HappyUP!!! Day 397

HappyUP!!! - lunch
Why it happened - I extended an invitation
Why it made me happy - I got reacquainted with an old industry contact. I hadn't spoken to him in years

HappyUP!!! - training done
Why it happened - we planned it that way
Why it made me happy - my entire group got their annual training done by today......though the company didn't require it until year end.

HappyUP!!! - talking with V
Why it happened - we had an issue
Why it made me happy - I hadn't spoken with this business contact in awhile. Even though we had an issue, the conversation evolved to fun.

HappyUP!!! Day 396

HappyUP!!! - a recruit has surfaced
Why it happened - the person is sick of their company...and I stay in touch
Why it makes me happy - I have wanted this person a long time. We talk tomorrow

HappyUP!!! - seeing an old friend
Why it happened - I paid a visit to his office
Why it makes me happy - he is just a good guy that I want to try to help.

HappyUP!!! - a call from an old client
Why it happened - they found me
Why it makes me happy - I got a chance to dust off my consultant hat. A lot of people would just try to sell the people something. The client really appreciated my taking an interest in her.

HappyUP!!! Day 395

HappyUP!!! - going topless
Why it happened - it felt like the thing to do
Why it makes me happy - c'mon.....freeway...71 degrees.....20 minute drive each way. Do I even have to say why?

HappyUP!!! - inquiry from a recruit
Why it happened - I have stayed in contact
Why it makes me happy - he knows where quality is. It's time for him to move. I am going to help him make the right choice for him.

HappyUP!!! - reports
Why it happened - I went looking
Why it makes me happy - it told me some valuable information

HappyUP!!! Day 394

HappyUP!!! - sunrise
Why it happened - it is kind of a daily occurrence
Why it makes me happy - it was brilliant today....despite how many I have seen before. Why is that? Why can something so commonplace get our attention? The answer is in the question. One of the beauties of observing a beautiful sunrise is that, while enjoying a sunrise, that is all you are doing. You are in the present. You aren't thinking of anything else......and that is what HappyUP!!!'s are all about. It is about catching those little things that happen all day long.

HappyUP!!! - toastmasters
Why it happened - it was Tuesday
Why it makes me happy - 2 great speeches, table topics were awesome, the joke was funny, we got the meeting kicked off well. It was a great day.

HappyUP!!! - dark chocolate
Why it happened - a lady at Toastmaster's talked about it
Why it makes me happy - she convinced me in her speech.....Dark Chocolate is good for you! There were lots of reasons why. Do your own research. Personally, I am taking her word for it........DARK chocolate. I prefer milk chocolate but it isn't the same thing as DARK chocolate.

HappyUP!!! Day 393

HappyUP!!! - a call back
Why it happened - I called first
Why it makes me happy - the piece of business that I am trying to land is still out there and available. I thought it may have departed.

HappyUP!!! - good activity
Why it happened - I asked for it
Why it makes me happy - I love executing on strategy

HappyUP!!! - catching a stock at the resistance point
Why it happened - I did some logical thinking
Why it makes me happy - I have had a minor position in a stock that I have been unsure of. It's industry, however, is solid and the company has little competition. I have been buying it on the way down.....to the point where I started to wonder. Today, I said, "hey, this was a good buy at a higher price. I am in on this and I bought some more......but my entire order couldn't get filled. Why? Because it had found it's resistance point. Though a little higher in price, I have an order in for some more tomorrow!

HappyUP!!! Day 392

HappyUP!!! - Oscars
Why it happened - it happens every year
Why it makes me happy - it usually doesn't. It's decadence which I am not much into. Yet, it is amazing to see the various things (including dresses) that man can do when he is farting around.

HappyUP!!! - Reorganization
Why it happened - I had to do something during the Oscars
Why it makes me happy - I got my computer off the typing table and on to something more substantial. No, it's not permanent but it will let me work a little more comfortably.

HappyUP!!! - New Song
Why it happened - I got a computer guitar lesson
Why it makes me happy - I like "The Scientist" by Coldplay. The song is done on piano but I now have a version for the guitar that is pretty cool.....and, best of all, pretty darn easy. Picking up a new tune is always a HappyUP!!!

HappyUP!!!! - Letter from the principal

HappyUP!!! - Weight...held at 170 for another week. I can still get to work and knock out 10 more pounds this year. I have 5 off. It would just take some effort.

