my world

2021: A year in review

February 22, 2022

In the past when I did my year in review post(s), they tended to come out in late December or earlier in January.

But that’s OK – I haven’t done them in a few years, so this turned into a much longer post.

I have a feeling many of us would say 2021 was a year of craziness. Between Covid and all of the other things happening around the world, it was going to be nuts right off the bat.

But, when you get into personal worlds, things can be different. Depending where one lives, you may have been able to do things differently or were able to kind of have a “life” of sorts.

Living in a small area has allowed me to live life a little more loosely, all while making sure I follow the guidelines set in place. So let’s take a peek back at 2021.

1. Harper

To say my life changed on July 2 would be an understatement. That’s when this little furball of a puppy came into my life. We had picked out Harper from a breeder about 1.5 hours away and got her at nine weeks. I had done so much research on dogs and golden retrievers over the past year or two, so I thought I was ready for this.

To a point, I was. But in a lot of ways, I wasn’t even close.

Puppies are a lot of work.

I took two weeks off from work when she came home and I was naive to believe that’s all I would need to get her into being the perfect dog.

Ha!

I can’t even say how wrong I was.

Let me say this … if I didn’t have the emotional attachment I have to Harper, and I could go back in time knowing everything I know now, I wouldn’t do it. I would likely still be dogless, or would have tried to find a rescue I could bond with. But, I can’t go back in time and with Harper being more than eight months old now, it’s amazing to see how far she has come.

That doesn’t take away how hard it was for a few months, physically and emotionally. I also think it’s quite safe to say I will never go through having a puppy again. One time is enough for me. I was at the end of my rope many times. I questioned if I should keep her or talk to the breeder about returning or maybe rehoming.

Then she’d look at me with that golden look. And she’d sit at my feet.

Like I could get rid of her?

I also was fortunate in finding a great doggy daycare/boarding place. The owner owns goldens, so that was great. And Harper loves going there.

But…

The biggest thing that happened was finding the right trainer. I had one session with a trainer and I just didn’t agree with the style, so I contacted another who was highly recommended.

Life. Saver.

I truly believe it’s safe to say that if I hadn’t found her, I’m not sure where I’d be. She doesn’t just train the dog, she trains you. She’s always there to help and work with you. She’s also into dog sports and we’ve worked to make sure Harper is, too. While she enjoys everything so far (toss and fetch was the first), it seems her love is dock diving. I want to also try some agility, eventually, with her, but I love dock diving and that’s what I want to focus on. It’s so much fun and Harper showed great strides in the fall. I can’t wait until spring to see where she can go with this!

One thing I’ve learned, however, is this is going to be constant. She will continue to learn and grow. And it’s a constant growing experience for me. We are still working on some things – such as her wanting to jump up on people or trying to get stuff on counters. But that will come in time.

Over the six months she’s been with us, what have we learned? A lot. She’s grown into a great dog. She’s one who will cuddle and snuggle. She loves to play fetch, more with tennis balls. And she will go for a long time if I let her. She’s curious. She’s stubborn. She loves to walk, but she needs a job so she is usually carrying a stick or a stuffed animal.

I’ve been told I seem to smile more and laugh more. I hope that’s true. She’s brought a lot of enjoyment (and frustration at times) into my life, but I’m really starting to have a crazy good bond with her, and I’m trying to plan more places I can go with her. I also love when I come in from work and she comes running to see me.

Where from here?

Well, I want to work on her with photography more. She tends to shy away from “posed” photos, but I can get plenty of sleeping and action photos. The jumping needs to be worked on as well. Finally, the other big thing is working on her in cars more. She gets motion sickness at times and will throw up. I have a lot of places I want to take her, so this is something I need to keep working on. With my 50th coming up in a couple of years, I’m already planning an epic road trip and I want her with me, of course.

I post plenty of things about Harper on my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hoohaa29/), and I’m sure there will be posts on here. But, Harper also has her own Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/harper_dublin/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HarperTheGolden), but I need to do a lot more work on that one.

There is no doubt that Harper is my No. 1 item for 2021. I look forward to watching her grow and develop and continue to be part of my world.

2. My health/personal life

I was doing so good.

