A 'lil HooHaa

Ever wonder what it would be like if you weren’t where you are now?

Now I’m not talking about the old “Oh, whoa is me, what would it have been like if I had never been born?” line. I don’t buy that. My folks made me, I’m here and damn it, I like that I’m here. I just mean, paths you took in life and the consequences that came from those decisions.

For example, it was a 10th grade English teacher who told me I should follow writing as he thought I had the talent to be a good newspaper writer. Imagine if he hadn’t told me that and I didn’t buy into it? Where would I have gone or done? Would I be working on a road crew now? In some office? Fixing cars? Seriously, it’s interesting to look back.

Since that day, here’s what happened to me:

I started working for a weekly in 12th grade. I stayed with them for like nine years. During that time, I slacked off, but got my Associate’s degree and thought I was set for life. No need for anything else, right? Ha!

In 1999, I went back to school to Lock Haven. A friend from up here was going back to school too and went to Lock Haven, so we roomed together. Because he wasn’t getting in too many other places (he actually did some summer thing at Lock Haven just to get Lock Haven), I went there because it was the security of knowing someone (although I never saw him there cause he shacked up with a chick and always stayed in her room because he knew I couldn’t stand her). I had originally planned to apply to Rhode Island, Delaware and a couple other schools more south. But I didn’t. I went to Lock Haven.

Think of the spiral effect if I had, indeed, gone to say, Rhode Island.

On our board, DMac wouldn’t be a moderator and probably wouldn’t even be a member because — how the hell would he have found us? Same with metal — being DMac got him here. It’s odd in that way where little parts of people’s lives can change — even if it’s not going to a little website here and there — by your decisions.

I look at it this way. Every path I’ve taken has somehow done something in someone else’s life. As it is with everyone else.

If I had gone right on to a four-year program after getting my associate’s, who knows if I ever would have gone on for my Masters. Who knows if I would have been in newspapers. And if I was, who knows if I would have ever ended up back in my home area.

Hell, after getting my Masters, if I hadn’t taken the advice of a friend who was working at the paper I’m at now and called the SE, I wouldn’t have started stringing. And I wouldn’t have had the in to get the job I have now. By not doing that, I wouldn’t know some of the people I know now.

In turn, small differences could have been made to those people’s lives — whether small or big.

I had a tough day at work yesterday. So on the way home, to let my thoughts run, I was thinking about this. It’s kind of crazy how there’s like a spiral effect on every move you make. One little decision could impact dozens or hundreds of people. It’s nuts.

I just wonder if my path had been different in high school — what would I have done? If my grades had been better and if I applied to some good colleges out of high school and the like. What path would I have done? A different career? Different friends? Hell, would I have even created HooHaaDOTcom?

My one thing is to always have no regrets. I only regret a couple things in this world — two are athletic, one is a girl. That’s as far as I’ll go with that as those, in my mind, are for my thoughts.

And while I don’t regret the path I’ve taken in my life, I look back and wonder where I would be if I went to the left instead of the right. Would I be in a better situation I’m in now? More money? Wife and kids? Or would I be worse? Living in a halfway house or in rehab? I mean, seriously, as easily as it is to look back and say ‘Man, I could be rich now if I did this…” you could also say, “Man, I could be dead now if I went this way…”

It’s a two-way street when you’re thinking about the directions you chose in life. But, the path you take is usually one way. However, it’s interesting to look back and wonder.

Sometimes I wonder what the hell I’m doing with myself. Here I am, working for a small newspaper with ugly hours and low pay. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind it — for now. It has it’s ups and downs and all of that, but for the most part, I dig it right now.

However, I know I won’t be doing this the rest of my life. I can’t do this the rest of my life.

The bottom line is having some sort of a life plan is a good thing. It’s one I need to start working on because I’ve been in an endless routine that sometimes sucks the life right out of me. Don’t get me wrong, the things I’ve been doing to work on making life better is going well. But if I don’t figure out which direction I want to go in — and soon — I’m going to be sitting here in 10 years posting about how I just let it all stay the same.

Looking at the future can be scary. It’s something where you really have to know what direction you want to go in. I look at it this way — working 4 to 12 at this point in my life is something I can deal with. But it won’t be in a couple of years. There’s no life with this job and I don’t care what anyone says.

