HappyUP!!! Day 186

HappyUP!!! - Downtown Tuesday Night
Why it happened - it's every Tuesday night in the summer
Why it made me happy - I finally went down there after not having been in a few years. At least I earned the right to say, "I haven't missed much!"

<-------Why on earth do people do this to old trucks/cars? I don't get "car people." There must have been 100 cars on display. I am not talking gleaming either. Just old. These "car people" go show to show, park their cars on hot pavement, pull up a lawn chair, and sweat. Hey, to each his own....I don't get it! (and I get a lot of stuff)

HappyUP!!! - my car
Why it happened - I was able to avoid an accident, be courteous, and stay cool
Why it made me happy - a guy in a big construction type truck made a last...and I mean very last...minute decision to use the off ramp of the freeway. I had been following him in the right lane. I pulled off into the exit lane....he didn't. At the very last moment, he came over, saw me, kind of went back on the freeway, realized he was going to have to go to the next exit and turn the big rig around, and then came back off the freeway. Unlike a lot of drivers, when he made the first pull over in front of me (before he double clutched), I hit the Carrera brakes aggressively. The car behaved pefectly. At that point, I laid back and practically begged him (in a nice way) to , "come on, man, take it. I'm helping you out." So, when I got to the stop sign and was next to him, I was feeling like one nice guy which put me in a good mood. Another choice would have been to take the, "you are a flippin idiot" route and elevate my blood pressure. I have to admit it...I, and my car, behaved awesomely.

HappyUP!!! - lunch
Why it happened - my friend/client and I made it happen
Why it made me happy - we talk on the phone and exchange e-mails but we hadn't seen each other in a year. We met at Lemon Grass in Sacramento for some super tasty Thai food. I had heard of this restaurant but hadn't ever had a chance to eat there. The company and the cuisine were superb. Friendship deepened...palates satiated....that's a Number 1 HappyUP!!! combo anyday

HappyUP!!! Day 185

HappyUP!!! - an unexpected conference call
Why it happened - a call this hasty and with the group invited usually means BAD NEWS
Why it made me happy - it was only medium news and requires work for my peers.....but NONE for me!

HappyUP!!! - Scott Baio is 45 and Single
Why it happened - I was at my brother's and I asked him to find out what time it was on tonight so I could get home for it
Why it made me happy - episode two was playing when we looked for the show...then episode three....bringing us right up to the show I hadn't seen episode four. My brother got a kick out of what I have to admit is a pretty stupid show if you try to explain it to someone. So, we were just hanging out, catching tube, and laughing because Scott Baio is just being a guy.

HappyUP!!! - tomatoes to a friend
Why it happened - I harvested yesterday
Why it made me happy - he digs tomatoes. I didn't get to do my anonymous drop because he was hanging outside. He showed me all the work that he had done in his yard.......and I can see why he wanted me to see it. If I had busted my you-know-what to get it in that kind of shape, I would want someone to see it too! The other thing that made me happy is that he asked for a letter of reference for a job interview. If you understood the entire situation, you would know why it is a HappyUP!!! It's an honor.

In France.....it's all about the Maillot jaune

...or the yellow jersey - but I am in Roseville.

The coveted prize here - are the green pants!

Now, I don't know how you say green pants in French - and I don't really care because I am in Roseville! California! USA! The pants don't need to speak French

The amazing thing - is that the green pants have been in my closet for over 2o years.....and still fitting like the day they came home from the store.....

...well - if the guy that had originally bought them weighed about 30 pounds more!

Hey! Hey! Hey! - the important thing is that I got them off, rode with them, and no appendages had to be amputated due to a lack of circulation. Now, whether or not I will still be able to produce children may be in question but....hey....I still got them on!

HappyUP!!! Day 184

HappyUP!!! - the tomato sink
Why it happened - it's a couple of time a week occurrence around here during harvest season
Why it makes me happy - I don't know. Is it a seeing the fruits of one's labor so literally that brings me joy? I till, I plant, I grow, I pick, I wash.....and then I have almost 100% more tom toms than I need. Actually, there is another step to the process......I drive. I will be making drop and go's anonymously today.


