A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

notes from my noodle

A close call that makes you think about the big picture more

I’m not perfect when it comes to driving, that’s for sure. 

I’ve been pulled over a few times in my life. I’ve hit deer, had an accident caused by icy conditions and probably, more than a few times, avoided a serious accident by the stroke of luck. 

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to be smarter with driving. I’d say *most* of the time, that works. Not always. But for the most part, I try to do things right and carefully. If my phone is used in the car, it’s speak to text or hands-free talking. Even then, I tend to try and do it as little as possible.  

It drives me nuts when I see people driving and texting and the like. And maybe I’m to a point now where I want to turn on the feature on iPhones (not sure if others have this) where if somebody texts you and you are driving, it sends a message saying you are driving.

There’s a reason for this post. And I promise it will all make sense. However, this one has the potential of being longer, so hopefully you can stay with me. 

First, at the end of April, I was pulled over on the interstate. I was ticketed for doing 80 in a 65 (note: my cruise was set for lower than 80, but I knew I was going to try and work with the court anyway and being it was 10:45 at night, I wasn’t up for an argument with a trooper). I responded to the ticket and was able to get into a driver diversion program. I took the 6-hour safe driving course online, sent in all the needed paperwork and my ticket was forgiven. It just cost me what it took to get into the program, and the cost of the course. 

Was it an expense I didn’t need? Absolutely. But, sometimes things happen for a reason. 

Ever since then, I’ve gone slower. Is it because I don’t want to deal with that again? Of course. But another part of me notes that it’s better. If you are driving, say, 70, instead of 75-78 — how much faster do you actually get somewhere. Over a two or three hour trip… 10 minutes? 15? Is it worth the aggravation? 

I say all of this because of something that happened to me this week. What happened has left me a bit shaken and though I know it will pass, it’s really been weighing heavily on my mind and deep into my thoughts. 

This past week, I was heading home from one of the districts where I work. I was taking a back road, as I normally do. For those of you in the area and know the roads, it’s on the backside of the river between Hamden and Walton. 

I’ve driven this road many times in my lifetime. Probably in the thousands. There are some hairy places on it and people don’t always pay attention to the posted speeds. There are some sharp corners and some flats where the one side drops down into the river. There are also some tight spots where getting two cars side by side can be nerve-racking. 

Walks with Harper mean a whole lot more now.

It was a rainy day, so it was wet out. That, of course, makes things slippery and would warrant slowing down. 

As I headed home, I was just moving along under the speed limit as some of the corners worry me in their own right. The one that always makes me worry is a sharp turn that, as you come from the Hamden side, curves back toward your side of the road, but down a little hill. It’s fully blind, too, so if you take it too quickly, it could end badly. There’s also a good 4- to 6-foot culvert there as well. 

On this day, I was approaching and a truck came barreling around the corner from the Hamden direction. It was a mid-size red truck with a wood bed, instead of the normal bed. That usually means it was lighter than normal. 

This person was definitely not close to the speed limit and as he hit the corner, he came over into my side. Of course when he saw me, he needed to correct himself. That caused a fishtail. When going that speed, you don’t have the control you want. I slowed and got over as far as I could. 

I can only piece together so much of what happened next. I remember most, but not all. With that in mind, when it was happening, it felt like it was in slow motion. 

The other driver came around that corner, tried to correct and started to fishtail back and forth. His whole truck was going back and forth and we missed a head-on collision by mere inches. He kept in the fishtail all the way past me and I’m still not sure how he didn’t hit me at any point. 

He tried to keep it straight and correct but he had no luck and ended up barreling into the culvert. And hitting at least one tree with the back-end of his truck. 

At that point, I had two choices: keep driving or stop. I chose to stop.

I’ve had mixed reactions as to what others would have done. Some said they would have left because, legally, they don’t have to stay. Others have said they would have stopped as well but likely wouldn’t have handled it the way I did. 

I’m actually shocked I handled it the way I did. 

I was calm with it all. I checked to make sure the guy was OK. If we needed to call anybody. There was some blood on the road and some items strewed about the culvert as his window had been open. My guess is he cracked his head during all of this. He definitely seemed a bit woozy as he tried to get his truck out of there. But I noted to him that I didn’t think he was going anywhere as his back axle look snapped. 

He said he was going to call some people to help. I went back to my vehicle. Neighbors came out. Asked if I was OK and then asked if he had been going too fast. I noted that, yes, it sure seemed like it. I am sure living on that corner, those people have seen a lot of fast cars go by. 

I went back to my car and was shaking. I decided to get back out again and check the situation. I asked again about calling. He said no he was dealing with it. The neighbors were there too. The driver noted I didn’t have to do anything as it wasn’t my fault. 

Well, no shit it wasn’t my fault. I had been going under the speed limit on my side of the road. 

I ended up leaving soon after. I did call a police officer friend and asked if I needed to stay. He said no — as long as I wasn’t involved and all, I didn’t have to do anything. So off I went. 

The thing is, I was pretty shaken up about this. I still am. All the way home, all I could think about is if I left for work a few seconds earlier. Or if I had been driving a mile or so more an hour. I’d have been closer to the actual curve and there would have been zero chance of missing a head-on collision. And at the rate of speed he was going, there was a pretty good chance I wouldn’t have reached my next birthday. Or if I did, who knows what kind of shape I would have been in. 

That night when I got home and after I ate, I went for a walk with Harper. I got a bit emotional to myself thinking about how if seconds had changed, I may not have been walking Harper that night or ever again. And for the past several days, these things have crossed my mind as well. 

It’s now been about five days or so since this happened. I’m better, but still a bit shook up about it. I’m sure time will continue to help this. I’ve heard who the person was and some other info, but what’s done is done. That doesn’t even matter to me. A day or two after this happened, I talked to one of the school social workers – somebody I’ve known for probably 30 years. She gave me some good thoughts on how to kind of get my stress down and how to ease through this. So I’m working on things a bit. 

I’m also avoiding that back road for probably a long time. I’ve seen and had a few other close calls on that road (not this close though). People go at a higher rate of speed, and there’s a few other corners that can make you anxious. 

The reality is, I know this was a massive close call. How close, I don’t know. But I don’t think it would have ended well for me if we had gone head on, that’s for sure. 

I’m going to end this post with some other thoughts. I’m not perfect and I’ve had some distracted driving. But it seems like it’s getting crazier. People don’t slow down or stop when people are in crosswalks, and you can see they are doing other things. I’m not sure how many times over the past month where somebody has started to come over into my lane because they are obviously looking down and on their phone. Or how many times people have passed in illegal areas, cut corners at high rates and all sorts of other things. 

Slow down. Enjoy the trip a little. Give yourself the time. Learn and change things up before it’s too late. 

Life is short already. Don’t make it even shorter with stupid decisions. 

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

The world as we know it …

Does anybody else feel like they are living in a reality movie?

This is like The Truman Show, times a million.

A few months ago, we all heard about this COVID-19 coronavirus. It was pretty spooky, but it was far away. Though it didn’t seem those in charge were too worried about what it could become.

But, now it’s here. And it’s downright scary.

Now, let me preface this by saying I think the widespread panic is a bit crazy. We’re in a panic stage, which is never good. If we all use extreme caution, don’t put ourselves in bad spots, and use common sense, I think we’ll be fine in the long run. We can’t go bonkers.

But you have to be smart.

Hoarding toilet paper or hand sanitizer, and then trying to mark it up to ridiculous amounts of money doesn’t help. Not one bit. People need to be able to get basic supplies. Stocking your freezer with enough meat to last two years doesn’t help anybody.

It honestly makes me wonder about society as a whole.

This is a crazy illness going around. Things are being shut down. Businesses are closing — and many likely can’t afford it. People are alarmed and in a panic — and that definitely doesn’t help. We’re in uncharted waters here.

I work in two school districts, handling PR. That includes maintaining social media and websites at each. Each are putting out information as fast as possible. Most people have been thankful and appreciate how much each district is attempting to do for their communities. Some are negative and it makes me wonder about things. This is new for the schools, as well. Usually, they aren’t told to shut down to students for this long — especially now in the day of social media.

Speaking of that, the media and social media are hard to watch and look at. A human’s mind can’t grasp everything that is going on and process it that well. It’s impossible. Rumors become “truth,” and and the truth and facts gets questioned by people because they don’t want to believe it.

We have to practice self care. For me, it’s trying to process things and remain calm through it all. That doesn’t always happen. I’m a human just like anybody else. Despite thinking this reaction could be way over, I understand it. And I have fears and caution just like anybody else. What we’re doing is being done for a reason. Yes, it will inconvenience people. Yes, people will suffer. But in the end, we will get through it.

One way or another.

So practice some self care. Go for a walk and try and avoid close contact with people. Get some sun. Show social distance. Try not to feed into the hysteria and breathe. Play a game. Video chat with an old friend.