Any sportswriter who can look you in the eye and say they have a good, social and fulfilling life is full of shit. They might be true in the regard to a satisfying career, but everything else isn’t perfect, I assure you of that.

This is how I do it. I work 4-12. I come home and am up until 3 or so. (Think of it this way — people say ‘why don’t you go home and go right to bed?’ That’s like someone who works 9-5 coming home and going right to bed. You need to unwind and all).

I sleep until anywhere from 10-1230 the next day. I get up, eat, screw around online or run some errands, shower and head to work by 3:30.

Where’s the life? The worst part is I rarely get back-to-back days off. So you can’t even be in a normal routine for a couple of days. It’s basically a day where you recharge, then head back to work.

If I’m doing this two years from now, I’m going to be hating life. I like the people I work with, I like what I do, I like my beats — but the hours and grind wears. Which is how I know I won’t be doing it forever.

So, the question then comes up — how do you plan for a future? What do you do? How in depth do you get planning your next career move and how far ahead do you look into it?

I seriously have no clue which direction my life will take in the next two years. I’m not sure what I want to do with my next career step. But I’ve figured if I’m actually going to do something in a year or two, I need to start planning and thinking about where I want to be and what I want to do.

If not, in two years I’ll be back to posting and saying I need to make a change, but I’ll have no plan.

Ugh.

Isn’t the future supposed to look bright?

Apparently, things I am doing to improve my stress situation and not let things get to me as much is working. I didn’t realize it because I haven’t really checked in on things and haven’t been pressured that much. However, I got to test the situation on Monday.

It was a long day already. I was up early to drive 25 minutes to drop my car off at the shop. I got the loaner, went back home and took a snooze. Woke up, ate, did my normal things, showered and headed off to work for an early staff meeting.

En route, my boss calls and tells me he’s sick and won’t be coming in. Even worse is that it was supposed to be just me and him and no part-timer. So I had to get a part-timer to come in and thankfully, got one.

In the past if I got this news at 2:30 p.m., basically telling me I’m working a solo and all, I would have freaked out. Paniced, stress level goes up etc.

Instead, I basically said “whatever.” I got the section out before deadline and moved on. Now given, it wasn’t a big day by any means, but still making deadline was good and nothing was too bad last night.

Not that I want people calling in sick on me all the time, but still…

Add to the fact that if someone is really sick, stay away. I don’t want to catch it.

Several months ago, I added an entry telling a story of how I was driving to work and some old redneck flipped me off as I passed him.

Well, about three weeks or so ago, it happened again. With the same person.

I came out of Delhi and was behind some slow traffic. We came to the first passing zone and I passed one car and slid in behind another. The car looked awful familiar to me, then it hit me. I couldn’t help but smile.

I don’t know if I said this the first time, but you can tell that this guy is a redneck and thinks the world is his. When I pulled in between him and the car I passed, I was still a good four or five car lengths behind him. But man did he take off. Just gunned it. He went from doing maybe 55 to 70 or so. Then, after going through another passing zone, he slowed back down.

Now, with my whole new outlook, I’m also becoming a better driver. I don’t get annoyed, I stay a distance back — but I still pass cars when the speed is not satisfactory. Especially when I’m going to work.

So we hit the next passing zone, I pick it up and pass. And sure enough, he flips me off again.

I couldn’t believe it.

This time, I just laughed and waved as his finger stayed in the window. I have to assume he flips off any person that passes him because he doesn’t like getting passed. And for sure he’s an ornry old ass, so it is pretty funny. He probably goes home and bitches to his wife for three hours any day he gets passed.

For the last month or two, every once in a while, the endine light in my car would come on. I had it in the shop and they couldn’t figure it out. It happened in some other cars and Volkswagen was trying to figure out what the heck the problem was.

Finally, they figured it out.

So I dropped my car off yesterday and the process they have to do is nine hours long. They give me a loaner and I’m on my way.

What a difference having a Volkswagen is.

My last several cars were from a local dealer. They treated me well, but when I got a loaner from them, it was like a 1985 Olds something or other and not everything worked. Also, when something was going on, they explained it to me quickly and shrugged it off.

When I went in yesterday, the service guy explained the whole problem to me (I still didn’t get it all, but it’s nice they explain what they are doing and such). He also told me how they do what was going to be done — which was really interesting. Apparently, part of the front can be taken off the car, making it easier to get to where they have to go. Same with the doors when they need to do that. That’s pretty sweet.

