A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

blog challenge

20 Days of Chill 2022: So I walked into a bookstore… (Day 11)

When I was younger, but still old enough to drive, I used to love going to the bookstore. 

Waldenbooks. 

Barnes and Noble. 

Borders. 

How great was it? Sure, you have independent ones around most areas. Or used book stores. And, of course, you can still go to Barnes and Noble. 

But it’s changed so much. 

First, I don’t read books as much as I should or like I used to. When I do, it’s usually via Kindle. I just love the easy way to read as compared to books. But I really miss the ambiance of bookstores. 

I could spend so much time in those stores. I’d wander around l;eaf through a book or three and oftentimes buy something. 

It was great to peruse the travel section and daydream about where you’d love to go one day. 

I’d go to the sports section to see if there were any new bios of somebody I needed to learn more about. 

I always enjoyed the joke book section. You had game books and true life and fiction and horror and so many other genres. You could find planners and calendars and even games. 

Then Amazon and other online retailers took over. 

Don’t get me wrong – I use and love Amazon. But I do miss that brick and mortar experience. 

I recently wandered through the local mall. Years ago, the mall housed a Waldenbooks store. I spent a lot of time in that store. 

Down the hall from that spot is currently an independent bookstore. It never seems to be open when I am in the mall, though. 

I think next time I am near Barnes and Noble, I’ll need to go in and just wander around. I’ll see what they have, the different sections, and all of the selections one could dive into. Maybe it’ll really bring back some nostalgia. Maybe it will make me want to buy and read an actual book again. 

Or maybe I’ll realize it’s a memory that will stay with me, but things have changed too much. 

Time will tell. 

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

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20 Days of Chill 2022: Thank you (Day 10)

As a society, I don’t think we say thank you enough. That’s not to say everybody is like that, rather some people. 

It’s kind of funny, in a way. 

I work in two school districts and with my job, I see a lot of different people. The ages can range from pre-kindergarten, all the way up to those on the cusp of retiring. I will say that most people in the schools are polite and courteous. Not all, though. You have your kids who just think they are above such things. Oftentimes, it’s a reflection of parents. 

I do, however, have some hope for the future. 

And we need hope with how things are these days. 

I’ve seen more and more people be more thankful for where we are. While true that we aren’t back to normal, we are getting there – slowly. And when kids and staff are in the actual buildings and going to school, I think you can feel there’s something good there. 

I hope, anyway. 

When you hold a door open for kids and they acknowledge it with a thank you, that’s a good thing. Maybe there’s hope yet. 

But now take a step back and ask yourself how you respond to situations. How often do you say thank you?I’d like to think that I am on top of that quite a bit. My parents taught me well. 

If somebody does something for you – no matter how big or small – thank them. A small gesture like that can make a person’s day. It’s a crazy world we are in, that’s for sure. So maybe we should do our best to brighten it. 

I don’t believe in resolutions at the beginning of each year. The reality is, if you do that, you are just going to find a way to break them. 

I mean, how many people swear they will go to the gym more, eat better, and lose weight? 

Sound familiar? 

I like to try and set goals. My goals, though, aren’t just for the said year. They are usually things I’d like to improve on in life and beyond just a year. And yes, that includes losing weight. 

This year, my goal was to be more happy. That started last year when I got Harper. To be fair, it took a long time for me to feel happy with her, but it’s coming out of me. 

Happy, though, isn’t just based on one thing. My goal is to improve life overall. That can be going for walks with Harper, exploring new places, going to a baseball game, brewing a beer, going geocaching, binge watching a series on Netflix, building some new DIY item, or countless other things. 

Basically, I want life to become a bit more simple. 

This challenge, so far, has made me realize how much I enjoy blogging. A few years ago, I blogged every single day. It didn’t make me happy … it burned me out and my blog suffered in the years to follow. 

But there’s a happy medium to all of that. No, I won’t continue to blog every single weekday once January ends, but I have been writing down ideas and thoughts. I want to do more of it again as it makes me smile. And I want to visit other people’s blogs as well. I miss doing that more. 

