J.P.

Background.

Every once in a while I watch episodes from the short-lived, 1970s sitcom, “Bewitched” spin off “Tabitha”. The show starred Lisa Hartman as the grown up daughter of Sam and Darrin. The timeline was off with Tabitha’s age, Adam didn’t really seem like Adam, and all of a sudden we had a new aunt named Minerva (played by Karen Morrow), but the magic seemed the same and the sound effects were the same so it was like a road show version of the show. Dr. Bombay even popped in a few times.

“Bewitched” had a background extra that appeared in episodes throughout the entire series and his name was Gerald York. A while back I noticed that “Tabitha” has a background extra appearing all over the place as well. He’s a good looking blond man but I have no idea what his name is.

Here’s a screenshot with him casually glancing over to Robert Urich having a chat with a cafeteria hostess.

I have to admit he caught my eye because he resembles the very first man I ever dated back in 1986, but I have absolutely no idea as to who the background player is or if he ever continued acting. Sometimes he’s wearing glasses, sometimes he’s not. Sometimes he seems like two people in the same scene.

So in this scene he’s left the cafeteria after lunch, put on his jacket, and come back for lunch.

Here he is in another episode holding the cue cards for the news.

And here he is getting sprayed with an antidote from Dr. Bombay for Mary Wickes’ (as Cassandra) love potion that ended up in some chip dip.

OK, Mr. Blond Guy from “Tabitha”, I don’t know who you are but I certainly noticed you.

25 March 2022 by Geek 2

Think.

Last weekend I discovered an online shopping site for refurbished computer equipment called BackMarket. I’m a firm believer that we should keep our technological devices out of the landfills for as long as possible. I have a Mac Mini from 2011, which has been deemed by Apple as too old to run their MacOS, running Linux. It is a nifty little machine for web browsing, social media, and watching YouTube videos. And because it’s from the era before Apple decided to start gluing everything together, it can be updated with new hard drives and more memory as necessary.

I haven’t had a laptop in quite a while, relying on my 2018 iPad Pro as my portable device. As much as love the iPad Pro, there are some limitations for a tech geek like me, all having to do with the way Apple implements iPadOS and the whole app ecosystem. Yes, I can get pretty full-on geek with the iPad but not in the way I like. I wasn’t in the mood to spring for a brand new MacBook when there’s plenty of viable tech out there just looking for a home, so I gandered at the BackMarket site and found myself a 2018 Lenovo ThinkPad T460s laptop. It’s lightweight yet sturdy, has plenty of horsepower for what I’m looking to do, and has what I still deem probably the best keyboard in the business.

The refurbished laptop came with Windows 10 Pro on it, which is fine, but I prefer playing around with Linux. In 30 minutes or less I had a full install of Linux Mint MATE Edition in place, with all the frills I need for surfing the web, creating documents, doing some coding, and going through my email. Plus, I have full access to the likes of Discord and Telegram and such for staying in touch with friends and family far and wide. So far the experience has been flawless, except for the FedEx delivery.

When the package arrived it was markedly damaged, opened, and looked like it might have been run over by the likes of a forklift.

That’s what the package looked like when it arrived with the delivery man today. Luckily, the computer was not damaged at all and has been cranking along like a little trouper since I installed things in between work meetings this afternoon.

I’m quite pleased with the purchase and if you’re looking for an affordable approach at adding computer equipment to your collection and helping the environment by not throwing things prematurely into a landfill, I suggest BackMarket. Their website was quick and easy to navigate and their delivery was very quick.

24 March 2022 by Geek 0

I’m Smart.

After a successful flight, my husband and I enjoyed a burger and a beer at a local eatery near Davis-Monthan AFB. We had a fun time; and after maybe two beers, Earl drove us home.

I’m smart like that.

23 March 2022 by Fun and Games Dept 0

Spread.

My husband is in for a routine colonoscopy today. We tried to avoid medical facilities during these enduring COVID times but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

It’s interesting to see how they’ve tried to spread out waiting areas in these facilities to maintain social distancing. Chairs and tables seem to be fairly standard along hallways at this facility. When Earl was taken in back I was asked to leave the waiting room where registration takes place and have a seat ournin the hallway.

It’s much more comfortable out here.

There’s talk of a new COVID variant in Europe and Asia. I don’t know a lot about it. I do know that I’ll continue to wear a mask when I need to and will get any and all booster vaccinations as needed. I’m sure my fairly timid response to Omicron a while back was due to my vaccination. I’m not going to risk a change in that arena when there’s solitons available.

22 March 2022 by Ponderings and Musings 0

Serena.

There are two celebrities that brought a tear to my eye (or more than a tear) when I heard of their passing: Elizabeth Montgomery and Betty White.

