Day 2137: The House

There are several news headlines about the House today, including:

Mid-term elections: Democrats win House in setback for Trump

Democrats win control of the House in 2018 midterms, CNN projects

Meet the New Agenda Setters in the House

Coincidentally, yesterday I started writing a new song, titled “I Left the House Before I Felt Ready”, which is my first original song based on my first original t-shirt …

… which was based on original blog posts (here, here, and here), which I wrote in the house.

Here are the lyrics, so far:

I Left the House Before I Felt Ready

 

I left the house before I felt ready,

So I’m wrinkled, distracted, and sort of bed-heady.

I don’t know where my phone is, my glove, or umbrella

And my water bottle’s probably somewhere in the cellar.

© Ann Koplow, 2018

Because my house is near Boston, those last two lines rhyme.

Only one of my photos from yesterday was taken in the house:

Here’s “House” by Elton John:

 

What are your thoughts and feelings about any of  the houses here?

Thanks to all who helped me write today’s blog post at the house and — of course! — to YOU, for visiting my blogging house.

 

 

Day 2133: A loud uprising

Yesterday, in a therapy group, we discussed this quote by Nikita Gill.

To love yourself should be no quiet affair, but a loud uprising. — Nikita Gill

About a month ago, when I watched a loud uprising of men’s and women’s anger about the USA’s latest Supreme Court Justice, I wrote a song — “I’m Mad About You” — which I debuted last night at an Open Mic.

In case those lyrics aren’t loud enough in that video, here they are, uprising:

I’m Mad About You

I’m mad about you.

You make me feel blue.

You make me so angry

And that isn’t new.

The things you do to enrage me,

Cage me and disengage me

Make me scream and dream of murdering you,

And I’m mad about you.

I’m mad about you.

You’re worse than the flu.

I’m pissed that you’re out there

And that’s always true.

You make me want to annoy you,

Toy with you and destroy you,

Yell and tell the horrible things that you do.

And I’m mad about you.

You may be curious

Why I’m so furious.

I’ll try to make things plain,

As I continue to womansplain.

The things you say to inflame me,

Shame me, blame me, and maim me

Should return, concern, and burn you-know who.

Because I’m mad about you.

I’m mad about you.

No, I’m not quite through.

You make me so bullshit,

I spit this at you.

I wish I could disappear you,

Never hear or be near you,

Oy, oh boy, the joy to be rid of you,

Because I’m mad, not sad, not glad, just mad about you.

© Ann Koplow, 2018

Two people yesterday told me they believe that song could go viral, which would be a loud uprising for me. Every loud uprising starts with a small sound (especially if you have only 11 subscribers on YouTube), so I’ve quietly posted that performance here.

Do you notice any loud uprisings in my other photos from yesterday?

 

The gentleman on the right in that last photo is Ben, who creates a loud and supportive uprising at the start of my performance of “I’m Mad About You”.

I’m looking forward to a loud uprising at the USA mid-term elections on Tuesday, November 6. I’m also looking forward to uprisings of any volume in the comments section, below.

Thanks to all who helped me create the loud uprisings in today’s post and — of course! — to YOU.

 

Day 2121: Making noise

Is making noise making things better or worse? Today, I’m making noise about the fact that some news columnists are speculating that how the USA opposition party is making noise might be hurting their chances in the upcoming midterm election.

Lately, I’ve been making noise in my therapy groups, inviting people to be making noise when we do a mindfulness exercise that focuses on listening.  This is the noise I’m making when I introduce that exercise:

In this mindfulness exercise, we’re going to focus on the sense of hearing. After you hear the sound of the chime, do your best to listen to all the noises in the room. Feel free to make noise to make the exercise more interesting for other people.

That’s my attempt at making it safer for people to be making noise, since many of us can be self-conscious about the noises we’re making, especially when other people are listening.

I’ll be making noise soon with these Right & Wrong Buzzers:

Even though I’m often making noise about letting go of  unhelpful concepts of wrong and right, I’ll be making noise to encourage people to change old habits of thinking (including the cognitive distortions described here).

It’s okay to be making noise or to be silent about the other images I captured yesterday.

Because the wind was making so much noise yesterday, I didn’t go for my usual walk. Instead, I was making noise by making ukulele chords for  my latest original song “I’m Mad About You.”

With that song, I’m making noise about anger (especially towards politicians).

It’s time for me to be making noise about gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me create this “Making noise” post and — of course! — to YOU, for all the noises you’re making.

Day 2116: How to respond

Yesterday, people were discussing how to respond to a particular type of comment:

How to respond to my 7 other photos and 1 video from yesterday?

 

 

How to respond to somebody who is letting her hair go gray?

How to respond to this post?  However you choose.

How to respond to the people who helped me create this post and to you for being here? With thanks.

 

Day 2106: I’m Mad About You

Yesterday, when I was mad/angry/furious, I wrote a new song entitled “I’m Mad About You.”

I’m mad/crazy/nuts about jazz standards and I hope I have the mad/superior/unexpected skills to evoke that musical sound in my latest original tune.

Are you mad about my opening and ending lyrics?

I’m mad about you.

You make me feel blue.

You make me so angry.

And that isn’t new.

.

.

I’m wish I could disappear you.

Never hear or be near you.

Oy, oh boy, the joy to be rid of you.

Because I’m mad, not glad, not sad, just mad about you.

© Ann Koplow 2018

 

Are you mad about any of my many photos from yesterday, when my madly loved Michael and I visited the Adams National Historical Park and downtown Quincy, Massachusetts, USA?

If you were particularly mad about any of those smaller photos, please click to enlarge.

Did you notice any of the mad connections among those photos, like this one?

 

I’m mad about the music and singer of this jazz standard and I’m madly thinking about the lyrics.

