Nostalgia

Day 610: See the world

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Ann Koplow

I think that’s great advice, don’t you?  “See the world.” That could mean:

  • go out and travel,
  • pay attention to what’s around you,
  • be aware of global issues, and
  • some other meaning  you might see, in the world of that phrase, that I’m not seeing now.

“See the World” is also the title of a Pat Metheny tune  (like many of my previous post titles) (like here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). “See the World” is on the 1992 album “Secret Story” (which was almost the title of my post, yesterday).

Here’s a YouTube video of Pat and his band performing “See the World,” back in 1992, in the world of Brunswick, New Jersey, USA:

Earlier in this post, when I inserted a link with information about Pat Metheny — for those readers who might not know about my favorite musician — I did NOT do my usual thing. That is, I did not link to the Wikipedia page about Pat.

Instead,  I decided to take an extra moment, this morning, to see the world of Pat Metheny references, online. As a result, I found that recent article about  Pat, from The Economist . When I saw the world of that article, I learned new things about Pat, including:

  1. Pat said (about the more than 50 albums he has added to the world, so far), “To me, it’s one long story, one long record with a revolving cast of characters.”  This quote might indicate that, like me, Pat Metheny is a fan of Narrative Therapy. That’s something I see, in that quote, but there’s a world of other possible meanings, there.
  2. Pat is younger than I am.
  3. He just turned 60, this August!

Happy birthday, Pat!

When I was in the world of my 40s,  I got to speak to Pat in person, when he was signing autographs at an event in Boston, USA (which is the world I’ve lived in, since birth).

I don’t often rehearse what I’m going to say to people. Usually, I like to be spontaneous.  But that day, I rehearsed my 7-second  (but who’s counting?) speech.

Let’s see if I remember it today, a world of years later.

Pat, I  wanted to thank you, for all the music, the solos, and the beauty you have added to my world.

I don’t know if that was EXACTLY what I said to Pat Metheny. I hope I communicated, that day, even a glimpse into the world of appreciation I have for him.

I remember his reaction, too. He smiled and said some gracious things (as he always does, which you’ll see, if you watch the entire world of that video above). He also signed the album I had brought with me.

images (45)

Pat said to me,  about that 1979 album, something like, “That brings me back. I remember those days.” I can’t remember the exact words, as usual. But I do remember the tone of his voice. It held a world of kindness and patience.

I love those kinds of worlds, don’t you?

One more thing, before I end this post. Here’s something I saw in my world, yesterday:

IMG_8606

That’s a  flying pig, at my Ex-Sister-in-Law Deborah’s home. That would be one way to see the world, wouldn’t it?

Thanks to Pat Metheny, to The Economist, to my dear ESIL Deborah, to creatures that fly, walk, and/or swim,  including these

IMG_8607

and to you — of course! — for seeing a little of my world, today.

Categories: inspiration, Nostalgia, personal growth | Tags: , , , | 11 Comments

Day 609: Invisible

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Ann Koplow

In order to start making some of my thoughts and feelings visible to you today, here’s an image from yesterday’s post:

IMG_8554

If my reason for including that photo in Day 608: Low hanging fruit is invisible to you now, it wouldn’t kill you to read that post, you know.

I’d like to make this visible, now: I had some thoughts and feelings, yesterday, about “The Invisible Man” — and the rest of those Classics Illustrated Comic Books — which I kept invisible.

That’s not unusual. I have lots of feelings and thoughts when I am writing anything — some of which I show and some of which I keep hidden.

Why do any of us keep certain thoughts and feelings hidden? Perhaps, because of:

  • fear of others’ reactions,
  • shame,
  • assuming we’re alone with these thoughts and feelings,
  • an old habit of keeping secrets, and/or
  • having so many thoughts and feelings, that we must pick and choose what we reveal.

Should I make visible some of my Invisibles from yesterday?

Sure. My sister might sell some or all of those comic books. I have mixed feelings about that. I have lots of memories, very visible to me, now, of reading them when I was a kid.