And if looking to help small businesses, see if you can buy gift cards. Or go get some takeout.

We will get through this. It might be faster than they thing; or it might be longer. But we will get through it.

Most of all, be good to one another. Basic human kindness or a smile from six feet away can go a long way.

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!

Notes from my noodle: May 20

A couple of years ago, I did a blog post about Zander Hollander.

Earlier this year, I got a comment on the post from his nephew, who also gave me the e-mail address of his wife Phyllis. I had planned to e-mail, but didn’t really know how to approach it as Zander’s nephew had noted his uncles wasn’t in great health.

Autographed book.

Recently, a freelance writer happened upon my blog, hoping to find some info about Zander. He is working on a piece about Zander, so he’s looking for all he can get.

That made me remember the e-mail to Phyllis.

I wrote to Phyllis to see if I should forward her e-mail address and such to the writer. I also mentioned meeting them when they came to my town as part of the local book fair. She remembered, which was quite cool.

I’m going to be, in the next week or so, calling Phyllis. I’ll write a little more on the blog after that, to update my post from 2011.

With all of this, however, I went digging for some books by Zander in hopes of finding a signed one. Turns out, I have two signed books. These are very cool to have.

I love signed books and they are ones I really like to keep. So having these two is a bit of a thrill.

Check out the post linked above for the full story.

****

As much as I hate to say it, I guess I have to start working.

I’ve pointed this out on the blog before, but I’m a dreamer. So I’d be lying if I said I didn’t dream big when I purchased my Powerball ticket for the $600 million jackpot.

No winner for me.

Though there was a slight disappointment when I heard the ticket was sold in Florida, it’s also reality. Think about how many tickets were sold for that lotto. Imagine the odds of winning. I only buy one ticket, so my odds are even greater.

It still would have been cool though.

Have you ever read the stories about people who win a massive lotto and are broke in a couple of years? I can assure you that wouldn’t have been me. Many of those stories repeat themselves — the person gives away money, is silly with his spending etc.

No chance for me.

I’m not going to lie — if I won $600 million, I would have tried to spend a million in a week or so. House/land, cars, some other things. All frivolous  Why? Because I could.

After that? Back to being smart with it. Invest it. Pay off bills for myself, family and close friends. Set up some college funds for certain youngsters. Set up a charitable foundation.

Then, have it set up so I get paid weekly. A certain amount. That way, I don’t just go spending money for the sake of spending it.

Alas, that won’t happen.

So when this new summer job of mine starts in a few weeks, I’ll be heading there. And I’m OK with that.

Though $600 million would have been sweet.

****

For the past week or so, I’ve been out finding spots to place geocaches in my area. I am hosting an event this upcoming Sunday and I wanted to have some new caches available.

You can find some interesting things while doing this.

Old ball caught in a bush.

Whether it’s piles of trash, makeshift memorials, the beauty of nature, or whatever else, you never know what you’ll find.

When inspecting at a local field, an old baseball was found.

This isn’t rare. I’ve come across old baseballs many times. And they often make for good photos.

But this one was different. It wasn’t just a ball in the middle of an old field or something. It was stuck. In a bush. We didn’t remove it as we thought it seemed cool an had its place.

It also looked like it had been there for a while.

Just another interesting find while out and about with geocaching.

****

That will do it for this edition of Notes from my noodle. I’ll be back with another edition of this shortly has I have a few more things to randomly share!

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

Notes from my noodle: Mar. 15

It’s been quite a while since I did one of these, so it seemed like a good as time as any.

To lead off, this weekend is St. Patrick’s Day. On that beautiful day, I’ll travel down to New Jersey to hit up a disc golf tournament. This is a tournament I look forward to every year because of how clean it’s run and how fun it is.

I’m ready for some disc golf this weekend!

The March O’ St. Pat’s Madness is likely one of only two or three PDGA tournaments I’ll play in this year, so I’m excited to see the weather should at least be decent.

The other blog I run, RattlingChains.com, is also taking part as a sponsor of the event. So it’s neat to have that be part of it as well.

I’ve actually had the chance to get out and throw a few times, lately, too. I think if I can just kind of plug along and stay calm and have fun, I have a chance — to not place last!

In the end, it’s my hope this is a sign spring really is coming. Hopefully, anyway.

****

Last weekend, I was contacted by a newspaper to cover a basketball game.

I won’t lie — basketball is one of my least-favorite sports to cover. It’s probably because I’ve never been a huge fan of the game. I don’t hate basketball, but I’d rather cover other sports.

Still, when money is calling…

It’s still fun to see a byline on a story I’ve written.

So I covered a sectional championship girls game. It was a sloppy game, but the end result was pretty exciting. The final four minutes really made the game something to remember. One of the teams scored on a three-pointer to tie it with under a minute to play. Moments later, the other team came down and responded with a wide-open three to take the lead for good.

And the best part about small-school basketball? The crowds were huge. And loud. And exciting.

After the game, I did my interviews and and soon after wrote the story. It was kind of nice tapping away at a story. I sent it in and all was good. But the next day, when this paper came out (a Sunday paper), I won’t lie — it was still quite a cool rush to see a byline on a story.

Even after my last stop at a newspaper — despite a sour ending — I still get a kick out of bylines. It’s a nice feeling to see your name on something done, so I’m glad I had the chance. And I’ll appreciate the check even more!

****

OK, people, I try — note try — to eat as healthy as I can. And, for the most part, I avoid fast food.

But this time of year is hard.

Shamrock shakes rule!

Why, you may ask?

The Shamrock Shake! I absolutely love this time of year at McDonald’s when they bring these bad boys out. I’ve been a fan of Shamrock Shakes for years and I usually limit myself to two or so a year. They are, after all, filled with sugar!

I’m at three this year. I know, bad me.

But they are so damn good.

I do wish they’d go back to the old-school way of doing things — in the paper cups with the shake already mixed. It’s not the same in these plastic cups and adding the mint mix.

It’s still pretty good though.

This year, I’ve also resorted to having them done without the whipped cream and cherry, which cuts out some calories and sugar.

Anyway, the ones I’ve had this year have been fantastic. I figure on one more this year and then I’ll let them go away for another year. If you haven’t had one, I’d encourage you to get one before they are gone for the year!

****

I’ll finish this post talking about beer.

As many of you may know, I’m learning how to homebrew. I have an Irish Stout finished and I think it came out really well. And with St. Patrick’s Day coming up…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoohaaphotos/8560117238/in/photostream

I’ve truly enjoyed my Kiss Me Arse Irish Stout.

I’ve had some luck so far. The three that have been bottled and tried already have done really well. They’ve each received pretty good and honest reviews from friends. Nothing over the top, yet, but all pretty decent.

I also have an Irish Red bottled. As of today, it’s gone through that cycle and I can put one in the fridge to try it. Maybe that will be the beer to try when I get back from Jersey on Sunday?

It’s Irish, after all.

It’s been a fun process and I’ve slowly been stepping up from the easy process to a little harder. It’s been a heap of fun and I hope it continues.

Only time will tell.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend and if you are out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, remember to have a driver and be careful out there!

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

Notes from my noodle: September 25 edition

“Get busy living or get busy dying…”

I’m sure many of you may remember that quote from the Shawshank Redemption, said by Red, portrayed by Morgan Freeman.

I write this post as I listen to some big-band era swing music. It’s some pretty sweet stuff. It can get you in the mood to be creative. Though I’ll readily admit not being a fan of a lot of jazz music, there’s something about the big-band era that really works for me.

Especially the songs with the faster pace and beat. Songs like “Sing, sing, sing” by Benny Goodman. Excellent stuff. Makes me thing of the 1920s and 1930s. Gangsters. Prohibition. Suits. Cigars.

Ahhh… talk about a time in history.

Recently, I was at a friend’s wedding. During the dinner portion, the DJ played some swing music. A couple people got out and danced. It was kind of fun to watch.

I was then chatting to a friend about this era of music and noted if I could go and live in a different era, this would be the one.

Back when Zoot Suits were the norm.

And I’m not a supporter or advocate for organized crime, but there’s something about the gangsters from that era. The suits. The cars. The Tommy Guns — AKA a Chicago typewriter.

And, of course, swing music.

I’m not sure what I would have been. Maybe I’d still have been a scribe. I could see covering the Yankees or something back then for one of the many New York papers. Maybe I’d have been on the crime beat.

Heck, maybe I’d have been a gangster. Chewing a cigar and rat-a-tatting with the Tommy Gun.

Who knows.

But what an era.

I know a lot of people don’t listen to music when they write. And, for the most part, I can’t listen to music with words when writing. But tunes such as classical pieces or the swing band era can keep my mind rolling as I write.

And with the jazzy stuff I have playing tonight, it’s got me thinking of old cars (Like the Ford Model Ts and As) and the prohibition era of time. Black and white.

