Holy. Crap. Where did the time go? I can’t believe another year has gone by, filled with celebrations and tribulations, amazing dates and awful ones (reference my previous article on text messaging and dating), and even more lessons learned.

So what lessons have I learned? For starters, when calling in sick to work, it’s best to call in for multiple days so your employer believes you really are sick, not just extremely hungover – this is especially true if you are calling in after a weekend or holiday. I also learned you should reward behavior you like and ignore behavior you don’t – this applies to pets and people.

Most of all, I recognized that I alone possess the key to my happiness. But a recent lecture I attended suggested one’s happiness is also influenced by the happiness of those around them, up to three degrees of separation. In addition, the more central a person is in a social network – the better connected their friends are or the wider the social circle – the more likely they are to become happy. On average, every happy friend you have increases your own chance of being happy by 9 percent, and every uphappy friend decreases it by 7 percent.

This got me thinking: If my happiness is due in part to those around me, then what exactly makes my friends happy? And on that note, which one of my unhappy friends do I need to kick to the curb?

So I decided to ask some of my closest and happiest friends what makes them all tingly inside, and here are the top picks that made the list (including some of my own).

Butterflies in your stomach: If you want to see the real thing, then stop by the San Diego Zoo and check out the Butterfly Garden in the Children’s Zoo. Also, every spring the Wild Animal Park hosts its annual Butterflies & Orchids event where hundreds of exotic orchids are in full bloom and all types of butterflies flutter throughout the Hidden Jungle.

The smile you get every time he calls: When that special person rings, you can’t do anything but laugh and smile.

Playing dominoes over coffee with a friend: I used to frequent Urban Grind for my domino dates, but any coffee shop with good table space and an ample supply of beverages will do.

Drinks on the patio with friends on a cool summer day: Drinks. Friends. Patio. ‘Nuff said.

Lying on the beach at night and looking up at the stars: Stop by Mission Beach or Pacific Beach for a night under the stars – but we all know that Mission Beach can be a bit too touristy.

A good, dirty joke: If you’re looking for an evening of laughs, drop by National Comedy Theatre for its all-ages-approved, 90-minute improvisational comedy show based on audience suggestions. But if you want an act with a little more potty humor, wait for the midnight show.

Enjoying the soothing glow and smell of the Christmas tree: If you don’t have a tree of your own, you can still tantalize your nose with other aromas, like the smell of fresh cut grass or the smell of the air after a rain fall.

Laughing so hard it makes you cry: If nothing else, it’s a great ab workout.

Cuteoverload.com : If utterly adorable kitties, puppies and other baby animals don’t brighten your day, then I don’t know what will.

Really fun karaoke: I normally get crazy on the microphone at my friend’s place with his Playstation, but you can also hit Flicks on Sundays starting at 10 p.m. for its karaoke night with host Tom Doyle. And if you need some liquid courage to get you on stage, there are plenty of shot specials all night long.

A nice, leisurely jog in the neighborhood: WalkJogRun.net is a great Web site to map out a running route. All you have to do is click on the map to set a starting point, then keep clicking from point to point to draw a route. The site will calculate the distance of your route as well as the estimated time it would take to finish for a given speed.