Survivor: Cagayan - Cops-R-Us Blog Party - March 5

Survivor fans ready? Will the Brains keep being so inept at everything? Will they continue to bring dishonor to good intelligent folks worldwide? I guess we'll just have to wait and see. They've already lost a third of their tribe. They can't afford to head to tribal council again tonight.

That lovely Lifeguard Laurie has updated the blog pool:

Beauty
Jeremiah Wood - LostChyld
Alexis Maxwell - Donna in FL, Petals
Brice Johnston - Karen in CA, PDX Granny
Jefra Bland - David, Sharon S.
LJ McKanas - Lorraine, ML
Morgan McLeod - Donna in Alabama, ORKMommy

Brains 
J'Tia Taylor - Knickelpeed, Merrilee
Kass McQuillen -Delee, MikesGirl
Spencer Bledsoe - Becky and Monty924
Tasha Fox - DKNYNC, Rochelle

Brawn
Trisha Hegarty - Jackie
Cliff Robinson - Dusty, Margo
Lindsey Ogle - Brian
Sarah Lacina - Buzzmaan, Tammy
Tony Viachos - Lynn1, Zoetawny
Woo Hwang - Laurie, SueGee

The folks who had these people are free agents this week --
David Samson - Jennasmom
Garrett Adelstein - Brenda, Paula Bell

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! However, as always, the real party is in the comments. Come join in!

Tony told Sarah,the other cop on Brawn, that he is indeed a cop. I still don't get why he lied to her in the first place. She trusts him. He's a sneakyface. She shouldn't trust him.

It's raining a lot.

Oh my. Figuring Morgan had been looking for the immunity idol when the tribe came upon her at camp, LJ went looking and found it!

The Immunity Challenge has them scooping water from the ocean, passing it to each other, filling a bucket, retrieving a ball, completing a maze. Reward is comfort and shelter -- tarp, etc.

Brawn wins immunity! Wow. The Brain tribe came from behind to win second place! It will be Beauty going to Tribal.

Unpacking the comfort stuff, Tony found another clue. But he already has the idol for his camp. Brice seems to be the target. Brice wants Alexis out. It's looking like they want a tie to get the idol out if someone has it.

Tribal Council time. Tally --
Alexis, Brice, Morgan, Alexis, Brice, Morgan/ three-way tie as planned.

Re-vote tally --
Brice, Brice

Bye-bye, butterfly Brice!

The Amazing Race: All-Stars - March 2 Blog Party

Sure, others are having Oscar parties, but that's not my kind of scene. My own Oscar-related prediction is that this here blog party is probably going to be quieter than many as so many will be watching the awards show. Oh well. More snacks and tasty beverages for us, eh?

The Magnificent Margo has done the random match-up for the blog pool and here it is --

Flight Time & Big Easy - Laurie, Donna in FL, nicklepeed
Mark & Mallory - SueGee, jonMD1627, Margo
Jen & Caroline - Lynn1, Buzzmaam, DLA
Dave & Connor - Becky, Auntie Leigh, Rochelle
Margie & Luke - Donna in AL, Monty924, PDXGranny
Brendon & Rachel (Brenchal) - Terry in TX, Brian
Jessica & John - Sharon S, David, Rbennie
Cord & Jet (Cowboys) - ML, Nana in NW, Delee
Joey & Meghan - Brenda, Zoetawny, Dusty
Leo & Jamal (Afganimals) - Jackie, Jennamom, Merrilee

Tonight's show is actually even starting on time! As it airs here, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest update. As always, the party (or perhaps lack thereof due to the Oscars) is down in the comments. Come join us!

Teams are remaining in China for now. They have to meet up with a "Master" who will ink a clue on their foreheads. The Cowboys aren't doing too well at the start of this one. The forehead clue leads them to a Roadblock at a play park in a mall. Dave and Connor got there first. They have to build a kiddie car.

Wow! Mark built that car like he could have done it blindfolded! They have to take the cars with them to deliver them. Margie/Luke are in second. But ... GAH ... Mallory left her backpack behind after they put the car in the trunk of their taxi! The blondes are finally at the Roadblock. Eep. It was MARK's backpack she left behind. They have to go back for it, thus losing their lead.

The blondes are trying to get the cowboys to give them the Express Pass. Oh my gosh ... they gave it to them!

Before they head back for the bag, M&M deliver the car. The Detour clue has them playing hacky-sack or Featherball or China Cup.  No one seems to be choosing the latter. Mark and Mallory are wasting a lot of time arguing about going back for the pack or doing the Detour. Mallory has Mark's passport but Mark wants his other stuff. They blew their first place lead.

