Monthly Archives: October 2020

Day 2841: Is this anything?

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Ann Koplow

“‘Is this anything?’,” writes Jerry Seinfeld in his new book Is This Anything?, “is what every comedian says to every other comedian about any new bit.”

When a man got out of a plain white van yesterday morning and handed me a brown box, I wondered, “Is this anything?” and it was.

All day, I asked myself “Is this anything?” as I took pictures of anything.

Was that anything?

Here‘s Jerry Seinfeld talking about “Is This Anything?” on Good Morning America, which has many things I love, including cats.

If you hesitate to leave a comment by asking yourself, “Is this anything?” know that your comments are everything to me.

Is gratitude anything? The answer is YES!

Categories: 2020 U.S. Election, 2020 U.S. Presidential election, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism, Trump stickers | Tags: "Is This Anything?", Good Morning America, greeting cards, Jerry Seinfeld, October 2020, voting by mail, Whole Foods Market, Wollaston Beach | 21 Comments

Day 2840: What’s missing

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Ann Koplow

What’s missing, for me, is

good leaders,
courage from those with proximity to power,
trust,
kindness,
honesty,
accountability,
expertise,
sanity,
common sense,
respect,
owned responsibility,
trust,
justice,
the USA I thought I knew,
in-person meetings,
comfort,
hugs with friends,
peace of mind, and
Oscar the cat.

What’s missing in my latest photos?

That last photo shows a question I asked my Coping and Healing group yesterday, after making sure I wasn’t missing other important issues. What’s missing for many women are a sense of self esteem and self worth, so some members of the group had trouble answering that question. Other group members helped provide the missing answers.

What’s missing from this post is missing music,

comments, and thanks to all who support me in not missing a day of blogging, including YOU.

Categories: 2020 U.S. Election, group therapy, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: coping and healing groups, missing cat, painted rocks, self esteem, songs about missing someone you love, The Boston Globe, the South Shore of Boston, what’s missing | 23 Comments

Day 2839: The expert on crazy

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Ann Koplow

When my non-crazy patients worry out loud about being or seeming crazy, I often say, “You’re not crazy, and I’m the expert on crazy.”

The expert on crazy thinks the President of the United States is crazy.

The expert on crazy thinks this is driving many people crazy, including me.

The crazy expert on crazy, in attempts to remain sane, captured these images yesterday.

The expert husband of the expert on crazy made a crazy good risotto yesterday. I would have been crazy not to marry him last December, before things got really crazy.

Here’s the expert on “Crazy” — Patsy Cline.

The expert on crazy is crazy about your comments, so please leave one below.

The expert on crazy is grateful to be alive, even during crazy times, and she is very grateful for you.

Categories: 2020 U.S. Presidential election, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism, Psychotherapy | Tags: "Crazy", Beacon Hill Dental Associates, Donald Trump, Patsy Cline, seafood risotto, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston | 24 Comments

Day 2838: Just keep walking

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Ann Koplow

Yesterday, I

facilitated a Coping and Healing group remotely from my home,
went to Tufts Medical Center to get my first echocardiogram since contracting COVID-19 in March,
heard from my wonderful cardiologist Dr. Deeb Salem via email that there was no change in my heart,
celebrated the great news by buying cream puffs from my favorite bakery,
drove by a demonstration of Black Lives Matter people and Blue Lives Matter people,
told my husband and son my good news,
walked back toward the demonstration,
visited the beautiful collection of painted rocks on the beach,
Sharpied more Trump stickers,
stood with the Black Lives Matter people as many more Blue Lives Matter people swirled around us with flags and loud noisemakers,
asked one of the Black Lives Matter people whether the Blue Lives Matter people were supporting Democrats (whose national color is blue),
explained to that person that I was kidding,
was told by another Black Lives Matter person that I was awesome and my hair looked great,
started walking back home,
told a guy who passed me and started talking nonsense about the Black Lives Matter people, “I don’t agree with you so just keep walking,”
got caught in a wild and windy rainstorm,
just kept walking home for another 30 minutes,
changed out of my wet clothes,
had some cream puffs,
ate a delicious swordfish dish made by my husband Michael,
watched the Vice President debate with my husband and son,
commented on a fly’s affinity for Mike Pence,
ate more cream puffs,
declared Kamala Harris the winner,
dealt with our internet and cable going out during the debate analysis,
put aside worry about it being restored in time for my groups today,
went to sleep, and
woke up in time to blog before my dental cleaning this morning at 8 AM.

Let’s just keep walking through my most recent photos.

I just keep walking through my Daily Bitch Calendar until November.

I just walked over to YouTube to find “Kamala” by Randy Rainbow:

Just keep commenting, below.

Thanks to all who help me keep walking and blogging every day, including YOU!

