Fun and Games Dept

Shortly before his passing, when talking about his role as Major Roger Healey on “I Dream of Jeannie”, Bill Daily mentioned that Barbara Eden was one of the most even tempered person he had ever worked with, or for that matter, ever met. On the set of IDOJ she never got angry. Ever. Even when Larry Hagman was carrying on with his shenanigans all over the set (drinking champagne for breakfast, under the influence of drugs while filming, having hissy fits about the script, etc.), Barbara was the rock. Always steady. Always focused. Never angry.

I admire this about her.

I’ve been watching interviews featuring Barbara and she always has that pleasant demeanor and mischievous laugh she had way back in the 1960s. I had the opportunity to shake her hand once and she was very pleasant as she said hello, making her way down a line of fans during a “Nick At Night” roadshow in either 1989 or 1990.

I’m curious how she achieved this temperament. Was she just wired to be even keeled? Does she meditate? Do yoga? Chant? Float? What’s her secret?

I could use a few doses of this Edenism. I get way too passionately irritated about trivial things, especially things I can not change. “Set a good example for the world”, this is something I always say. I need to focus on that more.

But sometimes it can be so tiring.

No segue.

Back in 2000, Sony/Columbia Pictures had the black and white episodes of both “Bewitched” and “I Dream of Jeannie” remastered and colorized. Like many colorization projects, some of the color selections for various shots are not accurate. On “Bewitched”, Endora’s robes are colored green and purple, which were absolutely accurate for the originally color later episodes of the series. But during the black and white years, Endora’s witchy robes were actually all shades of lavender.

Along similar lines, Barbara Eden’s Jeannie on “I Dream of Jeannie” actually wore a couple of different harem costumes that first year. In the colorized episodes they’re all shades of pink, but in actuality, one of the costumes was actually green, as shown in the picture above. There’s an early color episode from the second season where Jeannie wears the green outfit so we know it to be true, but the colorized first season episodes show that costume in pink. Next time you watched a colorized episode look for tassels hanging off her headpiece. The tassels were on the green costume, not the pink one.

She later wore the same costume when playing her dark-haired sister Jeannie.

When my husband and I decided to explore the “Fashion Outlets of Chicago” over the weekend we did what all men our age do, we headed straight for the food court so we could use the washroom. If you’re a middle aged guy, you’ll know that it’s important to know where the washrooms are in relatively short order upon coming in from the cold.

The grass in the photo above does not represent the washroom.

But the other thing you see in the photo above is a row of beer taps, and that’s because the “Fashion Outlets of Chicago” has a “pour ‘n go” beer and wine arrangement in the middle of the food court. That’s right, for X number of dollars you get a ‘pub card’ and you can pour yourself a beer and take it with you all over the mall. Looking for a way to deal with the crowds? Take the edge off with a good porter.

Not to discriminate, this location also offers wine along the same arrangement, so those with a wine bent can enjoy the same state of inebriation while spending money in the wide assortment of outlet stores throughout the location.

I was a little surprised by this but I happy to see the service was quite popular on a Saturday evening. Looking back, I’m surprised I didn’t have a beer while walking the mall but I was keenly aware of my calorie consumption of the day and wanted to save anything I had banked for later in the evening.

I don’t know that I’ve been to a mall that had beer and wine available in this fashion, most of the places I’ve been to have bars where you can enjoy a drink in between stores but you have to keep it in the confines of the bar itself, you can’t go walking about the mall with it. I like this concept though and I actually might go back to “Fashion Outlets of Chicago” to give this a try.

Cheers!

While here in North Carolina I haven’t done much on Twitter. This is neither good nor bad, it just is. When spending time with friends, even those who are very tech savvy (though they have an awful Internet connection through their only choice for Broadband), it doesn’t make sense to spent time online when you can interact with others in real time so I opted for that.

I did some walking through the woods in a nearby park, putting in about five miles both yesterday and today on the various hiking trails available. I was delighted to see markers like this along the trail, as I would do similar things along trails I forged through the woods behind the house during my childhood. Whatever agency is responsible for the park has done a fantastic job of marking the trails with reference markers, making it easy to navigate from one trail to another and from one entrance to another.

A quick search revealed this website for the park, Little River Regional Park and Natural Area.

It was good to walk through the woods for a while this weekend. The whispering of the wind through the pines and the relative stillness of the surroundings is a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the big city.

I could tell a GA airplane was practicing stalls in the area; the unmistakeable sounds of the engine gave it away but I wasn’t able to spot the airplane through the tress.

A good relaxing weekend.

I’m a little bit country, I’m a little bit rock ‘n roll.

