Day 2409: Authority issues

Because I have the authority to know such things, I can declare that I have never before used the term “authority issues” (or even the word “authority”) in any of the thousands of post titles I’ve issued over the years, here at this daily blog.

I don’t have any issues about that, but let’s see if finding a definition of the term “authority issues” is an issue this morning.

myShrink.com has some authority to issue this:

When we say we have issues with authority it means we have difficulty with individuals who wield power over us. This could be our boss, but also someone with higher social status, or anyone who has something we want and the power to withhold it. … The trouble lies in the way we feel about authority.

I remember, years ago — when authority was an issue at my previous workplace — saying to a co-worker, “Apparently, I have authority issues,” and her replying, “Ann! Who doesn’t have authority issues?”

I will say that I have MANY issues with people in authority these days (including the President of these United States). How about you?  What are your authority issues? Only you have the authority to say.

Today, I have to deal with two bureaucracies who have “something we want and the power to withhold it …” that is, the Internal Revenue Service (who still have not issued my refund) and an insurance company. Because I have authority issues, I am not looking forward to any of the issues that may arise during those encounters.

I do have the authority to issue whatever photos I want here, because it’s my blog!   Let’s see if there are any authority issues in my latest photos:

Who has the authority to say “Michael shows a lot of authority in his cooking” or “Harley obviously has authority over that squirrel”?

YouTube issues many good suggestions about “Authority Issues” including this one (in which Phil Dourado talks about The Authority Problem of telling truth to power):

 

In 1992, John Mellencamp had the authority to perform “The Authority Song” live at the Farm Aid benefit concert.

I have the authority to end my blog posts with gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 2372: Better Speech and Hearing Month

If this is Better Speech and Hearing Month,

why aren’t we hearing better speeches this month? Instead, we’re hearing speeches, again, about our U.S. President being a “stable genius.”  

Considering the speeches we’re hearing this month, I would prefer stillness. 

Therefore, I am not going to make any speeches this month.  I’m just going to share all the photos I’ve been taking, looking for better stable geniuses around me. I hope these pictures help  you feel better, hear and now.

 

 

I will share this: I’ve been hearing better speeches about my Coping and Healing groups during Better Speech and Hearing Month, which makes it easier to share groups I love.

How might you celebrate Better Speech and Hearing Month?

Personally, I’m looking forward to hearing better speeches (and maybe new comedy monologues) from my son, Aaron, who arrives from Edinburgh today!

Now, let’s hear  “A Very Stable Genius” by Randy Rainbow:

I’m going to be celebrating Lasagna Awareness Month by hearing Randy Rainbow live in Boston.

I look forward to hearing my readers’ speeches in the comments section, below.

It’s better, during any month, to share gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me create all of my blog posts during Better Speech and Hearing Month, and — of course! — thanks to YOU,  as always, for hearing me out.

Day 2274: Guilty

I’m guilty of sharing guilt in my blog lately, as you can see in these photos:

 

I’m guilty, in my therapy groups, of using this book

to pose questions like “If you were to take a look at the various ‘guilts’ that you carry around with you, which would be least justified and which would be most justified?”

I’m also guilty of writing Day 126: Ridiculous Things I’m Feeling Guilty About and Day 977: Super Guilty for this daily blog.

This week, many U.S. TV shows were guilty of sharing the exact same “guilty” clip:

 

Sometimes I feel guilty when I snap photos. Yesterday, I saw a mangled bicycle in the middle of a busy intersection on my daily walk near work.  I considered capturing that sad but compelling image on my iPhone, but I knew I would feel guilty if I did. This story about that bicycle showed up on my news feed a few minutes ago.

I did not feel guilty taking these other photos yesterday:

 

I’m guilty of holding on to hope even in the midst of  death, destruction and national emergencies.

I’m guilty of being unaware of this great tune by Tom Wopat before yesterday:

Are you guilty of knowing Tom Wopat from the U.S. TV show The Dukes of Hazzard?

I’m guilty of wanting comments on today’s post.

No matter what we’re guilty of, I’m very grateful that you visited my blog today.

 

 

 

Day 2204: What the hell happened?

What the hell!  Did anybody else have a week where you asked yourself,

“What the hell happened?”

When you’re talking to somebody on the phone and they’re suddenly not there, do you ask yourself, “What the hell happened?  Did they hang up on me?  Was it something I said? Are they angry? Did their phone lose power? Is the signal week?  Should I call back? Are they calling me back?”

What the hell happened  in these photos?

What the hell happened in the first photo above and the last one?  First photo: We did a mindfulness exercise in a therapy group last week where we focused on a piece of paper we crumpled  and then unfolded. Last photo: a group calling themselves “Gym Class” performed Lou Reed’s “Take a Walk on the Wild Side” at an open mic last night.

What the hell happened last night when I debuted my latest original song, “I Left the House Before I Felt Ready” at that same open mic?   See for yourself:

What the hell do you think will happen if you leave a comment?

What the hell happens at the end of my blog posts?

 

Day 2138: Masks

Over two years ago, when I was in the hospital dealing with pneumonia and heart failure, I wrote a blog post titled “Masks“.

Yesterday, in a therapy group, people talked about the relationships between the masks they wear on the outside and how they feel inside.  I keep the identify of my group members masked because of confidentiality; therefore I only show what I create in group, including this mask:

Do you see masks in my other photos from yesterday?

 

Here’s “Behind the Mask” by Michael Jackson:

Here’s the “Cuban Pete” song from The Mask:

I never mask my gratitude for those who help me create these blog posts 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 2065: Unspeakable

For the first time in my life, I have laryngitis, which means most things are unspeakable for me right now.

After reading the news today, I can’t speak about some unspeakable stories.  However, I can write my thoughts and feelings here.

