A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

new york city

30 Minus 2 Days of Writing: Last train (21/28)

I never used to be a huge fan of New York City.

I think it’s more of living there than anything. That’s probably more like what I wasn’t a fan of. Growing up in upstate New York, but close enough where getting to the city wasn’t hard, it never truly interested me.

In more recent years, that’s changed.

Depending on which system I take to the city, I might end up in Hoboken and have to take the Path train into the city. It’s not the last train, but the late-night trains can be rather interesting (and packed).

I’m still not sure how much I’d want to live there. If I did, I know the few places I wouldn’t mind being at. But one thing I’ve loved is taking a day trip or two during the year. It’s fun to catch up with friends, walk around, see things and take photos.

It really is a remarkable city.

There is so much to do. It’s the city that never sleeps. Times Square is always a thrill for me, especially at night. I love seeing some other places, like skating at Bryant Park. Or going when it’s the holiday season and seeing the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. There’s always good food, too, even if it’s just a dirty dog on the street.

The beauty of the city, in my eyes, is it’s easy for me to get to and it’s easy for me to get out of there. Even if I drive, it’s only a few hours. But when you drive, there are so many more things to worry about.

The biggest thing is I like to often make it a one-day trip. Head down early in the morning and come back later at night. If you’re driving, it makes for a long day. And if you park on the outskirts of the city, you need to get into and out of the city and watch the schedules and all that good stuff.

Who needs that when you are heading to the city for some fun and whatever else?

More recently, I’ve been taking a train whenever I go down. I drive about an hour to an hour and a half from met and grab a train. It ends up being much cheaper as you can avoid parking in the city. That’s worth the price all alone. The only bad thing is not wanting to carry much, whether when you go into the city or when you are walking around.

If you get the last train, having this up on the seat isn’t always necessary, as I’ve found out.

The days are always fun, too.

But when the day is over, I’ve already purchased my ticket when I am riding Amtrak. It’s the last train, too, as that allows me to milk the amount of time I have in the city. When it’s done, I bid my goodbyes to friends, head into New York’s Penn Station and am off to upstate. It’s usually quite peaceful on the train as there aren’t many people.

One time, I even upgraded to business class. The seats were bigger and more comfortable. And nobody was in the car with me. When we were about 10 minutes from my stop, the lady working the train even came back and lightly shook me to wake me up. Top notch.

I do take the Metro North sometimes, too. That’s not the last train as it runs pretty late. It’s also usually nosier, brighter and less comfortable. But it’s cheaper than Amtrak. And if you are with somebody else, it’s pretty nice in that regard. You can just chat it up.

So I guess it depends what you look for. I think the Amtrak deal is better because it’s more comfy. Plus, it’s closer to home in regard to driving. Therefore, I can be thankful to have a shorter drive. But it’s more expensive.

I like that last train. I’m sure I’ll do it again.

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

Day Zero Project: Completed No. 41

Street art from NYC.

A Day Zero Project goal of P.J.’s has been completed!

Goal completed: Buy a piece of art from a street vendor.

Date completed: December 2011.

Number: 41  (remember, these goals will not all be done in order. It’s a random list where the numbers actually are).

Description:  As a fan of art, I wanted to buy some local art from a street vendor.

Why I wanted to do it: To expand my street art collection. I have a lot of cool pieces of art and most were bought on the street during my travels.

How I did it: I always peek at vendors for local art when traveling, whether it be a day trip to New York City or an extended trip elsewhere. I am usually quite successful in finding some sort of street art that I really love (with the exception of finding something in Dublin in 2010, unfortunately).

Some of my favorite art has been purchased from the actual artist, mainly in my travels to Montreal. But I’ve also been successful in finding some really nice stuff in my trips to New York City and other spots. The art in NYC is usually not all original — it might be reproductions or what have you, but it’s some beautiful stuff. I do prefer originals, but the right piece of art is something I enjoy getting.

See above.

This piece was picked up this past December while on a day trip to NYC. This art really was something that was a piece that I wanted to add to my collection. The colors. The symbol. Everything. It is New York City. And, of course, it’s a time captured that we’ll never see again. So it’s a great piece in that regard.

