Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - September 20, 2015

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection of the past week in both words and photographs I've taken along the way; This post is a year 'round "feature" on the blog. If you're looking for Big Brother posts, they can all be found at this link right here. If you're not interested in this particular post, please feel free to skip on by it. I'll be posting a Big Brother blog party post coinciding with the East Coast airing of the show and, late this evening, another live feeds post. That is, if they actually do anything worth reporting! Stay tuned.

I was on a staycation from work this week. I had a slew of things I planned to get done. Alas, only some of the things on my list were finished. But I also needed to relax and I did get a lot of that done!

Here are some random bits from the week:

• I went to the Feast of San Gennaro in Littly Italy (NYC) where I took many photos, ate some (expensive) fried chocolate ice cream, stopped for an espresso and chocolate dessert, ate fried calamari and drank a $7 beer ($8 with tip). 
• I don't go to the city often enough.
• I'll have to go back soon. I still have money on my MetroCard. So, I need to go back before I misplace it.
• I also visited Mindowaskin Park in Westfield, taking photos.
• Despite getting a Peapod grocery order this week, I ended up picking up some things at Trader Joe's anyway.
• I bought alcohol this past week, first time in a while. I'm not a huge drinker kind of person. I bought craft beers, some of those little bottles of interesting flavored liqueurs and a bottle of strawberry vodka.
• Now I can predict I won't be by a liquor store again for months to come!
• I went to a Farmer's Market.
• The weather this week was beautiful, albeit a bit warmer than I like for this time of year. It's drizzling as I write this, but the week was free of rain until today.
• Coming back from the city on the bus Monday, I ended up with an old friend who takes the bus for work. His first words to me ... "I hear you had some excitement at your building." -- referring to the gunshots a week or two ago.
• My neighborhood is back to its quiet self.
• On Thursday I saw big hubbub (and took photos, after the jump) of a huge investigation into the fire scene on East Second Street. There were state fire marshals (with dog), county fire investigators and Plainfield Fire Department people there. I don't know if someone rekindled the fire or whether it was just some delayed reaction investigation.
• Google has finally updated its Plainfield street view map. Despite the fact I photographed a Google truck a few years back, the map is now really recent -- August 2015. It has the East Second Street construction going on and the two fire houses intact ... shortly before the fire.
• About time they updated us. Plainfield 2007 is way different from Plainfield 2015!

Onto the photos for the week. There's a whole bunch of them. If you click on an image it will open a larger version.

Eek! There's a large man there!

Now, I've arrived in the city numerous times via NJ Transit bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. I've taken photos of these buildings before. But I've never noticed the giant Peeping Tom dude! He has to be new. I didn't notice him this time until I was going through the photos I took.

Turn around, dragonfly!

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna ...

Krishna, Krishna, Rama, Rama. I have my personal doubts about this gentleman's whole gimmick. He approached me and I just shook my head no to him. He tried to give me something. I'm sure, had I taken it, he would hit me up for money next.

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

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds into Sunday - September 20

Will someone take her to the Final Two?

They are stretching this out way too long! Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Biding Time:

• Vanessa says her pain pills (from the comp the other night) make her feel loopy.
• I'm wondering if it all might be an act heading into the final part of the HoH on the live show Wednesday night.
• Due to Vanessa being loopy and napping a lot, Steve and Liz have spent a lot of time together.
• Steve keeps giving us hints that he's ready to turn on Vanessa if he wins the final HoH part. 
• Lots and lots of small talk.
• BB gave them playing cards and Vanessa came to life.
• They also have the yard once again and will probably have it until Tuesday night or Wednesday morning when it will need to be set up for interviews.
• Thankfully, Steve won the second part of the HoH comp as there would be controversy had Liz won -- she told him that BB gave her a clue because she kept saying she wasn't in the house (Julia) when a certain comp answer happened. BB told her it was the one she won.
• Hmm.
• Of course, that went to fish and we got blocked.
• Liz remains the main cook for the crowd.
• Well, they do say three's a crowd, right?
• Vanessa told Steve he's the most buff guy in the house.
• Heh.
• That's like when my father used to tell me I was his favorite daughter.
• Steve is the ONLY guy in the house now and I was the ONLY daughter.
• Not much game talk at all.
• Three more days of this.

