Yep, there's an awful lot of RDA in Mac. Even down to the conservation stuff he really does. He talked about that quite a bit, and is obviously very passionate about it! I did speak to him, but the moment he put his arm around me, my mind turned to mush. I still can't recall what the heck I said, or what he replied!

If he ever comes back to the UK I'm so going to try and go again!

Soooo close Maclover! Actually, I used to live only about 15 minutes or so from Painted Post on the Pennsylvania side of the line. Now, I live almost in the Geographic center of the state, just north of State College, PA. Let me know if you ever get near again!

I would love to hang out with RDA! I like how he is into causes, not just on the surface but really cares. He seems like a downright good guy!

I should say that being an Engineer, hockey player, and world traveler back in the time it aired .... the lifestyle was not that vastly different from Mac's. Spy stuff aside, there were similarities and I think that was what most of the appeal was about, from my perspective. I mean, the series was tailored made to appease a certain demographic and 20/30 something males that were into hitech/adventure/sports etc. back then was definitely on the rise. But as for the specifics, re: clothes, hair, accommodations, vehicle, choice of women, etc. no, I think most guys sort of march to the beat of their own drum, in that respect.

Joe SAKic I don't only think the series was engineered to appeal to males, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it had (at least) a similar proportion of female fans.

http://www.macgyveronline.com/pages/articl...ml#.VgLfb5WFPb0

I really think it is an awesome show for young people, no matter the gender or age. It really brings out the very best in everybody (and I love the creativity!).

This is true. The show appeals to who it appeals to... regardless of who it was engineered for. I love the show.

I love how RDA's friendliness comes out in MacGyver. With some of the crap I've been through, it's refreshing to watch a show about a friendly, optimistic fellow that actually cares about people.

Right on Jedi! It's a flavor that is sadly lacking in most of today's shows, and it has made me a better person! Since I really got back into the show and the forum, I've gone creative crazy.....making elevated playhouses out of scrap wood for the boys, the duct tape creations, etc. I really like Mac (and RDA). Pure class!

It may have been engineered for the guys, but I know way more gals who watched/watch it here in the UK than guys hehe. (Can't think why )

It seriously is a feel good show for anyone, though, and that is what I love about it. When I've had a bad day, I stick a Mac on, and it always brings a smile to my face. Meeting Richard and seeing how wonderful he really is just added to the fun of it, because you kinda think to yourself your watching a real person (even though I know I'm not) if that makes sense?

Meanwhile, mum and I have finally found our little MacGyver retreat to take our caravan! It's only 45mins from home in the Derbyshire Dales, but is definitely somewhere you'd imagine a log cabin! It can't go until next season as the plot it stands on is being resurfaced over winter, but I'm very excited!

Great thread and great reading!

One of the many thing that appeals to me in the "MacGyver Life" is that late 80's early 90's nostalgia the show conveys, back when life was simpler and the world was not so digitally connected as nowadays.

Tomorrow it will be 30 years since it first aired and to me that's all I need as an excuse to start watching it from the pilot episode on and "relive those teen years"!

Yes it certainly was a simpler time. I think the quest to simplify our lives is probably one of the main things we're looking for when we look for the MacGyver life. We're looking to emulate that simple carefree life style he had.

Personally I feel the urge to backpacking with just me, a tent and bare essentials, the trouble is that I can't leave the kids and I don't know how safe a woman is hiking by herself these days. Somehow TV hero's don't seem to suffer from these hang-ups :-(

I took mine with me when they were younger. Every week-end we were off hiking and enjoying being out in nature. It's a great way to introduce them to the fundamentals of a MacGyver life.

Interestingly my youngest (now a teen) made a comment a few weeks ago about how spending time out in the woods doing all that outdoor stuff had made him much more observant and aware of his surroundings with regards to always knowing where he is and always having his bearings.

I know... Responsibilities!

What I some times do is get my bag pack and spend a day all by my self in the mountains close to where I live!
The misses doesn't mind me doing it by my self, she knows I need it from time t time and we also go together kids and all most of the time.
I guess its my way of doing the "MacGyver life" the way I can!

Here is a photo of the place!

Wow! Nice place.

