Happy HappyUP!!! Anniversary - 200!!!

And a small reminder - it's not about me. It's about YOU!

You have seen the template - 200 times to be exact. Put it in place.

Need accountability? - go to blogspot.com . Start a weblog. It's free. It's easy....really!

Need convincing? - what? I'm not enough? OK, how about this? The Positive Psychology movement is being taught in some of America's most prestigious universities......does Harvard mean anything to you?

http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/

http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/

Here is the direct link to the landmark article if you are into reading about the study that inspired my HappyUP!!! project. WARNING: it's a scientific paper. Print it out and do some grinding on it if that kind of reading doesn't come easily....like I had to.

Here is the link to the Harvard professor whose classes overfill every semester on the subject. If you go to his 6 tips on becoming happier, here is tip number 6:

Express gratitude, whenever possible. We too often take our lives for granted. Learn to appreciate and savor the wonderful things in life, from people to food, from nature to a smile.

I know - you already KNOW that is a key. But, do you really, really, REALLY do it everyday?

HappyUP!!! - give it a shot for a couple of weeks

HappyUP!!! Day 200

HappyUP!!! - picked up some new shorts
Why it happened - I'm heading to the beach
Why it made me happy - while there is work involved in the trip, there is a lot of non-work.....like Friday afternoon through mid-day Monday! I'm gearing up for some time at the Ocean. Plus....the shorts I bought were a couple of waist sizes smaller than the last time I bought shorts. While it was a distraction to not KNOW my size, I happily left the changing room in search for the trimmer threads!

HappyUP!!! - a GREEEEEAT business meeting
Why it happened - some potential clients CALLED ME and wanted to go to lunch
Why it made me happy - I knew one of the guys. The other guy is a LEGEND who I have only heard about. We had a great lunch and are going to do some business.

HappyUP!!! - housesitter found
Why it happened - I called my brother
Why it makes me happy - if I called a nephew or niece, there could end up being a party at my house!...without me there! Not something I am going to want to come home to next week.

HappyUP!!! Day 199

HappyUP!!! - plans confirmed...Pismo Beach
Why it happened - I have a trip to the Central Coast this week and Central Valley next week
Why it makes me happy - rather than two long drives, I'm spending the weekend (and Sunday night) on the coast in a fabulous spot that I have never been too. Plenty or nothing to do...my choice. I'll have books, pens and paper, golf clubs, guitar, whatever...and I will be ready for it.

HappyUP!!! - builder meeting
Why it happened - every Monday
Why it makes me happy - the principal was gone for a couple of weeks. It was good to see him back from his trip to Italy.

HappyUP!!! - a great diet day
Why it happened - who knows
Why it makes me happy - it wasn't even a struggle. A shake for breakfast, a piece of chicken for dinner, a snack bar, and a shake for dinner. Plenty of food!

HappyUP!!! Day 198

HappyUP!!! - riding the bike
Why it happened - finding fun ways to get my excercise in
Why it makes me happy - tonight, my legs are a little spent. I was on Lifecycles all last year....and rarely do I feel the level of tiredness I am finding today. Could it be that riding a Lifecycle and riding a bike pushing around 170 pounds aren't the same workout? I used the mountain bike for some errands and my road bike for a workout. Who needs the gym? (Sorry all you young gals at the gym that just want to check out my south side)

HappyUP!!! - weather
Why it happened - who knows...August in Sacramento should be hotter
Why it makes me happy - we can go out and do stuff in the low 90's. August is known for 100 degrees. It was a glorious morning too.

HappyUP!!! - salmon
Why it happened - I bought some yesterday
Why it makes me happy - all you have to do is look at the picture below. It also helped me stay on my program today. This is working out pretty well. All you really need is one excellent meal to look forward to everyday. The shakes can cover the rest. Speak to me in a month....we'll see if I am singing the same tune. If I was to keep this up for a couple of months, I think that I could see a weight that I haven't seen in a long time.

JollyJottings

grapes
grapes for friends
lunch
bike ride
official weigh day
taking care of dad
room at the beach

BikeItUP!!! Back on the road

Cycling and I - took a left turn 20 years ago. Sure, there were times when I would pop back on. The town grew and traffic increased. It just got too dangerous.

