HappyUP!!! Day 684

HappyUP!!! - golf MATCH
Why it happened - my buddy, R, and I were shot for shot
Why it makes me happy - R is better than I am. He didn't play well today...but he didn't play terribly either. I didn't play bad...but I couldn't call it great. There we stood on the 17th tee...with the same score. We both missed birdie putts on 17. On to the 18th, all square. On the final green, R misses a 30 footer for birdie...there I am with a 10 footer with a foot or two of break to win. I hit a good putt......that didn't go in. It was a match that should have finished all square.

HappyUP!!! - breakfast
Why it happened - I needed some brekko
Why it makes me happy - I love those pancakes and sausage. I also had a great exchange with my friend at the restaurant. It's a benefit of being a regular.

HappyUP!!! - invitation for "a game" tomorrow
Why it happened - my partner and I are getting a name for ourselves
Why it makes me happy - it's the assistant pro that asked us if we wanted to play. We had played with two of his buddies...plus, we played in scratch league. We are getting a rep as good guys to play with. Tomorrow, after we play 18 early, we'll be teeing it up in a bigger game around noon. Yes...8 hours + straight...of golfing...tomorrow. Make sure you pray for my endurance! Hey...I'm not a kid anymore

JollyJottings

Breakfast
Gorgeous Day for golf
Meeting new guys
Playing my buddy, R, straight up
Invited to play in a game 2morrow
5 iron on 2
Wedge/putt on 4
8 iron to 6
Putt on 8
9 iron out of divot
7 iron into 13
wedge into 15
6 iron into 17
drive and 8 iron into 18

HappyUP!!! Day 683

HappyUP!!! - golf cancelled for the weekend
Why it happened - a lack of interest
Why it makes me happy -...what? Did I say I was happy because golf was cancelled? It's not what you think. The tournament I was going to play in was cancelled due to a thin field. After a moment of disappointment, I quickly said, "you know, my game is not where it needs to be at the moment. They'll hold this same tourney next month.....I'll play then." Oh...don't worry....there will be regular golf this weekend.

HappyUP!!! - reunion
Why it happened - one of my friends is thoughtful
Why it makes me happy - appetizers and drinks with two of my old co-workers....one that I haven't seen in forever. I don't need to go into much detail on that, do I?

HappyUP!!! - double kitties
Why it happened - I found the other one
Why it makes me happy - I mentioned that I let one of the outside cats in the other night. Last night, both of them got to come in......and they were both PLANTED on that bed last night....on a cold night. Very warming in literal and figurative ways.

JollyJottings

Golf cancelled
Finding Verizon
Reading
Two kitty night
Outback meeting
Jeweler find

HappyUP!!! Day 682

HappyUP!!!- green waste
Why it happened - my city has a program
Why it makes me happy - I noticed that this was a "pick up" week because my can was empty. This happens every other week. This is a HappyUP!!! because I have a pile of green waste that needs to go.

HappyUP!!! - postponement of door hanging
Why it happened - I think my bro had something else to do
Why it makes me happy - by moving this to tomorrow, I got to play golf with my buddy today. He can't play tomorrow....which makes tomorrow a good day for door hanging.

HappyUP!!! - short game
Why it happened - I've been working on it a bit
Why it makes me happy - the long part of my golf game has been suffering for a bit. When this happens, the short game has to pull through and cover the slack. Today, I got the putter working a bit.....and the wedge was getting it on as well. I actually had multiple "gimme" pitch shots....tough pitch shots.

JollyJottings

Coffee with buddy
Postponing door hanging
Golfing with my friend
Sand shot....putts....

HappyUP!!! Day 681

HappyUP!!! - a partial day "at the office"
Why it happened - I decided to get some practice time in this afternoon

<--------How do you like my office Why it makes me happy - it was a gorgeous December afternoon. You can see the cloud situation....there wasn't one. Low-mid 50's. Stunning. I had some people in front of me so I dropped a few balls and played some extra shots from different places on the course. It was good to get some sand practice in.....very productive. HappyUP!!! - my bro called, volunteered, and stopped by
Why it happened - I asked him for help last week
Why it makes me happy - he is going to help me install a door tomorrow. He is the brains when it comes to this stuff.....I suck!

