As we roll up to Halloween, I've got a few things making me happy:
Got to spend a rare weekday hanging out with my dear wife yesterday. We didn't do much of anything but it was nice anyway.
After a long period of procrastination over buying the parts and another lengthy period of procrastinating over actually doing the work, I have finally installed new front control arms in my car. The ball joints were worn and the alignment was off so I was wearing out my front tires faster than necessary.
The first drive with the new parts had me spooked as the alignment was now WAY WAY off. I actually crept back to the house and jacked the car up to make triple sure I'd bolted everything back together. But after a trip to the alignment shop WOW does it feel nice to have a car going down the road with all the wheels pointing the right direction.
Now on to the next thing on the list. Sadly the list is long these days.
Emily's club team seems to be doing pretty well. They tied the powerhouse team from Savannah and stomped the team from Brunswick last weekend. This weekend they have to go down to Savannah to play that team again. Here's hoping for a win. Just one more game after that but it's with then now-bracket leading Troup team. They stomped our team early in the season when it was super-hot and we didn't have a full team of players. Fingers crossed.
I'm glad the super-hot temps have seemed to calm down a bit. I was hot for a LONG time and I spent a lot more time outside this summer than I usually do. Fall weather is much better.
Well, that's what's making me happy these days. What's making YOU happy?
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Friday, October 7, 2016
Various
What's making me happy?
Well, uh... lets see:
Last weekend we took a drive out to Thompson, GA with Thing2's soccer club. They lost the game in the end but the grit and determination they showed playing the whole game 1 player down due to a couple no-show teammates was really pleasing to see. They could have won despite the limitations if only a couple more brakes had gone their way. Good to see they kept their heads in and noses to the grindstone the whole time.
Wednesday was the last in our series of Wednesday outdoor music shows in Centennial Olympic Park. We did 18 shows over the summer, perspired a LOT and made a lot of people pretty happy, I think. I'm going to miss the shows for a while as I had some fun amidst the hard work. anybody need a decent systems tech for an upcoming gig?
I'm happy our friend's commercial haunted house endeavor seems to be going well. They've dreamed of doing this for so long and to have it finally up and running is pretty great.
I was really happy that Marquette's Lakeview Arena, the site of many early dates in my relationship with my dear wife, won Kraft's contest and was named 2016's Hockeyville, USA. They got some much needed funds for upgrades to the arena and were honored to host a fricken NHL preseason game. How cool is that?
That's it for this time. What's making YOU happy?
Well, uh... lets see:
Last weekend we took a drive out to Thompson, GA with Thing2's soccer club. They lost the game in the end but the grit and determination they showed playing the whole game 1 player down due to a couple no-show teammates was really pleasing to see. They could have won despite the limitations if only a couple more brakes had gone their way. Good to see they kept their heads in and noses to the grindstone the whole time.
Wednesday was the last in our series of Wednesday outdoor music shows in Centennial Olympic Park. We did 18 shows over the summer, perspired a LOT and made a lot of people pretty happy, I think. I'm going to miss the shows for a while as I had some fun amidst the hard work. anybody need a decent systems tech for an upcoming gig?
I'm happy our friend's commercial haunted house endeavor seems to be going well. They've dreamed of doing this for so long and to have it finally up and running is pretty great.
I was really happy that Marquette's Lakeview Arena, the site of many early dates in my relationship with my dear wife, won Kraft's contest and was named 2016's Hockeyville, USA. They got some much needed funds for upgrades to the arena and were honored to host a fricken NHL preseason game. How cool is that?
That's it for this time. What's making YOU happy?
Monday, September 12, 2016
Sports and Nostalgia
What's making me happy?
Well, we've made it through the first leg of the last football season at the #DoomedDome. Ten games down and I'm not exactly sure how many games are left. Some of the events later are still a bit murky. But we've survived so far. Sadly, the home teams have both lost their season opener.
When Dan Schipper, my right hand guy on big events at the #DoomedDome, reached the 200 Falcons game mark at the Dome, I got him a Falcons jersey to celebrate. Did the same for Doug Stancil last year (and he promptly retired from the league).
