A Rat For Omar

I call this shot "A New Jersey Rat For Omar." There I was, just innocently walking by the Budget Rent A Car in Plainfield, NJ, looking to photograph the Mutant Cats With Short Legs and HUGE Heads and something made me jump. It was an immense RAT atop of one of the cars! Um... okay, it was a plastic rat, so I was able to get a shot. I've tried to take shots of real rats at Newark Penn Station and on the subway tracks and they move a bit too fast for my camera. This one sat still. Don't ask me why there was a big plastic rat atop a rental car. I don't know. Hey, it's New Jersey -- anything can happen here. And usually does.

Frosty Buns!

Yep. I call this shot Frosty Buns. Frosted Buns? A cold butt, nonetheless

Not too much going on here -- work, eat, sleep, write the TV blog. Oh. And watch TV.

I realize that since I tend to spend time waiting at the train station, I tend to observe stuff there. Yesterday, I went on a rant about the bums.

Today, it's the feral cats in the 'hood around the station. It's not really a rant, per se. More of an observation.

There are MUTANT cats living there! Really! They're short with short stubby legs and HUGE faces. Huge, I say! They look healthy enough, but rather like cartoon cats. There's at least three I've seen, most likely inbred. I can't get close enough with the camera out to get a clear shot, but I'm on a mission. I will photograph the Mutant Inbred Feral Cats with Short Legs and Huge Faces of the Plainfield, NJ Train Station.

Maybe it's a new species!
;-)

Neat. The news says to expect thundersnow tonight. Mutant cats and thundersnow. Who says life isn't a thrill a minute?

All That We See or Seem...

<--- I see dead people -- NJ Transit train.

Although, unlike the recent case on a NYC subway train, this woman was alive. I think she was, anyway. Hmmm... I got off the train before her. Perhaps she wasn't? Oh, NO!

I know I've been absent for a few days. Besides work and life, I've been messing around a lot to get my TV blog off the ground. I had to remember HTML. Duh. If I close my tag, it helps. And, in the sidebar, I have to specify image size or it's a wee little thang. Duh. In my defense, I was messing around with it while tired.

So, what else? What else?

I know! I am so sick of people bumming change and/or cigarettes that I may go off on the next bum I see. Now, I'm not talking the really bad off ones. I'm talking chronic rather bum than work bums. Cigarettes are expensive. I know it's not a good thing that I smoke, but I do. I work. I pay for my cigarettes. I have never asked a stranger or even a nodding acquaintance for a cigarette in my life. If I had no money, I'd not smoke before I'd ask a stranger for a cigarette.

At the train station this morning, two of the street folks in a row tried to hit me up for a cigarette. If I didn't have one for the first, what made the second (3 feet in back of the first) think I had one for him? "Do you have a spare cigarette?" :::I check my pack::: "Nope. The pack only had 20 in it. If there was 21, I'd give you the spare." I have no spare cigarettes. I have no spare quarters. If, by some quirk of fate I have extra money on my hands, I know where I'd like to donate it. And, it wouldn't be to the bums at the train station.

Today when I got off the train, a rather scruffy young man (albeit with a $400 leather jacket) tried to hit me up for $2. "I need two bucks. I took the train here from Staten Island for a job interview and I'm two bucks short for my ride home." Well, he should have thought about how much it cost before he left Staten Island. He's not in Kansas anymore. If he bought a one way ticket, how was he expecting to get home? It's off peak to head from the city early in the day and to head to the city during rush hour. A phrase comes to mind -- Off Peak Round Trip Ticket. I don't just go off to Philly without having proper funds to get home. He shouldn't head to Jersey without the proper funds. A bus would be a good lot cheaper to get from here to Staten Island-- at least two dollars, I'm sure. It's only about 10 miles away, but the train tracks don't go that way. He'd have to go to Newark by train and then PATH, subway. It doesn't bode well for any job he may or not have applied for, either. I hope he wasn't applying to be a financial planner.

/rant

Sunrise, Sunset

Sunrise, Sunset... at the Plainfield, NJ Train Station today.