 

I’m mad about my readers and hope to get some mad comments on this post.

Mad gratitude to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 2105: Politics

Was it politics last night when I added these lyrics to my latest original song, “Triggers”?

Everybody has a trigger,

Some are long and some are short.

Now a trigger who is bigger

Might be on the Supreme Court.

Actually, a more accurate line about current U.S. politics would have been “Now a trigger who is bigger WILL be on the Supreme Court.”

Here’s  a definition of politics:

POLITICS  noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction
pol·i·tics | \ ˈpä-lə-ˌtiks \
Definition of politics
1a : the art or science of government
b : the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy
c : the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government
2 : political actions, practices, or policies
3a : political affairs or business
especially : competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership (as in a government)
b : political life especially as a principal activity or profession
c : political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices
4 : the political opinions or sympathies of a person
5a : the total complex of relations between people living in society
b : relations or conduct in a particular area of experience especially as seen or dealt with from a political point of view

Here are the politics of  last night’s debut  performance of “Triggers.”

Any politics in my photos from yesterday?

To make myself happy, I’ll be experiencing the politics of Orlando’s Disney World in January.

As alway, I practice the politics of gratitude.

Day 2086: Triggers, again

My post today may trigger memories of my two previous posts about triggers (here and here).  If you want a definition of triggers, you can use your trigger finger to click on those links, now.

The first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts for 80 years, this weekend, triggers many news articles,  allusions to the movie Jaws, and fears about going in the water. Despite the rarity of shark attacks, they are triggers for many people.

While I was in Edinburgh in August, I wrote lyrics for another original song, “Triggers.”  Yesterday, when I was triggered to start writing a melody,   I realized how timely those lyrics were.

TRIGGERS

For me it’s the cold and the dark,

For him it’s not finding a good place to park,

For some it’s a loud noise,

For others it’s rude boys,

For many it’s news of attacks by a shark.

Everybody has a trigger,

Most of us have more than one.

Some are small and some are bigger

But none of them are ever fun.

The roots of your triggers are memories traumatic

To some your reactions may seem over-dramatic

Triggers may haunt you

But don’t let them daunt you

Because there are ways to make them less automatic.

© Ann Koplow, 2018

I have more lyrics about triggers, but my look at the time triggers my realization that I shall be late for work if I don’t quickly wrap up this latest post about triggers.

That triggers this sharing of all my photos from yesterday:

Here’s an amazing song titled “Triggers” by Soldier Hard, featured on his album Group Therapy:

 

The end of every post triggers my request for comments and my gratitude to all who help me write this daily blog and — of course! — YOU.

 

Day 2077: Applause

Several times in therapy groups this week, there was spontaneous applause, as people supported each other’s perspectives and progress.

I remember attending an “Opening the Heart” weekend workshop many years ago, where each one of us received thunderous, sustained applause after introducing ourselves. I still vividly recall how that applause felt, after I had revealed myself and my vulnerabilities to many strangers.

How do you respond to applause?

Last night, I was surprised by the timing of the applause to my latest original song, “Shameless Appeals for Applause.”

 

I now shamelessly appeal for applause for my photos from yesterday:

 

No matter what kind of comment you leave below, you’re sure to get applause from me.

Gratitude is a kind of applause, so I’m now clapping for all those who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — YOU.

Day 2072: Shameless Appeals for Applause

Here’s my first shameless appeal for applause in today’s  blog post: I have finished writing my fourth original song this year!

The name of the song is “Shameless Appeals for Applause” and I hope you find the chorus appealing:

These are shameless appeals for applause.

They are true and reliably cause

Clapping and oooohs and some awwwwws.

These shameless appeals for applause.

© Ann Koplow 2018

My shameless appeals for applause in that song include having a heart condition, being a single mother, and who I did NOT vote for in the 2016 USA presidential election.

This year, I’ve been making shameless appeals for applause with my original songs on the first Friday of every month at an acoustic Open Mic in Arlington, Massachusetts (see here for my shameless appeals for applause there in August). However, I still have some laryngitis, so I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to appeal for applause this coming Friday.

In the meantime, do you see any shameless appeals for applause in my photos from yesterday?

I shamelessly included one of those photos above because it evokes the name of another song I’m writing: “Triggers.”

Is including this patriotic song — also evoked by a photo above — another shameless appeal for applause?

Now I shall make another shameless appeal, this time for comments on this post.

Thanks to the Hingham Shipyard, to those who serve, to every one else who helped me create today’s shameless appeals for applause here at WordPress and — of course! — to YOU, who deserve applause for visiting my blog.

Day 2057: Have real fun

Yesterday, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where my son Aaron and I have real fun every year, I saw this command (or suggestion):

What is your idea of real fun? For me, it includes venturing into the unknown while being connected with those I love. Yesterday, I had LOTS of real fun as I met more of Aaron’s creative and interesting friends, saw lots of macarons (including a photo of Aaron’s first attempt at making macarons), performed as a busker (!) at the Fringe across from the Beehive Inn, perhaps broke some kind of record for successful promotion of a comedy performance as I handed out flyers for Aaron’s afternoon stand-up performance at the Beehive Inn (“Hi! This is my son the comedian! He’s not only handsome, he’s funny! He won an award as the best University stand-up comic in Edinburgh! If you don’t believe me you can find out for yourself at 12:45 right there!”), and watched Aaron end his evening stand-up performance at the Bedlam Theater with an improvised exit off a giant stage.

I wonder if you’ll have real fun as you check out my photos and videos from yesterday.

I hope to get a SIM card for my phone today so I can have real fun creating these posts, checking your comments, and replying to them, all without not-real-fun data charges.

As usual, I have real fun expressing gratitude to all who help me create these real fun posts and those who read them, including real fun YOU!