Day 2940: Complaining

For the last four years, I’ve been complaining about the U.S. President and the enablers of his outrageous behaviors.

I’m looking forward to not complaining about our President, very soon.

Do you see any complaining in my latest images?

I actually did a little complaining to Michael about last night’s dinner, because (1) it was the second sandwich in a row and (2) it wasn’t pasta. As I said in my tweet above, I’m looking forward to more of that kind of complaining.

I’m not complaining about finding this video about complaining on YouTube:

I am complaining about my sleep pattern lately: I wake up way too early and have trouble falling back asleep. I’m hoping I’ll be doing less complaining about my sleep after the inauguration on Wednesday.

James Taylor is complaining in “Angry Blues.”

I won’t be complaining if you share some complaining in the comments section, below.

I’m so grateful for all who tolerate my complaining, including YOU!

Day 2932: What’s the scariest animal?

Yesterday, I watched Stephen Colbert ask Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, and George Clooney the same set of interesting questions including “What’s the scariest animal?”

At first, I was thinking that the scariest animal would be a crocodile or a bear. Later that night, I realized that, to me, the scariest animal was something else.

Man.

What’s the scariest animal in my images for today?

Yep. For me, the scariest animal is man.

When I search YouTube for “What’s the scariest animal?” I find “10 Terrifying Animals That Are Actually Friendly.”

What’s the scariest animal to you?

Thanks to all the animals who helped me create today’s blog post and thanks to all the animals who are reading it, including YOU.

Day 2912: When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time

When someone showed me this quote from Maya Angelou, I believed them the first time.

When someone shows me who they are and they are scary, scared, disturbed, angry, hurt, or unkind, I believe them the first time. I also want to believe they can get better. I believe that is because I am a psychotherapist.

I also believe people have to be themselves and some people are more capable of change than others.

Do I show you who I am when I show you the images I capture for this blog?

When The Daily Bitch showed me who she was years ago, I believed her the first time (and every time since).

When someone showed up on a truck in my neighborhood yesterday …

… I believed it was Santa.

Here are Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey showing you who they are as they talk about this important life lesson.

When you show me who you are in a comment, I’ll believe you.

I’ve been showing you who I am — a grateful person — since I first started this blog, and I hope you believe me!

Day 2862: All damn day

All damn day, for four years, I’ve been waiting for all damn U.S. leaders to stop damning our future.

All damn day feels like a long time when the world seems damned, especially when there’s an extra hour, like today.

All damn day I

• obsessively check the news,
• walk around,
• stress eat,
• think about people in pain,
• wonder what my fellow Americans are thinking, and
• prepare for my next blog post.

All damn day I’ve known what today’s blog title would be.

All damn day I capture images of what I see.

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All damn day I look for moments of beauty, synchronicity, hope, and love.

All damn day I’ve been thinking about this beautiful song by Beautiful Chorus I heard during a No Impact Aerobics (NIA) class on Zoom.

All damn day I’ll be looking for inner peace and your comments.

All damn day I look for ways to express my gratitude to all who help me get through all damn days, including YOU!

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Day 2806: Stay calm

I’m trying to stay calm as I

• deal with new problems creating these posts because of changes on WordPress,
• blog on my phone this morning,
• get ready to resume working from home as a group and individual psychotherapist,
• attend a challenging Zoom meeting,
• set healthy boundaries,
• respect myself and others,
• balance preparation with spontaneity,
• deal with technological glitches,
• deal with human glitches,
• recover and learn from mistakes,
• accept my natural impatience and sensitivities,
• encounter disappointment,
• feel helpless,
• rush to respond to people as quickly as possible,
• plan my 50th high school reunion on Zoom, and
• face the uncertainties we are all encountering, here and now.

What helps you stay calm? For me, it’s sharing photos like these:

Music like this helps me stay calm, even while reminding me of how fragile we are:

I also stay calm by noticing and expressing gratitude, so thanks to all who help me create these daily posts, including YOU.

Day 2792: Achievable next steps

In therapy, I often ask people to think about achievable next steps, especially if they feel overwhelmed, powerless, and uncertain about the future.  (Sound familiar, anybody?)  Identifying an achievable next step can promote a sense of control and hope.

Here and now, my achievable next steps include

• asking for more help in planning a high school reunion on Zoom,
• going for a socially distanced walk on Day 2 of my 17-day staycation, and
• writing my next blog post.

Do you see any achievable next steps in my photos from yesterday?

Those last four photos show my son Aaron taking some initial steps to explain category theory to me.  He took some prior steps of describing category theory while we were stepping out on a neighborhood walk (pictured above).

My comprehending category theory

1. will take many next steps over my staycation and
2. is definitely achievable, because my son is an excellent teacher.

An achievable next step is to choose a YouTube video for today’s post. Here‘s one explaining John Coltrane‘s Giant Steps, “the most feared song in jazz history.”

