Come One, Come All! Survivor Blog Pool Now OPEN!

Survivor: Worlds Apart premieres this coming Wednesday -- February 25, 8pm ET/PT.

The lovely Lifeguard Laurie has once again volunteered to run the blog pool for the season. (Need I mention how the woman rocks?) The way the blog pool works is:

• Blog readers are randomly matched with a castaway
• They can cheer on that castaway until the castaway gets the boot or is the sole Survivor
• There is no wagering! We're playing for the bigger stuff of life here -- bragging rights!
• If you wish to be in on the pool, please sign up in comments in THIS POST ONLY. If you ask on another post, it could be inadvertently missed.
• The cut-off for getting in on the pool will be Wednesday, February 25 by NOON Pacific Time (or 3pm ET).

Survivor fans ready?

The Amazing Race 26: Casting the Couples, Part 1

I've done the looks at the blind dates in the casting for this season's The Amazing Race. Time to delve into the already existing couples they'll be up against!

LEBYA AND CJ

CJ Harris, age 26, is an IT tech who's been dating Lebya Simpson, age 25, a medical support assistant for the VA Hospital, for over ten years. Yeah, she wants him to put a ring on it. They both hail from Tuskegee, Alabama. They've known each other since childhood.

I'm not sure how well they'll do on the race, but I like this couple. I think they're going to be entertaining.

ROCHELLE AND MICHAEL

Well, these two are a bit different. Michael Dombrowski is 26, a truck stop manager (his parents' business) and pro-wrestling promoter, living in Traverse City, Michigan. Rochelle Nevedal is 29, a contract engineer who does business with companies such as ATT, plus she's the co-owner of a roller derby league in her hometown of Kalkaska, Michigan. They've only been dating eight months.

She wants to use the race to "test" the relationship as she has a young son and wants to make sure she makes good decisions about her future relationship. Um. Okay. I'm not sure the stress of the race is the best way to fast forward a relationship. We'll see. They both better not keep saying "actually" and "at the end of the day" throughout the show!

JONATHAN AND HARLEY

Squee! Squee! It's a NKOTB member! Of course, they kind of came after my teenage years. I'd like to know how Jonathan Knight is actually 46 years old these days?!? That makes me feel even older than my years. His partner is Harley Rodriguez, age 41. Harley is a master fitness trainer. They have been together seven years and live in New York.

Y'know, I think these two might very well do quite well on the show. Between the used to traveling and physical factors, they're light years ahead of a few teams. A seven-year relationship is probably more stable than the eight months of the previous couple.

The Amazing Race 26 - Casting the Singles, Part 2

Finally I'm on to the remaining singles headed for the blind date of their lives on the upcoming season of The Amazing Race ...

JACKIE

Jackie Ibarra is 27 years old, a Las Vegas showgirl. (She quite obviously differs from Jackie, your loyal blogger.) In her video, she talks about needing respect and how she'll "keep him in his place." Oh my. That wouldn't necessarily be my own first thoughts about a possible relationship. She might have some issues, methinks. In her online bio, she's listed as a "professional dancer" instead of a Las Vegas showgirl. Hmm. She seems to enjoy traveling and trying new things. I'm a bit hesitant about her due to her also mentioning either "respect" or "disrespect" more than a few times in the bio in addition to what she said in the video. I'm wondering if things are going to be her way or the highway.

She's teamed up with:


JEFFREY

Jeffrey Weldon is 26 and works as a sales account executive in Tampa, Florida. In his video he says he has no filter and will probably say things without thinking first, but he's determined to make it work. He's looking for someone with a sense of humor and hopefully good at building things because he's not. In his bio, he mentions (amongst other things) that he's looking for someone with a great-looking face. Sigh. I'm not sure how this couple will mesh. I get the feeling there might be some fireworks.

***************************************************

LAURA

Laura Pierson is a 29 year old talent booker living in Los Angeles. In her video she says she needs to feel loved and cherished in a relationship and that she can be bossy. Uh-oh. I think I see a few red flags! It could be just me, but I'm not getting a heck of a lot from her online bio despite the fact she "talked" a lot. I have no clue how she'll do on the race. But I do know she enjoys cooking and doesn't want to be with someone who doesn't like her friends. She's teamed up with ...

TYLER

Tyler Adams is 26 and living in Santa Monica, California. In his video, he says he's looking for a partner to help him win and doesn't care for whiners. In his bio, it sounds like he develops those games which annoy me so much on Facebook! Yikes! He doesn't like a girl with a negative or pessimistic attitude. I wonder how he does with bossy? After reading his bio, I'm much more impressed with him than I am with his blind date. He sounds a bit like a dream guy and I like that he mentions attributes other than looks in what he's looking for in a romantic partner.