Categories: 2020 U.S. Election, heart condition, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Black Lives Matter, Fratelli's Bakery, kindness rock project, peaceful demonstration, Randy Rainbow, recovering from COVID, Tufts Medical Center, Vice President Debate, Wollaston Beach | 32 Comments

Day 2837: Stranger Danger

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Ann Koplow

Have you ever experienced a stranger time with so much danger? Above all, there is danger because of the stranger in the White House.

Do you see stranger danger in today’s images?

I am having an echocardiogram today at 3 to discover whether COVID-19 has damaged my heart, which is stranger than yours. Everyone will be wearing masks during this procedure, so that strangers won’t cause danger to each other. Even though masks might make us look and feel stranger, it’s the strangest behavior in the world not to wear one to reduce danger to oneself and others.

The stranger in the White House is endangering countless lives of strangers with his stranger and stranger behavior. If you are voting for him, nothing is stranger to me.

Truth is stranger than fiction, and “Stranger in Town” from Pat Metheny’s Orchestrion showed up in my headphones yesterday when I was taking my “Stranger Danger” photos.

What are your thoughts and feelings about this Stranger Danger post?

Thanks to all the friends and strangers who help me create this daily blog, which reduces my danger during these stranger and stranger times.

Categories: 2020 U.S. Presidential election, heart condition, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "Orchestrion", “Stranger in Town”, Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries, echocardiogram, Marina Bay, Pat Metheny, the South Shore of Boston, vote the stranger out | 22 Comments

Day 2836: Junk

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Ann Koplow

According to non-junky Merriam-Webster, junk is

1a(1): old iron, glass, paper, or other waste that may be used again in some form
(2): secondhand, worn, or discarded articles
(3): CLUTTER sense 1b
b: something of poor quality : TRASH
c: something of little meaning, worth, or significance
2: pieces of old cable or cordage used especially to make gaskets, mats, swabs, or oakum
3 slang : NARCOTICS
especially : HEROIN
4: JUNK BOND
5: baseball pitches that break or are off-speed (such as curveballs or changeups)
6 slang : male genitalia

Do you see any junk in today’s news or in today’s photos?

Amid all the junk from yesterday, last night my son Aaron and I saw a fox jump on the seawall and glide along, like a little grey spaceship, on the sand below. In my attempt to capture it, I took that last junky photo, above.

Have you heard any good quotes about junk? How about this one?

“God don’t make no junk.”

Here‘s “Junk” by Sir Paul McCartney, presented by Carter and Josh Turner:

No matter what junk you’re dealing with, I think you’ll enjoy that performance of “Junk.”

Feel free to share any junk you like in the comments section, below.

I would never junk gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create these daily posts, including YOU!

(By the way, I snapped that when I was in the junk food section of our local supermarket.)

Categories: definition, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Carter and Josh Turner, Daily Bitch Calendar, Halloween decorations, Journey Instruments OF310, kitchen junk drawer, Masque of the Red Death, salmon dish, South Shore of Boston | 15 Comments

Day 2835: People who hate people

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Ann Koplow

People

People who hate people

Are the schmuckiest people in the world.

They’re children needling other children

And yet letting their grown-up side

Hide ‘cause of hurt and pride,

Acting more like children than children.

Haters are miserable people,

They’re the suckiest people in the world.

One person, I’m thinking of one person

Who has a feeling deep in their soul

Saying you’re the asshole.

It’s like hunger and thirst,

The worst, to be a person who hates people.

People who hate people

Are the unluckiest people in the world.

People can find “People” sung by Barbra Streisand here.

What kind of people do you see in my photos from yesterday?

People, people who thank people, are the luckiest people in the world.

Categories: 2020 U.S. Presidential election, group therapy, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism, Trump stickers | Tags: Barbra Streisand, bullies, coping and healing groups, gratitude, painted rocks, people, South Shore of Boston, The Daily Bitch Calendar | 18 Comments

Day 2834: Healing ?

Posted on October 4, 2020 by Ann Koplow

Here and now, there are many questions out there about whether people are healing or getting worse.

Yesterday, while I was taking a healing walk outside, I noticed this:

In today’s photo gallery, do you see healing ?

What is the most healing image, for you? What’s the most painful one?

Lately, I’ve been healing from painful experiences by doing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. That reminds me of my original song “Triggers,” which I hope will be healing to share.

That’s from my hopefully healing Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, August 2019.

Any comment you leave below will be healing for me. And as I like to say, “All healing is mutual.”

Gratitude is always healing, so thanks to all who are healing and helping others heal, including YOU.

Categories: life during the pandemic, original song, personal growth, photojournalism, Psychotherapy | Tags: 2021 calendars, cats, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019, EMDR, the South Shore of Boston, triggers, Trump has COVID-19, Whole Foods Market | 23 Comments

Day 2833: October Surprises

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Ann Koplow

I guess it’s no surprise that people are talking and writing about October surprises, since it’s only the THIRD day of October and there have been so many surprises so far.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure my very unusual heart can take all these October surprises.

Do you see any surprises in today’s images ?