A Happy Post

Everyone has ups and downs. Who better to tell us how to be happy than Oprah in her 10 Ways to Find Happiness article. Instead of keeping a Happiness Journal (I carry enough notepads in my purse as it is), here are photos to remind me of especially happy moments during a trip to Europe with Stephen.

Discovering the Louvre at sunset during an after dinner stroll in Paris. We entered through a back gate that I did not recognize. It was starting to get cold and I needed my jacket.

Examining all the fine work in the Paris Oprah House. So grand and eloquent.

Peeking through the lonely hallways.

Welcome to my home (not). Captured this moment without tourists.

Hot hot Provence. Driving through vineyards in 95 degree weather to taste a sip of Cote de Rhone.

Prague at sunset on the big bridge. Snapping many photos before enjoying a dinner of dark beer and stewed pork. Yummy yummy.

Making my picnic in Paris dream come true with Champagne, pate, and french bread.

And recording the day at a lovely dinner on our first night in Paris. We could not read the menu. The server surprised us with a pan of country pate. All you can eat pate? I'll take it.

We spent the afternoon at nearby cafe reading and snacking on cheese, sandwich, and Rose wine.

Even waiting in line at Notre Dame was a happy time.

Hot hiking through a small Provence town.

Discovering a secret garden in Zurich. Hair stylists from a nearby salon were getting drunk next to this fountain.

There are hundreds more photos, but here's a quick snapshot. Thanks Oprah. Feeling happiness just sharing these photos.

-g

Heck nobody gettin' old in here!

Signed up for a the Half Moon Bay Half Marathon for my big birthday. After avoiding more than 4 miles over the last year, the $100 race entry cost gave me an excuse to get back in shape and be inspired by a beautiful course. Thankful that I can still run a good race. In fact, I smiled the whole way (as you can see in my last .1 mile above) pleasantly surprised at how great I felt. A 65 year old man was my hero - recent Boston Marathon racer who paced me for my last 5 miles. Final score? 15th woman, 1:53.

Self help, here we come

I'm a sucker for the Self Help section of the bookstore. 7 Habits of Highly Successful People? Bring it on. Raw food diet? Heck yeah. Here are a couple to get you started.

• set goal and achieve them
• measure your life by the people whose lives you've changed
  

Buy vs Rent

The NY Times has an amazing digital department with talent in showing information with fun interactive tools. For those of you deciding whether it makes financial sense to buy vs. rent your home, use this NY Times tool. In the Bay Area, buying a home is so expensive that it makes more sense to rent. Buying a home is a lifestyle choice, and should not be undertaken lightly.

Help Wanted: People Issues in A Startup

In a small company, every person has a huge impact on overall company success. As a manager, people are your greatest asset. Here's an article a friend referred to me where Irv Grousbeck gives entrepreneurs advice on how to deal with personnel issues. I believe being direct with employees will earn their respect and trust.

With a Little Help from HBS

Startups can be pretty hectic. It's nice to have people and articles to look to for advice. Here are a few HBS articles I found useful.

• Recovering from the need to achieve. Basically, high achievers are addicted to achieving goals, but feel a sense of emptiness. To get over this "condition", follow the following steps: let go of the past; create a vision or specific goal with an agenda; seek support through mentors and a network; don't blink (or fall back on old behaviors); and take action that makes you vulnerable. Spend quality time with family and friends away from your phones.
• Business lessons from Bono. Take stock frequently to evaluate if you're making the best use of your people, authority, and resources.
• Top 10 legal mistakes entrepreneurs make.

Enjoy! There are tons of other resources out there. Stay tuned.

Advice from Dilbert

Stephen shared this article with career advice from the creator of the cartoon Dilbert. Go SSE!

Fashion Blogging

Now that I'm talking with more fashion bloggers, I revisit my unsightly blog and laugh. I spent part of my rainy weekend morning checking out top blogger widgets, refreshing the look and feel of this blog, and wondering - could I start a fashion blog? Well, it's harder than it looks.

Step 1: Figure out to take the right photos with your camera phone, or other phone. Look stylish, and serious. A big grin doesn't quite look right.


Step 2: Capture the right angles to show off the fashion piece you want. Showing off heels have the downside of focusing in on thighs. Play around with the angles.

Step 3: Capture beautiful details that have nothing to do with yourself. I like this type of fashion blogging content the most.