A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

new jersey

The beach in the offseason is a nice way to get away and relax

As I have done for the past several years, I had the chance in October to slip away for a few days to the Jersey Shore.

My aunt and uncle own a place in one of the small Oceanside towns there, so it’s nice to get away for a weekend. It’s also nice because it’s outside of tourist season, so it’s usually pretty quiet. I like that. There’s something to be said about being able to walk on the beach and not see many people.

This year, the weather – as it was last year – was a tad iffy. It wasn’t quite as bad as last year, when it was almost no fun to deal with. The day we left down there was really quite warm, so it was nice to have a clear day to look out over the water.

When I was younger, we used to go to an uncle’s place in Maryland. It was really nice and going into the water was always fun. Though, to be fair, having to use an outhouse wasn’t great. But, that’s neither here nor there.

Now this is peaceful.

Now this is peaceful.

There was then a time in my life where I hated the beach. There were several reasons for this, but in recent years, I’ve started to appreciate it more. It’s likely more like I appreciate it when it’s not so crowded. The water and the sound can be very relaxing and peaceful. There are times I’ve sat on the beach for several hours with nobody around, just because the sights and sounds are very peaceful.

I know people rush out to vacation in the warm months and take advantage of the sun. And I can understand that without a doubt. However, there’s something to be said to vacationing when things aren’t so busy. I live in a high tourist area, well close to one, and it can be a total pain when it’s in full swing.

And while it’s true that everything isn’t open, or doesn’t have a lot of hours when they are open, it’s a very calm setting.

The one seafood place I love to eat at (the chowder there is amazing) has closed the weekend I was there the past two years. What’s nice about that is I get them at the end of the season and when it’s not so crammed full of people. I can have a quiet breakfast at a place I truly enjoy. And then I can walk on the beach without seeing many people.

There’s not much of a night life when I am there, but I also don’t really go to have that type of time.

This year, the weekend was the town’s seafood festival. It wasn’t bad and there was definitely a crowd in town for it. I took part in the chowder-tasting contest. I also went up the road to Ocean City one night to see the fireworks there and take in the boardwalk, which was busy that night.

To be fair, my mind was racing all weekend I was there about a lot of things. But on the Sunday I left, the weather was fantastic and I walked the beach by myself, took my shoes off and let the ocean water cover my feet. It’s amazing how quickly your thoughts can vanish and you can get lost in the beauty of the water and beach. Though the tourist season could make me change my mind, I am envious of those who live near a beach and can go on short notice.

The weekend ended up being good for me in that I got a chance to relax and clear my mind a little.

Where do all of you go for a quick weekend to recharge and clear your mind? Beach? Woods? Somewhere else? I’ve found, though, that it’s important to have places like this for your mind, body and soul. It’s always good to get away from the hustle and bustle of life for a bit, if even just for a weekend.

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

Fireworks

I am working on a few posts for the upcoming weeks. But for now, allow me to share the finale of a fireworks show I saw a couple of weeks ago when in South New Jersey.

I’m a big fan of fireworks, so it was nice to get to see this show. Overall, it was pretty solid and well worth the side trip.

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

CZW House of Horrors match lives up to name and then some

[NOTE/WARNING: PLEASE DON’T READ OR MOVE FORWARD IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH OR HAVE NO TOLERANCE FOR SEEING BLOOD. IN THIS BLOG POST, THERE ARE PHOTOS OF BLOODY WRESTLERS. PLEASE STOP READING IF THIS WILL MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. I AM EVEN ADDING THE “READ MORE” OPTION ON THE FRONT PAGE SO PEOPLE CAN CHOOSE! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!]

The House of Horrors match.

I’ve seen a lot when it comes to professional wrestling.

There have been wrestlers sent through flaming tables. There’s been bloody battles. There have been hardcore matches.

Back in the day, I saw several of the original ECW shows, back when tumbling down a set of bleachers, fighting outside the building and using unconventional weapons wasn’t so normal.

Matt Tremont and Joe Gacy prepare to go at it in the House of Horrors.

There’s been “Stone Cold” Steve Austin spraying Vince McMahon with a beer truck (in Albany), or John Cena as a bloody mess, losing the WWE title when Edge cashed in Money in the Bank (also in Albany).

The Royal Rumble. Titles changing hands. Crazy and intense crowds and small crowds sitting on their hands.

Yep, I feel like I’ve seen it all. Until this past Saturday.

Visiting family in South Jersey, I opted to see if there were any wrestling cards in decently close proximity. I saw a handful, but the one that stuck out to me was Combat Zone Wrestling, also known as CZW. The federation is well-known among independent wrestling fans as having some of the best action out there, with a mix of great wrestling and some extremely hardcore and crazy matches.