The best part was the price. I got this — and two others — for $5. Seriously. They were $1.99 or three for $5. Unreal. Loved that price! And now it’s a permanent addition to my art collection.

About P.J.’s Day Zero Project: Day Zero is a project where people come up with 101 things to do over 1001 days. I started the project on Oct. 10, 2010 with an anticipated finish date of July 8, 2013. Goals will not be revealed until they are completed. A private list is at the Day Zero website  and the list will be made public upon completion of the project. It’s my thoughts that if things are kept private, should I not do them, change or find a way around it, I’d only be cheating myself.

2011: Looking back

One of my most vivid and humbling memories of 2011 is walking around Arlington National Cemetery.

As I write this, I’m still in 2011. When it publishes, it will be 2012.

I’m ready for the change.

To say that 2011 has been one of the most frustrating and stressful years for me since I’ve been on this planet would be an understatement.

I’m in the midst of one of the biggest battles of my life — unemployment. I’ve had interviews. I’ve had callbacks. But I haven’t gotten that job offer — yet. I know one will come, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that I’ve dealt with this for an entire year — and still feel that losing my job was unjust. I realize cuts have to be made, but I still can’t and probably never will why mine was cut.

That’s neither here nor there and it’s in the past. I keep pushing forward.

When I look back many years from now and think of years during my life, this one will stand out. Why? Because of everything I’ve had to go through. And I’m not the only one. There are so many talented people throughout the country dealing with the same thing. With unemployment as it is, the market is tougher. I’ve even cashed in many favors to get noticed, to no avail.

Something will happen. And this year will have made me stronger. That’s something that I will take away from all this frustration.

That doesn’t take the distaste away from my mouth. I haven’t been to the doctor in nearly a year (who can afford it when no insurance?), I haven’t seen a dentist (oh how I miss the teeth cleaning) in 9 or 10 months, and I’ve battled the up and down feelings at different times. I’ve learned everything I need to know and then some about unemployment insurance. And the job market. And resumes. And cover letters.

And the list goes on and on.

I’ve learned how to battle some of these items and push forward. I’ve let some of those feelings win at times, however, and that doesn’t feel good.

It took me many months to come to grips with what happened. I finally, in October or November, finally let it go. I’m at peace with it now. I am shocked it took me that long, but it did. I will say that there are certain people of whom I used to have amazing respect and admiration for. That’s gone. There were people I considered friends. That’s gone. The reality is I only keep in touch with a few people from my former place of employment. Once employed again, there might be a couple of others I touch base with.

There are a few, however, whom I will never — ever — have contact with again. There is a strong feeling of dislike, or worse. And I’m OK with that. I’ve learned to keep it under control. I know one day, I’ll rise above all of that and be able to laugh.

Still, with all that negativity, this year hasn’t been all bad.

I’m going to take a personal look back at 2011 and hopefully not bore you in the process!

***

The year started off OK, but then, for the first time in my professional career, I found myself on the short end of a layoff. It wasn’t performance based, but there were several cuts in our newsroom.

Anytime I get worked up about things that happened to me in 2011, I try and look at images like this to realize life isn't bad.

Somehow, despite winning or being part of six awards and being extremely loyal, I was one of the short straws. It still boggles my mind.

That put me in a different mode.

I had to re-write my resume, secure references and work on cover letters. I had to basically be a full-time job seeker. That still hasn’t paid off, but I’m pushing ahead.

I battled this early. It was tough, as it still is. But I was pretty in the dumps.

I battled out and went in here and there. But I kept fighting. Still, I made the best of this 2011.

***

A friend of mine, Brendan, who has always been more like a little brother, graduated from the Navy’s basic training. I had the opportunity to go out there and see it.

Brendan after graduation.

The experience was excellent. The ceremony was very cool and it was good to see him happy and excited for the next steps in his life. Since then, he’s continued his schooling and is doing well. I hope one day he really gets to make an impact. It’s good to see his life on track better than before.