HappyUP!!! Day 391

HappyUP!!! - a rolled up paper in the head
Why it happened - I have a rude friend
Why it makes me happy - I couldn't believe that, while I wasn't looking....in public....on the couch at Starbucks... my best friend hit me in the back of the head with a rolled up newspaper. There was no reason. Totally unprovoked. It was so shocking that it actually was a HappyUP!!! It actually cracked me up that he could even think he could do such a thing.

HappyUP!!! - playing guitar
Why it happened - a rainy day
Why it makes me happy - I have some sore fingers today. I think it means I got better today.

HappyUP!!! - rain
Why it happened - we are in the rainy season
Why it makes me happy - don't get me wrong....I really dug the awesome weather last weekend. Too soon though. A little more rain is in order....with a big storm tonight....one more chance to blow down my neighbor's tree and get that shade away from my garden!

HappyUP!!! Day 390

HappyUP!!! - recruiting appointment
Why it happened - it's part of my job
Why it makes me happy - we had a great meeting! Will we get the person? Who knows.....we did ourselves proud, however.

HappyUP!!! - talking to one of my managers
Why it happened - I do that, you know
Why it makes me happy - it was one of those GREAT talks

HappyUP!!! - e-mail from a friend/recruit
Why it happened - who knows....she shot me a message out of the blue
Why it makes me happy - we'll get together next week. We may just catch up (always great) or she may come to work for us (even better because we catch up AND I get a great employee!)

HappyUP!!! Day 389

HappyUP!!! - got to Bakersfield
Why it happened - there was a meeting
Why it makes me happy - I had to take off at 4:20 in the morning....in the rain.....on a very flat drive through the Central Valley of California. It's not a pretty drive. Yet, I had never driven it in the morning. It was much more attractive with sun coming up. There was actually a bit of charm.

HappyUP!!! - chat with a recruit
Why it happened - I had to give directions for our appointment
Why it makes me happy - I am in a battle to get this person. While I called for directions, we made a personal connection today on some things.

HappyUP!!! - got back from Bakersfield
Why it happened - the 6 hr meeting was over
Why it makes me happy - c'mon..............this ended up being 600 miles on the day....over 9 hrs of driving. I never nodded off or felt sleepy one time. I "iron manned" it. It actually wasn't a bad way to go! But, I am glad it is behind me.

HappyUP!!! Day 388

HappyUP!!! - coffee
Why it happened - it happens on Wednesday
Why it makes me happy - my buddy and I had a good laugh over something that happened! I actually started my day with a mini-gut bust!

HappyUP!!! - talking to a new recruit
Why it happened - I cut through some red tape and made a call
Why it makes me happy - the recruit had indicated to a third party that she didn't want to be called. Enough time had passed that she needed to be called and to talk with me. I overcame her reticence. She isn't coming to work for me......yet. But, I have a new friend in the industry. It's a matter of time.

HappyUP!!! - stock market
Why it happened - it was up 90 pts today
Why it makes me happy - I made some good moves this morning and got more out of the market than was there. Yes, I messed up one trade that I should have canceled. I even thought about it. While it cost me some dough, I got out of a stock that I wanted to and I am not going to look back. I'll concentrate on the wins.

HappyUP!!! Day 387

HappyUP!!! - sprouts
Why it happened - I planted seeds
Why it makes me happy - other than a kindergarten exercise, I have never done this. I have a BUNCH of seeds germinating right now.....and a lot of them are really starting to sprout. I might actually be able to plant these babies and then feast on the vegetables they yield. This could really work!

HappyUP!!! - Toastmasters
Why it happened - it's Tuesday....and I go to the meeting
Why it makes me happy - we had a second speech by a new member. One of our other members is coming along. We had a lively discussion about a pet peeve of mine.
HappyUP!!! - Friday meeting booked
Why it happened - working hard
Why it makes me happy - I thought we may have lost this recruit. We have a shot and we will make the most of it at the end of this week.

HappyUP!!! Day 386

HappyUP!!! - sleep
Why it happened - I didn't get much the night before
Why it makes me happy - my sleep has not been all the night through as of late. I was OUT last night. I noticed it when I woke up...it was great!

HappyUP!!! - talk with a client
Why it happened - she was having a challenge with the company
Why it makes me happy - I got some great information.......and I got to be involved in solving her issue.