Alas, I almost had the day off. I was on the verge of a day off from work... almost there! I got up this morning and was ready to leave for the train station when I heard on the CBS morning news that the trains were all delayed on my line. Neither the news nor the NJ Transit website said how delayed. So, I ambled to the train station arriving right at the time the train should be there instead of my usual 5-10 minutes earlier. Sure enough, an announcement was finally made saying all trains were suspended indefinitely.

Ah, good! I had to wait for my boss to arrive at work and then called to tell him I was going to go eat breakfast and would check back to let him know.

Then it happened.

I heard a train, so I went back to the platform to peek. It stopped. It was heading to go to "the yard" -- a sort of parking lot for trains.

They took me to work.

I was on time.

Sigh.

GRR to the Aliens Upstairs!

Well, I met the Aliens Upstairs. I also met the Man I Didn't Know Lived Downstairs. Why?Because the ALIENS UPSTAIRS FLOODED MY BATHROOM!

Argh.

I did NOT need the hassle today, a day off from work in which I just had pleasant little plans. Now my bathroom ceiling is in pieces all over the floor and I'm just waiting for things to stop dripping before I have a huge clean-up chore to do.

Here's what happened. I decided to nap a half hour. No sooner did I lay down then I heard an odd dripping. I could hear the shower running upstairs. But the dripping I heard sounded a bit closer... like on the tile ceiling. I looked up. Within less than a minute, my ceiling tiles began leaking right near the frame seams. Okay, I grabbed my bucket to catch the water. In the meantime, all along the seam started streaming water. ACK! I ran to the closet and grabbed my oldest blanket (one I don't mind losing if need be) and tried to catch the water with it... or absorb it... or something. I ran upstairs to tell them to turn off the water.

Okay, the Male Alien finally came to the door with Baby Alien in his arms. I could hear their shower running. I explained the problem and asked him to turn off the water. He didn't seem ruffled at all.

"I'm serious. My bathroom ceiling is going to come down. You really have to turn off that shower."
"Okay, I'll call the super."
"Right now, you have to get that water turned off. My ceiling is going to come down."

He didn't even call out to Wife Alien to turn it off.

I returned to my apartment where water was flowing heavy from the ceiling outdoing my poor blanket and bucket.

Someone knocked on my door.

"I'm your neighbor downstairs. There's water leaking into my bathroom."

I wasn't even sure anyone was living down there after the last tenants moved out. I thought maybe, but he makes no noise. I explained the water was coming from upstairs and I couldn't keep up with it, that I told them and they finally just shut off the shower. We decided we would both call the super in case they didn't.

I no sooner finished with him and returned to the bathroom wondering how I was ever going to get the water sopped up when... the bulging tile let loose with about five gallons of water and crashed to the floor after glancing off my shoulder. I noticed the Aliens From Upstairs leaving in their car.

I called the super AGAIN, then went downstairs to the Neighbor I Didn't Know Existed to let him know there may be a new rush of water, but it should end. He seemed quite nice -- at least it gave me the opportunity to let him know to let me know if my noise ever bothered him. He told me he never hears me. (Aha!)

Finally, the super came and told me he'd be by tomorrow to put up new tiles. I mentioned that new tiles wouldn't stop it from leaking. He said he had stopped by up there, but they weren't home. Fine. Create a catastrophe and don't even wait for the super. I told him it was definitely related to the shower running, not the toilet, sink or bathtub itself. He thinks they may have no shower curtain. I personally doubt that as they certainly have taken showers before without flooding my apartment. I think the caulking may be bad and perhaps she aimed the showerhead more towards the wall or something.But... dang. If someone came knocking on MY door telling me I was flooding their apartment, I'd run to turn the water off. While Male Alien was polite enough, no sense of urgency.

Now I don't like the Aliens Upstairs.

Pointless Ponderings and Pointed Points

Watching the rats on the subway tracks (NYC)

All, right. Some things have been on my mind, so this entry will be about them. Some are indeed just ponderings, perhaps with no point at all. And the others are outright points, mayhaps a bit rant-like. (As opposed to a bit ratlike.)

