Day 3379: Stand up

I grew up with a very funny father who was a fan of good stand up comedy. I still remember watching TV with my dad and the way he would laugh out loud at comedians he liked. He would also sit in silence when stand ups were mean, unimaginative, or unfunny.

During the 1980s, when stand up comedy really exploded in clubs all over Boston, I spent hours laughing at the greats there, including Steven Wright, Kevin Meaney, Ron Lynch, Mike Donovan, Jack Gallagher, and Barry Crimmins. I took a stand up comedy class taught by Ron Lynch and got lots of laughs at my two appearances at Open Mics, one of which also marked the debut of an unknown named Bobcat Goldthwait.

Because I love stand up so much, I introduced it to my only son when he was very young. We would watch “Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist,” which featured the incomparable Jonathan Katz and wonderful comedians (including Steven Wright, Ron Lynch, Kevin Meaney, Jack Gallagher, Ray Romano, Jon Stewart, and Garry Shandling) delivering their stand up routines lying down or sitting up on the psychiatrist’s couch. Years later, my son Aaron got into stand up comedy and was eventually introduced by my teacher and friend, Ron Lynch, for Aaron’s first appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe when he was 17 years old. Since then, Aaron has appeared many times as a stand up in Edinburgh and his mother did some sit-down comedy at her own show at the Fringe called “Group Therapy with Ann.”

I still love good stand up. Just the other day, Aaron and I watched Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip, which I remember seeing with Aaron’s father in theaters when that amazing movie first came out. While the only stand up Aaron is doing these days is standing up at his computer in our basement applying to PhD programs in mathematics, we can still enjoy stand ups together.

Do you see any stand ups in my images for today?

I love the way I’m featuring my child Aaron (who is one of my favorite stand ups) in my blog on National Love Our Children Day.

Here’s an episode of “Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist” featuring Steven Wright and Kevin Meaney.

And here’s another one featuring Ron Lynch.

Stand up thanks to all who help me create these blog posts, including YOU.

Day 2778: Scream

Last week, I asked people in a socially-distanced Coping and Healing group if they wanted to scream.  Some said they did want to scream, but nobody screamed in group.  When people are angry and frustrated, I sometimes suggest that they scream

• together,
• alone,
• into a pillow,
• in their cars,
• along to music, or
• other ways that work for them.

Yesterday,  I almost screamed with joy when this long-awaited mask arrived in the mail:

I wore the Scream mask yesterday when we shopped at a local Whole Foods Market (which my friend Jenn calls “Whole Paycheck”). The week before, I wanted to scream at our local Stop & Shop because a shopper was walking around with no mask, unchallenged, and several employees (INCLUDING A STORE MANAGER!) had their noses hanging out of their masks.  I might scream about that to our local Board of Health.

Do you see anything in these other photos from yesterday that makes you want to scream?

IF YOU WANT TO ENLARGE ANY OF THOSE PHOTOS, PLEASE CLICK ON IT!

Here’s another photo from Whole Foods:

People who party together these days without obeying social distancing make me want to SCREAM!

During the month of August, people usually scream with laughter at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but not this year (which is screamingly apparent in this video by Laurie Black):

Here’s how Laurie Black introduces that video on YouTube:

This is Laurie Black, reporting from Edinburgh. Scenes on the ground here are unheard of – the streets are empty, shutters down, the silent discos are actually silent, and pipers are wearing facemasks… For the first time in 73 years, Edinburgh will *not* be welcoming performers and audiences from around the world, for 25 days in 300+ venues. That doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy and support the arts – get involved at https://crowdfund.edfringe.com/fringe… and make an effort to look up some of your favourite Fringe artists and venues; follow them on social media; buy their merch; donate to their crowdfunder pages; and tune into their live-streamed performances. The show isn’t over, it’s just a dark day. See you in 2021!

Here‘s a video from my Edinburgh Fringe show last year:

Feel free to scream about anything you choose in the comments section, below.

Thanks for following and supporting one of your favourite Fringe artists here.

 

Day 2664: Oddballs

Greetings, fellow Oddballs!

This blogging Oddball noticed this oddball headline yesterday from my oddball local paper:

 

Do you agree that the coronavirus makes oddballs of us all?

Earlier in my oddball day, somebody in a Coping and Healing group said they felt like an oddball until they expressed their feelings and realized they were not alone. Oddly enough, I’ve seen this happen hundreds of times over my 20-odd years as a group therapist.

Later in my oddball day, several Oddballs in another remote Coping and Healing group did a scavenger hunt in our oddball homes, finding and sharing  oddball things that were important to us.  One of the oddball, important, and favorite items shared was this:

Oddly enough, this oddball item was not shared by me during the scavenger hunt but by a different Oddball.

Are you ready for some other recent oddball images captured by this Oddball during these oddball times?

 

That last oddball photo shows an oddball item I retrieved and showed in yesterday’s oddball scavenger hunt. Does anybody have an oddball guess of what that entertaining item was?

This Oddball has oddly been having trouble writing oddball songs lately, but I did write these recent oddball lyrics:

Now more than ever

We need to be together,

But now is the time we need to stay apart.

Because people are contagious

New behaviors seem outrageous

And each of us is holding lots of worry in our heart.

 

Here and here are two oddball original songs I performed in August 2019 for lots of oddballs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, one of the biggest yearly gatherings of oddballs in the world (which has been cancelled during this oddball year):

 

 

This Oddball had planned to perform that second oddball song at a gathering of other social worker oddballs at the hospital where we work, but that annual party was also cancelled during this oddball year.