Then, he gives me the loaner.

It’s a 2005 Jetta with fewer than 5,000 miles on it. Given it’s not as jam-packed as my car, but still — for a loaner? Holy smokes! Pretty sweet. Hopefully I can get my car back today, but if not, I’ll have it tomorrow! It will be nice to have it back.

Well, we’re coming up on the postseason for winter sports, so some traveling is going to have to happen. With having the wrestling beat, I don’t have to always travel a ton, but I will have to for sectionals and states. The one thing I am always worrying about is having to travel this time of year in crap weather.

For the most part last year, I was OK. But one trip was awful.

We cover schools basically in one section. One of our schools, however, is in another section. So I was sent to Syracuse to cover (in the span of two days) volleyball, wrestling and basketball.

The ride up was OK. A little spotty with some snow, but nothing major. I covered that and then headed to wrestling. Things didn’t seem bad and the roads were fine from Syracuse to Oswego. When I left the wrestling, it was snowing. And the roads (including the Interstate highways) were awful. I also found out later that my tires were pretty bad, too. Ugh!

I ended up going the wro ng way at first from Oswego (where the weather wasn’t bad and neither were the roads) and got to the Interstate (where the roads all of a sudden sucked) and all the way into Syracuse. I finally got to my hotel and couldn’t believe the weather. I walked to a Denny’s to get dinner and called it a night.

Sunday, I went and covered a basketball game. As is normal in Central New York, you blink and the weather changes. It was sunny and nice out. And the ride home after the game was totally fine. I couldn’t believe the difference of the day.

So I’m hoping the weather holds for me on weekends I have to travel, which will include Long Island for states in wrestling.

Finally, a quick note on the blogs and gallery on here. I know not many people use them and that’s fine. I’ve really started using them myself a lot more, which is good because they are being used. I’ve also found that putting all those photos in the gallery is sweet cause I can start deleting all those photos off my main web site.

If you’ve looked at the forums lately, you know I’m adding a portal to my website. That will eventually be the second page people see when they come to my website. I’m going to make it so my galleries are viewable by guests and likely the same with the blogs.

If you have no objection to your galleries being views by guests, let me know as I might make another gallery that is open to guests and one that’s not.

There also might be some people who will be registering (family, friends), who will be registering just for the galleries and blogs. That’s the beauty of the portal — you register for it and you’re registered for everything!

Back to what I was originally saying, however.

I’ve really figured after using the blog as much as I have been recently, I really enjoy blogging. It’s a good way to throw out some thoughts and such or whatever is on your mind. I’ve found it to be quite enjoyable to do. That said, while it’s cool that not everyone utilizes the blogs a ton, I always wonder if more than a couple people read it!

But, I guess as long as I enjoy writing, it’s all that matters. It really is a bit theraputic to be able to just throw random thoughts out there. I never realized that until I did it on a regular basis. Although sometimes, it’s hard to find something to write about!

That’s it for now. More later!

Last night with a rare Sunday off, me and a couple of friends got the annual WWE Pay-Per-View, The Royal Rumble. I’m not as big of a wrestling fan as I once was, but I do still like it. I record RAW every week, attempt to watch the major WWE pay-per-views and the occassional RAW PPV. I ignore Smackdown and their pay-per-views and usually when they are on the dual PPVs, I have no clue who some of their guys are.

I used to be so into it where I read the sheets and the websites looking for what was going to happen etc. Not any more as I take it more like a male soap opera and actually like to be surprised at what is going on.

I know most people on this board aren’t wrestling fans or those that somewhat like wrestling, were former fans back when Hogan was king and the superstars larger-than-life.

As for me, personally, I like the new stuff. I like that there is more emphasis on good, solid promos, interviews, acts, etc. I like to laugh, I like the drama and I like that they don’t force it down your throat that it is indeed real.

But of the WWE “majors,” The Royal Rumble was always one of my favorites. I saw it live in 1992 when “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair (Woooooooooooo) won the Rumble and the WWE title. I remember the original on USA (the one the WWE doesn’t count) when “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (Hoooooooooooo!) won it.

Last night, however, was irritating. Seeing someone like Rey Misterio, who weighs like 175 soaking wet, win the damn thing was frustrating. The word is they’ll end up putting one of the heavyweight titles on him, which is outright stupid.

