Sometimes it can be difficult to be happy all the time. What I found out about myself is that I like completing projects. I have worked in construction the last few years and even though some days can be rough; seeing all your work culminate in a finished building is wonderful. Lately I have taken up painting as a new way to learn and complete projects. Check out my gallery and let me know if you want me to make you one! Submit a photo to me and I'm sure we can work something out.

I love cooking and trying new recipes. I found the greatest thing to do was to make things on my own that will last a long time and avoid all the preservatives they load up in products at the store. Pickling things is my favorite method. Love pickles and pickled red onions. Fermenting is a close second. Homemade sauerkraut is great and you can put it in the freezer or leave it a jar in the fridge for a long time!

Another joy of cooking is substitution I find that if you don't have the ingredients at your home and don't want to go to the store; substituting the missing ingredient is amzingly fun. I don't like wasting ingredients so when I have leftovers I try to incorporate it into something else. My top substitution was when I didn't want to unseal a milk and waste it(because I needed it for something else in a week). So I subbed in some cottage cheese in a cornbread recipe instead. The cornbread was baked with no problems.

Feeling like your improving is a way to break up the monotony of life. The best way to see results is if you have a finite detail like weight or a score or a rating to keep track of things. I weightlift in the gym daily so I know what weight I did the previous week and can see the improvement the next time I go. The previous year I have been playing chess a ton online because they have a rating system. You can play people around the world with a similar rating. I play 1 minute chess(bullet), 3 minute chess(blitz), and 10 minute chess(rapid). I have achieved a 1200 rating in all three categories and I hope to continue to improve.

Thanks!
Joe DaVinci