The military isn’t for everyone. Though I am loyal and always considered myself hard working, I like knowing that if something is really bad, I can look for a new job and move on. It’s not that way in the military, so I don’t think I would have done well with it. But Brendan has done well and I hope his success continues and this becomes something he can continue to embrace and utilize to make his life better.

The trip to Chicago also served as a chance to meet up with an old friend, Scott. The two of us grew up three houses from one another. I’ve kept in somewhat contact with him over the years, but I hadn’t actually seen him in several years. He’s in the Chicago area, so I got to meet up with him one night, have a few drinks, dinner and catch up. I’ve long since realized that making contact with old friends and family is a big part of this life and a way to find some happiness. More on that, as well, late in the post.

***

Not long after that, I then had the chance to take a few days and go to the biggest geocaching event in the world.

GeoWoodstock.

The Ferreteers at GeoWoodstock!

It was in Pennsylvania, so not a bad drive. There were more than 5,000 people at this event. And what an experience.

Over the course of three days, we hit up eight events (including the big one), met many new people, saw a lot of familiar faces and had a great time. Of course there were many caches to be found as well!

The experience itself was quite amazing. This was probably the best geocaching experience I’ve had yet. I can’t even put it into words, for the most part. Vendors, people, food, fun. It was excellent.

Hopefully, if all goes well, I’ll be able to travel to Indiana for this year’s edition of GeoWoodstock. We’ll see how the job hunt goes.

As for geocaching, it hasn’t been an awful year. My numbers have gone down, as they have the past year or two. But I still enjoy it a lot. I just don’t go flying our for first to finds in the middle of the night or look for 40-plus find days anymore. A cache here and there makes me happy, especially if it’s a good one. Events are still the most enjoyable part of the game to me and I look forward to continuing this fun in 2012.

I had the chance to have a lot of great finds this year (and many crappy ones, too), but the game maintained its fun factor. That’s the key to me. I always wondered if geocaching would keep that fun and it has. I think that I’ve slowed down and spread it out more has prolonged the fun for me. I know many people out there have so many more finds, plan vacations for geocaching, and live and breathe the game. But if I had done that, I would have lost the interest a long time ago. I’ve kept it and I look for that to continue in 2012.

***

And though I’ve had to do it on the cheap (which isn’t bad), I’ve had the chance to do some small trips this year, specifically to Washington D.C. and South New Jersey.

I stared out at this for many hours when in South Jersey.

I crashed at a friend’s house in the D.C. area and had an excellent time. I caught up with him and another friend, saw some great things and had some good food. I hadn’t been to D.C. since I was 5 or 6 years old and don’t really remember it.

I had the chance to do some photography, find a few caches and just relax. It was nice to get away. And, I was even treated to a NHL playoff game, which was wild to watch, especially with the Capitals winning. Good times.

One of the parts of the trip I will remember are the two times I went to Arlington National Cemetery by myself. I just walked around. Took some photos and really took in the scene. It was amazing. And very powerful and humbling.

In October, I had the chance to hit up the Jersey shore. My aunt and uncle own a place in Avalon and offered me the chance to stay there. Despite having a hard time getting in when I first got there, I had three or so days of enjoyment down there. There was hardly anyone there. I walked the beach, took photos, went geocaching and relaxed. I also had the chance to meet up with a cousin I hadn’t seen in many years and we went out for a night of photography, which was a blast.

One of the cool things during a trip to NYC was going to 5 Pointz in Queens.

I also got to take two day trips down to New York City to visit with friends, which is always excellent. I went in the spring and then about a week ago. The city is a great place for photos, food and fun. I don’t think I’d ever want to live there, but visiting isn’t a bad thing. I got some great photo opportunities and it’s a great getaway that doesn’t cost too much for one day.

On the spring trip, I even finally got the chance to go to the top of the Empire State Building, which was really cool.

The best was keeping these trips on the cheap end. All of them of them helped clear my mind some, which was excellent.

***

A game that I’ve embraced more in 2011 is disc golf. This game has been a fantastic addition to my life. For one, it gets you out walking/hiking to play. It taxes you physically and mentally and it’s an interesting culture.

The Ace Race was a fun and relaxed tournament.

Personally, my game has improved some. Not as much as I’d have liked it to, but that’s part of the problem when the closest good course to you is 1:20 away. There has been a push for a course in our area (there had been hopes of having it in the ground this past June or so), but political red tape has stonewalled it. There’s still hope and maybe by this spring we’ll have the dream of this course realized. If that happens, I look forward to my game taking off a bit better.

Still, I had the chance to play many rounds. I also played in seven tournaments (five of which were PDGA sanctioned). I had plans to play in a few more, but I got a little burnt with the game earlier in the year.

I found that playing too many tournaments and not enough casual rounds could really do you in. Why? Because the game becomes too competitive. As much as I like to compete, I also don’t like to get smoked by everyone. Finishing last is one thing, but finishing last by many strokes is another.

So I stepped away from tournaments, except a few. I played more casual rounds. I found the fun again. I even had my best round ever, shooting a 64 at Central Park in Schenectady. That was an awesome feeling. I’ve since had several rounds in the 60s and feel I’m improving a lot, but I need to practice more. Go throw. Putt. Work on things.

The best for a tournament though? The ElectrCity Classic. My opening round was awful. One of the worst rounds I had ever shot at the course (again, Central Park) when I finished with an awful 83. I had been paired up with three players in a much better category than I. They were shooting from the blue tees and me from the white. It was very tough to do this and I still wonder why I wasn’t paired with at least one other in my division. But, that’s neither here nor there. The round dragged on. We got smoked with a nasty thunderstorm. And then finally finished.

With nothing to lose in round two, I relaxed. I was also in a fivesome — all of which were in the same level, for the most part. And I improved. I shot a 72 (and could have been better, sans a couple of idiotic putts), got the most improved round (a $25 gift card to a local sports store) and didn’t finish last in a legit tournament.

I volunteered at the Vibram Open this year. It's impressive watching players, such as Avery Jenkins, throw that plastic as far as they do.

So not bad.

I’m hoping 2012 will continue to see my game improve. I’ve made some great contacts in the industry and a few of us are working on a really fun project. I’ve met and chatted with some of the finest pros in the world, had the chance to volunteer at one of the most prestigious tournaments on the national tour (the Vibram Open) and really got to see a lot of new things in regard to the game this year. I see no reason that won’t change!

Here’s hoping that my game can continue to improve and that I can keep having fun playing!

***

As many people who know me know, most of my online monikers have the word “softball” in them. That’s done on purpose as I’m a softball junkie.

The one good thing about being unemployed during the summer is that I can do all my job seeking during the day and have the nights free to play softball. I’ve played softball since I was in high school and I love the game.

This year was a new experience for our team in our current league. We came in as defending champions.

Champions... again!

And we left as back-to-back champions.

It was a great season. We lost twice, both coming to the same team. One of those losses came in the best-of-three final. It didn’t look good for us in the third game, either. But we rallied in the bottom of the seventh to win on a walk-off single.

It was a tremendous scene, too, as our bench emptied to celebrate the win. I realize it’s adult recreation softball, but the reality is we are not going to be playing pro ball. So this is the competition we have. This is our big time. And to win a game in that fashion after such an awesome series, it was an incredible feeling.

Winning doesn’t suck.

Only time will tell if we can make it three straight this upcoming summer. But I know we’ll give it a run and have fun in the process.

***

Probably the best thing this year though?

Our family reunion.

It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and after some hard work with several people in the family (especially my mother), we pulled it off. Family from my mother’s and father’s sides came to this area for a fantastic day in August.

I met family I had never met before.

Our family reunion was, happily, a big draw.

And saw members of the family who I had only really seen at weddings and funerals. So what a difference.

We had good food, drink, games and fun.

In the end, there were more than 50 members of the family present. There were several generations, too, which made it even cooler.

There were a couple of times where I just stood back and looked around at all the smiles and such. I know for many years, I wasn’t the most family oriented person. I missed some smaller reunions, weddings etc. I regret that now.

But, as I’ve grown older, I realize how great these reunions can be.

I don’t know if I’ll try and do one again this year, but I know I want to do one again, soon. It’s a tough time for many people in this economy, so getting up here every year might be tough.