I also got tired of "flats" - there is nothing worse than getting yourself geared up, dressed up, and out the door for the workout. You pump the tires up to about 140 psi and the....poooooooossssssshhhh!

You get off - in your silly shoes by the side of the road and either throw in a new tube or do a quick patch job. Then, you use the hand pump which MAY get you up to 100 psi with a herculean effort. You end up riding the rest of the way feeling like you are on low air.

But now - I am not going to worry about it. I have a 4 mile loop around my house. The traffic is light. All of the turns are right handed so there are no roads to cross. If I flat on one of the laps, I can probably limp it home and fix it at my house. If not, I also got some handy, dandy Co2 cartridges which should give me 125 psi out on the road.....suuuhhhweeeet.

I thought I would go out and blaze 3 or maybe 4 laps today - well, after 2 laps I thought that I better not push the condition of my seat...plus I had already rode 3 miles on the mountain bike this morning.

Boy...not even 50 - and struggling with a 10 mile ride! It's a long way....and about 25 pounds....from the days of blazing out for 30 miles in an hour and a half. Still, even when I first started way back then, I don't think I averaged more than 16.3 mph as I did today. I think the speed curve is going to go up rapidly with a little more time in the saddle.

SalmonUP!!!.....OK, Kids....Secrets Divulged

Who wouldn't serve this to ANY guest in the world? - you all know that salmon is good for you.

Everything about this little piece of fish - is as healthy as the salmon itself. Well, the sprinkling of mozzarella over the top may be cheating a little bit.

First step - get yourself a WILD salmon filet with the skin on one side. WILD...WILD...WILD....I don't want to mess with that farmed stuff.

Then, chop together - lots of fresh basil, onions, and garlic. I use a Magic Bullet chopper/processor for this. You will also want a dash...just a dash of olive oil into the chopped mix.

Take your mix - and fork it into your salmon. Just poke it on in there. Sure, you are making the top of the fish look like a track meet was just held on it but who cares. First, it will even out during the grilling. Second, people would see the herbs as bumps and not the bumpy skin. Third, you are going to cover it up anyway.

Grill - I like to put skin side down for a short amount of time. It is just enough to get your ingredients to set a bit. Then, carefully, flip your salmon with the ingredients/non-skin side down. You'll lose a little ingredient but that's OK. After you grill that way for a few minutes, turn it back over with the skin down.

Put a couple thin slices of tomato over the top - and seal the deal with some mozzarella cheese. Finish grilling until the fish starts to flake.

Guaranteed - you won't get much better eating on this planet and it's practically all pure health!

Throw a nice glass of chardonnay on the side - and your dining experience will be downright scary!

Goosebumps

(A special post for my friends over at Sunday Scribblings ).


I have actually felt a goose before. It was a fairly healthy goose as far as I could tell. I didn't feel one bump on this goose. Why, then, is it that I get goosebumps when I am cold?

That is about the only time that I get goosebumps. Perhaps I have encountered them while scared but I don't recall. "She gives me goosebumps," is not a thing that guys will say much. If they do, I haven't said it lately which may be a reflection on the women that I have met lately. I guess I should hang out in other places than the bus station, soup kitchen line, and the women's recover center!

It is August here in Sacramento. Goosebumps are a good 4 to 5 months away. Unless, of course, I meet someone that "takes my breath away", "makes my heart go pitter patter", or "turns my knees to jello". Wait! Not one of those is a skin condition.

Goosebumps? See you in January.

HappyUP!!! Day 197 - The Good Life

How can you beat a day - that starts with helping your ailing father, picking some homegrown vegetables and fruit, heading over to some friends for a family brunch by the pool, heading to Sac town to do some shopping around some bike stores, going for a bike ride, watching some PGA Championship, riding a little more bike, etc? The hits just kept coming in.

HappyUP!!! - birthday brunch by the pool
Why it happened - some friends had birthdays
Why it made me happy - gorgeous backyard...nice lite food....coffee....company like family. Enough said.

HappyUP!!! - a bike ride
Why it happened - I got my cycling computer fixed...had to try it out
Why it made me happy - I didn't take it very far but it felt like the old days....mph, cadence, distance travelled, etc. It was like I was in training. Who knows...that could be next.

