Off Topic - That Was the Week it Was - April 18, 2010

I'm posting this latest off topic photo post from San Antonio, Texas! I'm here with a fantastic bunch of blog readers and staying at a luxury estate. Photos of that can be expected next week, along with inevitable airport shots.

I'm going to make this entry a bit short and sweet, with photos I took before heading off to Texas ...

You're leaving me?

Vincent settling into his cat condo at the pet resort. I told him he needs a vacation from me!

What's that? Don't tell me they have dogs in the kitty condos!

You're really going?

Just a violet

I'm not sure what this one is ...

Venus flytrap, maybe? No, I'm sure it's not, but it looks that way!

Poison Ivy

It does look pretty! And, no matter how much they chop it down, it keeps coming back.

I want to say hydrangea or something to that effect.

I'm better at photographing them than naming them.

Wee baby buds

Why are you looking at my butt?

Scarf Lady, meet Sweater Dude

A romance set on NJ Transit trains

Imagine, if you will, a picture ...

An ocean of violets in bloom ...

Animals strike curious poses ...

My apologies to Prince. Hmmm, a good caption?

1. Don't go to Texas!

2. Jaws of Death

3. Just a yawn.

North Street, Plainfield

I took this shot with the sepia filter of my old Pentax. You see, I left for work one day with my Canon which is my usual. However, its memory card was in my computer at home. Just as well, I like to play with the various filters on the camera. It's kind of like editing photos, but it takes the shot that way to begin with.

North Street with the illustrator filter on the Pentax.

East Front Street

I edited this one (taken with the Canon) to leave only bits in color.

Even weeds have beauty

When you miss a train, you miss it

You can't be one second late because they close the doors on you!

East Second Street billboards, edited

Well, I must get back to vacationing! How was your week?

Off to San Antonio!

I'm outta here! I'll be flying to San Antonio today and will get a Sunday post up for you anyway!

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains Blog Party Post 4/15 Episode

The show is starting in a minute or so. This post will be updated with the major events as they air here on the East Coast. Late tonight, my full review will be posted on TV Squad. But, until then, the real fun is in the comments area right here -- feel free to jump in with your thoughts on the show, everyone is welcome! Survivors ready?

Villains won reward. Parvati got the clue to the hidden idol and found it with Danielle. No one else knows, including Russell.

Heroes won immunity. JT gave Russell his idol thinking that there's an all-girl alliance. He wants Russell to vote out Parvati.

Courtney was voted out.

The Amazing Race - Blog Party Post - 4/11/10 Episode

Tonight's show is delayed by ten or eleven minutes here on the East Coast due to golf. (I wonder what the golf channel aired while CBS aired golf?) Once it starts, I'll update this entry with major events including the Pit Stop order and Philimination. My actual show review will be posted late tonight over on TV Squad. But the real fun (and most information) will be right here in the comments area. Everyone is invited to join in with your thoughts!

Dan and Jordan completed the fast forward task and are on their way to the pit stop. There will be a U-Turn ahead for the others.

Dan and Jordan made it to the pit stop first and each won a motorbike. Brent and Caite hit the U-Turn and chose to U-Turn Carol and Brandy.

Pit Stop
2. Brent and Caite
3. Jet and Cord
4. Louie and Michael
5. Carol and Brandy -- Philiminated (Yay!)

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - 04/11/10

It's Sunday morning, time to reflect back on the past week in words and photographs I've taken. We're in the full-tilt spring phase here as each day brings new blossoms on trees only to have them gone the next. We started out the week here in the New Jersey area with record high temperatures. Yes, over 90 degrees in early April should be illegal. But the last few days brought about more actual spring temps with very cool overnights. Ah, that's how I like it!

I mentioned in a Facebook update that a note was shoved under my door after 11 PM one night warning me that "We will be having a party Saturday night in 3_. If our noise bothers you, please feel free to knock on the door. Thank you." Now, of course, the proper etiquette would be to invite me. But that aside, all I could think of was that it's a different floor and a different wing way away from my apartment and that it must be quite the party planned if they're warning the entire building.

In talking with another person from that floor, I found out the "why" behind the note. It seems that the people in that apartment are a couple of young women who, when they first moved in, were partying every night. The neighbors surrounding them resorted to calling the police because the landlord does nothing about noise or disturbance issues. Huh. And here I thought there were new considerate folks living here. By the way, I heard no noise or even foot traffic in the hallway from their party.

Nothing truly interesting has happened here this week. I'm getting tired of the "news" being all about celebrities cheating, who is gay, etc. Am I the only one in America who really doesn't care if someone I don't personally know is cheating? Is gay even news these days? Maybe I'm just jaded or something. Sure, I'd want to know if a romantic interest of my own or a close friend's spouse was out there with a dozen others, but someone who's never been a real part of my life? Sheesh, enough already.