For the first part of 2021, my A1C continued to go down. It was awesome. And the last 3-4 months of the year changed that. High stress – from work and Harper and the holidays and everything else, I just wasn’t good. I was still working on Harper and walking, so I wasn’t moving as much as I should have been. And I also ate more crap and my portion control went out the window. Thankfully, I haven’t put on a ton of weight, but at the same time my A1C took a jump up (got my results a few days ago).

It’s not an excuse, but I know what happened. And I know the reason. So it’s time to dial it back and get myself on the right path again. I have done it before and know I can do it again.

Harper walking more will help.

I’m also trying to utilize my normal planner into a life journal. The weekly look at things has more on it than just the normal stuff. If all goes well, that will give me some accountability. It won’t happen overnight as I don’t have a ton of self-control at times, but it will happen.

All of my other blood test results looked fine. My blood pressure and such was fine.

In regard to other things, I’m pretty content in life. I was able to travel a little and get out and see things. More on that below.

Being able to get away some, like this short trip to the Jersey Shore, has helped my mental and physical well being.

I think the reality of our current world situation – not just the pandemic, but everything political and all, has made me realize that I need to find the more fun things in life. I have to find the simple pleasures.

Part of that, of course, is trying to find things to ground myself and enjoy the steps in life. That, in turn, should help with my health.

See, I’ve always been a bit high strung when it comes to stressful things. Over the past few years, I’ve worked on that to try and dial it back. Part of my issue is work. I tend not to say no, or take on way too many things. When I was at the newspaper, I rarely turned something down or made a case why I shouldn’t do it. I just did it. I’d have vacation days at the end of the year that I needed to take or lose them because throughout the year, I’d not take them.

In the end, I was laid off due to cuts. The newspaper didn’t show me any loyalty when all was said and done, so what did I get in the end? Notta.

Therefore, as I moved forward, I knew I had to watch for myself. Everybody is replaceable. At my current job. I still push myself probably too far. But I don’t sacrifice “me” time. I take vacations. I take care of myself. And, for the most part, those above me encourage and support employees to take care of themselves. Mental health issues are real and I’m lucky that my employer(s) take things seriously and don’t want to see people have issues.

That means I take vacations and unplug. I try to get outside and explore. I look to see new things and experience different parts of life. With Harper, I like to go and see different things.

And a lot of times, when I do this, I don’t look at my email etc.

Exploring the world around me has been beneficial healthwise. I tend to smile a bit more when I get outside and I’m seeing different things now. Everything is new to Harper, so it’s enjoyable to explore with her and see what she finds interesting.

My health – both physical and mental – are doing much better since the start of 2021. Though I took some steps backward with my diabetes control, everything else seems to be doing better. It’s a long road and I will keep working on it.

3. COVID

What a world in which we live.

COVID has taken over everything. And no matter what side of the fence you are on when it comes to the severity of it, masks, or vaccinations, the reality is we are still deep into it.

And we’re also at a breaking point.

The reality is, the majority of people who are going to get vaccinated have already done so. Those who are against it are likely not going to change their mind. And masks? Those who will wear them do so. Those who won’t, don’t.

We’re two years into this. Almost 5.75 million people around the world have died from the disease, including more than 900,000 in the United States.

People are going to be set in their ways and beliefs. Sure, you’ll get some who might change their minds some. But the reality is, most are staying along the path. At some point, though, you have to wonder when we start coming out of this. Is there herd immunity? Is there something with the variants getting weaker as they come out? Will it become a yearly “flu” shot?

I’m vaccinated. I have a booster. And I wear a mask. I’ve been exposed a couple of times and am thankful I didn’t show any symptoms. I haven’t had to be quarantined because I am vaccinated. But at the same time, it still wears on me. I try to do what I can to stay safe and healthy. And I hope others, even if they are against the vaccine and masks, will take others into consideration when making decisions. The sooner we can all get closer to being on the same page, the sooner we can hopefully move away from this and get back to some sort of normal.

4. Baseball!

One thing felt a bit normal in 2021 – being able to go to baseball games.

It started in April when we went to a Phillies game. At that point, there were limited seats. Only like 10,000 people were in the stadium, and masks were to be worn.

