Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - October 30, 2011

Yes, yes ... it's late for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. I have a valid excuse, though. Due to a freak (yet not major) snowstorm, my power was out from about 1:30 PM yesterday until almost 10 AM today. I didn't go out for photos yesterday, nor yet today as the power outage messed with various plans I had and I'm playing catch up now. However, just before the power died, I made this video and posted it on Facebook:

This past week was my last full week off from work and boy did I test that knee on a few days. On Tuesday I went to a work-related awards luncheon in northern New Jersey. It always surprises me to see windy little mountain roads and a country atmosphere in the state. I'm so used to densely populated and flat here. The leaves up there went from peak to nearly bare as we headed further north. As a side note: the storm whopped them with 18 inches of light fluffy snow. Since they had fewer leaves on the trees and it was a lighter snow, we suffered more here with our wet slushy four inches (or so).

On Wednesday, my brother and his wife came down from Albany and we met up in the city (NYC) for lunch at Katz's Delicatessen and roaming at large. I roamed at large a wee bit too much and could barely walk the next day. Ow! It didn't help that NJ Transit thought it wise to TURN OFF THE ESCALATOR and make folks climb the equivalent of almost four flights of stairs on a narrow single-file turned off escalator with steep steps to get to my bus gate. That after a day walking almost did me in. But after a day of rest on Thursday, my knee was workable on Friday.

Then came the snow and power outage. What a week! Make sure you click the "read more" link at the end of this post to see all the photos this week!

Color in da 'hood

This tree is always beautiful but one of the first to go naked in the 'hood.

Plainfield Train Station

From a very different angle. I actually took the stairs on the east bound platform on Tuesday. I would not have done that on Thursday!

Survivor South Pacific 10/26 Episode Blog Party

Survivors ready? It's almost time for the show to start here on the East Coast. As it airs, I'll be updating this post with major events.

But the real fun and active discussion can be found in the blog party comments. Stop on in and share your thoughts on the show!

Christine wins another duel! Mikayla is history now.

Hmm ... Ozzy told Cochran that (worse case scenario) someone needs to beat Christine and he might hand off the idol to someone, beat Christine so he'd come back. Hmm ...

Meanwhile, Coach is getting Coachy praying and leading others on a wild goose chase for the idol he has. Oh my gosh, the praying worked! They miraculously found the hidden idol! @@

Immunity challenge's reward is a screening of Jack and Jill w/Adam Sandler.

Upolu wins! More thankful praying.

Since Cochran screwed Savaii's chances for immunity, all of a sudden Ozzy doesn't want to go to Redemption Island.

YIKES! Ozzy retrieved his idol and is once again saying he'll go.  Despite his tribe's disapproval, they do his bidding. He gives the idol to Cochran who does NOT play it.

Tally:
Ozzy
Ozzy
Ozzy
Ozzy

Ozzy goes to Redemption Island. Go figure.

The Amazing Race 19 Blog Party - 10/23/2011

The show is actually starting on time here in the NYC area. I might just faint! Once it starts here, I'll update this post with the major happenings. But the real fun is in the comments; please pipe in with your thoughts! See you there!

Pitstop order:
1. Marcus and Amani! (My pool pick!) Won a trip to Bali
2. Bill and Cathi
3. Ernie and Cindy
4. Justin and Jennifer
5. Andy and Tommy
6. Laurence and Zac
7. Jeremy and Sandy
8. Liz and Marie - Philiminated just when I started enjoying them

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - October 23, 2011

It's Sunday morning once again -- time for my weekly off television topic  reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. I've had yet another quiet week on the home front. I seem to have picked up a cold. That or perhaps just really bad allergies. I'm congested and sneezy. But, no. I haven't been hanging around Snow White.

The weather here has really seemed to become fall-like this week. I don't mind that at all. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. I like temperatures in the high fifties, low sixties in the daytime. I enjoy wearing a sweater. I really enjoy not sweating while I'm walking! 

Walking with leaves crunching under my feet or just shuffling (not like the Party Rock Anthem ... "every day I'm shuffle-in, I'm shuffle-in'" -- I mean really shuffling not dancing to the beat!) through accumulations of them. Pumpkins abound. I bought some apple cider which I'm mulling over mulling. Alas, I can't find any really local apple cider doughnuts. Unfortunately it doesn't look like we're going to have great foliage colors here this year, probably due to the severe rain totals over the summer. The winds are also blowing many leaves down before they even get the chance to go out with a blast of brilliance.