As for the gay matter, what's the big deal? Many people are gay, it happens. I don't think I've been surprised since about the time Rock Hudson came out of the closet, or on a personal level with friends, since I was about 14. Why are they wasting space on the news about this? I could be learning things from the news (which I do occasionally), instead I hear on and on about Tiger Woods, Jessie James, and Ricky Martin. I really don't care. I'd rather find out that they're trying to do something to stop the fungus that's killing 90% of the bats in the northeast. I'd rather learn about cultural dances from other countries. I guess anything outside of celebrity gossip ... which is weird coming from a TV blogger. But the news is getting usurped with all this celebrity stuff. /soapbox

Now that my rant is over, what else is on my mind? Oh. I know. I'm in countdown to vacation. I'm only working three days this coming week. On Friday, I have to take Vincent to be boarded (shh, don't tell him) and on Saturday, I'm flying out to Texas to meet up with some fine folks to spend about five days in the lap of luxury. Yay! Of course, the three workdays will last an eternity, but ...!

Onto this week's photos -- if you click on an image, it will open larger in a new window.

Plainfield Train Station at Dusk

Now when I get home after work on Saturday evening, the sun has just set.

Fresh and new poison ivy!

Ain't it cute? Bridgewater, NJ.

Darwin's Theory?

This is just plain foolishness. In Newark, I once saw a drunk sitting on the platform. When the train came in, he lost his legs from the knees down. You do NOT balance on the edge of the platform, especially as a train is coming in! Lose your balance, you're dead. Don't move quick enough, you're hit or dragged. Or, at the very least, they won't let you board the train because you're being an idiot. That does happen -- I've seen them refuse to board people who cross the tracks instead of using the tunnels (which you can't do in Plainfield because it's a raised platform). This particular man backed up in time, but he's an idiot anyway.

Plainfield Train Station in sepia

Along with the inevitable Omar. He's not like the Omar in The Wire. I'm not sure if he has a home or lives at the station. I know he's there just about any time I board or leave a train, no matter what hour of the day. I've never seen him board a train, yet he's there. He helps people with the ticket machine and lets people know if the train is delayed or boarding on the other track (which they do have official announcements for). I'm sure he hopes for money, but he's never asked me for a thing. He obviously has some issues, but he's harmless. And, as odd as it is to say, I think that if someone did bother me, he'd probably help me.

Every city and town I've lived in has had some street characters in 'em. Up in Connecticut, I had Al Gibbs -- he would get drunk, stand in the street and direct traffic, and offer to go to the bootlegger for people. Connecticut has strict alcohol laws -- no beer or liquor sold after 8 PM except for inside of bars and restaurants (no carryout) and none at all on Sundays. I never was all that into alcohol, so no bootlegger bottles for me. But I bet Omar wasn't a Navy SEAL like Al was in his much younger days!

Aw, pretty!

This is one of the trees on the north side of the Plainfield Train Station. Soon it will just be green leaves.

Another tree in bloom

This one is by the Bridgewater Train Station

Yet another!

I took this shot mid-week. The blossoms were all shriveled and gone by Saturday.

More baby poison ivy leaves

I edited this photo to leave the poison ivy in color, the background black and white. Bridgewater Train Station.

More Plainfield Train Station blossoms

Friend or F.O.E.?

The view down the sidewalk on Church Street all decked for the season. By the way, where you see the greenery on the right, there's also poison ivy mixed in there around the fence by the cemetery, but I haven't seen it awaken yet this season.

Obviously, F.O.E.

This is no longer the Eagle Club, though. It's the Heard One Complex with banquet rooms for parties, weddings, and such. Just as well ... you know those birds are conspiring to take over the world. I'd be leery of Eagle Clubs.

Sigh

North Street in Plainfield. I edited the shot to make it more drawing/painting-like. They're doing a lot of digging, but some of the bricks in the party wall on the right look real precarious. I can see this dragging out for months at the expense of city taxpayers.

More spring!

The trees on Church Street have already peaked and now are delivering their debris all over the place. Achoo!

Church Street (again)

Last time, I promise. I think this little street is so pretty in the spring ... so peaceful, almost bucolic.

Pretty in pink

Another shot I edited to highlight the pink blooming tree. This is the Scott Way Townhome complex off of East Front Street in Plainfield.

Jersey Boys

Many of the local schools were on spring break this past week. These trendsetters (notice the socks on the boy on the right) were hanging out at the Bound Brook Train Station. When the train left, they tried to outrun it. Um, yeah, boys. Edited to leave only the boys in their original state.

East Front Street (Plainfield) just before sunrise

On my early days for work, the sun rises on my journey now.

The last Church Street photo ... really!

A Cacophony of Color

This is by the edge of the Field of Geese at the Bridgewater Train Station.

