A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

blog challenges

Secret Subject Swap: What was the best thing that happened to you (2020)?

This post is for the Secret Subject Swap, a monthly blog challenge. Information about the swap can be viewed at the end of this post, as well as links to all others taking part. Have a peek at some of the other bloggers and see what they had to come up with. If you are a blogger, consider joining up for future months!

My theme is “2020 has been challenging. What was the best thing that happened to you??” and it was submitted by Part-time Hockey Mom.

2020. 

It’s like we barely knew ya. Or, in most cases, we wish we didn’t know ya. 

During a normal year, this type of theme could be pretty interesting. My guess is I would have to really go through things and really think hard on different things. 

This year, a theme like this is a struggle. 

As a whole, I think society took a step backward. In the United States, the political spectrum has created a pretty strong line. Add in social injustices and it divides more, which is truly unfortunate. 

When it comes to Covid, I can’t say how it is in other countries (outside of what I see on social media), but it seems as a whole, once again, we’re pretty divided. Mental health issues are without on the rise, and every other issue that is combined with Covid has really strained society around the globe. 

And that, folks, is life in 2020. 

However, there has to be good, right?

Even in the worst of times, there are bright spots. But to get to the personal bright spots, you need to look at the low spots and realize where you’ve been. Remember, too, low spots to some might be nothing to others. In times like this, we have to look at each person. 

For example, my summers are usually full of baseball games. I didn’t get to go to one this year and it was an extreme downer, especially because it’s a big stress reliever for me. Going to a game is a way for me to kind of relax and spend some time in a happy place. 

Since March, too, it’s been high stress with work. I’ve been on the go for most of it and the projects that I had to undertake to help in a lot of spots have taken a toll on me. The only true “vacation” I had was in the first two weeks in July, and that was much needed. But overall, it’s been constant. 

But as much of a downer as life can be right now – and it still is at times – life hasn’t been a total strikeout. The one thing about situations that back humans into a corner .. there’s a lot of good that comes out of it. 

I’ve been able to be outside. I’ve been able to talk with friends. I’ve been able to breathe fresh air and take photos. My job has (hopefully will continue) been safe and there’s no shortage of projects and things to work on, especially in the world of communications. 

But I can’t point out one definitive thing that is the best. 

I know 2020 has whipped me, but at the same time, it’s shown me how to have resolve, and how to try and remain upbeat and positive. 

I can’t say it always works, but at times it does. 

The year has allowed me to learn to journal more; to try and be better organized (at least professionally) and to rely not just on modern technology, but old-school pen to paper. 

It’s made me look for the better parts of life, too. Look, we all know life can be a bull at times. But it’s little things. Maybe it’s sneaking a piece of chocolate. Waking up and going for a walk on a crisp morning. Seeing the leaves change brilliant colors in the fall. 

It’s not easy, no, but there’s good out there. 

This year hasn’t produced that “wow” moment for me. But it’s allowed me to dial things back slightly. I mean, one thing I guess is my savings went up. Several planned trips were canceled, so the money has been in my account. That’s not a bad thing. 

It’s all about just trying to stay ahead and find the good things. There’s a lot of positive things that have happened, even with all the crap going on in the world. 

How about all of you? What was the best thing that happened?

Five others have taken part in this challenge, so go check out the other posts and have some fun reading their secret subjects!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen at A ‘lil HooHaa, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! We also have the Food Photo Challenge (current theme listed at end of post). We’d love to see you!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Secret Subject Swap: What does Thanksgiving mean to me?

This post is for the Secret Subject Swap, a monthly blog challenge. Information about the swap can be viewed at the end of this post, as well as links to all others taking part. Have a peek at some of the other bloggers and see what they had to come up with. If you are a blogger, consider joining up for future months!

My theme is “What does Thanksgiving mean to you?” and it was submitted by Baking in a Tornado.

It’s interesting to take a look at some holidays. Thanksgiving, for the most part, has been one of my least-favorite holidays. 

Not sure why, but it’s never “wowed” me. Maybe it’s because I’m not the biggest fan of turkey. So my thoughts about Thanksgiving have kind of grown over time. Let me break it down. 

When I was younger, it was just time off from school. The family gathered on Thanksgiving and we ate. It was always earlier because it’s a holiday. 

When I got older, it took on a different meaning. 

As in – drinking. 

I’m not sure if it’s this way around you, but Thanksgiving Eve near me is one of the biggest bar nights of the year. We used to start early and end late, usually in a drunken stupor. 

But goodness was it a blast. 

People came back to town. The bars were packed. You saw people in different groups. It was just one of those nights to look forward to. 

Alas, as I grew older, that wasn’t as fun. I last did it a few years ago. But … things have changed. How? It was me and two friends who decided to pop out. We went early, had a couple of beers, and called it a night. We weren’t out late. 

That was maybe 4-5 years ago. And I don’t think I’ve been to many bars since then, period. After some softball games before I stopped playing a couple of years ago, but overall? I don’t do it often. 