Since they won't do triple digit numbers, the idea was to have the year we started on the back. Think I screwed Dan's up but hey, the thought counts, right?
Anyway, Dan and his fantastic wife Jenny returned the gesture yesterday and, having surpassed the 200th game, I finally have my reward ;)
Here's my new jersey:
After the Falcons game yesterday I had to beat feet out to Carrolton to see Thing2's team play the weekend nightcap. They'd taken a beating the day before in the hot sun down in Lagrange.
With one sub (vs the opponent's six strong bench) they really never had a chance in those conditions. It only got worse when their talented new keeper went down early with a bad cramp that had her barely able to walk to the car much later.
That whole deal was a drag so I was VERY relieved when they looked a lot stronger against Sunday night's opponent and scored early on. The game got pretty chippy and we had another couple injuries we can ill afford (the keeper again) but they gutted out a 3-1 win.
Fortunately, most of the other teams in their group have split their first couple games as well so the Georgia Storm Silver 99s are still in a good place in the standings, despite their poor goal differential stat.
One last item:
With one sub (vs the opponent's six strong bench) they really never had a chance in those conditions. It only got worse when their talented new keeper went down early with a bad cramp that had her barely able to walk to the car much later.
That whole deal was a drag so I was VERY relieved when they looked a lot stronger against Sunday night's opponent and scored early on. The game got pretty chippy and we had another couple injuries we can ill afford (the keeper again) but they gutted out a 3-1 win.
Fortunately, most of the other teams in their group have split their first couple games as well so the Georgia Storm Silver 99s are still in a good place in the standings, despite their poor goal differential stat.
One last item:
Brenda found this while cleaning out Thing1's room after she went off to GSU. I've had this hat a LONG time. I think that one of our customers from the store in Cheboygan brought this back for me from a trip to Detroit. I don't know when but it's mid-80s sometime. There's a LOT of miles on this bad boy and it made me really happy to see that it still existed.
So, what's making YOU happy today?
So, what's making YOU happy today?
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Back
It's been a while since I updated this blog. Just got lazy and let it slide. Not unusual in my life for things that are probably good for me.
Today I saw that it was the anniversary of the first time I posted a WMMH on Facebook so...
Here goes:
I'm glad that, after some initial concern, Thing1 seems to be enjoying her stay in the dorms at Georgia State University. Classes start tomorrow though so lets see how that goes :)
I'm glad that Thing2s new club soccer team seems to have some potential. She seems to be happy with the group.
The Wednesday Wind Down shows that we've been working this summer have been interesting. I'm happy that they have gone as well as they have so far. It's been challenging, and that's a good thing for me. To much chilling and coasting these last couple years at the Dome.
That's it for me for now,
What's making you happy?
Today I saw that it was the anniversary of the first time I posted a WMMH on Facebook so...
Here goes:
I'm glad that, after some initial concern, Thing1 seems to be enjoying her stay in the dorms at Georgia State University. Classes start tomorrow though so lets see how that goes :)
I'm glad that Thing2s new club soccer team seems to have some potential. She seems to be happy with the group.
The Wednesday Wind Down shows that we've been working this summer have been interesting. I'm happy that they have gone as well as they have so far. It's been challenging, and that's a good thing for me. To much chilling and coasting these last couple years at the Dome.
That's it for me for now,
What's making you happy?
Friday, April 29, 2016
Just Some Things
What's making me happy?
Well, Uh... At least the Wings didn't get swept out of the playoffs. I do hope they can get over this transformation period sooner rather than later though.
The AHS Male and Female soccer teams both won their round of 32 playoff games. Next-up for Em's team is the Sweet 16 game on Wednesday. Go Cougars!!!
Thing1 seems to be navigating the whole college entrance thing pretty well.
And, for whatever reason, the front grass seems to be looking pretty good this year. Not likely to be something I did. Probably just dumb luck.
What's making you happy?
Well, Uh... At least the Wings didn't get swept out of the playoffs. I do hope they can get over this transformation period sooner rather than later though.
The AHS Male and Female soccer teams both won their round of 32 playoff games. Next-up for Em's team is the Sweet 16 game on Wednesday. Go Cougars!!!
Thing1 seems to be navigating the whole college entrance thing pretty well.