As a fan of all aspects of wrestling, and having seeing several CZW wrestlers elsewhere, I thought it would be good to see them in their glory. Off I went.

[Read more…] about CZW House of Horrors match lives up to name and then some

Luck o’ the discs

Daylight savings time isn’t the best day/night in the world. Though I like the end result — longer days with the ability to do more things — I usually don’t like the day where the clocks are set forward.

Especially this year.

The day fell on the weekend where I had been planning on traveling down to New Jersey to play in a disc golf tournament. With the hours being pushed forward, even though I went to bed around 12:15, it was, in reality, 1:15. When that alarm went off at about 4:50 a.m., I was groggy to say the least.

And it was very dark out.

After a shower and something to drink, I grabbed all that I needed and was on my way to New Brunswick, N.J. Oh yeah, it was still dark out.

It continued to stay dark until I got near Middletown — or about 1:45 into my trip.

I’ve gotten to a point in my driving life where being on the road in the dark isn’t my favorite thing. I don’t mind driving at dark, but it’s not something I always want to do. Especially long distances on highways. So when the light finally broke through, I was quite happy.

I pulled into the parking lot at about 8:45 a.m., making pretty good time.

Now, the weather called for 52-55 degrees and sunny. I had my shorts on under a pair of wind pants hoping and praying that I could play a round or so and feel like it was late spring or early summer. The wind pants never came off.

It was OK out. About 50, but that sun stayed tucked behind a lot of clouds. And the wind was there, too, which made it chillier. It also played havoc on the discs.

Oh yeah, the tournament. That’s the basis of this post, isn’t it?

The reason I had traveled 3-plus hours to play in the March O’ St. Pat’s Madness was because Darren had talked me into it and I also know the tournament director, Bob (a stellar pro, mind you). That and it was PDGA sanctioned, so it’s nice to see if I can get my rating up a bit. We’ll see about that, though.

Anyhoo…

This was two rounds of a lot of fun. There were only four of us in the rec division, so we got paired up in back-to-back rounds and I’m not sure I ever had as good of a time playing this sport as I did Sunday. Darren and Joe battled for the championship (Darren won his first tournament crown by two strokes) as Dennis and I battled for the basement (of which I took by 11 strokes… I was rewarded with a plastic Irish mug as the person who finished DFL in the tournament. What’s DFL you might ask? Dead F… Last!)

Dennis made this group a blast right off the bat. He was dressed as a leprechaun (and had some Apollo Creed-type drawers) and used an Irish accent to really push it over the edge. Quite a blast all day.

Dennis and Darren check the scorecards following the tournament.

The tournament was a good time. It was the first full tournament I played in this year, so after 36 holes and that long of a ride, I was a bit sore. Not a problem as it was worth the trip down. I just would have enjoyed better weather.

I shot a 77 in the opening round of the tournament, followed by a 76 in the second. I was happy to improve, though I would have liked to have shaved more than one stroke off my first-round total.

Darren and Joe had a good battle for the division title. Both played really well and were battling with each other most of the day. It was good though as it didn’t ever get too chippy. It was good sportsmanship throughout and it was a lot of fun.

Here’s a couple of shots from the day:

Joe with an approach shot.

Dennis putts as Darren watches.

If you want to see the rest of the photos I took (not as many as I would have if I had not been playing), go check out my Flickr set.

One other photo I’d like to share is a small group photo. It’s one of people who had a little “Irish” look going on. These were the people who dressed up a little for the day, including Dennis — who supplied the beer hats. I donned one for the first round, but switched to the Guinness derby I am wearing in the photo for the second round. Quite the fun group.

Trying to act all Irish, my lads!

I obviously didn’t take that image as I am in it — but Darren did well enough with my camera!

I also took some videos!

I’ll post one or two here that you guys can watch here, but the rest of them can be viewed on my YouTube channel. My issue? YouTube seems to be cutting off the final two or three seconds of a video so it can show the thing at the end showing you similar videos. Very annoying as a few of these videos are better to the end.

The first one features a sweet putt… behind the back!

This is one of three that I have of Dennis performing after the tournament. Good stuff.

The pros also had one heck of a battle with the winner earning a one-stroke victory over Bob, the tournament director. I’m sure it would have been fun to watch.

I’ll look forward to returning to the course in July for the Jersey Jam. The first day — Saturday — is for amateurs. The second day — Sunday — is for pros. I’ll play Saturday, of course, and then hope to stick around and take some photos and videos of the pros. I imagine it will be fun to watch.

More later!