HappyUP!!! - helping an employee
Why it happened - he had an issue
Why it makes me happy - I was able to give him some fatherly type advice on how to behave....and I am sure he did so accordingly.

HydroponicsUP!!!

"Sprout, you little seeds - sprout!"

Man, if they do - I'll be tearing out even more lawn in a month or two. I've never done the seed thing before.

You see that little setup in the garden window? - I am guessing that I have 150 possible plants going.

Why the heck do I need so many? - well, why not?

I just have a bunch of old bermuda - in the backyard. "Till it all up," I say!......and I just might. Seriously, they make it so easy to start from seed. If this works, it is WAAAAAAAY cheaper than buying vegetable plants from the nursery. We are talking upwards of $300 and I have all of about $30 tied up in this little project as we speak.

If you are in the NutsterNeighborhood this year - you are going to be in luck! If I get a good growing season, I'll be throwin down the botancials to all the neighbors. I am even going to go for corn this year. I have a great sunny spot to throw a few rows of that cobby stuff down.

I think I have lost my mind! - "hey, baby, you wanna come over and water my plants?" may just be the only pickup line I will be able to use if I don't figure out a drip system in a jiffy!

Vegetables - another reason not to leave the friendly confines of the compound! .....Like I needed one.

......and, NO - none of the herbs that you see growing are smokable! Well, unless some fine Oregano gets you off...you can stuff that in your pipe and smoke it.

HappyUP!!! Day 385 - Who is that male model?

HappyUP!!! - Nuttons Actionwear...now in sleeveless
Why it happened - I got out the happy scissors
Why it makes me happy - it's another varied use for the fashion accessory of the 2000's

HappyUP!!! - 4 mile power walk/8 mile bike ride
Why it happened - it was a nice day?
Why it makes me happy - I got off my can and exercised!

HappyUP!!! - easier to administer to my patient
Why it happened - maybe he's given up the fight
Why it makes me happy - Stogie had to make a little trip to the vet on Friday. Part of the drill is that I have to give him a dropper full of oral
antibiotics....followed up with eardrops. Have you seen the claws on Stogie? Well, of course you haven't. Take my word for it...they are lethal. The first couple of times, it appeared that he was going to use them, too! He's mellowing out....maybe he is realizing that the brute force I use to cram that liquid down his throat and funnel down his ear is really looooovvvvve! MEEEEEOOOOOWWW!


"Hey, Stogie!......Nice tatoo!"

<----------------


HappyUP!!! - pictures
HappyUP!!! - seeing my buddy, Max
HappyUP!!! - chicken poop
HappyUP!!! - orange ya glad ta see me
HappyUP!!! - Boxter-ing around
HappyUP!!! - grapefruit and lemon score

HappyUP!!! Day 384

HappyUP!!! - Chicken Excrement
Why it happened - I bought it
Why it makes me happy - I was wondering all week where I would get some. I thought it would be too expensive to purchase by the bag. I'll be back tomorrow for even more!

HappyUP!!! - rototiller
Why it happened - I fired it up
Why it makes me happy - this is my dad's ol tiller. It takes a little nudge to get it going but, once it does, it goes and goes and goes. Yep, it sat all winter but, with Spring around the corner, it woke right up from hibernation.

HappyUP!!! - sun....sun...sun
Why it happened - I took advantage of it
Why it makes me happy - I took that shirt off today while I did some tilling. You can bet my shirt will be off tomorrow as well.

HappyUP!!! Day 383

HappyUP!!! - the vet
Why it happened - Stogie had a bad ear
Why it made me happy - I was able to make a "drop off" appointment first thing this morning. Within an hour of dropping him off, I knew he would be fine......well, if you call that stupid looking shaved part on his arm "fine," that is. My cat looks like he has a tatoo.

HappyUP!!! - personal day
Why it happened - I just had a bunch of "those things" that needed to be done
Why it made me happy - I have time off coming....it was nice to take a day.

HappyUP!!! - haircut
Why it happened - it was time
Why it made me happy - c'mon....I am lookin good!

HappyUP!!! Day 382

HappyUP!!! - coffee
Why it happened - I got called at 6 a.m.
Why it makes me happy - I got to have some coffee with a couple of guys I like to hang out with

HappyUP!!! - breakfast with a couple of recruits
Why it happened - I scheduled it
Why it makes me happy - I like hanging out with these ladies. If there company gets in trouble (very likely), I'll add a couple of people that I really like to my merry band of employees.

