Author: James Amos

  • Can You Fry an Egg on a Driveway on a Hot Day?

    Can You Fry an Egg on a Driveway on a Hot Day?

    Sena tried to fry an egg on our driveway yesterday—and it did not go well. Let’s get the basic internet caveat out of the way. Somebody is always asking this question about whether or not you can fry an egg on a hot day. The usual answer is something like, “It’s possible but not probable”…

  • Heat Joke Alert for Crying Out Loud!

    Heat Joke Alert for Crying Out Loud!

    The heat wave continues and the heat joke today is: Q: What do we say about politicians during a heat wave? A: It’s not the heat, it’s the stupidity. The Heat Index could go as high as 114 degrees. The end might be in sight on Friday. Hang in there and stay cool.

  • Heat Joke Alert Again!

    Heat Joke Alert Again!

    Here’s another heat joke. Q: How hot is it? A: It’s so hot, you don’t have to be a liar to set your pants on fire. All you have to do is step outside. It’s no joke, frankly. Heat index values could be in the 110-115 degree range. The Excessive Heating Warning has been extended…

  • The Drain Grate Flipper is Back

    The Drain Grate Flipper is Back

    Some of you may remember last year’s drain grate flipping saga in which something removed one of our back yard tile drain grates nearly every day for a while last fall. It’s happening again! This time it occurred during a pretty fierce heat wave which is still ongoing. It was so hot, the videos and…

  • Heat Joke Alert!

    Heat Joke Alert!

    OK, I got sort of a Dad joke about the heat. It’s about 106 degrees now with the heat index in Iowa City. Q: What do you call a flying saucer on a really hot day? A: An Unidentified Frying Object Believe it or not, I couldn’t find this joke anywhere on the internet. So…

  • The Thing About Identity

    The Thing About Identity

    I was searching on the web for something about my co-editor, Robert G. Robinson, MD, for our book Psychosomatic Medicine: An Introduction to Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, published in 2010. The reason I was searching for something about him was that I’ve had difficulties finding anything on the web lately about doctors I had worked with years…

  • How the Metta Prayer and the Shower Juggle Are Alike

    How the Metta Prayer and the Shower Juggle Are Alike

    I’ve been practicing mindfulness meditation since 2014, when I became uncomfortably aware of how unpleasant I was becoming on the job and elsewhere. I called this “burnout.” The word still works as an explanation although it was and is sometimes still an excuse. I learned about the Lovingkindness meditation or the Metta Prayer during the…

  • Excessive Heat Watch Starts August 20, 2023

    Excessive Heat Watch Starts August 20, 2023

    The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch for many counties in Iowa starting August 20 through August 21. All next week will be marked by very hot temperatures, raising the risk for heat-related illness.

  • Remembrance of Dr. William R. Yates MD

    Remembrance of Dr. William R. Yates MD

    I was thinking about the Clinical Problems in Consultation Psychiatry (CPCP) learning sessions which was introduced to me by one of my first teachers in the University of Iowa Dept of Psychiatry, Dr. William R. (Bill) Yates. I had originally been thinking of posting one of my own CPCPs that I presented in 2015. It…

  • Moderna Files for FDA Authorization of Updated Covid-19 Vaccine

    Moderna Files for FDA Authorization of Updated Covid-19 Vaccine

    The Moderna corporation announced in June 2023 that it filed for FDA authorization of its monovalent XBB. 1.5 vaccine. Pfizer also announced the same message in August. It’s on page 4 of the Pfizer Earnings Call.