I also find when you are happy, you are more grounded and thankful. 

That often leads to many more thank yous. 

Thank you all for reading and following along. Let’s make life happy! 

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

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20 Days of Chill 2022: Four paws (Day 9)

Four paws on the floor seems to be key. 

I am sure many of us have pets. Growing up, we always had a cat.

To me, cats are a great animal and pet. When they want attention, they come to you. When they don’t want attention, they do their own thing. What’s that old saying? Cats don’t have owners, they have servants? 

So true. 

Also, once a cat is house or litter box trained, they are pretty self reliant, as long as you give them food and water. That makes travel easier, too, as you can usually just get somebody to come and feed them once or twice a day and maybe play a bit with them for a few moments. 

But then I got a dog. 

Needless to say, training is a bit different for a dog than a cat. Also, it’s an ongoing thing. But the one thing I’m really working on?

Four paws on the floor. 

Harper gets overly excited in many situations. At eight months old, she’s still a pup, so it’s understandable. But it gets hard to have her out for a walk when people go by us.

She wants to go to those people, she pulls and lunges and will sometimes get off the ground. And it’s not in an aggressive way, rather in a way that she is like “Hi! I’m Harper! Pet and play with me!” 

Alas, she has to learn she can’t always get the attention. She needs to have a little bit of self control. We’re working on it the best we can. 

She’s truly a smart dog. She has a lot of the basic commands down, and we’re working on things like her recall and such. But she is usually on a leash, unless she’s in a fenced area, or in a place it’s safe for her to be without. There aren’t many places like that. But we work on everything we can. 

I have a book of 101 tricks I’ve been reading. There are some I think she’ll be able to do, and others I don’t want her to know for various reasons.

She will definitely have more things, though. And being treat motivated, we keep working and working 

Jumping up, though, is coming along slowly. 

So she will get there

Four paws and all. 

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

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20 Days of Chill 2022: At the top of the bucket (Day 8)

Let’s go to the top of the bucket with one thing: Bucket lists. 

I always thought these were kind of corny. But as I started to age, I realized bucket lists were a huge part of life. They can be very useful when it comes to having goals, or dreams, or anything in between. Maybe it’s a big trip or two. Maybe it’s a fancy car. Maybe it’s something totally different. But having this bucket list can help one focus on an end goal. 

Now, the reality is, unless we all have disposable income to empty the bucket, most of us will never cross everything off our bucket lists. 

That doesn’t mean you can’t try. 

My list changes every so often. And, honestly, a lot of mine covers travel goals. There’s so much to see in this world that I’d really love to get out and travel more. At the same time, I like being home. Add Harper to that mix, and it makes it a bit harder for me to accomplish some of my travel dreams. Being Harper isn’t a lap dog, if she flew, she’d have to go cargo. Not for nothing, but I’m not stuffing my dog into a crate and letting them load her with the cargo. No way. No how. Not. Going. To. Happen. 

So, that means I have two things at the top of my bucket list. My number one hasn’t changed for several years – going to Iceland. I’ve dreamed of this place for years and had plans to do it in September of 2020. And, well, you know what stopped that. It’s still on my radar, and hopefully will be done in the next few years. Harper will have to skip that trip with me, however, as I just don’t see how I’d be able to bring her with me. 

Now, if we go back to Monday’s post and show me da money, well … that could change. But, in light of that, Iceland will likely be me and maybe a friend or two who wants to travel to Iceland. 

The other item at the top of the list is based on traveling with Harper. This is something I’ve thought a lot about as she continues to get older. At eight months, she’s becoming quite the explorer. She loves being outside and, for the most part, she likes to walk. I do not do off-leash walking, so she’s getting better on the leash. But as I’ve taken some geocaching adventures with her, I can see she really loves seeing new places. The smells and sights and just the different terrain. 

So, how can I work on that?