HappyUP!!! - a cool new "beanie"
Why it happened - I was in a different pro shop today
Why it makes me happy - beanies look dorkie....but, when you want to keep your ears warm when the temps are low, form follows function. You wear the beanie. The Titleist headban/beanie is really a big headband in a warm material that has a large part for covering the ears. Much more attractive than the beanie!

JollyJottings

Bro volunteered time
Spots available in tournament
Good weather forecast
Helping bro chip better
A good practice 9 holes

HappyUP!!! Day 680

(Action photos from yesterday's ciopinno feed)

HappyUP!!! - a warm kitty
Why it happened - I let Shadow in last night
Why it makes me happy - I don't usually let the outdoor kitties in. It was cold last night so I took a chance. Shadow burrowed right in and provided an extra blanket for the Nutster. She was great....no excess kneading or licking. Ever had a warm kitty sleep on you on a cold night.......there is something about that purr

HappyUP!!! - golfing with my E & J
Why it happened - E hooked it up
Why it makes me happy - it was free!...at a different golf course. It was chilly teeing off but turned into a very nice day. I hit a lot of quality shots.....including a driver and 8 iron into the par 5 18th to about 15 feet. Nope, didn't make the eagle but it was an easy birdie. Lots of reasons to be happy

HappyUP!!! - breakfast out
Why it happened - it was a pre-golf meal
Why it makes me happy - I love eating at my breakfast place....just love it. I met E there before we took off to the golf course. Good conversation....and anticipation.

JollyJottings

Breakfast
Free golf
Drive 1, 2, 4
5 iron from sand
Wedge on 8
Wedge on 12
Driver...8 iron on 18
6 iron
A beautiful day...after being cold
A warm kitty

Baby On Board

me


OK...I am stating it officially - I don't get it. I have never understood why people hang this placard in their window.

I also thought - this craze was done but THIS was parked next to me the other day.

What are these people trying to say?

1) "We know how to have sex and have the equipment to produce offspring"

2) "Hey, black market baby kidnappers.....we have potential inventory....right here....ON BOARD!"

3) "Hey, drivers. You should drive more carefully around us because of what we are carrying."

My guess? - is that it is number 3..............to which I scoff.....and probably drive more risky and tailgate around this buggy.

Think about it - these people think that I should care more about the safety of their spitting/pooping machine than I do for my own. YES....that is what they are saying. They want me to drive safer when their hatchling is in my presence than when I am just driving on my own.

......it's a degree of arrogance - that really has no place in society. These people actually think that OTHER drivers care more about the byproduct of their horizontal activities than the driver cares about themselves.

If caution is what they want - I suggest these people (I don't like the term sub-humans) post "Huge Explosive Propane Tanks ON BOARD".....

..................THAT will get my attention and keep me on my toes.

ThinkUP!!!

Practice Flattery
and Encouragement

.....TODAY

(You will encounter plenty of people in the
next 24 hours that desperately need both)

HappyUP!!! Day 679

HappyUP!!! - Ciopinno Feed
Why it happened - my bro and sis in law are good hosts
Why it makes me happy - what's better than ciopinno on a cold winter night....along with about 60 friends? A good time had by all!

HappyUP!!! - upcoming golf tournament
Why it happened - a guy at the feed told me about it
Why it makes me happy - I used to play in this tournament 25+ years ago. I can get my buddy who is really good and tee it up next weekend.

HappyUP!!! - having a golf match today
Why it happened - there was another twosome looking for a game
Why it makes me happy - we won money! I played like a dog....my partner held me up. I came on at the very end with the pressure on, however, and struck some of the best shots I have hit in a long time. That makes me feel good about my game.



JollyJottings

6 iron on 16
Drive on 17
8 iron on 17
Drive on 18
7 iron on 18
Ciopinno Feed
A golf match
Finding out about a tournament

Special Sunday Morning HappyUP!!!

It's Sunday morning - so I get to play golf with both of my working friends that I don't get to play with during the week.

