Day 3402: What I’ve Been Watching

Every evening, my husband Michael and I’ve been watching something on TV together. Lately, we’ve been watching “Better Call Saul,” “Top Chef,” and “Landscape Artist of the Year,” but all those got put on hold when Michael discovered “Cat Hospital” on Acorn TV, which is available to us this week only.

“Cat Hospital,” according to the website, shows “the cute, cuddly, and dramatic daily life at an Irish veterinary practice catering exclusively to cats.” I don’t know about you, but with all the dramatic daily life we’ve been experiencing, I need cute and cuddly wherever I can find it.

Before Michael and I watched “Cat Hospital” last night, my son Aaron and I met up with our old friend Tom Joyce, British comedian and mathematician extraordinaire who has appeared in this blog many times (including here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and especially here) and who is visiting Boston for the first time.

My son and I’ve been watching and running into the incredibly funny, smart, and kind Tom in Edinburgh many times over the last nine years. I’ve been watching in amazement as the coincidences with Tom have piled up — besides an appreciation for Aaron, Tom and I share many things: we both have congenital heart conditions, have pacemakers, had surgeries when we were young, and are now on Coumadin. I look forward to many years ahead where I’ll be watching Tom, Aaron, and I sharing more great times together.

All the other images in today’s blog, of course, also reflect what I’ve been watching:

I’ve been watching the Daily Bitch for many years and today I’ll be watching some people erasing the stigma associated with mental illness in my remote therapy groups.

Here’s a YouTube video of what I’ve been watching:

What have you been watching?

Thanks for watching many things with me today!

Day 2427: Incredible

Honestly, my incredible readers, it’s incredible to me that I have never before published a post titled “Incredible”  in all the two thousand, four hundred, and thirty-six incredible days I’ve been blogging.

Yesterday, on my travel day back from incredible Edinburgh to incredible Boston, I saw these two incredible signs:

I had an incredible time at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (described in incredible detail here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).  Here are some of the incredible highlights:

• Spending time with my son, Aaron Fairbanks.
• Attending Aaron’s and Tom Joyce’s Fringe show The Mail Room.
• The Greatest Theatrical Event …in this place at this time for this price … EVER!
• Vincent Van Gogh Find Yourself.
• Ransacked Black Oven and Cafe Grande (for incredible food).
• Getting to do my own show at the Edinburgh Fringe three incredible times and receiving this incredible feedback from people who attended:

“Lovely group experience! Great to feel included during the Fringe, and to feel heard.”

“Enjoyed feeling comfortable with a group of strangers.  Thank you.”

“Great, very interesting, and unique.”

“The show should be longer.  Also be my therapist please.”

“You need some more time for your show, but I really liked your idea of making a show of this. It was like a calm moment in the middle of the Fringe chaos.  Fringe = outside.  Ann show = inside.”

“Created a safe and relaxed space to feel open to express myself.”

“More shows like this.”

“A welcome sharing space well interspersed with activities and songs to make everyone feel included. Thanks.”

“I would 1000% recommend this since it is truly something different from anything else on offer at the Fringe. I feel a lot happier after the show and had some big revelations.”

Here are my latest photos, which I took when I was feeling incredible:

It’s always incredible to be home.

It’s incredible to me,  here and now, that I can’t share the incredible Tom Joyce’s portion of The Mail Room which I recorded on my iPhone during my incredible Wednesday at the incredible 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  I think it’s credible that I’ll be able to add that recording to this post after I publish it.

Here is the incredibly kind and talented Tom Joyce in The Mail Room:

I look forward to your incredible comments, below.

Incredible thanks to all  who help me create these posts and also to my incredible readers, 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 2425: Here we go again!!

Yesterday morning, after publishing Day 2424: Missing, I heard that I am going to get another go at performing my Fringe show Group “Therapy” with Ann.

Here I go again, doing two groups on a Thursday, which is how it goes for me back home at work in Boston.

It may seem like a risk to do two shows in one day with very little time to convince people to attend my show — among the thousands of shows and performances at Scotland’s Festival Fringe — but here we go again!!

When I go again today, I may sing different songs, like “I Left The House Before I Felt Ready” or “Hidden Thoughts.” Here I go again, having trouble making decisions. If necessary, I can always go again to the “coin flip” app on my phone.

Here we go again — with the rest of my photos from yesterday.

