A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

delhi

Welcome to Delhi … Iowa

It was probably 25 years ago when two of us set out on a trip to Iowa. On the list was to see some things such as the Field of Dreams movie site, but also to see Delhi, Iowa.

At the time, I was working at the weekly out of my hometown — Delhi, New York. Somehow, I came across Delhi, Iowa. It seemed the small town in Iowa was a sister to the one in New York, so I thought it would make a good story.

I did end up writing a story about this faraway town, after doing research with phone calls and other ways possible with how life was back before the internet.

Note the key part of that last sentence — life before the internet.

That means no maps via a smartphone and there weren’t the easy-to-use GPS systems we all know and love now. It’s was old fashioned — maps from AAA and anything else we could use.

Reality is, we were too young to be setting out on a trip like this. Our planning sucked, and financially we might not have made it. We didn’t have reservations or anything.

This wasn’t just a quick jaunt over the hill or something.

As we got to Western New York, my vehicle (a 1985 Ford Ranger 2WD) wasn’t sounding good. We pulled into a service station to figure things out and the mechanic there took a look as a kind gesture.

It seemed, in his eyes, this truck was running on three of four cylinders. A trip to Iowa, he thought, wouldn’t be too smart.

We weighed our options. In the end, we turned around and headed home.

Honestly, it was probably for the best. Especially what I learned this past summer.

Fast forward to 2018. A baseball trip is planned and we are going to Iowa. Field of Dreams, again, is on the list. And just 20 minutes away is the town of Delhi.

And so, the visit finally arrived. It’s a small, quaint town. There’s not much to it, and as I was told by the local librarian, there are probably only about 500 people who live in the town. A school is there — what seems like a regional one. There were a couple of parks, including one near a nice lake. As for businesses, there weren’t many.

Still, it was pretty neat.

We only spent about an hour there or so, but I had the chance to drive around a little bit and check it out.

Looking back, the trip many years ago probably would not have panned out too well. Who knows where we would have stayed and the amount of time it would have taken us to get there and back might not have worked, either.

And as I noted … the finances. But hey, things happen for a reason.

That being said, it may have come some 25 years since I first set out to see that town, but there’s no doubt I probably appreciated it much more at an older age. I’m truly happy I had the chance to finally visit this small Midwest town.

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!

It’s time to actually fix myself

I’m grossly out of shape.

For those of you who know me, this isn’t any breaking news (despite that being the “in” thing on the Internet).

As a diabetic, this isn’t a good thing. And I know it. And I’ve let my numbers get worse, which is really sad considering my A1C was immensely awesome a year or so ago. Now, not as much. But I know I have to do something about it.

I’ve said that before, right? And there’s never a guarantee things will improve, but one has to keep trying.

I don’t know why, but I decided Monday was the time to start. And by that, I mean I am going to start tracking everything. What I eat. What I drink. How much exercise I do. What my numbers are and how what I’ve eaten makes them go up and down.

Basically, I am going to start taking myself to task.

I need to start utilizing my Fitbit more – especially the web interface and the phone app. I can track everything (food etc.), I just need to make sure I do it. It’s a bit of a pain, though, so I’m trying to figure the best way to do it.

Any of you have an app or web interface that’s easy to log your food and all the other good stuff? I’d love to find a one-stop shop for apps when it comes to this as I think it would be beneficial. I’m also doing it old fashioned — pen to paper.

Which way to go?

Which way to go?

Anyway, part of doing all of this is to try and get me into doing more outside. Whether that’s finding new trails to hike on and challenge myself, going for a walk, or riding a bike. Or, heck, doing something not on that list. Anything to get more active.

So, Monday, I went out after dinner to explore one part of a new set of hiking trails. I won’t lie – I was looking at it twofold: Getting some exercise as well as looking for potential geocache sites. I found many possible spots in the parts I explored and I haven’t even checked all of the trails yet.