My idea of roughing it, in the past, is a budget hotel. I am not one to tent camp and such, so I always tend to get hotels when I travel. And usually, it’s something like a Marriott. I’m not a fan of dogs in hotels, though. While I know there are times that won’t be avoidable, I’m going to be one who tries to find different ways around it. I hate the idea of needing to crate her in a hotel room if I go out to dinner etc. But it would be necessary as I wouldn’t want to leave temptation out there, even as she ages and can be trusted more. 

The big question is: Where would I want to travel with Harper?

While “bark in the park” events are of interest as it combined Harper with my love of baseball, the odds are if I do those, it will be in places that are somewhat close to me. 

That leaves parks. 

I’ve long wanted to explore not only New York State’s vast amount of parks, but to go to National Parks. There are so many amazing ones and I’ve often seen people out hiking with their dogs at said parks. Therefore, I’d love to bring Harper along. 

To accomplish this, I’m starting to set my sights on something like a teardrop camper. I know what I want my next vehicle to be – likely a small to mid-size SUV – so it could be something to pull said trailer. It allows me to have a little more comfort while “camping” and gives Harper and I a place to be warm, or even cool down, when traveling. Some of them are 5-6 feet tall, allowing me to be able to stand. And some have the addition of things like a full bed, television, AC, and cooking areas. The price range is obviously quite large, so I’d have to think highly about the simplicity of use and what I need to do to get used to having something like this. Storage of it in the offseason as well. 

This trailer, as well as the traveling with Harper, has likely become No. 1 on my bucket list. The top of the bucket, you could say. This might be a couple of years away, but it’s something I’m going to try and figure a way to do … and make it so she and I have ways to travel and see the country. And maybe some of Canada as well, considering how nice many of the parks in that country are. 

First things first, though. She needs to get better at traveling (she sometimes still throws up), and we need to get out of Covid. Then … bring it on!

What’s at the top of your bucket list?

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

Link up: 

20 Days of Chill 2022: My first job (Day 7)

Do you remember what your first job was? 

Is it a vivid memory, or something you try and push out of your head?

Mine came when I was younger. I had to be in my early teens. But this job was one many younger kids had – delivering newspapers. This wasn’t just a normal newspaper, though. Oh no. This was the County Shopper – our local “Pennysaver” sort of paper. 

And this is back when people actually utilized these papers. Not only were they thick in just the paper itself, but then there were inserts. 

Thankfully, it was only weekly. 

Side note: This paper still exists. It’s now delivered via the mail (and it annoys me how much space it takes in my PO Box, just to be thrown away), and it is much, much thinner than when I delivered it. Also, I don’t believe there are really inserts anymore, either. 

Anyway, back to our normal broadcast. 

The good part was that it was free and all we had to do was walk along and throw the paper on every porch. The bad part about it was everything else. With daily or weekly newspapers, there were subscriptions, so you had to pay attention to where you delivered. Not the County Shopper. Everybody got one. 

So, the younger version of me took on this job. We had double carriers (think of a newspaper bag – the canvas ones. This one you put over your head and it rested on both shoulders with a bag in the front, and a bag in the back. And it was filled with papers. 

Delivery day started the same – you went to the office and outside was a garage where carriers filled up. That included those of us who delivered in the village and the drivers who delivered elsewhere. For those of us delivering in the village, we’d have to roll the papers, put a rubberband around them and then start packing them into your sack. 

Now, I don’t recall how many I delivered each week. I also don’t remember how much I was paid, or anything about the route itself. I honestly don’t even recall if it was one fill up per week, or if we had to go back for seconds. 

I do remember carrying those papers was heavy and cumbersome. 

But it was a job and I got some money for things like baseball cards. 

Who knows how long I did this work – I’d wager a couple of years. This place has moved two times since I worked there. The spot it used to be has apartments now. It’s a vivid memory carrying those papers, but the details beyond that escape me. It’s funny that I continued in some sort of newspaper for many years before making the move to public relations. 

How about you? What was your first job and what do you remember about it? 

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

Link up: