NAZZY'S RANDOM STUFF

AN 80-YEAR-OLD RODE HIS BIKE NEARLY 3,700 MILES ACROSS THE COUNTRY:

People are always complaining about all the stuff they CAN'T do. So it's nice to hear about people who've stopped complaining and are actually doing what they want, like THIS guy . . .

For the last six months, 80-year-old John Damiano of Delran, New Jersey has been training to take a cross-country bike trip.

Well, earlier this summer John finally did it riding 3,685 miles from Oregon to New Hampshire in just 50 days. (--That's an average of about 74 miles a day.) John says, quote, "I wanted to see if I had the strength and stamina to do it. Some days we'd get up at 4:30, then get on the bike [and] go 120 miles. We did 100 miles five days in a row. "I want to see all the developments. I want as many years as I can get."

Now John's got his sights set on his next bike trip . . . making the 2,555 mile journey from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Istanbul, Turkey (WPVI News 6 - Philadelphia)

IN 26 YEARS OF MARRIAGE, A BRITISH GUY BOUGHT HIS WIFE NEARLY $500,000 IN JEWELRY . . . TO MAKE UP FOR HIS DOZENS OF AFFAIRS:

Ladies . . . I would never tell you how to react if you should ever catch your guy cheating. But you need to know that if you play your cards right, your man's infidelity could be extremely profitable for you. Observe . . .

In 1948, a British businessman named Robert Charlton got married to a woman named Elizabeth, and they were together until Robert's death in 1974. But it seems Robert had a hard time being faithful, and every time he cheated on Elizabeth, he got into the habit of buying her a piece of jewelry to help ease his guilt over the affair.

Anyway, 43 pieces of Elizabeth's "guilt jewelry" were recently auctioned off . . . to the tune of nearly $500,000. That's right. Robert cheated on Elizabeth so many times (--again, at least 43 times) that she managed to amass a small fortune in "guilt jewelry".

According to a spokesperson for the auction house that handled the sale, quote, "[Robert] bought her a lot of things to keep her happy and to ease the pain of his many affairs. I think everybody knew it was a fairly open secret." (Yahoo News)

PEOPLE ARE HAPPIEST WHEN THEY EARN $50,000 A YEAR:

We've all heard that money can't buy happiness. And, actually, according to several different studies, there's some truth to that. --But let's be honest . . . if you're living paycheck-to-paycheck and are about to get evicted from your house, there's NO WAY you're as happy as the rich guy living it up in his mansion on the hill.

So that begs the question: How much money is just enough? --Well, one study found that people are happiest when they earn $50,000 a year. Why? In most parts of the country, $50,000 is enough money to cover all your bills and other expenses, and to have a little left over for fun.

But it's not so much that you get caught up in the "hedonic treadmill", which is what an economist named Richard Easterlin calls it when we get a raise, spend it, adapt to our improved circumstances and start trying to get even more money. (--In other words, your mean boss might make more money than you, but that doesn't mean he's any happier. In fact, he might be much more miserable. And, with that thought, all is right in the world once again.) (Mint)

HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO COPE WITH A MISERABLE JOB:

Are you stuck at a miserable job? You hate it, but you can't quit . . . and you can't find ANOTHER job to replace it. If that sounds like you, here are four reasons you might hate your job . . . and how to deal with them until the job market improves . . .

1.) YOUR BOSS. Try to make his or her job easier. If he's had to make cutbacks, he's probably stressed and overworked. If you make HIS life easier, YOUR life will get easier too. Plus, it'll make your job more secure.

2.) YOU DON'T FEEL CHALLENGED. Set goals for yourself . . . even if they're outside your job description. It gives you a way to challenge yourself and measure your success, which can help you feel more invested in your job.

3.) YOU FEEL INSIGNIFICANT. Focus on how your job affects other people. How does it make other people's lives better or easier? Connecting what you do at work to what's happening in the REAL world can help you find purpose.

4.) YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT LOSING YOUR JOB. If you're worried you might get laid off, then get prepared. Update your resume, and keep your eye out for job opportunities. Planning ahead can relieve your anxiety and make life easier.

--And stay positive. You haven't lost your job YET. So go the extra mile. The more valuable you are to the company, the less likely you are to get fired.(Yahoo.com)