There you go. I'll delve into the actual couples in my next TAR post!

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 15, 2014

Good morning! Is everybody warm enough on this frigid winter day? This is my weekly off television topic post in which I reflect on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. Between my real job and not feeling well, I didn't get around to posting more on the cast of the upcoming Amazing Race season during the week last week. I swear I will get it done before the premiere on February 25! Really!

I haven't received the new camera from Amazon as of yet. So, the photos this week were taken with an old point and shoot that has little zoom to it. I like zoom. I also forgot that, unless you turn it either on or off, the camera itself decides to flash or not on its own. The camera I broke had a flash you flip up if you want to use it -- as will the new one. That sounds a bit more unwieldy, but it's better than having the flash go off when you're not expecting it or wanting it.

My return to work has been really rough. I haven't had a good day yet. If it were a few years from now, I'd seriously consider an early retirement. Sigh.

While we haven't had the snow of the Boston area this winter and it's not as bad here as it was last winter, it hasn't been all that pleasant. We have had periods of bitter cold, then warm-ups just about in synch with snowstorms thus resulting in a lot of ice. I would personally prefer a few inches of snow rather than a quarter inch of ice!

Last night there wasn't any ice. But it looks like we might have only about three inches of snow out there. Not bad at all. That is, until you consider the temperatures and the fact that we're due for hurricane force winds. That will take the teens (F) expected today down into the negative digits. When I went down to get my paper this morning it was almost shocking to the body cold.

My new neighbors are due to move in today. I've met the husband in the family. I can only hope that they're considerate. He doesn't look the type to go for surround sound systems and the bedroom for the children is on the far end away from me. I don't know how old the "two small children" are. I'm hoping infant and toddler! In this building, once they're five or six, the parents often feel it's okay to use the long common hallway as a playground. My other neighbors and I will nip that in the bud if it happens. I'm hoping for the best.

Welp, that's just about it. I hope for a better week next week.

Livin' for the city

A truck obviously not from MY neighborhood waits at the traffic light at Berckman and East Second Street in Plainfield. Now, I'm not saying Plainfield doesn't have its issues, but undecipherable graffiti on box trucks isn't one of them. This has to be a truck from either Manhattan or Brooklyn.

Aw, ain't that sweet

Get your nasty feet off the seat, buddy! Flowers, candy and a Teddy Bear balloon accompanied by leather pants on the train on Valentine's Day. Alas, when he stood up to leave, his leather pants were drooping below the butt and ruined the whole effect. On the other hand, his braids were almost as long as my hair. But the droopy pants blew it all. Tsk, tsk.

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

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - February 8, 2015

Good morning. Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. If you're a fan of The Amazing Race, I've started going through the cast videos and online bios for the upcoming season. I should be posting more on that subject soon.

Okay, to the week. Hmm. Gah. It certainly won't go down in the history of the best weeks in my life, that's for sure. Here's a round-up.

• An ice/snowstorm on Monday practically crippled my personal travels until mid-week and there are still some rather treacherous areas. 
• I really don't feel well and work is doing me in.
• While having to walk atop an ice-soaked snowbank, one leg went through nearly to the hip. I thought I might have to call for a winch to get me out from where I was stuck. Nobody had better have recorded my efforts to get free and put it on YouTube. If someone did, they'll die.
• My apartment superintendent told me a family with two small children is moving in to the apartment vacated by Carlos and his wife. Joy, joy. At least that apartment is a two-bedroom. I never understand outright families of more than a couple moving into the one-bedroom units.
• I dropped my best point and shoot digital camera and then completely killed it while trying to fix it. I have back-up cameras, but they're not as nice. I ordered a new camera on sale ($150 off!) from Amazon that's much better than the one I killed. Yet I mourn its demise.
• Ritz Garlic Butter crackers are da bomb.
• The Grammy Awards are on tonight. I'll be watching The Walking Dead as it returns tonight.

Onto this week's photos. Alas, none are works of art except perhaps Vincent just because he's Vincent. 

Ice Ice Baby

A combination of snow and ice clung to the trees for days after our ice/snowstorm early in the week. While the sun melted a bit of it, the sun couldn't win the battle with the frigid temperatures.

Somebody is way too comfy

Vincent has practiced sleeping on just about every inch of the new couch. 

ONENANYAY

The ONENANYAY sign is much more visible since they took out the bush in front of it this past summer. 

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