HappyUP!!! - coffee with the next manager I hire
Why it happened - I called him
Why it makes me happy - well, before I say that, I just reviewed the three HappyUP!!!s....I had a lot of coffee today! I just have to work out some numbers and I put a solid value piece on my team. They person is ready to go.

HappyUP!!! Day 381

HappyUP!!! - sales rally
Why it happened - my boss said we needed to do it
Why it makes me happy - it wasn't perfect but we pulled it out and everything was OK

HappyUP!!! - meeting with partners
Why it happened - they scheduled it
Why it makes me happy - we talked about some great things...and it would have only happened at this meeting

HappyUP!!! - coffee
Why it happened - it happens on Wednesdays
Why it makes me happy - we discussed UFO's today....an interesting discussion. Where else can I have a talk like this? Stimulating conversation

HappyUP!!! Day 380

HappyUP!!! - January results
Why it happened - my team worked hard
Why it makes me happy - this initiative is an important one. It had been a traditional strength but we had started to slip. We put some traction behind it and we are way out ahead to start the year. While it still has to be worked on, it doesn't have to be worried about.....at least for a month!

HappyUP!!! - conversion
Why it happened - our company is sending leads to my people
Why it makes me happy - they are converting the leads to sales which puts more income in their pockets. I love to see my people do better.

HappyUP!!! - a new member
Why it happened - Toastmasters happens every Tuesday
Why it makes me happy - our "a member a month" campaign now has a streak of four straight months. We just need to keep it up. We have February's member.....now we can add another this month and get ahead of the curve!

HappyUP!!! Day 379

HappyUP!!! - found my journal
Why it happened - I made a special trip home for one more sweep
Why it makes me happy - it wouldn't be the end of the world but it is much more convenient to have it than not. The moment that I saw it, I went, "ahhhhhh...." THAT is a HappyUP!!!

HappyUP!!! - employees did a great job
Why it happened - we had a region wide conference call
Why it makes me happy - I love it when the employees step up. One, in particular, sounded soooooo good it was scary.

HappyUP!!! - service man out the same day
Why it happened - I made a lucky phone call
Why it makes me happy - problem sourced yesterday and dealt with today! While they have to get a part, the problem isn't lingering.


JollyJottings

Found my journal
Got a service man out same day
Employees did a great job
Great conversation with my CP manager
Working an angle for a recruit

HappyUP!!! Day 378

HappyUP!!! - glorious weather....AGAIN
Why it happened - who knows but it was all weekend long
Why it makes me happy - I took the convertible out today.....and I will be taking it to work tomorrow too! While we still have the rainy season, I think the cold is behind us.

HappyUP!!! - the Last Castle
Why it happened - I watched a movie this morning
Why it makes me happy - in the shades of Shawshank Redemption, it was a great movie. Absolutely awesome flick. The evil guy gets proven wrong in the end

HappyUP!!! - A Few Good Men
Why it happened - it was on after the Last Castle
Why it makes me happy - same as above....the bad guy gets it and the political BS is cut through. Justice almost gets served.....oh....and...uh....Demi Moore was hot! (Hey....I'm a guy...and a single one to boot. I not only can say that, I think I have to!)

HappyUP!!! Day 377

HappyUP!!! - gorgeous weather
Why it happened - who knows...it's a crap shoot in February
Why it makes me happy - the mosquitoes were out. What? That is no reason for happiness? If the skeeters are out, you know it is a nice day. Almost took the shirt off. That sun felt really nice.

HappyUP!!! - lawnmower in
Why it happened - I was thinking ahead
Why it makes me happy - I have a tendency to procrastinate....really. I got my mower in before the crowd and I will have it back on Tuesday. If you wait until first cut, it can be weeks. The guys at the shop were really good guys as well.

HappyUP!!! - Wayne the Gardener
Why it happened - I heard about this guy so I went looking for him
Why it makes me happy - I have been getting great crops by luck. I would like to take a little more active role in food abundance this year. Wayne works weekends at a local nursery. It didn't take more than 30 seconds of talking with him to know that I was in the presence of botanical greatness. He could tell that I was "a gardener" and not the regular people that come in. He made a joke, "sure, I'll sell you some tomato plants now if you insist," for when they don't listen to him about the ground being too cold. "They'll be back buying a new set of plants." It was like he made me part of his club. You can bet I'll be utilizing his wisdom this year.