And, for whatever reason, the front grass seems to be looking pretty good this year. Not likely to be something I did. Probably just dumb luck.
What's making you happy?
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Quick One
What's making me happy?
Well, right this moment I'm happy that the Red Wings have managed to claw their way back into a playoff spot. They have three games left, all against good teams, and need to win all of them to stay in without help from others so it's still a nervous time but hope is bolstered by their recent play.
I'm pleased that Thing2 seems to be safe and having a great time in NYC with her choir group. They fly back late tonight after three really busy days.
I got to sit and watch a movie with my wife last night. The picture didn't thrill either of us but it was nice to have the time to just veg-out with my best friend.
After a few years in a row of having the good fortune of being away on the beach over spring break, we're staying home this time. While I can't help feeling we're meant to be moving into our rooms on Amelia Island, I am still looking forward to a couple extra days off next week with my girls.
So, What's making you happy?
Well, right this moment I'm happy that the Red Wings have managed to claw their way back into a playoff spot. They have three games left, all against good teams, and need to win all of them to stay in without help from others so it's still a nervous time but hope is bolstered by their recent play.
I'm pleased that Thing2 seems to be safe and having a great time in NYC with her choir group. They fly back late tonight after three really busy days.
I got to sit and watch a movie with my wife last night. The picture didn't thrill either of us but it was nice to have the time to just veg-out with my best friend.
After a few years in a row of having the good fortune of being away on the beach over spring break, we're staying home this time. While I can't help feeling we're meant to be moving into our rooms on Amelia Island, I am still looking forward to a couple extra days off next week with my girls.
So, What's making you happy?
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Photography and Racing
Well, This weekend brings a couple big races that I'm excited to watch.
The sports cars return for the second huge event in a row with the 12 Hours of Sebring. The track there is mostly made of really old concrete from a disused airbase so it's quite punishing for the cars and drivers. I've heard it said that cars are in worse shape after the 12 Hours than after the 24 at Daytona.
And this weekend marks the return of Formula 1 for the 2016 season with the Australian Grand Prix. For the first time in thirty years, there's an American team on the grid and I'm really excited to see how they do. I hope, against hope, that they're not terrible. Or, at least, not all the time. Last year, Honda and McLaren, who have both had impressive glory days in the sport and should have known better, proved how incredibly hard it is to get enough of your program right to not look like a basket case. The image of their star driver sitting out on course in a borrowed lawn chair with his multi-million dollar pile of crap race car smoking nearby certainly is the one memorable image from that effort. I hope Haas F1 has a somewhat better outing this weekend.
And then there's photography.
It's always fun to get a new lens. Especially if you've been lusting after it for a LONG time and it's BIG and SEXY. Please meet my new friend, the Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 Di LD IF Macro lens in Pentax mount.
As you all know by now, I've been taking photos of Emily's soccer games for years.
This lens, with it's f2.8 maximum aperture, will allow me to have a shallower depth of field. For sports shots, it means the players are in focus (hopefully) but the background is progressively blurrier. Makes for less distracting backgrounds and better pictures.
F2.8 is two full stops bigger than the lens I was using. The heck does that mean? Well, It lets in more light so, in dark football stadiums, I can either shoot with a faster shutter speed to freeze the action a bit better OR I can use a lower ISO setting and get photos that are less full of yucky digital "grain".
But wait, there's MORE! Also pictured above is my Pentax F 1.7X AF adapter which multiplies the focal length of the lens by 1.7. With this little beast, the 70-210mm lens becomes a 119-340mm lens (at f4.5).
Alright, nerd lesson over. Here's a shot from the first game with this bad boy:
This lens, with it's f2.8 maximum aperture, will allow me to have a shallower depth of field. For sports shots, it means the players are in focus (hopefully) but the background is progressively blurrier. Makes for less distracting backgrounds and better pictures.
F2.8 is two full stops bigger than the lens I was using. The heck does that mean? Well, It lets in more light so, in dark football stadiums, I can either shoot with a faster shutter speed to freeze the action a bit better OR I can use a lower ISO setting and get photos that are less full of yucky digital "grain".
