Posts Tagged With: pets

Day 4870: Fun Purchases

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Ann Koplow

When I was in Barcelona earlier this week, my fun purchases included earrings that look like tomatoes.

I wore those earrings yesterday to remind my husband to buy tomato plants (among other fun purchases) at a local garden shop.

I think it’s important to continue to make fun purchases even during undeniably unfun times.

What other fun purchases do you see in my images for today?

This is Frank from our favorite restaurant, Brassica, where we have made so many fun purchases over the years.

This is one of our favorite fun purchases: Frank’s Flan. Thanks, Frank!

I hope that my original music has been some people’s fun purchases.

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

Thanks to all who are here for this fun purchases post, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: 17 cheap purchases that improved my life, Ali Abdaal, Brassica, Franks’s flan, gardening, May 3 2026, original songs, pets, The Singing Therapist, the South Shore of Boston, Twitter and Bluesky | 7 Comments

Day 4805: Life saving

Posted on February 27, 2026 by Ann Koplow

Last night, somebody in my Coping and Healing group said they found the group life saving. This was very gratifying to hear.

In a few minutes, I’ll be getting ready to go to the hospital to give a presentation about these life saving groups to a group of life saving interns.

Let’s see if there’s anything life saving in my images for today.

My hope is that this song of mine might be life saving.

Thanks to all who are life saving (even if you don’t know it), including YOU!

Categories: group therapy, health care, original song, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: “Don’t Kill Yourself”, coping and healing groups, doctors, Dr. Laura K. Snydman, February 27 2026, pets, The Daily Bitch Calendar, Twitter | 8 Comments

Day 4797: Coping Skills

Posted on February 19, 2026 by Ann Koplow

In my Coping and Healing groups, people often discuss coping skills. Those skills are always there, even when people feel overwhelmed, helpless, or particularly unskilled.

During difficult times like these, coping skills are more important than ever. What coping skills do you see in my images for today?

Here’s what I find when I search for “coping skills” on YouTube:

What are your coping skills?

Thanks to all who help me learn new coping skills, including YOU!

Categories: group therapy, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: “Are Your Coping Mechanisms Healthy?”, cats, February 19 2026, grounding techniques, Noom, Pasta Fagiole, pets, TED talk by Andrew Miki, The Daily Bitch Calendar, Twitter and Bluesky | 9 Comments

Day 4795: Being happy

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Ann Koplow

When I was high school valedictorian, I wrote and delivered a speech called “The Irrational Pursuit of Happiness.” I believe it was about the ephemeral nature of being happy but I can’t remember many other details. I just remember being happy about the opportunity to speak to my classmates about my thoughts, feelings, and values.

Today’s Daily Bitch Calendar has some advice on being happy.

Yesterday, I was being happy about spending time with my husband Michael shopping for a new kitty litter box and a new recycling bin to replace the one destroyed by a snow plow last week.

When I was a high school senior, I didn’t picture myself being happy about such things.

Do you see being happy in my other images for today?

My happiness goal for February 17 is being happy whether or not the interview about my music shows up on the Therapist Uncensored podcast today.

Here’s what I find when I search for “Being Happy” on YouTube:

What are your thoughts and feelings about being happy?

Thanks to all who contribute to my being happy, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: “There’s More to Life than Being Happy”, Emily Esfahani Smith TED talk, February 17 2026, good Presidents, Petco, pets, plants, The Daily Bitch Calendar, The Singing Therapist, Therapist Uncensored podcast, Twitter and Bluesky | 14 Comments

Day 4782: Mind reading

Posted on February 4, 2026 by Ann Koplow

Mind reading is one of the most common cognitive distortions.

This morning, I had a conversation with ChatGPT about some mind reading I’ve been doing.

Do you see mind reading in my other images for today?

Here’s what I find when I search for “mind reading” on YouTube:

Is anyone mind reading me right now?

Categories: cognitive behavioral therapy, life in the USA, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: ChatGPT, February 4 2026, healthy meals, pets, Steiff puppets, TED Talk by Chin-Teng Lin, The Mind-reading Potential of AI, Twitter and Bluesky, whose mind would you like to read? | 7 Comments

Day 4720: Gifts

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Ann Koplow

Because ‘tis the season for gifts, people in my Coping and Healing group yesterday asked about worst and best gifts others had received. The worst gifts all reflected the giver’s lack of understanding of the receiver; the best gifts showed that the giver had seen and heard who the receiver really was.

