Monday, January 21, 2013

Three Weeks Already

Twenty-one days into the new year and already I'm rolling my eyes with a big sigh.  What happened to "turning the page", a "fresh start", a "new beginning"???

So far I've...

--Been to a funeral

--Found more (giant) mouse poop, this time in the basement

--While in the basement setting peanut butter smeared traps, I discovered a window with a huge leak and a wall of crumbling and soaking wet drywall

--Had my brand new security alarm malfunction on three separate occasions, once blasting the alarm at 3AM, once while I was at the doctor getting a flu shot and once while I was in the shower

--Received literally hundreds of Anonymous SPAM comments for moderation, thanks to the wonderful Huffington Post, for p-rn, er-ctile disfuncti-n, @ntidepress@ants and s-xy long@rie-- all of which I accidentally "published" instead of "deleted" from my blog.


--And my friend's dog has fleas.  I know this for a fact based on the 23 flea bites I'm now sporting.

Happy New Year-  Woo-hoo!

All that in just twenty-one days!  Father Time has a sense of humor and apparently thinks I believe in turning the other cheek.  But I say WHOA!  I am not having a year of crazy again.  No way!

So, I'm filling my 2013 calendar with positive, meaningful and fun things to occupy my time and hopefully turn my attitude and luck around.

I have scheduled...

--A 103rd birthday party for my friend Sal-- who has, by the way, already reserved a hall for his 105th birthday bash!  I'm going to spend as much time with Sal as possible.  I love him dearly and hope some of his great health and positive attitude rubs off on me.

--More time with my family in Ohio including a trip in April to Indiana for a shopping spree at their fave Vera Bradley sale.

--Graduation celebrations with three loved one, two in Ohio and one in Baltimore


--Yoga classes, I really need them

--Volunteering for an arts education program for public schools.  I've worked with this program for years and enjoy the kids very much.

--Chocolate-- Yes, I'm scheduling chocolate on my calendar and planning to take a couple of baking classes with chocolate as the main ingredient.

--And, a serious commitment to more and regular blogging.  I find writing and communicating with all of you good for my heart and soul so I'm working to get back in the swing-- which means spending significantly less time wondering aimlessly on Pinterest.

My apologizes for the delay in wishing you all a very happy and healthy New Year.  I hope it brings wonderful adventures, good times, great health and a whole lot of fun!

How the new year treating you so far?
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins
Photo Credit: © byheaven - Fotolia.com, © hellotim - Fotolia.com

43 comments:

  1. Forgive me for laughing - so sorry for all these yukky things that have befallen you lately. Perhaps you've got all the muck behind you and the rest of the year will be smooth sailing!

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  2. Oh my, I guess my first 21 days were kinder to me than you. Filling your calendar with positive experiences, sounds like a great idea - and, wow, Go Sal!

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  3. Aaack! What a start to the year. Hope the next 21 are much better. :)

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  4. you know that when you draw that line in the sand that the fates will conspire to show you...sounds like you have plenty of positive things coming...stay determined friend...smiles.

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  5. Fleas, mouse poop and saggy drywall..yuck. I am definitely having a much better year so far...Woot! Just migraines and congestive heart failure! Ha!
    Have a better time of it...me too for that matter!
    Hugs
    SUeAnn

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  6. Oh, I don't feel bad for you, Joanna. It is below zero here this morning!

    (Chocolate is always a good idea, though!)

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  7. Wow! You have had a tough January. Great idea to make a list of the positive things. Better to think of the good things instead of dwelling on the bad.
    Have a wonderful week!

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  8. Let's fudge a little and start your new year on February 1st with the hope of only positive things coming your way.

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  9. I am having a pretty good year so far. Three weeks in isn't much of a test, though. In YOUR case, however, I would be thinking of starting over. I leave for a visit in Florida in three days, where the warm sunshine will kiss me for two whole weeks! :-)

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  10. A belated happy new year to you, too! WInter is a lusy time to start a new year. I think we ought to move it to the first day of spring.

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  11. Joanna, you should start writing a book about life in your house, drawing on your experiences with:
    descending pool
    giant mice
    malfunctioning alarm
    super dad
    pesky real estate guy
    ect.
    You get the idea. I would read it.

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  12. I don't know if you have pets, but please do your best to get rid of the mouse problem. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that. We had a problem at our old place and our indoor cats caught fleas from them! Which, of course, meant I was bitten too. Eek.

    I hope the rest of your year improves. It's only 3 weeks in, so I'm sure it will!

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  13. Here's hoping you've now gotten all the bad stuff out of the way and you'll have clear sailing for the rest of the year! Just hold that thought!

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  14. Not going into the new year half-assed, are you? Dang you've been busy!
    2013 is going swimmingly here.

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  15. Kudos to your friend Sal! Love his positive attitude! Hopefully, your 2013 will turn a corner and all good things will be waiting on the other side of the turn!

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  16. Wow, you have just had a rough beginning to the new year JJ. I know it will turn around and it sounds like you have so many ways to inject positive into your life. Take care my friend and try not to let the first 21 days get to you. Hugs!!

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  17. My mother always said that if you have mice, you will not have rats. But if you have ONE mouse, you have a hundred. [ok, what did she know, anyway??] We have 3 cats. The mice come in, then they run away... Hoping all improves from this post forward.

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  18. Happy New Year Joanna! You are such a great planner, I am never sure what I will do a whole year ahead.

