A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

blogging

Secret Subject Swap: Favorite holiday

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 is your favorite holiday and how do you celebrate it?” and it was submitted by Wandering Web Designer.

It seems odd to be talking about certain holidays in April. 

Alas, such is the world when you are in a secret subject swap. 

I’m sure I share this with a lot of people, but my favorite holiday is Christmas. And it’s not just Christmas day, it’s everything surrounding it. The festive look and feel. The music. The smiles. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I dislike the idea that stores start doing Christmas sales in like October or earlier now, but the overall feel is what I like. 

I love seeing the look on the faces of kids during that time, especially the innocence of what it is. 

To me, it’s the perfect time of year. 

Family time during that holiday season is usually pretty good. As I’ve grown older, I’ve tended to appreciate the whole season a lot more. It was always my father’s favorite holiday as well. And I think most of my family is usually in the spirit. 

Christmas candy and foods are always amazing as well. From my mother’s homemade caramels (family recipe) to cookies from friends and other things galore, you can’t go wrong with the season! 

I even enjoy a cup or two of store-bought eggnog each year. 

And though I know there are plenty of people who do not enjoy the Christmas holiday, it’s a season I find to be enjoyable and carefree. Innocence only goes so far these days, and I feel as though you can still capture it quite well during Christmas. 

And yes, I like snow during those holidays as well!

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!

Reading, writing, and learning to journal in middle age

Throughout my life, I’ve always been a writer.

Sometimes it was professionally. Sometimes it was personal stuff. But I’ve always been that writer.

The one thing I haven’t been good at … was journaling.

That being said, one could argue that blogging is a way to journal — but I wanted it a little more traditional. The idea of bullet journaling has interested me for a while. I love seeing spreads and ideas on what people do. What I like about it is how it can work not just as a version of a traditional journal, but as a guide for life. I don’t look at it as a planner as many might. I look at it as a tool to document your doings, while still kind of keeping with your current life and staying on task. 

It’s funny, though. Sometimes one has to watch where they say things like this. Much like every other thing a person can do, when you get out in social media, things can get rather nasty – even with something like a bullet journal. Not to get on a soapbox – and I will keep this brief – but as I was learning about the different aspects and facets of bullet journaling, there are people who get downright forceful in their belief that their way; or maybe that of the originator’s way; or some other way – is the only way to do this. And if you go off that path, you are doing it wrong and so many internet people will lash into you over it. 

It’s a journal. Nothing more, nothing less. People will make it their own and do it their own way. Deal with it and move on. Better yet, if you feel the need to slam people over how they do things – move along. 

Anyway, I digress. 

I don’t need a lot of room for daily thoughts. I just need to make sure I stick with it!

I’ve never been successful with journals. I didn’t keep up or I didn’t get a flow. A bullet journal seemed to be something that could help me. (I have been working on a larger post about my path in bullet journaling in more detail and that will be coming out soon). I think it’s more about sitting down and trying to put personal thoughts to pen and paper more than anything, 

Reality is, the world is a crazy place, It can be amazingly good or shockingly bad. There’s a lot of middle ground, too. There’s heartbreak and joy. So much goes right and wrong in this world. But in the end, it’s not a bad time to be alive. Keeping that in mind, it’s also a time when the world needs to focus on people, be it good or be it topics like mental health. 

I work in schools and see a lot about mental health issues and what we can do about it. I’m very cognizant of my own mental health and realize sometimes you can’t keep things bottled up. I also know there needs to be an outlet of sorts where I can get thoughts out and understand my own path in life. 

Hence the journal. 

I like other aspects of journaling, which theoretically should help keep me on task.

Let me say that I’m a bit jealous of people who have journaled for years and who have created their own style and way of doing things. I’d love to go back and read my own writing about issues or successes in the past. I’d love to see my thoughts on a more personal level, and not just on my blog. Though I’ve shared some life-altering things in life on this blog, I tend not to get way too personal with a lot of other things. 

So this journey for me, is just starting. I read a lot about how journaling has helped. I’m trying to define a style and a schedule to keep. I haven’t done too well, so far. February was OK, but I haven’t done basically anything in March. April will be a new month and I’ll try to find that flow once again. So far, reading how others have done this is helping, but then I need to get to the doing part of things. 

