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Cicada-Geddon in Eastern Iowa
A couple of days ago I saw one of the many news items about the 17 year (and 13 year) cicadas invading Eastern Iowa this summer. But I haven’t seen any mention of the sex-crazed, fungus-infected zombie cicadas announced in April. So, you can relax. Try noise-cancelling headphones.
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Releasing Your Inner Nerd
Getting the new laptop reminds me of my pocket protector nerd days. That’s because the modern laptop is a sharp contrast to the big heavy desktops. I worked for consulting engineers back in the stone age and I wore a pocket protector. Some people might not know what that is. It’s a little plastic pen…
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In Memory of L. Jay Stein
I was thinking of one of the Johnson County judicial mental health referees I often worked with years ago. L. Jay Stein died in 2014. I looked up his obituary the other day and was a little surprised to find I had written a remembrance for him. I’d forgotten it. “I will always remember my…
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Thoughts on Down Time Activities for Land Survey Technicians
I was just thinking about the old-time land survey crews. When I was getting on the job training as a survey technician, the typical land survey crews were at least 2-3 persons. One rodman, one instrument man, and a crew chief who organized the job, which could be property or construction jobs. Nowadays, you get…
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Big Mo Pod Show: “In Search of Good Company”
When I listen to the Big Mo Pod Show, I tend to almost free associate to memories which the songs sometimes evoke. The 5 songs this week came from, as usual, his Big Mo Blues Show this past Friday night. The theme of the pod show was “In Search of Good Company.” I’m not so…
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Reminiscence of My Younger Days
The other day we had some stormy weather roll across central Iowa, although it was not as bad as the tornado that swept through Greenfield. We hope the best for them. We didn’t actually get a tornado, but I remember wondering why the siren went off about 6:00 a.m. It woke me up and I…
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Rounding At Iowa: Smoking and Vaping
I just want to give a shout out to University of Iowa Health Care and the Rounding@Iowa podcast for an outstanding presentation on the hazards of smoking tobacco, vaping, and dabbing. The program originally aired on May 14, 2024 and the guests included two ICU doctors who are pulmonologists I’ve worked with as a psychiatric…
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Thoughts on the Big Mo Pod Show: Theme “Music Changes Context”
I heard the Big Mo Pod Show, which relates to the quiz about 5 songs he played on the Big Mo Blues Show last Friday night. He got all the artists right, just missed 3 song titles! I had a couple of thoughts about the song lineup related to the theme “Music Changes Context.” Actually,…
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Another Look at the C-L Psychiatry Pecha Kucha
Back in 2018, one of my emergency room staff physicians asked me to do a Pecha Kucha on what a consultation-liaison psychiatrist does. If you know what a pecha kucha is, you can understand why it was challenging for me to put it together and present it. Although you may have seen the video I…
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Guys and Gals Birds
The other day we went birding on the Terry Trueblood Trail. You couldn’t ask for better weather. We saw a lot of birds paired off and checking into the nest boxes or building from scratch. I don’t know how we got so lucky. We saw male and female red-wing blackbirds, tree swallows, sparrows, and goldfinches.…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 