Margie and Luke are currently leading the pack. Nope. Now it's Dave and Connor leading.

Most of the teams are heading to the Pit Stop.

Pit Stop --
1. Brenchal - won $2500 each
2. Margie and Luke
3. Caroline and Jennifer -- did not use the pass given to them
4. Dave and Connor
5. Globetrotters
6. Cowboys
7. Leo and Jamal

The remaining teams are stuck at the Detour. Meghan and Joey get through first.

8. John and Jessica
9. Meghan and Joey -- that's what they get for helping John and Jessica at the Roadblock!
10. Mark and Mallory -- Philiminated

Aw, that's sad.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - March 2, 2014

Welcome to yet another Sunday morning off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. It's still cold. It's still winter. I am starting to have doubts that this winter will ever end. While they've changed our forecast for today from a serious winter storm to just a plain old winter storm, it's depressing. We're supposed to go back into the deep freeze for most of the week after having two days of over 32 degree temps.

Wah.

I am SO over winter this year. I know, come summer, I'll be SO over the heat and humidity. I'm not saying I want that. I want SPRING.

For those of you who plan to be at the blog party for The Amazing Race tonight -- I'll set up a post shortly before 8pm ET for it. Meanwhile, the Magnificent Margo (and Mom) have made the random blog pool match-ups. The good news is that no one had to pseudo-support the "twinnies." The bad news is that I ended up with the Afghanimals. To be honest, I didn't really mind them as much as some of the others last season. We'll see. The blog pool match-ups can be found on this post here.

I really don't have much to report this week. It's getting very same old, same old kind of like Groundhog's Day, the movie. Get up before the dawn, bundle up, go out, head to work thankful for pocket warmers, work, head home, still grateful for pocket warmers, rinse, repeat ... all week long. The sciatica is still present, but quite diminished. Alas, it ruined my sleep last night and I overslept this morning -- thus this post is up later than planned.

I have a Peapod delivery scheduled later today. Usually they're decent with the out of stocks or give a standard substitution. I looked at my invoice online. Sigh. My big family pack of chicken is out of stock, no substitution. That was going to be five meals! Gah. My family pack of hamburger is coming, but not the hamburger rolls I ordered. No substitution. Gah! Between the two items, that was a lot of meals. Sure, I'll still have the hamburger which I tend to freeze in portions anyway. But the local bodega's cheap rolls (when they have them) are horrible and I'll have to brave the cold to go to a real grocery store. The chicken I'll just have to go without this month. In the good news, they had Vincent's cat treats.

Onto the photos for the week ...

Almost sunrise

Until next week when the time change goes down, it's just about sunrise when I wait for the early train to work. Plainfield Train Station.

Dramatic skies in the 'hood

Before sunset with the sun hanging low in the sky. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Reflected sunrise

The red sunrise is reflected in the windows of the apartments over Danny's Bakery at the corner of North and Watchung in Plainfield.

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

The Amazing Race: All-Stars - Blog Pool Match-Ups

Hopefully tomorrow night's show will begin on time! After being so buried in snow here forever ... okay, two or three months, it really irked me last week to have a delay for GOLF. It was like rubbing salt into the wound.

"Oh, one of your favorite shows is having its season premiere? Oh, you've had a horrible extreme cold and snowy winter? How 'bout we delay that show with golf from a warm sunny wherever?"

Grr.

Any way, the Magnificent Margo (and Mom) have done the random match-ups for the blog pool. Without further ado, here they are:

Flight Time & Big Easy - Laurie, Donna in FL, nicklepeed

Mark & Mallory - SueGee, jonMD1627, Margo

Jen & Caroline - Lynn1, Buzzmaam, DLA

Dave & Connor - Becky, Auntie Leigh, Rochelle

Margie & Luke - Donna in AL, Monty924, PDXGranny

Brendon & Rachel (Brenchal) - Terry in TX, Brian

Jessica & John - Sharon S, David, Rbennie

Cord & Jet (Cowboys) - ML, Nana in NW, Delee

Joey & Meghan - Brenda, Zoetawny, Dusty

Leo & Jamal (Afganimals) - Jackie, Jennamom, Merrilee

Survivor: Cagayan - Season Premiere blog party!

It's HERE -- the 28th season of Survivor! Of course, with two seasons per year, that's only 14 years, but still ...! This is the first time they've gone with a brains, beauty, brawn scenario on the show, so we'll see how that works out. I still say the qualities tend to overlap and infringe upon each other.