It’s even harder doing this, though, as a middle age guy. I have so many other things I’m invested in, at times it feels like a burden, and that’s something I don’t want this to be. I’d like it to be something good. Just like anything else, I know I need to make it a routine and find a rhythm. I think if I can do that, I’ll start to feel that flow more. It might be where I need to do it every other day. My memory is good enough where I won’t forget all the good from the day before if I do it every couple of days. I’m not one who wants to do it whenever I think about something as it will then consume me. It needs to be real and organic for it to really work for me. 

I do feel that rhythm will be found, eventually, A few months from now, I’m sure I will look back and know there were just a few speed bumps in the way of getting things the way I need them to be. 

So how about all of you out there? Do you journal (and what form? Regular, BUJO) and, if so, how long have you been doing it? And what kind of routine do you have for journaling?

Blog With Friends: March 2020

Blog with Friends is a themed collaboration challenge where a group of bloggers get together and publish a project based on a theme. Please see the others who have taken part for this month’s theme “Read Across America.” Links to their posts can be found below the image!

Check out what the others did with Read Across America!

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: Life as a musical

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 “If your life was a musical, what genre of music would it be and what songs would be featured on the soundtrack?” and it was submitted by Southern Belle Charm.

This is a tough one. 

First, allow me to say, I’m a fan of musicals. Alas, I’m not sure there’s any musical I am a fan of that would allow me to say “that’s my life.” 

I’m a fan of more classic musicals – ones such as Paint Your Wagon, My Fair Lady, and Damn Yankees. It’s not that I don’t like more modern ones – I just haven’t seen many. 

So trying to put me in a classical musical might be hard. 

The same goes for genre. 

Much like a human personality, it’s hard to stick to one set track. I couldn’t, for example, say I’m all rock. My musical tastes and likes are a wide range – anything from a little classical to rock to country to modern pop to 80s anything and then some. 

It’s just how I am when it comes to music. 

So to have a soundtrack would be a wide range as well, and one I’m not sure I could fully come up with. 

Instead, my soundtrack would vary quite a bit. Keeping that in mind, I’ve opted to find a soundtrack of songs that either might be part of my world as an explanation of who I am, or songs that might have been important during a time in my life.

I’m not going to go too deep into what the songs mean to me and such, rather I’m just going to link up some YouTube videos and let you all (if you want) listen to the songs that have been important to me at one point or another during my life – and yes, songs I would thing would find a way to be on the soundtrack of my personal musical. 

1. Pachelbel’s Canon 

2. Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole 

3. Bittersweet – Big Head Todd and the Monsters (Live version)

4. Life is a Highway – Tom Cochrane 

This is just a short selection of songs that might be in a musical about my life. I’m sure I’ll think of more later in the day or this weekend and just be like “d’oh! That is one!” But this is a good clip on the start. 

A musical, of course, isn’t just about the music though. I’m not sure I’d want to attack the other parts of a musical if it was about my life – that would be a hard thing to make sense of!

Six 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!

Podcast review: Overview

I’ve gotten into podcasts quite heavily as of late. 

Over the past several months as I’ve started walking more and trying to get the health under control, podcasts have been what I use. As much as I love music, sometimes the tunes aren’t enough for me. Insert podcasts, which I’ve always liked but I’ve always kept just a few. 

There’s one or two geocaching ones; a board games one; and a couple of professional wrestling ones. 

Some of them are just too long, though. As much as I like listening to them, I’m not into it taking me 3-4 days worth of walking to get through a podcast (and my walks, for the record, are usually in the 30-50 minute range). That made me search for others – ones that I could finish over the course of a day (I usually take two walks a day). 

Podcasts are definitely not everybody’s cup of tea, so to speak. Some people love them, some hate them. The big part is having to download them, or remember to. I don’t like everything on my phone, for example, so all of mine go to my iPod. 

This series is basically going to be my thoughts on podcasts I listen to. These reviews could be monthly, or a little more often, all depending. There won’t be any set days, so basically when I can sit down with my thoughts. I’ll give my positives, negatives, and anything else about the ones I’ve listened to, or tried to listen to. Most of them will be positive reviews, however, being if I am going to listen to something, I need to like it at least a little!

Currently, I’m deep into some true crime ones. I love true crime stories, especially when they are cases and such you might not know a lot about. There’s a few other “real life” ones I’ve been into as well, which have made my walks a bit more fun.

