HappyUP!!! Day 598

HappyUP!!! - winning a game
Why it happened - who knows...because I played
Why it makes me happy - my friend, Boz, is a better tennis player than I am. He smoked me 6-1 today. We usually play more than one set but a knee issue on my part cut this one short. The last time was 6-1,6-1....before that, 6-1, 6-0 (hey, I told you he smoked me). Let's put the emphasis on that 1 part of the 6-1, though. I was happy to win a game. Soon, I will be thrilled to win 2 games but my skills need to escalate.

HappyUP!!! - golf invitation
Why it happened - my brother had a cancellation
Why it makes me happy - on Sunday, I will be playing Yocha-De-He Golf Club at Cache Creek Resort
This is a new golf course that is supposed to be REALLY nice. I am jazzed. We are going to have a good game going on.

HappyUP!!! - golf invitation 2
Why it happened - I have friends
Why it makes me happy - my golf course is closed all week due to the PGA holding a tour qualifying event there (did I tell you that my golf course is challenging?). This accomodation to the PGA has left me without a course to play on this week. My bro stepped in yesterday and my friend stepped in for tomorrow. I'll be back at my course Saturday. This means I will have played golf four times this week...much better than the two days I started off with.

HappyUP!!! Day 597

HappyUP!!! - Toastmasters work
Why it happened - we did an impromptu meeting
Why it makes me happy - our club has seen a drop in membership.....and we have been slow at the switch in recruiting. We had a productive session this morning as we converted our meeting to a strategy meeting. As a result, we have a plan. From that plan, I got our club website up....I bought a good domain name at GoDaddy and got it associated with the club.....and can now move forward with some collaterals. I like the plan we have

HappyUP!!! - stock market
Why it happened - it was open?
Why it makes me happy - yesterday was an absolute massacre. I actually had orders in to sell a bunch of positions at the open this morning. I'm glad I pulled those requests back. Today was a welcome day of relief from the brutality

HappyUP!!! - golf at a different course
Why it happened - I called up my brother
Why it makes me happy - I really didn't play that well. Today, the driver was working....the irons weren't. On Sunday, the driver wasn't working at all but the irons were OK. The plus today was I got up and down with the short game enough to help out my partner who was having a bad day. I also finished with a chip in for birdie on 17 and almost chipping in on 18. Those two plays saved us a bunch of dough.....and it was a good takeaway on a tough day.

JollyJottings

Impromptu Executive Meeting
Club Website Progress
Opportunity to promote club
Stock Market
Golf
Golfing finish

HappyUP!!! Day 596

HappyUP!!! - golf tomorrow
Why it happened - I took advantage of an invitation
Why it makes me happy - my golf course is closed all week due to an outside tournament. I called in a marker from my brother. I'm bringing another orphan golfer from my club along and we are going to my brother's club. He has two excellent players to join in. We are going to have some seriously good golf going on tomorrow. Tomorrow's HappyUP!!! will be if I actually play some of that good golf. In the meantime, I am thrilled about tomorrow's lineup.

HappyUP!!! - dealing with the down market
Why it happened - it's the market
Why it makes me happy - I have to admit, exposure to the challenging real estate and stock market is enough to be a CrappyDown!!!! Today, the stock market was ablaze with terrible news. There are people who say that we shouldn't expose ourselves to the barrage of bad news that we get. If it doesn't effect us, I would say they have a good point. If it does effect us and we don't stay informed, I believe that is the ostrich approach....I don't care for that. As "the world melted today," I was buoyed by a guy who had lost his job of 20+ years due to one of the financial institutions going out of business. I imagine he probably had lost some dough in a retirement plan as well. His attitude was, "I lost friends here on 9/11....things like today happen. I'll get through it. My friends didn't." It seemed like a genuine comment from someone that really had been effected by some of the worst that New York has to dish out. I found it helpful and uplifting.

HappyUP!!! - handling a piece of business
Why it happened - I finally took care of something
Why it makes me happy - ever put off doing something because you don't know exactly what to do....and it kind of hangs over you? I learned a long time ago that there gets a point where you just need to do something. Apparently, I forgot that lesson because I had let something suspend over my head for too long. Today, I took care of it even though I wasn't sure about it. Guess what? It wasn't that bad and I know I made the right call. Whew!.....Done!

"Come and Get It!"

After a down 500+ day in the markets - this is what dinner looks like...

....for a lot of people - I know I will be celebrating with this fine cuisine this evening to mark this Black Monday.

...and dang thankful - that I have the beans in the cabinet (along with a little homemade spaghetti sauce to mix in with them).

Hey....natural gas is clearly one of our solutions to the oil situation - hmmmmm....could more people eating beans due to the financial crisis somehow be harnassed to help us out of the dependency on foreign oil?

Just thinkin!

HappyUP!!! Day 595

HappyUP!!! - Teeing it up at 7 a.m.
Why it happened - my friend got a tee time
Why it makes me happy - there is something about being out in the dewey grass, slapping the white ball around, while in the accompaniment of your friends. We had a good time today. I hit some fabulous short shots from 80 yds in. The long game was awful....atrocious...but I salvaged something out of the trainwreck.

HappyUP!!! - spanking my friend in golf
Why it happened - I played poorly...he played worse
Why it makes me happy - he claimed to have a mythical win streak going. While he had beat me over 18 holes several times in a row, I had beat him over 9. Plus, he no showed a couple of times when I would have beat him. Anyway, his streak is over and we are on to a new day.

HappyUP!!! - free lunch
Why it happened - I turned in a survey
Why it makes me happy - it's FREE LUNCH! The cutoff to turn it in was tomorrow...and I remembered to take the survey out to the golf course. Food is always better when it is free!

HappyUP!!! Day 594

HappyUP!!! - no parking ticket
Why it happened - I got lucky?
Why it makes me happy - I attended a meeting down in Sacramento today for Toastmasters. I figured the meeting would be over in 2 hrs so I metered it at the curb to the max. There were refreshments and this was the charter meeting for a new club. The entire event was 2.5 hrs. The final speaker was so good that I didn't want to ditch him to feed the meter. As soon as he was finished, I went down to my car to feed the meter/pick up my parking ticket. I was ready for the ticked. "Hey, I have paid more money than a parking ticket to see speakers that weren't as good as the last guy," I thought to myself. I had it rationalized. No parking ticket was going to rain on my parade. Guess what? No ticket. I fed the meter for the time I had been there too long...and went back upstairs to thank the speaker for being there. I also bought a couple of tickets to an upcoming benefit he is putting on. Hey, it was cheaper than the parking ticket!

HappyUP!!! - meeting with my painter
Why it happened - we had an appointment
Why it makes me happy - I live in an older home. I believe it would be designated as "Craftsman" style. I was just going to paint the peeling trim and leave the asbestos shingles alone....despite their dinginess. The painter is a friend of mine. He said, "it's your call.....but I REALLY want to paint this entire house and make it pop." I really wasn't going to paint the shingles......because that means RE-painting the shingles.....how many more times if I die in this house? All I have to do now is come up with a color scheme.

HappyUP!!! - speakers
Why it happened - I went to a Toastmaster meeting
Why it makes me happy - this is a new club...an advanced club. I went because one of the World Champions of Public Speaking was giving a presentation. It turns out he had an illness in the family. The club member that spoke gave a very good talk on the reduction of clutter. She'll be giving this presentation to outside groups so this was good practice. I will be putting her advice to use tomorrow. The second person was the fill in. He is also the creator of MONStars of Motivation. He is basically taking the reality TV show concept to the field of motivational speaking. Think you have had enough reality type shows? Well, I have to think this one could be of more benefit than Dancing with the Stars or American Idol. So does Oprah Winfrey. I believe she has bought in! His presentation was something that I definitely needed to hear.

JollyJottings

Breakfast
Meeting with my painter
Going to a meeting
Speaker one at meeting
Speaker two at meeting
No parking ticket
Meeting a fellow native Rosevillian
New Licks

HappyUP!!! Day 593

HappyUP!!! - a stock purchase
Why it happened - I got a recommendation from a service I subscribe to
Why it makes me happy - I don't follow nearly all of the tips from this source. I looked at this one, though, and acted right away. I usually try to know more about a stock than this one but I decided to jump in....in a fairly big way. This one went up almost 5% from the time I bought it to the end of the day. That's a real winner these days. I'll be keeping an eye on this one Monday and ready to unload it to lock in some gains.

HappyUP!!! - tennis
Why it happened - my golf club is closed due to a tournament
Why it makes me happy - I got pounded 6-1, 6-1. That isn't the HappyUP!!! It was a beautiful afternoon and a nice way to be out of the house getting some exercise.

HappyUP!!! - chat with my old co-worker
Why it happened - he called me
Why it makes me happy - he left the company long before I did. He went to open up his own business that was not related to the mortgage industry. It was a franchise deal. He now moved ahead and owns the entire company when the original owner wanted to get out. He is out pursuing the dream which is what it is all about. I hope makes it happen in a big way.

