The UNwallowing Thread!

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RichBrewer

RichBrewer

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After my latest bout with my feelings a few days ago:drunk: I've been doing a lot of thinking, reading and reflecting on words from a friend and lots of great people here at HBT.
Today I chose to be positive and happy about things and I was thinking a thread is needed here.
It seems like threads are started all the time in which someone rants about something that upsets them. I'm not saying those threads are bad but I thought it would be nice to have a thread that accentuates the good things in people's lives.
Two rules here:
1. No wallowing!
Posts in this thread have to be positive and reflect the glass is half full philosophy.
2. Do not hijack this thread!
Remember I can delete posts that stray from rule #1! :ban:

So lets hear it! Tell us about something positive that happened today! :mug:
 
I went for my daily walk later in the evening today because I had to work late. Because it was later, I had the pleasure of seeing the most beautiful sunset. It was a burst of orange and red behind purple mountains. The small pond in front of me reflected all the colors. What a beautiful evening! I was so fortunate today that I had to work late. I would have missed that sunset had I gotten home from work at my regular time!
 
This is a great thread. My Positive thing for the day is my son passed his speech and behavior development testing after a year of help from a specialist.
 
I helped a bunch of kids that have never fished before bait hooks tonight, it was rewarding to see the smiles on their faces when they caught some rather large bass.
 
Today is young. 7:40 am.

The best thing that happened to me so far is I woke up to strong sunlight and blue skies. It's been grey and raining for the last couple of days. Then I remembered it's weekend.
 
I'm up past my eyeballs in work and today the new poultry flock came. I got them all bedding and settled in their new coop and went back to my labors. When the day's work was done I opened a VERY nice new IPA I hadn't tried before and went to check the birds. These are day old chicks and by this time they had settled down from the stress of the drive with full bellies and warm heat lamps.

It was dark out but the heat lamps throw a gentle red glow and the chicks haven't been there long enough to soil the straw bedding at all. I sat down on the straw and just watched them wander around with their contented peeping and snuggling under the heat lamps. It was very tranquil and relaxing and I just sat out there with them and enjoyed my beer and cigar.

It's hard to be stressed when you're surrounded by a bunch of happy naked chicks.
 
Well yesterday my daughter came home from school, (she is 6 years old, has cerebral palsy and was never supposeed to be able to hold her head up) and gave me her speech therapy homework and said "Dad, I know my V sounds now, Mrs. Cwowley said now I got to work on my TH sounds. Sat sunds like zzzzzzz."

It was very cute, everyday she improves, it amazes me how a kid with half a brain, (when you get brain damage the part of the brain that is damaged gets replaced by fluid, so she only has the right side of her brain) can do everything a kid with a full brain does, with a few minor exceptions.

She makes me proud.
 
Jesterday said:
Well yesterday my daughter came home from school, (she is 6 years old, has cerebral palsy and was never supposeed to be able to hold her head up) and gave me her speech therapy homework and said "Dad, I know my V sounds now, Mrs. Cwowley said now I got to work on my TH sounds. Sat sunds like zzzzzzz."

It was very cute, everyday she improves, it amazes me how a kid with half a brain, (when you get brain damage the part of the brain that is damaged gets replaced by fluid, so she only has the right side of her brain) can do everything a kid with a full brain does, with a few minor exceptions.

She makes me proud.
Click to expand...

This brought a tear to my eyes... My buddy has worked with kids and seniors with disabilities for more then 6 years now, and ever so often I go out and help with some of there functions and out door events. Jesterday, hearing that makes me smile down to my core!

For my UN wallowing, I am incredibly grateful for all the kind works and advice that I've received on here about my own wallowing. Thanks again for you priceless advice!
 
We have been blessed to be able to buy a cottage on a pristine lake (just last summer!). Last night, the loons were calling as we stood on the dock and caught enough perch for a fish fry. Then, we sat inside by the fireplace and read and drank (David_42's recipe) a rye pale ale. That reminded me to be grateful for what I have. I may not have much money, but I am rich!
 
I'm sitting here keeping an eye on my daughter Ryan (3) and son Dean (1) and not that I'm not often reminded of how lucky I am to be a father to such wonderful kids, it's one of the more profound moments. As cheezy as it sounds, my wife downloaded the David Cook (of American Idol fame) version of "Always be my Baby" and I just listened to it. It's weird how music inspires reflection. In this case I was just thinking about how fast babies become toddlers and so on... time flies and how important it is to take time out for the important things.
 