Brief foray for Mistress of Pain

Feels better with pain meds

Will he turn on Vanessa if he can?

Thankfully, usually has a shirt on

The Amazing Race 27: Meet the Cast Video

The good news is that the new season of The Amazing Race premieres next week!

The bad news is that it's once again scheduled for 8pm ET/PT on Friday nights. Unfortunately, I fear that a lot of the audience has gone by the wayside since the show started airing on Friday nights a few seasons back.

That said, it looks like an interesting cast this season and I'm looking forward to watching! Will you be watching the show?

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds, Final HoH Part 2 Winner - September 19

This is Vanessa on pain meds

Not that it's a big difference from Vanessa not on pain meds when she's in a napping mood! She doesn't talk as much. But, with it down to the three, she doesn't need to continually run around in paranoia. Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of What Do We Do For Four Days Now?:

• I didn't give you an update yesterday evening because nothing much happened other than lots of napping and lots of studying for the comp.
• Oh. And lots of fussing and complaining about pain from Vanessa.
• The big action, Part Two of the Final HoH comp didn't start until nearly 10pm their time.
• Make that 1am my time!
• Ack.
• Naturally, it was blocked to the live feeds and we got Jeffish instead.
• Am I the only one who wishes they'd just go back to the theme music in the long feeds blocks? When it was music, I could nap and when their voices took over, that would wake me up.
• Anyway ... STEVE won Part Two of the HoH Comp.
• He was giddy beyond belief for a while, but eventually calmed down.
• Liz, on the other hand, was quasi-calm with occasional extended bouts of tears.
• From their talking, it seems the comp was BB-related crossword puzzle format with them in harnesses.
• Liz pointed out that Steve's harness left a big red mark on his lower back.
• Steve thinks Vanessa will win Part 3.
• Hmm. If he has the distrust of Vanessa he's voiced to us in the past and he's a true BB fan, he'd better work his butt off to win Part 3 so it's HIS choice who goes to final two.
• I'm hoping he's not going to trust Vanessa to take him there!
• Maybe she would, maybe not.
• The time limit for the comp was 90 minutes. 
• They finished it in 30.
• Feeds were blocked for nearly 90 minutes anyway.
• They're all asleep now.

I did it! I did it!

Sorry, feeders, I'm emotional tonight.

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds into Friday - September 18

Studying

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Sweet Strategies:

• When I last saw the bathroom floor, that roll of toilet paper featured in my last update was still there. No one has bothered to pick it up.
• If that was here, my cat would have taken care of that immediately!
• The girls slept most of the day. 
• Steve napped a lot on and off between roaming the house, mumbling and laying out candy and Froot Loops to memorize house happenings.
• Liz eventually got up and studied, often asking Steve for answers.
• She eventually went to her own candy plan-o-grams.
• They're all still hurting from the candy apple comp Wednesday night.
• Vanessa is fussing the most, then Liz, then Steve. That's the reverse order of how they came down.
• Steve and Liz have gravitated more to hanging out together. 
• Maybe it's because Vanessa is so out of it.
• Maybe it's because they just might both dump Vanessa if they have the choice?
• Over the past few days, Steve has mumbled different versions of evicting Vanessa if he wins HoH.
• Hmm.
• I would think, if they're thinking win, Vanessa isn't one to take with you.
• Then again, it might behoove either Steve or Vanessa to take Liz over each other.
• But I could be totally wrong.
• All three had to get dressed appropriately to answer fan questions for BBAD.
• The questions were along the line of favorite foods, what they miss from home, etc. 
• Yawn.
• That took up a good fifteen minutes!
• They're sleeping.

Studying

Such fun times

Answering questions for BBAD

Maimed for life?