Actually, now that I think of it, those vivid memories might be enough.  I may not need the actual comic books visible in my life, at this point.

That was a helpful thought.

What’s next?

If I were visible to you now, you might see that I am

  • eager,
  • perplexed,
  • a little worried, and
  • hopeful

about transforming other thoughts and feeling about the topic “Invisible” into a blog post, good enough for you and me.

Here’s another thought I’m having about “Invisible.” It’s  a song by Clay Aiken.

Something I have kept invisible, until now, in this blog:  Starting in the year 2003, I saw many Clay Aiken concerts, along with several people who were very visible in my life, at that time.

As I’m writing this, their faces are visible in my mind. I’m wondering if any of them are reading my blog, these days. If they are, maybe they’ll make their reactions visible to me, by making a comment! (That would be cool.)

Here’s a video of Clay singing “Invisible” on his JukeBox Tour in August 2005, with Spanish subtitles:

(YouTube video found here)

Whenever I decide to include a video here, YouTube usually gives me several choices. My decision process — which is visible to me and likely invisible to anybody else — includes these preferences:

  • Live performance.
  • Good enough audio.
  • Good enough video.
  • Something familiar to me.
  • Something unfamiliar to me (like a different locale or language).
  • People being given credit.
  • Applause!!

Now I’m wondering this:  Am  I giving enough visible structure to this post? If not, here’s a helpful question I ask myself when I am writing, every day.

Have I made my important reasons for writing this post visible enough — to my readers and to myself?

For this post, I’m not sure if I am totally in touch with what’s important about “Invisible.” When my intentions seem somewhat invisible to me, it helps to make a list, quickly, without thinking.  What else do I want to communicate, here and now, about “Invisible”?

  • Other people’s thoughts, feelings, and intentions are often invisible to us.
  • When I create anything (including a blog post), parts of my process are inevitably invisible to others.
  • It’s your choice what you make visible and invisible to others.
  • When I was a child and dealing with a congenital heart condition and many hospitalizations, I sometimes felt  invisible and — sometimes — too visible.
  • These days, feeling invisible can be a good thing, especially when I’m walking around in public, singing or dancing.
  • When I was recently talking to my managers at work about feeling invisible in a weekly meeting, one of them said, “Maybe you are more visible there, than you think.”

Okay!

Before I end this visible/invisible post, I shall now make visible some images I captured yesterday:

IMG_8557

IMG_8559

IMG_8560 IMG_8561  IMG_8563 IMG_8567 IMG_8569 IMG_8572 IMG_8575   IMG_8576     IMG_8577 IMG_8578 IMG_8580 IMG_8583IMG_8584 IMG_8587  IMG_8588

IMG_8589 IMG_8591 IMG_8600

There are two things I want to make visible about those photos, above. For me, visibility often includes answers AND questions.

  1. I am trying to make visible, here, the tree in our backyard which, after tomorrow, will be visible no more.
  2. What the heck is that very visible squirrel — in the first photo — holding in its very visible mouth?

Thanks to Clay Aiken; to all the people I’ve met along the meanderings of my path (invisible and visible); to trees, dogs, and other living things; and to you — of course! — for both the visible and the invisible you bring here, today.

Categories: friendship, inspiration, mystery, Nostalgia, personal growth, photojournalism, quiz, tribute, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Day 608: Low hanging fruit

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Ann Koplow

“Low hanging fruit” is a phrase I’ve heard, used by managers at the hospital where I work, regarding tasks that need to be accomplished.

Whenever I encounter any new word or phrase, first I guess the meaning, based on the context. Then,  I research it, to check my assumptions.

I haven’t researched “low hanging fruit” yet. Before I do, here are my guesses about why people at work are using that phrase:

  • There are too many things to do and not enough resources (time, people, etc.) to do them all.
  • “Low hanging fruit” are those tasks that are within reach and achievable.
  • Management is encouraging people to do those things.
  • At the same time, we should also be aware of those tasks and goals that are further out of reach, and also valuable.
  • Beware of focusing on low-hanging fruit, exclusively.