Lifeguard Laurie's random blog pool picks were posted late last night. However, for ease of trying to pick out your pick when we don't know these castaways yet, here it is again for easy reference:

Beauty
Jeremiah Wood - LostChyld
Alexis Maxwell - Donna in FL, Petals
Brice Johnston - Karen in CA, PDX Granny
Jefra Bland - David, Sharon S.
LJ McKanas - Lorraine, ML
Morgan McLeod - Donna in Alabama, ORKMommy

Brains 
David Samson - Jennasmom
Garrett Adelstein - Brenda, Paula Bell
J'Tia Taylor - Knickelpeed, Merrilee
Kass McQuillen -Delee, MikesGirl
Spencer Bledsoe - Becky and Monty924
Tasha Fox - DKNYNC, Rochelle

Brawn
Trisha Hegarty - Jackie
Cliff Robinson - Dusty, Margo
Lindsey Ogle - Brian
Sarah Lacina - Buzzmaan, Tammy
Tony Viachos - Lynn1, Zoetawny
Woo Hwang - Laurie, SueGee

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to see the latest! As always, the real party is down in the comments. Come join us! And, if you're not in the pool, go ahead and find a castaway to cheer on for the season!

Each tribe chooses a leader -- LJ Beauty, Brawn is Sarah, Brains is David

Leaders have to decide who is the weakest and most expendable. LJ picks Morgan. Sarah picks Trish (my blog person, eek!). David picks Garrett. The three chosen head to camp early, don't leave the game, and need to make a "decision" on the part of their tribes.

Notes on trees -- help themselves with a clue to a hidden idol or help their tribe  (bag of rice for the tribes). Garrett helps himself. Trish goes for the rice. Morgan goes for the idol. Garrett found his idol. Morgan, caught by her arriving tribe members, lied and told them she picked the supplies over comfort for them. Not too shabby thinking, I must say.

Oh my. Beauty got fire first!

The immunity challenge is a convoluted obstacle course ending in a puzzle. First two tribes done win immunity. The reward is fire. First is a fire-making kit, but the second winning tribe only gets flint to make fire.

Jeff calls the Brains effort one of the worst ever coming out of the gate. Beauty wins! Brawn is second. Brains will go to tribal council.

Time to tally the votes:
J'Tia, David, J'Tia, David, David, David ... Yay! He's obnoxious!

Second immunity challenge time! Swimming out into bamboo cage, retrieve fish traps, puzzle. First two win immunity. Reward - 1st tribe, large fishing kit. 2nd, fishing supplies. Brawn tribe wins! J'Tia is once again screwing up for Brains. Beauty was way behind, but is now pulling into second place. Beauty is second place. Brains goes to tribal once again.

Tony (Brawn) found a clue to the idol in their reward basket. He's got the idol! He sounds like he's having an orgasm. :X

Second Tribal Council. J'Tia admits she threw the rice in the fire after Garrett decided they should have an open talk about voting her out.

The tally -- J'Tia, Garrett, J'Tia, Garrett, Garrett ... voted out with his idol in his pocket. Wait, even worse ... he forgot to bring it to tribal because he was so sure it would be J'Tia going home!

Survivor: Cagayan: Blog Pool Match-Ups

Survivor fans ready? The Lovely Lifeguard Laurie has made the random picks for the blog pool. So, the pool entries are currently CLOSED. If you missed signing up, you can choose your own castaway to cheer on throughout the season. After all, it's not like we're in this for the big bucks, right?

Beauty
Jeremiah Wood - LostChyld
Alexis Maxwell - Donna in FL, Petals
Brice Johnston - Karen in CA, PDX Granny
Jefra Bland - David, Sharon S.
LJ McKanas - Lorraine, ML
Morgan McLeod - Donna in Alabama, ORKMommy

Brains 
David Samson - Jennasmom
Garrett Adelstein - Brenda, Paula Bell
J'Tia Taylor - Knickelpeed, Merrilee
Kass McQuillen -Delee, MikesGirl
Spencer Bledsoe - Becky and Monty924
Tasha Fox - DKNYNC, Rochelle

Brawn
Trisha Hegarty - Jackie
Cliff Robinson - Dusty, Margo
Lindsey Ogle - Brian
Sarah Lacina - Buzzmaan, Tammy
Tony Viachos - Lynn1, Zoetawny
Woo Hwang - Laurie, SueGee

Wednesday night, 8pm ET. Bring snacks and tasty beverages!

