2020 U.S. Election

Day 2845: BFD

BFD, according to dictionary.com, means one thing AND its opposite, which I think is a BFD.

This reminds me of a BFD saying I came up with years ago — we are neither as important or as unimportant as we fear.

Are any of these recent photos a BFD?

Around here, it’s a BFD when my husband Michael lets me take a picture of him and share it in my blog. We both got haircuts yesterday, which is a BFD during the BF pandemic. Also, the macaroni and cheese Michael made yesterday was a BFD.

The upcoming U.S. Presidential election is a BFD, and if my candidates win, I’m also going to win cookies and somebody else’s macaroni and cheese. To me, macaroni and cheese is ALWAYS a BFD.

In addition to Big F’ing Deal and Boston Fire Department, BFD might stand for Black Futuristic Drums:

What do you think is a BFD, in this post and elsewhere?

Gratitude is always a BFD to this Blogging Female Dilettante, so thanks to all the BFD’s who help me create these posts, including YOU!

Categories: 2020 U.S. Election, definition, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , | 21 Comments

Day 2841: Is this anything?

“‘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: , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Day 2840: What’s missing

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: , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Day 2838: Just keep walking

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: , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Day 2833: October Surprises

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 ?

When I used a phone app to identify that weird rash, which I’ve had for all of October, I was surprised to find out that I have hives !

Actually, since hives are often caused by stress, that may be an October non-surprise.

What are your October surprises?

Surprise! Here‘s a reprise of a song from a recent blog post, performed live.

I won’t be surprised if you leave a surprising comment, below.

I hope it’s no surprise that I’m grateful to you, no matter what month it is.

Categories: 2020 U.S. Election, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Day 2830: Debatable

It’s debatable whether you can debate someone who

  • doesn’t follow previously agreed upon rules,
  • interrupts incessantly,
  • has no scruples,
  • lies constantly,
  • attacks,
  • is a malignant narcissist,
  • enjoys hurting people, and
  • will do anything to win.

It’s debatable whether I and the USA could possible survive another four years of the guy who “debated” Joe Biden last night.

It’s debatable whether there’s anything debatable about the images I captured yesterday.

Michael’s meals are never debatable.

It’s debatable

  • how many animals are in those photos and
  • whether anybody will find the octopus.

If you vote for the person who debated Joe Biden last night, it’s debatable whether you’ve been paying attention to what he’s actually been saying and doing to this country.

It’s debatable how you might fill in the blank:

Jill or the beanstalk?

It’s debatable whether it’s a smooth segue from that to Jack from Sondheim’s Into the Woods singing this …

… to Sondheim’s There Won’t Be Trumpets:

In case those lyrics are debatable, here they are:

Those smug little men with their smug little schemes
They forgot one thing:
The play isn’t over by a long shot yet!
There are heroes in the world,
Princes and heroes in the world,
And one of them will save us.
Wait and see!
Wait and see!

There won’t be trumpets or bolts of fire
To say he’s coming.
No Roman candles, no angels’ choir,
No sound of distant drumming.
He may not be the cavalier,
Tall and graceful, fair and strong.
Doesn’t matter, just as long as he comes along!

But not with trumpets or lightning flashing
Or shining armor.
He may be daring, he may be dashing,
Or maybe he’s a farmer.
We can wait, what’s another day?
He has lots of hills to climb.
And a hero
Doesn’t come till the nick of time!

Don’t look for trumpets or whistles tooting
To guarantee him!
There won’t be trumpets, but sure as shooting
You’ll know him when you see him!
Don’t know when, don’t know where,
And I can’t even say that I care!
All I know is, the minute you turn
And he’s suddenly there,
There won’t be trumpets!
There are no trumpets!
Who needs trumpets?

It’s debatable whether I’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep until enough of those smug little men with their smug little schemes are defeated. There won’t be trumpets but there’ll be celebrating in many houses, including this one, when that finally happens.

If you want to debate anything in this debatable post, please leave a comment below.

My gratitude is not debatable, so thanks to everyone, including YOU.

Categories: 2020 U.S. Election, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Day 2829: Fault

Whose fault is it that I can’t abide bullies who refuse to recognize when they are at fault?

Do you see fault in any of my photos from yesterday?

Whose fault is it that I am blogging rather than sleeping at 3 AM? Is it because some idiot is debating a challenger for the USA presidency later today?

Here‘s Manny Walters with “My Own Fault” for the Sofar Sounds Artist Fund.

Whose fault is it that I am so grateful, here and now ?

Categories: 2020 U.S. Election, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Day 2827: Where we headed? I don’t know!

Today’s title is brought to you by this greeting card, which I saw after we headed over to Whole Foods Market to get I-don’t-know how many provisions for the week ahead:

Those women look pretty happy and I am trying to adopt their attitude as we head into the final phases of the USA election campaign season. Where is my country headed? I don’t know!

Where we headed in this blog post? You might know that lots of other photos are coming your way. How many? I don’t know!

I don’t know where that photo montage is heading, here and now, because WordPress seems stuck in a loop uploading so many photos. The last photo uploaded is a Halloween picture, so maybe WordPress is scared! I don’t know, but I can relate.

In the meantime, I’m heading over to YouTube to look for I-don’t-know-what video to insert in this post.

Here‘s Snarky Puppy featuring Jacob Collier and sousaphone player Big Ed Lee from the Soul Rebels performing “Don’t You Know.”

Don’t you know that I was looking forward to seeing Jacob Collier live in May, 2020? When will I be able to see him? I don’t know! I’m just glad I can share his music with you here.

Where we headed? I do know! We’re heading toward gratitude to all who help me head over to WordPress every day with my head, heart, and soul to create this blog, including YOU.

Categories: 2020 U.S. Election, life during the pandemic, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

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