As the season continued – at the minor and major league levels, more people were allowed in, of course based on where you were. Mask mandates were lifted or softened. By the end of the year, it truly felt like baseball again.

I didn’t make a lot of baseball trips this year. In fact, I only hit four stadiums – Syracuse, Binghamton, Philadelphia, and Aberdeen. The last one was on a late-summer trip to the Baltimore area for geocaching.

It was nice to be able to hit a few baseball games this year, even if the majority of them were closer and quick trips

It was nice to be back in a stadium for games. I likely would have been to more games, but with getting Harper, it was harder. We did take her to one “Bark in the Park” in Binghamton and will do so again this upcoming season.

The little things truly do help you cope with the bigger picture. Even just a fireworks night at a baseball game can help make you smile a bit.

It’s funny, though. A few summers ago, I was pushing 75 games. At the end of the summer, I was thinking how crazy it was. Fun? Yes. But still crazy. And it wore me out. Then the first summer of covid, where all minor league games were canceled and no fans for MLB came and went. And, shockingly, I didn’t miss being in the stands as much as I thought I would.

It was great to get back to it this summer, though. I’ve realized that if I stay in the 25-40 game range most summers, I’ll be quite content and not feel burnt out from going to games.

It’s only January, but baseball will be back soon enough. Well, hopefully. They still need to figure out the CBA.

5. Travel

Travel returned this year to many people. With the loosening of requirements, people got out and visited friends and family. Went to new places. And tourism started to come back into the world.

I can’t say I went a lot of places, but I got out a little bit, even if just for a few small trips. I had the chance to go see some baseball games this past summer and I also hit up the shore twice, so that was nice.

I didn’t travel as much as I might have liked this year, but one thing is for sure — I’ve realized you can travel closer to home and still find fun things to do!

I will admit that I’m still a little skeptical about flying. I realize it’s probably overall safe, but I’m not sure how I feel about being masked up for a several-hour flight. And remember, I’m pro-mask for myself in most situations – and being in a tube above the world for a few hours would be a place where I’d wear it.

But, as things seemingly start to slowly once again improve (I hope), maybe things will get better.

One other thing to consider moving forward, though, is Harper. I plan to hopefully take her on many trips, which will scratch flying. I am not one to want to put her through that experience if not necessary.

I’ve also realized over the past year, there’s a lot of things within driving range I’d like to see. New York State has a ton of amazing parks to explore. There are different places throughout the Northeast I’d love to see. And heck, there’s much more in the United States and Canada I’d like to see – and it can all pretty much be done via car, which also means being able to bring Harper with me.

Look around your own backyard and parks and such near you – sometimes traveling doesn’t have to be far to find some fun things to do.

6. Geocaching/getting outside

Getting outside was a must in the past two years.

And though I haven’t geocached as much as I once did, it was nice to get out there and do it again. There’s plenty of them to find around me, so it has been good when I’ve needed to do something. I’ve done a few geocaching trips as well, which has allowed me to see some new areas and parks.

I’ve tried to be out more and to also get back into geocaching a bit. It’s been fun and it’s also nice to find some creative hides.

In 2021, I found a total of 231 geocaches, which isn’t my best year by far, but also isn’t my worst. The good part of it is that it was toward the end of the year that the numbers started coming around. I did 23 days worth of geocaching, averaging 10 per day.

The good part is many of those caching days were toward the end of 2021, which means I started getting into it again. As 2022 has started, I’ve already started getting some days in, which is great. And I’ve been bringing Harper along, which is even better.

Obviously, Harper won’t be logging in her finds and such, but she seems to enjoy wandering around and exploring as we’re out on the trails caching. It’s just been really nice to get out and find some caches as well as place a few.

7. Financial

I’m in a better place at the end of 2021 than in the beginning, that’s for sure, I’m still not where I probably should be overall, but it takes time.

If you think back to when I came out of college, I went to work for a daily newspaper. Needless to say, I wasn’t getting rich there. Looking back, I have to wonder how some people survived (or still do) working for newspapers. It’s definitely not a way to get rich. Hell, in many cases, it’s not a way to even be middle class. And while I’m currently not on track to be rich, I’m comfortable. And even better? I’m saving for retirement, and doing so rather aggressively.

