Posts Tagged With: Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Day 1695: Humans

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Ann Koplow

I’m seeing lots of humans (and humanity) in Edinburgh, Scotland, during the 70th Festival Fringe.

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Those last three photos include extraordinary humans Ron Lynch and Natalie Palamides. Ron suggested we accompany him yesterday to see Natalie’s wonderful one-woman show, LAID (reviewed here by humans) and so we did, with many other appreciative humans. That last photo shows Natalie talking to another human who also dresses up as an egg in her one-woman Fringe show. What are the chances that more than one human would dress up as an egg at the 70th Festival Fringe?

Ron Lynch is a human and humane comedian this human has blogged about many times. Here’s Ron with another one of my favorite humans:

my son Aaron.

Last night, Ron, Aaron, and I saw legendary Boston comedian and humane human Barry Crimmins share his trenchant views about humanity at another Fringe show.

Ron introduced us to Barry, saying, “She took my stand-up comedy class in Boston years ago and now he does stand up!” It’s amazing what humans can do.

Barry Crimmins, like the Edinburgh Fringe, has spent many years defying the norm. Here’s Barry with some other comedic humans:

This human likes to end her blogs with gratitude, so thanks to all the humans who helped me create today’s post and thanks to you — of course! — for being human, here and now.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Barry Crimmins, Barry Crimmins on Conan, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Fringe shows about eggs, Humane behavior, humanity, LAID, Natalie Palamides, Ron Lynch | 24 Comments

Day 1667: Almost

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Ann Koplow

I almost chose another title for this post, but I am most inspired by this image I almost missed yesterday:

Is that almost funny? Or just funny? Is it funny to almost everybody? Or is it almost something else?

I almost wore slippers like those today, but I can’t find them.

As I’m almost half-way through this post, I’m almost

settled in to our new home,
unpacked,
certain this was a great move for us,
totally sleep-deprived,
completely recovered from my open heart surgery,
prepared for our annual trip in August to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and
ready to go to work.

Are you almost ready for other photos from yesterday?

I was almost home last night when I took that last picture.

Here’s “Almost Home” by Moby.

I’m almost tempted to take a photo of a stuffed animal here and share it, but it’s almost time for me to finish this post.

I almost always end my posts with thanks to everybody who help me create them and — of course! — to you, most of all.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "Almost Home", Edinburgh Festival Fringe, expectations, gratitude, greeting cards, living near the water, Moby, packing, reality, recovering, unpacking | 31 Comments

Day 1495: Look!

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Ann Koplow

Look! I changed my WordPress avatar yesterday, in honor of my 64th birthday.

Look! My son took that photo at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Look! It’s me as a camel. Look! It matches the banner of this blog.

Look! Everywhere I looked yesterday, it was my birthday.

Look! I got lots of great presents yesterday!

Look! It’s a song co-written and performed by Doris Troy!

Look! It’s almost time for me to go to cardiac rehab.

Look! It’s me, your grateful blogger, thanking all who helped me create this post and thanking you — of course! — for taking a look, today.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "Just One Look", birthday, change, Doris Troy, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Gravatar, recovering from heart surgery | 50 Comments

Day 1334: The world is your oyster

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Ann Koplow

Yesterday, the world was my oyster, again, at the Festival Fringe in precious-as-pearls Edinburgh, Scotland.

I received that wrist band informing me that the world is my oyster from some oysters, who should know.

The oyster to the far left is Marc Mackinnon, a wonderful and supremely talented man we met at last year’s Fringe. The world is Marc’s oyster as he moves from Scotland to London next Monday to attend a postgraduate acting program.

Here are more pearls from our last full day at the 2016 Festival Fringe:

Even though those last few pearls seem to be imploring us to stay in Edinburgh, my precious and only son Aaron and I need to get on a plane in a few hours to return to the oysters in Boston, Massachusetts. I’m happy-and-proud as a clam that Aaron will be returning here in a few short weeks to start attending the University of Edinburgh, where I’m certain the world will be his oyster for the next five years.

Here‘s some precious music and images from beautiful-as-pearls Scotland:

Any pearls of wisdom you share in a comment will be very precious to me.

Pearly thanks to all who helped me create this world-is-your-oyster post and to you — of course! — no matter where in the world you are.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: auld lang syne, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh Scotland, empty nest, Marc MacKinnon, Mermalade, Shit-Faced Shakespeare, the cast of Styx, the world is my oyster, University of Edinburgh | 29 Comments

Day 1333: Exposed

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Ann Koplow

How do you feel when you’re exposed?

When I’m exposed, sometimes I feel proud. Sometimes I feel shame.

