A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

50 questions that free your mind

50 questions that free your mind: No. 17

As part of my Day Zero Project, I will be answering the 50 Questions That Free Your Mind. For each of these, I will blog an answer and then it will be linked here as well. Some of these will have longer responses, some will be extremely short. But by the end of the Day Zero Project, I will have answered all of these.

No. 17: What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

This, for the most part, is an easy one.

I’ve always wanted to road trip across the US and back.

Why? Because it seems cool. Originally, it was to see the country and people, baseball stadiums and take photos. Now I’d add geocaching, letterboxing and disc golf to the list.

It was something that I felt I could do by myself or with a couple of friends. An adventure for sure. I always figured it would take a few weeks. A lot would be driving. Maybe a little camping. Maybe some sleeping in the car. A hotel here and there.

But what a way to see the country!

You could plot out your daily stops, cache/letterbox along the way and find some great disc golf courses. And, at night, find a great minor league baseball park, watch a game and have a fantastic (or not-so-fantastic) hot dog!

And the photo opportunities… oh my!

Add in technology and you have twitter, blogging and everything else — and the opportunity to meet so many people along the way.

Alas, there’s also reality.

Money.

That’s the reason I haven’t done it. If, during this time of my job hunt, I had built a good savings, it probably would have been the thing to do with all this awful time off. But, I had to be smart and not do something like that.

I figure a trip like this would run me about $5,000 — when you factor in gas, oil changes, hotels, food etc. I would definitely eat cheaper — buy stuff at stores, use coolers etc. I wouldn’t eat out every night. But I would plan for some amazing places to eat, that’s for sure.

The goal would be to start by going across the northern part of the country and do a complete circle. There are certain places — national parks, ball parks, disc golf courses, certain landmarks etc., that I really would want to see, so those would all be planned. And, as I said, with the way technology is, I’m sure there are certain people from caching, twitter and everything else I’d want to meet!

But oh that mighty dollar!

I still think one day I’d like to try and make this happen. I haven’t given up on this dream. Maybe, if the right job comes along and I can make enough money to put aside a good amount for this — and can build up enough vacation time — I’ll be able to do it. One can never tell. I think it would be a fun way to live for a few weeks, that’s for sure.

This question was easy. And maybe, one day, I’ll be able to do it.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

50 questions that free your mind: No. 16

As part of my Day Zero Project, I will be answering the 50 Questions That Free Your Mind. For each of these, I will blog an answer and then it will be linked here as well. Some of these will have longer responses, some will be extremely short. But by the end of the Day Zero Project, I will have answered all of these.

No. 16: How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

This might be one of the easier questions so far with this project.

The simple answer? Because we’re all human.

To go a bit more in-depth, let’s think about this for a minute. Every person on this planet is different. A different mind. A different soul, outlook and everything else. It’s true. We’re all different. (I know, that’s not Earth-shattering news).

I have no issues waiting 30 or more minutes for the photo I want to take... others not so much. (I only had to wait 15 minutes for this one to unfold!)

But it’s the reason.

Everyone’s mind works different toward what is happy. Simple things, anymore, make me happy. A round of disc golf. Searching for a geocache or a letterbox. Going out and taking photos.

For other people, it’s a more expensive taste. Expensive cars. Going out to eat at posh places. Things like that.

Still, for others, it’s sitting down to read a good book for a few hours.

Everyone has a different threshold of happiness. I can sit down and watch a baseball game for 22 innings and not have any issues. I know many people who wouldn’t watch an inning. To each their own.

I’ll sit around for 30 minutes to wait for the perfect photo, if I think it’s going to happen. Other people would balk at that idea. But in the end, it makes me happy.

I have friends who think geocaching might be one of the silliest things ever done. I have other friends who think it’s OK and will tag along — in perfect weather, of course — and go find a few with me. But through this game, I’ve found many friends who are as into it as me. So I can understand where they are coming from.

Here’s another example.

I have many friends who are massive golfers. They can go out, play 18 holes, have a few drinks and call it a perfect day. Though I like golf (I haven’t actually played a round of regular golf in a few years), I look at it different. It costs way too much (many places can range from 25-50 bucks for a round, if you get a cart etc.), and takes too long (3.5-4 hours for 18, if not a bit too long).

I can spend my time doing a lot of other things with that money and time.

Now, I do play disc golf. But the rounds don’t take nearly as long, it usually doesn’t cost anything (and most pay-to-play courses are only a few bucks, anyway), new equipment doesn’t rip your wallet loose and I can play a round as well as do some hiking, find a few geocaches/letterboxes and take some photos and probably have a full lunch in the amount of time it takes for a regular round of ball golf.

Again, to each their own.

Everyone has their one personal happy place. And I don’t have any issue with people who like to spend it on the golf course. It’s a quiet place and if you treat golf as just a game, it’s a nice way to spend a day.

It all goes back to us being human.

We all work in different ways, so what makes me happy, won’t make the next person happy. In the end, as long as each person can find their own happiness, and not at the expense of screwing up somebody else’s happiness, we should all be fine.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

50 questions that free your mind: No. 14

As part of my Day Zero Project, I will be answering the 50 Questions That Free Your Mind. For each of these, I will blog an answer and then it will be linked here as well. Some of these will have longer responses, some will be extremely short. But by the end of the Day Zero Project, I will have answered all of these.

No. 14: Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

Isn’t this something everyone can say about life as a whole?

Once again, this list baffles me. I have been holding off doing this question because I’m not sure what to say about it. I’m sure, at some point in my life, I’ve seen a piece of art that made me say “what in the name of holy hell do people see in this?” Then, after staring for a bit, I see it.

Example — I’m a fan of Pablo Picasso.

