A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

challenge

Photo challenge: HooHaa52

For the theme “One of …” during the first year of the HooHaa 52.

I’m doing it again.

Sheesh.

This will be the third run at the HooHaa 52, a year-long challenge I’ve run. This idea came from me wanting to do a photo challenge, yet not necessarily do one of the one-a-day challenges.

I’ve done the Project 365 and it’s harder than hell. I actually went for it again this year and failed after 200-plus days. With everything going on in my world, I wasn’t always up for going out and taking a photo. And I hate snapping something awful, just for the sake of doing it.

Originally, this HooHaa 52 was set up as an interactive photo challenge.

We use Flickr because it allows a free or pay account and it also makes it so people can chat with each other in the forum part of our group. It also makes it so the photos are in the same group so people can visit all the other images and, hopefully, comment on each.

For the theme “My Town” in the second year of the challenge.

In the past, not eveybody finished. I think that is normal with many photo challenges, for whatever reason. Somebody could get bored, or decide not to participate or not want to meet the deadlines or whatever other reason.

It happens.

I’ve made it a bit easier this year. We used to have it set up so we’d break it up and each participant would get a certain amount of weeks to post a theme. This, in theory, seems good. It means only the person posting knows what they will be doing until it’s time to post.

In previous years, that’s been Sunday at any time.

Unfortunately, people seemed to have an issue with the deadline. People would forget, or be on vacation. Often times, somebody would send me the theme, asking me to post it. There were other times where the theme didn’t go up until a day or two late.

That, in turn, made it hard for people to post the photos on time. We’d get a backlog and all of a sudden there were several weeks of themes in a batch. That made things slightly confusing. Though some people liked the “freedom” of doing that, it didn’t follow the challenge. Anybody can set up 52 themes and just have to finish them by the end of the year. The challenge is doing it on a deadline.

So, understandably so, we lost some people. And that’s fine. In the third year, I’m ready to see this be the challenge I had hoped it would be. We’re going to run it for 2013, making it easier in regard to keeping track of things.

Some of the things the challenge is:

  • Each person submits 10 themes at the beginning. Each week, one will be selected randomly.
  • The person has one week to take that photo.
  • Then, during the next week, they post the photo. (so, week 1 photo will be posted while we are working on week 2 etc.)
  • All the themes are supposed to be broad, thus giving everybody a chance to interpret the theme how they see fit

That’s basically it. I ask the images be tagged for each week so it’s easier to find the images if one wants to see one week’s worth. I’ll be lenient with an occasional late post if somebody is on vacation or something, but we’re switching it up so people can have a full week to post, so hopefully there won’t be any issues.

From the theme “It’s a green world” in year two.

Hopefully, with all of these items set, everybody — including me — will be able to be successful in the challenge. Personally, I plan on trying to be a little more artsy (I received a Holga lens for the DSLR for Christmas and might purchases a Lensbaby Spark with some gift cards. I also want to use my Diana lens and maybe even the pinhole).

Right now, we have about 10 people involved. I like that it’s small. It makes it a little more intimate. We’ll take a few more, though.

If anyone is interested in participating, let me know. We plan on starting next week, so I’d have to add you on Flickr quickly. Also, you’d have to get me your list of themes ASAP. Please, though, if you are interested, make sure you’ll be able to go with the challenge and make a legitimate effort at completing each theme on time and finishing the challenge.

Remember, this is a challenge — so it’s not always going to be easy. It will take some dedication, but in the end, I think it will be a truly fun project. Note, if you are going to participate, you must be a member on Flickr.

Let me know if you’re up for it. If not, I’ll be blogging about it over the course of the next year, so you’ll be able to see how it’s going!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Foto Friday: And … it’s over

Master Locks may be invincible, but my Project 366 wasn’t, unfortunately.

I’ve been putting this off for as long as I can.

I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want it to be over. But it is. And there’s not much I can do about it.

My Project 366 went by way of the garbage.

When I did the Project 365 in 2010, I struggled. Many times. But every day, by hook or by crook, I took a photo. Sometimes it wasn’t good. Sometimes it was awesome. But every day … a photo.

At the end of the project, I swore I would never do it again. It was one of those things I was happy I did, but I knew there were too many times where I dreaded worrying about a photo. I live in a rural area, so I can only take so many shots of flowers, trees and mountains before I get bored.

With this year being a leap year, I thought I’d try it again. Why the heck not?

