Day 2241: Hello, beautiful

Hello, beautiful.

How does that affect you, for somebody to call you beautiful?  What would happen if you called yourself beautiful?

Let’s try that again.

Hello, beautiful. On our beautiful flight to Disney World last week, I wrote a new song called “What Are Other People Thinking About You?” which included this lyric:

What are other people thinking about you?

That is something you will never know.

Then why not assume they’re thinking you’re gorgeous,

Smart, and someone they would want to know.

When I looked at those lyrics yesterday in the harsh, cold light of Boston, I realized I could make them more beautiful if I didn’t rhyme “know” with “know.”

Hello, beautiful. Here are my other beautiful photographs from yesterday:

My beautiful boyfriend Michael, who made that beautiful Portobello Burger last night, often says these beautiful words:

It’s not where you are, it’s who you’re with.

And since you’re always with yourself, why not enjoy the  beautiful company?

Searching YouTube for “Hello beautiful Minnie Mouse” found this beautiful match for today’s post about song lyrics and other beautiful topics:

Hello, beautiful.  Thanks for reading today’s post and if you leave a comment, that would be beautiful.

Day 2234: When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do

If you’re curious, I had two other possible titles for today’s post, which shows lots of interesting things and people on our trip today to Disney World.  The other two titles were

“Live This Moment” or

“How to Get Around,” but then I saw this perfect quote by Walt Disney:

Curious to find lots of interesting things in my other photos from yesterday?

 

If you’re curious about any of those photos, you can click on them to make them larger.

I was curious about this hat

because Mickey looks angry, and I’m not used to seeing that.  When I discussed this with an interesting “cast member” at a cash register, we agreed that Mickey, like the rest of us, is allowed to have all his feelings, including anger.

I’m looking forward to doing all sorts of interesting things today, wearing that hat.

If you’re curious about today’s tune, it’s NOT the song I wrote on the plane ride from Boston to Orlando (“What Are Other People Thinking About  You?”).  Instead, it’s “It’s a Small World.”

I’m curious about whether you watched the whole ride and about whatever feelings you’re having, in this moment.

If you’re curious, I’m feeling extreme gratitude for where I am, whom I’m with, and for my readers!

Day 2225: Who is it?

Who is it that just posted this on Facebook?

If it’s not me posting that I’ll be performing my latest original song “It’s Not Me” at the Jam’n Java Open Mic in Arlington’s Kickstand Cafe this Friday (January 4) while wearing my original t-shirt that says “It’s Not Me,” then who is it?

Who is it that just wrote another verse for “It’s Not Me”?

It’s not me who’s claiming

that our love was a sham.

It’s not me who’s blaming

all the things that I am.

© Ann Koplow, 2018

Who is it that took these photos yesterday?

 

 

Who is it that will be disappointed if people don’t laugh at the improv section of “It’s Not Me” Friday night?  And who is it that learned how to balance a salt shaker on its side at college?

Who is it that’s sharing this music, here and now?

Who is that saw The Who at The Boston Garden in the 1970s?

Who is it that’s expressing thanks to all who helped me create this post (including my son Aaron and The Who) and to you — Whoo hoo! —  who’s reading it?

Day 2218: What you have survived

Take a breath, in this present moment, and consider what you have survived.

How does that affect you?

When I look at what I have survived, I feel braver and more hopeful about what I’m facing now.

I have survived

• many holidays over my almost-66 years,
• two thousand, two hundred, and eighteen days of blogging,
• a congenital heart condition,
• many surgeries,
• sexism,
• anti-Semitism,
• the death of both my parents,
• other departures,
• fear,
• misunderstandings,
• miscommunications,
• personal comments (including being called “incapable“),
• silence,
• anger,
• rivalries,
• the dark,
• the cold,
• feeling lost,
• incompetent leaders, and
• lots of  crap.

What have you survived?

I assume we’ll all survive my recent photos.

Here‘s a reggae version of “I Will Survive.”

What helps me survive?  Gratitude, all those who help me create these daily blogs, and — of course! — YOU.

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 2122: Spooky

These days, many things seem spooky to me, especially politics.

Do you see anything spooky in my photos from yesterday?

 

 

 

Oops!  Who knew that Boston Cream Pie was spooky?

This song is spooky.

I look forward to spooky comments, below.