Why do geese fly in basically organized patterns and other birds don't? Why must they constantly honk as they fly? Why aren't geese migrating south like they did years ago? Are there geese in London or Seattle? Are they always flying circles lost in the fog and honking?

Then there's birds. Is there a hierarchy for position when birds are gathered on power wires? What are they talking about? Are they planning to overthrow the world?

Why doesn't NJ have a bottle/can deposit program? It would give children and folks who need it some spare change and people may stop throwing their bottles and cans all over the state.

Why must I always live under people who drop stuff a lot? I don't drop stuff daily. Am I out of the loop? Should I drop more things on my hardwood floors in the wee hours of the morning? For that matter, am I the only person in the world who wears soft soled shoes and takes them off immediately upon entering my apartment?

Why has one of my cats taken to dragging his waterbowl across the kitchen, thus slopping out most of the water? Then he sits there meowing and looking at his water bowl until I fill it. Should I just invest in a fresh water fountain for his desire for fresh water on demand?

Where do shopping center seagulls sleep?

Why are some roads/bridges abbreviated into acronyms or nicknames and others aren't? For example, no one says the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway -- it's the BQE. Yet the Van Wyck isn't the VW. The George Washington Bridge is often referred to as either the George or the GWB. You don't hear the Verrazano Bridge being called the V. The 59th Street Bridge, actually named the Queensborough Bridge, should be named the 'Feelin' Groovy' Bridge. Bah-da-da-da-da, feelin' groovy.

That's about it for now. I'll be watching some TV and blogging about the 'Americal Idol' and 'Love Monkey' premieres, as well at taping 'Law and Order: SVU' tonight. Ah, tomorrow's my day off from work. Good.

BRRR! It's Cold, Baby!

<------ Not to be confused with a PARKING Garage, mind you.

"Hey! Get that car out of here! This is a NO PARKING garage!"



Dang, it's frigid outside. (Heh. She said "frigid.") Ever since that cold front went through on Saturday night and killed the tree, it's been brutally cold. It wouldn't be so bad except that we had such a mild streak of weather immediately preceding the latest. More ice is expected for the commute home from work tomorrow, then it's going to be 50 degrees again on Wednesday.

I think I'm getting dizzy.

Kee-RASH -or- If a Tree Falls on Jackie, Does Anyone Hear It?

My Apartment Building This Morning

I heard the crash last night as the ice and snow were coming down and the wind was howling. The power blinked, but came back on. Of course, it blinked long enough to knock out the entry I was writing for my TV blog. Grr. This is the half-dead huge pine (of some sort) tree from the House of the Women Who Wear Business Suits and Drive Luxury Cars next door. I said a few years ago when the landlord was having iffy trees on our property taken down -- that tree was going to fall eventually. Last night was eventually. If not for the huge strong pine (of some sort) tree in the front of our building, it would have crashed into the building itself. As it is, it's really damaged the good tree ripping huge limbs down, so that one may have to go, too.

That is, when they decide to do something about it. All they've done so far is block off that entrance of the parking lot and put caution tape up.

I'm glad I live in the back wing of the building. :-)

New Jersey's New State Slogan

New Jersey: Come See For Yourself

Yep, that's the slogan they chose. Feh.

I could fix it!

New Jersey: Come See For Yourself... then run! Run as fast as you can! Get out while the getting's good! RUN!

Wednesday, Glorious Wednesday

Man Vs. Nature -or- A New Jersey Sunset

I took the above photo of last night's sunset from near the Bridgewater, NJ train station. Sometimes in New Jersey, it seems that all of nature is behind a chainlink fence.

So, I'm sure you're wondering what's so glorious about Wednesdays, huh? Well, perhaps for most, they really aren't glorious. But for me? Glorious! Y'see, I work Saturdays... so Wednesday is usually a day off for me along with Sunday. The bad part is I don't really have a weekend. However, with my knee the way it is, it's nice to work two days, day off, work three days, day off. It's supposed to rain here later this afternoon, but I'll find the glory anyway. I'm free! I shall bubblebath! I bought a new kind of foam bath which is exquisite indeed -- Pecksniff's Gardenia & White Peach -- "Asked for therefore made." Hey, if I don't indulge myself, no one else will.