That’s the era I’d definitely love to be in if not for now.

And while you read the rest of this post, have a listen to a little Benny Goodman:

****

As many of you know, I’m still working on finding a job. The resumes keep going out and I can’t seem to find much. I’ve thankfully landed something on a part-time basis, but it’s basically once a week and it’s not even every week. Still, it’s something to help me along and get something more recent on the resume.

So, I’ve been looking at career changes. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned that here before.

I recently visited a school for a program I’m highly interested in. I’m not going to spill all the beans here because I hate putting things out there until I know for sure if I’m going to do it or not. Some friends already know as I needed to see what some people thought.

My issue?

I don’t want to fail — again.

Though I realize I didn’t fail in newspapers and journalism, the industry failed me. And I don’t think it’s getting any better. And with barely anything in a retirement fund, I need something different.

I’ve watched others go the route of changing careers during the mid-life years and do well. Heck, take a peek at my brother who fully changed directions and went into teaching and now he’s a tenured teacher at a good school.

Might as well give it a go, yeah?

So, I’ve e-mailed one other school today in hopes of being able to compare the two programs. There’s a significant price differential in the program, as well as hours needed and the time frame to finish. The end result would likely be me going into business for myself. It’s something I’m thinking long and hard about.

Once I decide, believe me, I’ll share with the readers of the blog. For now, I’ll leave it with my seriously considering a massive change in career direction.

****

Speaking of writing and career things, I’ve also finally sat down to work on a couple of fictional books. These likely won’t be huge books, but I’m hoping to write them and see where it takes me.

I don’t fathom any riches here.

I need to get working on my book ideas so I can one day have a book like this!

The reality is, I’ll likely publish them on myself. If any money is made, it will basically just be a bonus. My thing is just getting it done. Then seeing about shaping it and all from there. If something bigger comes out of one of these, awesome. If not, it’s more of a goal to just do it.

My big issue with fiction is shaping the story.

I have a couple of real-life things I’m working on, too. I’m not sure if they will be full-blown books, a series here on the blog or something along the lines of an Amazon Kindle Single. But, I am hoping to work on those, too.

I need to push forward. I’ve applied and applied for things to get squashed. I guess it’s time to take the bull by the horns…

****

I went on a small trip Sunday, heading up to Ithaca to hike a bit, find some waterfalls and take a few photos.

But I also got to play disc golf for the first time since early June.

Taughannock Falls just outside of Ithaca. I took this shot Sunday during a day trip to the Ithaca area.

It was nice to get out and flip a few discs on an actual course. To be fair, it was just a nine-hole course, but it was so nice. It’s also good because I’m playing in an Ace Race in a couple of weeks. While I don’t expect to do anything major in that Ace Race, I’d at least like to know I can throw a disc well enough to get it close to baskets!

As for the day overall, it was nice.

For those of you who have never been to Ithaca, it’s a wonderful little city. The city’s motto is “Ithaca is Gorges.” There are many gorges and waterfalls to explore throughout the area, so it makes for a nice day trip.

In total, I got to see several awesome waterfalls and hiked — including the disc golf — upward of 3.5-4 miles, which is always nice to do.

I had been worried about the waterfalls and how much water would be coming off them, considering the lack of rain we’ve had all summer. Alas, recent rains made most of them vibrant falls. All but one were fun to check out and take photos of — in all their glory.

And yes, there were a few geocaches mixed in as well.

In the end, it was a good getaway from the real-world issues going on in my life. Nature can do that to you.

**** 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the passing of a well-known local person.

Sid Levine died Sunday at the age of 99. I only knew Levine in his later years as he owned part of the Oneonta Tigers, the minor-league team I covered for six years. A quiet man, Levine was one of the nicest people I dealt with. He also was a no-nonsense person. He didn’t worry about what people though, he told you how it was.

And that’s how it should be.

He, along with co-owner Sam Nader, ran the local team up until selling in 2008. The team then left the area before the 2010 season.

I dealt with and developed a stronger relationship with Nader, now 93, but toward the end of the run of the Tigers, I also got to know Levine. He was always a gentleman and had an infectious smile. And he knew his baseball.

Nader and Levine were close friends for more than 75 years and when I visited with Nader one afternoon earlier this year, I had to come after a certain time as he and Levine still met nearly every day to chat.

Levine’s legacy in the Oneonta area will live on for a long time. But he’ll be missed, that’s for sure — for many more reasons than baseball.

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