I did learn a lot from this reunion, however. And I think the next one will be better from those lessons.

But in the end, no matter how much we may have over planned (too much food!), this was a tremendous experience and great time. I look forward to doing it again!

***

With having more time on my hands, I had the chance to work on my blog more often. I think that has been successful.

For the year, my statistics were solid. I only started keeping stats at the very end of February, but according to those attached to my blog, I’ve had nearly 21,000 hits. That’s quite solid for a personal blog, I think.

And, since August, I’ve averaged almost 3,000 hits per month.

I’ve also had a chance to really dive back into photography and work on some personal projects. And seeing as my love of photography has come back, I’m going to once again attempt to do a 365 project. The reason I am doing it, however, is because 2012 is a leap year and it will actually be a 366 project.

I finished this project in 2010. So hopefully I can do it again this year. I always said I wouldn’t do it again, but heck… let’s see what I can get done this year!

***

In the end, 2011 was a tough year. Unemployment has given me a different outlook on this world, people and other things. I’m not political, but it’s my hope that the government will eventually find a way to help people instead of always fighting with other countries. That’s all I have to say about political stuff.

But I’ve met some really good new friends. I’ve had some successes and I look for better things in 2012. I do feel blessed, to a point, for having what I have and knowing life could be worse.

My outlook is good. I am positive. I have a roof over my head. I can pay my bills (for the most part) and I am breathing. I have it far better than many. But that doesn’t take away from the thoughts of personal failure and wonderment on what lies ahead. I’ll overcome, I hope, in 2012.

I am not much for “New Year’s resolutions,” but I do like to set some goals. My goals, in no specific order (outside of the first one) for 2012 are:

  • New job
  • Reach 3,000 finds in geocaching
  • Become a 750 rated disc golfer (I’m at 672)
  • Improve my health (get to seeing a doctor regularly again, lose weight, etc.)
  • Find personal happiness
  • Continue for my blog to grow
  • Complete the 366 project

***

Finally, I want to end this post with some more photography. I’ve decided I wanted to pick out my 15 favorite photos that I took this year. I will put them in no particular order and, I can assure you, this was a very rough decision to make to pick just 15 (I could have easily gone top 25!) (Note: The ones already used in this post are among some of my favorites, but I won’t use them for a second time in this part).

Disc golf basket during sunset. April.

Snowshoeing during an LL Bean course in Albany. January.

Speeding bullet. April.

Changing of the Guard, Arlington National Cemetery. April.

On-site fundraiser at Relay For Life. April.

Kite flying in South New Jersey. October.

Mother's Day golf outing. May.

Delaware County Fair. August.

Eddie Edwards vs. Jay Freddie, 2CW. August.

Vibram Open winner Nate Doss has his photo taken by top women's pro and girlfriend Val Jenkins after taking the ceremonial pond plunge. September.

David. August.

Oneonta Ultimate Idol winner, Liz Walker. August.

Sarah making the final out during a tournament game. September.

Catherine. May.

Washington D.C. (From Arlington). April.

***

To everyone, I hope you have a great and wonderful 2012. May it be full of dreams, good reality, good pizza, an awesome hot dog or three and perfectly poured pints of Guinness. May you smile often and find success in whatever you do.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

Notes from my Noodle: December 20 edition

There's nothing like a trip to the city during the holidays.

First, my apologies for a lack of a blog post the past couple of days. But it seems like, all of a sudden, I’m packed up with everything. I’m back, however, with some notes and such from recent things.

On Monday, I took my annual trip down to the city to New York City. I like to try and get down there during the Christmas season because it’s quite the place to be. From the lights to the decorations to everything else, it’s really quite magical.

For avid readers of the blog, you’ll remember I went out to Chicago earlier this year to see a friend, Brendan, graduate from the Navy’s basic training. He’s been in the Chicago area ever since, working through his schooling and such. He got liberty for a couple of weeks, however, and is home. So I took him with me to the city and met one of the finest guides one will ever have for the city — fellow geocacher Heather.

Brendan with his new buddy, Elmo!