I want to expose these things, here and now:

the internet connection in the hotel room where my son Aaron and I are staying for our final day at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is TERRIBLE,
I am still anxious about the pin-point timing needed for Aaron to get his student visa in time to begin Edinburgh University on time, next month,
this morning we are seeing Marc Mackinnon — a ginger/redhead, like my son, whom we met at last year’s Fringe — in a play called Mermalade,
I won’t have time to include as much in today’s post as I would like,
last night we saw an incredible show called Exposé, where Colin Cloud exposed unbelievable and sometimes embarrassing things about many audience members,
earlier in the day we saw a fabulous improvised musical — thanks to Greg and the other members of Impromptunes — with the title “Zeus Takes a Holiday,” which was suggested by an audience member,
on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, we ran into James Wilson-Taylor, whose Fringe show Ginger is the New Black we had seen earlier in the week, and
we also saw a hilarious sketch comedy show Beasts Present Mr. Edinburgh, where one of the comedians/contestants exposed his bum.

Have I exposed too much?

I shall now expose some photos I took yesterday, to further expose the wonderfulness of Edinburgh and the Festival Fringe.

If you want to expose those photos further (including the one we think looks like a George Seurat painting), click on any of them to enlarge.

Feel free to expose yourself in a comment below.

I shall now expose my thanks to all who helped me create this exposed post and to you — of course! — for whatever you choose to expose, today.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Beasts, Colin Cloud, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ginger is the New Black, Impromptunes, James Wilson-Taylor, letting go of shame, Marc MacKinnon, students visas | 20 Comments

Day 1332: No judgement here!

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Ann Koplow

With a blog named The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally, I tend to notice signs of non-judgment.

No judgement here about the spelling of “judgment”; dictionaries judge that either spelling is okay.

I’ve been working on “no judgement” here in the beautiful city of Edinburgh, Scotland. I judge that “no judgment” is very difficult, especially regarding myself. Judging myself (and expecting others to judge me) is second nature and very difficult to give up. No judgement here about that; I, a psychotherapist, see excessive self-judgement in others all the time.

In my judgement, we self-judging people would feel much better if we practiced “no judgement” here, there, and everywhere.

Any judgement about this post so far? If there is, no judgement here about that. Human beings are natural judgers. We just need to judge ourselves and others more kindly.

Any judgement here regarding my other photos from yesterday?

No judgement here about cat cafés:

Thinking of leaving judgement in a comment? No judgement here!

Thanks to all who helped me create this no-judgement-here post and to you — of course! — for being here, now.

Categories: personal growth | Tags: Cat Cafe, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, letting go of judgement, letting go of judgment, Maison de Moggy | 24 Comments

Day 1331: Tasks

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Ann Koplow

I love my daily tasks of (1) taking photos for this blog and (2) creating a new post here on WordPress.

Yesterday morning, I captured this image in Edinburgh, Scotland …

… and took this picture shortly before I went to sleep at night:

Between those two tasks, I

had breakfast with my son Aaron and Vicki, a wonderful Scottish woman who has the daily task of living with the same kind of unusual heart I have (and who appeared in my blog a year ago),
was relieved, thanks to Vicki, of any tasking worries about (a) my son starting University in Edinburgh next month and (b) my having open heart surgery soon after that,
swapped horror stories with Vicki about doctors and other medical people we’ve both encountered who have failed miserably in their basic tasks of providing expertise and empathy,
met with somebody at the University of Edinburgh about all the tasks we need to accomplish when we return home to the USA in order for Aaron to get his student visa in time to start his freshman student tasks on September 11, and
enjoyed the continuation of our current task of attending the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

You now have the task of looking at my other photos from yesterday.

Was there anything you especially enjoyed about that task? Anything you found particularly tasking (or taxing)? If you have questions or comments about any of those photos, I will fulfill my daily task of answering them before I blog again tomorrow morning.

Before you get on with your own daily tasks, I shall now give you an additional task: My son Aaron and I were discussing the insignia of University of Edinburgh, seen here in close-up:

Your task is to identify the top part of that insignia, above the book. Is it:

A disco ball?
A golf ball?
A flower?
All of the above?
None of the above?

Thanks to all who helped me fulfill the task of creating this post and to you — of course! — for completing your task of reading it.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: CCTGA, Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Larry Dean, Loudon's, student visa, the Mac Shack, University of Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh insignia | 42 Comments

Day 1330: Defying convention

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Ann Koplow

Greetings from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which has been defying convention for sixty-nine years.

I often follow certain conventions in my blog posts, including choosing a title that relates to a photo I’ve taken the day before. Obviously, I am NOT defying that convention today. However, I’d like to think I’ve been defying convention for almost as long as the Edinburgh Fringe (five and a half years shorter, if I do the maths).