HappyUP!!! - the Carerra Cat
Why it happened - who knows what gets into Shadows head.
Why it makes me happy - I came out and saw Shadow
perfectly perched in the classic cat sitting position right in the center of my car. Now, for a second, I turned into "car guy" in my brain....you know....the one who thinks a car is something a bit more than what gets you from here to there and treats it better than his children. That guy isn't me. After that quick flash of wanting to toss the cat passed, I just started cracking up. Here Shadow has the ENTIRE world to choose in which to sit and she chooses right in the middle of the top of the car. She looked like an old time police light on top of the car....only black. Unfortunately, as I rushed back in to get the camera and set up for the shot, her nirvana was obviously upset. She had gotten her point across as to who the queen was. She now felt it was time for her massage from the photographer. Is this where the term p---y whipped came from?


HappyUP!!! - my little Fender Amp
Why it happened - I asked the guy at the counter if he had a good small amplifier.
Why it makes me happy - I was really talking about something a bit more substantial than this one. I have an amp that I can't get everything out of because I would have the neighbors fleeing for a neighboring state if I turned it up enough to drive it. When the clerk brought me this cute little $30 battery operated item, I said, "Cute! What is that gonna do?" But, I bought it anyway. Now, I can make awful noises anywhere in the house without too much clutter. I can even throw it in the car should I want to go irritate my friends!

HappyUP!!! Day 183

HappyUP!!! - grilled hot dogs
Why it happened - I was hungry
Why it made me happy - you can bbq them, boil them, steam them, or nuke them. I think the best way for a dog is flat grilled split over the stove. No buns needed. A little cheese and a little secret sauce with veges fresh out of the garden.

HappyUP!!! - Godfather Marathon
Why it happened - it was hot and I stayed close to home
Why it made me happy - I saw The Godfather at the theaters as a young lad. I don't ever think that I saw G-father2 and 3. I may have caught pieces. I'm all caught up on my Italian......capice? (Now, whether I can spell it or not is another story). Anyway, I feel like I now know something that everyone else does. Maybe I'll watch the Star Wars movies soon.

HappyUP!!! - coffee with the family
Why it happened - it's that Saturday thing
Why it made me happy - I met my best friend and his family for the usual Saturday breakfast. I ran a little late but they didn't care. I was catching the tour de France plus I wasn't hungry. It was some funny conversation and tomorrow, I'll be tomato delivery boy to the clan.

HappyUP!!! Day 182

HappyUP!!! - an early morning breakfast invite....and breakfast!
Why it happened - a guy called me at 6:15
Why it made me happy - I like going to breakfast. I just do. I think I like going to breakfast more than going to lunch or dinner. Plus, we got our favorite waitress. Nice to have the help to harass.

HappyUP!!! - got someone into training at last minute
Why it happened - persistence
Why it made me happy - this is going to help an initiative going forward immensely.....outstanding. We caught a break

HappyUP!!!- phone call with a friend
Why it happened - I called him and he had time to kill
Why it made me happy - it was just so good to connect with this former client of mine that is going to become a client of one of my new employees. What a precious gift she is getting. The client and I had lost touch as I drifted into management. He is one of the nicest guys around. I have little doubt that this new connection is going to keep he and I together and take us into lifetime close friendship.

HappyUP!!! Day 181

HappyUP!!! - no rush
Why it happened - I woke up early...but had no appointments
Why it made me happy - I keep my own hours at work. If I start working at 8, that is late for me. I was working until 7 last night on a project. I woke up at 5 on my own today...fully rested. Rather than rush and prepare for work, I lounged a bit. I did some things around the house. I got to work around 9. It was a nice change to my routine.

HappyUP!!! - miracle worker
Why it happened - a new employee had a disaster
Why it made me happy - I showed up at a distant office just when an employee found out from the Help Desk that her computer would need to be swapped out....what a pain. I spent a few minutes, used some resourcefulness, got lucky, and the problem was fixed quickly. Talk about an excited employee! She was loving my office visit today!

HappyUP!!! - an excited new hire
Why it happened - she gave notice at her old job
Why it made me happy - I have very rarely had gratitude heaped upon me like I did with this message...very rarely. I don't think it is that people appreciate me. I think that I really get excited in using my skills and learnings to make people happy.

HappyUP!!! Day 180....

HappyUP!!! - phone conversation with my best friend
Why it happened - I called him to go over the Tour de France scandal (we're fans)
Why it made me happy - we spent an hour going over a bunch of stuff. It's amazing how much new material we had to share. Especially considering how much we have talked lately.