First, let me say this, my cardio is awful. The trail goes … well, up. Then it evens out a little. But it’s on a mountain, so there’s going up … and up. And I was winded (I’m being nice about that statement). Now, that’s not a bad thing. It got my heart rate up. I knew when to stop a little. It made me challenge myself. The good part is I know how I felt when I got to the top. I know I want to be able to do that much easier in the future.

I also want to eventually run a 5K. No, I’m not some runner in my past. It’s more of a personal goal. I have the one picked out I want to be my “first” and I have plenty of time to train for it, so this is only a start. But for me to be able to run 3.1 miles, I need to get my cardio up.

With diabetes, I know it can be controlled. I need to lose weight and exercise. I need to challenge my body to get better the best I can and utilizing places in my area will help. I’ll be out on my bike. I’ll be working on it the best I can. Eventually, I’ll hopefully be lowering my numbers and getting my health back in order.

The plan, too, will eventually to start posting my “Living with Diabetes” posts. In the past, they’ve helped me kind of keep on track and hopefully it can do that again.

Reality, too, is that I won’t be able to do this every night. Some nights, I work late. Others I might be pooped. But I need to challenge myself to get out as much as I possibly can to get some exercise in.

Monday was a good start though. I look forward to eventually exploring those trails a tad more and seeing what is out there and, hopefully, getting into better shape.

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Laughter is the best medicine — for pretty much anything

Ralphie Mae performs at SUNY Delhi.

I’m jealous of people who live where there are comedy clubs readily available.

I fully believe if I lived anywhere near a comedy club and the ticket prices were affordable, I’d go often. I’d especially like to go on open-mic nights to be able to see different things and people.

I can’t really explain what Ralphie May is talking about here as I’ll keep it clean on the blog. But let me say it was absolutely hilarious!

Comedy has long been a part of my life. From watching many big-name comedians at a local college (George Carlin, Howie Mandel, Michel Winslow, Carrot Top, Jay Mohr, and Sam Kinison, to name a few), to seeing smaller shows all over the place, I’ve long loved stand up comedy.

I’ve had the chance to see many different comedy places. From a cool little spot in Montreal, where we met and struck a friendship up with comedian Steve Caouette, to little dives with people hoping to make a few bucks in the world of comedy. Whether 15-minute quickies or an hour and half of pure hilarity, I’ve loved pretty much every comedy show I attended.

With that in mind, it’s pretty safe to say, whenever I get a chance to go, I like to do so.

On Sunday, I added a comedian toward the top of my list.

Chad, Ralphie May’s opener, got the crowd revved up and ready.

Ralphie May, well-known through his Comedy Central specials and for his appearance on Last Comic Standing, came to SUNY Delhi. He’s been to Delhi before, but I had never had the chance to see him. He was supposed to have a show a year or so ago, but had to cancel because of health reasons.

Allow me to say it was well worth the wait to see him perform.

First, his opening act, Chad of the Smash Brothers, was hilarious. He got some solid digs in on a few people in the front row, told some extremely funny stories and had the crowd warmed up amazingly for May.

Here’s one thing though — this definitely wasn’t a “family friendly” show. In other words, profanity and things along those lines were open game.

That made it really good.

Ralphie May and Marty following the show at SUNY Delhi.

His topics included pretty much anything, including some politics, racial lines, himself, and of course, some adult topics. He also utilized one of the students Chad had picked on a bit and got some good digs in as well.

It’s also safe to note that I was in stitches most of the night. I love a good laugh. It makes you forget anything else going on in the world. It can help make you forget anything bad going on and it gives you a way to kind of ignore anything else and just have a good time.

This was also the final big comedy show at the college under the watch of Marty Greenfield, SUNY Delhi’s Student Activities Director, who is retiring at the end of the semester. He’s been at the college for more than 25 years and has brought some amazing shows — comedy, music, sports (Globetrotters etc.), wrestling and so many more things.

Ralphie May was an excellent closing big comedy show. It’s safe to say the students and community members who attended the show went home happy, which is one of the main things a student activities director could ask for.

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

The frozen tundra is here

Growing up in upstate New York, I’m used to cold winters.

This week has been brutal though.