Many people will look at his art and wonder what he was doing, or how it’s art. I see some amazing work and creativity. The big thing is that art — and other mediums such as that — are based on personal preference.

So I could see it happen in many ways.

Without giving away too many details, I’ll give one example where I saw it.

When I was an adjunct instructor of English at a local college, I used a group writing project to try and have students help one another with their writing and have to be able to write a story, from beginning to end, as a group.

It required the meshing of many personalities, thoughts and ideas.

Further, some groups didn’t get along well (it was random draw). So, there would be confrontations or some members of the team would just go along with the more demanding members, just to get the project done. Being everything was done in class, I got to see the process unfold.

During one of the semesters, one group stuck out.

Their idea for a story (it was up to them — it could be about anything, fact or fiction) was off the wall. I questioned them and they assured me that the story would come together.

Sure enough, in the end, it was a hit. It was creative, well done and was voted, by the rest of the class, as the best story. So from insanity went creativity.

But look around. This happens everywhere. I’m sure something will happen soon to show it to me again!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

50 questions that free your mind: No. 12

As part of my Day Zero Project, I will be answering the 50 Questions That Free Your Mind. For each of these, I will blog an answer and then it will be linked here as well. Some of these will have longer responses, some will be extremely short. But by the end of the Day Zero Project, I will have answered all of these.

No. 12: If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

It’s funny that I am asking this question now.

One set of friends just had a new child this week. Another pair is expecting in January. A third pair welcomed their second bundle not too long ago. So there’s a lot of these new ones entering the world.

So one piece of advice, eh?

That’s easy.

Live your life the way you want.

It seems like a simple piece of advice, but it really isn’t. Life is tough. This world can be cruel. Now, as these little ones enter the world and grow, for a few years, it’s great.

But life ain’t easy.

School is tougher than when I was there. There have always been and always will be bullies. But back when, you answered with your fists or wit. Weapons weren’t usually brought into the equation.

We boozed it a little in school, too. But we were smart. Kids now don’t always seem to think. Don’t believe me? Check out alcohol-related arrests and worse in areas. Many are well below the legal drinking age.

So many newborns are coming from younger parents and those still in high school, too. Kids smoke, do drugs and other awful things, despite knowing what can and, most of the time, will happen.

Basically, living life is dangerous.

But it’s also all so precious.

Three of my closest friends each have (or are expecting) two children. All of them are at good ages. Only one of them is in school yet. But it would be fun to sit ’em all down and let ’em know that my one piece of advice is to live life the way you want.

We get one go around on this Earth. Who knows what happens when your time here is done. But take advantage of it.

Try things. No matter if you like it or hate it, try it. Don’t be scared of failure. We all experience it. Play whatever sport you want, join whatever club you want, have whatever friends you want. Love whoever you want to. Respect others and earn the respect back. Fight back when you feel you have to, but walk away when you need to.

That all adds up to living life the way you want to.

Every single thing you do in this life had a reaction. It can be positive or it can be negative. But there is a reaction. If you choose the left turn, something different could happen on the right. It’s all about choices.

Make the best choices you can. Follow your heart.

And live life the way you want to. You can’t be wrong. Ever. It’s your life. Take control of it at an early age and be happy. There’s no monetary value on happiness.

So live life the way you want. And in the end, you’ll have no regrets and you’ll be able to sit on your rocking chair many years from now, take a deep breath of the (hopeful) clean air and know you lived your life the way you wanted.

And enjoy it, of course!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

50 questions that free your mind: No. 11

As part of my Day Zero Project, I will be answering the 50 Questions That Free Your Mind. For each of these, I will blog an answer and then it will be linked here as well. Some of these will have longer responses, some will be extremely short. But by the end of the Day Zero Project, I will have answered all of these.

No. 11: You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire.  They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend.  The criticism is distasteful and unjustified.  What do you do?

Talk about a moral situation, eh?

This question is interesting in that is could be looked at in several ways. Are these people co-workers? Random people you know and respect? People above you in the corporate world.

I realize that it should matter, but this is 2011. A lot of things matter these days. Maybe you are a new employee at lunch with these people. And the said person is a former employee. I’m not saying it’s right — not by any means — but a lot of things must be taken into account.

So…

In the perfect world, I would probably let them ramble. After all, at that point, you are gathering information. Remember — I’m a news person. So I don’t want to cut people off. Who knows what they’ll say. It’s worth listening to. And, honestly, it might not be your place to interrupt.

My first instinct would be to defend said friend, without — at first — noting that said person is a friend. I’d look at it in regard to showing them that I think they should stop. But… then again, it might be more fun to let them know said person is a friend.

The thing here is morality.

And in this day and age — I don’t care what anyone says — is there’s not a lot of it. People talk about people all the time. Everybody does it. And if someone says they don’t, they are either as pure as they come or they are full of it.

The key to this is distasteful and unjustified criticism. And in that case, I’d say something. Whether or not I’d identify myself as a close friend or just somebody who thinks its wrong — I’d say something.

And the odds are I’d go back to said close friend and let them know that these people obviously don’t think too highly of that person. That is the biggest moral point here, I think.

Now, if it’s normal trash talk and it might be, in some way, justified and not too bad? I probably note that I am a friend of the person so they stop and then file it away. I don’t think you always need to tell the person that people were talking about him or her. So I would just try and end it so I didn’t have to listen to it anymore.

And truthfully, it’s probably a case-by-case situation. I hate to say it, but that’s humanity. That’s how life is. I hope I’d rise above that and be able to say something, but until you are in this situation, do you really know how you’d react? I’m sure we all would like to think we know how’d we react, but who knows. It’s all based on the situation, where you are, who the people are and what it’s all about. It really is.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!