What a great day to be alive.

I'm 53, have a loving wife, health, enthusiasm, you name it.

I even love my job -- editor at a financial newspaper besides doing notary work on the side.

And how about this: I love living in California. Despite the $10/gallon gas around the corner. And the parking-lot traffic. And the endless taxes.

It's all about the sun. And fun with friends and family.

Here's to you too.

The SOS came in that morning.

That's usually short for Save Our Ship.

In this case, it was Step On it Swiftly.

The real estate boss, Jennifer, needed a paper signed. By three people. In three towns. Notarized by me.

Now.

I'm a traveling notary public. That means I'm mobile. Can go anywhere. Anytime. At the drop of a distress signal.

And man, did this SOS creat IA: Instant Action.

There I was at my day job -- editing copy at a financial newspaper in Los Angeles.

Even my evening schedule was jammed. Had an online TV show to do in nearby Santa Monica.

So when Jennifer's call came, I had one option: hit the highway.

Jumped in the Mustang. Pointed it toward Orange County and gunned it.

First stop: Karla's office an hour away in Fullerton. She had the paper and the first signature. I had the stamp.

Second stop: Rosalyn's home, also in Fullerton. She's Karla's mom and the definition of sweet. Here she was in a wheelchair at the Sunnycrest Chalet elderly care facility, and how did she greet me? With a smile and lovely “Isn’t it beautiful here?” She signed. I stamped.

Third stop: Aaron's office, a half-hour away in Tustin. He's Rosalyn's son. Signed. Stamped. That eve he would have the paper FedExed to Jennifer.

Eureka.

Two hours through packed roads later, I landed in the TV studio. My co-host asked what we would talk about.

Somehow I avoided the topics that dominated this day: SOS, IA and NG -- Notary Gratification.

Thanks to a blog a couple of weeks back, I saw where a high school in Orange County, Calif., was putting on "The Music Man" in nearby Fullerton.

So last night my wife and I went to the show, and what a hit! The students were terrific -- especially the girl who had the Shirley Jones spot. Sister sister, could she sing.

What inspiration. Just when you think today's kids are stuck in texting and early pregnancy, along comes a production full of fun and hope. These young adults were sharp and talented and headed far beyond River City.

Not to sound too deep after this musical comedy, but America's youth is in good hands.

Everyone's favorite Nevada town might be dead on the real estate front.

But it's still alive and rollin' on the fun side.

My take on the latest Vegas book:

http://thecolumnists.com/fox/fox61.html

Thanks to a blog a couple of weeks back, I saw where a high school in Orange County, Calif., was putting on "The Music Man" in nearby Fullerton.

So last night my wife and I went to the show, and what a hit! The students were terrific -- especially the girl who had the Shirley Jones spot. Sister sister, could she sing.

What inspiration. Just when you think today's kids are stuck in texting and early pregnancy, along comes a production full of fun and hope. These young adults were sharp and talented and headed far beyond River City.

Not to sound too deep after this musical comedy, but America's youth is in good hands.

Nothing like great customer service.

You treat clients right, and you're bound to reap benefits in referrals and cash.

You get the same treatment while shopping, well, you're going back there something fierce.

Take Verizon Wireless. A couple of times, its shops treated me as an afterthought. I was ready to drop it and call up another phone outfit.

Then came a great ring tone. The Verizon store in Cerritos, not far from Disneyland, had Frank and Candace running customer service the night my wife and I arrived -- and they produced top communication.

Now we have new phones that work. And we'll stick with Verizon.

It's a simple equation: Clients + top service = great biz.

It works for my mobile notary public firm, that's for sure. 

What's to do between notarizing loan papers and other docs?

Watch movies and read books, not to mention catch every baseball, football, basketball and tennis event in creation.

So on Sunday, the channel was on "Sweet Home Alabama." When it comes to upbeat love, it's the biggest winner since the Crimson Tide national champions of a decade ago.

Also that day, I flipped through "Where the Red Fern Grows." Wilson Rawls' book about a boy and his hounds is as endearing as a story gets. Brought back memories of hiking with my beagle in the mountains. You can't beat that feeling of freedom.

Makes me want to write my own masterpiece. I've been stuck on baseball books. Maybe time for a beagle twist, especially after Uno upstaged Snoopy with his Westchminster Kennel Club triumph.