Things that make you happy

[UKFlounder]

We seem to be a negative bunch around here, with threads about things that irritate you, or pet peeves, or bad driving habits, or Wily Tavares or artists you cannot stand or ugly celebrities, etc, but what type of things - said, done, sung, or just out there - make people happy or make you smile or you just flat out enjoy

For me, I got to see my 11 month old niece over the weekend for the first time since Christmas, and it was the first time I saw her walk. Words can't express how much I adore her.

Going outside at lunch today and enjoying the beauty of the weather felt so wonderful.

Watching 2 days of NCAA tourney basketball last Thursday and Friday while taking some days off work was enjoyable, to say the least.

I volunteer at a local museum and being able to help out there is something I enjoy, even though I'm basically working for free.

I know this thread is perhaps a bit corny, but I thought maybe something different than the norm might create some interest.

[Reds4Life]

My thing to unwind, and it will seem odd, when it's nice out I like to sit outside on the deck and surf on the internet while smoking a cigar. It's peaceful and quiet.

Going down to my friends farm in Kentucky and shooting some guns is fun to.

I like to get out for lunch to. If I take my lunch to work and eat in, it seems like the day lasts forever. If I'm not hungry, sometimes I'll just go for a ride and pop the sunroof open.

[RichRed]

Enjoying a cold beer on the beach or on my deck when the first warm day of the year arrives.

[Caveat Emperor]

A Chipotle burrito.

Rice, black beans, chicken, mild tomato and tomatillio green medium salsas, cheese, and sour cream.

Always makes the day a little bit better.

[Dom Heffner]

My better half
My son
Luna, Molly, Boss Kitty, and Yoshi
Fantasy baseball
Richard Dawson on Family Feud
Roger Ebert's movie reviews
Kafe Kokopelli in Dade City, Florida

Just a few off the top of my head.

[RollyInRaleigh]

My wife and son.
My dog.

[BillDoran]

A particularly good book (recently Adverbs by Daniel Handler)

A really good album (recently You May Already Be Dreaming by Neva Dinova)

Cooking a big meal from scratch (recently chili rellenos)

Spending time with family (I live 3,000 miles or more from the rest of my immediate family)

A big sporting event (bowl games, NCAA tournament, stretch runs)

None are especially unique, but I do find them to be immensely enjoyable.

[Spitball]

Baseball in almost any form.

Spending time with my wife and kids.

Watching/listening to our 24 year-old daughter make her 19 year-old brother laugh.

Watching/listening to our 19 year-old son make his 24 year-old sister laugh.

Talking baseball or politics with our oldest.

Drinking an ice cold draft beer in an icey cold glass mug.

Drinking more ice cold draft beer in icey cold glass mugs.

I'm happy just typing this stuff. :beerme:

[BUTLER REDSFAN]

Whenever I hug my daughters or my wife I immediately feel happier....playing with my dog...listening to some good Elvis songs(Presley that is)

[westofyou]

http://www.escapeadventures.com/art/tours/mtb/ut_moabwkd_01.jpg

[MrCinatit]

Baseball.
Getting some good, old baseball cards. Recently got a '57 Brooks Robinson rookie.
Watching a really good movie. Hello, Wall-E.
Listening to one of my many favorite songs while walking down the street on a very pleasing day.
A very good jog (complete with some very good music).
Writing.

[BoydsOfSummer]

I have my window up today. I'm within hearing distance of a baseball field.I've been hearing "ping"..."ping"..."ping" for the last hour. It made me smile. :)

[bucksfan2]

Skiing

Accomplishment - Training for a marathon. It feels great to accomplish a real long run. Only for a short while that is because then the pain starts up.

Coming home and seeing my dog excited to see me.

Shorts, the grill, a cold beer, and a pleasant evening.

Chipotle, especially when you get a good burrito.

[Rojo]

cheese, maps, electric fans, secret passages, ginger ale, squeeze plays, those German helmets with the spike on top, hoop earrings (on women and maybe pirates), 80's National Lampoons, jumbalaya, the aisle seat, Golden Gate Park, grizzled old dogs, the mini-chaos that surrounds a muni bus when its electric moorings come loose and hanging out in crummy bar, shooting pool & drinking.