JollyJottings

Tennis
Spaghetti Sauce
A call to my painter
A great stock purchase

HappyUP!!! Day 592

HappyUP!!! - an Eagle!
Why it happened - I played three perfect shots
Why it makes me happy - an eagle on a hole in golf is two under par. There is one hole on my course that I have not even birdied (one under par). It's tough. I hit the soft driver....the three wood down the middle...and then knocked the 95 yd remaining shot in the hole! My buddy, R, that I play golf with is a much better golfer than I am. He can hit a lot of the par 5's in two shots because he hits it farther. Since we joined the club, he has one eagle....a par 5 he hit in two and one putted. I have two eagles....both on par 5's that I have knocked wedges in on. I keep a leg up on a guy better than me...for now. That's a HappyUP!!!

HappyUP!!! - a new wedge
Why it happened - I acted
Why it makes me happy - yesterday, I hit my 52 degree wedge a little off...and the ball went nowhere. At that point I said, "I need to get a wedge like my 54 degree wedge." I ran over to Wide World of Golf right before going to the course and I got the matching wedge. This is the wedge that I used above. On it's very first shot, the ball went in the hole!

HappyUP!!! - decent day in the markets
Why it happened - who knows
Why it makes me happy - do you have any idea how skittish the stock market is? There are a lot of things going on that are very artificial. While today didn't make up for the downward spiral since Labor Day, it was good to be up today!

JollyJottings

Eagle
New Wedge
Almost Hole in One
Birdie Putts
News from the old front
Seeing R.C.
Decent day in the markets

HappyUP!!! Day 591

HappyUP!!! - the back nine
Why it happened - it comes after the front nine
Why it makes me happy - I didn't hit the ball tremendously well in the total of 15 holes that I played. I did hit 10 of the 15 greens in regulation. My average is around 6-7 for 18. This all came home on the back nine where I shot a very ho-hum 38. This is a good sign. I would have felt that I was playing well to shoot 38. When your "so so" day is a 38, you are on the right track.....at least I am

HappyUP!!! - callback from a recruit
Why it happened - the person respects me
Why it makes me happy - I will probably be meeting with her on Friday. She is in career transition. While I am retired, I do have a place for her to check out.

HappyUP!!! - eating from the garden
Why it happened - I did some picking
Why it makes me happy - tomatoes....peppers....bell peppers...onions.....all sliced up with some olive oil,cheese, and pastrami mixed together in a sautee pan. Deeeeeeeelicious!

JollyJottings

Callback from a recruit
The back nine
The 73 degree wedge
Eating from the garden

HappyUP!!! Day 590

HappyUP!!! - not too sore
Why it happened - Not sure....I thought tennis yesterday would have taken a toll
Why it makes me happy - I was able to play golf and do things relatively uninhibited today. I was expecting a lot more soreness than I have. I was also thinking I might have some actual pain. This also bodes well for more tennis in the future. Let's see if I get the "pain hangover" tomorrow. Ever notice that sometimes when you do something strenuous that you aren't used to, you feel the soreness two days later and not the next day?

HappyUP!!! - tomatoes
Why it happened - I did some picking
Why it makes me happy - I filled up a 5 gallon bucket!...almost entirely comprised of cherry and roma tomatoes. I was able to hand deliver them to three neighbors. They all happened to be outside so I got the extra, but not necessary, thank yous. I still have more to drop off tomorrow. Here we are in September and I still have the tomatoes going on all over the place.

HappyUP!!! - golf
Why it happened - come on....I do it almost every day
Why it makes me happy - once again, the score isn't where I want it...but the ball striking is getting there. I was only 3 shots off my best round so far.....with 4 double bogeys and I made no putts. In the past, I would have had to play well to shoot what I shot today. Today, with a bit better concentration, I could have easily been 7 shots better.....and that is without asking for a bunch of things to happen. The game will get there.

JollyJottings

Tomato picking
Tomato delivering
Visit from neighbor
Backyard chipping
Golf...driving the ball
Stopping by my brothers
Given a test club
E-mail from a sweet friend
Breakfast from the garden

The Ol Nutter Almanac 2008

9/9 NOTE: Barring a heatwave, we'll finish the year here with 15 days over 100. This is a day or two on the high side for a mild summer but far below the average summer. We sit there pegged on the high that was predicted below at the beginning of Summer. It appears that the Ol' Nutter Almanac should be adopted as an official weather predictor by the mainstream.

For years and years, I have trusted the Ol' Nutter Almanac - to predict our summers here in Sacratomato. The almanac says that the weather on Jazz Festival Weekend back in May is a predictor for how hot our summer will be.

This year - it almost rained.....which means a very cool summer. We got the next best thing....80's was the high. This means a nice summer. 10-15 days of 100 degrees or more.

If we catch 100 degrees on that same weekend-get yourself a ticket and get the heck out of town until fall!

I'll keep reposting this post - as I update the weather here in Roseville (a lovely suburb of Sacratomato). I'll use weather.com as my measuring stick.

9/6 101
9/5 100
8/29 103
8/28 102
8/27 103
8/15 102
8/14 103
8/13 104
7/22 102
7/10 101
7/9 108
7/8 109
7/7 104
6/20 100
6/21 102
9/1 NOTE: 3 more days since the last report. We are now up to 13 days of 100 degrees or above. Remember the last note that said, "looking for a cool September"? Today, we got just that. It was a gorgeous day in the 80's. That is the good news. The bad news? 97 tomorrow and then 5 days of 100 degrees in the forecast! Let's hope the Delta Breeze comes in or this is going to be an off year for the almanac.....but still an OK summer for the weather here.

8/22/08 NOTE: It's been a week since the last update. We only had one day over 100 since last the last note on 8/15....and it was the 15th. This will bring us up to a total of 10 days for the year. We have two 100 degree days on the forecast for next week. There are a couple of days that will be around 98. It looks like we'll be up to 12 by next week which will put us on the cusp of credibility. Looking for a cool September!

8/15/08 NOTE: Here we are are....halfway through August. 9 days over 100 through yesterday. That should move to 10 after today's cooker...104 to 106! Tomorrow could get the triple digits too. This would bring us to 11 days in the big mercury. We end up with a good cooling trend after that. The almanac is going to get tested but, unless things heat up significantly at month end and through Sept, the Ol Almanac's predictive values will remain intact again.

7/31 NOTE - July is cleared. 8 days over 100 degrees so far in our scientific test of the O.N.A. (Ol Nutter Almanac).........like anyone should be questioning it to begin with!!! That's OK...you're tough....I get it. According to weather.com, the ONA is in great shape for the first 9 days of August as well. July is usually our hot month here in the valley. August can be a bit of a cooker but it looks like it will be coming in like a lamb.

7/26 NOTE: not much need to update - we did finally catch another 100 degree day earlier in the week. As we speak, the next week is looking cooler. The number of days at 100 or above stands at 7

7/8 NOTE: the hot spell has hit - yesterday was 104. This brings us to 3 days over 100 this season. I would say we are looking good but we are going to get 5 more days (including today) on this heat spell. We'll still have half of July and all of August to get through. August is going to need to be less august than it can be! On the plus side, July is normally the hottest month for us.

6/29 NOTE: a week has gone by....no more pesky 100 degree days. All low to mid 90's predicted for this week. The almanac remains in good shape
6/21 Note: Summer began last night - and we are already on the books for 2 days at 100 degrees! Looks like the almanac is in for a test!

HappyUP!!! Day 589

HappyUP!!! - Financial Justice
Why it happened - who knows
Why it makes me happy - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taken over by the government today....finally. From someone in the industry, I can tell you that FM Watch was formed long ago...probably a decade. Fannie and Freddie were Govt Sponsored Entities that had overstepped their bounds. They played favorites. They didn't play by the rules because they didn't have them....and were not properly regulated themselves. That changes...today. On another note, Kerry Killinger was ousted finally from WAMU today. While EVERYONE has a hand in the mortgage meltdown, Killinger has a good size finger in there....and collected 14.4 million dollars in compensation last year while moving to defend executive compensation as the institution tanked. He was allowed to stay too long....kind of like Fannie/Freddie. The HappyUP!!! is that deeds got done today.

HappyUP!!! - tennis
Why it happened - the golf club is closed on Monday
Why it makes me happy - it wasn't the quality of my play. Oh my....where did those 25 years go since I could properly bat a ball around? The HappyUP!!! is that this is another healthy activity to be able to do and I have a strong person to do it with. He's better but not in shape. I'm not very good, not in great shape, but in better shape than him. The race is on - my partner getting in shape versus me getting better. It's a win - win no matter what. It was funny. At one point he said, "hey, we could practice and enter some doubles tournaments." I said, "do you really want to be standing at the net when the other team is ripping on the serve that you saw me hitting today?" He said, "Hmmm.....good point!" It was funny

HappyUP!!! - breakfast with friends
Why it happened - there was an unexpected guest
Why it makes me happy - the one friend I see all the time. It was nice to have the other guy tag along. I won't share anymore than that other than we had a great breakfast.