I also have been listening in the car to and from work, though once baseball season really takes over, that won’t happen as often. 

But with this, I’m interested in what some of you might listen to when it comes to podcasts. Despite not having a ton of extra time to add podcasts, I am interested in what might be out there that might draw me in. I’m not into the ones that are very current event-like, if not just for the fact that I tend to like to be able to get to them when I can. 

I’ve also learned a lot from these podcasts, which has been good as well. The world is a crazy place, as I’m sure most of us would agree. So, it’s nice that we can kind of see a different slice of it in other areas. 

I always wanted to start my own podcast. I thought it would be cool as I had friends who did them, but didn’t garner huge followings. I now realize, though, the amount of work podcasters put into these things. From the research to the recording, to editing and everything else, it’s crazy. There’s no way I would have the time or drive to do a podcast. Truthfully told, I likely wouldn’t have enough to say about one subject to get people interested in it anyway. 

Instead, I’ll keep listening. There are some great ones out there and I love the ones I’m subscribed to, and I can’t wait to find more that interest me. 

How about you? Do you listen to podcasts? And what are your favorites?

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!

Masks and beads and food and drinks OH MY!

In all the years I’ve been on Earth, Mardi Gras is … not something I’ve known much about. 

Sure, you heard it every year. 

And supposedly it’s one hell of a party each year in New Orleans. 

There are beads. And colors. And drinks. And food. 

So.

Much.

Stuff. 

A bit on the backside of this – when I was younger, I didn’t mind going out for drinks and basic shenanigans. But I wasn’t much on massive parties and craziness. I never wanted to go somewhere south for spring break and I had no interest in places where the main objective was partying and getting, well, shitfaced. 

As I’ve gotten older, I look at things differently. I’m not into that shitfaced part, still, but I look at the whole Mardi Gras thing as an experience. And though I’m sure I’ll never do it, it’s still a bit more interesting to me, even if just for photography purposes. 

But what the hell is Mardi Gras? 

And why do I care about beads? 

I set out to find out, in easy terms what this day is and what kind of things you might be able to expect. 

So what is Mardi Gras? 

Also known as Fat Tuesday, it’s the day before Ash Wednesday and is the practice of the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before Lent season. 

Basically, stuff your face and live it up before giving up certain things for lent. 

This is not something observed throughout the United States (it’s different throughout the world, but being I’m in the States, I’ll stick with that), it is something you see in traditionally ethnic French cities and regions. New Orleans is one of the biggest and probably best known. 

Costumes are often part of these celebrations. Masks, costumes, and bright colors – often yellows, purples, and greens. Nowadays, the costumes can become elaborate, using feathers and capes as well. There sometimes are themes with the costumes. 

I know a few people who have done the Mardi Gras trip in New Orleans and one thing they pointed out is that some ladies like to go topless, which apparently has been documented since 1889 according Wikipedia. The French Quarter is seemingly a big place for this, where people will expose themselves on balconies, getting a crowd to form on the street below. 

And this is where the beads and trinkets apparently come into play. I was always curious about this and what the point was. Again, according to Wikipedia, it seems the rise of producing commercial videos catering to voyeurs has helped this, so the tradition is women bare their breasts in exchange for beads and trinkets. A study in 1991 found 1,200 instances of this happening!

Yowza!

So let’s flip this a little – to something a little more tame. 

Food and drinks. 

When I was originally looking at something for this challenge, my initial thought was to find a recipe and make it. One thing I noticed, though, is what the foods that seem to go with Mardi Gras are like – and that would be not very kind on my blood sugar! Have you seen the King’s Cake? It looks divine, but … it wouldn’t be good for me! 

The drinks… they look strong but tasty. Try a hurricane. I’d say it would be super delicious!

Mardi Gras is an interesting holiday. I honestly can’t say I’d head to New Orleans for this celebration, but I’d like to try some of the food and drinks. 

How about any of you? Have you been part of anything with Mardi Gras in the past? This year it is Tuesday, February 25.

Blog With Friends: February 2020
Blog with Friends is a themed collaboration challenge where a group of bloggers get together and publish a project based on a theme. Please see the others who have taken part for this month’s theme Mardi Gras. Links to their posts can be found below the image!

Check out what the others did with Mardi Gras!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen here, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! Starting up is the Food Photo Challenge 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!