Day 3376: National Name Yourself Day

Happy National Name Yourself Day!

Here’s the description of this day from the National Days website:

Because my name is constantly misspelled and mispronounced (e.g., “Anne Caplow”), I will take advantage of National Name Yourself Day to try on another name today and maybe a new personality!

I know what I want my first name to be on National Name Yourself Day — Ace. I’ve never had a nickname and I’ve written before that I’d like that one. Why? “Ace” is close enough to “Ann” (starts with “A” and is three letters), it won’t be misspelled, AND it expresses pride in my own abilities (taking a break from any fears of seeming conceited).

For a last name, I’m momentarily stumped. I could choose something like “Writer” or “Blogger” or “Tweeter” or “Therapist” to further brag about myself, but I don’t love those names.

I could convert my real last name “Koplow” (pronounced “Cop-lo”) to something close. As annoyed as I can get with the constant misspellings and mispronunciations, my husband Michael (who might call himself “Mike” today but never “Mickey”) has suggested that I embrace the most common of those: “Kaplow” which is pronounced like a comic book noise (ka-pow!).

I’m ambivalent about that, because I still remember overhearing two female telemarketers years ago laughing hysterically about what they thought was my name.” “Can you believe that this woman’s name is Ka-PLOW?!” they said, before I let them know that I could hear them and they’d lost the sale.

Well, it’s only for one day, so “Ace Ka-plow” it is!

Ace Ka-plow wants to share these images with you on National Name Yourself Day:

Today is also my friend Jeanette’s birthday, whom I cherish and who is no antique, because she’s ten years younger than Ace Ka-plow.

Here’s a song Jeanette and I have heard in concert many times together, performed by a huge name in jazz — Pat Metheny:

How are you going to celebrate National Name Yourself Day?

No matter what our names are today, I’m grateful for all of us, including YOU.

Day 3355: Awkward Moments

I hope it’s not awkward that I’m letting you know that yesterday was National Awkward Moments Day.

We’ve all had awkward moments and I believe we feel less awkward when we realize we’re not alone. Therefore, I asked this awkward question on Twitter last night:

While I truly appreciate reading everyone’s responses to that, nobody has asked about my memorable awkward moment. Awkward!

The one that comes to my mind is when I was talking to one of my parents’ friends about movies and I thought I asked him if he had seen “Wait Until Dark,” a thriller with Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin which had scared the bejeesus out of me and my parents’ friend said, “Yes, I did and that was soooo funny that I couldn’t stop laughing,” and I awkwardly didn’t know what to say or do so I said, very awkwardly, “Well, I guess it was a little improbable” and then much later it occurred to me that I had said “A Shot in the Dark” by mistake, which was a hilarious Pink Panther movie with Peter Sellars.

Awkward!

And I feel awkward admitting that I spent so many moments, since then, feeling awkward about this trivial incident. I’m realizing, though, that I’ve felt considerably less awkward since I shared this story in a blog post here several years ago.

I guess any awkwardness shared can become less awkward.

Do you see any awkward moments in my images for today?

One of the awkward moments shared on my awkward-moment Twitter thread was a person saying something negative about somebody not realizing their microphone was on during a ZOOM call. Awkward!

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “awkward moments.”

Feel free to share any awkward moments in the comments section, below. (Whenever I use the phrase “feel free,” I remember somebody telling me about an awkward moment when a friend of hers, who was a waitress, misspoke those words to a customer and said “free feel!” instead, and the customer said, “Thanks, but no.”)

Thanks to all who have awkward moments, including YOU.

Day 3340: How are you going to live each day?

How are you going to live each day amidst so much injustice, pain, brutality, loss, and uncertainty?

How are you going to live each day to make it matter?

How are you going to live each day balancing other people’s needs with your needs?

Each day I live, I look at the news and all the images I’ve captured on my phone, and that’s why today’s blog post title is “How are you going to live each day?“

.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “How are you going to live each day?”

While that video says we should live each day like it’s our last, in this video Leana Delle says the opposite:

I live each day with gratitude for all that I have, including YOU.

Day 3317: Whatever it is, you’re not alone.

You’re not alone in

• reading this blog,
• dealing with the pandemic,
• weathering storms,
• experiencing emotional and/or physical pain,
• being mortal,
• experiencing happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and all your other feelings.

You’re not alone in seeing my images for today.

You’re not alone if you’re wanting a croissant, an escape, non-violence and peace right now.

Here’s “You’re Not Alone” by Saosin.

You’re not alone if you have thoughts and feelings about this post you’d like to express in the comments section, below.

And finally, you’re not alone in being grateful that there are wonderful people out there like YOU.

Day 2596: Best Gift Ever

What is the best gift ever?

Is it

• sweets,
• flowers,
• clothes,
• jewelry,
• a book,
• art,
• music,
• words,
• comfort,
• a pet,
• friendship,
• kindness,
• love,
• home,
• the Earth,
• the sky, or
• pictures?

Is the best gift being happy together?

For me, the best gift, here and now, would be a comment from you.

Finally, I hope you accept my gift of gratitude.

Day 1426: What’s important?

What’s important?

Is it important that I’m returning to work next week after a two-month medical leave?

Is it important who occupies the White House?

Is it important that I make my own t-shirts?

Is it important that Fidel Castro died?

Is it important that I blog everyday, unless I am incapable of doing so?

Is nature important?

Is television important?

Is kindness important?

Are cupcakes important?

Is communication important?

Are pets important?

Are holidays important?

Are possessions important?

Are celebrities important?

Are you important?

Am I important?

Are people who are different from you and me important?

Are any of my photos from yesterday important?

Is it important that I watched Carrie Fisher on Stephen Colbert‘s Late Show and then in The Empire Strikes Back yesterday?

Is it important what music I include in these posts?

 

What’s important to me is what’s important to you, here and now.

Important thanks to all the important ones who contributed to this post and to you — of course! — because you are important, no matter what you think or feel.