Again, these are guesses of mine.  Let’s see what I can find, by googling “low hanging fruit.”

Aha!  That was a fruitful search.  I’m choosing this  low-hanging beauty:

We have Mother Nature to thank for the expression low hanging fruit. A fruit-bearing tree often contains some branches low enough for animals and humans to reach without much effort. The fruit contained on these lower branches may be not be as ripe or attractive as the fruit on higher limbs, but it is usually more abundant and easier to harvest. From this we get the popular expression, which generally means selecting the easiest targets with the least amount of effort.

In business, the term low hanging fruit is often associated with the sale of consumer products or services. Sales professionals, especially those who are just entering the field, are encouraged to seek out the easiest customers first. Competitors may spend more of their time seeking out the higher commission sales of higher “customer branches”, leaving the low hanging fruit behind for others to claim. Parents seeking low-cost insurance for school-age children, for example, may be considered low hanging fruit by insurance companies.

Another use of the expression can be found in the political arena. A politician may set a number of easily attainable goals, and accomplish them with minimal effort. The voters may perceive the politician’s actions as proof of his strong work ethic, but in reality he only reached for the political benefits of low hanging fruit. Critics often use the expression to describe someone who chooses a sure thing over a more difficult but more rewarding pursuit.

The idea of low hanging fruit can be viewed as both a positive and a negative. On the one hand, it is usually plentiful and often ignored by those looking for more attractive offerings. But low hanging fruit can also be seen as a negative, since the picker understands how low the quality of the fruit can be and picks it anyway. Someone who consistently chooses the immediate gratification could be seen by others as lazy or unambitious.

Critics of the low hanging fruit business model point to the examples of real fruit harvesters.Orchard workers routinely begin picking at the highest point of a tree, where the fruit has been exposed to the most sunlight and is usually the ripest. It makes sense to pick the low hanging fruit last, since it requires more time to ripen. In a business or social sense, it also makes sense to avoid the easiest options if a little more effort and time would result in a much better payoff.

— wiseGEEK: clear answers for common questions (see here for original)

 How do you think I did, with my guessing? (I think I did pretty damn good.)

There are two pieces of low-hanging fruit in my mind, this morning. The first one is showing you some photos I took yesterday, when I met my sister-in-law, Linda, for a belated birthday breakfast celebration, at the Neighborhood Restaurant in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA.

IMG_8515 IMG_8516 IMG_8517 IMG_8531 IMG_8534 IMG_8537

IMG_8541 IMG_8543 IMG_8544

Here’s some fruit I want to pick, from those photos:

  • The Neighborhood Restaurant makes its own Cream of Wheat!!!
  • The first fruit you see, above, is a pumpkin.
  • Above our heads, in the restaurant’s outside patio, hung grapes in various stages of ripening.
  • The last photo shows the jelly they make at The Neighborhood, from the grapes they grow.
  • I love my sister-in-law Linda.

Before and after my breakfast with Linda, I grabbed these low-hanging shots, in the neighborhood of The Neighborhood:

IMG_8506 IMG_8510 IMG_8546 IMG_8547 IMG_8550 IMG_8551

I should explain one of the top-hanging pictures (even if it takes me a little bit of effort).  The first image shows a pink bin –in the back seat of my car — containing old Classics Illustrated comic books my older sister Ellen and I read, when we were growing up. Ellen had requested that I bring those comic books with me to the breakfast to give to Linda.  Linda and I got so caught up in catching up with each other, that when I went back to my car, Voila!  The bin was still there.

Those comic books may have been low-hanging fruit in my mind, before the breakfast, but I totally lost track of them.  And when I found them, still hanging around in my car, Linda was gone.

No worries, though. I simply drove the comic books over to Ellen and Linda’s place. Here’s a shot of them, before I gave them to Ellen:

IMG_8554

After that, I drove over to visit my friend Barbara, who has been in my life as long as those comic books, and who has made previous appearances in this blog (here, here, here, here, here, and here ). I was too busy talking to Barbara, as we walked around her neighborhood, to take any low- or high-hanging photographs.