[Johnny Footstool]

80's National Lampoons

I cut my humor-teeth on those. Still have most of them intact, and the rest are on DVD-ROM. The one with Pete on the cover, that contains a parody of The Sporting News? Sheer genius.

[Johnny Footstool]

My son running to meet me when I pick him up from day care.

The first beer after work on Friday.

Smoking a double to opposite field, thus beating the "lefty shift" in softball.

Making a backhanded grab, and then gunning the runner down at first.

Playing "Honky Tonk Women" during our bi-weekly jam sessions.

My cats jumping into my lap.

Opening the sun roof on a 70-degree day.

"Bat Fight."

Watching Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig on SNL.

[*BaseClogger*]

Smoking a double to opposite field, thus beating the "lefty shift" in softball.

Oh yeah.

Also:

-The first days of Spring when you can finally wear shorts again

-Playing Super Smash Bros with my buddies

-A funky bass line

-Taking a shower after a long day and then laying down to go to sleep

[SunDeck]

My kids' art
Having a drink with my wife in the evening
Having a beer with friends
Riding my bike to and from work on a daily basis
A clean desk at the end of the day
Making pizza
Sitting on the beach with my kids or friends
Downhill skiing
A well struck golf ball- doesn't matter what club really, but I think hitting a 6 iron high and having it land softly leaves me more giddy than a 270 yard drive.
Gardening
A clean garage or shed

[OnBaseMachine]

Baseball

Bowling

Going to the beach and checking out the great scenary

[bucksfan]

Seeing my daughter smile.
Hearing my daughter laugh.
Seeing my wife smile.
Watching our little Havanese dog play with one of our "giant" (to her) cats.
Going to bed on a nice warm Friday night, knowing a nice warm sunny Saturday in coming next.
Getting "hot" in basketball, even though this experience is reserved mostly for my driveway only nowadays.
Watching things in our garden grow.
Sitting out back by our campfire with a beer and family/friends.

[camisadelgolf]

baseball
music (more specifically, writing songs)
acts of kindness, especially from strangers
my friends, family, and dog

[Hap]

Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies

watching George Carlin's "Jammin in New York" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammin%27_In_New_York)

remembering the looks on the faces of the 1990 Oakland Athletics players and the fans during the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 1990 World Series

remembering the looks on the faces of all the Pirates fans in my freshman dorm (Crawford Hall) at Ohio University at the end of the 1990 NLCS

[redhawkfish]

A crisp spring morning of bass fishing
Watching my daughters play sports
Alone time with my wife

[vaticanplum]

Seeing my daughter smile.
Hearing my daughter laugh.
Seeing my wife smile.
Watching our little Havanese dog play with one of our "giant" (to her) cats.
Going to bed on a nice warm Friday night, knowing a nice warm sunny Saturday in coming next.
Getting "hot" in basketball, even though this experience is reserved mostly for my driveway only nowadays.
Watching things in our garden grow.
Sitting out back by our campfire with a beer and family/friends.

Haveneses are the sweetest little dogs. I've never met one that wasn't ridiculously good-natured.

Some of mine are:
my friends
parks
dogs
books. newspapers too.
NPR and PBS. Not a week goes by when I don't marvel over something I hear or see there, and I truly believe they're a couple of the greatest things our society produces.
my cousins, and the fact that they are I-love-you-so-much emotional drunks
my (living) plants
live plays, any plays, even if they're bad
the US National Figure Skating Championships -- by far the greatest unheralded sports competition in the world. The glitz, the drama, the kitsch, the tears, the sequins, the commentators...it is too much. It is amazing.
good new music, and the fact that there is always good new music
employment!

[Jerry Narron]

Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy.

[JBChance]

- A dinner out with my wife at our favorite restaurant.
- Seeing my kids for the first time each day after work. Whether at home or picking them up somewhere, it brings a smile, even if I've had a bad day.
- A beer with my dad.
- Getting together with my family. We're all spread out, so anytime it happens, it's cool.
- Watching the Reds, Bengals, Buckeyes, Cavs play (OK sometimes I'm not actually happy, but I usually enjoy it)

[Razor Shines]

My family
Playing almost any sport, it's the competition, I think.
Hitting 9 or so 3's in an adult rec league game and listening to the other team argue about who should be guarding me.
Watching the Reds, even when they suck I'm always happy to be watchin' a game.
The rare occasions when I can throw a baseball pain free.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Random conversations with old guys working in their yard as I jog through the neighborhood. I got a lesson in what my neighborhood looked like in 1984 the other day, I guess it was a farm.

