A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Archives for August 2023

Photo Blogging Challenge (August 2023): Happy place

OK, I am sure you all know my main happy place.

But let me explain it a little bit more.

When I first got Harper a couple of years ago, I knew it would change my perspective on life, and also it would change how I lived my life. But several friends have dogs and it didn’t mess with their lifestyles at all.

They don’t have Harper!

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Harper has really helped me get a grasp on life, especially as I approach 50. I’ve changed the way I look at things and how I do things. I’m not always on the go. And she is usually with me.

When she’s not, it’s even more odd.

Case in point … I went to two Phillies games this month. Neither time was she with me. The second time, she stayed at her daycare place to board for the night. Waking up the next morning and not having to take her for a walk — I didn’t go walk either, as I figured it would feel really odd. And in the end it was good as I needed a little extra sleep.

But my happy place usually involves her.

Harper is, by far, a massive part of these photo challenges for me. Though I have been trying to get other things in here, sometimes it’s hard. As I said above, she’s always with me. So … and is a really good photo subject.

What is your happy place?

Anyway, onward. Here’s my five for the month!

1. Give me a chair!

Harper is so happy. She doesn’t always stay still for photos, but when I can get her to do so sometimes, it really is nice. Especially with the colors on this day! So nice! Happy place, indeed!

2. So pretty

As I’ve gotten older, I love being around the water more. River, creek, ocean — you name it. I enjoy the times I get to go to the beach. This was on a recent walk when Harper was on this bench just kind of enjoying life. And if she’d happy, I’m usually quite happy, too.

3. My backyard

My backyard is getting some work this summer. A new patio, and a pavilion. Going to hopefully build some furniture soon. And Harper seems to like it. I’ll have a Blackstone out there, as well as my Ooni pizza oven. It’s truly a happy place.

4. Baseball

The ballpark has always been a happy place for me. I love settling in and watching a game. And yes, I love the pitch clock. Speeds the game up so there’s no silly things to slow it down. Love going to Philly for a few games a year, too.

5. Baseball 2

Baseball is even more fun on bark in the park nights. I love being able to bring Harper, who provides me with so much happiness, to the ballpark, which is one of my favorite places to be.

There’s my five and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for August. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! It’s September’s turn! And our theme for the month? Simple! How do you define simple? What is simple to you? Or… how will you interpret? Remember to come back on (hopefully) October 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: August 2023 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!

Adding an EDC to my life

People talk about their EDCs. You know – the everyday carry. 

I’ve often thought about an EDC myself, but I always wonder what to put in it. A lot of EDC things you see are a little more tactical in mind. While I do carry some things, they seem strewn about. I might have one thing here, and another thing in a different spot. 

In my quest to start trying to simplify life a bit to make life overall better in general, I’m thinking about an EDC “kit,” so to speak. My thought is to get a nice canvas messenger bag and then build accordingly. The idea would be to have this with me on most days, giving me the ability to adjust on the fly and also plan things out without getting too stressed out. 

See, my issue often is becoming overwhelmed. 

Be it personal or professional, things get piled on and I basically start to go into a freefall. That makes it hard to stay on task because I start to worry that the most current thing is the item that needs to be done right then and there. 

Some of the items I currently carry with me.

Basically, not setting boundaries. 

I try to keep organized through various calendars and such, but then – overwhelmed. I have a personal one, a work one … and I try to mix it. That’s all electronic. So I add things to this calendar or that one and then I start getting all panicked. 

The struggle is real. 

I’ve often hid or masked things when it comes to mini mental meltdowns. I often will stare into space and not know where I am going. I can’t keep focused and all of a sudden I’m way behind. My emotions and mind start to go all over the place and my temper can follow, though I usually keep that a little more guarded. 

When things like this happen, I also tend to not want to talk to anybody. It’s an evil cycle that never seems to have a true ending, rather I just find a way to crawl out of it. But once I do, I’m all over the place because of things that need to be done, both personal and professional. 

One thing it really interferes in is my ability to focus outside of work. I have a bunch of things I’d like to work on and get done. But I get so worn down at times from these feelings and such that I just become a potato at times. Thankfully, Harper makes sure I know I need to go out and walk. 

I realize this is all part of life. None of us likely have perfect, happy everyday feelings. We all struggle in certain areas, which makes us human. 