HappyUP!!! - fixing that bike computer
Why it happened - I went and bought new batteries
Why it made me happy - electronically, I have a few skills. I am not expert but I am not a klutz either. Due to a lack of patience in this are, I would have to say that I am a hair on the klutz side. I have an old bike computer that had been idle for a long time. It needed new batteries....and new calibration. The thing is 20+ years old...those instructions are LONG gone. Fortunately, the good people at Cateye have all of their old manuals on line. I found my model, downloaded, actually followed instructions, and old dependable was working like a champ. The HappyUP!!! was for how easy it was to get it working again.

HappyUP!!! Day 196

HappyUP!!! - feeling great
Why it happened - could it be my diet program?
Why it makes me happy - woke up without the alarm, took my time getting home (not staying at my house this week), getting ready for work, I just savored the morning rather than rushed into it.

HappyUP!!! - going to my dad's at lunch and helping him
Why it happened - he called me...he had a special need
Why it makes me happy - as I was taking care of the situation, the hospice nurse stopped by for her visit. I learned some things about his care that I didn't know. She also performed a procedure that was NO HappyUP!!! for Dad but I know it was good for him. He will be better off for it.

HappyUP!!! - taking a nagging issue off my plate at work
Why it happened - I had a deadline put on me
Why it makes me happy - it's done. I could of/should have done it two weeks ago. It was done just as well under the pressure of a deadline as it would have been done if I did it two weeks ago. When will I learn that time is not going to produce a better product....just move it along. Anyway, it's done now!

HappyUP!!! Day 195 - Long Day at Work

Nope, the title above is not an oxymoron - if you put in a good, long day once in awhile, it should be a cause of happiness

HappyUP!!! - branch manager meeting
Why it happened - I do it monthly
Why it makes me happy - it is great to get the peers that report to me together all in one place one day a month. Today, we got a cameo from the regional manager (my boss) so that was good. On top of that, my staff and I put together a solid day long event.

HappyUP!!! - an interview
Why it happened - we are growing
Why it makes me happy - I met a guy, had a nice conversation, and maybe we'll pick up a guy with some potential

HappyUP!!! - got an HR situation handled
Why it happened - stuff comes up when you run an organization
Why it makes me happy - it's not always fun stuff but it is done and it worked out fine

HappyUP!!! Day 194

HappyUP!!! - the new fireplace insert is in
Why it happened - the workers showed up
Why it makes me happy - one more thing done off the remodel list



HappyUP!!! - got the thumbs up on my bedroom dimensions
Why it happened - my buddy the builder called me back
Why it makes me happy - on a rough, down and dirty estimate, I believe that I have enough room to do the addition that I want to do to the house. The space should be workable and the city should be able to approve the deal.......now on to plans and specs.



HappyUP!!! - it's my 19th Wedding Anniversary!
Why it happened - hey, you have to get married on someday, right?
Why it makes me happy - I mentioned that it was my 19th anniversary. The person said, "you're not married." I said, "I didn't say that I was. I said it was my 19th Wedding Anniversary." The person just looked at me and shook their head

HappyUP!!! 193 - Playing Hooky

I had a bit of an eye problem today - it was such a nice day that I couldn't see going into work!

In reality - I rarely play hooky but I only have about a bazillion vacation days that everyone is always bugging me to take so I took one today. With no appointments on the docket, WHY NOT!

Tough to pick the top three today!

HappyUP!!! - running/weight/momentum
Why it happened - started on a program
Why it makes me happy - I am actually enjoying the program. Enough so that after a vigorous day of gardening (yes....it included rototilling so it was vigorous, I got my fanny out there for 4 miles of roadwork. I only ran two of them tonight...oh well, I had to walk in the other two because it was the only way home. And, an enjoyable walk it was!

HappyUP!!! - Toastmaster
Why it happened - it was Tuesday and that is when it happens
Why it makes me happy - we heard a great speech...I ran a great meeting which kept everyone involved...we finished right on time. It was a good and enriching time had by all.