The area seems to be struggling just to get out of single digits and we’ve had wind chill announcements for a couple of days now.

The National Weather Service’s weather report today for my town says: “Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 6. Wind chill values as low as -17. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.”

Brrr!

Fun times!

Since when did this part of New York turn into Alaska?

You laugh. Think I’m kidding?

According to the Weather Channel’s app on the iPhone, as of this writing, it’s 5 degrees in my town — with a wind chill of 12-below-zero. In Anchorage, Alaska, at the same time, it’s 27 degrees (feels like 22).

Now, I realize if you get to the top of Alaska in Barrow (which, strangely enough, is a place I’d actually like to visit), it’s 12 below (feeling like 31 below). But that’s extreme, right there.

I am not in Barrow. I’m in upstate New York. And heck, we’re actually closer to central New York than actually being way upstate, such as in Watertown (0 degrees/-13 wind chill as of now).

I’ll be fair and note there are some blue skies out there. It really does look inviting.

Alas, the NWS has issued a wind chill advisory in the area until 7 p.m. tonight (though from looking forward, I wouldn’t be shocked to see this change and become even longer):

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN WINDS COMBINE WITH VERY COLD TEMPERATURES TO CREATE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS FOR EXPOSED SKIN. THE WIND CHILL IS EXPECTED TO BE COLD ENOUGH TO CAUSE FROSTBITE IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES OR LESS…AND COULD LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. THOSE PLANNING TO VENTURE OUTDOORS SHOULD USE COMMON SENSE AND DRESS WARMLY…MAKING SURE THAT ALL EXPOSED SKIN IS COVERED.

That is absolutely a fun thing to read. Something tells me I should brave the weather to go start my car and let it run for a few though.

Relief appears to be coming soon, though. The next two days show a high of 15 — with the chance of 1-3 inches of snow tomorrow night, though! Cold and snow.

Ugh!

Sunday boosts to mostly sunny and a whopping 22. At some point midweek, they are calling for the 30s, as well as one day in the mid 40s (though with rain), before dropping back down into the upper 20s/low 30s. That’s what winter is supposed to be.

A friend sent me this photo — from 7:30 a.m. near the Cooperstown area. Yikes!

Not 5.

Though I hope it doesn’t get too warm for too long. I’m looking to go to a geocaching event next Saturday, and it’s on a frozen pond. So that warmer weather (in the 40s, anyway) and rain can kind of go away for a little while as this event sounds like a heap of fun.

But that’s still 10 days away. I’m more worried about now.

And staying inside where it’s warm. It’s a good thing I have a job hunt to keep me inside. Because if I had to be outside on a day like this, I think I’d be miserable.

Brrrr!

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How about some toilet humor?

Pay to pee?

A friend texted me Monday morning to let me know that there was a photo opportunity at a pull off just outside of town.

I responded with the normal confused-type text: “???”

Enter to use the pay toilets!

She sent back “Funny potty humor.”

Indeed.

I finally got around to getting out there during the early afternoon and got a chuckle as soon as I pulled up to the pull off. I worked to take a few photos, but the sun was in such a bad spot that it ruined the shot I was hoping to get.

What I saw was four toilets on the side of the pull off. There were signs for pay toilets (honor system, of course). The women’s room had more toilets (three-to-one ratio).

A few funny parts:

  • The men’s side had a dookie in the can — two dark corn cobbs. Way too funny.
  • There were actually a few pennies in the “pay” jar.
  • There’s toilet paper on a tree branch in between the “rest rooms.”
  • Reading material is available.
  • There’s also a “beach chair,” ya know, in case you have to rest.

I have no idea how this all got out here. If I had to bet, it’s probably something to do with the local college and the kids. It’s a harmless and funny prank. I’ll be interested to see how long it actually stays here.

I’m glad I got the chance to see and take photos of this. It’s a pretty funny thing and I’ll be interested to see how long it lasts.

Some other photos I took are below.

As Bevis used to say, tee-pee for the bunghole!

Five cents, please!

All the necessities!

The women’s room.

All you need to know.

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