I wake up every morning greatful for all of the wonderful things that I have had the opportunity to do.

I have 3 wonderful children
An amazing wife
A wonderful job

Thanks to a few choices that I made when I was younger
I have been to more places that many people twice my age.

And no matter how bad things might get I just tell myself

"It can always be worse" .........
 
This thread is cool. I don't have anything big to share, but it is a nice sunny day and my hops plant should be ready to start training in the next day or two.
 
Well, the day is still young but a couple good things have happened. First, my niece came home from the hospital after having spent far too many days in the pediatric ICU due to respiratory problems. She's a great little kid who has had to spend way too much time in the hospital at such a young age.

Second, and far less important than the first thing, I went out for iced coffee this morning and not only were the people at Dunkin Donuts polite for once, but they also managed to not screw up my order(it's the little things that make me happy)

Oh yeah, I get to brew today too!

Rich, I'm glad to see you're in a better state of mind:mug:
 
What a wonderful day I had. I'll try to share some pictures later.

Sunshine, game, real ale, golden eagles, ferrets, hard cider, cheese, wine, , peacocks, gun dogs, woodworking, willow weaving, ladies on side saddle, heavy horses, helicopters, whisky, It goes on.

The Cheshire country side is wonderful.
 
Two major work related events:

1. Our manufacturer proposed a compromise on a development problem. Basically, they had wanted more money to do something we felt was in-scope. Then they found another item that was undeniably in-scope that they couldn't do. So, the two cancel out.

2. My partner decided to look at Google's Adwords and is absolutely in love.

Plus, the sun is shining on the hop farm for the first time in weeks!
 
I got my motorcycle back from the shop today. It needed work after sitting in the shed for three years. Went on a 60 mile ride today. Man, that felt good.

Also, I am going back to work Monday after another 5-week layoff. Woot!
 
I had the pleasure of seeing Motivational Speaker Brad Montgomery last November. His big message that I took away was "How Cool Is That?". He talked about a lot of things, but making sure to make notice of the good things, then actually saying out loud. How Cool Is That?.
Ritch, You've been in the dumps, but you've got real friends here. How Cool is that?
You got a late jump on your walk, but it worked out great. How Cool Is That?
Now You're feeling a bit better. How Cool is That?
Everything that you've been through...makes you who you are...and we still like the **** out of you. How Cool is that!
Next Time SWMBO, The Kids and I are in Denver, We're buying you Dinner. How Cool Is That?
 
We just finished cleaning out all the Fire Engines and I found a pack of gum that I lost last week!! Melon Mint Orbitz!!

and the $15 bucks I had folded up in it!!
 
SWMBO and my new housemate are both out running wedding errands, so i get the house to MYSELF! It's a beautiful sunny 85F degree day with - GASP! - no humidity for the first time in two weeks!!!

I'm just about to start my sparge, too. :)

And I racked my Sinful Stout and it smells patently excellent! :fro:

'Tis a good day for beer.
 
I decided not to brew today because I was running behind but I started setting up my brew area in the back yard and it was so nice out! About 60 degrees with not a hint of wind. It was a cloud free morning and very quiet except for all the birds singing. Oh, I remember why I LOVE Colorado!
Now I get to brew tomorrow!!!
Plus, I'm going out this evening with the guys to a bachelor party! :mug:

Keep it coming EVERYONE! Even if you had a crappy day. Find at least one thing that was good about it. If you don't want to write it here, write it somewhere else. Just somehow acknowledge the blessings you have in your life.
 
i bought a cruiser bicycle this last wednesday, and ive been riding it to work which is sweet...and surprisingly not much slower than driving! anyway, its sunny outside, and im going to cruise out to the beach to read or just lay in the sun for a little while. summer is looking good!

 
The weather was frickin gorgous today! We went up to the farmers market and I got a line on some awesome honey to be delivered in two weeks. It's going to be a delicious mead. Then we went to the Saturday market and wandered around. SWBMO got some great deals on wraparound skirts that she looks lovely in. We ate a late lunch at Chipotle out on the patio in the sun.

I have to say today was a good day.
 