The Rumble itself was solid, I thought. Decent other matches, a couple good endings (including Cena winning the WWE title back) and it wasn’t a bad watch. Still annoys me with Misterio, however.

But while I was talking to one friend about the Rumble, I realize I’ve seen, over time, some pretty cool things in regard to wrestling (live that is). As well as had some pretty cool experiences. I don’t see wrestling as much live as we used to (we used to travel to Binghamton, Albany, Utica and all to watch it when it came around). When we went to the WWE PPV in Albany three weeks ago, it was the first time I’ve been in probably three years.

So I decided I was going to put together a list of 10 or so cool things I remember off the top of my head from being at a live wrestling event. These are in no particular order.

— WWE Superstars taping in Delhi, 1993: The whole day was sweet. I was a student at the college, knew the guy bringing them, so got to watch. On that day, I chatted with Shawn Michaels, chatted in depth with Ray Rougeau and Bob Backlund, was suplexed in the ring by a friend, and got to shake hands and meet Vince McMahon. Pretty solid overall day. We also had front-row seats and got on TV a bunch. And made Tatanka nearly stop his dance when we chanting against him.

— At the first WWE event in Delhi (I think 87 or so), we got to see Owen Hart’s second match in the WWF (then the Blue Angel before Blue Blazer) and also got a flag from one of the Rougeau’s during their “All-American Boys” persona.

— One TV taping in Binghamton, I grabbed one of those frisbees “Leaping” Lanny Poffo used to fire out into the crowd. Also in Binghamton when I was a senior in high school, we took the foreign exchange student from Denmark to see Hogan. That was a trip.

— At one RAW taping in Albany, we noticed they didn’t have the ramp set up. Didn’t know why. Eventually we found out. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin drove a beer truck out and sprayed McMahon. Good times.

— Another RAW in Albany, X-Pac shockingly returned to the WWE (day after Wrestlemania) and had some pretty candid comments for the WCW people he just left. Crowd was going nuts.

— Royal Rumble ’92. Flair wins the Rumble and belt, Sid crosses Hogan and Roddy Piper wins the intercontinental title. Good times. And got stuck drinking PBR on the way home. Blech.

— At several ECW shows I attended, we saw some cool things. We saw the tag belts change hands once or twice, saw Tommy Dreamer take a fall down a large set of bleachers and witnessed an anything goes match that spilled OUTSIDE the arena and then back in. With most of the crowd following them.

— At A RAW we went to in State College when I went to school in Pennsylvania, we saw the first RAW/Smackdown draft, which was pretty cool.

That’s all I can remember right now. I’m sure there’s one or two more decent items. And for most of you, I doubt you care if you’re not a wrestling fans. But still some pretty neat times. If I think of anything else, I may add them.

I’ve never claimed to be a computer guru — not by any means.

But I’d love to have some extra confidence when doing some bigger things with my website. Namely, the portal I’m looking to use.

The idea of a portal, for those that don’t know, is a front page of my website which will allow me to integrate the forum, gallery and blog. Therefore, some of my friends or family who don’t want to say, register and post for the gallery, would be able to register at the portal and use the gallery and/or blog.

The bottom line is my website is a personal site, so I may as well build it up a little differently. There’s no need to have all the photos on the main site when I’m putting them in my gallery. Truthfully, there’s not a ton of other things on my main site that aren’t intermingled with my gallery/forum/blog — so I might as well have things become integrated.

I’ve found a portal I like quite a bit. But, my nerves are up high enough where I am scared of something bad happening. I have a full backup that I did last night, so if something DID go wrong, I could just restore that backup and only lose a couple of posts from the message board — as well as this blog. However, I might just do a quick backup now and then attempt this.

Gotta have some balls at some point, right?

The thing I’ve really figured out about websites is that they are pretty damn confusing to keep up and current. So I might as well have a system like a portal where I can have things integrate with one another and make it a little better and easier.

I tried the one that comes with the Invision Board, but it isn’t working out well for me. Kind of annoying more than anything. The one I downloaded is a little more intense and I like the look and feel of it.

If, by chance, I get this done tonight and make it work, I’ll have y’all take a peek. Then maybe I can get things rolling a little differently.

All I know is through several support boards I’ve been going through today, my head is spinning. Hopefully this will work out!