It's cold outside - I would say high 30's, low 40's with fog. In Sacramento, we call it a "wet cold."

And I can't wait to get out there - and feel my nose running...my hands chilling....and kicking some butt.

HappyUP!!! - upon anything you do on this Sunday morning

HappyUP!!! Day 678

HappyUP!!! - the picture to your left
Why it happened - one of my favorite people in the world had eyes open and was thinking about me
Why it makes me happy - when I got the e-mail, it reminded me of this person.....and, who wouldn't like their name memorialized until repaving?

HappyUP!!! - getting to golf
Why it happened - we persevered despite the heavy fog
Why it makes me happy - I got to play not only with my buddy, R, but with W and RC. I don't get to play with them very often and they are good players....and good guys.

HappyUP!!! - chipping in
Why it happened - once was skill and once was luck
Why it makes me happy - the lucky one probably one me a "skin" which means some dough! Plus, the chip in's happened back to back right after joining RC & W so that was fun.

HappyUP!!! - finding new golf shirts
Why it happened - I was going through some boxes in the basement
Why it makes me happy - are you kidding? THAT was like finding about $60-70 bucks.....HappyUP!!!
NOTE: any time you come across a severe cost savings, HappyUP!!! about it. Live it in the moment.....and relive it tonight when you do the HappyUP!!!s. In this case, I'll relive it several times when I wear these shirts!

JollyJottings

RC &Wah
Getting to golf
Chipping in
Hybriding in
Finding new golf shirts
Finding remote control car
Finding missing CD...Stillness Speaks

HappYUP!!! Day 677

HappyUP!!! - upcoming fun
Why it happened - people put these things together
Why it makes me happy - today, I confirmed that a ciopinno feed is Sunday, got invited to breakfast/golf on Monday, and booked a evening down memory lane with friends for next Thursday. That's a big day.

HappyUP!!! - painter finished
Why it happened - it takes a couple of days
Why it makes me happy - the kitchen is done....OK....there are still those pesky pendant lights to pick out but let's call it close enough. It's nice to finish something around the house. AND...I like my painter...he's a buddy.

HappyUP!!! - hitting balls
Why it happened - I forced myself to go out and practice....just practice.
Why it makes me happy - I hit about two pyramids of balls....that's a lot for me. We'll see how I feel in the morning but I am feeling pretty good tonight. It was a beautiful afternoon. I hit the ball crappy....which makes it that more impressive that I could keep hitting balls.

JollyJottings

Painter
Breakfast
Hitting balls
Clean Kitchen

The Oppostie of Poverty Is Not Wealth

"The oppostite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of poverty is enough."

-Compassion International President Wes Stafford

I love this comment - as I tire of people wanting more...more.... more.

It is almost as if - "ENOUGH" is the sign of a loser in Western culture. You have enough.

This holiday season - or anytime of the year, actually, you have the opportunity to sponsor a child in poverty. It is unbelievably inexpensive to do.

This organization does a great job - you even get the opportunity to correspond with "your" child.

You can give the gift of sponsorship - to someone else if you want to add meaning to two lives....the sponsored child and the recipient of your generosity.

This is going to be a tough Christmas - making everyone want their gift giving dollars to go farther...and have more meaning. If you fall under this category, take a trip over to Compassion International and see just how easy and inexpensive this is.

The Artist in You - Improve your PowerPoint Presentations

I hear it all the time - "I can't draw."....."I'm not an artist."

Well, neither can I - but it has never stopped me from doing it.

One of my favorite things to draw - is ants. Why?

Uh...hmmm...duh! - take a look at them. Are you telling me that you couldn't draw an ant?

Ants are industrious - it is their only redeeming characteristic....unless you count them getting into all your stuff and ruining your picnic. Ants can do anything...

...and, as such - you can have them doing anything...which includes walking a hire wire that was built by an ant operating a crane.

"I can't even draw a square" - OK...that's a challenging statement which I highly doubt but I have heard it. Don't worry about it. With "Paint," it has a square tool....a circle tool...an elliptical tool...etc

Get out there and draw something - put it in your next PowerPoint presentation....oh, god, am I sick of slick, fancy Powerpoint presentations of statistics or having the powerpoint show me all the words the speaker is saying.