A few years ago, I opened a new credit card and transferred all balances because it gave me interest free on the balance for like 21 months. I paid that off last January, which was outstanding. That meant I was out of credit card debt.

Now, I use my credit cards sporadically for purchases and then work to pay them off as fast as I can. It was nice because I had a Lowe’s card that I put the fence for Harper on. That will take some time to pay off as it was an investment, but I felt a lot more comfortable doing it with having a clear balance.

I also am adding more to my retirement accounts as I know it’s something I have to keep building. When I started this current job, I had zero savings for retirement. And what little amount I did have, I had to use when I was unemployed.

With working for the state, I have a pension now, which is nice. I also have two retirement accounts I’m building. Who knows where this world will be when I finally can retire, but I want to be as ready for it as possible. I wish I had worked for the state a lot sooner in life, but there’s not much I can do about it now. The end result is I will just have to work until at least 65, if not a bit beyond that, to maximize certain things. I’m OK with that. It’s just nice to know things are building toward that age.

Finances are tricky and always a work in progress. I’m definitely better now than I was 10 years ago, if not just the understanding part of things.

8. Looking back

I know many people will look at 2021 and yell about how bad the year was. With Covid still running rampant, and everything else in my country and the world as a whole, the year was tough for a lot of people.

The one thing with the pandemic is I’ve tried to find the silver linings. I do think when this is all done and past us (and I do believe it will at some point) we will find some positives. I can think of a few. It’s just a shame we’ve had to go through a lot of negativity and a prolonged pandemic to find any of the good things.

To me, 2021 will always be the year of Harper. It’s hard for me to think of it as a bad year when she came out of it. The key is for all of us to keep pushing forward and try to make this world a positive and better place for all!

And, at the same time, will anything positive from this ever outweigh all the bad that happened? Will we ever have a normal again?

For me, I look at 2021 in a few ways.

I feel I became more in touch with different things and I really think I appreciate things a bit more. The little things, anyway. We’re only here for a short bit of time, so we need to start realizing what is important.

In 2021, I got Harper. For that alone, it’s a pretty good year. Though it’s been hard and frustrating at times, she’s become such a big part of my life. I’ve learned a lot from having her and I know the future with her will be a fun journey.

And 2021 ended with hope. Will we get out of all of this in 2022? Will things start to return to somewhat normal? Time will only tell but we can continue to hope.

Until then, try and be good to one another and yourself. Here’s hoping 2022 is a good year for all of you and that we have a lot to be thankful for when we flip the calendar.

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!

Looking at life a little differently

October 15, 2021

I’ve always said birthdays are just another day … and your age is just a number.

And I still truly believe that.

However, as we start to get older, I think you start to see things with a different set of eyes. As I approach a half of a century on this Earth (still a couple of years, but much closer to that than, say, a quarter of a century), I tend to look at things in a bit of a different light.

Mainly, about myself.

I’ve made certain choices in life that have brought me to where I am. And I’m OK with that. I realize if I had gone this direction or that direction, things would be totally different. Maybe for the better. Maybe for the worse. You never know as there are always ramifications for a decision you make.

Sometimes, though, you just have to start understanding where things are in this world.

Find the things that make you smile. Sunrise in Avalon, NJ – October 2021.

I’ve had a lot of time recently to do some thinking. And I’ve kind of been in a frame of mind where I don’t know how to express things. My world is upside down, and there’s not a lot to lean on. As I learn new things (ie: owning a puppy), I often feel isolated or on an island. But what makes it harder is not having that regular system to lean into, and that has nothing to do with the dog.

Too, I realize as we grow older, everybody has different priorities. And I never will fault people for priorities. In fact, it’s how it should be. My decisions in life have put me where I am. I have a pretty good job. I’m in the process of buying a house. I now have a dog. But, I’m also single and don’t have kids – and that’s by choice. I often work too much and when I’m not working, half the time I just want to chill.

But, you also need to have interactions and connections as part of life, right?