In other stuff, I have a new television blog up and running. Instead of having a blog for each show I watch and, due to time restraints, not being able to talk about shows that I'm not specifically following on a dedicated blog, this one will encompass all. So far, I've talked about the new 'The Four Kings' show and touched on the cast for the upcoming 'Surivor: Panama - Exile Island' on the blog. I'm sure I'll talk about tonight's (finally) NEW 'Lost' episode! Please stop by -- I added Feedblitz to make subscribing easy there and hope the blog will hop. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the shows. Um... I don't watch soaps, though. So I won't be blogging soaps at all. But other shows are fair game.

Dogs Aren't Clothing!

It's a cruel, cruel world.

This clothing donation bin has been up for a few months. I like to see the overflow. Two days ago, there was a tower stereo system. There have been several bicycles. But, today... the worst. The saddest. :::sniffle:::

In other news of the day, I was lucky enough to sit in front of a teenage boy and his date on the train as I was coming home from work. They looked all of about 16. They were heading into the city to see the Rangers at Madison Square Garden tonight. He was trying to impress her with all his oh-so-worldly NYC and hockey knowledge. She was answering almost everything he said with this annoying loud HEH HEH HEH laugh in between about every third word she uttered.

Oh... my... God. Make them stop. Throw the teeners from the train! Help! It could be worse. Coming back from the city late at night after any sporting event (Yankees, Knicks, Rangers, Mets, Jets, Giants... whatever), the train fills with loud drunks. I guess I'd rather the kids.

Ha! Revenge of the Mouse

I just came across this news story on AOL -- AOL News - Discarded Mouse Returns to Set Home Ablaze

I don't want mice in my home. (They wouldn't like it with the cats, anyway.) But they are living creatures. I would never burn a living creature alive. Well, except for gypsy moth caterpillars. But they don't scream.

Sunday Morning Snippets

<--- New Jersey Transit, this stop - Suspicious Acts, NJ.

Hmmm... didn't Elvis sing a song about that? Oh. Suspicious minds. Never mind. ;-)

It's Sunday morning. I know I've been lackluster... okay, absent... from the blog the past few days. I have a cold and my knee has been acting up. Thus, I've been grouchy.

But, here I am. I haven't worked into my full state of grouchiness and the knee is doing okay this morning. I have noticed a few things I wanted to write about the past few days, so here are some snippets o' stuff --

I saw that, in Turkey, three young siblings died of the bird flu. I understand cultural differences and all, but I'm floored by how they caught it. They played with the heads of slaughtered chickens like balls for several days! Huh? What's up with that, I ask? That creeps me out on many levels. It's macabre, for one thing. And, even before bird flu, it just seems germ-ridden and unhealthy. Why didn't they just toss rocks? Perhaps they didn't have toys, but playing with dead chickens' heads just seems so, so wrong. Plus, the chickens were slaughtered because they were ill. So, they were playing with sick dead chicken heads. It just doesn't make sense at all to me.

Lou Rawls died. I had to explain to someone at work who he was. I feel old.

While walking on the block I saw the James Whitmore Bushy Eyebrows Man and he bellowed out a hearty hello. He has the old man eyebrows, not the young Whitmore.

Barry Cowsill's body was identified. Sigh. He apparently was a Katrina victim, but reading about him, it appears he was a victim of himself first and foremost. Drugs. I had a crush on him back when Indian Lake was the scene you should make...

I realized that Kenny the street drug user/dealer on the next block who knows better than to ask me for a cigarette has been gone since my return to work in October. I'd guess locked up. Good. He was annoying -- a hustling cokehead.

Why does my cat think I should pet him every time I glance his way?

