Monthly Archives: October 2023

Day 3945: Staying sane

Posted on October 21, 2023 by Ann Koplow

Last night, I asked a question on Twitter about staying sane …

… that got over 300 responses. Now I’m staying sane by sharing a few of those responses with you.

I’m also staying sane by writing more lyrics for my new song “Magical Thinking.”

I’m happy to report that I’m staying sane despite my propensity for magical thinking. Let’s see who’s staying sane in my pictures for today.

The Daily Bitch is staying sane in her signature way on Babbling Day, Celebration of the Mind Day, and Check Your Meds Day.

Let’s see who is staying sane on YouTube.

Thanks to good people on Twitter, cats, turkeys, the Daily Bitch, Lilly Singh, and anyone who is staying sane in this crazy world, including YOU!

Categories: original song, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Babbling Day, cats, Lilly Singh, Magical Thinking, October 21 2023, Staying Sane with the Singhs, The Daily Bitch Calendar, turkeys, Twitter, Yogi Tea | 14 Comments

Day 3944: Conflict Resolutiom

Posted on October 20, 2023 by Ann Koplow

In the news, I’m seeing conflict, conflict everywhere and not much conflict resolution.

Do you see conflict resolution in my images for today?

Is the Daily Bitch conflicted about getting old? My resolution about that conflict is to embrace every day and to let go of fear as we grow older together.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for conflict resolution.

In that Ted Talk, Karleen Savage shares many practical, simple, and helpful ideas about conflict resolution.

Thanks to all who strive for conflict resolution, including YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: aging, “A hostage negotiator on how to resolve conflict”, Bluesky, cats, Conflict Resolution Day, inner peace, Karleen Savage, October 20 2023, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston, Twitter | 11 Comments

Day 3943: Stepping outside your comfort zone

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Ann Koplow

Lately, I’ve been stepping outside my comfort zone — taking Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice to do something that scares me every day.

Yesterday, Joan the cat was stepping outside her comfort zone while walking further down our street than ever before.

Soon after stepping outside her comfort zone, Joan hurried back to the safety of familiar territory.

Will we be stepping outside your comfort zone in my other images for today?

Making new friends while dressing like a dork might be a great example of stepping outside your comfort zone (not to mention evaluating your life).

Here’s “stepping outside your comfort zone” on YouTube:

Thanks to all who help me step out of my comfort zone, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: American Chop Suey, cats, Eleanor Roosevelt, letting go of fear, Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone, October 19 2023, self acceptance, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston, Yogi Tea, Yubing Zhang | 15 Comments

Day 3942: Question Diva

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Ann Koplow

Yesterday, when I asked a question on Twitter (Question: Why change a well-established and friendly brand name like Twitter to something like “X”?), somebody called me “Question Diva.”

I like the title “Question Diva” because, indeed, I have lots of questions, including

Why is there so much inhumanity in the world?
What can I do about it?
How do people stay sane amid all the insanity?
How can we work together to save ourselves?

Last night, Question Diva talked to her show biz coach about how difficult it was to ask questions when she suspected the answer would be “no.” So we role-played my asking an amazing musician to play with me on my album of original songs, with my coach responding both positively and negatively. Question Diva now feels better equipped to ask those kinds of questions.

Question Diva would now like to ask you to look at her other images for today.

Here and now, Question Diva has these questions;

Why was it so difficult for me to upload those images into this blog post?

How are you going to celebrate this precious day?

Will chocolate cupcakes be involved?

What will I find on YouTube when I search for “question diva”?

Question Diva thanks everyone who helps her ask questions every day, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: asking difficult questions, “Can 1 Pop Diva Tell Us Everything About You?” from BuzzFeed videos, Jeff Leisawitz, Mel Brooks, October 18 2023, pasta, power, technical difficulties, The Daily Bitch Calendar, tilapia dish, Twitter | 11 Comments

Day 3941: New words

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Ann Koplow

Out of all the words I’ve been reading lately, I noticed a new word yesterday.

Are there new words in my other images for today?

Is “mulligan” a new word to you?

Here’s what I find when I search YouTube for “new words.”

I have great thankitude for those who read the new words and old words in this daily blog, including YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: cats, commuting, feelings chart, hospital gift shop, Marcel Danesi, October 17 2023, peace, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the Greater Boston area, Twitter, where do new words come from? | 9 Comments

Day 3940: This too shall pass

Posted on October 16, 2023 by Ann Koplow

When I was talking to a dear friend last week, she told me that what helped her was remembering that her current problems would change, that “this too shall pass.” I said that when I think “this too shall pass,” my assumption is that things will get better, but my husband’s twin brother’s version of “this too shall pass” is “Enjoy what’s going on now because things are sure to get worse.”

