Day 3267: What no one ever says

Today’s title is inspired by many things, including today’s Daily Bitch Calendar.

I may be the only one who says how that is an example of a cognitive distortion, because chances are that SOMEBODY has said that. At this point in my life, it’s hard to believe that no one has ever said anything, which is my way of saying that there might be nothing new under the sun in terms of what people communicate.

Stephen Sondheim, however, said things in his lyrics that people seldom say, like these lines from “The Ladies Who Lunch”:

So here’s to the girls on the go,

Everybody tries.

Look into their eyes

And you’ll see what they know:

Everybody dies.

When I first heard those lines in the 1970’s, I thought, “Stephen Sondheim is saying what no one ever says: ‘Everybody dies.'” And while other people have said it, nobody said it like Sondheim, who died the day after Thanksgiving.

I’m thinking about that line — “Everybody dies” — today because Michael Nesmith passed away yesterday.

No one (including me) ever says that “Everybody Dies” is a good title for this kind of blog, so I didn’t use it today. However, as we get older, “Everybody Dies” rings truer with each loss of somebody we loved.

And I did love Mike Nesmith and the Monkees.

Do you see what no one ever says in my other images for today?

I might assume that no one ever says “Let’s celebrate National Noodle Ring Day,” but I’m probably wrong.

Whether or not someone else says it, this is one of my vivid memories of the Monkees TV show, which seemed to include words that no one ever said before.

This next video includes what Mike and Davy said during their screen tests (which no one ever said during a tryout for a major TV show before).

No one ever says, I hope, that I don’t try to share relevant videos in my blog posts. Here’s another one:

Finally, no one ever says that I end these posts without expressing gratitude for those I appreciate, including YOU.

Day 3242: That was then, this is now

My son and I are in New York City now. The last time I was in New York City, in March 2020, I was attending a group therapy conference, which was the week before everything closed down here. Several of us attending that conference then, including me, got COVID.

That was then, this is now.

Last night, Aaron and I went to Junior’s, the restaurant I went to every day then, during the week-long March 2020 group therapy conference. After I discovered I had COVID, I texted my server Rhys (who I had put in my blog back then) …

… with concern, telling him I had COVID and wondering if he was okay. He was fine, but he and everybody else at Junior’s had been laid off then, as everything in NYC had closed down.

That was then …

… this is now.

When I was here in March 2020, I took photos of the Ed Sullivan Theatre then because I love Stephen Colbert.

That was then, this is now, when I have a ticket to see the Late Show with Stephen Colbert during this trip.

Do you see then and now in my other images for today?

My TED talk about then and now might be titled “Everything Old Is New Again.” And there’s no way I’m checking my wipers now — my car is back in Boston because we took the train. And I never eat fast food, then or now, when I’m in New York City!

This is what I find on YouTube when I search for “that was then, this is now.”

I was a big fan of the Monkees back then, but I feel like I’m hearing this song for the first time now.

Now I am looking forward to your comments about this that-was-then-this-is-now post.

Then and now, I am grateful to all who accompany me in these blogging adventures, including YOU.

Day 1859: That was then, this is now

January was then,  February is now.

 

That was February 1st when I took those photos, this is now February 2nd, Groundhog Day, and my 65th birthday.

For those of us who are still recovering from the past, this is now the time to tell ourselves: “That was then, this is now.”  The then is still with us, but the now offers the gifts of opportunity, healing, and hope.

That was then when I watched and listened to The Monkees.  This is now “That Was Then, This is Now.”

 

That was my blog post for the day.  This is now my gratitude for all who have helped me get through the then and the now, including the Monkees, The New Yorker, Roz Chast,  and YOU.

 

 

Day 1478: Bosses, Babies, and Monsters

Yesterday, I went to see the monster hit  Hidden Figures, which included bosses, babies, monsters, and so much more. Whether you’re a boss, a baby, or anybody else, I recommend you go see it. Also, boss other people into seeing it, because it’s such a monstrously boss movie.

While I was at the movie theater, I saw this sign with monsters …

and I saw coming attractions for Boss Baby.

That made me think about how awful it is when I’ve got a boss who acts like a baby or a monster.

Last week, I remarked to a friend at work that the new boss of the U.S. was acting like a baby.  She replied, “That’s unfair to babies.”

I don’t want to be bossy or to act like a baby or a monster, but could you please look at my other photos from yesterday and see if there are any bosses, babies, or monsters in them?  And then, could you PLEASE leave a comment for the boss of this blog?

 

 

 

My boss at work won’t like it if I’m monstrously late today, so I need to end this blog post NOW.

But not before I send my best to you, this morning

 

Thanks to all who helped me create today’s post and to you — of course! — for being here, now.