The Amazing Race: All-Stars season premiere blog party

Yep, the time is here! Of course -- delayed by golf about fifteen minutes, not a good way to start out the season. (Grr.) It's the season premiere of The Amazing Race: All-Stars! Have I ever told you I'm not too keen on returning competitive reality show teams, houseguests, castaways (you name the term)? I'm not. And, many of the teams this season will irk me. Yet, I'll watch this show no matter what. You know that.

Yet, there's one team out there I really would love to see. That's Dave and Connor, the father/son team. In their season, they were at the top of the pack when Dave ruptured his Achilles tendon and they had to stop. I'm thrilled they have another chance.

If you haven't signed up for the blog pool yet, you still have time. We're delaying the pool as there might be some cast changes in tonight's episode. If I'm wrong, I'll apologize. But both spoilers and the promos indicate something is up. If you want in on the pool, you need to sign up at this link right here. Please don't sign up on this blog party post as your comment might be missed. And, of course, we don't want that!

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this post with the major happenings. Please refresh the page to get the latest news. However, the real party and the real skinny on our reactions to what's happening will be in the party in the comments area -- come join in!

Ah, the UCLA marching band is doing the show's theme song.

We have Jet/Cord, Caroline/Jennifer, Natalie/Nadia, Brendan/Rachel, Jessica/John, Flight Time/Big Easy, Dave/Connor, Joey/Meghan, Leo/Jamal, Margie/Luke, Bopper/Mark.

Uh-oh. Phil says that one of the racers had an emergency visit with the race doctor. Bopper is out -- the doctor doesn't think he's healthy enough. (Just as the spoilers said.) Phil offers to team up Bopper with someone else so he can still race and race for Bopper, too. Mallory, also from Kentucky, will be racing with Mark.

The first leg has them heading to China, again with two Express Passes ahead -- one to keep, one to give away.

Afghanimals, cowboys, Dave/Connor, twins on the first flight. Once in China, they have to search wedding dress stores for clues in a town known for its wedding dresses. From there, it's onto Canton Tower, home of the world's highest Ferris wheel. The Cowboys are currently in the lead.

The Roadblock has them doing acrobatic wire acts. It's Cowboys in the lead followed by Brenchal (ick).

From there, they need to head on foot to the Pit Stop.

1. Jet and Cord. They get the Express Passes and win apparently nothing else.
2. Brendan and Rachel
3. Dave and Connor
4. Margie and Luke
5. Leo and Jamal
6. Mark and Mallory
7. Flight Time and Big Easy
8. Jessica and John
9. Caroline and Jennifer
10. Joey and Meghan
11. Natalie and Nadiya - the "Twinnies" - PHILIMINATED

Good. That's one team I didn't like down the drain.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 23, 2014

Good Sunday morning to y'all! Since it is indeed Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way.

Before we get started with that, I want to mention that blog pool sign ups for both The Amazing Race and Survivor are up! If you want to be in the pool, please sign up on the appropriate post (just click on the links below); requests on other posts might not be noticed --

• The Amazing Race blog pool sign up -- run by the Magnificent Margo
• Survivor: Cagayan blog pool sign up -- run by Lifeguard Laurie

The season premiere of The Amazing Race is tonight, 8pm ET/PT. We'll see if it starts on time! It's only an hour premiere, so be there or be square. Or something like that. I'll have the blog party post set up shortly before 8pm ET, so come join in on the fun!

Other than that, not a heck of a lot going on here. I actually did a full work week with no snowstorms keeping me from work (although it snowed some early in the week), no health issues keeping me from work (although the sciatica is still making its presence known), no deaths in the family. Oh my. I did have to deal with bad weather including, of all things, a tornado watch this week.

It's supposed to snow or "wintry mix" a bit tonight although the daytime hours are going to be nice with a high in the 40s. Tuesday night into Wednesday, they're talking about a "plowable" snow storm coming. Argh.

We've had such an extreme winter that I've decided I want an extreme spring. No, I'm not talking rain and flooding. I want flowers blocking the sidewalks! Flowers blocking the streets! A cacophony of bird songs to the point of madness! I want SPRING!

Ahem.

Without further ado, onto the photos for the week. Similar to last week, I didn't really have a lot of artsy shots. It's more like showing you what I'm seeing here. For those folks like Lifeguard Laurie over there in always wonderful weather San Diego, it's a view of how the other half lives!

