With pandemic concerns relaxed a bit, we’re starting to get to know Tucson a little better as we venture out. This weekend was the Tucson Spring Street Fair. It was a beautiful day and as I said to my husband, “it’s like Remsen Barn Fest in the desert and in the spring!”
I love walking in our neighborhood. It’s getting to the time of year where it’s getting a tad to hot to walk in the middle of the afternoon. Temperatures have been a bit above normal so far this spring, but I still managed to go for a two mile walk and I found it incredibly relaxing and enjoyable.
Our spacious development is gated. Walking through the gate to the “outside world” brings us to open desert and a few horse farms. The scenery is beautiful. We have a dirt road that runs the parameter of the development area (actually following the official border of the city of Tucson).
Truman is handling Lucky and Jinx fairly well. He spends a lot of time up where he can watch things for a strategic vantage point. He then pretends he doesn’t care and looks out the window.
When I was young, my sister and I would occasionally go over to Grandma and Grandpa Country’s house to visit them after dinner. They would occasionally be watching a nature or such show on WCNY-TV 24, the local PBS station. I thought that’s what older people did.
As I get older, my interest in living outside my little slice of the world has grown. There are so many places I want to see and do. My bucket list overflows. In the meanwhile, I watch videos of life elsewhere, much like my grandparents did.
Here’s a video that was suggested by YouTube: One Day in the Coldest Village on Earth. I should probably watch it again in the middle of July when temperatures are getting close to 120 degrees Fahrenheit in these parts.
The Intense Project at work continues at a frenetic pace. I’ve been working the longest hours I’ve ever worked in my career, aside from the craziness of on-call back in the 2000s. The target date for the project launch is the weekend of the 8th, so hopefully things will settle down soon.
I’ve been daydreaming about escaping the world for a week. I don’t know if I want to camp somewhere in the mountains and forests north of here, go for a meandering drive through small towns in a certain radius around Tucson, or just veg out in a dark room, but I’m looking forward to doing something adventurous that doesn’t involve writing code very soon.
The pandemic has really screwed up our television habits. Back in 2020, near the beginning of the pandemic when everyone was passing the lockdown period by making bread and reviving parlor games, we were introduced to the Amazon Prime television series “Upload”. The show featured “life” in 2030, where society had figured out how to upload loved ones that have passed to a digital afterlife. This digital heaven came at a cost and showed us, in a comedic way, the class divide, even after we had passed on. Risks of being downgraded, limited bandwidth, etc., came to those that didn’t have the funds to keep their after life existence going in the digital world. Earl and I binged the series in May of 2020 and were looking forward to the next season when it was announced season two was coming along.
So, with the pandemic and all, season two was made during COVID and the production followed all the recommended health procedures. Perfect. Except, to save money or maybe because of the extra expense of the pandemic precautions, production houses are now making shorter seasons. Back in the 50s and 60s, a season could be over 30 episodes. By the 80s and 90s we were down to 22. With the streaming services were down to 10 and this latest run of “Upload” has seven episodes. “The Expanse” had six episodes in its last season. Perhaps it’s an Amazon Prime thing. Amazon doesn’t really have that much money, I guess.
So “Upload” season two followed the same storyline and season one, was clever but not as clever, and had a little bit of a meandering thing going on. I didn’t really enjoy the season as much as I remembered enjoying season one nearly two years ago. I still recommend it for the geek value, but a certain spark seemed to be missing.
If you’re looking to binge 3 1/2 hours of entertainment, go for it.so a bunch of precautions were smartly followed and
I’ve always found Bruce Willis hot. I wasn’t much of a “Moonlighting” fan back in the day but once in a while I’d catch an episode and enjoy his manliness on the screen. I watched a few of his movies after he moved to the bigger screen and I found most of the ones I watched enjoyable. We probably wouldn’t see eye-to-eye on a selection of topics on any given day but hey, everyone enjoys looking at something they can’t have.
He announced that he is retiring from the entertainment world after being diagnosed with Aphasia. Aphasia is the inability to comprehend or formulate language because of damage to specific brain regions. To put it simply, it’s becoming more and more difficult for Mr. Willis to communicate through language. I’ve heard the term in the past but I’ve never met anyone afflicted with the condition. There are some therapies available to assist with those living with aphasia but there’s no cure.
I hope Bruce is able to find joy in his retirement. Everyone deserves joy.
When we lived in the mobile home my parents had a pair of late 1960s Westinghouse laundry appliances. They weren’t paired together because the washing machine was in the bathroom and the dryer was in a small laundry alcove in the addition my father built. The alcove was wedged between the master bedroom which had a gun rack and could accommodate a double-bed, and the living room which could accommodate a black and white TV, a fold out couch, and Dad’s chair.
The washing machine was fascinating to me until it flooded over one day and then it made me nervous because the washing machine was no longer reliably doing what it was suppose to do. It was a basic model from Westinghouse, the cycle on the left side of the dial was for warm or cold wash with cold rinse and the right side of the dial was for hot wash with warm rinse. Unlike the photo of the similarly aged washing machine above, the “Cool Down Rinses” imprint was on the left side of the dial, just below “Lock ‘n Spin”. If you tried to lift the lid when the washer was spinning, it would buzz. The washer and dryer made their way to the house across the street until it flooded again; the dryer lived several years longer until it squealed so loud we could hear it down by the road at the other end of the 200’ driveway. Perhaps Dad was cheap.
Living in the desert has not been kind to my skin. My skin dries out quickly and I’m thinking taking a hot shower, which I absolutely adore, accelerates the activity. So I’ve been ending my morning shower by moving the handle from “9 o’clock” to “3 o’clock”, with 6 o’clock being off. The rush of fairly cold water is exhilarating and I thoroughly enjoy the experience.
As part of my typical brain thought processes, I can’t help but think of the late 1960s Westinghouse Washer every morning during my “Cool Down Rinses”.
My husband appreciates it if I don’t flood the bathroom by letting water out of the shower while I’m doing my business. I continue to do what I’m suppose to do./
I installed the metal art sculpture we purchased in Tubac yesterday. It matches the gazebo doors nicely and is a nice touch for the kitchen. I like the little touches like this.
We went for a road trip today. We decided to head south of the city and made our way to Tubac. We did a little shopping; we found a metal sculpture to install over one of our doors in the kitchen. This was our first time walking through the quaint little town. I look forward to going back soon.
We then found our way over to Peña Blanca Lake and walked around a bit. The park had a few people here and there and was beautiful. It was great spending some time in the sun.
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!