intrusions in now that all the building doors actually lock! Hey, if I'm not expecting anyone, I'm not answering the door except for police or firemen. Even they had better have a good reason to be bugging me. Yes, I've turned into a winter curmudgeonette.

My life continues to be so exciting, eh? For an extra thrill, I have to go to my office for a few hours today as it's the closing of the fiscal year at work. Joy, joy. Onto the photos I've taken this week -- clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window:

Plainfield Train Station in a mini-snowstorm

This is the side where I wait for my train to go to work. We have no heat on the westbound side and they turn our lights out early. The other side has the main train station which is open from about 5 AM to noon (or so), along with the ticket machines. They have heat.

I suppose the assumption is that most people who wait for the train are heading into the city (NYC) and when they arrive home on the westbound side, they don't wait in the elements and just go on home -- so they don't need heat. NJ Transit does the same thing with the bus stops. Eastbound has shelters and benches, westbound stands on the corners. I scream discrimination against against the flow travelers!

Dedicated Railfan

Despite the fact that the windchill is about 3 degrees, this brave railfan has his tripod and camera set for the action at the Bound Brook Train Station. Until I started taking the train and noticing the groups of railfans, I had no idea the cult exists. Bound Brook is a favorite setting for them as there are two freight lines (in background) and the NJ Transit commuter line. They're more interested in the freight trains than the commuter trains. This guy got his prize as two freight trains were going opposite directions as I rode through on NJ Transit. I took this shot from the warmth of inside the train.

Paying respects to a fallen comrade

The cones gather to mourn their loss on East Front Street in Plainfield.

Barren branch shadows

The early morning sun casts shadows of barren limbs on the Friends Meeting House (Quakers) on Watchung Avenue in Plainfield. I edited the photo to leave only the meeting house in color.

Ingles computacion y classic soulfood

You know, I think life is much more interesting when there's diversity all around you! I can recommend the restaurant, but I'm not really suited for taking computer classes in Spanish teaching me English software programs. Watchung Avenue in Plainfield.

Just hanging around

I spotted this upside-down owl in the doorway of 116 Watchung Avenue in Plainfield. Huh? What's that all about? No, it's not a real owl. I'm thinking it may have been put there to keep pigeons from nesting, kind of like a scarecrow. But since it's upside down, the pigeons probably point and laugh at it.

Every snowflake is unique

Yep, we're all special snowflakes.

East meets West

In the snow at the Plainfield Train Station the other day. While cars were slipping and sliding all over the roads, I had a pleasant commute. Layers are the key.

On the down-low again

This time I set my camera on the platform looking the other way in the snow squall. Plainfield Train Station.

State News in the snow

The corner of Watchung and East Front early Thursday morning (Plainfield).

Do the star-spangled banners yet wave?

Yep, they do. East Front Street in front of the Monarch.

Bridgewater Train Station

This NJ Transit rail station is more of a stop than a station. Yet, they remain true to the fact that eastbound towards NYC has a little building with heat while westbound has benches out in the elements. I edited this with GIMP's "posterize" to give it the illustration effect. We have a better station and much better lamps in Plainfield.

Sunrise in my crystal ball

Okay, it's a lamp outside the main post office on Watchung Avenue in Plainfield. I left the globe of the lamp in color, slightly posterized and made the rest of the image black and white. It's not quite as good as I hoped it would be.

In training

Uh-oh. They're working out, readying to overthrow mankind!

The geese, not as professional

I don't know what's become of the younger generation. It's supposed to be a V in formation, gaggle! Oh my. I think they're skywriting. Oh no! "Surrender Dorothy!" Eep.

Two defectors

Going AWOL into the angry clouds. Perhaps they'll fly to the sun, melt their wings and they'll fall into the sea like Icarus.

A note on the clouds -- this was Monday's sunset after our monsoon-like day. Gorgeous, but it signaled the cold front moving in.

The geese keep trying

Well, now they're in a straight line, kind of sort of. They really need discipline.

Sunshine caught in the gaps

The late afternoon sunshine lights up the gaps on this old bridge at the Bridgewater Train Station.

I've said it before

Don't sleep near me on the train.

In the early morning rain

With a dollar in my hand, an aching in my heart ... and an inside-out umbrella. Looking up East Front Street from in front of the Plainfield YWCA pre-dawn Monday morning in the MONSOON.

Roughly the same view

Three days and an hour later. Thursday morning in the snow.

Supremo arket in the rain

Monday pre-dawn. Purty lights, but I was soaked clear through. Well, except for my feet. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Wake up, Vincent!

Hey, Vincent! It's a wolf moon outside! It's the biggest full moon you'll see all year! Okay, you won't see it. You prefer to nap. I don't know how you're ever going to be a well-rounded cat. You didn't want to see the last blue moon either.

How was your week?

This Week's American Idol Auditions

Has American Idol jumped the shark even though Simon Cowell is still there? Sure, I know we're in the auditions, the riff-raff of the season. But usually someone's voice really catches my interest by now. Yes, there have been some decent voices, a handful probably better than some recording artists out and about today. But no one has made me sit back and go "WOW!" I want my WOW and I want it now!

The guest judge thing has been different this year. I wasn't impressed with Avril Lavigne and her little horned hoodie on Tuesday evening. She really didn't add much as far as input on the auditions, either. However, she played with the horns on her sweatshirt. Maybe she got it from a boi.

Last night we had Neil Patrick Harris for the first day in Texas, a Jonas brother (Joe?) for the second day. True to form, NPH jumped right in and got involved. If you've ever seen him on talk shows or when he's substituted for Regis ... he's good at these things. The Jonas was a bit like Avril Lavigne sans an horned hoodie.

As for the auditions themselves, the Tourette's guy sang decently and his little sad story was a nice touch when he really could sing. Did he blow me away? Nope. Nome of them did. We need a Melinda Doolittle methinks. How about you?