Here are some conventions I defy:

Fearing people who are “different” from me.
Assumptions about how long people born with abnormal hearts (like me) are supposed to live.
Slowing down as I get older.
Judging myself or others.

What conventions do you defy?

Do you see any conventions defied in my other photos from yesterday?

I am unfamiliar with the conventions of shows like The Lady Boys of Bangkok, so I don’t know if they were defying any conventions last night by having people dressed like cats on stage or by using this song as the finale:

If you don’t usually leave a comment, please defy that convention today. If sharing your thoughts here is conventional for you, I suggest you do not defy that convention today.

Many thanks to all who helped me create this defying convention post and to you — of course! — for reading it.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: "Loch Lomond", Cat Cafe, CCTGA, conventions, defying conventions, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, letting go of fear, letting go of unhelpful thoughts, The Lady Boys of Bangkok | 28 Comments

Day 1328: Welcome, World

Posted on August 20, 2016 by Ann Koplow

I welcome the welcoming spirit of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is known around the world and demonstrated in this worldly welcome I saw yesterday:

If anybody is thankful that I took and shared that welcoming photo, you’re welcome.

When my son Aaron and I welcomed the new day in Edinburgh, yesterday, it was raining. Because we’ve been to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe three times before, we were ready to welcome the rain.

As we were walking through Edinburgh’s welcoming Grassmarket section, we were welcomed by a new concept in comedy delivery:

I welcomed the idea of attending a fifteen-minute comedy show inside a van, especially because it was raining. Also, I welcome any new concept I think is smart and effective. Aiden, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the Titter Truck, was very welcoming.

Aiden — who welcomed the rain with that fashionable animal-skin raincoat — welcomed my telling him I welcomed the Titter Truck as a brilliant innovation. He also suggested I give my welcoming thanks and credit to Jed Marshall, who welcomed the Titter Truck to the world:

Jed welcomed my thanks for his business genius and comic timing, and also welcomed the idea of my son Aaron doing a fifteen-minute version of his own stand-up routine (which has been welcomed in Boston, L.A., and the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014) on a later date in the Titter Truck. I welcomed that invitation by negotiating with Jed a deal of 5 pence for Aaron if he performs, with me, as his manager, getting a welcome 10% of that payment.

I hope Aaron welcomes the effort I put into promoting his comedy career around the world.

It’s time to welcome the other photos I welcomed into my iPhone yesterday in worldly, welcoming Edinburgh.

At the end of long day filled with welcomed laughs and titters in Edinburgh, Aaron and I welcomed seeing that poster for the same Louis C.K. show we welcomed seeing in Massachusetts USA earlier this month. Just as we were welcoming the realization that we were fast approaching our Edinburgh lodgings, we saw another unexpected but very welcome sight:

Tom Joyce, whom I first welcomed into this blog three years ago as my favorite Edinburgh comic, was spotted by Aaron last night welcoming people into an improv comedy show. Even though I was tired, I welcomed the opportunity to see Tom perform again.

I very much welcome the fact that Dr. Tom Joyce — who recently welcomed his doctorate in mathematics and who will have a research job at Edinburgh University next year — will be welcoming Aaron into the Edinburgh worlds of academics and comedy.

I hope you welcome this question: which of the photos in today’s blog did you welcome the most? Which photo did you welcome the least? As always, I welcome all comments, no matter what in the world you choose to share.

Thanks to all the welcoming people we met yesterday in welcoming Edinburgh and thanks to you — of course! — for your welcomed visit, here and now.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh comedy, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2016, Jed Marshall, random crap, The Titter Truck, Tom Joyce, University of Edinburgh | 27 Comments

Day 1327: Why did Ann share this picture?

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Ann Koplow

Why did Ann choose today’s title?

I chose that title because of this picture I want to share from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe …

… and because I sometimes imagine my readers asking themselves …

Why did Ann share this picture?

I wonder if you’ll ask that question about any of my other photos from yesterday, which I shall now share (in chronological order and with no editing whatsoever).

Why do you think I shared these pictures?

Many thanks to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ada/Ava by Manual Cinema, Marc Mackinnon (last appearing in this blog during the 2015 Festival Fringe), Lucie Pohl, the amazing Neal Portenza (who has appeared previously in this blog here, here, here, here, here, and here), Josh Ladgrove, Asexual Healing, our favorite Edinburgh-based comedian Dr. Tom Joyce (appearing in Asexual Healing and previous blog posts here, here, and here), and everybody who contributed an image to today’s post. And special thanks to you — of course! — for whatever you choose to share, here and now.

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Ada/Ava, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh Festival Fringe highlights, healing phrases, Lucie Pohl, making decisions, Neal Portenza, Tom Joyce, what we choose to share | 33 Comments