But wait, there's MORE! Also pictured above is my Pentax F 1.7X AF adapter which multiplies the focal length of the lens by 1.7. With this little beast, the 70-210mm lens becomes a 119-340mm lens (at f4.5).
Alright, nerd lesson over. Here's a shot from the first game with this bad boy:
And that's what's making me happy. What's making YOU happy?
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Early March
Had some difficulty coming up with a few things for this one. Took me a while to solidify some thoughts.
What's making me happy right now?
I'm happy that I can still find new music that I can totally get down to on a fairly regular basis. Right this minute it's The Bros. Landreth. Pretty cool band with a cool older rock feel that's got me grooving. Look them up on YouTube.
The point is, I just keep finding these cool new (to me) bands in different places. I hope this trend continues.
I'm happy that our cars passed emissions testing (required to get each year's registration). It only cost $1300 to fix the Xterra and the 328i somehow forgot it wanted some sensor or other long enough to pass.
And, without getting too far off into "get a room" territory, my relationship with my wife makes me happy. This partnership/friendship thing is going pretty well these last couple years.
Of course, it's not all cloud 9. But, after all, who'd really want that anyway? Yeah, we got some things to work on and work out. If we had it all fixed now, what would we do for the rest of our lives?
It seems like we've been able find a pocket where we're both pretty happy with things and riding along dealing with life's punches and anxieties as a team. Seems to me kind-of like this is how it's supposed to be. I hope that you guys all get to feel how that feels sometime.
Yeah... so,
What's making you happy?
What's making me happy right now?
I'm happy that I can still find new music that I can totally get down to on a fairly regular basis. Right this minute it's The Bros. Landreth. Pretty cool band with a cool older rock feel that's got me grooving. Look them up on YouTube.
The point is, I just keep finding these cool new (to me) bands in different places. I hope this trend continues.
I'm happy that our cars passed emissions testing (required to get each year's registration). It only cost $1300 to fix the Xterra and the 328i somehow forgot it wanted some sensor or other long enough to pass.
And, without getting too far off into "get a room" territory, my relationship with my wife makes me happy. This partnership/friendship thing is going pretty well these last couple years.
Of course, it's not all cloud 9. But, after all, who'd really want that anyway? Yeah, we got some things to work on and work out. If we had it all fixed now, what would we do for the rest of our lives?
It seems like we've been able find a pocket where we're both pretty happy with things and riding along dealing with life's punches and anxieties as a team. Seems to me kind-of like this is how it's supposed to be. I hope that you guys all get to feel how that feels sometime.
Yeah... so,
What's making you happy?
Monday, February 15, 2016
Valentine's Weekend
What's making me happy around St. Valentine's Day?
We got a totally unexpected package in the mail on Saturday. Seems my awesome mom sent us a box of heart-shaped cookies. Who in the world wouldn't be happy to get a box of cookies in the mail? Well, I would and that's for certain.
Brenda and I took Thursday and Friday off because the kids were off from school. Then Thing1 left on Thursday to go to the state wrestling tournament. But at least we had Thing2 around. When she wasn't holed-up in her room. But we did get to see her team play pretty well in a 1-0 win against Rome. The goal was off a set-piece free kick expertly delivered into the box by our very own Thing2.
We had a long weekend together, got some things checked-off the list, had some good food, and some good laughs. Even if Thing2 won at Apples to Apples, it was a good weekend.
AND we finally got to see the latest Bond film and The Martian in a mini movie marathon yesterday. Specter was pretty good, though maybe not as good as the last two. The Martian wasn't as good as the book (what is, after all?) but it was still exciting and visually impressive.
So, What's making you happy this week?
We got a totally unexpected package in the mail on Saturday. Seems my awesome mom sent us a box of heart-shaped cookies. Who in the world wouldn't be happy to get a box of cookies in the mail? Well, I would and that's for certain.
Brenda and I took Thursday and Friday off because the kids were off from school. Then Thing1 left on Thursday to go to the state wrestling tournament. But at least we had Thing2 around. When she wasn't holed-up in her room. But we did get to see her team play pretty well in a 1-0 win against Rome. The goal was off a set-piece free kick expertly delivered into the box by our very own Thing2.
