If any of you go to Cal, and pass regularly through Sproul Plaza, you'll recognize why I used that title. Every so often, a Chinese man stands up on a crate and holds up some sort of homemade sign and rants in an inimitable accent, about politics, always containing the refrain "Happy, happy, happy."

I remember one time when some other fellow stood near him, also on a crate, with a large blank piece of cardboard over HIS head. Every time "Happy^3 Man" said "Happy happy happy," the other fellow said, "Angry angry angry!"

A bit further I went onto campus -- "Angry^3 Man" and his opponent were at the edge of campus, at Bancroft and Telegraph. Near the fountain, Seth Schoen and other members of CalLUG (this was at least two years ago, then!) were reading out loud from the GPL, proselytizing.

I love Berkeley.

That rather roundabout introduction is meant to convey that, today, right now, I indeed feel "happy happy happy." I did better than I expected on a Russian final (first try -- I get two more), and I got an A on a paper that I got back today. Woo-hoo! Yee-ha!

Soon I will go to a colloquium on race in two sci-fi novels -- "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson and some other book, "Barber-71" or something, by "Zelany" or someone. It's at 5 pm in Dwinelle 7514, in case you're interested.

But first, I'll get some food. Spud Brothers, here I come!

Poll:

What are you?

• Happy, Happy, Happy
• Angry, Angry, Angry
• Linux, Linux, Linux

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Originally published by Sumana Harihareswara at http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2000/12/15/193434/11