The thing to always remember is we all grow – and in different ways. Some get married. Some have kids. Some move away for a job. Some just go in different directions. Some live care free lives where they just go from place to place. Maybe you stopped doing something where you saw a lot of people (ie: for me, when I stopped playing softball, I saw less of those people). And it’s not done out of spite or with bad intentions, rather it is just a change.

I’m one of those people who tend to hang on with certain things. I like giving people the benefit of the doubt, and I try my hardest to reach out and things like that. Alas, I’m not perfect. It doesn’t always happen, as much as I would like to do so. And this isn’t anything in particular, rather a situation where people just have other things going on and other commitments. While it’s true that some people just aren’t reliable and constantly go back on what they tell you or just always spin the yarn, the reality is most people just have life and family and things come up. I get that.

So that leads to me.

Here I am, approaching that half-century mark. I don’t plan on making any big moves in my world, so I’m where I’m at. I like to travel a little bit. I like baseball. And I like experiencing things. I just have to realize that many things I will do may have to be done by myself or, eventually, with my dog (such as possibly learning to like “camping” a bit more and traveling to national and state parks).

I have to become more secure in this.

The reality is, sometimes people don’t always come through when they tell you they will. And I’m not talking about one or two times. I mean, things come up. We all have had to back out of things here and there. You move on and deal. I’m talking more about the continual way of doing this. Over and over.

It’s interesting. On my birthday, I read something on Facebook. It quoted Anthony Hopkins. It was pretty long, but well worth reading … in the end, it talked about people. Basically, what I got from it, is that things should always be a two-way street. If you are trying too hard and you seem to be the only one doing so, it might not be time to look deeper into things. It really struck a chord with me, though.

Life’s hard. The experiences and the people who you let into your circle are what will make you happy. You have to go out and get it. I know I’m not always happy. I know getting this dog has actually, for now, made me more down (I realize in time that will change) because of everything I have to do.

Life is what you make of it. I always have said that … the difference now is I have to start living it, too.

Look ahead, not behind. And do everything you can to smile as much as you possibly can as you never know when that smile will stop.

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!

Focusing on life and getting out more

December 13, 2019

“It comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living. Or get busy dying.”

Those words echo toward the end of the Shawshank Redemption. Words spoken by Tim Robbins’ character as he sits in prison for a murder he did not commit as he talked with Morgan Freeman’s character.

Not too much longer, Freeman’s character, free on parole echoes the words.

“Get busy living. Or get busy dying. That’s goddamn right.”

Over the past year and change, I’ve worked to get myself into better health. I’m not where I need or fully want to be yet – lots more weight to lose and still needing to control the diabetes much better, but I’m on the right path.

Now it’s time to work on other things to go with that.

The area in which I live – central New York – has so much to offer. There are amazing things to see and do and places to get outdoors and explore.

If you expand a bit – into Northeast Pennsylvania, for example, the activities and opportunities become even more.

I love the outdoors. I love the indoors as well, don’t get me wrong. I mean a night of television or messing on the computer is a good time, but being outdoors is a lot of fun and it doesn’t require going through the middle of woods, bushwhacking, and things like that.

Instead, there are wonderful trails to wander and see; nature to enjoy and photograph; and plenty of wildlife to see and admire. There are man made and natural made areas that are amazing to the eyes. And though my interest in the bulk of geocaching has waned recently, there are plenty of them to find out in the woods. I’d like to explore some bike trails, too, and just wander along and enjoy the atmosphere. I’m looking to eventually invest in a bike rack/kayak rack for my car, as well as a kayak. That would be something I’d like to do more in the warmer months.

And I never will forget about baseball in the summer!

There are urban developments with some fantastic museums and activities not far away. There are ways to broaden your horizons and see different things within a semi-quick car ride. Breweries and great places to eat are everywhere now. There’s definitely things to do.

So maybe it’s time to start doing things like this.

One thing I really want to get back into is more photography. Because I do it so much during my professional day, I tend not to take my main camera when out and about. I mean, the iPhone is a wonderful tool – it really is. But I miss using the camera and different lenses… or pushing things to see what I can create. Especially when it comes to things like waterfalls and covered bridges, and other items that really interest me.