We had a long weekend together, got some things checked-off the list, had some good food, and some good laughs. Even if Thing2 won at Apples to Apples, it was a good weekend.
AND we finally got to see the latest Bond film and The Martian in a mini movie marathon yesterday. Specter was pretty good, though maybe not as good as the last two. The Martian wasn't as good as the book (what is, after all?) but it was still exciting and visually impressive.
So, What's making you happy this week?
Friday, February 5, 2016
It's February Already?
What's making me happy this week?
It's sort of a struggle coming up with something, to be honest. Most things are kind of blah this week.
I sold my old DSLR on Amazon yesterday. That's good. I disliked that it was just sitting there. Hopefully the buyer will be able to use it to good effect. It's a really good piece of kit and only got replaced because the newer cameras had made so many advances.
I really enjoyed this Google sponsored virtual tour of the famous Abbey Road recording studios. It's someplace that so much of the music we all love was created AND it's a super-cool technical space so, yeah... right up my alley. Check it out at insideabbeyroad.withgoogle.com It's worth the price of admission (free)
So, what's making you happy this week?
It's sort of a struggle coming up with something, to be honest. Most things are kind of blah this week.
I sold my old DSLR on Amazon yesterday. That's good. I disliked that it was just sitting there. Hopefully the buyer will be able to use it to good effect. It's a really good piece of kit and only got replaced because the newer cameras had made so many advances.
I really enjoyed this Google sponsored virtual tour of the famous Abbey Road recording studios. It's someplace that so much of the music we all love was created AND it's a super-cool technical space so, yeah... right up my alley. Check it out at insideabbeyroad.withgoogle.com It's worth the price of admission (free)
So, what's making you happy this week?
Thursday, January 28, 2016
The Ones From Before
Here's a collection of my previous posts on this topic from Facebook. It's funny, there are more of them than I expected and also fewer. Bigger gaps than I remember. I'll try to do better. Perhaps I can set my phone to remind me or something.
Even though it's only been since August, I enjoyed reading back through these and remembering fun times.
The original posts are still on Facebook, of course, and there were some worthwhile comments but I chose not to try to transfer them here.
August 21, 2015
Taking a cue from the Pop Culture Happy Hour, and because my kids think I'm a hater for always grousing about stuff in my social media feeds, I'm going to start a Friday tradition:
It's already Friday again! Here's what's making me happy this week:
I have the weekend off and I'm spending it up in Blue Ridge with my beautiful and brilliant wife.
What's making you happy this week?
September 18, 2015
Even though it's only been since August, I enjoyed reading back through these and remembering fun times.
The original posts are still on Facebook, of course, and there were some worthwhile comments but I chose not to try to transfer them here.
August 21, 2015
Taking a cue from the Pop Culture Happy Hour, and because my kids think I'm a hater for always grousing about stuff in my social media feeds, I'm going to start a Friday tradition:
What's making me happy this week?
I'm pretty happy that it's not all that hard to fix a decent dinner with veggies and everything. I think we've had everyone at the table for dinner for like four or five days in a row, maybe.
I'm pretty happy that it's not all that hard to fix a decent dinner with veggies and everything. I think we've had everyone at the table for dinner for like four or five days in a row, maybe.
Dana's senior pictures are another bright spot this week. We spent more than technically necessary but got some great images to remember this time.
And, while it does mean some delay and a bit of runaround, I'm happy that it seems like my medical insurance is going to step-up and make the $1200 bill for Thing1's wisdom teeth extraction into a $45 co-pay. Though that's not a done deal yet so fingers crossed.
So, what's making you happy this week?
And, while it does mean some delay and a bit of runaround, I'm happy that it seems like my medical insurance is going to step-up and make the $1200 bill for Thing1's wisdom teeth extraction into a $45 co-pay. Though that's not a done deal yet so fingers crossed.
So, what's making you happy this week?
August 28, 2015
It's already Friday again! Here's what's making me happy this week:
I have the weekend off and I'm spending it up in Blue Ridge with my beautiful and brilliant wife.
What's making you happy this week?
September 18, 2015
Guess I missed my "What's Making Me Happy" last Friday. (In fact, my two posts last Friday were both bitching about something...)