HappyUP!!! Day 376

HappyUP!!! - reviews done
Why it happened - today was the deadline
Why it makes me happy - it's OVER!

HappyUP!!! - breakfast
Why it happened - I do this once in awhile
Why it makes me happy - I enjoy meeting with one of my direct reports every other Friday. Good conversation about business and moving forward.

HappyUP!!! - resolving an issue on the high road
Why it happened - I made a tough call...but the right one
Why it makes me happy - it was tempting to do the wrong thing. I did the right thing....and rather than being seeing as stealing business from a person that person gave me the business

HappyUP!!! Day 375

HappyUP!!! - a great recruit
Why it happened - we finally did voice to voice
Why it makes me happy - this is a recruit I never thought that I would get. Today was the first time we ever talked. I came up with a win-win that I will share with the recruit tomorrow. This is interesting

HappyUP!!! - talked with boss
Why it happened - he is back from a conference
Why it makes me happy - he gave me some go ahead on a project. We also shared some good info

HappyUP!!! - profit and loss was out
Why it happened - it was that time of the month
Why it makes me happy - I thought January was going to be really rough. It was better than expected.

HappyUP!!! Day 374

HappyUP!!! - a big deal
Why it happened - one of my people is out there working
Why it makes me happy - this deal is equivalent to about 11 deals

HappyUP!!! - a call from a recruit
Why it happened - she returned my call
Why it makes me happy - this is a big one and she is interested

HappyUP!!! - dinner with the boys
Why it happened - we were going to the Kings game
Why it makes me happy - I spent a night out with my managers. It was good to be outside the office with my direct reports. The game sucked but the company was excellent

HappyUP!!! Day 373

HappyUP!!! - referral paying off
Why it happened - I gave a personal piece of business
Why it makes me happy - my employee put the deal together, took care of the client, and will help out his cause

HappyUP!!! - icebreaker
Why it happened - toastmasters
Why it makes me happy - we got to know our newest member much better than we otherwise would have. I love a good icebreaker.

HappyUP!!! - a possible recruit
Why it happened - a recruiter helped me out
Why it makes me happy - the recruit knows me.....though I don't really know the recruit. The recruit already has talked to my competitor....and didn't like that person at all!

HappyUP!!! Day 372

HappyUP!!! - recruiting meeting
Why it happened - we scheduled at night
Why it makes me happy - this recruit has huge potential.....just what I am looking for right now

HappyUP!!! - call from friend
Why it happened - they found something
Why it makes me happy - they thought that I did something funny so they would find it. I wish I had purposely done this but I couldn't lay claim to it. I think it was an accidental find on their part.

HappyUP!!! - manager meeting
Why it happened - I needed to get everyone together
Why it makes me happy - I love spending time with my management team.....even if it is for a meeting.

HappyUP!!! Day 371

HappyUP!!! - a new song
Why it happened - my buddy sent me a song he wrote
Why it makes me happy - he gave me permission to do a little hacking into it. I played with it throughout the day. This led me to figuring a few things out with my recording deck. It reminded me of how much I like to write songs.

HappyUP!!! - cashing in on my free burrito
Why it happened - Chipotle sent me a coupon
Why it makes me happy - ever ate at Chipotle? Delicious.....but massive. Fortunately, that was my only meal of the day today. It was delicious as a pre-Super Bowl meal.

HappyUP!!! - weigh in
Why it happened - it's Sunday
Why it makes me happy - I was only up a pound. It should have been more after this week. Time to get "good" again.

JollyJottings

Free Burrito
A new song
House
Super Bowl
Weigh in
Errands
My recording deck

HappyUP!!! Day 370

HappyUP!!! - some solid execution
Why it happened - my people did their thing
Why it makes me happy - the company is pushing on an initiative.....a strong push that came out of nowhere. My people were naturally doing what they should be

HappyUP!!! - the whole story
Why it happened - I got a "pipsqueek" e-mail
Why it makes me happy - I got the entire story after I got the "nipping" by the pipsqueek. I took care of business appropriately.

HappyUP!!! - a great e-mail
Why it happened - it was a follow up to last night's recruiting dinner
Why it makes me happy - it's all about positive signs when you are recruiting. This one was screaming.