[cincyinco]

A Chipotle burrito.

Rice, black beans, chicken, mild tomato and tomatillio green medium salsas, cheese, and sour cream.

Always makes the day a little bit better.

Funny, my first thought what a chipotle burrito. Had one today as a matter of fact. Mmm. I used to live a block from the very first chipotle ever.

Sushi is another one.

Oh.. House Music and mixing records makes me giddy.

Baseball, of course.

The rocky mountains.

My pit bull puppy.

An ice cold coca cola.

Grilling.

[TylerScottDavis]

Driving with the windows down

That feeling right when a fish gets on my line

Playing G.I. Joe's with my son

Rocking my baby girl to sleep...and then rocking her some more even though I should probably lay her down

My wife's smile and laugh

There's more, but these probably top the list...

[BRM]

Hitting 9 or so 3's in an adult rec league game and listening to the other team argue about who should be guarding me.


When you say "adult" I assume you really mean "senior". Taking credit for dominating in the over 50 leagues is really lame.

:mooner:

[RichRed]

Bill Bryson's description of what he looks and sounds like when he's sleeping (hint: it's not pretty) in his book In a Sunburned Country made me deliriously happy. I was laughing so hard, I was crying. Man, it's great when that happens.

[bucksfan]

Haveneses are the sweetest little dogs. I've never met one that wasn't ridiculously good-natured...


Not to derail the thread too much, but ours certainly fits your description. I call her a Havaneser. We never thought we'd have a little dog as we have always been "big dog people" (we have a golden also), but our daughter wanted a smaller dog as "her puppy" so my wife researched very thoguroughly, and we decided on this breed. Not at all the stereotypical yappy little dog! We love her to pieces!

[Razor Shines]

When you say "adult" I assume you really mean "senior". Taking credit for dominating in the over 50 leagues is really lame.

:mooner:

I'm very proud of you, BRM. You've really gotten the hang of the quote feature. Most on this board don't know the amount of man hours in over the phone tech support that went into teaching you how to use it. I remember once we got over the hurdle of the "right click/left click" fiasco it was like getting to the top of a hill and being able to finally see the finish line. So, even though you've been using it at my expense lately, and in a thread about things that make people happy; I'm just happy to know that you're no longer afraid to respond to posts in a thread because you don't know how to use the quote feature. :beerme:

[BRM]

Making fun of you makes me happy. I thought that was the point of this thread. :confused:

[westofyou]

Monkey Knife Fights
Avocado Ice Cream
Girls named Beatrice
Finding a cat whisker stuck in the couch
Dunking on a Kids Basketball hoop
Snow Days
Lime from a basepath
Watching someone step on a ballpark Nacho tray
Not having to be a Honey Bucket man.

[IowaRed]

watching my children's enthusiasm for little things (building a fort, going to the park, they recently created a Leprechaun trap on St Pat's Day to see if they could catch one-no luck but when he escaped their trap he dropped coins and candy)

fishing, playing a decent round of golf, taking a walk with my family, watching my kids partake in just about any activity from piano to swimming to basketball. The first few days of really warm weather after a long cold winter, fantasy baseball drafts, watching The Office, Andy Griffith Show and Marx Brothers movies.

[Rojo]

and Marx Brothers movies.

Watch "Cocoanuts", its about a Florida land boom.

Groucho:

"You can have any kind of a home you want. You can even get stucco. Oh, how you can get stucco."

"Florida folks, land of perpetual sunshine. Let's get the auction started before we have a tornado."

"Why, it's the most exclusive residential district in Florida. *Nobody* lives there."

[Falls City Beer]

Women.

No, I don't mean women in a dirty, salacious way. I just don't like sausage circles: women tend to be better conversationalists than men, in my experience. Men just want to tell stories and hog the limelight; women speak and listen--good combo.

Double-malt scotch.

Pilsner.

Crashaw's epigrams

Stoics

Scrabble

Pinball

Revenge tragedies/Westerns

Pope's couplets

Jonathan Swift

John Dryden

Pepys' Diary

Francis Bacon's paintings

The underdog

[Johnny Footstool]

Monkey Knife Fights


Furious George, what have they done to you?

