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What About Bob?
The homeless guy camped next to the busy street just outside of our hotel is still here. I’m going to call him Bob because it’s awkward to keep calling him “the homeless guy.” I haven’t met Bob yet, but Sena got him some water. She had to give it to the hotel resident who so…
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Thoughts on Hobos and Homelessness
We can see the man from our hotel window. We assume he’s homeless. He has a small area where he sits on the curb next to the street. He does this most of the day. He has a blanket and a few other loose items which sometimes are strewn on the sidewalk or the grass.…
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Thoughts as Train Cars Visualization in Mindfulness Meditation
The Iowa Interstate Railroad train rumbles past our hotel a few times a day and it reminds me of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course I took 10 years ago. One of the exercises the instructor mentioned was the train visualization mindfulness exercise. I don’t know if I remember what our instructor actually said…
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Making Life in the Hotel Livable
We’ve been in the hotel a couple of weeks now. We’ll probably be here 2 months until our house is built. Making it livable is about keeping it simple. While we were busy packing and moving out of our old house, we got away from regular habits that helped keep us happier and at least…
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Big Mo Pod Show- “Goodness is a Practice”
I’m out of sync with the Big Mo Blues Show and his podcast, mostly because we’re in the middle of this big move and we’re staying in a hotel waiting for this house to be built. I missed his most recent show, but caught the one before that. The podcast title was “Goodness is a…
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Back to the Clear Creek Trail
We’re moving back a little closer to Coralville although technically we’ll still be in Iowa City. We always used to walk the Clear Creek Trail. It’ll be good to be back.
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When Do We Get Out of the Woods?
We were out walking the Terry Trueblood Trail the other day. It’s always good to get out of the hotel where we’re staying until our house is built. I get this cooped up feeling and it feels great to escape. While we were on the trail, we saw this huge field of giant, golden prairie…
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Big Mo Pod Show: “Absorbing Influences”
I listened to the Big Mo Blues Show last Friday night on June 21, 2024 and wouldn’t you know, he was recorded. He wasn’t there live that night but as usual he put on a great show of blues music. And I listened to the Big Mo Pod Show a few days later, and the…
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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…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 