One good thing about vacation being over is that I'm getting up early enough to catch the WCBS 2 Crew (NYC) in the morning. The show runs from 5 to 7 AM and I usually have it on until I leave before 6:30. Ah, great -- looking to link their website, I found they have a blog going. Cool. Dave Price is the zany, sometimes going too far, annoying little brother type that many of us know. But he's a hoot on Dance Friday. I like the snarkiness of Jim Ryan going up against him. Shon Gables and Vanessa Alfano are fun, as well. Is there real unrequited love between Vanessa and Dave? Oh... and I have a bit of a crush on Mario Bosquez. If he shows up on other newscasts filling in, I smile. Brett Larsen is a cool gadget geek, too. If you're in the area and not in the mood for straightlaced serious stuff... check 'em out. Anything that can make me smile at that hour has to be a good thing. Oh. And they do report the news, too.

There. Those are my Snippets. :-)

"But I knew (I knew, I knew, I knew, I knew) she had made me happy (happy, happy).Flowers in her hair, flowers everywhere. I love the flower girl." - The Cowsills from 'The Rain, the Park and Other Things'

Only in Weird New Jersey - The Mad Monster Mobile

Things like this make it all worthwhile to carry a digital camera wherever you go...

Now, mind you, I have absolutely no clue what the Mad Monster Mobile was doing parked at the Westfield (NJ) Train Station. I saw no monsters wandering about other than the usual Manhattan commuters. They can be scary, but...!



Walking to one side gave me a clue. Ah, Zacherley -- the "Cool Ghoul" from WABC-TV (Channel 7 out of NYC) and later out of WPIX, Channel 11 (Secaucus/NYC) in the 60s and through at least some of the 70s. I remember him from about the mid-sixties or perhaps even earlier. Looking at the website, he started out in the Philly area. What's even more amazing is that he's alive and doing appearances (perhaps why the Mad Monster Mobile was parked at the train station). Why am I surprised? I'm surprised because he was born in 1918! Perhaps he's something other than human? Could it be?

The other side of the Mad Monster Mobile -- gotta love the Creature from the Black Lagoon! --

Of course, he could be living in the Mad Monster Mobile judging by the pile up of junk on the dashboard. It looks like 87 year old man stuff!

Only in New Jersey would people look at me taking pictures of the van and not notice the van itself.

Oh, My... 3 Question Personality Test

Hmmm... some of this is scary spot on, some a bit off. It fails to mention my personal insecurities which would divulge that, in a room of smart people, I would feel woefully inadequate. ;-)

Your Personality Is

Rational (NT) You are both logical and creative. You are full of ideas. You are so rational that you analyze everything. This drives people a little crazy! Intelligence is important to you. You always like to be around smart people. In fact, you're often a little short with people who don't impress you mentally. You seem distant to some - but it's usually because you're deep in thought. Those who understand you best are fellow Rationals. In love, you tend to approach things with logic. You seek a compatible mate - who is also very intelligent. At work, you tend to gravitate toward idea building careers - like programming, medicine, or academia. With others, you are very honest and direct. People often can't take your criticism well. As far as your looks go, you're coasting on what you were born with. You think fashion is silly. On weekends, you spend most of your time thinking, experimenting with new ideas, or learning new things.

The Three Question Personality Test

Phirst Photo Taken in 2006

AOL's "blogfather" John Scalzi asked for the first photos taken by bloggers/journals in the New Year. I'm a bit late in reading his request, but here's my first shot of 2006. Exciting life that I lead, I was home with my two cats as the ball dropped. Shortly after midnight I tormented both cats with my camera, but this was the first shot -- my cat Teaser. I later tormented them with the radio remote car, but that would be another entry.

Responding to Comments and Other Stuff

A winter sunset over Plainfield, NJ.

Huh. It's my day off from work today. I have the Martha Stewart show on in the background. Today's show is focusing on redheads. Cool. I'm one! (But don't look on the show for me because I'm not there.) Did you know that natural redheads only occur in two out of every hundred people in the United States? Now, she has Conan O'Brien on the show. I'm not sure if I want him to be the spokesperson of redheaded folks everywhere, but it's better than me being on TV. ;-) Like him, I had that orange-y red hair when I was very young and it darkened a bit over the years. I think that may have been because, as a child I spent a lot more time outside in the sun than I did as I got older. To this day, my hair is a lighter red in the summer than in the winter. Well, except for this past summer which I spent in solitary confinement -- my apartment due to knee surgery.