A few years ago I had a medical condition that nearly killed me. It took me over a year to get back to work. Even now I am only about 80%. Not a day goes by that I don't think about it and realize that I am happy to be alive. Each day is a gift and for the most part are what you make of them.

It is unfortunate that it took this sort of thing to happen to make me realize that. I don't tell you all this for sympathy because I am not sorry.

Carpe diem!!!
Meaning of the phrase
The most common interpretation of the phrase is as an existential cautionary term with emphasis on making the most of current opportunities because life is short and time is fleeting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpe_diem

Cheers!!! :mug:
 
Today I listened to an audio book while walking and there was a story of a woman who's husband and son are both soldiers and deployed to the middle east. It really hit me about the sacrifices that entire family has made for their country. I'm not a deeply religious person but god bless all of them. The sacrifices they have made insure our freedom and I will not take that for granted.
I was able to walk in the sunshine today and enjoy the fresh air. Now I'm going to go brew. How could it get any better than that?
 
My father's company had a charity car show today. 50+ cars, 50+ bikes all cruising around the greater boston area with police escorts. Proceeds went towards the deputy sherriffs and a local police department. They are both trying to raise money for safety awareness for kids.

It was a ton of fun!
 
my daughter was up at 3am, by 5am she was still awake and still laying in bed with my wife and I, so we got up as a family and for the first time in a few months we had an actual home-cooked breakfast...

there is nothing like a nice big home-cooked breakfast to start the day.
 
I can have a short temper and some days...just get irritated at the stupidest of things...

I was sitting on my deck along the Rainy River yesterday morning, scrubbing bottles to do some bottling later that day. It was a beautiful quiet sunny morning, about 65 and warming, I had a nice mug of coffee. It was just peaceful and a perfect morning sitting outside.

It was 0630. A sea plane, plane on floats, started up and began firing up its loud engine. It sounded like a 1200lb mosquito breaking the beautiful silence. This might have been the sorta thing I would have said, "Stupid A-hole, couldn't he wait until a decent hour..."

But no... It was a perfect morning. Coffee, Quiet, Homebrew tasks on the agenda for the day....and i said to myself. "Where else can I be or live and see this amazing little plane roar down the smooth as glass river and take off 400 ft from my deck". It was incredible. [Loud as hell, but incredible]

He pulled up, flew away and silence resumed. I went back to my bottle cleaning and coffee with a smile on my face.

What a great morning, thanks to my obsession/hobby of homebrewing
 
I'm a big manly man who listend to metal and despises country music, but I heard this song at a wedding recently and I just lost it. I still can't listen to this song without tearing up.

[ame]http://youtube.com/watch?v=myO2e5Td3bg[/ame]

It made me realize how lucky I am to have 4 beautiful daughters and a wonderful wife that mean more to me than anything in this world. Being a good father and husband is the most important thing that I can do in this life and according to SWMBO I'm doing a pretty good job :D.

Anytime that I feel that I'm taking time with my girls for granted I watch this video and it makes me realize that I need to cherish the time I have with them while they're young because someday I'll be the dad crying his eyes out at the wedding.
 
ohiobrewtus said:
I'm a big manly man who listend to metal and despises country music, but I heard this song at a wedding recently and I just lost it. I still can't listen to this song without tearing up.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=myO2e5Td3bg

It made me realize how lucky I am to have 4 beautiful daughters and a wonderful wife that mean more to me than anything in this world. Being a good father and husband is the most important thing that I can do in this life and according to SWMBO I'm doing a pretty good job :D.

Anytime that I feel that I'm taking time with my girls for granted I watch this video and it makes me realize that I need to cherish the time I have with them while they're young because someday I'll be the dad crying his eyes out at the wedding.
Click to expand...

dear god, my daughter is a year old... i can't image what it'll be like when she gets married...
 
It's a very good thing to remind yourself of what you have that you should NOT be taking for granted. Thanks to the original poster for presenting one of those reminders. Got a healthy family, beautiful kids, just enough money to pay the bills.

Yesterday my daughter brought home her first standardized test scores (she's 6). I have to admit that, like a lot of you, I'm skeptical of the value of such scores (and I'm an educator, so I may be even more skeptical). But when I saw 99, 99, 99 in the percentile boxes, I felt quite a surge of pride. Not that important in the big picture, but it made me feel good as a parent.
 
Great thread!!