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  19. It'll get better. January always sucks. lol

    Thank you for your support with my book! It means a lot.

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  20. Love your post, love your yoga cartoon. And so I'm glad you're making a "serious commitment to more and regular blogging."

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  21. Sorry to hear the New Year is off to a rough start. I like your ideas on how to weather it. I, too, have had to become creative to avoid getting bogged down in what life has thrown at me. My list includes getting out with my friends for lunch more often, joining some clubs and also more blogging. Here's to a fabulous New Year!

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  22. Are you sure it's mouse poop and not a big giant rat? I think you may need to get a big giant cat. :)

    I'm so sorry that your new year hasn't started out the best but the things placed on your schedule sound exciting and fun! Can you add coming out to Oregon as a part of that schedule? I would sure like to visit with you again.

    As for the spam, I feel your pain. I have so many right now that I need to clean out my blog completely.

    As for scheduling chocolate, sounds yummy to me!!

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  23. You have been a busy gal for just 3 weeks!!!

    I'm interested to hear all about that b'day for the older gentleman!!

    Have a great rest of the month!!

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  24. Very funny, Joanna. I've had some mouse poop come into my life so far also (but no mice), but some really good stuff also. Take care!

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  25. You certainly know how to live!

    Wishing you a much kinder rest of the year.

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  26. Great post. Tom Sightings sent me over. Dianne

    PS it only get worse from here.

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  27. BALTIMORE? You are going to BALTIMORE?!!! When?!?!?!

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  28. the rest of your year should be a CRUISE!

    Happy Aloha to YOU
    from Honolulu,
    Comfort Spiral
    ~ > < } } ( ° >
    > < } } ( ° >



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  29. the yin and the yang of it all. Sorry for your losses, and so glad for your positive plans for 2013.

    Have a good year!

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  30. a VERY happy new year to you, my dear. May each day bring more sunshine than the one before. Sending you lots of LOVE!!!

    one love.

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  31. a VERY happy new year to you, my dear. May each day bring more sunshine than the one before. Sending you lots of LOVE!!!

    one love.

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  32. 'Focus on the good stuff', that is one of my resolutions for 2013.

    We get our fair share of the 'other' and it takes up way too much of our time and thoughts. Or it does for me as I obsess over everthing. You have had a trying first few weeks of 2013 it seems. And you have lots to look forward to as well.

    Sal sounds like an inspiration indeed. I always wonder how some people get to that age - sure it much be genetics and luck and good health but I think it must be so much more too. I hope you write about him some more on your blog this year and inspire all of us. I think we have a lot to learn.

    And yes, to more blogging. The momentum is hard sometimes to keep writing but you are gifted and I always love reading what you have to say. You have a gift, remember that.

    Yoga? Oh how I have tried to do it and always never quite pulled it off. Good luck with it.

    And it sounds like you will have loads of family events this year. The older I get the more time I spend with my family it seems - and I am not complaining.

    Finally, thank you so much for the Christmas decoration I won from your giveaway. It was waiting for me on my return home. I sent a message to Atilla and will mention it on my next post as well. Very beautiful indeed.

    2013 is going to be great because it doesn't have a choice.

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  33. What a great idea, Joanna, scheduling good things and planning on doing them, bringing good cheer into your life by appointment. I like this. I will be adding some things to my calendar this weekend. That will be the first opportunity as I am booked solid this week. Some weeks are like that, even in ice and snow. Hugs to you, my dear, and I enjoy hearing how things are going for you.

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  34. Well, the main thing I've done, after a couple years of pain and anxiety, is get a new left shoulder. Surgery was Fri afternoon and I'm really doing well. My postop pain is way less than preop. Worst thing is just having to keep that arm in a sling & not use it for weeks. I still haven't gotten the Dragon software finished on my computer so I'm doing one fingered typing. PT starts Feb 11. First grandson is due Apr 21 & I hope to return to India in late May.

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  35. Oh geez, do you ever need a rewind or a fast forward!

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  36. Wow. You've had quite a year so far!!!! No big plans for me except maybe moving. Oh wait. that IS big!

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  37. I ADORE YOGA!!


    And sadly, I've been to a funeral or two myself. damn.



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  38. Yikes what a start...I'm sure but I like your outlook and the horizon looks good! Have a great weekend!

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  39. HAPPY NEW YEAR to you, even if it hasn't been that great yet!
    I can't say ours has been that great either!
    Too many visitors staying for too long.
    Then a flood in the house.
    Not fun.

    But it can only get better... right??? lol

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  40. OH and I forgot to say... spam. OMG I get at least 30 spam comments a day, and the worst day was when I got 70 or so. *sigh*

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  41. Your 2013 sounds like it is going to be a great year.;) Family, good friends, blogging and chocolate - sounds heavenly to me.;)
    Happy 2013.;)
    xoxo

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  42. I hope you don't faint, finding a comment from me. I loved your post, sounds almost like my new beginning. Got sick, cough, the works, even my hair hurt. Got a nose bleed that wouldn't stop till minor emergency fixed it. Also had several mice, my cat (a great mouser) brings them in and plops them right in front of me like a gift. Got a tooth ache, Dentist in Atlanta so still on antibiotics till Tuesday. How dare him to leave town when I am in pain. It hasn't rained in over a year. One day it is 66 degrees and the next day it is 29 degrees. I definitely need to check on you more often. I am going to take a nap and try to forget it is 2013.

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