I did grab one more shot, yesterday, when I got home:

IMG_8555

Those are the top branches of the tree behind our home. For the three years we’ve lived here, I’ve parked my car beneath its branches, experienced its beauty, and dealt with bird poop on my car.  Earlier this summer, my boyfriend Michael noticed the tree was dying. Those of us who live here (including my downstairs neighbor, Karen) discussed possibilities and decided the tree needs to be taken down.

The removal of that tree has been low-hanging fruit in my mind, since we made that decision.

I have two more days, to enjoy the presence of that tree. It’s not a fruit tree, but I’ve been grateful for the fruits of its living, in my neighborhood.

Thanks to that tree (and others), to Linda, Ellen, and Barbara, to Neighborhoods everywhere, to wise Geeks, to those who seek low and high-hanging fruit, to Classics I’ve read (Illustrated or not), and to you — of course! — for hanging in my neighborhood, today.

Categories: friendship, inspiration, Nostalgia, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , | 18 Comments

Day 606: Threes

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Ann Koplow

Yesterday, on my walk away from work, I heard a great, great, great song: Sing, Sing, Sing.

As usual, when I write a post for you, I learn something. Already, today, I’ve learned three new things about Sing, Sing, Sing:

  1. Sing, Sing, Sing was written by Louis Prima.
  2. The original title had three additional words:  Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing).
  3. The song has lyrics.

Here’s a version I love of Sing, Sing, Sing, featuring

  1. Gary Burton on vibes,
  2. Eddie Daniels on clarinet, and
  3. Peter Erskine on drums.

(found here on YouTube)

Here’s a second — and the best-known — version of Sing, Sing, Sing, performed by Benny Goodman (and featuring the amazing Gene Krupa on drums).

(found here on YouTube)

Before I wrote this post, I assumed that Sing, Sing, Sing was written by Benny Goodman. Here’s the third version, performed by the composer (including the lyrics):

(found here on YouTube)

I really, really, really like the name Sing, Sing, Sing, especially since I’ve been writing (here, here, and here) about singing

  • more publicly,
  • with more confidence in my skills, and
  • letting go of fear.

My goals, to do that, have included:

  1. Joining a chorus.
  2. Joining a local production of a musical, and
  3. Finding an Open Microphone singing venue.

I’ve done the first two on that list before, but that third type of performance would be new to me.

I hereby resolve — with my readers as my witness — that, this three-day weekend, I shall take the following steps to meet Goal #3:

  1. Google “singing open mics near Boston”
  2. Call one of the venues.
  3. I can’t think of a third thing that would help me do this. Can you?

As usual,  I’d like to include some photos in this post. Since Gary Burton was my original inspiration for this post, I’ll show you three photos of him, in chronological order.

Here’s a photo of Gary Burton, in 1973:

young gary burton

(photo NOT found here, even though Google tells me so)

Here’s a photo of Gary Burton (center), three years before the above performance with the GRP All-Star Big Band, when he was the Dean of Curriculum of Berklee College of Music, in Boston:

10348283_10203370272930827_1132851693120092884_n

And here’s Gary, these days, on the cover of his 2013 autobiography, Learning to Listen.

download (32)

(photo found here)

I haven’t read that book yet (because when I do have time to read, it’s blogs, blogs, blogs), but “Learning to Listen” is a great three-word title, isn’t it?

In researching this post, I also googled “quotes about three,” and here are three of my favorites:

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
— Buddha

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
— Confucius

In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.
— Robert Frost

Thanks to all!

Categories: inspiration, Nostalgia, personal growth, pride, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Day 605: Poetry

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Ann Koplow

In Day 589: One Thing, I posted four pictures of words I had encountered in my travels. Two of my generous readers saw the results as poetry, no less.