SOOOOO Today you get two things.
I'm happy that I have this weekend off (During football season? OMG!) and I'll get to see both of Emily's soccer games.
AND
I'm having a good time play Destiny on the Xbox. I have a predilection to let games like this take over my life for a while and spend way too much of my time playing do the detriment of other aspects, but meh, it's fun to play and I haven't really played anything else this year.
What's making you happy this week?
September 25, 2015
SOOOOO Today you get two things.
I'm happy that I have this weekend off (During football season? OMG!) and I'll get to see both of Emily's soccer games.
AND
I'm having a good time play Destiny on the Xbox. I have a predilection to let games like this take over my life for a while and spend way too much of my time playing do the detriment of other aspects, but meh, it's fun to play and I haven't really played anything else this year.
What's making you happy this week?
September 25, 2015
Friday again. What's making me happy? Bren and I both took the day off. And we're both off this weekend.
Plus, the Muppets are back on network TV.
October 6, 2015
Well, I forgot again on Friday and last week was mostly a rain-filled fog so I can't think of what might have looked bright and sunny on those dreary days.
What's making me happy?
Well, There were a few moments a month or two ago when I thought I might actually be able to attend the Petit Le Mans race again this year. Work has kept me away for several years now. We still had the camper last time we went (The Patron sponsor's motor home ran their generator all night and kept us awake).
As it turned out, I had to work all weekend but I was happy because I'd totally have gone to Road Atlanta and been miserable all weekend. It was a total mud fest and though the got most of the race in, there wasn't much racing.
Not much in that one, but I was watching the recording of the race yesterday and thinking, "Man, I'm glad we didn't go this year."
Plus, the Muppets are back on network TV.
October 6, 2015
Well, I forgot again on Friday and last week was mostly a rain-filled fog so I can't think of what might have looked bright and sunny on those dreary days.
What's making me happy?
Well, There were a few moments a month or two ago when I thought I might actually be able to attend the Petit Le Mans race again this year. Work has kept me away for several years now. We still had the camper last time we went (The Patron sponsor's motor home ran their generator all night and kept us awake).
As it turned out, I had to work all weekend but I was happy because I'd totally have gone to Road Atlanta and been miserable all weekend. It was a total mud fest and though the got most of the race in, there wasn't much racing.
Not much in that one, but I was watching the recording of the race yesterday and thinking, "Man, I'm glad we didn't go this year."
October 10, 2015
Ok, so I know I'm bad at this but it's been a long week.
What's making me happy this week?
I'm pretty happy that I saw that "The Newsroom" is on Amazon Prime Video. Loving it.
It was also pretty nice that I got to have dinner at the Thai place with Wife 1.0 and Thing2 last night. First dinner with the fam this week.
Like I said, it's been busy.
October 19, 2015
So, in this week's installment of "What's Making Me Happy?" we have:
My Big Green Egg. It has transformed grilling in our house and we've added the smoking element as well. Apple wood and a pork loin in the egg right now. Smells damned good.
What's making me happy this week?
I'm pretty happy that I saw that "The Newsroom" is on Amazon Prime Video. Loving it.
It was also pretty nice that I got to have dinner at the Thai place with Wife 1.0 and Thing2 last night. First dinner with the fam this week.
Like I said, it's been busy.
October 19, 2015
So, in this week's installment of "What's Making Me Happy?" we have:
My Big Green Egg. It has transformed grilling in our house and we've added the smoking element as well. Apple wood and a pork loin in the egg right now. Smells damned good.
Also, my wife makes a kickass French apple pie.
What's making YOU happy?
What's making YOU happy?
October 27, 2015
OK, What's making me happy?
My family, riding in the car and all singing "Walk like an Egyptian" super loud. They're nerds, but they're MY nerds. ;)
Thing2's performance at the choir concert last week. She agreed to be in the class with the special needs kids who want to perform. She and her buddy seemed to be having a great time and I was filled with pride watching her.
What's making you happy?
November 18, 2015
I had some trouble last week coming up with anything but I need to continue with this.
What's making me happy this week?
I had a couple days off this week and got some things done around the house. Some leaves cleared-up, some wood stacked, gas key for the fireplace sorted, lights replaced in the Xterra, etc. Nothing spectacular but it's stuff that needed doing.