Happy robin

With the rain and warmer temperatures at the end of the week, much of the snowpack on top of the planters in Bridgewater melted so that the robins no longer needed to peck caves into the snow to get at the berries. Surprisingly, most of the berries were still in good shape after the snow left!

"Accessible walkway"

I'm surprised NJ Transit is keeping this walkway on the westbound platform side of the Plainfield Train Station in this good of a condition this year. One year with bad snows, it was like a luge run for months. On the eastbound side, the similar walk isn't cleared at all. But, what I like about this shot is that I didn't mess with the colors at all. Taken with no flash just before dawn, it came up with the blue for the snow and the yellow for the light on its own. Note the parking meter poles at the top of the photo. No one can put money in them because NO ONE SHOVELS THAT CITY SIDEWALK ON NORTH AND WATCHUNG AVENUES! I saw two people fall on ice there last night. I won't walk on it. I will walk on the street instead. This has been going on for years. IT NEEDS TO BE SHOVELED. IT'S DANGEROUS! Sorry for shouting ...

More yellows into blue

Catching the early train at the Plainfield Train Station shortly before dawn.

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

The Amazing Race - Premiere tomorrow, blog pool opens!

Welcome one, welcome all! The season premiere is tomorrow night after 60 Minutes! Why no pool yet? Well, first off ... I was lackadaisical. Oops. But, I have another reason:

When I posted the cast spoilers last December -- which are gleaned from folks actually seeing the teams race through airports and such -- one of the teams had a change. That particular team is intact in the promos for the show, yet the promos also keep going on about one team "might not even make it to the starting line." Thus, we have a quandary. I believe there will be a change.

So ... the blog pool won't officially begin with the premiere. Please sign up right here on this post for the pool. The cut-off for signing up is Thursday, February 27th, 6pm ET. Come join in on the fun as the Magnificent Margo randomly matches blog friends with teams ... ohhh ... who's going to get Brenchal? Remember, Margo and her Mom randomly pick the match-ups! She has no agenda!

And, if you want to read the spoiler I posted way back when, here it is. Remember ... it is a spoiler!

Survivor: Cagayan - Blog Pool is OPEN!

Survivor fans ready? The wonderful Lifeguard Laurie will be running the blog pool once again. Have I ever mentioned how much she rocks?

The season premiere is next Wednesday, February 26 at 8pm ET/PT. About time, I say!  I recently posted a bit about the upcoming castaways and Jeff Probt's cast assessment right here at this post. Join the fun with friends at the blog party as the show airs on East Coast time.

Okay, here's how the blog pool works:

• Names are matched up randomly with the castaways.
• You get to cheer on your chosen castaway until they're kicked off the island or named the sole Survivor.
• If your chosen castaway is creepy or cries a lot, we won't hold that against you personally.
• Not much, anyway.
• Heehee
• There is no wagering of monies.
• The winner(s) of the blog pool retain bragging rights until the premiere of the next season while we all bow to them and lament on what could have been.

How do you get involved? Sign up right here on this post! If you're posting anonymously, you need a sign off name on your comments. We don't care if you're a boy named Sue, we have to know something other than anonymous. The cut-off for entering is this Sunday evening 9pm ET/6pm PT.  

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 16, 2014

Another Sunday morning is upon us. Yay. Thankfully, today (at least) we don't have another snowstorm upon us. Well, not here in northern central New Jersey, anyway. Sorry 'bout that, Maine. Since it is Sunday, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. Earlier this week I posted about the upcoming Survivor season cast. I'll be writing more about the new Amazing Race season this coming week -- they'll both be here soon!

Let's see ... what's new and different around here this past week? Oh! I know! It snowed for a change.

There was something slightly different with the big storm this week -- thundersnow! While the winds weren't strong enough to make it technically a blizzard here, a round of thunder actually shook my whole apartment building in the wee hours. As I awoke, I saw about five more flashes of lightning, but was unable to catch them with my camera.

If we didn't go into deep freezes after each snowstorm here, things wouldn't be as bad. If the snow cover could melt a bit in between each snow, I don't think I'd be as tired of it as I am. I feel like I'm back in my childhood year or two in upstate western New York where the "lake effect" snows buried us in the winter. Back then it was fun, at least for the kids. It was pre-snowblower days, so my father certainly had a workout. We'd build tunnels through the snow and have a ball.

For some reason, as an adult, I have no desire to build tunnels through the snow. I guess I've gotten old and cranky, eh?

