Monthly Archives: April 2024

Day 4137: Dancing

I love dancing and I have since I was a little kid — dancing to musical comedy albums in my family’s basement.

I heard a lot about dancing back then because my first cousin Liane made it to Broadway, dancing in the original production of West Side Story.

While I knew I never would be a professional dancer, dancing was always an expression of joy that I loved to watch and to participate in as best I could.

When I went through many heart-related operations starting at age 10, one of my coping strategies was watching amazing and athletic dancing in movie musicals like Singin’ in the Rain, The Bandwagon, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and musical compilation films like That’s Entertainment.

When I was in my 20s, I got very good at disco dancing, even though I had a fixed-rate cardiac pacemaker and had to rest frequently between dances.

I’ve taken lessons in tap dancing, swing dancing, and — most recently — tango dancing with my husband Michael.

As I’m writing about the obstacles I’ve overcome to participate in dancing, I’m feeling more confidence about the obstacles I need to overcome to put on my first show of original songs next month.

In order to do that, I’ll need to be dancing past several fears. What I’ve discovered about dancing is that partner dancing can be more fun than dancing alone, so I will rely on my partners in this enterprise (including my friend Jeanette who is helping me with ticketing and my videographer Riccardo Pearlman who is also teaching me how to play the drums). Since I did a lot of dancing alone when I was a small child, I need to remember that these people are eager to be dancing with me in this process.

Do you see any dancing in my images for today?

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On National Honesty Day, I can honestly say that I don’t understand why so many people keep dancing around the truth in politics.

Now I’m dancing with anticipation about what I’ll find when I search for “dancing” on YouTube.

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What are your thoughts and feelings about dancing?

Thanks for dancing with me, here and now!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Day 4136: Being a grown-up

Today, the Daily Bitch has something to say about being a grown-up.

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For me, being a grown-up includes going in to the hospital to work on Mondays and taking good care of those I love, no matter what I’m asked about myself.

Do you see being a grown-up in my other images for today?

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Being a grown-up on International Noise Awareness Day, I will be aware of not disturbing my neighbors when I play the snare drum loaned to me by the wonderful Riccardo Pearlman, who will be recording my upcoming concert.

Here’s what I find when I search for “being a grown-up” on YouTube.

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Thanks to all who help me create these grown-up posts, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Day 4135: What are they saying?

Yesterday, I went to a group therapy demonstration where it was difficult to hear what the group members and the facilitator were saying. That bothered me until I realized that I could still learn a lot by taking in non verbal communication and other signals from those around me.

These days, life can be so confusing that I often wonder “what are they saying?” even when the words are quite clear.

What are they saying in my images for today?

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Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what are they saying?”

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I also found this:

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What am I saying at the end of every blog post?

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Day 4134: What problem are you trying to solve?

I don’t know about you, but when my brain has a problem it’s trying to solve, I have trouble focusing on anything else (including fun stuff like joy and gratitude).

Right now, the problems I am trying to solve involve work, my upcoming show of original tunes, and my images not loading on this blog.

Also, no matter what problems I solve, more problems always pop up to occupy my mind.

Nevertheless, I will do my best to proceed with possible solutions and with hope and faith that all will work out.

No matter what problem I’m trying to solve and no matter what day it is, I first tell a story here and then do some Tai Chi. Then, I feel ready to solve the problems ahead.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what problem are you trying to solve?”

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I also find this:

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What problem are you trying to solve, here and now?

Thanks to all who help me solve problems, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Day 4133: You can learn a lot

You can learn a lot — no matter how old you are — by listening, watching, staying curious, and being open to new experiences.

You can learn a lot by doing something you’ve never done before, even if it’s scary. For example, I’m learning a lot by preparing for my first concert/live album recording of my original songs.

Perhaps you can learn a lot from today’s blog post… let’s see!

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Here‘s what I find when I search for “you can learn a lot” on YouTube:

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You can learn a lot by experiencing gratitude, so thank to all who help me learn a lot, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Day 4132: All time favorites

I got to see one of my all time favorite musicians last night — the incredible Jacob Collier.