In the grand scheme of things, life is short. Even if you are one of the lucky ones who lives to 100 or a bit more, that’s just a speck of time when considering how long some form of life has been on Earth. So while you are here, see things. Do things. Live things.

I can’t say I’m always going to follow this mantra. I’m just as guilty of plopping down on the couch for some television or hours online. But if I’m going to do that – I need to make sure I’m balanced and I get out and see some wonderful things as well.

My DayZero list is a start.

On January 1, 2019, I started my third round with the DayZero Project. I have on it more than the 101 goals because I need to trim. I’ve looked to see what is something that can be done – be it hard or not – as compared to dreams. This is a starting point as some of it gets me outdoors.

I have life goals and life plans and hopes – all of which intermingle with one another. But as the two characters in the Shawshank Redemption noted – get busy living, or get busy dying.

In the past couple of months or so, I think I’ve gotten busy living – at least in some aspects. And my mental being seems to be doing much better. But there’s still a lot to grow from and I look forward to trying to do more (to be fair, it’s much easier to do in warmer weather).

The world is a wonderful place if you find the right angle. Now get out and find it.

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!

My pitch to manage the Phillies (if they hadn’t hired Girardi!)

October 25, 2019

(Note: The Philadelphia Phillies hired Joe Girardi to be their next manager. I’m quite stoked about this and hope it’s what the Phillies need. Too much talent to just be 81-81. That being said, I had drafted this up … you know, in case they still needed a manager. So, this is my pitch from all my years of managing adult softball to come out of “retirement” and be the manager of the Phillies!)

Dear Mr. Klentak,

Coming out of my managerial retirement wasn’t something I had planned on contemplating, but as they say – when opportunity knocks, answer the door!

While I am sure you are seeking somebody with big league experience for the next manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, I still felt it necessary for a life-long Phillies fan to see about the possibility, especially somebody with the managing pedigree that I bring.

What I bring is a championship background and would love to bring that to the dugout of the Philadelphia Phillies. For nearly 30 years, I built and managed an adult softball team in my area that went on to do well not only here, but at the state and national level. Success took a little time (hey, it’s not easy starting with a “rebuild” and having to recruit players right away!) but once we reached the highest level, we stayed there.

You could say was somewhat of a GM/manager/player (probably why if I can ever afford the Phillies Phantasy Camp, I’ll want to do so with the GM part), and I feel that experience could lead to a successful run as skipper of the Phillies.

Over the 28 years I managed, we had a constant flow of players and personalities. It’s not easy to juggle all of that, especially if they are coming straight from work or had a cold one in them. We played modified pitch, which is as close to baseball as it comes – and we lived on small ball. We had some power, and good pitching. And we were usually pretty solid in the field (not if I was out there – hitting was my prowess. Fielding, not so much).

And, of course, we had some egos and tempers and everything else. I feel I handled it all well. And I know pitching is something of a sore spot to people, as well. But I have to be honest – I manage pitching with git instinct. I want pitchers to test their limits and become old school of sorts. To be fair, we only really had one pitcher over the last 19 years I managed. I pitched some, too, but the old knuckleball didn’t always work and that proved to be tough at times. And, our pitcher 60 in my final year, but he could still go.

Some of my credentials:

7 league championships
More than 400 victories (estimated)
Belief in the youth movement
Letting players be players

And, Mr. Klentak, I can’t lie – I can second-guess current managers with the best of them (though, to be fair, I don’t really do it online, so maybe it doesn’t count?) as I attend anywhere from 40-75 live games a year between the minors and majors.

I’m also a baseball nerd (have scorebook, will travel) and love all the analytics of the game. Though, to be fair, I tend to manage more by seeing how the game unfolds more so than worrying about whether or not a guy facing a certain player a third time would be bad. If a guy is dealing, I want him to keep dealing. I’m sure with more analytics, I’d be all over it. There’s not many scouting reports, though, in upstate New York for an over-35 dynasty. We just win!

My salary requirements won’t be too crazy, I promise. I’ll bring fire, that’s for sure. I’m a supporter of the Phillies in many ways – from traveling to see them play to even taking part this past year in the Phillies 5K to getting many clothing items – and I’ll continue to do so as manager (though, a uniform and such will be free, right?) I also believe in the system and have been a supporter at the minors and have a good feel for what’s in the system (prospect guides rule)!