And now, we bring it to the current years. It’s back to the family thing, which I enjoy much more. It’s way more low-key. It’s enjoyable just to be around family. 

So what does it mean to me? It means some peace and relaxing. It’s fun to be able to just hang out, have some good food and chill. It’s also nice to get three days off from work. When I was in newspapers, that was the one holiday I often volunteered to work because my family always ate early, and I could get in to do a shift, 

Now, though? 

Hanging with family. Having a good meal. And a cold turkey sandwich at night. Football is not part of my tradition. So it’s just a way to chill and enjoy being able to be around loved ones. 

How about all of you?

Five others have taken part in this challenge, so go check out the other posts and have some fun reading their secret subjects!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen at A ‘lil HooHaa, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! We also have the Food Photo Challenge (current theme listed at end of post). We’d love to see you!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Secret Subject Swap: Wild stories

This post is for the Secret Subject Swap, a monthly blog challenge. Information about the swap can be viewed at the end of this post, as well as links to all others taking part. Have a peek at some of the other bloggers and see what they had to come up with. If you are a blogger, consider joining up for future months!

My theme is “Who is an entertainer of any type that you know a wild story about? What are the details?” and it was submitted by Climaxed.

My theme is “Who is an entertainer of any type that you know a wild story about? What are the details?

This is an interesting question and, honestly, one I can’t really answer. Though I know a few entertainers in real life, talking details about any wild stories we have isn’t my style.

But, that brings us to a bigger thing — the obsession society has with items like this.

Let’s take a quick example. Say I know Entertainer A. I go out and have a crazy night with Entertainer A. Nobody knows them where we are and maybe it’s before they make it big. I post about it and maybe … somebody sees it and shares and so forth.

All of a sudden, a story that was secret is out there. People eat it up and on it goes. Maybe you all of a sudden, too, lose a friend.

This is something that, no doubt, has happened countless times.

Again, though, this got me thinking. With all happening in the world these days, it really shows the power of the internet, which obviously includes social media, blogs, and the such. If you whisper it, it can be heard by many people.

We live in a day filled with reality television. “News” sites like TMZ cover an entertainers every move. Paparazzi can’t let celebrities eat in peace, let alone walk around and try and blend in. We’re an obsessed society with celebs. And it’s not just the United States — it’s everywhere. Look at the UK’s viewing of the Royal family. I’d wager many have opinions on Harry.

So where did this come from? Is it from shows like The Real World or even when Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie had their deal? Is it the Kardashians? How about shows like Big Brother or Survivor?

Somewhere along the line, the obsession went from flipping through a newspaper aisle junk rag to full-blown obsession.

I remember, as a kid, my grandmother used to get things like The National Enquirer. Though there were celeb things, there were so many other items such as aliens and the such. I used to love reading them because it was so out there.

But now, things have changed.

From reality TV to many different internet sites that cover celebrity sightings and things they do, we — as a society — can’t seem to get enough of it. Add to it so many reality TV shows and people become celebrities just because they live in a house together for three months with cameras all over the place.

Crazy, right?

When I was younger, life didn’t have all of this. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy shows like Big Brother and the Amazing Race. Or the reality food shows etc.

So while I think deep, I have a story or two with a borderline celebrity or two. None of them are earth-shattering and likely wouldn’t even gt a sniff outside of this blog post. But sometimes, things are just left as they are!

What are your thoughts on celebs/entertainers and stories about them?

Five others have taken part in this challenge, so go check out the other posts and have some fun reading their secret subjects!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen at A ‘lil HooHaa, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! We also have the Food Photo Challenge (current theme listed at end of post) and the Can of Corn Challenge. We’d love to see you!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Secret Subject Swap: Hot or cold?

This post is for the Secret Subject Swap, a monthly blog challenge. Information about the swap can be viewed at the end of this post, as well as links to all others taking part. Have a peek at some of the other bloggers and see what they had to come up with. If you are a blogger, consider joining up for future months!

My theme is “Which do you like best, cold or hot? Why?” and it was submitted by Wandering Web Designer.

This one has quite the broad range that I could go with. So, I’ve decided to cover two topics and, for the most part, the outcome is the same.

Cold.

I’m not saying things have to be bone-chilling cold, but I tend to like things colder than warmer.

Weather

First, here’s the thing — I can’t stand super hot and humid weather. If I could be somewhere that it was anywhere from 40-65 all year, it would be perfect. Rain can be at night. Partly cloudy during the day. Perfect.

We know it’s not a perfect world.

So, if I have to choose — I’m going with cold. The main reason being I can adapt easier. I know how to dress for the cold and I can layer up in case it warms up. With the heat, it’s very tough for me to deal with it. It drains me faster, I hate sweating, and it just get uncomfortable.

Again, I’m not saying 10-below-zero wind chills here, I’m just talking colder. It’s probably why fall is my favorite season, outside of the colors. That sweatshirt and jeans weather is awesome and it’s great to be outside during it.