Ever since both Louise Gallagher and Hilary Custance Green saw a poem in that post, I’ve been considering that I might be poet (even if I don’t know it).

I might even be a good poet, like this impressive dog, whom I remember very clearly from a long-ago Late Night with David Letterman:

(“Summer”* found here on YouTube)

Actually, when I compare myself to that dog, I feel pretty daunted. I mean, that’s some damn fine poetry, don’t you think?

Comparing myself to other poets doesn’t help, though. Therefore, I am going to let go of the cognitive distortion of comparisons and doggedly try this poetry thing one more time, with some photos I took yesterday:

IMG_8388

IMG_8376

IMG_8373

IMG_8374

IMG_8375

IMG_8387

 

Geesh.  I don’t know about that poem. To me, it doesn’t seem right.

Two questions:  What’s wrong with it?  And can I fix it, before it’s time to publish this post?

Here’s what’s bugging me about that poem:

  • It doesn’t rhyme. And while lots of great poetry doesn’t rhyme, I HAVE written limericks (and a few other poems, too, now that I think of it) that rhyme fine. (And maybe I should show off that skill, here, to impress my readers.)
  • The “poem” implies that there is only one way to sustain yourself (which I don’t believe, by the way), and then it contradicts itself, by showing more than one way to do that.
  • One of the words I chose for that poem was “independently” and — while I value independence — I think we can be too independent, sometimes. It especially bothers me that I’m using the word “independently” within a post where (I hope) I’m showing how important the support of others can be, in helping me feel better about myself and take risks.
  • It doesn’t have a big finish. Even though I think the sentiment on that cup is helpful and important, I’m afraid it won’t leave a lasting impression.

So what to do, now, before I end this post? I really don’t want to rewrite that poem.

Well, I COULD show off one of my old limericks or other rhyming achievements from long ago. However, the past is the past, as another cup tried to tell me yesterday:

IMG_8387

And even though I might have some issues with my writing here , another cup has some helpful advice:

IMG_8387

Hmmm.  Showing that third cup allows me to end this post with a kind of rhyme, in time (see here, if you don’t believe me).

Nevertheless, something still feels missing to me.

Maybe I could write a new poem, right now! Am I up for the task? Let’s find out!

 

A Poetry Limerick

A blogger at WordPress named Ann

Writes everyday posts, without plan,

With her thoughts fundamental,

human, judgmental,

She’s doing the best that she can.

Big finish!

Thanks to you, for all you do.

____________________

* Written by Merrill Markoe.

Categories: inspiration, Nostalgia, personal growth, photojournalism, poetry | Tags: , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Day 601: Out of time

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Ann Koplow

If you’re like me — and you try to guess the ending of things based on whatever clues you have — you might be speculating, right now, what this post is going to be about, based on its title.

What could a post titled “Out of time” be about? What would be your guesses, at this point?

I’ll wait, while you think about that.

In the meantime, let’s see if I have any music to offer you, that fits in with “Out of time.”

I know! How about one of the late, great jazz pianist Dave Brubeck‘s compositions  challenging the conventional uses of time in music?

Which one, though? There are so many! I mean, there’s the very popular Take Five, Blue Rondo a la Turk, and It’s a Raggy Waltz (which already got its own blog post, here).

I’m choosing Unsquare Dance, written with the odd time signature 7/4 — with seven beats per measure, instead of the usual 4 beats (or also conventional 6 or 8).

(that two-minute YouTube video found here)

Even if you’re somebody who — in usual times —  does not listen to music within a blog post, I recommend you listen to that. It’s quick and nourishing food, for the brain and the heart. I listened to Dave Brubeck a lot when I was growing up, and I think it made me smarter.

Anyway, where was I?

Oh, yes!  Inviting you to speculate about what this post might be about. I think I’ve left enough time for you to think your own thoughts about this, so I shall now introduce what I might guess in response to my own question (assuming I did not know the answers, which I obviously do, but never mind).