Lizzie famously played both Samantha Stephens and her mischievous cousin Serena on “Bewitched”. I mentioned this in a blog entry a couple of days ago and showed a freeze frame of Lizzie’s stand-in Melody McCord. In later seasons of the show, the credits showed Serena being played by Pandora Spocks. Not surprisingly, Ms. Spocks bore a shocking resemblance to Elizabeth Montgomery. In reality, Lizzie once remarked some of Serena’s mischief came from her very own cousin Panda. When asked what Lizzie was like in real life, Erin Murphy, who played Tabitha, said “oh, Serena all the way”.

The episode “Serena Steals The Show”, where Serena meets 60s duo Boyce and Hart, and sings their song “I’ll Blow You A Kiss In The Wind”, is one of the more popular episodes from the series. Here’s a clip courtesy of YouTube. Look for a pre-Dyna Girl Judy Strangis as one of the groupies.

21 March 2022 by Fun and Games Dept 0

Spring.

Mother Nature is regaling us with cooler temperatures and a sprinkle or two for the introduction of spring to 2022. Seasons are seemingly a little irrelevant here in the desert, if our first year in Tucson is any indication, we basically have “very hot” and “not as hot”, with a few thunderstorms sprinkled in during the Monsoon to keep things interesting.

I’m loving every moment.

The storms have been moving around us today. My lightning detection apps have been indicating lightning nearby, but we haven’t seen or heard anything here at the Desert Compound.

I’m always impressed by weather, no matter what it is and no matter where it is. Even though today is not one of the sunny days we’re known for, it’s a beautiful day.

Looking out of our backyard toward Mount Lemmon.
Looking to the west toward Davis-Monthan AFB.
To the northwest toward the Tucson metropolitan area.
Toward Mt. Lemmon near the entrance gate to our development.
20 March 2022 by Desert Life. 0

Puppies.

Lucky and Jinx are settling into our home quite well. They run around like playful brother and sister during the day and sleep together at night. They’re still figuring out their boundaries around Truman but there hasn’t been any intense drama on the subject.

They’re cute and a lot of fun but still a little skittish, especially around me. Perhaps I need to carry more treats in my pocket.

20 March 2022 by Fun and Games Dept 0

Amused.

Homer invited us to a surprise birthday party for his partner Matt. It was a fun little gathering with vegetarian pizza and a delicious homemade birthday cake. They had been to the house the night before for St. Patrick’s Day and Homer brought Irish Soda Bread. Homer is an enjoyable baker.

Homer and Matt have made us feel quite over our nearly first year here in Tucson and I’m very happy to call them both friends.

At the surprise birthday party I was particularly amused with his selection of napkins for the occasion.

19 March 2022 by Fun and Games Dept 0

Aging.

A decade or so ago I mentioned to my friend David, who is five days older than me, that I wasn’t afraid of dying but I wasn’t looking forward to aging. I wasn’t ready to accept life as a middle aged man, I didn’t want to have to wear glasses all the time, and I wasn’t ready to go completely gray (not that there’s a lot to go gray anyways).

Here we are over 10 years later and I’m a middle aged man. I’m surviving this just fine. With middle age comes accomplishment and hopefully some wisdom and I feel like I’ve settled pretty well into the role.

I’m flying airplanes with relative ease. I can manage a decent hike with friends. I still can ride my bicycle, and I don’t need vitameatavegamin to stop from pooping out at parties. Sure, I go to bed early when I have to get up early for work. I really don’t like whatever tries to pass as “Popular Music” these days (it all sounds like uninspired, metallic robot noises to me) and I’m losing patience with folks much younger than me that speak with authority on “history” with a remarkable amount of inaccuracy and then want to argue the point even though I was there and they weren’t even born yet.

As a middle aged American man I believe I’ve seen the modern United States as we know it peak about 20 years ago and start to wane. My husband and I have been debating this a little bit. I’ve seen polarization like I’ve never seen before and even family members talk about things, often from very different points of view, in ways we would have never dreamed of discussing a few decades ago.

I take medication to keep important blood test results in check, I proudly wear glasses, and yes, I’ve accepted my gray hair enough to grow my mustache back and feel comfortable with it. I have wrinkles around the eyes, probably from too much smiling over the decades, and my voice is not quite as youthful as it was when I was in Top 40 radio 30 years ago.

And I’m OK with all of this.

Life feels like it’s moving faster and faster. I still don’t feel like a grown up, but I feel like I at least I look the part. I feel absolutely no impulse to change the natural aging process of my body; what you see is what you get. And for the first time in my life, ever, I am comfortable with the way I look.

Short version? Middle age is awesome.

19 March 2022 by Ponderings and Musings 0

About J.P.

Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.

Weird? Eccentric!

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