During oddball times like these, we have to remember to grieve our losses and to realize that we are not alone.

I’m looking forward to lots of oddball comments, below, and here’s some oddball thanks from one oddball to another!

 

 

Day 2521: How to be more self-confident

Yesterday, people in a therapy session started a list of how to be more self-confident.

I’m self-confident enough to

• ask if you know other ways to be more self-confident and
• share my other photos from yesterday.

 

One of those turkeys looks more self-confident than the other. Do you see more self-confidence in any of those other photos?

I am confident that YouTube will have a video about “How to be more self-confident.”

Since #5 is “Play Music,” here’s me playing two original songs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe three months ago:

That helps improve my self-confidence about applying to do more shows at the 2020 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Are you self-confident to leave a comment? If not, how might you be more self-confident about that?

Gratitude helps me be more self-confident, so thanks to all who help me be self-confident enough to share this daily blog, including YOU!

Day 2426: Expanding the View

On my way to Edinburgh Airport to catch my fight back to Boston, I expanded my view to notice this:

After attending the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for seven years with my son (who is now a student at University of Edinburgh and a well-established local comedian), I would say that the Edinburgh Fringe is all about expanding the view.

This year, my view was expanded by doing my own Fringe Show — Group “Therapy” with Ann — and also attending The Mail Room, the Fringe show my son shared with one of our long-time favorite comedians, Tom Joyce. Tom expanded my already favorable view of him by showing up yesterday, unasked, to help me expand the audience for my two shows yesterday by passing out flyers outside the venue.

Which ones of the many other photos in this post are expanding the view?

Expanding your time spent with this post, I will tell you that ONE of those views is NOT from Edinburgh, but rather from back home in Boston. If you can guess which one, that will expand my view of you.

Soon I’ll be expanding my view on a plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean. As usual, my gratitude for all who help me create and who read my posts is expanding. Here’s today’s final view:

Day 2423: The Greatest Theatrical Event Ever

While I would like to think that my first Fringe show — “Group ‘Therapy’ with Ann” — was the greatest theatrical event ever, a different show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is making a claim for that distinction, as you can see:

Even if my Fringe show was not the greatest theatrical event ever, it still went very, very well. Thirteen people showed up and seemed to get a lot out of it. I got permission from the participants for my son Aaron to tape the two original songs I performed. Here and here are two of the greatest musical events ever on YouTube:

Are these my greatest pictures ever?

Five of those photos were taken by the greatest family event ever … my son, Aaron!

I’m looking forward to the greatest comments ever.

The greatest thanks ever to all those who helped me create this post  — including the cast and creators of “The Greatest Theatrical Event (in this place at this time for this price) EVER!” — and the greatest thanks ever to the greatest readers ever: YOU!

Day 2421: Together again for the first time

Here are most of my photos from yesterday, together again for the first time:

Five years ago (but who’s counting?), Joshua Ladgrove a/k/a Neal Portenza invited my then 16-year-old son Aaron up on the stage with him during his brilliant Fringe show. Last night, they were together again for the first time.

Tomorrow, I’ll be together again for the first time with ?? people (perhaps including some of the people in my photos above)  in my first Fringe show ever.

Because it’s a one-time only show, I have only one chance to get it right.   Will it be a catastrophe, like a boat hitting an iceberg?

Will I lose my head?

Will I maintain my balance?

Will the audience like my music?

Will they use my mindfulness exercise to be in the here and now?

Will anybody mispronounce my name or be a dickhead?

Will people want to see a show from a “new employee” of the Edinburgh Free Fringe?

Here and here are two songs that are “Together Again For the First Time.”

Which reminds me, I want to see Manual Cinema again.

All your comments on this post will be together again for the first time, below.

And today’s expressions of gratitude are together again for the first time!

Day 2419: Get in touch

Get in touch with your reactions to these two notifications I recently received from Facebook:

It’s not easy for me to get in touch with Oscar right now. Why? Because I’m at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Oscar’s back home with Michael and Harley.

I’m getting in touch with my excitement about my son Aaron and I both having shows at the Fringe.

Get in touch with these other new photos on my phone:

Get in touch with this YouTube video of Aaron performing a version of his Mail Room show.

Get in touch with me through a comment, below.

Every day, no matter where I am, I’m in touch with appreciation and gratitude for you!

Day 2063: How to be Amazingly Happy

When I was amazingly happy yesterday at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, I noticed this:

What do you know about how to be amazingly happy?

I am amazingly happy that I travelled to Iceland and Edinburgh, spent time with people I love, and am returning home later today.

Do any of my other photos from yesterday make you amazingly happy?

I am amazingly happy that I blogged every day of my vacation, despite many internet connection challenges.

I would be amazingly happy to read any comment from you.

As usual, I am amazingly happy to express gratitude to all who helped me create today’s post and — of course! — to you, for being so amazing.

Day 2062: Performing Together

Yesterday, inside the Music Museum at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (where people from all over the world are performing together), I saw this:

In these days of divisiveness, performing together seems more vital than I can ever remember before.

Can you see the theme of performing together in my other photos from yesterday?

People in Edinburgh are so into performing together that when we asked our adorable server to take our picture last night at the Cellar Door Restaurant, she had to get into the act.

I look forward to seeing how my readers will be performing together in the comment section, below.

As always, I appreciate all those performing together in this blog, including YOU!