HappyUP!!! - found out key information
Why it happened - I pressed a conversation
Why it made me happy - it wasn't good news but it was news I needed to have

HappyUP!!! - a delicious burger
Why it happened - I bbq'd
Why it made me happy - I didn't eat much today so I grilled up a couple of excellent patties...no buns. All I had was a little garlic salt for seasoning but they were especially tasted....must have been an excellent griller involved!

A God Thought

As the years have rolled by - I have done some spent some time contemplating this vast word "spirituality."

I have studied the Bible - to more detail than other religions. This study has not been through formal seminal training. To a scholar, it would not be considered true study. Compared to other forms, however, this is the one that I know the most about.

Some say God is all around us - but some contend that He is within us.

I don't doubt either - my take is that when He is around us, He is there to be seen. When He is within us, He is to be discovered.

If God is within us - it seems that it would be impossible to know God without knowing ourselves first.

How many people really know themselves? - I mean know themselves as who they are as opposed to who they think they are supposed to be or who they wish that they were.

A lot of people find God - when they hit rock bottom. Could the reason be that, in their rock bottomness, there is nothing of themselves left to see and only God is left?

What is in your way - of discovering God?

HappyUP!!! Day 179

HappyUP!!! - lookin good
Why it happened - a new T-shirt
Why it makes me happy - I can get away with a wide array of clothing choices whilst working in a fairly conservative industry and holding a position with a degree of prominence. The key is that I have to look nice. This lets me escape the dreaded tie every day. My new yellow t-shirt received yesterday went nicely with black slacks and a black/white with a hint of gold houndstooth jacket. Though I got no comments, I still think it worked magically.

HappyUP!!! - chat with an employee
Why it happened - one of my employees came into the office around 5:30.
Why it made me happy - I detected there was a need to talk about life in general a bit. No particular problems. Just a younger person looking for an outlook from someone that has been around a little longer. I see this as being more of my role as I get older. Mass marketing and mass culture has an agenda for a reason....and that reason may not work for the individual. The most powerful influence in a person's life is the person that they can have honest chats with.

HappyUP!!! - compliment on my work group's performance
Why it happened - someone was honestly looking for the key
Why it made me happy - "hey, Nutster, while I have you on the phone. Your group continually excels on this one initiative. Most of our groups struggle. What's the secret sauce?" This person is responsible for how my peers do. She honestly was looking for advice. While I can't say I had a magic pill, I did give her a little guidance.

HappyUP!!! Day 178

HappyUP!!! - presenting an award
Why it happened - the award came in my name but really belonged to someone that worked for me
Why it made me happy - this person has plenty of dough but the award was a $250 gift card....first thing this morning, I get a big "suuuuhhhhweeeeeet," from my top employee. How good is that?

HappyUP!!! - an old friend's voice on my voice mail
Why it happened - a follow up to a text message
Why it made me happy - come on, you know how it is. You haven't heard from someone for awhile and then you hear their voice out of nowhere. It's just a momentary thing....easily forgotten....unless you are capturing it as a HappyUP!!! at day's end. You get to relive it before you head off to bed.

HappyUP!!! - a terrible problem easily solved
Why it happened - hey....I got lucky
Why it made me happy - I had forgotten to do something. It was going to negatively effect some compensation. Fortunately, my friends in payroll picked me up and let it slide so everyone gets paid on time. It's a HappyUP!!! to get lucky once in awhile.

Bonus HappyUP!!! - an incoming shipment
Why it happened - I ordered some clothes a while back
Why it made me happy - everything was in the package....it all works. Hey....a few new knockin around clothes show up on your doorstep. You just want to say, "yay!"

HappyUP!!! Day 177

HappyUP!!! - the British Open
Why it happened - it happens every year....right now
Why it made me happy - you dedicated readers know that I love the four major championships in golf. This one is over in Europe which means that I can watch golf at 6 in the morning our time and still have a productive day! Plus, this year's Open was fantastic! I love watching people at the top of their game with the ultimate pressure on the toughest courses grind it out.......fun things happen and judgement gets tested.

HappyUP!!! - meeting a colleague
Why it happened - there was a big event in town today
Why it made me happy - this guy has been a lot of help. He works back in the midwest. I had never met him. It's good to put a face with a name. We had a nice lunch. The event was successful as well.

HappyUP!!! - the cycle of food love
Why it happened - I gave someone else vegetables the other night
Why it made me happy - his wife liked the tom tom's and peppers. They are a Hispanic couple. I now have a Tupperware full of Chile Colorado sitting in my fridge waiting for me to munch tomorrow. Hey, I just give the veges because I have too much......and, as usual, good things come around when you give.

