Author: James Amos

  • Familiar Backyard Birds and One Sort of Familiar

    Familiar Backyard Birds and One Sort of Familiar

    We were bird watching the other day and saw a few birds we definitely recognized. One of them we puzzled about but finally decided was a sparrow. The Red-Bellied Woodpecker is familiar. We think it was a male. The Blue Jay is still interesting because when it’s not in the sunlight it looks like what…

  • Claw Catch Circus Juggle

    Claw Catch Circus Juggle

    I found another juggling trick I might be able to handle. It’s the claw catch. I saw a number of YouTube demonstrations. As usual, I tend to confuse them. I slapped the balls down instead of catching them. And I think I’m going to need safety goggles or just quit wearing my eyeglasses when I…

  • Beard Kit Passes Muster and Makes Me Glow!

    Beard Kit Passes Muster and Makes Me Glow!

    I tried the new beard kit stuff yesterday. I washed my beard with the beard wash and conditioner. Then I applied a little beard oil and beard balm. I combed it and brushed up with the boar bristle brush. Try saying “boar bristle brush” three times really fast right now! I trimmed the flyaways with…

  • The Beard Kit and the Promise of Beignets Arrive

    The Beard Kit and the Promise of Beignets Arrive

    Yesterday, the beard kit and other items were delivered. The other items were a barber cape and Café Du Monde Beignet Mix. I took a picture of all of them and can’t readily explain why the odd item out seems to be the Beignet Mix. Sena cuts my hair and the old cape just needs…

  • Thoughts on Gaming Disorder

    Thoughts on Gaming Disorder

    I just read an interesting article in the latest print issue of Clinical Psychiatry News, Vol. 51, No. 5, May 2023: “Gaming Disorder: New insights into a growing problem.” This is news to me. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual lists it as an addiction associated with the internet primarily. It can cause social and occupational…

  • Off The Head Juggle Trick So Wrong but My Way

    Off The Head Juggle Trick So Wrong but My Way

    My take on the off the head juggle trick is that I have to do it wrong, otherwise I just drop all the balls. It was Juggle Man who said “Doing it wrong makes you an artist.” I have to take my eyeglasses off for this trick. I knocked them off my head the other…

  • Sena Making Progress in Juggling

    Sena Making Progress in Juggling

    This is a progress report on Sena’s progress in juggling. She has been dedicated to practicing 2 or 3 minutes every other day. Frankly, she does more than that on some days. She has been trying to move up to doing a 4-ball toss and catch. She thought she got it yesterday, and for a…

  • Thoughts on Beards

    Thoughts on Beards

    Sena ordered a beard kit for me. I’ve never seen one before. I’ve been trying to grow a beard for the last several months. It’s a new thing. Before retirement, I could get away with a mustache or a circle beard stubble. But I couldn’t see working at the hospital while trying to grow a…

  • Off the Head Juggling Trick is Off the Wall

    Off the Head Juggling Trick is Off the Wall

    I saw the off the head juggling trick on the Juggle Man YouTube. This maneuver is off the wall. I looked at a couple of other videos because I just could not get the hang of it. One juggling teacher says it’s an “easy” trick. After fumbling a couple hundred times, I’m wondering why I’m…

  • Iowa City Public Art Program 2023!

    Iowa City Public Art Program 2023!

    The 2023 Iowa Cty Public Art Program unfolds soon. The call for art submissions is on! The new temporary exhibits will go display August 7, 2023 through July 2024. Application information is at this link.