HappyUP!!! - results
Why it happened - I started on the program
Why it makes me happy - just about the only thing that bugs me in life is my weight. No one would call me fat. I just know that I sometimes carry around a few more pounds than I should. When I have lost weight before, I have never focused, really focused on my diet. I have learned that it isn't that hard to be disciplined. You just eat less. When I get up tomorrow morning, I should be about 10 pounds lighter than one week ago. There was NO WAY I was expecting that kind of result that quickly. A heavy person can easily drop 10 pounds in a week with some focus. Losing this 10 pretty much puts me right up against that "last 10" right away. Bring it ON!

Jolly Jottings

-invitation to the Running Y golf course
-Toastmasters
-conversation after toastmasters
-that moment when I said, "why don't I just take today off," and I looked and saw I had no appointments
-rototilling
-mulching
-gardening
-going to the building department
-helping out dad with another problem
-going for a two mile run
-weight

HappyUP!!! Day 192

HappyUP!!! - a pluot
Why it happened - a friend that I have been taking tomatoes to dropped a bag by
Why it made me happy - what an interesting little fruit. He bought it at a farmer's market. I'm not much of a fruit eater but this was tasty and put a smile on my face

HappyUP!!! - helping dad
Why it happened - he had a special need
Why it made me happy - he was a good sport about it. I did something that I hadn't done before. Who knows ...I may have picked up a transferrable job skill!

HappyUP!!! - a great day in the stock market
Why it happened - who the heck knows
Why it made me happy - after the Thursday and Friday beating, it was reassuring to see the market up 280 today. Let's face it.....the stock market is, at the end of the day, legal and socially acceptable gambling. I don't get that excited about the day to day doings but, with some recent moves, I was happy to get a strong positive shot today.

HappyUP!!! Day 191

HappyUP!!! - a spot of tea on a lovely afternoon
Why it happened - I received an invitation and, because I don't book my free time with a million things to do, I was able to accept
Why it makes me happy - the company was most enjoyable. One pattern that I notice about my HappyUP!!!s is that quality conversations always seem to win a spot in the daily picks. Today's was no exception. Plus, it was such a lovely afternoon, it was beautiful to soak it in outside with a refreshing tonic.


HappyUP!!! - weekly weigh in
Why it happened - the weigh in happens every week
Why it made me happy - I am about 5 pounds down from last week. I am at a spot that I hadn't seen in about 15 weeks. It's funny. As my weight was heading up, I was going, "oh no, I'm top ended. I better do something." Today's weight came in at 2 pounds under the top end and I am saying, "I know what I am doing and I am going to keep doing it until I blow that top end away!" Momentum is a good thing



HappyUP!!! - being here for Dad
Why it happened - the usual caregivers (brother and sis in law) are out of town
Why it makes me happy - I don't actually do that much. I sleep on a couch at the caregivers house rather than my own bed so I can be there during the night should something happen. I help with the denture care, taking of the pills, and making sure feeding is going along as scheduled. They are little things but they are important to my dad. I owe a lot to my dad....and to my late mother. She took pretty darn good care of all of us until the day she died. The cycle of life continues when I do things like this.

The Psychology of Gratitude

"In research done by Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, those who kept a daily gratitude journal -writing down at least five things which they were grateful - enjoyed higher levels of emotional and physical well being"

from the book Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar, Harvard Phd and leader of courses in Positive Psychology at Harvard University

(If you go to the link above, make sure you read the customer reviews.....rarely have I ever seen such a lack of negative comments on a book reviewed by readers on Amazon)

I just got the comment today - "I'm not reading your blog anymore. You gotta lose the HappyUP!!! thing because it is boring me."

To which, I can only say - "I totally understand." I have the ability to look at life from a perspective of the unexpected. The term "contrarian" has come up. I wouldn't call that an accurate summation. I would call it a label and, as most labels are, it would be limiting. When I go into this mode, I can put some pretty creative ways to think up on the table because, while I don't run away from the masses solely for the jollies of ticking off the crowd, I ask the crowd, "where did this generally accepted idea come from? Who wrote the law on that one?"

I am fine with doing the popular thing - not because it is popular but because it makes sense. But, as often as not, I do the unpopular or unexpected the thing. This grants you the title of "eccentric," "weird," "he sure is different," amongst many other things.