What gifts do you see in my images for today?

Every year, I give myself the gift of The Daily Bitch Calendar.

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

I am so grateful for the gift of YOU!

Categories: group therapy, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: “Advice on Gifts that Will Keep Giving”, Chestnut Hill Chiropractic, December 4 2025, Dr. Nora Williams TED talk, hypervigilance and sleep, Needham nature walk, pets, Spotify 2025 Wrapped, The Daily Bitch Calendar, tuna noodle casserole, Twitter | 8 Comments

Day 4658: Good News

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Ann Koplow

In my Coping and Healing group yesterday, somebody shared some unexpected good news. Because good news has been difficult to find on the news lately, I suggested a mindfulness exercise where we all allowed our minds to settle on good news.

I also got the good news yesterday that my single Artificial Intelligence has been successfully scheduled for release on November 7. The good news is that gives me plenty of time to pitch Artificial Intelligence to Spotify playlist editors. The good news is that whether or not they recommend it, I’m happy with the song.

More good news: a year ago today I got my most recent in a long line of implantable cardiac devices that have kept me alive, healthy, and singing a song for 62 good years!

Do you see good news in my images for today?

Let’s see if there’s any good news on YouTube.

My fear is that the current USA administration is undoing a lot of that good news but … we shall see.

Please share your good news in the comments section, below.

Thanks to all those who are good news to me, including YOU!

Categories: group therapy, heart condition, original song, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Artificial Intelligence, chicken parmigiana, implantable cardiac device (ICD), October 3 2025, pets, Spotify playlists, TED talk by Angus Hervey, The Daily Bitch Calendar, The Good News You Might Have Missed, Twitter and Bluesky | 16 Comments

Day 4653: Putting It Together

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Ann Koplow

Putting it Together is a great Stephen Sondheim song about being an artist.

Here is Barbra Streisand performing Putting It Together.

I love the way Putting it Together puts together the creative process with business realities for artists.

I’ve been working on my original song Artificial Intelligence and I’m almost done putting it together. I’ve been putting together two harmonizing vocal tracks, a ukulele track, and two tracks of my making different percussive noises — none of them artificial. After putting it together, I asked my honest and musically critical husband to listen to it and he liked it!

As I am putting it together, I have some hot spots in my vocals that I cannot fix with ChatGPT guiding me through GarageBand. That is preventing me from putting it together to finish this blog post and to start my day.

I will now focus on putting it together here.

Thanks to all who help me putting it together every day, including YOU!

Categories: creativity, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: ancestors, Artificial Intelligence, Barbra Streisand, GarageBand, Le Madeline, pets, September 28 2025, Stephen Sondheim, Sunday in the Park with George, the South Shore of Boston, Twitter | 12 Comments

Day 4591: Music for Difficult Times

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Ann Koplow

During these difficult times, I’m working on my album of original songs and thinking about music that has gotten me through difficult times.

When I was a kid, the late Tom Lehrer’s music got me through difficult times.

As I’ve gotten older, Paul Simon, Todd Rundgren, Pat Metheny, and Jacob Collier have helped me get through difficult times.

Do you see music for difficult times in my images for today?

Here’s the Tom Lehrer album that helped me get me through difficult times when I was a little kid:

What’s been your music for difficult times?

Thanks to all who help me get through difficult times, including YOU!

Categories: Music, personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: July 28 2025, Pat Metheny, Paul Simon, pets, That Was The Year That Was, The Daily Bitch Calendar, The Singing Therapist, Todd Rundgren, Tom Lehrer, Twitter | 6 Comments

Day 4361: The Little Moments

Posted on December 10, 2024 by Ann Koplow

Yesterday, at the hospital where I work in-person on Mondays, I saw this sign about the little moments.

I greatly appreciate that reminder to appreciate the little moments. As usual, I’ll share the little moments in my images for today.

I just spent little moments looking for the Jascha Heifetz performance that made Holly smile (see above) so we could all enjoy these moments together.

Thanks to all who help me appreciate the little moments, including YOU!

Categories: personal growth, photojournalism | Tags: Cod dish, December 10 2024, feelings chart, gratitude, hospital gift shop, Jascha Heifetz performance of Paganini’s Caprice 24, pets, The Daily Bitch Calendar, Twitter, what makes you smile, Yogi Tea | 7 Comments