About the only thing good about this week's multiple snowstorms is that, like a school child, I actually had two "snow days" off from work. Of course, there's a price to pay -- the pay came out of my paid vacation time. While it was indeed relaxing, it wasn't my choice vacation. It's not like I could go anywhere!

My photos this week, for most part, aren't really artsy. Due to the weather conditions, staying in a lot, and fighting through the elements just to get back and forth to work ... they basically show you what it's like here. Eat your heart out, Florida!

Made his own little snow cave

The robins in Bridgewater near my workplace have really proved to be determined to survive despite their untimely arrival this year. They've laid claim to the berries in the planters, digging holes to get at the frozen berries. The other birds still show no interest in the berries at all. That doesn't keep the robins from getting all territorial about them, though. I saw a seagull just pause to sit atop of one of the planters. A robin zoomed in from nowhere and chased off the seagull.

Before it snowed more

This was early Monday morning at the Plainfield Train Station. While we had snow Sunday evening, our big storm hadn't happened yet. Yeah, it's pretty. But I've taken enough "pretty" snow photos this year. Spring can come.

Male Lady Liberty

Tuesday afternoon on Watchung Avenue in Plainfield, there were five hulking big male Lady Liberty "statues." They were dancing, playing music and singing (at times). It was bitterly cold, yet they kept their spirits up. They were handing out little bags with Tootsie Rolls and a coupon for $50 off tax preparation at Liberty Tax. Hey, for how they were handling the elements, the silly costumes and all, probably for minimum wage, they could probably do well in steady gigs.

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

Survivor: Cagayan just around the corner!

As we all know, three tribes will compete this season on Survivor: Cagayan -- Brains, Brawn, Beauty. I'm really not sure how keen I am on this concept. After all, a person CAN have all three qualities. In looking at the cast, some of the brawn have brains as well. Some of the beauty have brains and brawn. The qualities are overlapping all over the place! It doesn't look like they selected any dumb bunnies for the beauty or brawn tribes. Well, with the exception of Miss Flirty, maybe. Will the intellectuals suffer? Hmm.

Here's Jeff Probst's cast assessment --

It's definitely an interesting cast. What do you think? The show premieres Wednesday, February 26 at 8pm ET/PT.

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - February 9, 2013

Yes, it's Sunday and I'm returning with my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. I want to thank folks for the condolences and prayers expressed in the past week. They meant a lot to me in a really bad time. Thank you.

A few notes:

• Today marks 50 years since The Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan. It's scary that I remember watching that. I'm not that old! I remember saying they'd never be as big as Elvis. Later, I decided Paul was the cute Beatle.
• My bank finally sent me a new card after my account was compromised with the Target store hack. Good. I was tired of watching my online account a dozen times a day!
• My sciatica has improved a great deal. I'm still having some problems standing for any period of time and sitting for long periods. Oh, well. It's definitely better than it was!

Since I'm really photo-heavy this week, I don't have a heck of a lot to say at the start here. Might as well get on with it ...

Icicles at the Plainfield Train Station

I took this shot last night at the train station. At night, when it's as cold as it was, they present no danger. They're not going anywhere. But in the daytime sun even if the temperatures are below freezing ... danger, Will Robinson!

Chubby spring robin

I've seen four robins hanging around my workplace in Bridgewater. While they normally are ground feeders looking for worms and such, they're here way too early. They're subsiding on the berries in the planters. None of the other birds in the area this time of year -- seagulls, crows, sparrows -- have any interest in the berries.

Stunning beauty

But so will be spring blossoms! C'mon, winter, give us a break! Yes, we're due for more snow later today. Wah. Outside my window on Tuesday.

Hawk alert!

Bridgewater, NJ.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 2, 2014

Gary Schnoop 1954-2014

This week, I lost my brother Gary, my constant childhood playmate and "partner in crime" of my youth. He died in his Florida home early this week. Oh, yeah, we defended our wagons, too!

I took very few photos this week due to circumstance. Next week I'll resume my normal off topic photo post.

I leave you with the ocean he loved so much ...
 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, best cop comedy out there!

Of course, I can't think of any other outright cop sitcom on the air right now, but ... it's the best one, anyway. I was surprised that this FOX took the Golden Globe for Best TV Series and that Andy Samberg took the best actor award. Oh my. Here I thought the show was my own little personal guilty pleasure.

I had my reasons for initially tuning in back during the premiere --

• I like Brooklyn and shows about Brooklyn. As strange as it sounds, it's true. I think that dates back to Welcome Back Kotter. Yes, I'm that old.
• I like cop shows.
• I like cop shows set in NYC.
• I liked Andre Braugher as Pembleton in Homicide: Life on the Street. I realize that was not a cop show set in NYC, but in Baltimore. No never mind; it was good anyway.