Today I am happy because I will be going on a 2 week vaca to the family cottage in Parry Sound, Ont. at the end of the month. After that I will be moving to Oregon, no job yet, but damn happy about the potential and the adventure. I am happy to have a great SWMBO and the fact that I actually like using SWMBO, because obeying her keeps me sane and in line. Happy about my wonderful English Setter who is like my child (not happy with the tick problem). Happy that Penske rental trucks called me and gave me $2,000 off the original price for a cross country move, plus an extra free day. Happy to sit in my office and listen to WBLM from Portland, ME. What I think is the best classic rock station, and happy to be able to get it via internet so I can listen from OR.

Finally I am happy to be on this site with all you great folks!!!!!!!!!
 
Since nobody seems to be reading my blog :rolleyes:, I'm going to cut and paste what I wrote this morning....

The Bean had an epiphany...

Posted Today at 08:55 AM by the_bird
So, we're lying in bed, reading The Bean's current favorite book - the Home Depot Big Book of Tools. Love my girl; she knows the difference between Phillips-head and flat-head screwdrivers, as well as what needlenose pliars are (even if she thinks the latter are used for picking boogers). She was VERY excited to help me build her a swingset last weekend, even if all she could do was hold onto the tape measure and wander away, "measuring" things.

Anyway, she sees a picture of a bucket with a word on it, and starts reading off the letters...

"N... a... i.... l... s. Nai.... that spells NAILS!"

She got SO exciting; her eyes started bugging out, they looked to be about six inches in diameter, her face just erupted in the biggest smile. She can "read" a few other words, stuff that she's memorized like CAT and DOG and BABY. There's probably a good ten or fifteen words she's been able to "read" for the past six months or so (she'll be 3 1/2 at the end of July).

But, this was the first time she really applied her phonetics - knowing what an "N" sounds like, and what an "A" and an "L" sound like, and used that to decode a word on her own. VERY exciting for her (and for me), I could see the light bulb turning on in her head...

More good news; wifey told me last night "Why don't you go buy yourself a grill for father's day?" She knows I want one, she knows we'll use it a lot, and there's a party coming up in a few weeks that we could really use a grill for. So - yeah, me! I'll prolly be begging for recommendations (I think I've set a budget of not much more than a couple hundred, so definately an entry-level grill).
Click to expand...
 
After a couple of years of very hard work and some major ups and downs getting my book put together (plus a lot of butting heads with the marketing people), I found this yesterday:

Starred review in Publishers Weekly
LIFESTYLE

An Edge in the Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Knives
Chad Ward. Morrow, $34.95 (240p) ISBN 9780061188480
Though humans have been using knives for about two and a half million years, you’ll be hard pressed to find as succinct and complete a collection of wisdom on the topic as this masterful volume from cook and writer Ward. He covers nearly everything, from construction and general knife care to proper storage and sharpening, giving cooks all the information they need. Detailed instructions on how to use the most common knives are bolstered with photos that thoroughly illustrate key techniques like dicing, chiffonade and julienne, as well as the lost art of cutting up a whole chicken. Though enthusiastic about his subject, Ward maintains a refreshing level of sanity throughout, reminding readers that they really only need three knives—a chef knife, a paring knife and a bread knife—to accomplish the vast majority of tasks. Better yet, Ward offers recommendations for budgets under $100, as well as reliable sources for custom-made kitchen knives (which “can be had for about the same price as you’d pay for the more pedestrian stuff”). Those looking for in-depth descriptions of every knife imaginable and/or detailed butchery instructions will not find it here, but those interested in upgrading or maintaining a reliable set of knives will find this book as indispensable as the tools themselves. (June)
Click to expand...

That definitely does not suck. Thanks for the great thread Rich.
Chad
 
ooooh, I got another one! Yesterday, I got an invoice from my ISP for this coming year. If you pay in advance, you get a big discount (it's $375 for one year, vs. $40/month). Anyway, I paid it last night.

Today, the IT guy was working in my office setting up a new printer/fax phone combo and he mentioned that my supervisor told him that they will be paying my internet from now on. So, I took my paypal receipt to work today and they are paying me the $375!

That made me think, "Hmmmm- better call the car repair place. I bet my car repair is going to be $375". Well, sure enough- the car repair bill is $395. So, I sort of "broke even" today- without even trying!
 

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