Despite a delay in the train leaving Harriman, it was a fun day. A little colder than it was supposed to be, but still a fine day. We got to see a bunch of good things (including Rockefeller Center, as seen above). We had a couple of solid meals, saw some interesting things and I, of course, got a dirty dog on the street.

Why wouldn’t I, right?

With this season in full bloom, there were a lot of characters wandering around, looking to earn a few extra bucks by posing with people. It was quite funny to see. And, being it was Brendan’s first trip to the city in this time of year, he had to take advantage of this, no?

The hustle and bustle of the city was definitely there. That comes with people who still don’t have the thought of slowing down and peeking at things. But, I wouldn’t expect anything different.

We stopped and saw the building of the new skyscraper at Ground Zero and went inside and checked out the 9/11 memorial building. We were going to try and check out the new fountains and garden, but ended up having to look at it just from afar and above as the lines to get in were quite long and daylight was dwindling as we were thinking about that. I’ll hope to visit in the spring and see it closer.

We did, however, get to find a geocache this day. A regular-sized cache in the middle of the city, which was awesome.

Heather with Cirque du Cache.

Heather (and her husband, Jim, who met us later for dinner) are mega fans of Cirque du Soleil, mentioned a new cache. Of course, it has a Cirque theme — called Cirque du Cache.

This was a fun cache to do and it’s always nice to snag a cache in the city.

What was really cool about this cache was that once you opened the cache, you signed the log and all, but there was also this piece of fabric. And you could draw something on it. Very neat stuff and very well thought out. The best part is that it was in a high-traffic area, so it was pretty fun to retrieve the cache, walk away a little bit to check things out and then put it back. Fun times.

In all, it was a lot of fun to head down to the city and see things. I got to also see a former co-worker and catch up a little bit and it’s really nice to see things all lit up.

I even got one of the thickest hot chocolates I’ve ever had (thankfully it was small, because it was rich!) while we hung out a little bit at Bryant Park.

Bryant Park is a great little spot in the city.

***

Speaking of geocaching, two of us worked to organize and run an annual ornament exchange event. It was quite the success, too, which is always nice. Having halfway decent weather recently probably didn’t hurt us, either!

A large turnout at our holiday event.

We had about 55 people to the event, by far one the largest since this annual event started four years ago, and also one of the largest turnouts of any of event in our small area.

I co-planned the event with Beth, who had a successful game she created for the event. But, more than that, was her Toy Drive idea. It seemed that most people brought unwrapped toys and filled the large box her and her brother and sister-in-law brought. They then delivered the toys to the local Salvation Army, making sure that the toys would remain in our area.

So as fun as the event was (the spot we held it was excellent as well), it’s even better to know that our geocaching community was good enough to give back to the community during this holiday season and thought about others in need.

As this week continues, if you have the chance to give to an area Toys for Tots or something else, try and remember that there are people out there that have it worse than many of us. So if you can give at all, try and do so this holiday season.

***

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan delivered on a recent 2CW card.

For the final part of this Notes From My Noodle, I want to turn to 2CW, an independent wrestling federation out of the Syracuse area. Several of us have gone to a bunch of their events, but basically in Binghamton. We took the trek to Syracuse on Friday to see one of their biggest events of the year and to see a match that indy fans have wanted to see — Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan.

Each time we’ve gone to watch 2CW, I thought the federation has delivered some great entertainment, good matches and a well-planned event. But this event was really solid (seeing matches such as Brodie Lee vs. Jay Freddie was outstanding and many other matches were excellent). And it was capped by Edwards vs. Callihan, a match that made me really want to drive to Syracuse.

I have seen Eddie Edwards many times. He’s athletic and works stiff — in other words, believable beyond belief to the point where some of the things he does really make you wonder how these guys do it.

Callihan, well known among the independent fans, is also a top-notch talent.

A five-star match was predicted. And these two delivered. It was a high-paced match, full of athleticism and character. Say what you will about professional wrestling — no matter if the outcome is determined or whatever — you have to be athletic and be able to tell a story inside that ring. These two did it.

The card, overall, was excellent. I would make the trip to Syracuse to see these guys again.