I wish I had the courage to camp on my own. I've never gone camping. My parents weren't the biggest on that sort of thing. At most we did hikes every now and again (mild ones) and/or picnics at Shenandoah Mountain. My mother was too much of a city gal... so camping wasn't her idea of fun.

My friends and I have been talking about maybe going camping sometime, but it's in the early planning stages at this point.

Anyone got any advice for this inexperienced one? Ya know... so I don't accidentally set myself on fire?

I've done a fair amount of it over the years, thru my son's involvement in Boy Scouts. In order to get Eagle Scout, you have to have a great deal of camping time under your belt, so I got to enjoy some cool mornings out and about. I like having a warm sleeping bag....I froze one trip due to a light bag, so I'm all about low temp rating bags like 25-30 degrees F lol. There's nothing like an old fashioned perculator coffee pot and warm coffee from a tin cup in the morning! I can smell that roast now lol. Honestly, for me this is the best time of the year to camp...the bug population is way down and the stars are clear at night. My pack is calling me right now! Love that pic Viriato!

Hey thanks Barry!

Jediferret, I haven't done any backpacking, but I've 'holiday' camped loads in family sized tents and plenty of gear on organised camping sites loads of times. My idea of comfortable 'holiday' camping is a 10 man tent for me and the two kids, 4 season sleeping bags, airbeds, table, chairs, and a stand-up 3 ring gas cooker!! Under such conditions I am happy to live for at least 2 weeks even in the worst weather a UK summer can throw at us. I much prefer it to a hotel. I am sure with sufficient organisation you would be fine. However, back-packing still beckons to me, and it would be good to just be me and a tent and maybe some friends without the responsibility of looking after the kids (I think my 50's beckons with kids as young adults doing their own thing. I shall just have to get fit enough to enjoy them). Our big problem is that in the UK it is very easy to be 200 miles from anywhere interesting enough to visit regularly for interesting outdoors things - Oh, to live somewhere like in that photo Viriato.

JoeSakic - my Ultimate Power book turned up yesterday - I don't get much reading time, but I'm on chapter two. I just hope that it's still worth applying the principles at my age. I'm fairly open to things like psychology and methods of dealing with people. I've done dozens of days of management courses and always tried to approach them with an open mind - it will be interesting to see where the book gets me. I was open enough to the possibility of getting over a fear that I did once try an hypnosis audio tape to conquer the fear of skiing and that worked brilliantly, so it is possible that I will get something from the book. I have already decided that I had better sort out trying what I want to try before it is too late. I have been and investigated a climbing wall and will visit when I am able to (never done anything remotely like climbing before), I am also going to phone a local centre to experience scuba diving which has been on my wish list since I was a teenager - I hope I like it as much as I expect to and find that I can schedule in training for a proper scuba 'ticket'. I'd also like a motorcycle licence in the next 3 years, and when I can find a stray £5K a Private Pilots licence would be great to train for. I've also recently started Karate and want to be well on my way to a black belt by the time I'm 55. Well all the training courses say you should write down what you want so that's my list, I just hope that you are sill allowed lists when you are middle-aged.

Quite what I'm going to do with all these skills when I have them I'm not quite sure, but I fancy doing something to inspire and give confidence to young women. I'd like a group of special friends that I see regularly - male or female, but these don't seem so easy to sort out - a good alternative would be making a difference to a group young people.

P.S. Didn't find the SAK Barry and decided that although it will turn up I was wasting time looking for it so I ordered a new one!!

Robbins' did a lot of research from all the previous positive thinking and motivational books. I'd be surprised if he doesn't light a mental fire or two within you .... including the diet section which was well advised by whoever advised him on it. And no, I can't see that there's any age restrictions to his plan. Just do it!, as they say. Sounds like you're well on your way, anyway, to erasing any minor rut that you might have fallen into.

Go for it!!!!

Way to go Maclover!! A motorcycle license is on my list of things to get done, and I would love to have a private pilots license, too, but it's waaaaay too pricey over here as well. Nice thing about SAKs....once you start, one is never enough lol.

I am enjoying a relatively new role visiting schools to give talks and am really interested in my latest enquiry - I hope it comes off. I have volunteered to visit a school that specialises in students with learning challenges. So far I've only done mainstream schools, but I always get on well with young people with special needs so I volunteered when the request came though. I will consult with their teaching staff to make sure what I do is appropriate, but I am really looking forward to the challenge. I'd be interested if anyone has done anything similar and might have some useful comments.