Customize your presentations - the world will thank you for it!

Calligraphy....The Art of Elegant Writing

Playing around today - I came across a website where a person was doing calligraphy using the basic "paint" feature that you get with Windows.

I quickly scrawled out what you see - to your left

The first pass is a little clunky - but, as with most things, using the media will improve with time.

There are a lot of advantages to doing this with "Paint" - you can work in colors easily. You have no clean up. It is easy to draw guidelines and erase them. You can change the colors with a couple of clicks. The computer will also "hold your brush" at a constant angle...the key to calligraphy.

While a far cry - from actually dipping the nib and applying to paper, I see some uses for this....

....hey, I already received one - a blog posting

Time to start - brushing up on my "Paint" skills

HappyUP!!! Day 676

HappyUP!!! - Got my cell phone back
Why it happened - someone found it
Why it makes me happy - are you kidding? Look at the loss I described yesterday before I accepted losing it. All avoided now.

HappyUP!!! - getting my door
Why it happened - I got off the fanny finally
Why it makes me happy - I had procrastinated driving to the door store to pick up the door I ordered. I went down to get it today. As it was being loaded, my buddy at the store said, "wait....you ordered this with a different insert." He sent me on my way without the door. In the meantime, they fixed it and he brought the door to me. Sweet!

HappyUP!!! - golf with my buddy
Why it happened - he was able to get away today
Why it makes me happy - midweek...I often end up teeing it up by myself at the club. I thought that would be the case today. I am fine playing by myself...it's just always nice to tee it up with someone else. Today was an unexpected round with a buddy.

JollyJottings

Getting my door
My on-line AT&T archive
Golf at noon with my friend
Finding my cell phone
Helping out my other friend
Hitting the driver....only one drive out of the fairway out of 14
Gimme wedge on 5...wedge on 7...wedge on 1...
Hybrid chips
7 iron on 6
My buddy catching the mistake on the door
Pastrami dog
Getting the painting done in kitchen
Golf invite on Monday

HappyUP!!! Day 675....the Lost Cell Phone

"Alright, Nutster, how are you going to make a HappyUP!!! out of this?" - wow, that is a great question.

Somehow, on the golf course, I lost my cell phone today - THAT is not a happy event. Remember, the HappyUP!!! process is not about denial. "Stuff" happens. Let's go through the process of loss first

The phone is gone...and the SIM card is gone - and, no, though I thought about it the other day, I did not write down all the numbers of the people in my directory. THAT is the loss....sure, I'm out whatever a Motorola Razor phone costs but those things happen.

I'll also have to go through the mind numbing - decision of what kind of phone to get now. NOT my favorite thing to do.

On the plus side - in all likelihood, the phone I get this time is going to synch up with my computer at home. This is something that was on the project list....I'll just need to do it sooner than later. PLUS, Blackberry just came out with their new offering if I want to go in that direction. OR...I can go get the iPhone which will probably lead to me getting the Apple laptop I have been thinking about.

I also left a message for my friends - "call me at home" so I didn't miss any important calls.

While I lost some numbers I would prefer not to - I also got rid of a bunch that were cluttering up my system.

Because I was playing a "members only" private course - the liklihood of someone finding my phone and turning it in to the pro shop is higher. The maintenance guys have also been asked to keep an eye out for it.

At the same time - a call to AT&T will halt any unwanted usage in this interim period.

Yeah, it's an inconvenience - but it's just not worth dwelling upon. As a matter of fact, I'm done because now I want to focus on what we are here for.

HappyUP!!! - golfing with R
Why it happened - he's back from vacation
Why it makes me happy - R is one of my golf buddies. We haven't played in almost three weeks due to an extended vacation. This guy can play.

HappyUP!!! - great shots
Why it happened - I got out of my way
Why it makes me happy - the score wasn't there today....like many recent days. The ball striking is getting closer, however. A couple of good wedges...a pure 7 iron....a pure 4 iron...a flushed 6 iron (which was only a foot from being a hole-in-one)....another flushed 6 iron....and an 8 iron hit on the button. That's a lot of good iron shots....now, I just need to clean up the bad ones! THEN, the score may come.