What a Post Titled “Out of Time” Could Be About

  • Death. (Eeeek!)
  • Jet lag (after returning home from a trip, say).
  • Bad medical news.
  • A decision to stop doing something (like blogging or work).
  • Dissociation, or another psychological state of disorientation.
  • A discussion about how anxiety (about death or unanticipated losses, for example) can screw up one’s sense of time.
  • Unusual musical compositions, that play with time signatures.
  • Speculations about human experiences of time, in general.
  • Not having enough time to do things you would really love to do, like reading other people’s wonderful blogs, here on WordPress.
  • An invitation to live life to the fullest, since we never know when we are out of time.
  • A way to re-introduce a cool picture somebody took, even though she’s already shown it in a previous post:

IMG_8328

  • A way to introduce a rant about holiday merchandising showing up earlier and earlier, all the time. For example, I observed this, yesterday evening, at my local pet supply store:

IMG_8346

Halloween in AUGUST ?!?!?!?!?

And don’t get me started about dressing pets up in costumes, because I’m almost out of time, for this post.

Before I stop, however, I would like to reassure my readers about the following: There is nothing bad (e.g., scary medical news) going on in my life right now. It’s all good.

One more thing: Feel free to comment about anything at all, no matter how out of time you are when reading this post.

Thanks to Dave Brubeck, to those who think a lot about time (including blogger extraordinaire Swarn Gill), to creatures everywhere (costumed and uncostumed), and to you — of course! — for being in time with me, here and now.

Categories: inspiration, Nostalgia, personal growth, photojournalism, quiz, tribute | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Day 600: Scary things

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Ann Koplow

Hey!  I see by my post title that I am blogging for the 600th consecutive day!

Round numbers can seem important, and important things can seem scary, don’t you think?

Yes, this post is going to focus on “scary things.”  However, since I like balance, I’m assuming there will be “unscary things” here,  too.

Shall we get started?

Wait! Something’s missing.  For me, when something is missing, it’s often music.

Friends, bloggers, and country-people, lend me your ears* … for some scary background music.

My first scary-music choice is from The Blair Witch Project, a film that scared the bejeesus out of me.

If The Blair Witch Project isn’t your taste, how about music from The Shining?

(found here on YouTube)

How about “Tubular Bells” from The Exorcist?

One final warning: Those music choices will probably start with advertisements.**

Okay!  Without further ado, choices, or other types of stalling,** I hereby present:

Things That Have Scared Me

(in alphabetical order)

  1. Anger
  2. Babies
  3. Cruelty
  4. Doctors
  5. Expletives
  6. Films
  7. Germs
  8. Hospitals
  9. Injustice
  10. Justice systems
  11. Know-it-alls
  12. Loud noises
  13. Mistakes
  14. Neglect
  15. Onions
  16. Planes
  17. Quitting
  18. Rage
  19. Shame
  20. Technology
  21. Underestimating
  22. Violence
  23. Witches
  24. Xerox machines
  25. Youth-obsessed cultures
  26. Zoos

Things That Have Not Scared Me

(in alphabetical order)

  1. Aging
  2. Babies
  3. Cats
  4. Doctors
  5. Expletives
  6. Foreigners
  7. Giants
  8. Humans
  9. Insecurity
  10. Justice
  11. Knowledge
  12. Love
  13. Movies
  14. Needs
  15. Onions
  16. Public speaking
  17. Quiet
  18. Risk-taking
  19. Spiders
  20. Therapy
  21. Underworlds
  22. Violent weather
  23. Wicked (the musical)
  24. X-rays
  25. Youth
  26. Zoos

What do you think of these scary and unscary things? Don’t be scared of disagreement,** please.

Geesh!  That was scary!  I almost pressed the WordPress** “publish” button without including the image that inspired this whole post, to begin with.

Yesterday, when my bf Michael and I were on our first walk since my return home from Edinburgh, I saw this:

IMG_8333

WTF IS THAT?

