Connectivity Problems - so no pics today!

I’ve been having lots of internet connection headaches this week. Seems by the time I tease it into connecting and start typing it clicks out on me again. Verizon (my DSL provider) says it’s my computer hardware and the computer guru says it’s Verizon. Either way, I end up totally frustrated!! We can’t even seem to get a consistent dial-up connection as a last resort. This is why I haven’t posted for the last day or so. I’ve barely gotten through to check my e-mails.

So, what’s a gal to do when she can’t get online? I actually got down to work and started producing new merchandise. I’m hoping for some sunshine tomorrow so I can get some decent photos taken. With any luck, we can get this connection issue resolved by then and I can begin getting them listed in the shop. If not, I’ll have to resort to the mundane - housework, laundry and cooking!!

Oh yeah, I also watched a fair amount of TV. The Today Show has had some of the old sitcom families on this week. Sort of a “where are they now” type of feature. Monday, the Eight is Enough crowd was on. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to catch up with The Partridge Family and today, the gang from 227 was reunited.

I was a fan of Eight is Enough, probably due to a big crush on Grant Goodeve who played the oldest son, David. He was there on Monday and still looks pretty good, though a little older. (He’s about to become a Grandpa!) Dick Van Patten (age 81 !) and Betty Buckley are definitely showing their age. (She’s only in her early 60s but looks older.) Those who played Joanie, Elizabeth, Willie and Nancy all put in appearances. Susan Richardson (who played Susan) was never mentioned and Adam Rich, the cute little moppet, Nicholas, sent a note as he was unable to appear. Lani O’Grady who played the oldest daughter, Mary, died of a drug overdose in 2001.

Dick Van Patten is occasionally seen on TV these days and owns Natural Balance Dog Food and Betty is doing a lot of stage work. Connie Needham (Elizabeth) runs a dance studio and has recently fought ovarian cancer. Laurie Walters (Joanie) directs some community theater and works for Ironweed Films, a documentary distribution company. Dianne Kay (Nancy) lives in LA but has not been on television since the early 90s. Willie Aames (Tommy) is, ironically, a licensed financial planner in Kansas these days. Ironic as he filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and held an estate sale in early 2009 in an attempt to avoid foreclosure on his home before becoming a licensed advisor ! (Guess he must have learned form the experience!)

Susan Richardson was never even mentioned but I understand she is alive and well and living in Pennsylvania where she works for a nursing home. Though a short note from Adam Rich (Nicholas) was read out loud, no one mentioned what he is doing these days. Notably, Susan, Willie and Adam, as well as Lani, all had substance abuse issues. Adam also has a criminal record concerning breaking and entering, burglary, shoplifting and multiple drug charges.

And then there were the Partridges …

With the exception of David Cassidy and Danny Bonaduce, the Partridge kids seem to have simply faded into the woodwork. Brian Forster, who played Chris, the youngest boy, claims to be an unemployed actor and race car driver. Suzanne Crough, the youngest Partridge of all - Tracy, is a manager for Office Max.

Danny hasn’t faded away but perhaps he should aim at a lower profile. He‘s a morning-drive disc jockey on a Philadelphia radio station and still flirting with the law a little too frequently. I was surprised at the joking he and David did on the air about his criminal history. David is still out there doing shows around the country, singing all of his greatest hits and the three Partridge hits. (For those that don’t remember, he and Shirley Jones were the only ones who actually sang on the show. The rest simply lip-synced.)

None of them have had contact with Susan Dey in the last decade. Internet reports claim she is married to a TV producer and living in LA where she is a board member at the UCLA Rape Treatment Center. Shirley Jones was not on as she is in the midst of a 17 day, 17-city tour, singing with symphony orchestras. That’s a pretty tough schedule for a 76 year old woman! (Incidentally, David Cassidy will be 60 this year!) Dave Madden (Rueben Kincaid) is happily retired. He did not appear on The Today Show reunion as he does not fly at all.

The Today Show had also scheduled a reunion of the Brady Bunch but, due to some sort of dispute between Eve Plumb and Maureen McCormick, we won't be seeing the Bradys.