JollyJottings

Financial Justice
Continued Silly Attacks on Sara Palin
Keith Obamarman
Tennis
Breakfast
Stock Market

HappyUP!!! Day 588

HappyUP!!! - weight
Why it happened - I weigh every Sunday
Why it makes me happy - dipped into the 160's today. That is the first time since the end of March. I've dropped about 8 pounds in 5 weeks. How? Playing golf in the sun......just imagine what would have happened had I walked any of the rounds I have been playing! Now, it's time to kick in a little exercise to see if I can drive this down to 160 by Thanksgiving. THAT would be a HappyUP!!! for the holiday season.

HappyUP!!! - 45 holes of golf
Why it happened - I have crazy friends
Why it makes me happy - because I survived it! It had to be over 100 out there or close to it. I drank a TON of water and passed NONE of it. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the brightest thing to do. The ball striking is getting a little better, however. The scores won't be far behind.

HappyUP!!! - US Open Women's Tennis
Why it happened - I flipped on the tube when I got home
Why it makes me happy - Serena Williams and Jalena Jackovic put on one of the best tennis matches I have seen in some time. It was incredible to watch Jackovic continue returning the more powerful Williams' balls. Power vs Finesse.

JollyJottings

Weight
45 holes
Text game I played
US Women's Open Final
Ball Striking

HappyUP!!! Day 587

HappyUP!!! - my painter
Why it happened - he returned my call
Why it makes me happy - I like to do business with people that I know....and that I know could use the business. By happenstance, I got a flyer on my door. The guy didn't know it was my house. I need some paint. I didn't know this guy was doing re-paints.

HappyUP!!! - breakfast
Why it happened - it's every Saturday
Why it makes me happy - family breakfast included my best friend. He had been sick in the hospital. It was good to see him doing better.

HappyUP!!! - my golf club
Why it happened - I joined a month ago
Why it makes me happy - just today, I got some good instruction from the Head Professional. I had forgotten my shoes later in the day....they had some great new kicks there. I went out and played a great front nine...which included two birdies and some great shots (we'll not talk about the back nine....it is what it was). I also met a couple of more guys from the club that played in our game...it's good to expand the circle.

JollyJottings

Breakfast
Professional Instruction
The Front Nine
New Kicks
Running into an old friend
My golfing circle

HappyUP!!! Day 586

HappyUP!!! - the golf course
Why it happened - I went there
Why it makes me happy - a lot of reasons today. The Bridgestone Golf Ball people were there. I found out my clubhead speed was 101 to 105 miles per hour. I actually hit the ball just as far at 101 than I did at 105. My friend was on the range later (another reason to be happy). He BOMBS the ball. His clubhead speed is only a little faster than mine. I'm just not striking it correctly (duh....news at 11). The pro was on the range and I bit the bullet and said, "dude, let's do a lesson tomorrow." I also had a very productive chipping practice session. I am going to get my golf game back.....and then some.

HappyUP!!! - toastmasters speech contest
Why it happened - it is the season
Why it makes me happy - we did it on our turf this time. One of our members won Table Topics and the other came in second. We were represented well which has always been a goal of mine since the club's inception 21 years ago.

HappyUP!!! - stock market rebound
Why it happened - who knows
Why it makes me happy - the stock market is schizoid right now. Weird things are going on. Artificial things ....like hedge funds doing massive selloffs because they have misplayed the market all year and are going out of business. They dump their stocks so they can return what assets are left to the fund investors. Naughty... naughty...naughty. It's caused a lot of pain in the portfolios of investors this week. It was doing it again this morning until a rebound brought things up to even in the afternoon. The market is hard enough to gauge during these times without these borderline shenanigans!

JollyJottings

Ball Fitting
Market rebound
Toastmasters Contest
Hitting balls with my friend on the range
A good chipping session
Biting the bullet and setting up a lesson

HappyUP!!! Day 585

OK...today was a tough day - when the stock market is off 344 points on top of a couple of miserable days in the prior to it, it is kind of tough to be happy. The markets just aren't behaving.

Yet - it is exactly why you MUST HappyUP!!! Nothing is going to make the loss go away....but not all is lost. Yes, that makes good sense when you say it but, deep down, it is easy to cave to the negatives....

....and it is why - you and I HappyUP!!! every single day. Let's go:

HappyUP!!! - golf
Why it happened - I had a game with two of my best golf buddies
Why it makes me happy - I like hanging with these guys. I had two birdies when I average .5 a round. I didn't hit the ball well but had 27 putts (I average almost 33 putts) so my scrambling abilities were on. I also discovered a couple of new tools in my arsenal that I had forgot about.

HappyUP!!! - John McCain
Why it happened - there is a convention going on
Why it makes me happy - we definitely have an election going on. Between McCain tonight and Sara Palin last night, I think McCain will lead the polls next week. THAT is a HappyUP!!! The idea of a Democratic Congress, Senate, and President is to my cheese to give to those mice.

HappyUP!!! - call from a close friend
Why it happened - it was a response to a text
Why it makes me happy - I always love to chat with this person. I will also get a chance to do the person a favor. It's a HappyUP!!! anytime you can help someone out.

JollyJottings

Two birdies
27 putts
Cut Driver
Flat swing driver
Call from a friend
The closing bell

HappyUP!!! Day 584

HappyUP!!! - Sara Palin
Why it happened - she's the next vice president
Why it makes me happy - the initial job the vice president has to do is to be the attack dog on behalf of her running mate. Palin delivered big time. It makes me happy when I see someone do a good job. Being a Toastmaster, I also love a great speech....which hers was.

HappyUP!!! - 36 holes of golf by 2
Why it happened - I stepped right to the first tee and got off in front of a group
Why it makes me happy - it gave me a chance to keep working on the game. On the first 18, I was joined on hole 7 by a guy that is a pretty good player. I like playing with good guys. It makes you want to step up. I hit some pretty nifty shots.

HappyUP!!! - time with visitors
Why it happened - a friend and my nephew stopped by
Why it makes me happy - a little visiting is always a HappyUP!!!

HappyUP!!! Day 583

HappyUP!!! - Republican National Convention
Why it happened - it's election time
Why it makes me happy - Fred Thompson did a great job...as good or better than any "epic" speech I heard at the DNC last week. Joe Lieberman was awesome...walking across the street to put country before party. Keith Obamerman of CNBC was funny too. He was trying so hard to slam Republicans and came up with nothing. He's so easy to laugh at.

HappyUP!!! - golf
Why it happened - I belong to a club
Why it makes me happy - I got a good practice session in before I played 9 holes. While there was some stink on the 9 holes I played, there was some evidence of the changes that I am making. I took the extra club, hit a punch shot into a par 3 with a little bit of cut spin, drifted it on the green, rolling toward the hole, catching the downslope of the green, and finished 4 feet from the pin. I hit a nice little medium wedge within 4 feet on another hole. I wedged out of trouble on a par 5...kept plugging....and snaked in a 30 footer to save par. The new putting stroke feels good but will get a little practice tomorrow.

HappyUP!!! - Toastmasters
Why it happened - it's Tuesday
Why it makes me happy - we got our representatives chosen for the speech contest this Friday night. We are ready to go!

JollyJottings

Practice
The new swing
The checking pitch shot
Shot selection
Republican National Convention
Toastmasters
E-mail from my friend, E
E-mails from an enviro consultant friend
Spanking my friend in golf
Two tight birdie chances
Rolling in the 30 footer
The new putting stroke
Laughing at Keith Obamerman

HappyUP!!! Day 582....SKINS!!!!

HappyUP!!! - golf
Why it happened - it's Labor Day and the course was open
Why it made me happy - I made a couple of birdies (I average .5 birdies a round so 2 is good). I got the ball up and down (29 putts helps). Despite 3 double bogies, I shot a good score.....and I got 12 of the 18 skins available amongst our fivesome. That makes for a profitable day on the links and gives me money to lose this month!

HappyUP!!! - texting with my buddy
Why it happened - we like to banter
Why it makes me happy - it's pure childish funny stuff. On top of it, we are getting close to playing some tennis. Usually, we just play golf. I haven't played a lot of tennis over the years but I always enjoy it. This guy used to be good. I need to play him now before he gets back in shape. Otherwise, I am going to get a whuppin!

HappyUP!!! - golf tips
Why it happened - I asked and I watched
Why it makes me happy - I saw in our group hit a shot that I see a lot of people hit. I asked him about it. He told me how to do it. I think I get it though it will take some practice. When I combine this with something I saw on TV today, I think I will have the shot down pretty quickly.