So I’m aboard United flight 1863 from O’Hare to Raleigh-Durham. I’ve been on this airplane since 5:55 PM; I am writing this at 8:49 PM. We just leveled off at cruising altitude. There’s been a lot of snow blowing through Chicago this evening. It took my husband two hours to get home from O’Hare; even on the busiest days of traffic it will take an hour. He said the expressways and streets were a mess getting home.

O’Hare was closed for departures right after we boarded; they needed to plow the runways. It took some time to do that and then we spent quite a while being de-iced. I am always grateful for de-icing. I know what ice can do to an airplane, big or small.

Conditions at the field were at Low IFR at departure, the lowest I’ve ever experienced as a pilot or a passenger. I was fascinated by the whole procedure. I wish I was sitting up front aboard this Boeing 737-800. I would love to fly at least once up front on a commercial flight. Of course, I would love to be an airline pilot but if I’m going to do that I need to get more lift under my wings, the bank account in better order, and most important, my ass at full throttle.

It’s doable. I can do anything.

I always enjoy this trip to visit friends in Durham. It’s a romping good time for all involved and a great opportunity to break away from the snow and cold we Yankees endure this time of year. I’m not sure I could live in what is traditionally called “the South” but it’s fine to visit once in a while.

A few of the pilots in the flying club have moved up to twin engine or turbo engine airplanes, a couple have moved up to business jets. I find this inspiring. I’m not in the cockpit nearly enough in the winter, so I’m going to have to make up for that this spring and summer.

In the meanwhile I’ll enjoy this flight to RDU. Any seat on an airplane is an awesome seat. And, just for the record, I’m in the premium steerage cabin this trip.

I couldn’t bring myself to explore the double digited rows.

I’m sitting at O’Hare awaiting my flight to Raleigh-Durham. I’m visiting friends during this long weekend. It’s an annual event. We always have a great time.

I’m curious to see if my flight actually gets out of here. It’s snowing quite hard with the promise of sleet and the like and the boards are showing many canceled flights.

So far, so good. ORD is showing IFR with one mile visibility.

I’m not in the front seat on this flight but any flight is an awesome flight.

I have discarded four pair of shoes in 2020. I didn’t realize how much I walked during my daily activities but I’ve blown out two pair of gym shoes and two sets of dress shoes. The gym shoes were only six months old.

I spotted these shoes at Nordstrom’s shortly after Christmas and they were over 50% off as part of the post-holiday sales. I wore them for a couple of dressy affairs this weekend and they’re remarkably comfortable. I also have a pair of “urban ready hiking shoes” on the way. So there’s still room in my closet for more shoes, but I’m set right now.

I’m really particular when it comes to what I have on my feet when I’m flying an airplane and I have two pair of Converse High Tops/Chuck Taylors that are awesome for that. I’ll model them when the weather is nicer.

In the meanwhile I’ll be stylish in my new kicks from Nordstrom’s.

What many folks call “Interstate 90” or “Route 90” we call “The Kennedy”. Taken in the rain while my husband is behind the steering wheel, we are currently on The Kennedy headed home from the annual Flying Club Holiday Party. We had a very nice time at the Country Club with fellow pilots and friends.

I will never tire of talking airplanes. And I will never tire of my husband driving.

So I’ve been working from home for over five years. Prior to my current gig I had a cubicle in an office building that I would visit every week or two; since taking my current job in 2015 I have been an official “virtual employee” at a Fortune 500 company.

I enjoy the gig.

Remote employees are quite commonplace here in the new Roaring 20s, especially with all the telecommuting technology at our disposal. Most of my team works remotely. I have employees reporting to me that I’ve never met in person, though I see them on an almost daily basis via videoconference. I like my team.

People have visions of remote employees kicked back in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, propped up on a couch, working on a laptop. For me that’d be a great way to lose focus and start slacking at my job. One of the things I never want to be is a slacker. There’s too much to do, too much change to make in the world, too much example to set. I have a routine that involves working out, eating breakfast, and getting cleaned up in appropriate work attire, even though I’m working out of an office here in our condo. I stay focused because I look the part of a corporate executive. I dress for success.

A few months into working from home full-time I realized I had a need to get out and about when I wasn’t working. Being at home all the time seems awesome, and in many respects it is, but there are times when I want to be outside, seeing other people In Real Life, and interacting with other humans. Occasionally I’ll jump on the ‘L’ just to walk around another neighborhood or The Loop or whatever just to get a change of scenery. It helps keep me sane. I also go for a walk in the morning and a walk in the afternoon, short walks mind you, and that helps me process whatever opportunity I’m processing in my head at the moment. Plus it gives me a chance to see something other than the grayish-green walls of my office.

I love working from home but I firmly believe it’s not meant for everyone. It takes extra discipline, extra focus, and extra effort to stay productive and be a prime contributor to the goals of your employment.