You'll note that I didn't mention Andy Samberg in my list. That's because he's basically a bit of a non-entity for me. After the first decade and a half of SNL, I've only tuned in when I wanted to watch a specific host or musical guest. I stopped regularly tuning in well before Samberg's time on the show. Yeah, I've seen him. But it was only while waiting for the host to return or the musical act.

On with the show itself ...
I find it slightly reminiscent of the old Barney Miller show. Heck, if you can't laugh at some of the bizarreness of crime, cops and the general public, what kind of person are you? Dour much?



The ensemble cast is diverse. I mean ... who would have thought that Andre Braugher would be cast as a stoic, serious to the max, gay commanding officer? The basic premise is that Detective Jake Peralta is a goof-off joker detective who's actually quite capable in his job. But he's used to ruling the roost. Along comes Captain Ray Holt, a man on a mission to prove himself and a dedication to law and order within his own ranks.

There's Detective Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) who's becoming better and better each episode. He's a classic people pleaser kind of bumbling dude. Ah, but he's recently a hero, taking a bullet in the butt to save his unrequited love, Rosa. Terry Crews plays a sergeant with anxiety issues. There are women detectives -- Santiago (Melissa Fumero) and Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz); one is a perky over-achiever, the other is a possible volatile mystery woman. The administrative assistant, played by Chelsea Peretti, is almost a throwback to when Penny Marshall was Oscar Madison's Gal Friday, but with a modern more sardonic twist.

All in all, this show is working for me. Each week it seems to get even better. Have you discovered it yet?

Oh. There is one major drawback for me -- it's against NCIS and I can't go without my Mark Harmon fix, annoying soft focus filming or not.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - January 26, 2013

Yes, it's Sunday morning! You know what that means. It's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. Yes, yes ... I know I've promised some television posts. I have a few underway in draft now. Expect one posted TONIGHT!

I returned to work this week after my self-imposed exile from the world trying to calm my sciatica. That did work to an extent. While it's not completely gone, it has lessened to the point that I'm not in total agony. That, of course, is a good thing. I've got enough of it left to every now and then really kick in to remind me of what sciatica can do, though. I slipped on some ice yesterday and managed to cripple myself up for a few hours. I didn't even fall! I must have twisted just right trying not to fall. Grr.

The big local news around here is the winter weather. It's been extremely cold and we've had more snow. Our previous snow cover was pretty much gone except for dirty clumps here and there and plowed piles of dirty snow. Well, now it's all white and pristine once again. I actually don't mind the cold so much as I know what to wear for it and my heat in the apartment works just fine.

It's the icy sidewalks that scare me. After Tuesday's big snowstorm (about ten inches), some folks didn't clear their sidewalks. Also, some folks did clear their walks down to dry pavement, but where their driveways are is a mess from cars driving over where the city plowed.

It snowed all day yesterday, but I think we only got a few inches. With temperatures not due to break the freezing point this week, it's not going to go anywhere soon. How long is it until spring?

The snowstorm came earlier than expected on Tuesday and I ended up getting caught in it. Oh, well. If nothing else, it was good photo fodder. That said, it would have been nice not to have to walk home from the train station in the wind and snow due to late buses and taxi issues.

I decided to give my Tuesday afternoon snow arrival at the Plainfield Train Station the black and white treatment for a few shots ...

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - January 19, 2014

Yep, another week has gone by and I still haven't posted about television. I plan to write up a bit on a few shows. I really do.

Yet, it is Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way.

Um. Well. I don't have all that much of either words or photos this week. I took a week of vacation time in hopes to ease the sciatica pain I've had for nearly a month. While it's not really gone entirely, the week has definitely helped. But I didn't DO ANYTHING this week! I lazed about my apartment, walked to the local bodega a couple of times, read, watched television and did NOTHING. I slept a lot. I'm well-rested.

I guess it's onto the photos, few that there are, for this week along with a new photo endeavor. Vincent the Cat fans should like this post!

A little cooperation please

Sheesh. Why don't you just turn your back on me? The squirrels are loving the recent lack of snow cover as they continue to find acorns on the local church lawn.

Vincent is having a ball

Well, he has been since I've been pretty much just here inside with him all week! It was "Dress Up Your Pet Day" and the only outfit I have his size is his Santa suit and I don't know where I put it. So, I put one of his balls on him. (Insert tasteless neutered joke here.)