JollyJottings

2 birdies
12 skins
Punch shots
Text messaging with my buddy
Setting up some tennis
Meeting a photographer
Seeing Butch
Getting a golf secret
Getting a couple more golf tips
Stroking the cat

HappyUP!!! Day 581

HappyUP!!! - Attending a wedding
Why it happened - a good friend invited me
Why it makes me happy - the bride was gorgeous. I got to see a couple that I hadn't seen in years. I met the parent of another friend. The weather was perfect. The food was tremendous. The venue was fabulous. All in all, you couldn't ask for more in a wedding. A joyous day

HappyUP!!! - two birdies in 12 holes
Why it happened - I snuck out to the golf course
Why it makes me happy - I play 18 holes on a lot of days with no birdies. In this case, I hit a very cute little skill shot under the wind and made the putt. On the other hole, I hit a very delicate pitch shot across the green that came to rest just a couple of feet from the hole. THAT is why I play golf. "The true joy of golf is to turn three shots into two," is a saying from a famous old golfer whose name escapes me. I believe it was Byron Nelson but I could be wrong.

HappyUP!!! - the soft driver
Why it happened - it's a continuation of the mini-lesson I received
Why it makes me happy - I am on a path of discovery regarding my golf swing. At the end of the quest, I believe I will be moving the ball right to left instead of left to right. I will be striking the ball a bit more properly and a heck of a lot further.



JollyJottings

Being sore
New cat food
Soft Driver
A Wedding
A Beautiful Bride
Seeing a couple who are old friends
A great text photo message sent
Two birdies
Lunch

HappyUP!!! Day 580

HappyUP!!! - tip from the pro
Why it happened - I asked
Why it makes me happy - I got some swing coaching and something solid to work on

HappyUP!!! - giving away my car wash tickets
Why it happened - I bought them but couldn't use them
Why it makes me happy - the guy I gave them to appreciated them and they didn't go to waste

HappyUP!!! - golf
Why it happened - come on....you know by now it happens
Why it makes me happy - the second 18 went by fast....no waiting. My bunker play is better. My wedge play is better. I hit a fabulous 8 iron under pressure. I hit a great wedge when I needed it. I knocked a score out of counting toward my Sept handicap. I found one of my balls lost in a previous round. One of my playing partners gave me one of my balls he had found while he was out playing. It was a good day at the course.

JollyJottings

Four Skins
36 Holes
Breakfast
Fabulous 8 iron
Very good wedge
Much better sand play
Tip from the pro
Finding a ball
Giving away my car wash tickets
Bumping out a low score

HappyUP!!! Day 579....The Sixth Day fo the Week of Festival

HappyUP!!! - the Headgame Girls
Why it happened - they were at the golf tournament
Why it makes me happy - when you go to benefit golf tournaments, you always get the obligatory group photo. I have a drawer full of them. I swear that I will make a collage someday. When they handed the pictures out at the luncheon, our foursome was the only one that had the HeadGame Girls in it with us. It is a goofy...but excellent photo. Yeah, I know....I should have scanned it and posted it here....but I didn't.

HappyUP!!! - lipped out a trap shot
Why it happened - my partner had us in the trap
Why it makes me happy - my sand play has not been good as of late. It was a shot of confidence that I was able to almost knock one in.

HappyUP!!! - a nice, new shirt
Why it happened - it was a good tournament today
Why it makes me happy - I filled in at the tournament. I received some free stuff. I love free stuff....especially when it includes a cool golf shirt! LOVE that good FREE stuff!

JollyJottings

Golf tournament
Breakfast Tacos
Almost holed a sand shot
Ripping a 3 wood off the tee
A chance at a car for a moment
Air conditioning

HappyUP!!! Day 578 ....Day 5 in the Week of Festivals

HappyUP!!! - learned friend was out of hospital
Why it happened - I text him to call me
Why it makes me happy - this is my best friend. I had shot him a message yesterday to call me but I didn't hear back. While I felt bad for letting a couple of days pass without checking in, this was overridden by finding out he is better and back on the job.

HappyUP!!! - lunch with a champ
Why it happened - I made it happen
Why it makes me happy - it is always good to be in this person's presence. We got to spend a couple of hours visiting....something we hadn't done in a too long. We had such a nice chat.

HappyUP!!! - got an invitation to play in a golf tournament tomorrow
Why it happened - I have friends watching for me
Why it makes me happy - I get to play a different golf course on someone else's dime. I wish I was playing a little better but there is nothing like a tournament to put the new swing to the test. Plus....I should get some FREE STUFF! I love FREE STUFF!

JollyJottings

Learned friend was out of hospital
Saw an old friend at a golf tournament
Ran across an old acquaintance at golf tournament
Lunch with a good friend
Got an invitation to play in a golf tournament

HappyUP!!! Day 577....Day 4 of the Week of Festival

Just a bunch of golf - as we breeze through this week honoring....uh.....hmmm....well.....ME!!!

Why is it that statement seems so self absorbed? - if you think about it for what it is, we really shouldn't. It's not conceited. If someone else was doing it FOR me, it would be OK. Yet, doing it for oneself seems a little strange, isn't it?

Why should that be? - it's the same week of festival whether it is self-sponsored or sponsored by someone else. I think I smell one of those "rules" that we think has been made.....but doesn't really exist in the rulebook.

HappyUP!!! - morning round of golf
Why it happened - I wasn't going to play but I decided to
Why it makes me happy - I didn't have a game today. I almost didn't play for that reason. Yet, it is good to swat it around the links by yourself. The mentality playing by yourself is definitely different. There are no distractions. It's almost a different game. Anyway, I was only one stroke off the best round that I have shot. The game also inspired me to work some more on my game.

HappyUP!!! - moment of zen
Why it happened - I was golfing by myself
Why it makes me happy - unfortunately, I hit a ball into a lake. I know....hard to believe. Anyway, it was the 9th hole. Nobody was behind me so I didn't need to keep up. I spent some time down on the edge of the pond. Geese....ducks.....doing what they do. No noise. A beautiful morning. Tall weeds around the edges. It was like hiking out into nature....so I spent some time there.

HappyUP!!! - afternoon round of golf
Why it happened - my buddy wanted to play after work
Why it makes me happy - it wasn't because I beat him. He KILLED me. Until the last hole, he had his best round of the day going. It was nice to watch. We also caught up to a single on the front 9 who played with us. He was an old acquaintance of mine that I had lost track of. It was nice to see him. I also made some progress in DRIVING the ball further. It is something I am working on. I got the ball out to places I hadn't reached before. This is going to be a big key and I know why I did it and what I have to work on. I also almost made a hole in one. I have never had one. I wish this would have gone in because it was absolutely one of the most horrible shots I could have hit. I got very lucky!

JollyJottings

Morning Round
Morning moment of zen
Afternoon golf
Finding some driving tips
Getting a "yes" to get together

HappyUP!!! Day 576....Third Day in the Week of Festivals

HappyUP!!! - breakfast
Why it happened - my buddy called me
Why it makes me happy - HE BOUGHT! This means I have received a free meal each day since my birthday! Tomorrow is not looking like I am going to get by on the cheap, however. Of course, this isn't the only reason it was great. I love hanging with this guy.

HappyUP!!! - e-mail from a dear friend
Why it happened - the friend finally got around to checking personal e-mails
Why it makes me happy - I wasn't happy about a lot of the content because my friend is struggling. Still, I was happy to get the e-mail, respond, and make sure that we get on the calender for a personal meeting.

HappyUP!!! - golf at 3:30
Why it happened - we are trying to do this regularly while there is still light
Why it makes me happy - it's a great time to play golf...nice and warm. The three guys that I played with are great. Two of them are better than me and the other guy and I are the same. This makes for a good match

Bonus HappyUP!!! - a key swing fundamental rediscovered
Why it happened - I was fiddling around on Sunday
Why it makes me happy - today was the first day I could get to the range. I thought installing this swing key was going to be a long process. It's uncomfortable to change and do things right. While I did have a couple of loose shots, I started to hit a lot of shots properly. I also keep working on a tip that a great player gave me for my short game. It helped me to "stuff it" close a couple of times with my wedge.

JollyJottings

Breakfast
Free Breakfast
Golf at 3:30
Blizzard Call
Finding a key to golf swing

"That's A Very Good Question"

Time and again in interviews - I hear the person being interviewed begin the answer to a question by saying, "that's a very good question."

.....and it really irritates me.

It tells me that the person being interviewed - has been through media training. They have been TAUGHT how to respond as opposed to responding in a more natural manner.

I worked for a major corporation - and, as part of facilitator training, I was trained in this pearl.

While I performed the function of facilitator - (and quite well, if I do say so myself), I was not a trainer by title. As I sat in meetings that the professional trainers were conducting, they would repeat the innocuous phrase above so often that it made me gag.

The idea is that, by saying it - you honor the person asking the question and reduce the possibility that they would feel stupid for asking the question. Here is why this phrase makes my skin crawl:

1) When I ask a question - I am not looking for a compliment. I am looking for information. I know it was a good question because I didn't have the answer before I asked it. This is what comprises a good question.