Thanks to Wikipedia**; to those who are scared or unscared by all the things mentioned in this post; to the creative people who score movies (scary and otherwise);  to lists** of scary things on the internet** (including this list); and to you, especially, because you don’t scare me!

*  Spending a week immersed in comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (see here, here, here, here, and here) has definitely had an effect on me. My thought, as I wrote “lend me your ears,” was this: “I’m glad Vincent Van Gogh is not alive to read this.”  Minds can be scary things, can’t they?

**  Another scary thing (that didn’t make the lists).

Categories: humor, Nostalgia, personal growth, photojournalism, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 39 Comments

Day 598: Surprises

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Ann Koplow

Today, my son Aaron and I are leaving Edinburgh, Scotland, flying on a couple of airplanes, and returning to our home near Boston, Massachusetts in the United States.

It’s been a wonderful trip. Which was not surprising, considering the wonderful times I had in Edinburgh, the two times I’ve visited before.

I don’t have a lot of time to blog this morning,  so I thought I would leave you with just a photo or two from yesterday’s adventures at the Fringe Festival in this fair city.

That number of photos may not be surprising, since the commitment I made to my readers was to post one photo a day while on my vacation.

I took a lot of photos yesterday, which was one of the best — and surprising — days my son or I have ever experienced, in our 16 and 61 years on this earth, respectively.

What was so great and surprising about yesterday?

For one thing, in an incredible coincidence, we ran into our favorite local comedian from our visit  last year to the Edinburgh Fringe — Tom Joyce — who just happened to be one of only four other people attending a fabulously funny performance of Cynthia Levin a/k/a Linda Lovin.

One of our quests, this year in Edinburgh, was to find Tom again. After searching for him on the internet and in person, we had decided this was an impossible dream. So, yesterday, when I heard Aaron gasp “Oh my gawd!” during Ms. Lovin’s performance yesterday, I realized whom he had spotted, in the first row.

Also appearing at Ms. Lovin’s performance yesterday was my comedy teacher from the 1980s and current Los Angeles comedy star — Ron Lynch.  THAT was not so surprising, since we met the lovely and hilarious Linda when she performed a couple of night’s ago at Ron’s nightly midnight show, here in Edinburgh.

It was also NOT surprising to see Ron there yesterday, since Aaron and I had planned to have dinner with him on our last night Edinburgh.

So, to review, it was no surprise to see Ron.  But it was a huge surprise to see Tom Joyce on our last full day, after Aaron and I had given up hope of finding Tom again (at least this year).

Then, Aaron and I experienced, in rapid succession, more surprises:

  • Tom remembered us from last year, including (1) my blog post about him and (2) the fact that Aaron had red hair then.
  • Ron offered Tom a spot on The Tomorrow Show this week because, Ron said, “I trust their recommendation.”
  • Ron offered my son Aaron, who has been doing open mic comedy in Boston for the past six months, a spot on last night’s Tomorrow show.

 

IMG_8309 IMG_8321

Surprise!

Thanks to Aaron, Ron, Linda, Cynthia, Tom, and everybody else currently enjoying the extremely excellent city of Edinburgh. And — of course! — thanks to you, for any surprises you might bring or experience, today.

Categories: humor, inspiration, Nostalgia, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Day 593: A spot of bother

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Ann Koplow

Whenever I start something different — a trip, a job change, anything new at all — I often start out with some disappointment.

I’m not sure why I get bothered by change, that way. Maybe I’m …

  • anxious,
  • stressed out,
  • cranky
  • expecting too much,  or
  • fearful that any change might be a mistake, making things worse.

These days, at least,  I know enough to EXPECT this  reaction from myself. So, I’m ready for a spot of bother, when I’m starting something new, and I recover from it, more quickly.

Today, my 16-year-old son and I flew from Boston USA to Edinburgh, Scotland (via Philadelphia PA) for a six-day stay at the Fringe Festival.

Sure enough, when we got to our hotel, I felt that old, familiar disappointment.  I think I was bothered, because it wasn’t the familiar place we stayed in, last year. Now, that change was deliberate; we WANTED something new.  I knew to expect difference, going in. Nevertheless, when we made our way to our new hotel, I felt a strong sense of nostalgia, for our experience last year.

