The biggest news around here this past week is that the uncertainty of an NJ Transit railroad workers strike is over. That's something that has been worrying me for months as I depend on the trains for my work commute. I even requested yesterday off as a paid vacation day over a month ago as I read rumors there might be a "soft strike" that day leading into the midnight strike. Finally, on Friday evening, a deal was made and the strike was averted. Phew!
So, I had/have an actual whole weekend off. And, what have I done? Um. Well. I caught up on un-watched television shows. I made my corned beef and cabbage meal. I napped. Even though it was a nice day out, I stayed indoors and just had a mellow quiet kind of day. Maybe I'll venture out into the world today.
Random thoughts on the week:
- I saw my first robin of the season, but the photograph I took wasn't good. So, you won't see it. Other years I've seen them come back during very wintry weather. But I haven't seen one since early December (when it was still unseasonably warm here).
- I also saw my first mosquito of the year. Grr.
- Along those same lines, the gnats are swarming the Bridgewater Train Station as they do each spring.
- The homeless dude hanging out at the Bridgewater Train Station needs to move along. I was told he was kicked out of the Somerville Train Station, the next stop west. He's becoming annoying and more aggressively panhandling each day.
- Someone, perhaps the homeless dude, moved a Platform Closed sign and construction barrel down to the street under the railroad bridges at Bridgewater. It took me several minutes to convince an Asian woman with only a very basic knowledge of English that the platform was open, that's not how NJ Transit closes a platform, they put the signs on the platform itself and that it was a prank. "That's not funny," she said when she finally believed me.
- Vincent liked the open windows this week. So did I. Well, until the motorcycles and brakes on the buses from NYC got too loud.
That's about all I have for you this week ... other than the photos. Clicking on an image will bring up a larger version.
As the crow flies |
I'm not sure why that saying exists. I've watched crows fly. They definitely rarely fly in a straight line!
The Sunset Express |
My train home from the Bridgewater Train Station coincided with the sunset this past week.
Where's the beach, dude? |
You're in a parking lot, you silly seagull.
Looking north on Watchung Avenue |
I won't get the opportunity to take this shot again if the bridge opened on Friday night as I was told it would. I took it standing in front of the barricade fencing at the closed railroad bridge. Those are the Watchung "Mountains" in the distance. When I first moved here to the area, I was amazed about the flatness of it all. And, then they showed me the Watchung Mountain Range. Bwahahaha!
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