2) What happens to the person - that asks a question and doesn't get the praise? If the other guy got the, "that's a good question" and I didn't, does that make my question a bad one? It's possible.

WARNING! - if you ever have me in your class and say, "that's a good question," you will most likely get an immediate, "I know....that is why I asked it," from me....or someone like me sitting in your class

"That's a very good question" - is another step to try to tritely make people feel better. I think this can be accomplished in other ways....

.....hmmmm....what is the title of this blog and what is the main exercise that WE keep repeating on a daily basis?

HappyUP!!! Day 575...Day Two of The Week of Festival

HappyUP!!! - tremendous night of sleep
Why it happened - who knows
Why it makes me happy - there was a time that I was beginning to have sleep issues. They seem to have dissipated since I retired. Hmmmm....I wonder if there is a connection? I went to sleep at around 10:30 last night and I didn't wake up until 7:20! If you knew me, you would know that is unprecedented. Unless I am out past midnight (rare), I will wake up between 5 and 6:30. It felt nice to start my day "late."

HappyUP!!! - birthday lunch
Why it happened - my financial planner is a smart guy
Why it makes me happy - who doesn't like a free lunch? He still takes me to lunch even though there is little chance that I will be putting any further investments in his charge. I give him some grief, too, over the financial markets. Hey, I am an investor...it's my job. Anyway, I do enjoy his company.

HappyUP!!! - seeing someone at lunch
Why it happened - we both needed to eat
Why it makes me happy - he didn't see me....or chose to ignore me. I can help this guy. He needs it...in my estimation. Yet, like the time, I am not going to give him any advice unless he asks for it properly. Yet, he will go on struggling alone. Why does it make me happy? I really don't know. I think I was happiest that he didn't come up to me and say, "Hi," in such an easy venue. Perhaps I should have been a little bigger and done a "touch and go" hello...but I am not too worried about it.

JollyJottings

Tremendous night of sleep
Birthday lunch
Seeing someone at lunch
Brekko scheduled for tomorrow
Laughing at Keith Obamerman
Tomatoes

HappyUP!!! Day 574....Let the Week of Festivals Begin!

HappyUP!!! - breakfast on the house
Why it happened - it was my birthday
Why it makes me happy - I didn't go to my favorite place for a special birthday breakfast. I just wanted some food on the way to the golf course. When my favorite waitress picked up on it being my birthday, she took care of the bill

HappyUP!!! - birdieing the first hole
Why it happened - driver....4 iron....and a tidy wedge
Why it makes me happy - if you are a golfer, you know it is a special feeling to birdie the first hole. It gets you off to a good start and puts you ahead of the game. Plus, this is a hole I hadn't birdied before which scores some points in a side game I have with my friend, R. This hole also put about $10 in my pocket right out of the blocks.

HappyUP!!! - birthday dinner
Why it happened - I put it together at Ruth's Chriss
Why it makes me happy - I had never eaten there. I sure had heard enough about it. WHAT A STEAK! The company was excellent as well. Food and accompaniment.....it's all you need!



JollyJottings

Breakfast bought for me
Golf with my friends
Birdieing the first hole
Call from N
Call from E
Ruth Chriss
Dinner companion

HappyUP!!! Day 573

HappyUP!!! - my first eagle at my new club
Why it happened - I hit a heck of a pitch shot
Why it makes me happy - hey, I poke it out there but I am not like some of the guys who really hit it long, hit par 5's in two, and then get eagles on a regular basis. I have to get mine the old fashioned way....knock it in from off the green. In today's case, it was a great pitch shot to a par 5 that went in. The eagle comes with some bragging rights.

(The picture to the left has nothing to do with the eagle. It was a great second shot I hit to the hardest hole on the course.....and then requisitely missed the putt, of course)

HappyUP!!! - 36 holes of golf
Why it happened - it's the weekend...lots of playmates
Why it makes me happy - I enjoy my weekend buddies and teeing it up with them.

HappyUP!!! - breakfast with the family
Why it happened - I squeezed it in around the golf
Why it makes me happy - I did some fancy scheduling for this. I had to miss breakfast last weekend because the schedule was out of my control. I did some fancy footwork today so I could spend some quality time with the group.

HappyUP!!! Day 572

HappyUP!!! - unexpected golf pairing
Why it happened - I showed up at the course
Why it makes me happy - one of my new friends at the golf course had played 18 holes. Him and his friend were going out for another 18.....and it was my my friend's 40th birthday. On top of that, a great player at the club joined us. I love playing with great golfers. It really does make you better

HappyUP!!! - golf tip from the great player
Why it happened - he likes to give tips
Why it makes me happy - I really need some subtle tips on where some of my faults are. This guy gave me a good one today.....and it is sure to save me some strokes over the 36-72 holes I will be playing over the weekend

HappyUP!!! - an unexpected neighborhood gathering
Why it happened - my neighbor came over and got me
Why it makes me happy - I met another couple of neighbors I didn't know. There were also another couple of neighbors that I did know there. We just sat out on the porch and chilled. It was cool.

JollyJottings

Breakfast chat with waitress
Great day on Wall St
An unexpected golf pairing
An unexpected neighborhood gathering

HappyUP!!! Day 571

"Dude, did you write USA on these labels with a Sharpie Marker? I can't take a baton from you!"

Like someone forgetting to print the bibs - it appears the men's relay team forgot to practice handing the stick to the next guy.

The dropping of the baton - is NOT a HappyUP!!! but, for some odd reason, I can just see someone in the backroom under the stadium going, "Oh Crap! I left the printed bibs at the hotel!" Then, the mad scramble to find some clean bibs and a magic marker. I find that tremendously entertaining.

HappyUP!!! - golfing with two guys
Why it happened - I played in my old golfing club's monthly event
Why it makes me happy - they put my partner and I in with a couple of guys that worked for the company that I used to but who never worked for me. Nice guys. We had some good conversation....and I got a little more insight what newcomers think about the company I worked for.

HappyUP!!! - good drives
Why it happened - I am not sure
Why it makes me happy - I was golfing on a foreign course. Less room for error than my regular course. Yet, I put it very nicely in play every time I put the big stick in my hands. If you want to score, you have to put whitey on the short cut grass. (But, when the driver wakes up, why does the putter go to sleep? Uggghh.... golf. You gotta love it).

HappyUP!!! - a day in the mountains
Why it happened - I went golfing
Why it makes me happy - we stepped out of the car up in Camino, CA, today. The first thing I noticed was "that scent of the pines." It made me realize that I hadn't been to the mountains all year....oooops! Big oooops! I will need to get that fixed by the time the weather changes.

JollyJottings

Great sleep
Seeing my friend A
Golfing in the mountains
Very good drives
My two golfing partners

HappyUP!!! Day 570

HappyUP!!! - early morning golf
Why it happened - I decided to go
Why it makes me happy - I didn't care about my score. My body wasn't coordinated...not at 7 a.m. with NO RANGE BALLS hit before. It was going to be ugly for awhile. So, rather than fight it, I just relaxed and tapped the ball around. Then, when I got done, I hit the range to apply some of the slow mo things that I learned to my regular swing.

HappyUP!!! - surprise lunch date
Why it happened - a dear, dear person asked if I was open
Why it makes me happy - I keep the people anonymous here. This person is one of my favorite people. I am so thrilled that I got the call and we could get together. We had such a nice lunch.

HappyUP!!! - Golf set for the weekend
Why it happened - my friends made tee times
Why it makes me happy - I'll be playing with two different sets of friends each day...two different vibes...all wonderful people. I'm looking forward to this weekend for many reasons...and these are two of them.

JollyJottings

Early morning golf
Spanking some range balls
Chipping
Lunch with a dear friend
Cobbler coming
Gettin some dirt on another friend
Call from a dear friend
Golf set up for this weekend

"You Pay What We Pay"....

General Motors is out there pimping their vehicles by saying that we, the consumer, get the employee discount. On the advertisements, giddy GM staffers say, "you pay what we pay."

Sounds like GM doesn't give deals to it's employees anymore.


.....since when does the dissolution of an employee benefit become a value to me?

Sorry.....this sounds like a car deal.

HappyUP!!! Day 569

HappyUP!!! - phone call from ex-employee
Why it happened - I was on her mind
Why it makes me happy - it's great anytime when someone is thinking about you. This person worked with me/for me for over 15 years. She called me out of the blue just because "that little voice" told her to. We had a wonderful conversation

HappyUP!!! - e-mail from ex-employee
Why it happened - we stay in touch
Why it makes me happy - I had a suspicion confirmed. Who doesn't like to be right?

HappyUP!!! - golf at 3:30
Why it happened - a friend set it up
Why it makes me happy - I met a great player. I got to play with two buddies. I got a skin. I hit number 7 from the top tees again. I made a very solid birdie. There was a lot to be desired about my overall play but there were enough highlights to keep me coming back.