My knee is doing okay. I go back to work in less than two weeks, so it better be doing well! Weather permitting, I have been going for daily walks so it won't be a total shock for the knee when I walk back and forth to the train station daily. I had some unexpected pain one cold and rainy day this week. That needs to stop!

Those of you who only check in for the Sunday posts might (should) notice I've changed the format of the blog. I've updated it to the latest Blogger platform and I'm still experimenting around a bit. One of the things I'm doing with these photo posts is just having a few photos showing on the main page. Never fear, though! If you click the "read more" link, the full post will open before your very eyes.  By doing it this way, my main blog page isn't a huge long scroll to get though to the posts. So, here goes ...

Frost is yet to come

Some flowers are still sitting pretty on East Front Street in Plainfield.

Ahem ... fashion police, please!

But some fashions aren't sitting as pretty -- also on East Front Street. I thought wearing pajama pants was passe.

Survivor South Pacific - Returning Castaways Ozzy and Coach Observations

Remember now, returning reality "stars" on some of my favorite shows aren't necessarily my favorite casting choices on said shows. I've seen these people already and, in some cases like this, I've seen them more than one season. Folks are dying (figuratively, not literally I hope) to get in on the more popular reality shows. So, why do we keep getting retreads? I don't really care if the producers "like" someone. They tend to like the contestants I tend to want to throttle. That would be figuratively, of course.

Case in point: Coach Ben Wade ...

Let me make this perfectly clear -- in his previous two seasons on Survivor, Coach Ben Wade did absolutely nothing to endear himself to me. He was whacko, wore odd clothing, had feathers in his hair, thought that he was "all that and the bag of chips," did poorly in competitions often whining about his back while all the time being under delusions of CIA (whatever) grandeur. 

When I heard he was returning this season, I prayed his tribe would pull a Redemption Russell and vote him out first. I had trouble facing the prospect of being annoyed by him for more than an episode, two at the most. But then something happened ...

Coach no longer seems to be playing the character this season and, instead, he's actually playing the game. He's doing better in challenges and not whining. He's not acting as whacky as in both previous seasons and ... get this ... he's kind of likable. Surprising, I know. 

Sure, every now and again, I see brief glimpses into the "old" Coach. But, for the most part, he's strategizing fairly well, thinking ahead, showing quasi-solid leadership abilities, and exhibiting a very shrewd understanding of both the game itself and his fellow castaways.

I can't believe I'm putting these words to paper (maybe because they're on my monitor, maybe I'm just being figurative once again), but if he continues in this vein, I won't mind if he wins. Yeah, you can hold me to that.

Then there's Ozzy Lusth ... 

In his first season on the show, I really liked Ozzy. He was the Jungle Boy who could jump up palm trees, swing from vines, spear a slew of fish in one outing. While his social game wasn't always the best, his work ethic endeared him to all. His good looks didn't hurt him any either. His abilities allowed him to remain after all of his tribe got the boot. He lost to Yul Kwon, an athletic thinking man kind of dude.


In his next outing (Micronesia), he realized his social game was lacking and worked a bit more on that aspect. However, he made the classic Survivor blunder of being voted out while possessing the hidden idol in his pocket. So, you'd think in this third shot he'd continue to work on his social game and not make any more stupid blunders. Not quite so ...


First off, with his Jesus hair, he seems to have developed a Jesus attitude. Nah, not that Jesus had an attitude, more like those who worship him. Nothing wrong with worshiping Jesus, mind you. But it seems like Ozzy thinks he's worthy of some sort of castaway worship because of his past deeds on the show. Okay, Nature Boy ... it's not happening for me.


He's still not playing a good social game, perhaps worse than his first outing on the show. Even his work ethic has slumped. He'll go out get a fish or two, then nap while the others are working. He has temper tantrums when things don't go his way or his minions don't bow or kowtow to his every whim. He found a hidden idol and, knowing that he's irked his whole tribe, he told them he has it in a fit of anger. Sheesh.


When I heard he was returning to the show, I really didn't mind. I enjoyed watching him in the first two seasons he was on. But now he irks me as much as the "old" Coach, but in a different manner. He's not entertaining me. He can go away.


There. I said it. (Sorry, Petals.)


Your thoughts?