I’m ready for my eighth championship to come with the Phillies.

References available upon request. I look forward to discussing this possibility.

Sincerely,

P.J. Harmer

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“Somebody called us saying … “

April 11, 2017

Society needs to get a grasp.

On Sunday, I was coming home after a fine day of watching baseball in Syracuse. The whole day was wonderful with blue skies and just enjoying baseball.

For those who know me, you know I’m a bit of a baseball nerd. When I go, I keep a scorebook and just watch the game. I rarely have a beer when I am at a game, and if I’m driving I pretty much completely avoid it.

That was Sunday.

Being I went by myself, I was driving. I watched a doubleheader, during which I had my normal hot dogs and not much more. When the games ended, I headed home. Simple as that.

By the time I was about 30 miles from home, I was ready for the day to be over. Though I wasn’t driving over-aggressive, I made a few passes on the way home (in zones, so legally) and all of those passes were of people who were adjusting their speed the whole time, many of times which was below the speed limit.

When not passing, I gave cars their distance as I’m supposed to. I didn’t think anything was bad.

The first vehicle I passed hit his volunteer fireman blue light – which I’m not sure is truly legal as there was no emergency. It was turned off quickly, though, so maybe it was their way of telling me it was safe for me to come back in?

I passed one other (again, legal passing zone) who I then saw eventually turned. There was one more pass that happened (legal zone) miles down the road of somebody going about 40-45 in a 55.

I don’t think I did anything wrong.

Now, I’d like to also point out that on my way home from Syracuse, I passed no fewer than three or so troopers and never got pulled over. On the way up, I passed no fewer than five and didn’t get pulled over.

So I came into my town (doing the legal speed limit) and passed a sheriff deputy, who turned and followed me, hitting his lights as I neared my home. He came up, asked me for my license and registration and walked away talking to a second police officer who had showed up.

Now, mind you, I still have no idea why I was pulled over.

So the first officer came back and told me he pulled me over because somebody called with my license plate and car description saying I was driving “fast and erratic.” He said they had to pull me over to see if I was intoxicated or had a medical emergency. So, despite them not seeing me doing anything wrong, they pulled me over – based on somebody making a phone call. So does that mean if I am just mad at somebody, I can call the police when I see them driving and they’ll take care of it? Or it makes me wonder if the person who called “knew somebody?”

I did wonder if the person who called it in either pulled over or had somebody else in the car make the call, being it’s illegal to talk on the phone in New York while driving.

In the end, my license was handed back to me because “they got another call” and had to race off through a residential area. Part of me wonders what he would have done if he hadn’t been called away.

The other part of all this is taking the caller’s word. What if they were just mad that somebody passed them, despite driving under the speed limit?

This is society now.

My father was a chief of police for more than 20 years. He was fair and honest. He didn’t tote his badge around like he was King of the world. I’m quite sure he would have handled this much differently.

Reality is this – if somebody called in my plate number, the officer knew who I was and where I lived. Being he was “ready” for me as I came into town, he knew where I likely was heading. So why not just follow me, wait for me to park and roll down your window and say something like “Hey, is everything OK? We got a call and just wanted to check.”

That would have made sense.

Instead, it seems people are always looking for something more. The flashing lights, the flashlight into the mirror and all the hoopla.

Look, I’m a defender of the police. I know many officers still and know their job is dangerous and thankless. But there’s also something to be said about taking things at the level they are. There was no true reason to pull me over, outside of somebody making a phone call. When the officer saw me, I was doing the speed limit, used turn signals and abiding the law.

Society is changing and, in many ways, in bad ways. I give police the benefit of the doubt. I truly hope the intent here was to make sure everything was OK.

I have no issues – none – with being asked where I had been or checking on me because somebody called. But to pull me over near my home and make it like I had done something wrong that was witnessed by the officer, isn’t something I would expect.

I remember how my father handled many things like this. With society changing as it has, I know it would be hard to do things the same way, but it doesn’t mean I can’t hold out hope that there would be exceptions.

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!