If you want to know all about redheaded facts, check this site out. On her Redhead Facts page, she mentions what I wrote a few days back -- no grey hair at all, what's turning is turning white or a sandy color.

But redheaded stuff isn't the reason for this entry. I want to respond to a few comments from the other day's entry. Charles, also known as Cinisoul on AOL, asked how the thieves got the ATM out and didn't just go to the register. I think it was an ATM on the outside of the building. At that hour on that day (New Year's Day evening), the drug store would have been closed. I would guess the crooks had to pry from the building with a vehicle. I could be wrong, though.

As for safety, this will sound very odd, but my town is rough. However, as a middle-aged (sigh) white woman, I'm much safer than a young black male or a Latino male. I can walk through a crowd of gangbangers, give a nod and get a "hello" back, probably because I'm no threat to them. I'm not a good victim sort -- they don't scare me and I don't look like I have much money on me, no furs, no jewelry other than a watch. I'm not involved in the street lifestyle as they know it; not into drugs, drinking or hanging out. They see me walking here or there in the daytime hours and I'm basically respectful (give a nod, say a Jersey 'how ya doin' at them) and, as a result, they don't give me any problems. But, if I were young and especially a male, I'm sure it would be an entirely different story. They prey on rival groups, young males in particular. I'm neither. They probably don't know quite what to make of me. So, they end up nodding and saying hello. ;-)

And then Lori over at Dusty Pages wanted to know more about Pharoah's Texas Weiners in Plainfield. For some odd reason, there's a Texas Weiners explosion in New Jersey. There's a Newark/Italian style hot dog, popularized by places like Jimmy Buff's, but lots of Texas Weiner type places. The guy behind the counter at Pharoah's is an Egyptian immigrant -- a hardworking young guy who's there from open to close, friendly and will go on and on about the opportunities in America for those coming here if given the chance. I thought he was the owner, but he's not. Pharoah's Texas Weiners opens at 6 AM and closes after the dinner hour sometime. Yes, they serve hot dogs. But they serve about everything under the sun. I often get a breakfast sandwich there on the way to work. I could get grits with it, but... um... no. It's sort of a luncheonette place with a huge variety on the menu from hot dogs to prime rib and a full breakfast offering. It's reasonably priced, clean, friendly and definitely a Jersey Good Thing. Y'see, in New Jersey you can get grits with that gyro. There's another Texas Weiners place a block away, but that's more just hot dogs... open 24 hours a day, though!

The New Jersey Baby Jesus(es) Caper

Proving New Jersey can be twisted at times...

This news comes from Sayreville, most commonly known in recent days as the hometown of rocker Bon Jovi. Four local teens from that town stole over 25 baby Jesus figures from manger displays throughout the area. Their plans? "We were going to burn them." Their reasoning? "We were bored." Hey, I know Sayreville isn't a thrill a minute, but they could have just worn cowboy boots and hats, grew big hair and learned to play guitar.

In the 'hood...

I went to the local bodega around the corner earlier today. A white woman was in there -- a white woman I don't know. Now, I realize that sounds a bit odd as I myself am indeed a white woman. But, y'see, in my town, that's a minority and I know most of the folks around the neighborhood. There are other white women, sure. But I live in a mainly black and Latino rising area. I'm also a regular at the bodega and know most of the customers who frequent the store. This is the store that gives me free gum, for Christmas they gave me two 2 liter bottles of brand name soda of my choice. Not a huge gift, but it was nice of them. They're good guys at the bodega.

But, back to the white woman...
Two regular black male customers and the two Latino store owners were chatting as a sandwich was being made for the woman. I bought my cigarettes and she commented on how expensive everything was here. One of the guys asked her where she was from. Indiana. Um... in Plainfield, NJ, huh? Now, that has to be a bit of a culture shock unless she came from an urban area.

One of the customers asked, "So, what brings you here?"
"I bought a crack house."

So, I couldn't resist... I asked, "Is this an operating crack house? An investment property? Or did you kick the crackheads out?"