No matter how spooky things are, I can still find gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me create this spooky post and — Boo! — to YOU.

Day 2046: You choose

We choose so many times on any chosen day, whether or not we’re aware of those choices.

I choose “You choose” as today’s title because I saw this, yesterday:

You choose while so many people are trying to influence how you choose.  You choose, but how do you know if you choose well?

I choose

• to write a daily blog,
• to share photos,

• to dream,

• to travel to new places like Iceland, and
• to search YouTube for relevant videos.

“Who is the most stupid here?”  was one of the top two choices in my YouTube search for “You choose” and has 5.8 million views. Do you choose to believe that “Who is the most stupid here?” explains your personality?

Would you choose “I Choose You” by Sara Bareilles?

I chose that. What song would you choose for today’s post?

You choose what comment you want to leave.

I choose to end this blog post with gratitude to all, including YOU.

Day 2015: There are two sides to every adventure

Yesterday, when I was having adventures, I saw this:

Last night, there were two sides to my adventures with my non-responsive laptop at the Apple Store. On one side of the store, we met the multi-sided Apple Genius Niko (who writes children’s adventure books on the side).

Niko is showing us his smiling side there. When he looked at my well-worn laptop (which has been by my side for years of blogging adventures), he showed his concerned and worried side. When I told him that my son and I had likely accidentally switched our look-alike chargers, he said the higher wattage of my son’s charger might have been too adventurous and powerful for the charging side of my little laptop.

Here’s the side of my son’s charger:

Here’s the side of my laptop’s charger:

Watt a difference 15 watts can make. The adventures of my little laptop are over. On the one side, I’m going to miss that little adventurous laptop. On the other side, I’m getting a new, faster blogging machine on the other side of two days.

When I was having adventures on two sides of Boston’s Downtown Crossing yesterday, I recorded two musical performances with my adventurous iPhone:

There are at least two sides to every photo I share here:

I’m always having a nice day when I can express thanks to all who help me create this blog and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 2011: What’s your intent?

When I am confused by somebody’s actions or statements, I like to ask “What’s your intent?”

If I don’t ask, I assume what the intent is and I’m probably wrong.

If I knew the owner of this car …

… I would ask  “What’s your intent in having that license plate?”   Because I don’t know that person, I assume it’s a communication about disaster.  What kind of disaster?  Maybe living in Maine is a disaster for a lobster.

What’s my intent in taking and sharing these other photos?

My intent is to tell you that you are not alone. We’re all in this together.

Here‘s “Good Intent” from Kimbra.

What’s your intent in reading my blog today?  Please express your intent in a comment, below.

At the end of every post, my intent is to express thanks to all who helped me create it and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 2010: Smart

It’s  smart to define your terms, so here’s a definition of smart:

smart
smärt
adjective
1. (informal) having or showing a quick-witted intelligence.
“if he was that smart he would never have been tricked”
synonyms: clever, bright, intelligent, sharp-witted, quick-witted, shrewd, astute, able
2. (of a person) clean, neat, and well-dressed.
“you look very smart”
synonyms: well dressed, stylish, chic, fashionable, modish, elegant, neat, spruce, trim, dapper
verb
1. (of a wound or part of the body) cause a sharp, stinging pain.
“the wound was smarting”
synonyms: sting, burn, tingle, prickle
noun
1. NORTH AMERICAN informal
intelligence; acumen.
“I don’t think I have the smarts for it”
2.sharp stinging pain.
“the smart of the recent blood-raw cuts”
adverb
1. in a quick or brisk manner.
“it is better for tenants to be compelled to pay up smart”

Are you smart enough to notice that one word evokes intelligence, fashion, quickness,  and pain?  I’m smart enough to notice that I’ve never used the word “smart” in a blog post title before but not smart enough to know why that is.

My smart boyfriend and I have been having many discussions lately about how smart the U.S. President is or isn’t and how much this presidency smarts.

Let’s see if I can find any smart photos on my smart phone.

 

 

Here’s one smart video from YouTube:

And here’s a smart number from Aladdin (which I’m seeing with my smart friend Deb this weekend).

I wonder if we’ll be smart enough to figure out how they get the carpet to fly like that.

I look forward to your smart comments.

It’s time for some intelligent, fashionable, and quick thanks to all who helped me create this smart post and — of course! — to YOU.