HappyUP!!! Day 176

HappyUP!!! - poker night
Why it happened - my investment guy put it together for some of his clients
Why it made me happy - I met some new people. Good, solid guys for the most part. I played a lot of cards in my teens. I have kind of let the Texas Hold em mania sweep over me as I kind of burned out on cards back then. Yet, it can be fun so it was a good time.

HappyUP!!! - winning at poker
Why it happened - a little bit of luck and hanging in ther
Why it made me happy - I really like getting things that I shouldn't have. If I play golf, I don't need that ball that is in the lake. I will still reach in and get it because it belongs (belonged) to someone else. Hey, no need to keep me out of your house......I'm not a kleptomaniac.

HappyUP!!! - Toastmaster's training
Why it happened - I am President of our club
Why it made me happy - I get to see a lot of people that I only see a few times a year
Breakfast -poker game -buddy's new car -winning cash -Toastmaster's training -Toastmaster's paperwork

DecideUP!!!

"Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering"

HappyUP!!! Day 175

HappyUP!!! - twenty bucks
Why it happened - I was the first guy to one of my offices
Why it made me happy - I was visiting a branch. The employees were late because I beat them there. As I parked where they should have, I got out of the car, looked down, and found a 20 spot! What a way to start the day! PLUS....it should have been found by one of my employees had they been there on time. It's good to be me.

HappyUP!!! - lunch
Why it happened - I was invited to a local lunch spot during my visit to the branch mentioned above.
Why it made me happy - it was Indian food. I am not a big curry fan but the restaraunt was owned by one of my employee's relatives...an uncle. I couldn't insult him and turn down the invite. I think he wanted me to meet his family.....and there were a bunch of them there. It was nice....and tasty! Plus, they brought me a dessert.....rous mallard?....or something like that. It was coconut puffs in coconut milk...I think. It was delicious and the people were nice. I didn't understand the Punjabi they were speaking but it was still a great lunch.

HappyUP!!! - excellent lease news
Why it happened - my lease guy is working a deal
Why it made me happy - if I pull this off, I save the company about $40,000.....and we get signage! Talk about a Win-Win!!!

HappyUP!!! Day 174 - a Funeral

HappyUP!!! - the funeral
Why it happened - my friend's father died
Why it made me happy - I wasn't the guy in the box!
(sure....that's s a funny joke. At the same time, I mean it!)

HappyUP!!! - seeing my friend's brother after 28 years
Why it happened - I was at a funeral
Why it made me happy - this was the older half brother of one of my best friends. He was quite the ladies man playboy type back in the day. We all marveled after his style. He is doing great now. He has a son that is engaged. He's living a good life but still has a bit of that wild thing in him.

HappyUP!!! - the lady in the short black dress
Why it happened - I guess she thought it was appropriate
Why it made me happy - she had the legs to pull it off! Sorry but, even though it was a somber occasion, one could not help noticing this leggy lass.....WOW!!! Hey, we paid our respects to our friend's departed father. Who says that it has to be a moratorium on not checking out the scenery. Even if such a moratorium was in place, there would have been NO WAY to avoid it. Happy that I didn't have to. That was one nice pair of legs....and we saw pretty much all of them.


Tomatoes -Funeral -Drive to Auburn -Working with new employee -Working with another new employee - Working with a manager -compliments on car -seeing friend's brother -helping my ailing father

HappyUP!!! Day 173

HappyUP!!! - I put the cars inside
Why it happened - I got motivated and did the shuffle last night
Why it made me happy - you may remember that I washed all three of my vehicles last Sunday....a HappyUP!!! They hadn't found their way back into the garage. The truck was blocking that progress. So, I moved the truck out of the way, got the one car that goes against one wall of the garage in first, followed by the second. The truck stayed outside because that is where he lives. Why did this make me happy?

......it ended up raining....in July last night! It would have been just enough to make everything filthy again. I woke up to semi-wet streets but a big, "ahhhhhhhh," because I made the effort last night.

HappyUP!!! - vegetables to friends
Why it happened - I walked some of my bounty across the street and left it on the neighbor's front doorstep. I had a co-worker stop by for some tomatoes.
Why it made me happy - everyone loves fresh vegetables from the garden. They really love it when they are free!