So back to the original topic – an EDC. How does that help?

Over the years, I’ve tried to plan things out a bit better. It doesn’t matter if it’s trying to utilize my Google calendars (which are good in a pinch), or the old-school pen-to-paper style. I truly do love pen to paper, but it’s also something you have to have a routine for. Just a regular old calendar book doesn’t usually work for me because I don’t use it enough. I need something a bit more substantial to try and help shape things a bit more. 

I’ve recently found a Clever Fox planner (on Amazon) and it has a lot to it. There are sections for goals, and planning, and all sorts of different things. It also has areas for reflection. I’m starting to think that would be important because it might get me to think more about what might trigger these mental blocks, as well as force me to prioritize things a bit more. 

The beginning will be hard as I’ll have to develop a routine. My hope would be that once that routine got going, I’d be more attentive to my life as a whole. 

I’d keep certain things I already use some (a smaller Hobonichi planner, which could be a spot for plans and ideas – I carry it often), and a small dateless planner I use for work notes and thoughts. They would each supplement the bigger one, which would encompass my whole life – so I could open it to the week and see priorities/goals and everything else outlined in front of me. 

I also hope it might help me start blogging more. 

Ok, I’m still blabbing. EDC. 

What would I carry in said EDC bag? What would I feel is something I’d want with me most of the time? 

  • EDC bag to hold everything
  • Main planner so I can access it, see an overview and be able to plan accordingly. 
  • Mini planner – which I will carry with me even when the bag isn’t with me
  • My iPad/keyboard (I want to start writing more on the fly when I can on personal time)
  • Small notebook
  • Pens/pencils/highlighters etc
  • Leatherman (or something like it) tool
  • Flashlight
  • Rulers (I tend to always have one or two small ones with me)
  • Water bottle
  • Headphones/earbuds
  • Possibly a phone charger

That’s my main thought process at this point. For those of you who have an EDC – what do you always have with you? What items do you think would be good in mine? The beauty of the one planner is it’s undated, so I can pick any month to start it. My birthday month (September) might be as good of a time as any to do it. 

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!

Photo Blogging Challenge (July 2023): Selfie

Do you remember that song from a few years ago by the Chain Smokers?

With the … “But first, let me take a selfie.”

God did I once loathe selfies. I can’t say I’m still this super crazed fan of them, but I have succumbed. I take them now. I figure it’s a way to capture memories over time. I don’t even mind being in photos overall anymore, so selfies aren’t that big of a deal.

Plus.. Harper. Need I say more?

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Life, for the most part, has improved for me. Especially with Harper. And some other things going on in life. It also doesn’t hurt that I’ve done decently well losing some weight, though it’s more losing inches as for now. But hey, I’ll take it.

Selfies are part of the evolution of photography, and society in general. Though I do like the idea one friend had … go to an area where a lot of the younger generation might be and likely see them all taking selfies. While they are doing it, whip out a Polaroid camera and start taking selfies with that.

That would crack me up, that’s for sure.

A selfie is all part of a journey. A moment in time captured, just with you in the frame. It’s nice to be part of your story, not just on the one side of the image.

I’m excited to see what others did with this one.

Anyway, onward. Here’s my five for the month!

1. Bark in the Park

It’s amazing how your views change with actually having a dog. Years ago, I swore I’d never take my dog to a bark in the park game. Now it’s most of what my baseball trips are. I truly enjoy it, though things have changed enough so I don’t go to as many baseball games as I once did. It is nice, however, to be able to bring Harper along. I hope to have a few more of these this year.

2. Lap dog

Golden retrievers aren’t lap dogs, they say.

They haven’t met Harper.

3. Matchbox Twenty

I don’t go to many concerts, but me and my friend Jeff hit up Matchbox Twenty. Rob Thomas can still go and it was a fun night and concert.

4. Daycare pickup

Harper goes to daycare once a week (usually). This is usually her reaction when I pick her up because she knows she’s going to get a treat!

5. Happy dog!

If Harper and I go somewhere in the car, and if I have to go somewhere quickly and leave her behind (rare), when I get back, she’s almost in the front seat… ready to go.

There’s my five and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for July. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! It’s August! And our theme for the month? Happy Place! Do you have one? Multiple? Show us those happy places! And let’s see how you all decide to interpret. Remember to come back on (hopefully) September 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: July 2023 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!