Walking is also more comfortable for me in the cooler weather, so that’s another reason.

Now, the warmer weather does bring a lot of good things. Baseball, for one. So there are benefits to the weather being on the warmer side.

Drinks/Food

This is an interesting one. I would say 85 percent of the time, I like my drinks cold. Even during the winter, I take a bottle of ice water with me to work. Most things I like cold. Even Guinness!

Alas, I do like hot tea in the winter, as well as hot chocolate. Outside of that, I don’t like my drinks warm or hot.

There’s just something truly refreshing about a cold drink. It seems to revive you. Hot drinks, on the other hand, are more comforting, at least for me. It’s nice to sit at home on a cold and snowy winter and have a nice cup of tea.

Food is where it gets interesting. I don’t need mine piping hot. Warm is fine. I love me some chowder, and I like it on the warm/hot side. But, not all food has to be hot to eat.

I’m not even going to talk about the normal cold foods (subs etc.) that I love.

But take something like chicken strips. Or a ham steak. Those are good warm, but they are really good cold, too. Pizza? Same thing.

On the flip side, unless it’s over a salad, I don’t need cold steak. Same goes with pork.

But take things like french fries? Or a hamburger? Or pasta? I need them hotter, that’s for sure. I am not going to enjoy those being cold.

So how about you? Hot or cold?

Five others have taken part in this challenge, so go check out the other posts and have some fun reading their secret subjects!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen at A ‘lil HooHaa, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! We also have the Food Photo Challenge (current theme listed at end of post) and the Can of Corn Challenge. We’d love to see you!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Secret Subject Swap: Broiling hot

This post is for the Secret Subject Swap, a monthly blog challenge. Information about the swap can be viewed at the end of this post, as well as links to all others taking part. Have a peek at some of the other bloggers and see what they had to come up with. If you are a blogger, consider joining up for future months!

My theme is “Tell us about a time when you believed in something strongly but My theme is “What do you do when it’s broiling hot out? Do you prefer to stay in air conditioning? Go to the beach? A pool? Something else? Have you made adjustments this summer?” and it was submitted by Karen.

One thing I love about living in the northeast of the United States is the changing seasons. We get to experience all four and, depending on the year, some might be longer seasons than others. 

It’s usually a good bet we’ll get a few days in the 60s in December or January. 

At the same time, you can usually plan on a good snowfall in March, April, or even May. 

There have been years where fall or spring is almost non-existent. 

As many communities in the northeast probably say – you want the weather to change? Just blink. 

But that heat. 

I’ve always said if I could stay anywhere from 40-75 degrees, without worrying about humidity or frigid temperatures, I’d be a happy guy. We know that doesn’t happen, though. And in the midst of the summer (and sometimes “spring”), the temps will go very high with a lot of humidity. 

And I hate the heat. 

I don’t mind when it’s warm out. I don’t hate the sun. But when it gets really hot out? Ugh. 

Sweating is something I loathe. Plant me in some air conditioning and I’m happier. When it’s really hot out, I still get my walks in, but I tend to go in the morning or evening to avoid the peak levels and times. 

And though I like the beach – I really don’t live that close to one. I also prefer to go in the off-season as you can walk and stop and stare and not have to worry about hundreds (or more) people. I don’t think a beach in the middle of the summer is my thing. 

It’s funny how things change from childhood to adulthood when it comes to summer. When I was a kid, I would spend all day outside. We’d play baseball. We’d go to the pool. We’d explore the woods. Splash in the creeks nearby. Heck, we used to drink out of said creeks. I’m not sure I’d do that in this day and age anymore. 

As I got older, I became way more self-conscious about things.My interests also changed. Before you know it, you’re an adult. 

Those days of going to the pool and such are long past me. And honestly? I’m OK with that. 

I know many people love the hot months. They love getting out or chilling next to their pool. Maybe floating with a drink. Others plan summer trips and vacations around the beach. I like to find some AC. Or just put my feet up in the shade somewhere. 

And if it gets too hot, I like to find any way possible to avoid it. 

I can’t say I’ve made any adjustments this summer. It actually hasn’t been too bad. We’ve had a few really hot days, but for the most part, it’s been bearable. The hardest part is not really being able to travel anywhere, but maybe next year. 

At this point, I’m ready for the fall. And hopefully … eventually … a return to normalcy.

Let me end this post with a bit of an apology. I haven’t been the best at visiting others posts over the past few months and for that, I’m sorry. I will slowly be going back, visiting, reading, and commenting. It’s been a rough few months and I’ve not had a lot of push. I need to get back into it as I know it’s helpful and I want to get back into the flow of things!

Four others have taken part in this challenge, so go check out the other posts and have some fun reading their secret subjects!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen at A ‘lil HooHaa, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! We also have the Food Photo Challenge (current theme listed at end of post) and the Can of Corn Challenge. We’d love to see you!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!