She laughed and said it was a bit of a problem to get them out, but she and her husband picked up the house for 50 grand and it should be worth $240,000 by the time they're through rehabbing it. The neighbors are great, she said. She lives down an adjacent street, so I'm not all that familiar with her 'hood, but I know this town. It has some really bad Camden-like neighborhoods, but overall it's good people just workin' for a living.

The town was a wealthy one at the turn of the century. I'm talking into the 1900s, not the 2000s. Its nickname is the Queen City, thus named for all the Queen Victorian homes within its borders. So many gay folks have snapped up the historical homes in some areas that Plainfield has been called a "gay mecca" in some online articles. My own 'hood isn't in any of the historical districts, but has a few fine rehabbed homes amidst the apartment buildings and churches.

The murder rate went up this year, alas. But, I feel safe, nonetheless. I find Plainfield the sort of town where I can walk down the street and folks actually say hello -- folks from all walks of life, from many cultures. I'll admit I don't walk around a lot at night, but I don't trust a lot of cities at night when there aren't many people other than the denizens out and about. I enjoy getting to know the people around me. I enjoy the diversity that is Plainfield. I like going to the Latino bodega, the Jamaican corner store, the Egyptian run "Pharoah's Texas Weiners," the Hindu run corner store, the Mexican bakery, the soul food luncheon, the Vietnamese take out... if this was a milquetoast town, it wouldn't be as enjoyable for me. As it is, it makes me feel good to be a part of the cultural soup.

The local news tends to tell the bad things about Plainfield. But, as a four year resident of the city and an "outsider" in many ways, I have to say there's a lot of good about the town and its people. But, shhh... we'll keep that a secret between us.

In other local news, I was listening to my police scanner last night. Yeah, there were shots fired (kind of normal in a few neighborhoods). Yeah, there were plenty of domestic disputes and a few fights. But, there was one unusual event. Someone (had to be more than a few someones) actually stole the ATM machine from Scott's Drugs in the center of town. We're talking the whole thing! How they did it, I don't know. The cops found it about an hour later and fussed about how much it weighed. The fire department had to respond with a truck which had a lift as it weighed well over 500 pounds. On my last hearing about it, the cops said they doubt any fingerprints could be recovered and don't seem to have any suspects.

I have an alibi. I was home listening to my police scanner. ;-)

100 Things About Me

Well, I've never done one of these in any of my blogs, past or present. So I thought I'd give it a try. Heck, I may learn something about myself.