I smoked some pork for BBQ sandwiches yesterday. That always smells so good.
And I've been burning through a couple books from Audible. If you like to listen to books, they're the bomb.
November 30, 2015
What's making me happy?
Well, Michigan's football team had a great opportunity to make my list but... sigh. At least the Green guys kicked some booty.
I'm happy for the time we had last week with family. The food was great. And, even though I never won any of the card games, we had fun.
I'm happy GSU's season is over for us. They've won three straight and actually have a shot some bowl game or other so at least one of the "home teams" has a positive atmosphere going into December.
OK, What's making me happy?
My family, riding in the car and all singing "Walk like an Egyptian" super loud. They're nerds, but they're MY nerds. ;)
Thing2's performance at the choir concert last week. She agreed to be in the class with the special needs kids who want to perform. She and her buddy seemed to be having a great time and I was filled with pride watching her.
What's making you happy?
November 18, 2015
I had some trouble last week coming up with anything but I need to continue with this.
What's making me happy this week?
I had a couple days off this week and got some things done around the house. Some leaves cleared-up, some wood stacked, gas key for the fireplace sorted, lights replaced in the Xterra, etc. Nothing spectacular but it's stuff that needed doing.
I smoked some pork for BBQ sandwiches yesterday. That always smells so good.
And I've been burning through a couple books from Audible. If you like to listen to books, they're the bomb.
November 30, 2015
What's making me happy?
Well, Michigan's football team had a great opportunity to make my list but... sigh. At least the Green guys kicked some booty.
I'm happy for the time we had last week with family. The food was great. And, even though I never won any of the card games, we had fun.
I'm happy GSU's season is over for us. They've won three straight and actually have a shot some bowl game or other so at least one of the "home teams" has a positive atmosphere going into December.
And I'm happy we were able to quickly overcome a scary audio system failure yesterday without too much hullabaloo. Sorry for the lack of PA during the pre-game stuff if you were sitting on the south side of the stadium. Once we were aware, we fixed it as fast as we could (which was pretty fast).
What's making you happy?
December 8, 2015
In this week's installment of "What's making me happy?", some minor things and a big deal.
I was happy that the SEC Championship game went very smoothly.
I was glad to see GSU dominated their final game of the season and, at 6-6, earned a minor bowl game appearance.
I was glad NMU took a win and the shootout win from UAH last weekend, even though we couldn't be there to cheer them on.
I was Super-Happy that the Falcons were away last weekend. Needed that day off.
And,
Thing1 got her first college acceptance letter today! Will she wear the green and gold of NMU and cheer the Wildcats? That remains to be seen. We're proud of her either way.
December 15, 2015
This week's edition of "What's making me happy?"
Emily's birthday was nice. Not what some would consider big enough for a young lady's 16th but we're busy, it's the middle of December, she had things to do, and we still had a nice dinner out with friends.
Though I'm not super excited that my car decided not to hold the coolant in anymore, I am happy that I was able to switch my off-day at work and that it was something I could fix. Probably saved myself a few hundred bucks.
The internet in general and YouTube specifically is an enormous help when you need to fix just about anything. If your widget has gone pear-shaped, there's probably a video on how to fix it.
I'm happy the soccer ID camp we went to with Emily on Sunday had great weather and didn't seem to be a waste of money.
And last but by no means least, My parents sent me some Christmas cookies in the mail. How cool is that?
So, what's making you happy?
January 2, 2016
Didn't do a WMMH last week because duh, Christmas.
What's Making Me Happy this week?
I'm happy that football season is ending for me tomorrow. I'm so over it.
This one is kinda sideways but here goes: We've had an unprecedented string of bad luck over the last month or two. It's been frustrating and expensive. Someone could write a whole blues album, seriously.
I'm just happy that this run of luck hasn't hit our health and safety. (knocks wood).
I'm really liking the "Walking the floor" podcast where Chris Shiflett interviews music people. They're mostly old-time country guys with some younger guys who play music kind of like the old school country guys.
What's making you happy this week?
What's making you happy?
December 8, 2015
In this week's installment of "What's making me happy?", some minor things and a big deal.