It’s unspeakable to me how many mass shootings there are in the USA.  When my son got into the University of Edinburgh and a few USA colleges in 2016, I spoke to him about my preference of where he might go to school. I spoke of my belief that he would be safer outside of the USA because of all the unspeakable school shootings and the unspeakble access to guns here.

It’s also unspeakable to me how a person in power can speak unspeakably unkindly about other people, even war heroes.

Even though my thoughts and feelings are unspeakable right now, I can still share photos from my first day back in the USA.

 

Yes, Michael’s meals are unspeakably good. I can’t speak to why we saw coconuts on the beach yesterday.

Here‘s Jimmy Kimmel speaking about President Trump’s attempt to speak directly to Hindi-speakers.

 

Please feel free to share speakable and unspeakable thoughts and feelings in the comments section, below.

As always, I need to somehow speak my gratitude to those who helped me create this unspeakable blog post and — of course! — to YOU.

 

Day 2025: Backbone

The first photo I took yesterday showed some backbone.

Here‘s a definition of “backbone”:

1 : spinal column, spine
2 : something that resembles a backbone: such as
a : a chief mountain ridge, range, or system
b : the foundation or most substantial or sturdiest part of something
c : the longest chain of atoms or groups of atoms in a usually long molecule (such as a polymer or protein)
d : the primary high-speed hardware and transmission lines of a telecommunications network (such as the Internet)
3 : firm and resolute character

I hope I’m exhibiting firm and resolute character as I send you this blog post over the primary high-speed hardware and transmission lines of the internet.

Do you see any backbone in my other photos today?

 

 

There are several “Backbone” songs on YouTube, including this one:

Feel free to show some backbone in a comment, below.

Gratitude is a backbone of this daily blog, so thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — to YOU.

Day 2018: 2018

What kind of number is 2018? The website Numbermatics tells us that

2018 is an even composite number. It is composed of two distinct prime numbers multiplied together. It has a total of four divisors.

2018 squared (20182) is 4072324
2018 cubed (20183) is 8217949832
The square root of 2018 is 44.9221548905
The cube root of 2018 is 12.6368953011

To count from 1 to 2018 would take you about thirty-three minutes.

It takes me about thirty-three minutes to create my daily blog posts, including one where the number of the post equals the number of the year.

2018 is also approximately the number of thoughts I had about how to mark this special number today. I spent about 2018 seconds searching for “mathematical puns” and I found Yan’s One Minute Math Blog, which included these mathematical puns from Stewart Francis:

I’m the youngest of three, my parents are both older.

Of the twenty-seven
students in my maths class,
I was the only one who failed.
What are the odds of that, one
in a million?

What are the odds of my blogging consecutively for 2018 days?  What are the odds of 2018 being the kind of year it’s been?

The number of photos I’m sharing today is approximately the cube root of 2018:

 

After spending approximately 2018 seconds creating this blog, I can see glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel.  Can you?

Here‘s what comes up for “2018” on YouTube:

One more mathematical fact: that has 6.5K likes and 6.7K dislikes on YouTube.

I wonder what number of comments I’ll get on this 2018 post?

I’ve been grateful 2018 times to those who help me create this blog and — of course! — to YOU.

 

 

Day 1974: Real

Here’s a real definition of “real.”

re·al
rē(ə)l
adjective
1.actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact; not imagined or supposed.
“Julius Caesar was a real person”
synonyms: actual, nonfictional, factual, real-life
2. (of a substance or thing) not imitation or artificial; genuine.
“the earring was presumably real gold”
synonyms: genuine, authentic, bona fide
adverb NORTH AMERICAN informal
1. really; very.
“my head hurts real bad”

Here’s the real inspiration for today’s post:

What’s your real reaction to that?

My head hurts real bad when people

• deny climate change and
• otherwise deny what’s real to me.

It’s time for some real quotes:

Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing?  Did I let go of my resentment? Did I forgive?  Did I love? These are the real questions.  I must trust that the little bit of love I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.  — Henri Nouween

Character is like a tree and reputation is like a shadow.  The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.  — Abraham Lincoln

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity.  Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. — Dwight D. Eisenhower

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.  — Mahatma Gandhi

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.  — Confucius

Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit.  —  Hosea Ballou

There is no real beauty without some slight imperfection.  — James Salter

The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.  — Buddha

Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.  — Albert Camus

Real magic in relationships means an absence of judgment of others.  — Wayne Dyer

Nothing ever becomes real til it is experienced.  — John Keats

The world is like a reverse  casino.  In a casino, if you gamble long enough, you’re certainly going to lose. But in the real world, where the only thing you’re gambling is, say, your time or your embarrassment, then the more stuff you do, the more you give luck a chance to find you. — Scott Adams

The truth is, as most of us know, that global warming is real and that humans are major contributors, mainly because we wastefully burn fossil fuels.  — David Suzuki

Monsters are real, and ghosts are real, too.  They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win. — Stephen King

People like to say that the conflict is between good and evil.  The real conflict is between truth and lies.  —  Don Miguel Ruiz

Well, real estate is always good, as far as I’m concerned.  — Donald Trump

To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.  — Douglas Adams

Nothing is so strong as gentleness;  nothing so gentle as real strength.  — Saint Frances de Sales

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.  — Marcel Proust

To keep it real, I try to have new eyes every day.  Here’s what I saw with new eyes yesterday:

Now I have a real dilemma: whether to share a real video of the Cookie Monster singing in the voice of the real Tom Waits …

… or this real video of my real son Aaron and his real friend Cameron from years ago,  in which lasagna and Michael make real surprise appearances and Aaron keeps it real in the moment.

I’m looking forward to real comments about this real post.

Finally, here are some real thanks from me to all those who helped me create today’s real  post and — of course! — to YOU.