I am not mainstream - and that is my message. If you don't want to be mainstream, you don't have to be. If you want to go along and be mainstream, that's OK too. I only ask that you ask why you do the things you do. If you say, "because it is generally accepted," I am going to counter with one of the first lessons I ever learned in life....

"If everybody jumped off a bridge, does it mean you should to?" - after wandering the orb for almost half a century I would now answer, "nope, but if you don't, there are a whole bunch of normal people that are going to grab you as they say 'Geronimo' ."

Why do I make my readership - who enjoy my slant on life tolerate my daily observations/journal regarding what can seem like mundane events in my life?

1. They aren't all mundane - when I have a bit of time, I try to mix in a few gems of levity or thought. Keep in mind, however, that this is at the end of the day. It's not always the time that I want to stimulate my mind. The Nutster needs sleep too!

2. I have accountability to stick with this process - my goal is to get to 500 consecutive days of HappyUP!!!s and evaluate where it goes from there

3. To always be increasing my level of happiness - and I wholeheartedly believe that this process does that and putting it out on the internet creates extra accountability for me.

4. To be able to go back and look for patterns so I can somewhat scientifically state what is it that makes me happy everyday. I am my own laboratory

5. To inspire everyone I come in contact to try this process for 10-30 days - and increase their levels of happiness. If a simple guy like me can do it for 500 days, you can surely do it for a fraction of that amount of time.

6. To keep me engaged in the study and pursuit of happiness - a concept so important that our forefathers made it part of the Constitution. Aristotle, Plato, and the greatest thinkers of our time constantly considered "what is happiness," to be THEE question. It is my opinion that it is a question that has no answer. It has as many answers as there are people which is why the question, those easily avoided, needs to be asked.

7. One other reason that I can't tell you about just yet - it's big though!

"Nutster, the quote you started with says 5 things a day and you only do 3. Are you cheating?" - wow! That's what I love about you. You don't pull any punches. The gratitude list is similar but not the same as the daily HappyUP!!!s.

With the gratitude list - you could put it on auto-pilot everyday, "my wife, my kid, my other kid, my dog, and my job." OK, for a lot of you, "my job" would be a stretch. Get a new job. There would be nothing wrong with repeating that list everyday if you really took some time to say to yourself or your journal why those were so important to you. Think about it. No matter what happened during that day, if you said, "I am so grateful for my wife," even though she is nagging the living tar out of you, do you think that you may treat her a little differently than if you harbored resentment?

HappyUP!!!s - can be the same everyday but they encourage you to really examine the good things that occurred during the previous 24 hours. It has been my experience that people will replay the bad things that happen over and over. By replaying the good, you automatically crowd out some of the rehash of the bad. You only have X amount of time for rehashing....make it about the good stuff.

As my schedule allows - I'll always try to make a post about something that gets my attention. I will admit that those postings have been a little skint as of late. I shall do my best to bring things to the fore that attract my attention.....and, as an observer of life and human behavior, there is a lot of it.

HappyUP!!! Prelude to day 191

It's not even 8 a.m. yet - and I can't wait until tonight to write HappyUP!!!'s.

JollyJottings (so far)

Weight - Sunday is my official weigh day and I am down 5 pounds since last week. While I can't expect this kind of weekly progress, it has been 15 weeks since I have seen this number. It's nice to know that, with a little self discipline and a program, I can still get this issue under control

Taking care of Dad - brother and sis-in-law are out of town for a week so I'll be doing duty. Yes, it's inconvenient to house sit over at their place but it's something that needs to be done. It requires a little bit of putting oneself into a "vacation mentality." You take a book and other things and then forget about the items "back home" that you should be doing.

Beautiful morning - it was over a 100 in the big Tomato (Sacratomato, that is) yesterday. There is a nice cool Delta breeze blowing right now. I am not sure it will even make 90. That is a nice summer day.

Great new book - which is based on classes being taught in college on Positive Psychology and Martin Seligman's concepts. These same concepts are where HappyUP!!! gets it's foundation. I am learning some very interesting statistics and historical information.

I'll get a run in - yes, I will....this early JollyJotting is my commitment.