Yeah, now I remember why I said I wouldn’t do it again!

The first part of the year was awesome. I was all over it and really getting some good stuff. Then I started hitting a wall. See, this job search thing takes up a lot of time. There were times I just didn’t feel like snapping a photo. But I pushed through it. However, this was earlier than the first time around. I knew doing it this year was in jeopardy.

After 225-plus days, the sun set on this attempt at the 366 Project.

I struggled through the summer months — where the nights are longer and there’s more chances to get images. I got through August. And into September. And then it stopped.

The reality set in that despite being only 100-plus days shy of completing this project, it was over.

It’s not like I am happy about it. I truly was hoping to do it this time around. Alas, I knew a month or two I wasn’t going to make it. When I was struggling with half the year to go, I knew it was over. I kept battling as much as I could, but when reality takes over, it’s only a matter of time.

Still, to say I am fully disappointed would be a false answer.

I took a lot of cool photos this year that I wouldn’t have without this challenge. When I was pepped up in the early going, I was really challenging myself. For that, I’m happy. I have very cool images from this year because of the challenge.

In the end, I guess I held true to my original statement after the 2010 challenge — I’ll never do it again. Who knows? Maybe I’ll try it again one time in the future when I’m in a better place, personally and professionally. Maybe I’ll have that drive to do it again.

Or maybe not.

With all that being said, I’m glad I gave it a try again. It just wasn’t meant to be.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

30 Days of Writing: Pressure (6/30)

This post is written in conjunction with the 30 Days of Writing, a blog challenge devised by Nicky and Mike at “We Work For Cheese.” I’ll be participating throughout the month of June. If interested, you can see my post with the details of the challenge. 

Please note that some of these posts will be serious, some will be normal, and some will be an attempt at humor. This one has a little of everything. 

Life is full of pressure.

There are times I feel like Billy Joel looks in the above video.

Though life can be magnificent — with friends, family, travel, the beauty that is the World, and whatever else that keeps you going — the reality is there’s a lot of pressure.

Job.

Bills.

Doing the right thing.

Dealing with life.

It’s a lot of pressure to deal with.

With all the crap going on in my world right now, I almost feel like Crash Davis in Bull Durham. I hope you’ve all seen this movie, which I think — no, I know — is the best baseball movie of all time.

That seems like my life.

There’s a lot of shit to deal with (as Crash says). Pressure here, pressure there. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t the toughest time I’ve had in my life. And that adds to the pressure. Looking to get back on the feet before the pressure explodes.

But…

You see, there’s always a bright spot to the end. Somewhere along the way, the rainbow comes out. The sun shines and the flowers bloom. I know, that’s a happy-go-lucky scene. But it happens. It will. In time.

And then the pressure will start to be less and less.

Said pressure will then kiss my arse.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Just what I needed — another blog challenge


If I need inspiration during this blog challenge, Danny Larusso should provide it!

I think I might be insane to even think about doing another challenge.

I’m already trying to continue my Project 366 and HooHaa 52 photo projects. On top of that, I have the HooHaa Holga Challenge I am dealing with. Add that in with my job search and dealing with two blogs that are not money generating, playing softball, fitting in some geocaching, a round or two of disc golf and other outdoorsy things and one might think I’m nuts.

But this was a little too interesting to pass up.

As I noted yesterday, I have been searching for some new blogs to read. I wanted some entertaining ones. That search brought me to We Work For Cheese.

The first post I saw was titled “The Post You’ll Wish You Never Read.”

Fact: The headline of that post is as true as can be.

It’s not that I don’t like the blog — I do. In fact, I’ll be trying to make it part of my normal blog reading. But that post — that evil post — is the one about this challenge.

I’ve never been much into blog challenges or “quick topics,” and by quick topics, I mean those blog posts where you are tagged by other bloggers and need to fill out some sort of questionnaire. Those might help me fill days at some point, though, so I should look into them.

Anyway, back to this post I wish I had never read…

See, the challenge is simple. Blog every day for 30 straight days, starting Friday (June 1). I thought to myself, heck, I’ve done that before and more than once. But, you see, this has a catch — the topics are pre-determined.

And some of ’em aren’t easy.