JollyJottings

Toastmasters
Golf at 3:30
A very solid birdie
A great putt
Hitting number 8 again
Phone call from an ex-employee

HappyUP!!! Day 568

HappyUP!!! - lunch
Why it happened - I was hungry
Why it makes me happy - I made a hot pastrami sandwich. I am not sure that I have ever done that. If I have, it was so long ago that I can't remember. I threw some pickles and fresh tomatoes from the garden on there. The bread got the grilled cheese sandwich treatment with a little garlic powder on there. Mustard...mayonnaise. I have to admit....it was one good sammy!

HappyUP!!! - lunch company
Why it happened - a friend was in town
Why it makes me happy - hey, unless you eat with others all the time, it's always better to eat with someone. We had a great sandwich (see above) and a nice visit.

HappyUP!!! - golfing e-mail
Why it happened - I shot an e-mail out yesterday to an old friend
Why it makes me happy - I got the e-mail today telling me to set it up so I will be playing a round with the
person that I have known the longest in my life that I stay in touch with soon.

JollyJottings

Company for lunch
Lunch itself
Watering
Olympics
E-mail to golf

HappyUP!!! Day 567

HappyUP!!! - golfing with a new friend, DD
Why it happened - my other buddy set it up
Why it makes me happy - I have an old connection with this person. I used to play with and wait on his dad30 years ago when I worked in a golf shop. I kind of new little D. It's interesting to see how he has grown up. Plus, he's another guy to tee it up with.

HappyUP!!! - hitting number 7 twice from the back tees
Why it happened - they put the gold tees back with the black tees
Why it makes me happy - this is a full on 3 iron (hybrid) shot over water. It was also windy. This takes a degree of skill...concentration....and execution.

HappyUP!!! - message from my friend
Why it happened - my friend was on the way to working a job
Why it makes me happy - I don't hear from this friend that often. It was nice to be on the mind. I think that is always a big HappyUP!!! ....to be thought of.

JollyJottings

Golfing with DD
Big Drive on 18
Great up and down on 14
Solid shot into par 3 number 16
Hitting par 3 number 7 twice from the top tees in the wind

HappyUP!!! Day 566

HappyUP!!! - Doing it when it counts
Why it happened - I was golfing
Why it makes me happy - there were "skins" on the table coming down the stretch...and I was behind in skins. I pounded a must make 10 footer in on 17. On 18, I put my drive right in the center of the fairway. We won't talk about the real money shot into 18. OK...we will. It was struck well but it was an unexpected draw into the pond. No skins garnered. It's good to do some great things coming in. I also threw in a couple of remarkable pitch shots with a few holes to go.

HappyUP!!! - golfing partners
Why it happened - it was a member/guest tourney
Why it makes me happy - I got to play 36 with my buddy, RK. I played and rode in the same cart with my bro for the first 18. How can you put a price on quality time with the bro?

HappyUP!!! - driving the golf ball
Why it happened - you have to tee off
Why it makes me happy - my tee ball can be a bit questionable. I played 36 and only hit one out of play...and it wasn't that bad. I had it in play all day long....and sometimes, it was crushed. You can play more than one round without crushing one. I probably crushed 5-8. You have to get it in play to have a chance.



JollyJottings

Seeing L
Running into K/B
36 holes with 1 ball
36 holes with RK
Driving Well
Striping it on 18
2 great pitch shots
Golf with brother
Lunch
Weather
Drilling pressure putt on 17

HappyUP!!! Day 565

HappyUP!!! - Michael Phelps
Why it happened - I watched the Olympics
Why it makes me happy - did you see Phelps grab his 7th gold medal?....and I mean grab it. He got it on the touch and won by a fingernail out of nowhere. This was after the guys in the 100 butterfly were getting it on at the highest level. Incredible.

HappyUP!!! - dinner out
Why it happened - my buddy called me
Why it makes me happy- it's good to get out on a Friday evening and see some night life....and share a few bawdy tales. I even saw my nephew.

HappyUP!!! - new book
Why it happened - I went looking for a different book
Why it makes me happy - I don't do it that often these days because I have so many but I love buying a new book. When Kindle comes along, I won't get this thrill anymore. I started the book and it has some sneaky potential...a HappyUP!!!

JollyJottings

New Book
Dinner out
Breakfast
Water Polo

HappyUP!!! Day 564

HappyUP!!! - a GREAT stock purchase
Why it happened - I saw an old favorite stock at a favorable price
Why it makes me happy - as soon as I bought it, it went up 8% and closed that way. No, I haven't sold it and pocketed the gain yet but this kind of thing does not happen that often. I almost have to sell it tomorrow as a wild escalation is almost asking for a pullback tomorrow........and then I could buy it again!

HappyUP!!! - Elena Dimentieva
Why it happened - the Olympics
Why it makes me happy - OK, I am going to be a guy here.....I had never heard of the Russian tennis ace. She spanked Serena Williams pretty hard today. I'm not a big Serena fan. This was one underdog that was easy to root for. She is absolutely lovely to watch!

HappyUP!!! - seeing my friend and his daughter
Why it happened - he needed to drop something off
Why it makes me happy - I hadn't seen his daughter in a few months. She's great. She is an unofficial member of our Toastmasters club. She has hit a growth spurt and is becoming a very attractive little lady....smart too!

JollyJottings

Seeing my friend and his daughter
Breakfast with another friend
Call from my brother
A GREAT stock purchase
A Great stock day
Elena Dimentieva

HappyUP!!! Day 563

HappyUP!!! - a stock coming back
Why it happened - who knows
Why it makes me happy - I was running late to get to the golf course this morning. I did a very quick check to find out one of my stocks was down 10%....$6 a share....at the opening today. Had I gotten up early, I was planning to try to sell it. I was extremely pleased to come back home and see it had gained $4 and only was down $2 for the day. It was like I made money while losing money.

HappyUP!!! - second 18
Why it happened - the guys I played with this morning wanted to go again
Why it makes me happy - I played the front nine in 36...even par. That is my best 9 on my home course by 3 shots. While I wilted in the heat on the back nine, I had a putt to break my best 18 hole score....drats! Just missed...that putt needed to break a little more! While not hitting it anywhere near the way that I want, it is good to get it around OK in the meantime.

HappyUP!!! - phone call from N
Why it happened - N was checking in
Why it makes me happy - this was one of my former co-workers. It's always great when he calls. He is still cranking along amidst the continued chaos.

JollyJottings

Two Birdies
Tied best score
Best nine hole score
Working on swing change
Call from N
Finishing golf today
My stock coming back

HappyUP!!! Day 562

HappyUP!!! - the afternoon game
Why it happened - my buddy put it together
Why it makes me happy - Dougy, Bos, and Wah are three guys that I really will always enjoy playing golf with. I didn't know Wah but the guy can play....and he is tiny! What the heck is my excuse? It was great to watch a guy sticking shots....2 gimme birdies, a short eagle putt made, and a two putt birdie on another par 5. He doesn't hit it much farther than me. I got no excuse....just a bunch of work to do.

HappyUP!!! - a perfect wedge at the perfect time
Why it happened - I was a wedge away
Why it makes me happy - I had a 100 yd wedge shot. I had no distance markers so I had to step it off. 75 yds to the green and then I estimated 25 more yards of green to cover. I went back and landed it a foot from the hole and then made the 7 foot putt.

HappyUP!!! - improvement in form
Why it happened - I hit balls
Why it makes me happy - I hadn't hit any pure irons for days. I realized that my posture at address was wrong. It was an uncomfortable change. It usually means some really bad shots as you deal with the discomfort of the change. While I didn't hit it perfectly by any means, I like the new position and I am getting some distance back. Now, I just need to work on alignment! Ugh.......golf!

HappyUP!!! Day 561

HappyUP!!! - call from A
Why it happened - A followed up
Why it makes me happy - A is a nice young guy. We don't see each other much but wants to stay in touch. We had a good call and ended it with breakfast plans in the morning

HappyUP!!! - club website
Why it happened - I checked it out
Why it makes me happy - I went on line to check out my golf club's website. It's awesome. You book your tee time on line. You can see who has a time. You also can view the roster of the entire club. I saw some people that I knew there

HappyUP!!! - golf match Wed
Why it happened - I saw someone with a time on Wed
Why it makes me happy - I invited another guy so we have 3 teeing it up on Wed at 7:10. Golf, fellowship, and done by 10:30....life is good!

JollyJottings

Coffee
Call from A
Golf match Wed
New website
Olympics

HappyUP!!! Day 560

HappyUP!!! - catching up with a group on the golf course
Why it happened - they were a foursome...we were a two some
Why it makes me happy - it was my bro, sis in law, and another couple who are friends of mine. We all had drinks afterward. It was nice to visit with this other couple as I don't get to do that often and they are old friends.