[WMR]

My mother.

My grandfather and two grandmothers.

My sister.

When I do something to make my dad proud. (very difficult man to impress)

My pinball machines.

Going fishing.

Closing a sale.

A new girl.

A UK win in basketball or football.

Playing xbox with my friends.

My dog Teddy Bear.

A cold beer.

[Tommyjohn25]

Baseball.

My lady.

My dog.

Baseball.

Cooking out.

Baseball.

Softball.

Whiffle Ball.

Baseball.

Shorts.

Air Conditioning.

My friends.

The feeling after hitting the weights really hard.

Baseball.

[OldRightHander]

1. Baseball

2. Hearing my wife talk (most of the time) She has the most mesmerizing voice. Must be the accent.

3. Booking a load for one of my drivers.

4. Booking one for myself.

5. Being in church. Can I say that on here?

6. Singing

7. Playing any of my various instruments that are scattered about the house.

8. Arriving home after a long time on the road.

9. What usually happens a couple hours after I arrive home after a long time on the road. ;)

10. The ocean or the mountains in the west. Probably a tie between those two.

[cincyinco]

Can't believe I forgot this one..

Cinnabun with extra cream cheese frosting. Mmmmmm.

[redsmetz]

Great thread.

I'll echo what a number of folks have said.

I enjoy seeing how great my kids are. Raising kids you wonder at times if you know what the heck you're doing and surely we're going to mess these little wonders up and now they're grown and wow, we didn't mess them up.

So each one, I'm happy with my talented oldest daughter, who studied art and hopes to develop a free lance illustration. Very proud when she had her first illustation in a national magazine. I know I crowed here.

My younger dauther, now following in her older sister's footsteps doing a year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Atlanta. Growing up, I always told her she was the answer to Grandma's prayer ("I hope you have one just like you!"). We're oil and water in many ways, but her degree is in International Economics & Cultural Affairs (plus another major in Spanish) and hopes to work in the area of development in poorer countries. Makes me very proud too.

And my son, the one time ballplayer, now college student. Wants to go into politics and helped out so much with my brother's judicial campaign last fall. He's been accepted to go to DC this summer as an intern through OSU's John Glenn Institute. I love his passion too and how he's always telling me about music I should hear or talking something he's read, etc. And knowing I could text him before break and say "bring your glove home" and getting back a Smilie. (and now break's almost over and we haven't found time yet!!!).

My wife. We're empty nesters now for the most part, but we're rediscovering each other again. And I love my wife's poetry. She is so talented as a writer and has taken up writing poetry. I keep telling her to submit some but I think she worries it will take the life out of it. She once wrote a letter to the magazine that novelist Elizabeth Berg wrote for (before her novels) and got a lovely handwritten postcard back from her saying she (E.B.) couldn't wait to say she'd read her first!

As others said, any baseball game. Our dream vacation some day is to just take off for wherever and see what games we find. Little league, Legion ball, minor leagues, semi pro, MLB, etc.

Good comedy and more particularly, looking at it and watching how a joke gets developed or a gag set up. I think that's why I'm hooked on "What's My Line" on Youtube. I always enjoyed the old time comedies on WVXU, but it's not just about old time. Watching a good stand up comic getting a ton of laughs out of a look or a gesture. It's a real talent.

Walking outside at the end of winter to that first hint of warmth. Had that last week (before a little chill snuck back in) and it gave me pause.

Learning things. My desire to learn new things is insatiable.

Enough now, I've gotten verbose.

Wait! One more thing... I love little kids. I ache seeing folks with little ones knowing mine have grown up. I love my youngest brother bringing over his two little ones, three and nearly six. They're such an absolute treat. And I find myself doing all the stupid gags my uncles did when I was little.

[Johnny Footstool]

Good comedy and more particularly, looking at it and watching how a joke gets developed or a gag set up.

You might enjoy the show "Arrested Development." It was on the air in the early '00s. While it does have more of an edge than the older comedies, you would appreciate the effort the writers put into setting up jokes.

[BUTLER REDSFAN]

Frisch's Hot Fudge Cakes

[Rojo]

Just thought of another: the way dogs tilt their head when confused.