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - January 12, 2014

Good morning! It's Sunday morning and that can only mean one thing, right? Yep. It's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way.

Okay ... what's up with the weather this winter? Sure, we normally go from cold winter temps to days that break the 40 degree mark. This year we're having record lows shooting almost up to 60 degrees within the course of a single day! We're having winds, ice storms, snow storms, torrential rains in rapid succession. I am SO over this winter. Make it stop. I feel obliged to mention that the new windows in my apartment certainly do keep the drafts down. But I don't necessarily feel they need be tested like this!

The sciatica has lessened enough that I put in a full week's worth of work this week. Alas, I'm definitely not pain free. It's more like I'm living on ibuprofen and collapsing once I get home. I missed more television shows this week by falling asleep before the primetime block! The most comfortable position for me is lying down -- not walking, standing or sitting. It appears that my mind thinks if I'm lying down, I must fall asleep. Argh. Thankfully, most of my missed shows are online and I've already caught up with a few of them.

I'm officially on a staycation right now. I'm hoping that being able to be off my feet for the most part will get rid of this bout of sciatica. I do appreciate the advice of others, but I do think this will go away if I stop and actually rest it some. I don't think my health insurance covers chiropractors, but I'm not sure. It does cover regular doctors and, if needed, surgeries. I prefer none of that.

Anyway ... at least I actually got some good photos this week. I kept my camera in my pocket with a microwavable pocket warmer from a scarf I bought earlier in the week during the record lows. The scarf has a neck insert and two pocket inserts. Since I don't stick my hands in the scarf pockets, I put the inserts in my coat pockets. By yesterday, though, I was wearing just a hoodie to work. Silly weather.

Reflection in a droplet

The rain on the berries gave me great photo fodder. Check out the upside-down berry shoots in the drop. Bridgewater, NJ.

Sunset in da 'hood

I saw one pretty sunset this week. Of course, it was frigid out there.

Eep!

Early in the week, it was so cold that the glue (whatever) holding the brickface at the Plainfield Train Station let loose. My train was extremely late (hence the sunrise) and we heard a crashing noise. No one was near this, yet there you go. By the end of the week, part of the stairs to the tunnel was all blocked off with caution tape as the stairs crumbled. Over at the Bridgewater Train Station, the stairs are missing two metal risers and crumbling. If I were driving, I'd be mentioning pot holes big enough to swallow a rottweiler.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - January 5, 2014

Yes, it's another Sunday morning. That means it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. Once again, I don't have many photos this week as I'm still having sciatica issues limiting me from getting around much.

This week brought with it the New Year, snow and arctic chill around here. I want to wish all my readers here a happy New Year and hope that it's full of good things for all of us! I'm just happy that the TV drought is ending.

I did my first good deed of the new year yesterday. I ended up having to walk to the store around the corner from me. Thankfully I did because that's when I took most of the photos I'm posting this week!

Returning home, I came into the building via the front door, something I rarely do. However, when I left by the side door (which has no stairs), I had to walk over a very icy stretch on the driveway where folks had driven over where the snowplow plowed the streets. I figured it was safer to deal with the front door with its six steps down, then six steps up once inside.

As I entered the building, I saw a package by the door. I picked it up to see if it was for someone I know. Yep, it was for the not-so-new neighbor directly upstairs from me. I took the elevator to that floor, knocked on the door and was greeted by the girlfriend (wife?) who's also living there. The fact that it's a couple up there, not a single individual, is amazing. They're so quiet! I hope they stay for a long time!

She was thrilled to get the package. She said they never use the front door. I told her I usually don't use it, either. I can't believe the mailman left it sitting there to be possibly stolen. Chances are that even if I hadn't known the recipient, I would have at least have brought it to their apartment door.

Oh, well. This is about my limit for sitting here thanks to the silly sciatica. I hope everyone has a great week. I'm hoping to post something on television druing the week ahead, so stay tuned.

Winter skies

I took this shot on Berckman Street looking northeast towards East Front Street in Plainfield late yesterday afternoon. Plainfield.

Looking out the window

Looking down at my neighbor's backyard. Once again I see that they're the ONLY people on my side of the block who haven't cleared their sidewalks. For years they had the best cleared sidewalks on the block. For the last five years they've all but stopped shoveling entirely. It would be nice if the city actually fined people for not clearing their walks.

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

Happy New Year!

I hope 2014 brings all of my friends here happiness and catnip!

Catnip?

VINCENT!!!