One of my all time favorite musical experiences is being in a giant audience chorus directed by a joyful, creative, and generous genius.

Because I don’t know if any of my photos will load today, I know this post will be one of my all time favorites if I also share this:

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One of my all time favorite ways of approaching life is to keep trying, despite obstacles, holding out hope for the best, so let’s see if my photos load today!

Yay!
After an upsetting experience yesterday, I went to Sephora and met Mary Kate! She is now one of my all time favorite beauty consultants.
Here are two of my all time favorite Jacob Collier fans — Aija and her son Daniel.
Aija told me about their involvement in many musical, artistic, and other creative endeavors, including the Baltic Film Festival.
Aija also showed me a picture of her all time favorite kitten.

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After I got home from one of my all time favorite concerts, I asked a question about all time favorites on Twitter.

One of my all time favorite things to do on Twitter is to share the Daily Holidays.

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Let’s see if today’s Daily Bitch is one of my all time favorites…

Nah. But this is one of my all time favorites:

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Thanks to Jacob Collier, Mary Kate, Daniel, Aija, my friends on Twitter, the Daily Bitch, cool cats, and my all time favorite readers, including YOU!!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Day 4131: Taking chances

Today, I’ll be taking chances as I facilitate two groups, try physical therapy again for what seems to be a chronic (and perhaps unresolvable) problem, practice two of my original compositions with an old friend, and stay out late for the second night in a row at a concert with the amazing Jacob Collier.

Because I wasn’t given too many chances when I was young to survive to my current ripe old age, taking chances seems to come naturally to me. I talked about that last night at a Freedom Seder hosted by dear friends — Jonathan Gershon, Daniella, and their daughter Freedom — in Providence, Rhode Island.

Do you see taking chances in my images for today?

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Whenever I create one of these blog posts, I am taking chances that my photos for the day are going to load properly. Today, I had to work really hard to get any images into this blog, which makes me wonder if I’m taking chances by holding on to my old phone and laptop.

Here‘s what I find when I search for “taking chances” on YouTube.

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Chances are that you know that I’ll be thanking all those who help me in taking chances, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism, quotes | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Day 4130: Scary Places

I’ve entered scary places and I’ve survived, and that is true for everyone who is reading this now.

What gives me the courage to go into scary places? Knowing that I’m not alone, even when I feel like I’m alone.

Do you see any scary places in my images for today?

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I can only imagine what I’ll find on YouTube when I search for “scary places.”

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Thanks to all those who make scary places less scary, including YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Day 4129: Adventure

Before I start today’s adventure (which will include going to work at the hospital, trying to learn Epic software, exploring ticketing apps for my upcoming concert, attending a neighbor’s wake, and partaking in fried matzoh), I am looking for a definition of “adventure.”

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Does an adventure always have to be hazardous? Let’s see what else I can find online about adventure.

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I like that definition of adventure better. Let’s see if we can find any adventure in my other images for today.

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Here’s what I find online when I search for adventure.

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Thanks to all who accompany me here on this ongoing adventure, including YOU.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Day 4128: Branding

When I worked in marketing, people talked a lot about branding, and I guess cattle people talk about it too.

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If I’m going to make and promote an album of my original songs, I should probably give more thought to branding. This is what I’ve got so far:

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Other people have given me their thoughts about my branding, including “A Friendly Bob Dylan,” “Reminiscent of Tom Lehrer,” and “Children’s Songs for Adults.”

My branding could include this: less interest in branding and more interest in having fun and doing some good.

Do you see branding in my other images for today?

Part of my branding is asking questions, so how are you going to spend this precious day? I’ll be going for some creativity and innovation with my singing and drum teachers and later drinking one of my favorite brands of tea (Yogi Tea or Celestial Seasonings).

Here’s something about branding on YouTube:

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Part of my branding is expressing gratitude, so thanks to all who are here, now, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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