Veterans Day 2023

Today is Veterans Day. Learn more about it at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Author: James Amos

I'm a retired consult-liaison psychiatrist. I navigated the path in a phased retirement program through the hospital where I was employed. I was fully retired as of June 30, 2020. This blog chronicles my journey. View all posts by James Amos

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Thoughts on Nature5 May 2026
Yesterday afternoon when Sena came inside from working in the backyard garden, I noticed she had some swelling around her lips and eyes. Despite applying OFF! Deep Woods she got trapped in a swarm of gnats. This reminded me of a similar swarm last spring around this time while we were out at Terry Trueblood … Continue reading "Thoughts on Nature"
The Excitable Electrons5 May 2026
I’ve talked about some of my college professors when I was attending, Huston-Tillotson College in the 1970s. It’s an HBCU in Austin, Texas. But I haven’t talked about my teachers elsewhere. That just occurred to me in the last few days. I had some exciting teachers at Iowa State University in Ames in the early … Continue reading "The Excitable Electrons"
Shout Out to Dr. George Dawson for Medical Reasoning Post!4 May 2026
I just wanted to make a shout-out to Dr. George Dawson for his post from yesterday, “Medical Reasoning vs. A Diagnostic Manual.” It reminded me of the diagnostic challenge of catatonia, which I saw several times during my career as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist. There’s an excellent recent review of the evaluation and management of catatonia. … Continue reading "Shout Out to Dr. George Dawson for Medical Reasoning Post!"
Svengoolie Show Movie: “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell”3 May 2026
Svengoolie Intro: “Calling all stations! Clear the air lanes! Clear all air lanes for the big broadcast!” His brain came from Moe. His soul came from Larry. His hair came from Curly Joe. I don’t know how much of “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell” Sena actually saw, but I stayed awake for the whole … Continue reading "Svengoolie Show Movie: “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell”"
The Whole Milk Powder Catastrophe2 May 2026
Today, Sena reconstituted the Hoosier Hill Farm Whole Milk Powder. At one point in the mixing process, it reminded me of Ready-Mix concrete. She made enough for a quart of finished product, which won’t make even one sidewalk square but whatever. I suppose this is one of the three things we could list as being … Continue reading "The Whole Milk Powder Catastrophe"
Red-tailed Hawk in the Rain!1 May 2026
Well, Sena came running in the garage from the back yard covered with dirt! She excitedly told me she found a spot out in the garden to get a good picture of the Red-tail hawk sitting on the nest. It started raining while we were out there, but you can still see the hawk settling … Continue reading "Red-tailed Hawk in the Rain!"

Plan for retirement, even if you don’t plan to retire. This means sound financial planning, developing other interests, and nurturing your relationships with significant others. Retire, even if you are not retired. Take enough time off periodically, and completely, with no connections to work, so that you can feel emotionally free from concerns about patients and practice. Of course, there is no reason to retire if you really love your work and relationships just as they are.-H. Steven Moffic, MD See original article in Psychiatric Times