HappyUP!!! - a hose bib
Why it happened - I was looking around
Why it makes me happy - I noticed a hose bib on the side of the house that I hadn't seen before. This may partially be due to cutting back a bush recently. I don't know how I missed this. Anyway, this is going to save me some trouble when I landscape in the spring.



JollyJottings

A nice walk
A lot of great shots
A near ace!
My painter
Playing golf with my buddy who has been gone

HappyUP!!! Day 674

HappyUP!!! - found out my friend got a job
Why it happened - he e-mailed me
Why it makes me happy - I have a very talented and unique friend. He has been trying to find a place for his special talents for over a year. Things were getting scary. He has found a spot with an organization that does great things. I am thrilled because this guy could have ended up homeless.

HappyUP!!! - Toastmasters
Why it happened - it was an on week and I am a member
Why it makes me happy - I saw our new banner on the website....I heard a great speech....we had a lot of camaraderie today.

HappyUP!!! - striking it better on the golf course
Why it happened - I am taking the club back straighter and longer WITH a turn
Why it makes me happy - my scoring wasn't there but I FLUSHED (that's a good thing in golf) three irons and I had the driver nicely in play all nine holes. November was an off month. While it will now get colder and more difficult to score, there is no reason not to hit quality shots. I think I'm back on track.

JollyJottings

Toastmasters
Seeing our website
Hitting some range balls
Thumping the driver
Wedge....6 iron...wedge....4 iron....7 iron
Cancellation tomorrow
Good news for a friend
Phone call from S

HappyUP!!! Day 673

HappyUP!!! - breakfast with my friend
Why it happened - he was paying me back
Why it makes me happy - anytime I am breaking bread with a friend, it is going to be a HappyUP!!! PLUS, our favorite waitress was taking care of us which is cool too.

HappyUP!!! - a returned call
Why it happened - I placed a call
Why it makes me happy - this guy used to work at the same place I did. He never worked for me but I did interview him. Neither of us work in the previous place. When he called me back, he remembered me well. He had some great information for me...as well as respect. He also said he would get more info for me.

HappyUP!!! - reaching my old buddy, GM
Why it happened - I mailed him some stuff...and called him
Why it makes me happy - he gave me some great info as we build our Toastmaster's group....I can't wait to act on the info!

JollyJottings

Breakfast with my friend
Chipping
Repayment
A walk through the open mall
A returned call
Reaching my old buddy, GM

HappyUP!!! We've Been in a Recession

"Speaking of the slowdown, it's official: We're in a recession. And have been for a year. The National Bureau of Economic Research officially declared today that the U.S. economy slipped into recession in December 2007. "

I clipped the above - from a website today.

"What's so HappyUP!!!ish about that news? - hey, we all knew that we were in one or heading into one. It's good to know that we already have a year behind us.

Recessions can last awhile - I am absolutely GIDDY that we alreay have 12 months in the rear view mirror.

....and, of course - the sarcastic side of me (that I have been trying to suppress over the years) can't let the opportunity go by to say........Duh! Thanks for the newsflash!

HappyUP!!! Day 672

HappyUP!!! - lunch with my friend
Why it happened - my friend was in town and called me
Why it makes me happy - breaking bread with a friend is great anytime for all the reasons you know....in this case, it was sushi as well...another HappyUP!!!

HappyUP!!! - extraordinary weather
Why it happened - God does those things
Why it makes me happy - I had sweat pants on when I teed off.....but I stripped down to shorts...on Nov 30... before you knew it. What part of that wouldn't be a HappyUP!!!?

HappyUP!!! - practice
Why it happened - I made myself
Why it makes me happy - I didn't play well today....but I went out to that driving range afterward and figured a few things out. Tomorrow will be another day (...without golf).....and future rounds will be better because I am putting the time in.

JollyJottings

Lunch with my friend
Practice session
Practice round
Extraordinary weather
Cleaning up the lawn
Putt on 1...15
Chip on 15....7