It's funny how people say the key to reaching your goals is to write them down (see my previous wish list). In my quest to take on an do all things I've long fancied doing, I've just signed up for a try Scuba diving session with a view to going to complete a PADI open water course if I like it. They can't fit me in until the end of November, but it is actually booked!!

I do volunteer time with the Boy Scouts and at church, and really enjoy working with people. I love to give speeches! I feel like I"m giving back when I spend time helping out. In some way, I feel like Mac doing it!

So here is a related question. Do close TV style friendships develop in real life, like Mac and Pete enjoyed. I'm not talking the sort of relationship you have with spouse or long term partner. I mean the sort of strong platonic friendship where you would put yourself at risk for the sake of the other and view the loss of that person as you would a close family member. I would love to have someone like that, but wonder if TV presents ideals with things like this that never happen in real life. Has anyone got a Mac or Pete in their life, or their female equivalents? I also wonder îs it really possible for men and women to truly enjoy a close platonic friendship? What do you think?

Maclover, I would like to have a friendship like Mac and Pete probably more than anything else! I don't know if it's possible, given all of life's distractions and obligations, but it would be awesome!

No.

I mean as kids we had 'best friends' who shared common interests but as you get older life kind of gets in the way, we become more diversified in our jobs/activities, possible more refined, often more persnickety, and don't suffer fools nearly as well. (kidding about the last one, sort of).

Actually, it's kind of good to get out with a group of old friends to play hockey or go to a ball game etc. from time to time, but to hang out with the same (male) friend who also happens to be your colleague cum superior, is way over the top in my books and not common practice in this corner of the world. Give me some space for gawdsakes!!!

Love the MacGyver concept but that 'buddy buddy' relationship might well have been better handle with a female buddy buddy who's more easier on the eyes than the office boss.

Not in my experience.

It's probably worth noting that Pete and Mac may have gone for long periods of time without seeing each other.
There's an interesting scene towards the start of Renegade when Pete and Mac meet each other in the reception area at Phoenix. Pete's reaction is like they haven't' seen each other for a while.

I think it kind of depends on how you meet each other. Mac and Pete met in rather funny circumstances. Pete was already a secret agent and Mac showed his cunning and scientific knowledge in the taxi. That's like something they don't learn during DXS-training and it proofs it's something to respect. If you see someone taking out two bazookas with a diversion wouldn't you offer him a job? And if you are already friends before getting the job and not employer-employee I think something nice can develop.

I had friendship like that once with a woman. We really bonded. We understood and respected each other. Something that isn't even there with my other friends. We also worked together as colleagues, that's how I knew her. I was more of her assistant. Helping her out whenever she needed it, always there. We had great times and we were always honest with each other if there was something we didn't like. I never had a close relationship like that with someone before. Than she got fired over something she never did. But at work they never treated her right and especially not in the last years we were there. And to be honest, I should've quit after she got fired. I stayed two more years there but it wasn't the same. I should've quit out of respect for our friendship and the work we did and for myself but I didn't. She also talked me a bit out of it, mostly to protect me though. We called each other for almost a year. Calls became mails, mails became texting. Now there still is the occasional texting but I haven't seen her in almost two years now. And I don't want to accept the fact that I could've lost the closest friendship I ever had because of work. If that happens I'd take it as a personal loss. And I have seen them treating peoples the way you wouldn't treat a dog. I mean they really owe apologies to a lot of peoples. I stayed there two more years and I ended up with burn-out. I've been out of job for almost six months now. I just wish I could see her a little more often, every now and than. She has new work now and two kids to take care of so I understand she can be really busy sometimes but not seeing her at all anymore because of what happened, I can't accept that. Maybe I should I don't know but I'd see that as if the people at work suddenly decided we can no longer see each other because they say so. That is really unacceptable. She was too important for me. She was the very first person I could really open up to and actually be myself. She knows me in ways no other person ever did, not even my family.

I'll stop rambling about it here. In order to answer the question; yes I do believe friendships as we see on tv or as with Mac and Pete can happen. I think it happens more than you think, if you spend a lot of time together, even with colleagues. You can care deeply about them and I still think about her almost every day even after the two years I haven't seen her. I'm sure that means something.