New Year, New Hodgepodge


1. Are you ready for new? Is 2016 likely to be very different than 2015? Do you want it to be?
I’m soooo ready for new! Here’s hoping 2016 is very different (and better!) that 2015!!

2. January 6th is National Technology Day. Currently, what is your single biggest struggle or frustration when it comes to technology?
Right now, it’s my stupid laptop updating at the most inopportune times. I have designated times for this to happen, but it doesn’t seem to be paying any attention.

3. It's that time again...time for 
Lake Superior University to present a list of words (or phrases) they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, and general uselessness) in 2016. You can read more about the decision making process here, but this year's top vote getters are-

So (at the start of every single sentence), conversation (as in hotly debated topics where we're invited to 'join the conversation'), problematic, stakeholder, price point, secret sauce, break the Internet, walk it back, presser, manspreading (common in larger cities where some men take up the entire bus or train seat by sitting wide), vape, giving me life (refers to anything that may excite a person or make them laugh), and physicality

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

I’ve not heard of a lot of those! I’ll have to blame my cableless life on that, which, I suppose, is a good thing! I use “so” a LOT. :)

4. Share one of your current health related goals.
I’ve lost around 20 pounds. I want to lose at least 14 more. To that, I need to walk. Or do some kind of exercise.

5. Let's talk fifty shades of gray. As in the color. Gray is currently a popular color in home decor, paint, wardrobes, hair, wedding party attire, and more. Are you a fan? Do you have the color in some variation in your home or wardrobe?  Gray hair, the old gray mare, gray matter, gray area...which gray idiom can you most relate to right now?
Gray hair. When I looked at this picture of CH & I, I guess the light was hitting me just right...or my gray hairs, anyway. I debated coloring & decided not to. I’ve earned every one of those gray hairs!
Our living room & hallways are gray & I like it. I have a few gray pieces of clothing, but not very many.

6. Certain foods are considered 'lucky' if eaten on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. Cooked greens to bring economic fortune, black-eyed peas or lentils also symbolize money, pork which symbolizes progress, fish for good luck, and if you're in Spain 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight. Did you eat any lucky foods on the first day of the year? Is that a tradition in your home? Of the foods listed, which most appeals to you?

We eat black-eyed peas. Greens? YUCK. Southern or not, I refuse to eat collard greens.
Give me any of the other ones, though.

7. What's the single biggest time waster in your life and what, if anything, will you do about it this year?
The computer.  I was reading an SLP friend’s blog, and she hit the nail on the head: We’re both in the last stage of our career, and spend way too much time on it. Being an SLP is such a big part of who I am, I don’t know who I’ll be when I retire. I’ve been spending so much time making products for my Teachers Pay Teachers Store, and for what?  I’m going to slow that down, read more books, do better at keeping up with my blogging friends, and, most importantly, spend more time with CH.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

You know what word I think is absolutely ridiculous? “Affluenza” Are you with me on this one? How absurd is it that the kid didn’t know what he was doing because of being from an affluent family? Are you kidding me????

Thanks, Joyce for some great questions again this week!

15 comments:

  1. Yeah oh your weight loss! I retired from teaching at the end of the semester (we can do that in our county and the board office kinda pushes that) and I haven't figured out all I am going to do-just take one day at time right now and let in soak in. I am a huge fan of collard greens!

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  2. Hi Joyce! My daughter is about to graduate with her BS in Communication Disorders. She is taking a year off before thinking about grad school. I teach and I am also close to retirement......trying to decide what I want to be when I "grow up". I started my blog over the holiday break so I can "break the school habit". I also agree with you on the "affluenza". This case is all over the news here, as the accident happened not far from me. Have a super, awesome week!

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  3. I am 100% with you on the word affluenza. Hm, maybe THAT'S a word that should be on the banned list. You might talk to the list makers on that one. You are so rich (which means you have been highly educated, had access to the best of information, probably had a lot of television and book access) that you don't know right from wrong? Yeah, um, no. If that's the case, people should strive to be middle class or poor. We have morals.

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  4. Yeah, I guess I'm also a 'victim' of a cableless life. Lol. And I'm so with you on that stupid affluence defence. Isn't it ridiculous. Enjoyed your Hodgepodge.

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  5. Love TpT. I haven't ever sold anything there, but have found quite a bit of things to use.

    Congrats on your weight loss.

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  6. Affluenza-amen!! Another one I thought of later was 'breaking news'. All news is now breaking news it seems. I have some similar goals as those you mentioned in #7, and decided on a word for this year that goes along with those goals. I want to write a post about it at some point. But first, my Christmas tree must be undone : ) Happy new year!

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  7. Affluenza...what a great choice, Mary! Yes, that whole situation has completely annoyed me! Why? Because that 'kid' and his parents haven't been held accountable for their actions...YET! I so admire you for sticking with being a SLP! I have times when I wonder where I'd be right now if I'd stayed in the profession, but thankful I was able to be home with my girls.

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  8. Way to go on the weight loss! I need to move more. I had to look Affluenza up. I can't believe it's meaning.

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  9. Oh, dont get me started on that kid. I want to just slap that mom too for STILL protecting him & trying to cover for him by getting him out of the country. Is she stupid or WHAT? I have to say, I'm glad SHE'S in jail right now too... Every time I see his face, I just scream at the TV. Sad thing, he's not the only spoiled brat in this world.

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  10. I agree with your random about affluenza. Ridiculous. Another fun Hodgepodge! I enjoyed your answers!

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  11. Oh, I can so sympathize with the laptop updating at a bad time. Windows 10 chose to do a MAJOR update on Christmas day. It wouldn't have been bad if I hadn't needed to access a recipe for dinner!

    I totally agree with you on the affluenza kid.

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  12. I really enjoyed reading all your answers- especially your random thought...my thoughts also!

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  13. Totally agree with your comment on "affluenza". Spoiled brat is more like it! Congrats on your weight loss, I'm struggling with that right now.

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  14. Whoa, wait a minute, no collards??(smiling and giggling)---oh how I agree with you on the "affluenza kid"--spoiled rotten. Congrats on the weight loss--you can always come here and walk the hills/mountains, smiles. Have a beautiful Thursday (and Blog feeder is not working, so I am a day late).

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  15. my health related goal is to work on exercising my abs again. I have been slacking

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