Here at the Bar Bados Fringe venue last night, my son, Aaron Fairbanks (a/k/a as “The Jail Mailman”) and one of our long-time favorite comedians, Tom Joyce, did their show — The Mail Room — again.

Here we go again with a video that Aaron’s proud mother recorded at last night’s performance of “The Mail Room.”

Here I go again, apologizing for the mistakes I made recording that. Here I go again, letting go of worry, perfectionism, fear, and self-judgment before my two performances today.

Here we go again with yet another request for comments, below.

Here we go again with gratitude, for all who help me go again, every day!!!

Day 2424: Missing

Today is my boyfriend Michael’s birthday and I’m really missing him.  He’s missing another Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year because he’s back home with the cats.  Michael claims that he’ll attend his first Edinburgh Fringe Festival next year but if he does, our cats will likely be missing him then.

In the photos below, my son Aaron (shown during the first night of his Edinburgh Fringe show) is missing his beard.  If you haven’t been missing any of  my posts over the years, you’ll be amazed to know that Tom Joyce — a comedian whose shows we would never miss — is sharing the bill of my son’s Fringe Show.

So you won’t be missing any of my other photos from yesterday, here they are:

 

 

When I see a cat outside my son’s flat in Edinburgh, it helps me deal with missing our cats.

What’s missing from those photos?    And what’s missing from this post?

Gratitude, of course.  Thanks to all those who helped me create this “Missing” post and to all those who are reading it (including YOU).

 

 

 

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 1706: The best views of Edinburgh

Yesterday, as I took my farewell walking tour of this magnificent city, I saw a sign promising “The best views of Edinburgh.”

I didn’t climb the Scott Monument, so perhaps my views are not the best views of Edinburgh (even though in my view, they’re pretty great).

 

 

 

That last photo is another best view of somebody my son Aaron and I view as the best stand-up comic/improviser/PhD of Mathematics in Edinburgh — Dr.  Tom Joyce.  (Tom is best viewed in my previous posts here, here, here, and here).

Over the  years that Aaron and I have gotten great views of Edinburgh, some of our  best views have been thanks to Tom.  Somehow, we always run into Tom and get to view his kind, comic, creative, and often surprising views.  Yesterday, I got a different and surprising best view of Tom when we viewed each other’s medic alert bracelets and found out we both

• take Warfarin/Coumadin,
• were born with heart conditions,
• have cardiac pacemakers,  and
• got our first pacemakers when we were young (age 10 for me, age 11 for Tom).

The best thing I can say about that is this: even when you think you’ve gotten the best views of somebody, there’s always more to view.

Soon I’ll be getting best views of the friendly skies on my flights home to Boston, so I’ll leave you with these best views of Edinburgh:

In your view, what are the best views of Edinburgh in today’s post?

All my best to those who helped me share the views in today’s post and to all my readers who — in my view — are THE BEST.

Day 1328: Welcome, World

I welcome the welcoming spirit of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is known around the world and demonstrated in this worldly welcome I saw yesterday:

If anybody is thankful that I took and shared that welcoming photo, you’re welcome.

When my son Aaron and I welcomed the new day in Edinburgh, yesterday, it was raining. Because we’ve been to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe three times before, we were ready to welcome the rain.

As we were walking through Edinburgh’s welcoming  Grassmarket section, we were welcomed by a new concept in comedy delivery:

I welcomed the idea of attending a fifteen-minute comedy show inside a van, especially because it was raining.  Also, I welcome any new concept I think is smart and effective.  Aiden, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the Titter Truck, was very welcoming.

Aiden — who welcomed the rain with that fashionable animal-skin raincoat —  welcomed my  telling him I welcomed the Titter Truck as a brilliant innovation. He also suggested I give my welcoming thanks and credit to Jed Marshall, who welcomed the Titter Truck to the world:

Jed welcomed my thanks for his business genius and comic timing, and also welcomed the idea of my son Aaron doing a fifteen-minute version of his own stand-up routine (which has been welcomed in Boston, L.A., and the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014) on a later date in the Titter Truck.  I welcomed that invitation  by negotiating with Jed a deal of 5 pence for Aaron if he performs,  with me, as his manager, getting a welcome 10% of that payment.

I hope Aaron welcomes the effort I put into promoting his comedy career around the world.

It’s time to welcome the other photos I welcomed into my iPhone yesterday  in worldly, welcoming Edinburgh.