[Hoosier Red]

Sad though it may be, getting on here makes me happy.

Also when people respond to my posts, it fills me up with a charge.

[Spitball]

Also when people respond to my posts, it fills me up with a charge.

Here's given' you a charge, Hoosier Red! Actually, I'm betting you like a little more charge than I provided, but that's all I have right now. :beerme:

[Hoosier Red]

Thought of another one last night,

Red Robin Bacon Guacamole Burgers. They always make me happy.

[WebScorpion]

Sad though it may be, getting on here makes me happy.

Also when people respond to my posts, it fills me up with a charge.

I don't think that's sad in any way...just because people have anonymity does not mean you cannot speak with them just as if you were face to face. The relationships built through E-mail, blogs, and message boards can be just as real as any relationship in any other part of life. I met my wife on a Yahoo! message board. :D RedsZone makes me happy too...sometimes even when the Reds don't. :thumbup:

Any time spent with my wife and daughters is pure joy.

Fresh Cheese Coneys are like a happy bomb for my tummy.

The smell of the ocean...looking at the ocean always fills me with awe, but the smell makes me smile immediately.

The feel and smell of a warm bonfire outdoors, especially with good company.

Those puffy cotton ball (cumulonimbus) clouds on a clear blue sky.

A nice beer and maybe a cigar with some close friends.

Doing something kind for someone else and seeing them smile and/or thank you.

The stars in the desert.

Spring. I love each of the seasons in their turn, but Spring is definitely the 'happiest' feeling season.

Hugs.

To tell the truth, being alive makes me happy...partly because I understand how lucky I am to still BE alive and I make a conscious effort to be fully present in as many of the little moments in life as I can.

[Dom Heffner]

Frisch's Hot Fudge Cakes

Oh yeah. Just awesome.

[George Foster]

When my 5 year old son (the first pick of the 2022 draft) is just watching cartoons on the couch and we make eye contact. I wink at him and he winks back with "both eyes."
Not a word is spoken.

I wish he would stay 5 forever.......

[Danny Serafini]

Anything Zeke (aka The Wiggle Hound) does.

A good game, a cold beer and a table full of friends.

Acquiring a baseball card of some really obscure Red. The star players are easy to find, getting a Jeff Richardson, Ricky Bones, John Hudek or Brandon Watson is much more rewarding. I think my card of Burt Shotton (Reds manager for one game in 1934) might be the most obscure of the bunch.

The other day I discovered that Steve Stapp had entered the Indy Car race at Trenton, NJ in July of 1964, but failed to make the field. That's a fact that 99.9999% of people couldn't care less about. But my biggest hobby is researching old race results. I've probably uncovered at least 50 drivers who showed up for races but didn't make the field and their names were lost to history, as well as a few who did race and were improperly identified in the record books. Each time I find a new name there's that little bit of satisfaction that somebody who had been forgotten can finally be recognized for the role they played, however small it may have been.

Hanging out with my dad watching a few races on a Sunday. He's the only person I know as passionate about the sport as I am (none of my friends really care about it), so it makes for a fun day.

[westofyou]

I think my card of Burt Shotton (Reds manager for one game in 1934) might be the most obscure of the bunch.

Shotton was manager for that day when the team decided that manager O'Farrell was not into the Reds as much as they needed a manager to be. He was known for his golf clubs leaning next to the door of his office as much as he was for his managing. Many a loss was followed with Bob O. lighting out of the office/clubhouse with clubs in hand to catch 18 before dusk.


Larry didn't like that and canned him, of course he picked the wrong successor (Dressen) but the next GM would get it right.

[OldRightHander]

Anticipating Opening Day.

[Caveat Emperor]

Nachos.

Lemonheads.

My Dad's Boat.

[reds44]

1. The fact that despite Darnell McDonald is our Opening Day CF I can't sleep because I'm so excited.

2. Sports in general

3. Music

4. Chipotle.

[camisadelgolf]

Not to sound like an addict, but drugs (in moderation) make me really. I'm not condoning heroin or anything, but there plenty of recreational drugs that are reasonably priced and pretty much always result in having a good time. When I mix said drugs with playing music, I feel like I'm in heaven. Last night was one of those nights, and I'll be in a good mood all day today.