Here’s the Daily Bitch’s version of “this too shall pass.”

This too shall pass, but first we have to look at my other images for the day.

If you don’t like this version of my most recent original song, just remember, “This too shall pass.”

Thanks to all who helped me create this too-shall-pass blog post, including YOU!

Categories: original song, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "Assassins", “Stay in the Moment”, Boston, cats, October 16 2023, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the Lyric Stage, the Marathon Bombing memorial | 11 Comments

Day 3939: Universal

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Ann Koplow

Because I facilitate therapy groups with diverse populations, I often wonder (and learn) about what’s universal.

Here’s a definition of “universal.”

Here are some universal quotes.

Here are my universal images for today.

National Grouch Day is easily universal, don’t you think?

Here’s what I find when I search for “universal” on YouTube.

I look forward to your universal comments, below.

Universal thanks to all who are here, now, including YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Autocorrect, “The Universal”, Blur, cats, group therapy, Halloween, October 15 2023, Rubato, Twitter, universal music, universal quotes | 14 Comments

Day 3938: Embarrassing

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Ann Koplow

It’s embarrassing that in my three thousand, nine hundred, and thirty-eight days of consecutive blogging, I’ve never written a post with the title “embarrassing.”

It saddens me when people describe their all-too-human feelings, thoughts, and behaviors as embarrassing.

Personally, I can find it embarrassing when I

don’t get enough sleep,
am obviously ailing from something (like an arthritic ankle),
get something wrong,
seem self-absorbed, or
reach out and get no response.

It’s embarrassing how much embarrassment can hold us back.

Do you see anything embarrassing in my images for today?

it’s not embarrassing to use lower case to accept my curves on national curves day.

Is it embarrassing that every other source on the Internet states that National Curves Day is the second WEDNESDAY of October, not the second Saturday? If it is embarrassing, it’s not embarrassing for me.

Here’s what I find when I look for “embarrassing” on YouTube:

Embarrassing thanks to all who helped me create this “embarrassing” post, including you!!!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism, quotes | Tags: cats, DaDood, gratitude, letting go of embarrassment, National Curves Day, national lowercase day, October 14 2023, shame, superstitions, The Daily Bitch Calendar | 13 Comments

Day 3937: Screaming

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Ann Koplow

Yesterday, in my online Coping and Healing groups, I invited people to observe International Moment of Frustration Scream Day by muting themselves and screaming for some moments. During that exercise, I did some silent screaming because I thought actual screaming might damage my voice. Several people reported that giving themselves permission to be screaming — especially with the screaming news headlines this week — was cathartic and helpful.

Is there screaming in my images for today?

I assume there won’t be any screaming when I go to my first chiropractor appointment ever on Friday the 13th.

Speaking of screaming, sometimes I say to my husband Michael, “It’s all over but the screaming” — a misquote of “It’s all over but the crying.”

Let’s see what I find on YouTube when I search for “screaming.”

This weekend I’ll be thinking about that “screaming in the mic” short as I try to figure out how to be better at screaming into the void on Tik Tok. Here’s another “screaming” video on YouTube:

Screaming THANKS to all who help me do daily blogging instead of daily SCREAMING, including YOU!

Categories: group therapy, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: expressing frustration, International Moment of Frustration Scream Day, Jojo’s ASMR, October 13 2023, Reporter Interrupted by Screaming Boy, Screaming in the Mic, sea gull, The Daily Bitch Calendar, the South Shore of Boston, Tik Tok, Twitter | 10 Comments

Day 3936: Cause and effect

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Ann Koplow

Because we human beings like to make meaning, we can link unrelated causes and effects.

I’ve heard many people express a belief that their feeling too good causes something bad to happen. Personally, I have a superstitious belief that if I put myself out there in a new and brave way, disaster will ensue.

For example, last year when I was on vacation in Georgia I dared to share one of my original songs with two strangers who reacted very positively. The next day, I was in the hospital with a mini-stroke. In my mind, those two events were somehow related.

Rationally, I know that’s ridiculous. But wait, there’s more! Lately I’ve been moving full steam ahead creating more music and trying to promote it. And if you read this daily blog, did you notice I landed in the Emergency Room this weekend with double vision that some people thought might be another mini-stroke?

Anyway, this inspired me to start another song.