At the end of long day filled with welcomed laughs and titters in Edinburgh, Aaron and I welcomed seeing that poster for the same Louis C.K. show we welcomed seeing in Massachusetts USA earlier this month.  Just as we were welcoming the realization that we were fast approaching our Edinburgh lodgings, we saw another unexpected but very welcome sight:

Tom Joyce, whom I first welcomed into this blog three years ago as my favorite Edinburgh comic, was spotted by Aaron last night welcoming people into an improv comedy show.  Even though I was tired, I welcomed the opportunity to see Tom perform again.

I very much welcome the fact that Dr. Tom Joyce — who recently welcomed his doctorate in mathematics and who will have a research job at Edinburgh University next year —  will be welcoming Aaron into the Edinburgh worlds of academics and comedy.

I hope you welcome this question: which of the photos in today’s blog did you welcome the most?  Which photo did you welcome the least? As always, I welcome all comments, no matter what in the world you choose to share.

Thanks to all the welcoming people we met yesterday in welcoming Edinburgh and thanks to you — of course! — for your welcomed visit, here and now.

Day 1327: Why did Ann share this picture?

Why did Ann choose today’s title?

I chose that title because of this picture I want to share from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe …

… and because I sometimes  imagine my readers asking themselves …

Why did Ann share this picture?

I wonder if you’ll ask that question about any of my other photos from yesterday, which I shall now share (in chronological order and with no editing whatsoever).

Why do you think I shared these pictures?

Many thanks to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ada/Ava by Manual Cinema, Marc Mackinnon (last appearing in this blog during the 2015 Festival Fringe), Lucie Pohl, the amazing Neal Portenza (who has appeared previously in this blog here, here, here, here, here, and here), Josh Ladgrove,  Asexual Healing, our favorite Edinburgh-based comedian Dr. Tom Joyce (appearing in Asexual Healing and previous blog posts here, here,  and here), and everybody  who contributed an image to today’s post.  And special thanks to you — of course! — for whatever you choose to share, here and now.

Day 1326: Perfection is a matter of time

What do you think of today’s blog title?  Is perfection a matter of time? Is perfection ever possible, no matter how much time we have?  Is it worth our time trying to be perfect?

Because I woke up so late today in Edinburgh, Scotland, I have no time to make this post even close to perfect.

Yesterday, it took time for me to perfect my understanding of this sign:

It was a matter of time before I perfected how I captured that sign (because of my son’s perfectly timed interruptions):

Earlier in the day, I thought I had found the perfect title for today’s blog post …

…  but it was only a matter of time before I changed my mind.

I don’t have time to explain all the other photos I took yesterday. I will, imperfectly, mention some Scottish experiences that matter to me:

1. My perfect son Aaron and I are attending the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for our fourth time.
2. We love taking the time to talk to the perfectly wonderful people here.
3. My ex-sister-in-law Deborah, her daughter Laura, and Laura’s daughter Victoria arrived yesterday to join us, after spending lots of imperfect time in a New York airport that had no power and waiting hours of time for their rooms in Edinburgh to become available.
4. We found a perfect Edinburgh labyrinth yesterday.
5. Whenever Aaron gets hold of my iPhone camera, it’s only a matter of time before he takes extreme closeups.
6. Aaron and I spend a lot of time discussing which of the Fringe posters comes closest to being perfect.
7. Last night, we saw Josh Ladgrove a/k/a Neal Portenza in another amazingly inventive and hilarious performance. Every year we see him, Neal Portenza perfectly puts Aaron is his show.
8. It’s only a matter of hours before we  all see the Neal Portenza show again.
9. After we see Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza  Neal Portenza Tracey again tonight, we are going to see Tom Joyce, our favorite local comedian.  Every year  Aaron and I have been coming to the Fringe, it’s only a matter of time before we run into Tom on the street at the perfect time or otherwise figure out a way to see him.

It was only a matter of time before I showed you my other photos from yesterday.

 

 

 

 

It was only a matter of time before I would remind you if you can’t perfectly see any of those imperfect photos, you can click on them to enlarge them.

What’s the perfect music for this post?  Damned if I know, but it was only a matter of time before one of those photos would inspire this:

As imperfect as this post is, it took me much more time than I expected to finish it. So here’s some imperfect thanks to all who helped me create it and to you — of course! — for taking the time to visit today.