Here’s the list:

  • Day 1: Cheese
  • Day 2: A roadblock
  • Day 3: They played my song
  • Day 4: Behind the wheel
  • Day 5: Spiders
  • Day 6: Pressure
  • Day 7: Excess
  • Day 8: Best friend
  • Day 9: Magic carpet
  • Day 10: The babysitter
  • Day 11: A sense of accomplishment
  • Day 12: In the kitchen
  • Day 13: The other one
  • Day 14: The short hairs
  • Day 15: First place
  • Day 16: Hanging out in the cemetery
  • Day 17: The awkwardness of the common banana
  • Day 18: Setting sail
  • Day 19: Camels
  • Day 20: Going solo
  • Day 21: Favors I’d ask of Satan
  • Day 22: Like there’s no tomorrow
  • Day 23: Stiletto heels
  • Day 24: Roast or toast another blogger
  • Day 25: Worst Christmas ever
  • Day 26: An intervention
  • Day 27: Side of the road
  • Day 28: The turning point
  • Day 29: Breaking the rules
  • Day 30: It could have been worse

Now, realize this — there aren’t any rules.

That means there’s no word requirements. The post can be a photo or as short as one word. Maybe I will write a bajillion words. It’s all good (though, if I wrote a bajillion words, I don’t think somebody would read it).

The only catch is that the blog owner, Nicky, has forewarned that she will make fun of participants in their comments, should the need arise. That’s OK though, because comments are comments, no? And we all like getting comments!

So, I’m going to give this a go. Realize that I might write some fiction and I might mix some other things in with these (see Earl). I’ve actually though about making Earl a major part of this blog challenge, but I’m going to basically do this all on the fly as I go along. So who knows.

All I know is I think I’m crazy.

The even crazier part? There are times when there will be more than one post per day. See, I don’t plan on axing some of my regular features (Snapshot Saturday etc.), though I might try and mix a few of them.

I have a few hopes for what I can gain from this challenge:

  • That I find some more excellent blogs to read on a regular basis;
  • Have fun;
  • Finish the challenge;
  • And to not hate cheese by the end of the challenge.

If you are a blogger, you still have a chance to check out the challenge and sign up before things get rolling June 1.

Or, if you’re smart, you might not read that post.

If you do, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

How’s that Day Zero thingamajig going?

When I first started the Day Zero Project, I knew it was going to be a loose challenge. My goal, of course, was to complete the project in the 1,001 days one is alloted.

I think I’m out to a good start.

I have 700 days remaining in the challenge and through the first 301, I have completed 23 items. I haven’t blogged about them all yet as I need to take a few photos to go with some of them. There are 17 blogged about, however, and you can see each one on the Day Zero Project page.

I’ve learned some things from this project.

The first is that I have to be more conscious of the challenge itself. By that I mean I need to start thinking about the challenge more when I am out and about. A few times, I could have worked on one or two of these items, but didn’t think about it until it was too late. I think one thing I can do is to make a small card of all the items on the list, have it laminated and put it in my wallet.

Especially considering some are photo-related and it would be nice to know if I am going toward something.

For example, one of my photo goals is to take a picture for each letter of the alphabet. However, when doing this goal, it’s done to try and specifically take a photo for the challenge. So if I am out and about and have it in my mind and want to take photos of a beer (for the letter B), it’s in my head that I am doing that. What I actually might do is take a day to go take photos of the remaining letters (I’ve only taken A and B).

Part of my doing the challenge, too, is keeping the items secret (for the most part), so that I don’t feel pressure and also because if I screw something up, it’s more of a slap against myself.

Now, besides the 23 completed items, I have several more that have several things I need to do (for example, attend 10 community events) before I can check them off. A bunch of these are being worked on, so that’s helping, too. I have some other blogging and writing things I need to work on, too — some of which that require 20 or 30 blog posts over time, so I need to get to work on them!

There are some hard ones remaining on the list and a couple that I am going to scratch my head wondering if I will be able to finish them.

That’s part of the challenge.

This is one of those ones where if I don’t get all 101 things done, I’m not going to lose sleep. Believe me, my goal is to complete this list, but it’s a more of a personal thing for me to hopefully better myself in many different ways. Only time will tell how it works out.

I have found that it’s good to set some goals and go with them. The multi-part goals on the list have been good as it’s made me concentrate on putting things together. I’ve enjoyed some of the photography ones, too, as those are ones that challenge my artistic side.

Some of the goals are silly. Some are serious. Some are in the middle. But overall it’s an interesting challenge and I’ve had fun with it so far.

And I have 23 down.

Now there’s 78 to go.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com.