A funny afterthought. We stopped at a convenience store down the road from Syracuse to grab something to drink and something to snack on. While there, Sami Callihan came in. I noted that we had traveled a couple of hours to see that match because everyone was talking about it.

He asked me if it was worth it?

I told him they delivered and it was worth it. We chatted with him for a few moments and he shook hands a couple of times and thanked us for coming. I’ve talked to a few of these others and they, too, are very friendly with fans. That’s a good thing. Independent wrestling survives on smaller fanbases and these guys have the hope to, one day, make it big. Being friendly and outgoing will hopefully help them in their quest to reach the top.

Until then, it’s my hope they keep working local promotions so, when I can get away and go, I get the chance to see this top-notch and affordable entertainment.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

Remember 9/11 – a contest

I opted to make my first contest start on September 11.

It’s been 10 years since the fateful day when terrorists took over planes and crashed into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and in a field in western Pennsylvania. It’s been 10 years since a nation was shaken by this happening on our soil, our land.

It’s been 10 years…

Those images will never leave my head. Of the people running from downtown. Of the firefighters trying to save lives. Of the scene during and after the attacks. Of the emotion and reaction of America.

Ten years…

In that time, it can be argued whether or not we are in a safer world. Or a better world. But there is no more Saddam Hussein. No more Osama bin Laden. The United States got ’em both.

Still, our economy is in the crapper. Things aren’t the brightest. But on this day, we need to forget our troubles. Remember those who died on that awful day. Remember the big picture and what this country stands for.

Do you remember 9/11/01?

Where were you? What were you doing? What went through your mind?

I remember vividly where I was. I was at college. My senior year at Lock Haven. I came out of the bedroom just after the first plane went into the first tower. My roommate was at his computer and said I needed to see this — a plane just went into the Twin Towers.

I thought he was kidding. I soon found out he wasn’t.

I sat down with a glass of water just in time to see the second plane go into the second tower. Then the reports of the Pentagon. And of the plane in western Pennsylvania. It was surreal. I watched for a while longer before getting ready for class.

The campus was quiet, somber. People were crying. Classes were cut short. The sad part is some people took advantage of this by saying they couldn’t be in class. Teachers gave them the OK to leave and then they were seen shortly after out sunbathing and laughing like nothing happened.

Some classes had discussions on what happened. Some watched movies. I had two classes that day and nothing was too different.

The days that followed were a lot of watching the news, reading papers. It was crazy. Soon after 9/11, I went to one of the county fairs in that area and saw Brooks and Dunn. They opened with “Only in America” and one of them had a guitar in the shape of the USA. The crowd went nuts. I was home that weekend, too, and went to a football game. They did a moving tribute before that, too.

The United States got back to business eventually.

But that date will always be there.

Ten years. It’s amazing that it’s been that long.

The contest: Remember 9/11.

The prize

What you have to do: In the comments section, write about where you were, what you remember and everything else about 9/11. How vivid are things? Give a little detail.

Other ways to enter: You have to first do the main thing. After doing that, you can earn additional entries by doing the following (a person can do each one, but only once each. So you can earn a total of five entries into the contest.):

  • Like this post on Facebook (down at the bottom of the post there is a”like” button. Use that (and let me know you did it… the number need to add up!).
  • Like HooHaa Blog on Facebook (on the right side of the blog at the top of the page. If you have already liked the blog, let me know and I can give an entry that way, too).
  • Write a post on your blog about this contest (make sure you let me know!)
  • Tweet about this contest by copying and pasting the following:

HooHaa Blog and @softball29 is having contest! Go to https://hoohaa.com/?p=2233 and enter! #hoohaablog #geocaching #contest #coin

What can you win? A sweet Labor Day geocoin. It’s the closest I had to give for an “American” feel. It’s red, white and blue. Being it was originally part of the Geocoin of the Month club, it also comes with a pin.Even if you aren’t a geocacher, this is a really sweet coin to have and own!

Who can enter: This contest is open to anyone.

How decided? Random draw.

Entry deadline is 12:01 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) Sunday, September 18. Results will be announced in a blog post here at noon on Sept. 18.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!