HappyUP!!! - cake!
Why it happened - my neighbor did a vegetable reciprocation
Why it made me happy - I didn't expect anything when I quietly dropped off those vegetables. I dropped them off and then got in the car and ran an errand. When I came back, there was a delicious slice of REALLY THICK chocolate cake awaiting me on my front stoop!

Bonus HappyUP!!! - new books arrived
Why it happened - I ordered some on Amazon last week
Why it made me happy - I had kind of forgotten about ordering them. Now, it was kind of like Christmas!!! I have 5 new books to tackle.


Coffee
Great training run through
Good meeting with my new team
Super interview
A very productive conference call
More tomatos
Giving away vegetables
Cake!!!
Seeing a messy house
New Books arrived
Remembered to put the cars in

QuoteUP!!! 3....Eleanor Roosevelt on Fear

"Everyday do something that you are afraid to do"

-Eleanor Roosevelt

OK - this one may not be an exact quote. The accuracy is not that important. I know that it is in the zip code. What would happen to you if you ground this into you daily list. Do you know what you are afraid to do? You don't have to go jump out of an airplane though you certainly could. I read recently about a 65 year old woman who went to an artist an posed nude! Wow! That could be a big one...especially when, upon the completion of the drawing, the artist politely asked, "may I have the privilege of kissing your nipples?" A degree of caution may be required but, at the same time, too much caution can keep you in your state of ennui.

The fear can be much less - today, I am afraid to go run on the track. I am afraid of the burning sensation that is going to occur in my lungs. I am afraid that I won't beat my last time. I am afraid it is going to throw my day off with everything else that I could get done. Yet, I have a cogitation about setting a goal to run a 6 minute mile again. It is not a firm commitment yet. I need to overcome the fear above so I can feel a little better about setting the goal. If I fail to breakthrough today's fear, I will never set the goal.

What do you fear? - get out your journal. Keep track of what goes on in your mind. Avoiding something because "you don't feel like it" may actually have a fear at it's root. What is the cost of not addressing that it is a fear in the first place, staring the fear in it's face for what it is, and then overcoming it?

Adopting this one quote - into your daily life is something that make a quantum change.

HappyUP!!! Day 172

A lot to pick from today - that is for sure. ....and I wasn't even looking that hard. If you look everyday, it's amazing what you will find.

HappyUP!!! - seeing long lost friend and his significant other
Why it happened - they had some time to stop by before attending a dinner
Why it made me happy - they happen to be in town for a few days. I have already written about seeing him but I hadn't seen her in 25 years or more. Reacquainting is an awesome thing.

HappyUP!!! - touching base with another old friend
Why it happened - I let him know that our other old friend (see above) was in town.
Why it made me happy - it's always good to talk to this guy. He was another one of our gang in high school. Later on, he was one of my roommates. It's cool to have these contacts. While it would be nice to stay in touch more, the absence does make the heart grow fonder.

HappyUP!!! - outstanding lunch
Why it happened - we were offsite and we got hungry
Why it made me happy - one of the people we were with likes nice lunches. There were 3 guys and one gal. Any guess as to who the "nice lunch" person was? Anyway, we had a wonderful lunch and great conversation. On top of that, my crab melt was TO DIE for!

Great meeting
Outstanding lunch
Seeing friends
Helping Dad
Toastmaster's meeting

HappyUP!!! Day 171

HappyUP!!! - a really funny comment
Why it happened - the guy running the meeting kind of shocks us with his humor once in awhile...today was one of those days
Why it makes me happy - this person doesn't do it all the time. When he lets a non-PC comment go, it is funny as heck and, to me, it's really not incorrect. I think the funny thing is that everyone else thinks that it is. He doesn't have to cow down, however. As said, it's his meeting! Refreshing

HappyUP!!! - free beef jerky
Why it happened - my best buddy had some samples from his work
Why it makes me happy - this is one of those, "C'mon, do I even have to explain," HappyUP!!!s. OK...here goes...1)it's free and 2) it's BEEF JERKY!

HappyUP!!! - a few moments with my long lost friend
Why it happened- he's in town visiting
Why it makes me happy - while I would much prefer that he lived here, I wish everyone could experience having a deep down bestest of best friends (I don't care what spellcheck says..."bestest" is a word) that you don't see for twenty years and then, when you are reacquainted, it's like a day hasn't passed since you last saw each other. It's kind of weird......but in the bestest of ways.