Here‘s Giant Steps with somebody taking steps to add animated sheet music (but not for the piano solo):

People took the achievable steps of posting these comments on that YouTube video:

luis Bazan
5 years ago
It looks like I was watching a Tom and Jerry chase sequence, I like it

.
Skippy the Magnificent
1 year ago
“What key is this in?”
“Yes.”

Does leaving a comment here feel like a giant step or an achievable next step to you?

Expressing gratitude is always an achievable next step, so thanks to all (including YOU!) who helped me take achievable next steps to complete this achievable next blog post.

Day 2772: The same time

I like to wake up, blog, and look at the Daily Bitch Calendar the same time every day.

I do NOT take naps even when I’m tired of doing too many things at the same time, which does not make for sane time.

At the same time of year in 2011, I started my job at a major Boston hospital, where I do group therapy, individual therapy, crisis work, and  otherwise take care of the behavioral health needs of way too many people at the same time.  While I do too much at the same time, at the same time I do NOT want to retire (although many people do retire when they reach the same time of life as mine).

As I tell many people in my groups at the same time, we all need to do a better job balancing our needs with other people’s needs.  At the same time, it’s easier to tell others good advice than to listen to it yourself.

I would love to resolve, at the same time as you, to

• balance my needs with other people’s needs,
• do more self care,
• set healthy boundaries,
• say “no” to some requests,
• take a breath,
• slow down,
• accept all feelings,
• be aware of what I can and cannot control,
• be clear about what I can and cannot do,
• take achievable next steps towards my chosen goals,
• let go of worry, and
• keep a sense of humor.

Here’s a photo I took when my husband Michael,  my son Aaron, and I were walking around our neighborhood at the same time:

When other people are walking near us, we put our masks on at the same time.

Do you know how some people can’t walk and chew gum at the same time?  Apparently some people can’t walk and wear masks at the same time.

Here are photos I took at the same time that I was taking my walk yesterday, when other people were using the same time to swim and go boating. What else was going on at the same time?

So many of us around the world are experiencing the coronavirus pandemic at the same time. At the same time, not all of us are reacting to it the same way.

I hope things are better the same time next year.

At the same time that I was watching The Hate U Give and then Rent  yesterday, Michael and Aaron were on their own computers.  Then, we ate veggie burgers at the same time …

… and  watched The Spanish Prisoner. It’s difficult to find a movie we all want to watch at the same time.

At the same time that I’ve been writing this post, I’ve been hearing this song in my head:

It’s fun to see all those people from the Phoenix Chamber Choir in Vancouver, Canada singing at the same time.

At the same time in every post, I express what I’m thankful for.

We can be thankful for many things at the same time and I am definitely thankful for you.

Day 2737: Best ideas

One of my best ideas recently has been to spend time watching the Ken Burns PBS series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.

One of Ken Burns’s best ideas was to use “Sligo Creek” by Al Petteway and Amy White as the theme music for that series about the history of U.S. National Parks.

One of my best ideas has been to visit U.S. National Parks including Acadia, Arches, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion.

When I couldn’t sleep recently and couldn’t figure out why, I shared this best idea by Dr. Seuss with my husband, Michael:

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.”

Do you see any best ideas in these recent photos?

A best idea is to drink herbal tea before bed. Also, veggie burgers are another best idea.

Another best idea is for my son Aaron (seen in this photo discussing best ideas with his mother) …

… to get tested for COVID-19 before he joins us at home on Wednesday. That photo also illustrates some best ideas of social distancing.

Please share any best ideas in the comments section below.

My best idea about ending my blog posts is to express gratitude to everyone, including YOU.

Day 2373: 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 2353: On a roll

I’m on a roll, as I roll out this definition:

on a roll
phrase of “roll”
INFORMAL
experiencing a prolonged spell of success or good luck.
“the organization is on a roll”

I’m on a roll in my role as President of the Northeastern Society of Group Psychotherapy.

I’m on a roll in my role as songwriter, because I wrote a new song yesterday.

 

Everybody’s Somebody’s Asshole

by Ann Koplow

 

Everybody’s somebody’s asshole.

Everybody’s somebody’s jerk.

You may think you’re great,

But you’re bound to irritate

Someone when you’re driving or at work.

Everybody’s somebody’s asshole.

Everybody’s somebody’s creep.

Even if you’re nice,

You needn’t wonder twice

You’ve definitely disturbed somebody’s sleep.

Who’s your asshole?

Whose asshole are you?

We’re all assholes

In somebody’s view.

Everybody’s somebody’s asshole.

Some asshole told me that long ago.

It might cause you grief

Or give you some relief

That it’s okay to let your asshole show.

© Ann Koplow, 2019

 

If I used an old-fashioned camera, all these photos might be on a roll:

 

Dinner was on a roll Sunday night, but not last night.

Here (and here) are two versions of Head Like a Hole/On a Roll:

 

Trent Reznor, Miley Cyrus, and Black Mirror are all on a roll.

Time to roll out the comments, below!

I’m on a roll with my daily gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me create this “On a Roll” post and — of course! — thanks to YOU.