Plainfield Municipal Court

Edited, obviously. I was going for the pen and ink effect and not quite making it. Hmmm ... wonder if my knee would set off the metal detector? I'll find out Saturday if it sets off the ones at the airport.

'shrooms, dude!

I messed with the editing on this one, too. But, with this one, I'm pleased with the results. The mushrooms were all black and shriveled by the next day.

Vincent

Sigh, I feel bad about having him boarded. He'll be in a much better place than he was at the shelter -- no dogs barking and relatively quiet. He'll have his own cat condo, toys, food, litter box, sleeping mat, etc. But he's so "I want to be on you or near you all the time" that it's not going to be easy for him. However, once he's back home, I'm sure he'll be happy once again. I'll have to warn them that he likes to jump on and drape over shoulders.

How was your week?

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains Blog Party Post 4/08 Episode

The show is starting in a minute or so. This post will be updated with the major events as they air here on the East Coast. Late tonight, my full review will be posted on TV Squad. But, until then, the real fun is in the comments area right here -- feel free to jump in with your thoughts on the show, everyone is welcome! Survivors ready?

JT found the hidden idol, told only because Amanda caught him.

Heroes won Reward -- a feast. No merge tonight.

Heroes won Immunity!

Coach was voted out.

TV Medical Dramas vs. Real Life Medical Crises

I think we all grew up on television medical dramas of one era or another. When I was really young, the tales of Dr. Kildare and Dr. Ben Casey were huge hits. Over the years, we moved onto ER, Mercy, and Grey's Anatomy. Then there were the ambulance-related shows like Emergency! (remember that one? I had a Randolph Mantooth crush for a bit there) and the paramedic side of Third Watch.

However, no amount of drama or crises we've seen on those shows can compete with some of the real life issues going on today. With the lack of funding, hospitals are shutting down. It happened here in Plainfield, New Jersey, when the only hospital in the city -- Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center shut down to become solely a satellite emergency room. It just happened in lower Manhattan with the announcement that St. Vincent's will go the same route as Muhlenberg.

But it's not only the hospitals in a crisis -- local emergency squads are going under as well. Can you imagine waiting a half-hour for an ambulance in a life-threatening situation? Or, worse yet, not having an ambulance available in a city of 50,000 residents?

I'm stepping a bit away from my usual television or photo-rambling to pass the word that the Plainfield Rescue Squad is having a fund drive ... and these funds are desperately needed to continue their valuable operations. Not to worry, I won't be posting about every cause on earth for y'all. Someone reached out to me on this one and it's something that I feel strongly about. I live here. I'm not elderly, but I'm no spring chicken either. My mother died very young of a heart attack. While I hope my biggest health issues continue to be knee surgery related or "I have a cat on me and I can't get up," I have to be realistic. One day my own life might depend on the local ambulance. As it stands, the lives of others are depending on them daily.

This blog has a mix of local readers and those from across the country. No matter who you are or where you live, if you wish to help the fund drive, here's how:

1. Donations can be mailed to the Plainfield Rescue Squad, 700 West 7th Street, PO Box 707, Plainfield, NJ 07060.
2. You can also drop off donations at The Pillars Bed and Breakfast, 922 Central Ave; Graphix One, 321 Park Ave; and Dairy Queen, 1367 South Ave.
3. Online donations can also be made through Paypal at www.paypal.com , the id is plainfieldrescuesquad@yahoo.com. Go to "Send Money," enter the amount, click "Personal" then "gift" and send.
Donations may be tax deductible. Consult your tax advisor for details.

Lost - "Happily Ever After"

I'm glad I didn't try to write about Lost while watching it last night. I can barely handle it today wide awake and alert. The episode was Desmond-centric, something I thought would be very interesting as he's one of the most intriguing characters on the show. Instead of being entitled "Happily Ever After," it might be construed as "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places."

Most of the episode took place in the sideways world. We found out that Eloise, the mother of Daniel Farragut, is actually Charles Widmore's wife and Daniel is his son. Penny, Desmond's love, is Daniel's half-sister. Desmond, after landing from Australia on Flight 815 was assigned the task of taking Charlie (who had been arrested on the flight for his heroin possession) to do a concert for Mrs. Widmore and her loving son Daniel.

Then all kinds of love connections happened with Charlie (of all people) being the prophet. His drowning hand with "Not Penny's boat" reenacted as he forced Desmond to crash into water. Desmond began his search for true love ... for Penny. Apparently the message is that love is more important than anything else, I guess.

On the island, I was thrown into my own state of confusion by the befuddled Fiber One grocery clerk being in a position of intelligence and authority of some type. I kept expecting him to call his manager to tell them there are no nuts or twigs. Desmond was tested in a killing electromagnetic force and survived as only he could. Widmore has a mission for him. But then Sayid appeared at the end and Desmond went off with him. Oh, now I'm all Lost again! How about you?

My Watership Down theory may still be viable. There was a rabbit.