I was happy that the SEC Championship game went very smoothly.
I was glad to see GSU dominated their final game of the season and, at 6-6, earned a minor bowl game appearance.
I was glad NMU took a win and the shootout win from UAH last weekend, even though we couldn't be there to cheer them on.
I was Super-Happy that the Falcons were away last weekend. Needed that day off.
And,
Thing1 got her first college acceptance letter today! Will she wear the green and gold of NMU and cheer the Wildcats? That remains to be seen. We're proud of her either way.
December 15, 2015
This week's edition of "What's making me happy?"
Emily's birthday was nice. Not what some would consider big enough for a young lady's 16th but we're busy, it's the middle of December, she had things to do, and we still had a nice dinner out with friends.
Though I'm not super excited that my car decided not to hold the coolant in anymore, I am happy that I was able to switch my off-day at work and that it was something I could fix. Probably saved myself a few hundred bucks.
The internet in general and YouTube specifically is an enormous help when you need to fix just about anything. If your widget has gone pear-shaped, there's probably a video on how to fix it.
I'm happy the soccer ID camp we went to with Emily on Sunday had great weather and didn't seem to be a waste of money.
And last but by no means least, My parents sent me some Christmas cookies in the mail. How cool is that?
So, what's making you happy?
January 2, 2016
Didn't do a WMMH last week because duh, Christmas.
What's Making Me Happy this week?
I'm happy that football season is ending for me tomorrow. I'm so over it.
This one is kinda sideways but here goes: We've had an unprecedented string of bad luck over the last month or two. It's been frustrating and expensive. Someone could write a whole blues album, seriously.
I'm just happy that this run of luck hasn't hit our health and safety. (knocks wood).
I'm really liking the "Walking the floor" podcast where Chris Shiflett interviews music people. They're mostly old-time country guys with some younger guys who play music kind of like the old school country guys.
What's making you happy this week?
The Point
Having been inspired by a segment in the weekly NPR podcast "Pop Culture Happy Hour", I started posting a list to Facebook of things that were making me happy. The idea was to do it weekly. That's been hard to keep up with but I wanted to continue with it because it's been a nice change of pace from my usual grumpy Facebook rants.
In a nutshell, the point of this blog is to capture what I was doing as Facebook posts in a format that is easier to look back on later.
So, What's making me happy this week?
After contracting "The Sickness" from my dear wife, I have been able to return to work and the land of the people who eat things. I'm not back to 100% but this state is much preferred to where I was on Sunday night/Monday.
I'm excited that the sports car racing season is almost upon us already. While I'm unable to attend once again, the Daytona 24 hour race is this weekend. I WILL get to see that in person some day. That's different from how WANT to go see the race at Le Mans or the F1 races in Europe (Spa, Monaco, etc) because it's certainly achievable. I Will go to the race in Daytona.
While I'm not sure how long we'll remain in this state, both the adults in my household are still employed. Having to work every day may suck but it's certainly not as bad as not being able to work.
(PS, We're both TOTALLY open to offers right now)
That's it for now. I'm going to try to gather my previous posts from Facebook and put them up here if I can find a way to do that and make it work how I want.
What's making you happy?
In a nutshell, the point of this blog is to capture what I was doing as Facebook posts in a format that is easier to look back on later.
So, What's making me happy this week?
After contracting "The Sickness" from my dear wife, I have been able to return to work and the land of the people who eat things. I'm not back to 100% but this state is much preferred to where I was on Sunday night/Monday.
I'm excited that the sports car racing season is almost upon us already. While I'm unable to attend once again, the Daytona 24 hour race is this weekend. I WILL get to see that in person some day. That's different from how WANT to go see the race at Le Mans or the F1 races in Europe (Spa, Monaco, etc) because it's certainly achievable. I Will go to the race in Daytona.
While I'm not sure how long we'll remain in this state, both the adults in my household are still employed. Having to work every day may suck but it's certainly not as bad as not being able to work.
(PS, We're both TOTALLY open to offers right now)
That's it for now. I'm going to try to gather my previous posts from Facebook and put them up here if I can find a way to do that and make it work how I want.
What's making you happy?
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