HappyUP!!! Day 190

HappyUP!!! - grilled salmon for lunch
Why it happened - I stopped at the store and got some
Why it made me happy - first, I enjoy bbq-ing for lunch. I don't know why. I don't know why I don't do it more often, either. Second, I took about 6 ozs. of WILD salmon, sprinkled a little garlic salt over the top, stuffed some fresh basil leaves (right out of the garden), and threw it on the grill. When I turned it skin side down, I put on a couple of slices of fresh tomato and just a bit of mozzarella cheese. My goodness....this was the best eating I have had in awhile.

HappyUP!!! - fireplace insert scheduled
Why it happened - I made the drive to the fireplace store
Why it made me happy - I think that anytime you do something that you procrastinate upon, it makes you happy....at least it does me. The guy came out to the house in the afternoon, sized up the job, and the insert will be in on Wed.

HappyUP!!! - did some weedeating
Why it happened - I fired up the weedeater
Why it made me happy - my view toward the weedeater is that it is a pain in the fanny. It takes a lot of pulls to initially fire it up, it's noisy, it aggravates my forearm, it always needs new string, ...wah, wah, wah. But, now I have weeds knocked down and things look better. Plus, in the fiddling with the weedeater yesterday, I actually have a better feel for how it works so the rewinding and firing up of it should be easier in the future.

HappyUP!!! Day 189

HappyUP!!! - car wash
Why it happened - I took the minute to drive through
Why it makes me happy - when you don't keep a spotless car all of the time, you really like it when it is clean. Somehow, I think that if you were a "spotless car guy" it would just become habit. You wouldn't get the happiness of the contrast between clean and dirty.

HappyUP!!! - modem card came in
Why it happened - I ordered the upgrade.....YESTERDAY!
Why it makes me happy - I didn't think I would get it until next week. Now, I can get it all set up on the weekend and better enable me to work outside of the office.......which I'll need.

HappyUP!!! - a former co-worker rejoined the company
Why it happened - the company he worked for melted down
Why it makes me happy - a good guy is back on our team. It's a brutal industry and it feels good to have one of the good ones on our side.

HappyUP!!! Day 188

HappyUP!!! - un-mauled
Why it happened - the pit bull wasn't hungry?
Why it makes me happy - so there I was, face and arms into a tomato plant picking some cherry tom tom's when I look up. Less than 10 feet from me is a pit bull that I had never seen before.....and he is ambling toward me. I had just heard a dog barking in the alley a few minutes before. I also heard him leave. The next thing I know, he had come back through my vine covered gate that was slightly opened. At this point, there was nothing I could do except put my arms behind my back, stand there, and say, "what a nice puppy," as he came up and give me a sniff! A properly raised pit bull is a great dog...a pussy cat (with BIG, Powerful jaws). Unfortunately, he didn't have his diploma hanging off his collar. As he sniffed me, I slowly moved toward the gate and he ran and beat me to it. Out he went and the gate shut immediately!

HappyUP!!! - a meeting with the diversity council
Why it happened - I am on a committee at work
Why it makes me happy - I work for a large organization. I volunteer my time to this group. I had to miss the first meeting this year. It was great to see everyone. I met a couple of new people. I learned some new things. We will also be undertaking year 2 or an excellent project we started last year.

HappyUP!!! - sending a reference letter
Why it happened - I was asked to give one by a friend
Why it makes me happy - none of us stop, think, and say enough nice things about people. I know I don't. At least for today, I did.

HappyUP!!! Day 187

HappyUP!!! - roadwork
Why it happened - I got myself out there at 5:20 a.m. to run
Why it made me happy - running first thing in the morning is not my favorite thing. The fact that I knew it would be rough but I still put in 2 miles to start off August makes me happy. I may have been a distance runner at one point in my life but I haven't run at all lately. This was a big step...
which will probably be followed up with soreness tomorrow!

HappyUP!!! - first day of a 9 day cleanse/diet
Why it happened - a friend turned me on to it
Why it made me happy - I don't think I have ever formally committed to a diet. Sure, I have some excellent meal replacement shakes but I have never done an actual program. Day 1 was rough. It wasn't far from a fast. But, here I am, still alive and heading off to bed!

HappyUP!!! - nice conversation with a on again/off again friend
Why it happened - I happen to run into him
Why it made me happy - this person runs hot and cold with me so I don't invest much in the friendship. Today, he was on and we had a nice exchange.