HappyUP!!! - an unexpected second golf game
Why it happened - my buddy, Rick, was showing up as I was finishing my first game
Why it makes me happy - I would have played poker with the group from the morning. I'm not big on poker and would much rather tee it up. I ended up being under par (for awhile) and birdieing a hole that I needed for a contest that my friend and I have going on

HappyUP!!! - fish and chips
Why it happened - my sis in law and bro invited me to dinner
Why it makes me happy - 1) it's free 2) it's my family and 3) my sis in law made the best fish and chips that I have ever had. I mean these were treeeeeemendous!

JollyJottings

Sunday morning golf with the guys
A good golf match ending in a tie
An unexpected second golf game
One under after 6 holes
Birdieing a hole that I needed for a contest I am playing
Catching up with my bro, his wife, and another couple on the course
Drinks with the above afterward
Fish and chips made by sis in law
Watching the PGA Tevo'd by bro

HappyUP!!! Day 559

HappyUP!!! - great sleep
Why it happened - I went to bed late?
Why it makes me happy - no alarm....just slept until 7 a.m. uniterrupted...ahhhhhh

HappyUP!!! - talking with my pro
Why it happened - he was checking me out around the putting green
Why it makes me happy - I'm morphing in with the culture of my golf club....meeting new people...starting to become known...forming new friendships....every time I go out there.

HappyUP!!! - invite for golf tomorrow
Why it happened - one of my new golf friends invited me
Why it makes me happy - there will be about 20 guys teeing it up tomorrow....with poker afterward. I'm not that big on poker but it will be good to get to know some new folks.

JollyJottings

Great sleep
stretching
chipping
talking with my pro
invite for golf tomorrow
breakfast

HappyUP!!! Day 558

HappyUP!!! - seeing my favorite musician
Why it happened - I noticed he was down at the park
Why it makes me happy - this guy isn't famous except for one thing.....he gave me the first few lessons that I took to learn guitar. He's been playing music a long time but he also keeps the keys to the local bocci ball court. He was down doing some maintenance today so I went down and said, "Hi." I think he'll be helping me on a music project soon.

HappyUP!!! - 36 holes
Why it happened - it's what I do
Why it makes me happy - I played the entire day with my old friend, JB. I featured him in yesterday's HappyUP!!! He'll have to head back and teach school next week but he'll be a weekend golfing pal. Plus, he turned me on to a group of guys playing on Sunday!

HappyUP!!! - a gorgeous summer day
Why it happened - August is behaving nicely
Why it makes me happy - I'm not sure we even hit 90 today, let alone much above. The evening was perfect as well. I love beautiful weather....especially when it could be cooking.

JollyJottings

36 holes with my ol buddy J
Knocking another hole off the birdied list
Dinner with my buddy, G
Running into my favorite musician
Beautiful...beautiful weather...day and evening

HappyUP!!! Day 557

HappyUP!!! - finding my cell phone
Why it happened - I thought I lost it
Why it makes me happy - it's a bad feeling when you are at the golf course, know you have you ear piece but can't find your phone. I never forget my phone so I wasn't so sure it would just be sitting out there back at the homestead. Yet, when I got home and went upstairs, there it was! You know that momentary feeling when you find something valuable? I just got it again as I typed this.

HappyUP!!! - golfing with my old friend
Why it happened - I inserted myself in his group
Why it makes me happy - I had totally lost track with this guy. He had moved to Utah years ago. I knew he was back in town but I didn't know that he was golfing. We enjoyed the bad golf so much that we are playing at 7 tomorrow morning again.

HappyUP!!! - a solid round in the afternoon
Why it happened - my other friend was coming out in the afternoon
Why it makes me happy - this guy is better than I am. He hits it more solidly....and farther. I MAY have him by a bit in the short game. A scratch golfer would shoot about 75 on average on my course. My friend had a 78 and I had an 80. His round was a lot prettier than mine but I have always been a scrappy golfer. We're probably going to tee it up and resume our competition on Saturday.

JollyJottings

Golfing with an old friend
Birdieing a hole that I hadn't
Shooting a good round in the afternoon
Meeting a couple of great guys
Talking with my friend, P
Beating the Dow
Finding my cell phone

HappyUP!!! Day 556

OK, someone sent me these photos - and I always find my photo posts to be more popular.

I guess this pair - flunked dog paddling class.

HappyUP!!! - I have a cardiologist
Why it happened - I joined him to play golf
Why it makes me happy - while I hope our acquaintance is limited to the golf course or maybe a bike ride, it's nice to know a doctor that I may need at some point. I enjoyed spending time with this highly talented individual.

HappyUP!!! - tomorrow's golf
Why it happened - I checked the tee time sheet
Why it makes me happy - I noticed that a guy that played on my same golf team 30 years ago had a time for tomorrow morning. I inserted myself to play with him. He is going to be so surprised. I have only seen him once or twice since the old days. He is a great guy and I can't wait to tee it up with him.

HappyUP!!! - e-mail from another golf buddy
Why it happened - I sent him a funny
Why it makes me happy - he is going to try to duck out after lunch to tee it up. I am teeing it up at 7:10. We'll be done before 10. I'll take off, come home, do some errands, and then have another golf game for the afternoon. This golf club thing is working in lining up some games. Best of all, these guys play better than I do which will up my game.

JollyJottings

A cardiologist
Tomorrow's golf
Beating the Dow
New tracking
E-Mail from T
Slow golf in 3.5 hours
E-mail from another golf buddy
Chatting with my bro

HappyUP!!! Day 555

HappyUP!!! - Fridge Repairman
Why it happened - my new fridge fudged up
Why it makes me happy - fridge man called me as he was on his way. He asked me to describe the problem. He said, "I know exactly what it is. It will take me 5 minutes to fix." He showed up shortly thereafter....and took all of about 5 minutes. The best part? This is the second motherboard the fridge has fried....and I had the extended warranty. This little repair would have been $400! HappyUP!!!

HappyUP!!! - Golf in 2.5 hrs
Why it happened - people let me play through
Why it makes me happy - right now, it is not about "gettin games" and gambling with the boys. That will all come at my new club. At the moment, it is all about finding my game....playing with no impediments helps.

HappyUP!!! - the stock market
Why it happened - it was up for whatever reason...then Fed speak drove it up higher
Why it makes me happy - even though the Dow smoked me? Yes, the Dow was up 2.65%...I was only up a measly .76%....but I was up. I also am not going to worry about selling my gainers tomorrow when we could see some pull back. I will be buying along the bottom of this little rally. NICE DAY!

JollyJottings

Toastmasters Speech
Golf in 2.5 hours
Fridge repair man
Sliding back out for more golf
Pummeled by the Dow

HappyUP!!! Day 554

HappyUP!!! -lunch
Why it happened - my friend called me
Why it makes me happy - I love this guy. He called me up to meet at noon for coffee. When we met, we decided to go to BJ's for lunch. I had a pot roast sandwich that was too much food.....but, man, was it good!

HappyUP!!! - visit from a friend
Why it happened - my friend needed a favor
Why it makes me happy - I was glad to be able to help out. While I didn't ask, my friend offered to do a favor for me which I really appreciated as it was something that I needed a hand with. Win-Win

HappyUP!!! - Nugget Market
Why it happened - I needed ingredients
Why it makes me happy - I had never been to this store before. My usual store, TraderJoes, wasn't going to have the Italian Sausage I needed for my spaghetti sauce. I was out near the Nugget. Nice place....beautiful displays of produce. I can see why some of the chains are upgrading their displays!

JollyJottings

West Elm
Spag Sauce
Nugget Market
Lunch with my friend
Visit from another friend

HappyUP!!! Day 553

Once again - the Nutster is going to go overboard and do more than 3 HappyUP!!!'s. What can I say? I spent the entire day at the golf course. The one HappyUP!!! I didn't include that I know is going to be one is that nice shower after 51 holes of golf that I am going to take a bit later tonight.

HappyUP!!! - 51 holes of golf
Why it happened - my friends love to golf
Why it makes me happy - it's a new record! I have played 45 in one day. Never have I played 51. 51 is kind of an odd number because we had to skip three holes to get in front of some slow groups. After that, the course was wide open.

HappyUP!!! - wide open golf
Why it happened - we were allowed to play through
Why it makes me happy - a couple of groups let my buddy and I through on the first 18 of the day. Pretty soon, we were practically the first people on the course. The second 18 saw two groups let us through that gave us an open patch. On the third 18, the "skip" put us in the clear. It's funny....I could have played more. I think it is the waiting around that is so tiring about playing golf. The more golf that you play, the more fun you can have....and that is a HappyUP!!!

HappyUP!!! - hybrid from the fairway bunker
Why it happened - I took a chance
Why it makes me happy - historically, I am a weak fairway bunker player. I didn't grow up with many of these at my home course. I am getting my swing back to where it should be....and applying some techniques that work with my more fundamentally sound swing. When you can start getting long clubs out of fairway bunkers like the hybrid and hit a green that is 200 yards away, that is a HappyUP!!! It's a rush

HappyUP!!! - golf pals
Why it happened - I was golfing
Why it makes me happy - my friend didn't know that I had joined his club. When I showed up, I think he thought I was inviting myself to his club. He was thrilled that I was there. Then, he invited a lady that was putting to join us on our second 18. She was nice and had some game...a new friend. She had to leave and then a mutual friend lady golfer joined us for the third 18. I hadn't seen her in forever. Finally, one of my friends who is a member joined us for the final 9. Lots of camaraderie out on the links today!