1. I don't type right. I don't look at the keyboard, but I don't use all my fingers.
2. I am woman. (Hear me roar.)
3. I was born in upstate NY (Troy), but have lived in two additional states.
4. I currently live in NJ.
5. Work transferred me here in 1994.
6. I joke about it, but I actually like living here.
7. I'm close enough to the city to go into Manhattan after work.
8. I lived in southern CA for two childhood years.
9. I'm very nearsighted, but my eyeglasses aren't thick. (Phew!)
10. I have two cats.
11. I live in a quasi-large apartment building.
12. I started college when I was 16 years old.
13. I was in 'Who's Who in American High Schools' -- but to this day feel it's a scam to sell the book.
14. I consider myself a lazy intellectual.
15. I lived in CT for a year as a child.
16. I lived in CT for about 15 years as an adult.
17. I was transferred to CT by my workplace. (Seeing a pattern here.)
18. When I was a child I mistakenly thought I could sing.
19. When I was 9 years old I got my first typewriter -- a portable Royal manual one.
20. I thought I'd write the Great American Novel.
21. But I was wrong.
22. I'm older now than my parents ever lived to be.
23. Offline, I'm a loner.
24. If I were male, neighbors would think I was a mysterious serial killer or something.
25. But since I'm female with two cats, they probably think eccentric spinster.
26. I smoke cigarettes.
27. I used to smoke other substances, but that was decades ago.
28. I think I like every Alfred Hitchcock movie ever made.
29. I have an autographed Edward Gorey poster framed in my living room.
30. I think the new neighbors upstairs are aliens due to odd humming noises.
31. I have three brothers, no sisters.
32. I was a tomboy as a child.
33. In my teens I used to rollerskate nearly 40 hours a week when time would allow.
34. I learned to waterski when I was 9 years old.
35. When I was 10 I wanted to be a professional waterskier in Coral Gables, FL.
36. I've never been to Coral Gables, FL.
37. As an adult, I got into snow skiing.
38. I have trophies from ski racing.
39. I still have all my ski equipment.
40. I no longer ski due to bad, evil knees.
41. I was an outcast in school, but had my own little group of good friends.
42. I've worked for the same company since 1977 with a five year break in the 80s.
43. They feel I'm too young to retire.
44. My knees don't feel too young to retire.
45. I have a PlayStation and still can't finish Crash Bandicoot.
46. I'm a reading fanatic.
47. Since I first went online in the early 90s, I read fewer books than pre-Internet.
48. I like all kinds of animals.
49. But I don't want to own an elephant.
50. Is how old I turned in 2005. Ack.
51. I have red hair.
52. White is sneaking in, but no grey at all.
53. I've had two surgeries on one knee, one on the other.
54. I never had my tonsils or appendix removed.
55. I've had a large annoying mole on the back of my neck all my life.
56. Maybe someday I'll have it removed.
57. I like some of the reality TV genre, but not the "dating" shows.
58. I was mesmerized by the TV show 'The Fugitive' when I was a small child (original series).
59. I also liked 'The Lone Ranger' and 'Leave it to Beaver.'
60. I was a felony suspect for a while at my workplace a few years back.
61. But I was innocent.
62. I took a lie detector test given by the NJ State Police in the case.
63. It was an interesting experience.
64. The actual embezzler fled instead of taking the lie detector test.
65. All my life I've told myself stories in my head to fall asleep.
66. I guess they're boring stories, huh?
67. I like taking leisurely bubblebaths.
68. I collect cat stuff.
69. No, I'm not one of those cat hoarders. Cat stuff, not actual cats. Two are enough.
70. Stephen King is my favorite author.
71. I've met him (above) and have a signed book and pictures of us to prove it.
72. I've studied the classics in literature, but King is still my favorite author.
73. I have a virtually meaningless degree in English.
74. I should have studied computer science.
75. I love beng alone.
76. I'm scared of being alone if I ever make it to "elderly."
77. I like all kinds of music, but gangsta rap not so much.
78. I love living where there are four actual seasons.
79. I love my digital camera and have it with me everywhere I go.
80. I'm a neat and orderly freak at work, but not at home.
81. I still use dial up on my computer.
82. I like saying hello to my neighbors in the elevator, laundry room or hallways, but don't want them dropping by to visit.
83. Cellphone use everywhere annoys me.
84. People trust me, even strangers. Example - In NYC Port Authority earlier this week, while waiting in the queue at the gate for my bus, a woman asked me if I would watch her luggage and place in line while she went to the restroom. She was gone almost ten minutes. I coulda made it to the Cleveland bus with her stuff by then. But I didn't.
85. I went through some wayward years, but managed to stay out of trouble.
86. I like to cook.
87. But I'm a fussy eater.
88. I average less than six hours of sleep a night.
89. I'm a night owl at heart.
90. I'm usually up before 5:30 AM for work.
91. I prefer Letterman over Leno.
92. I like to think outside the box. Perhaps I should be segregated from the general public so I can think better.
93. I've been a naturally good speller all my life. Well, at least since the time I started to read and write.
94. When I was in third grade, my reading level was that of a high school senior.
95. I'm not sure how smart that makes me. I think it was because I loved to read.
96. I love New York City but can't afford to live there.
97. I like to people watch -- street theater!
98. I still have some unpacked boxes in closets from my move to this apartment four years ago. I wonder what's in them.
99. I have a collection of gourmet hot chocolates. I should go have a mug.
100. Are we there yet?

To Start the New Year...

... I always wanted to know exactly what file extension I am. After all, it's a question I've pondered for years searching for myself, wherever or whomever I might be.

I can rest now.

Which File Extension are You?