Well, the hotel last year DID have an AMAZING view, of Edinburgh Castle.

IMG_1602

You can’t beat that, can you?

Today, after my son and I  found out that our hotel room wasn’t ready, we walked around Edinburgh, trying to experience the old and the new, including lots of people attending the Fringe Festival.  I did take some photos but — I’ll warn you —  they’re not that great.  I was jet lagged and my son gets cranky, sometimes, when I stop to take pictures.

However, maybe some of these images are good enough, for now.

IMG_8090

That’s a photo I took from the new tram system in Edinburgh, which brought us from the airport to our hotel.

Oooops! I just got a message, on my laptop, saying that I was about to exceed my data transfer limit for my internet access in the hotel

Yikes!  I’d better find out what I can do about that.

I may very well  be disappointed about internet access here, especially if I compare that data transfer limit to every other hotel I’ve blogged from, since January 1, 2013.

It’s a good thing I committed to posting only one photo a day here, from Edinburgh.

Here’s the photo I definitely wanted to show you, today:

 

 

IMG_8061

Hmmm. I’m not sure if that image is even showing up here. If you can’t see it, it’s a photo I took on the plane, of the book I’m reading.

“A Spot of Bother,” by Mark Haddon.

So far, I LOVE it.

Thanks to Mark Haddon, to my son, to the good people of Edinburgh, to those who are on the fringe, to people who do their best to let go of disappointment and unhelpful comparisons, to friends old and new,  and to you — of course! — for taking the bother to be here, today.

Categories: inspiration, Nostalgia, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Day 591: And When I Die

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Ann Koplow

When I was in my mid-teens, “And When I Die” was one my favorite songs.

Here are three versions, from YouTube:   Blood, Sweat &Tears,

(found here )

Peter Paul and Mary,

(found here)

and Laura Nyro 

(found here )

…  who wrote “And When I Die,” when she was in her mid-teens.

Here are the lyrics:

And when I die and when I’m dead, dead and gone,
there’ll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.

I’m not scared of dying and I don’t really care.
If it’s peace you find in dying, well, then let the time be near.
If it’s peace you find in dying, and if dying time is here,
just bundle up my coffin cause it’s cold way down there,
I hear that’s it’s cold way down there, yeah, crazy cold way down there.
And when I die and when I’m gone,
there’ll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.

My troubles are many, they’re as deep as a well.
I can swear there ain’t no heaven but I pray there ain’t no hell.
Swear there ain’t no heaven and pray there ain’t no hell,
but I’ll never know by living, only my dying will tell,
only my dying will tell, yeah, only my dying will tell.
And when I die and when I’m gone,
there’ll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.

Give me my freedom for as long as I be.
All I ask of living is to have no chains on me.
All I ask of living is to have no chains on me,
And all I ask of dying is to go naturally.
Oh I want to go naturally.
And when I die and when I’m gone,
there’ll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.

And when that song is on my mind — like, now — what might that mean?

  1. Lots of people, including those in my therapy groups, have been talking about death and dying this week (perhaps because of Robin Williams).
  2. I am flying on a plane, tomorrow, to Edinburgh, Scotland, with my one child born.
  3. I’ve thought a lot about death, since before I first heard that song (probably because of medical challenges I’ve faced my whole life).
  4. A few days ago, my son said to me, “I’ll probably read your blog after you die” (which I found comforting).

These are all just guesses.

Guesses are going to have to be good enough today, people, because I have to go to work!

And when I end  —  and before I’m gone — there’ll be one photo shown:

IMG_7964

Thanks to my son; to Laura Nyro; to Blood, Sweat & Tears;  to Peter, Paul and Mary; to people who work in groups; to those who deal with death and dying; and to you — of course! — for being here, now.

Categories: inspiration, Nostalgia, personal growth | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Powered by WordPress.com.