JollyJottings

Finding my golf pal
Hooking up with another golf pal
Meeting a new golf pal, L
Having yet another golf pal join us, M
Hybrid out of the sand trap
Other shots out of fairway sand traps
Solid chipping
Frying up some sweet peppers
Harvesting tomatoes

HappyUP!!! Day 552

HappyUP!!! - extended warranty
Why it happened - I bought one a couple of years back
Why it makes me happy - my fridge is a little over two years old. I don't usually buy the extended warranties but this was a brand new model.....a bit too much computerized technology for a fridge for my liking. I could not find my warranty. I did find some original paperwork and Home Depot had my original order on file. I'll be getting a free repair.

HappyUP!!! - cupcakes
Why it happened - tomatoes
Why it makes me happy - I got a nice little knock on my door today. It was my two door down neighbor bringing me some cupcakes for some tomatoes I had dropped off awhile back. How cool is that?

HappyUP!!! - seeing my nephew
Why it happened - he had to drop something off
Why it makes me happy - my nephew is 25. I don't see him that often. We got to visit for a bit. I love visiting with my nephew.

JollyJottings

Breakfast
Cupcakes
Promise of a birthday cake
Extended warrant

Do I have to?......Yes

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

Nutster: "Do I have to?"

Nutster Dad: "Yes"

Nutster: "But, I don't want to"

Nutster Dad: "Son, there are many things that we don't want to do but we have to do them anyway."

...and so goes - one of the most important lessons that I ever learned in my life. I still draw upon that when something comes up that must be done when I would rather be doing something else.

"Do I have to cut the lawn this morning?" - nope! I'm going to go play golf. The lawn will still be there tomorrow. Hey, Dad taught a good lesson but an overachieving student knows how to refine the laws.

HappyUP!!! Day 551

HappyUP!!! - early golf
Why it happened - I was getting the lay of the land at my new club
Why it makes me happy - I dawdled around when I got to the club....took my time....didn't push the group in front of me.....hit some balls after playing 18 holes....and I was still back home by noon. That's a sweet ticket. Golf and time to other things.....like maybe play 18 more!

HappyUP!!! - phone chat with a friend
Why it happened - my friend wanted tomatoes
Why it makes me happy - my friend thought it would be nice to serve homegrown cherry tomatoes at a get together. After we worked out those details, we had a very pleasant conversation

HappyUP!!! - a UPS package
Why it happened - I ordered something
Why it makes me happy - this was a pure toy....something to help me with my golf game. I immediately went to the backyard and started putting it to use! I think it is going to help......THAT little thought is what keeps golf club makers and golf aid makers in business!!!

JollyJottings

Early morning trip to the golf course
Meeting some nice guys to play golf with
Receiving a package in the mail....golf related
Dinner with my buddy
Nice phone chat with a close friend

HappyUP!!! Day 550.....BIG OL HappyUP!!! Day

OK....I know - the theory of HappyUP!!! is to do three HappyUP!!!s a day. No less.....I don't think I ever put it in the rules that you couldn't do more. Hey....there's no limits to happiness according to Dr Seligman's work.

HappyUP!!! - health
Why it happened - I went to the doctor
Why it makes me happy - I had a mole removed last week. The lab came back that it was benign. I wasn't stressing about it BUT life could have changed radically with a different finding. Looks like I just need to load up on Vitamin D a bit. It looks like the weight seems to have crept up a bit too......shocking! I'll get that taken care of by the time I go back to the doctor in November.

HappyUP!!! - getting real with the doctor
Why it happened - I told him that I knew some personal info about him
Why it makes me happy - he really started talking when I told him that I was aware of his personal situation. We then got to talk like a couple of guys rather than the doctor/patient thing. Very cool.

HappyUP!!! - SMOKING...and I mean SMOKING the DOW
Why it happened - I had a couple of strong stocks today that are not in the Dow
Why it makes me happy - hey, the Dow was down over 200 points.....yet I actually was ahead today without "shorting" any stocks. I beat the Dow by 1.9%!!! You have to file away days like these because the Dow will beat me in days to come. It's very easy to focus on the down days. My stocks were only up .11% but I could have taken a bloodbath today. PLUS....I am getting closer to catching all those smart guys who use the Dow as a measuring stick. It's down about 14% for the year....I'm down 15%. It is my goal to prove that, over the long haul, a monkey throwing darts (me) CAN beat all those guys who spend their time with all their scientific analysis......plus, I want to do it ALL on the long end without resorting to "shorting" stocks.

HappyUP!!! - schnitzeling near the top
Why it happened - I decided not to be greedy
Why it makes me happy - one of my stocks was sizzling today. It was up by over 10% at one time. It also was my biggest holding. I decided to sell off a small portion of it. It turns out that I caught it near the top before the stock retreated to being up 6.7% for the day. It makes me happy when I do something smart. Trust me, when a stock you are holding is heading up....Up....UP.....it isn't easy to take some off the table. Wow....I actually showed some discipline.

HappyUP!!! - joining the golf club
Why it happened - I made a commitment
Why it makes me happy - I have a place to tee it up whenever I want. This will lead to golfing on a more consistent basis which should lead to more consistent golf.

HappyUP!!! - meeting someone I knew right on the first fairway
Why it happened - I had the guy join me
Why it makes me happy - it turns out that I had played golf with this guy about 5 years ago back at the Pinehurst Golf School. He just joined this club yesterday! I already have a new friend at my new club.

HappyUP!!! - 27 holes
Why it happened - it was there for the taking
Why it makes me happy - more swings....more practice....better scores to come. It sure wasn't there today but I was also playing off the 7000 yard tees! I think the 6600 yd ones are adequate but my new buddy is a pretty good golfer so I had to "go to the back." Well....not all the way back....the back is about 7400 yards!

JollyJottings

Good fig report
Corner guitar jammers

HappyUP!!! Day 549

HappyUP!!! - talking with J this morning
Why it happened - he stopped by at coffee
Why it makes me happy - J is a very interesting guy. I don't get to talk to him nearly enough and I hadn't seen him for awhile.

HappyUP!!! - lunch
Why it happened - I had someone over
Why it makes me happy - we had great conversation...........and homemade spaghetti sauce! (I know...I know...you are getting tired of hearing about my spaghetti sauce. Too bad. This is my blog and making my spaghetti sauce makes me happy. I wish I hadn't given so many of those tomatoes away. I think I would have just as soon given away spaghetti sauce. Oh well, it gave people options).

HappyUP!!! - laying down the scratch track
Why it happened - I finished a song
Why it makes me happy - tonight was "record it and burn it" night. It's the first attempt at recording the new tune. I didn't like the first takes.....normal. This is kind of the part that is a drag about writing/recording...at least to me it is. Anyway, I am on my way to being through it and that is a HappyUP!!!

JollyJottings

Talking with J this morning
Coffee with my bud
Having a friend over for lunch
Serving homemade spag sauce
Laying down a scratch track
Knee is feeling good
Sleep
Stock Market

HappyUP!!! Day 548

HappyUP!!! - LOSING to the Dow
Why it happened - hey, it's the market
Why it makes me happy - yesterday, I was happy to beat the Dow......even though we both got clobbered. Today, the Dow clobbered me....but it was up over 2%....so it was a good day in the investment world. The extra HappyUP!!! is below...

HappyUP!!! - Merrill Lynch writedown
Why it happened - who knows
Why it makes me happy - this news has the potential to signify an end to the financial stocks getting hammered. This isn't about me this time. This is about assisting the banking system and beginning to restore some positivity to the markets. It was like the entire financial investment world was waiting for Merrill to actually say how big the loss is. Merrill carried a majority of the "bad loans." By disclosing this, the markets can now get their arms around the crisis. This could aid greatly in repairing our systems.

HappyUP!!! - spaghetti
Why it happened - I made spag sauce the other day
Why it makes me happy - it was the entire pasta lunch!.....that inspired me to go harvest more of my tomatoes ....that I grew.....to make another batch of spaghetti sauce. It's kind of like a HappyUP!!! circle that keeps going. I know, "Nutster....it's just spag sauce." No...it was made from scratch by me for the first time from the tomatoes that I grew. You know when you watch those movies or a cooking show that have the old Italian making the homemade sauce? The sauce IS that much better...especially with fresh tomatoes. I called my brother. He's made his share of spag sauce in his time. He has never made spag sauce from scratch. My mom was a great cook. She always made her spag sauce from canned tomatoes and canned tomato paste. This spag sauce is quite a discovery.