Volume 8, Issue 8 | August 2019
 
 
 

Rocky Point/Puerto Peñasco was sooo relaxing and I was sooo lazy! Yes, I got away to the beach this month, and thoroughly enjoyed it. With dear friends, I swam and snorkeled, shopped for Talavera pottery which we so love, and loaded up on fresh shrimp while we could. I read an entire book, Lost and Found: An Adoptee's Astonishing Search for the Truth, because I could barely put it down once I started it, and laughed playing Mexican Train. [I'm always up for a game if you get one going!]

We ended the trip with an adventure thanks to the Puerto Peñasco police, making us especially grateful to get back on U.S. soil.


Then, Monday, August 26, 2019 marked 23 years I relocated from the Big Apple to the Southwest. That year -- 1996 -- the date also fell on a Monday. I was way behind schedule with packing because my idea of a weekend packing/farewell-to-friends party didn't pan out as I'd expected: it was more socializing than working. Of course, I was most grateful to spend time with my friends since I was moving 2,000 miles away and had no idea when I would see them again. But I also had packing to do. Sunday evening I stayed up packing and sorting out what I was taking with me in the car for a month's time before I would be reunited with all my possesions once I found a place to live in Taos, NM.  I tried to catch some zzzz's here and there amid all the cartons crowding my 400 sq. ft. studio apartment. The movers arrived on-time Monday morning before I'd finished, and I had to scramble to stay one step ahead of them as they loaded the long-distance moving van.

When I finally was ready to depart, the weekday evening rush was underway; I'd expected to be on the road before noon! Having driven in Manhattan only four times in the twelve years I'd lived there, I managed to not kill any jay-walkers. With little sleep in me, I began my second cross-country trip in two months' time (this time solo), heading first to rural Pennsylvania to visit a friend, a great respite after the craziness of the prior days. I was intent on getting to Santa Fe, NM in time to be with friends before the Labor Day holiday, and for four days, my "work" was to drive to meet that deadline; I sang pretty much non-stop the entire way -- without getting laryngitis! It was quite an adventure, and also the beginning of so many other adventures the likes of which I doubt I'd have had if I'd remained back East.

And, it's unfathomable that it was more than a score ago.  


Ready for your own adventure ?!

You can purchase my  special package price on computer lessons  through September 30th. It's customized especially for you -- we can work on a project you have as you learn Computer Basics, Windows, Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, the Internet and and/or email. If you're tired of asking your spouse, child, and even grandchild (!) for computer help, contact me about hands-on training either in-person in the Phoenix or Sedona area of Arizona, or working via Zoom, Skype, or phone. 
 
Blessings,

 Joyce's signature
 


Urgency

Jose Ortega y Gasset in the 1920s

"We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its urgency, "here and now" without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank."
 



Spiritualityspirituality
Right Here, Right Now

I find myself practicing more and more being in the present moment. I suppose reading The Tao of Now (by Josh Baran) on a daily basis is making its mark on me!
 
In the present moment, there is no fear or worry. I was recently reminded that fear points back to the past and worry points ahead to the future. Well, I surely cannot be in the Now if I'm fearful or worried! And it's simply not fun.
 
So when I catch myself retreating to the past or fast forwarding to the future, I take a breath to collect myself and get back to the here and now. The Now is all I have and is the only time and place to live my life.


 
"All of life is right where you are. Never trade the peace of now for fear or worry. Because you carry the spark of God with you, you have the power to illuminate any time, any place."
 
- Alan Cohen,  A Daily Breath of Life , August 12
Unique Dolls for Kids Who Need Something That Looks Like They Do

Photo by Keagan Cameron, courtesy of A Doll Like Me
Working as a pediatric oncology social worker in the 1990s, Amy Jandrisevits noticed there were no Cabbage Patch dolls mirroring her young charges, with their surgery scars, bald heads, missing limbs and other differences.

"I thought," she says, "these kids need something that looks like they do."

She has designed and sewed almost 400 special dolls, each creation uniquely mirroring the child or baby to whom it's being given.

Read more.


General Computer Use/Technology
general_comp
Excel: Changing Numbers in a Column to Negative Value

I recently needed to change full columns of positive values to negative values In an Excel spreadsheet. Rest assure, there was no way I was going to change them one-by-one!

There are several ways to convert an entire column of numbers into negative. However, the easiest and quickest way is as follows:
  1. Type -1 outside your range, then copy it.
  2. Select the positive numbers.
  3. Go to the PASTE menu and select PASTE SPECIAL.
  4. Select the PASTE option VALUES.
  5. Select the OPERATION option MULTIPLY.
6. Click OK.

Ouila! All numbers are now positive.
Special Offer on Computer Lessonsspecial-price

PRE-PAID 5 (FIVE) HOUR PACKAGE : $225-
(regularly $250-)

Choose to be trained for just one hour at a time or
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In-person,  in the Phoenix or Sedona area of Arizona
(some travel fees may apply)
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via Zoom, Skype, or phone

Must use all hours within 3 (three) months of purchase

Let's talk!


PATIENT.  EXPERT.  COMPASSIONATE.  FUN.  SUPPORTIVE.
Email Marketingemailmktg
Use the Double Opens Strategy to Improve Open Rates 

Are you struggling to get good returns from your email marketing campaigns? If so, one of the actions you might want to consider is the Double Opens strategy.

When you use "double opens strategy," more subscribers will open your emails. This means a better chance of driving more revenue from these email campaigns.
So, what the heck is double opens strategy?

Bascially, it means you resend the same email to the subscribers who did not open your first email, but you use a different subject line.

Why?
Complimentary One-Hour Consult with Your Free Constant Contact Trial hour-free
 
When you sign up for a free 60-day trial of Constant Contact, let's work together for an hour gratis and start putting your email together, upload your contacts, etc.
  • No credit card required to sign up for your trial!
  • 60 days to explore all the campaign types and features that Constant Contact has to offer.
  • Create as many campaigns as you want.
  • Try out all the different campaign types available - there's more than just email!
Sign up for your free 60-day Constant Contact trial using my partner link  or contact me at 928.301.7292.
Website Design and Development websites
Should You Disable Comments on Your Website?

It's exciting when readers of your site take the time to leave comments. It's often what makes the arduous process of creating content feel totally worth it at the end of the day.

Then again, there are times when those comments just aren't welcome.
  • Spam can be a nuisance. However, there is a WordPress plugin (Akismet) created specifically for the purpose of filtering spam comments to a separate folder for spam.
  • Controversial blogs -- even those simply trying to report on the news -- may find their comment feeds filled with negative and hateful commentary.
  • Comments take time to sift through and respond to-time you might want to spend on other business-related matters that generate a greater ROI.
  • You might only receive one or two comments and don't believe it's an accurate reflection of the kind of search traffic or quality of traffic your site gets.
  • Some folks think that social media is a more effective commenting platform.

Clearly, there are a number of reasons why you might want to disable comments on your website, and there are numerous ways to disable comments on your WordPress site.

If you want to completely disable comments, from the left sidebar of your WordPress admin panel,

  1. Go to SETTINGS -> DISCUSSION SETTINGS.
  2. Uncheck the option that says "Allow people to post comments on new articles" 
  3. Click on the SAVE CHANGES button to store your settings. 

This will disable comments on all your future pages and posts.

 


If you want to disable comments for a specific page or post, learn how here.

This Labor Day holiday weekend, have a fun and safe time. Enjoy the rest of the summer weather and carefree feeling that goes with it -- the winter will be upon us soon enough. Of course, here in Phoenix, that's a blessing! 

Namasté -

Joyce's signature



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Atheist
You, Me, and Spirit

I was a devout atheist until about 29 years ago when I "came to believe" in a Power greater than myself. Thanks to hearing the novel idea (well, at least it was to me!) that one could choose their own concept of God - and name too - and the workings of synchronicity, I embarked on a new way of thinking, a new way of living, a new way of being in the world and with others. It impacted all aspects of my life and relationships.

Since that time of commencing my conscious spiritual journey, I have endeavored to remember The Presence in all that is, all whom I meet, and all that I do -- including working with clients in my own business and in the corporate world. I strive to be of service and to nurture the human spirit in all environments.