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New York City Memories
The recent New York Post story about the man who shoved a 76-year-old retired schoolteacher down a flight of subway stairs caught my attention. The assailant had been sent to Bellevue for a court-ordered psychiatric assessment for similar agitated behavior not long before this assault. My understanding from news stories is that he was held…
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Getting Enough Sleep for the Most Important Person in the World: You
So, what’s on the menu for Mental Health Awareness today? It’s what some experts call sleep hygiene and there are all kinds of lists on the internet telling you how to get enough sleep. I think you’re OK with focusing on helpful tips that seem right for your age, your temperament, and your life and…
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Big Mo Blues Show Penultimate KCCK Party
John Heim, aka Big Mo of Iowa KCCK radio blues show delivered his penultimate program last night. I heard the “penultimate” title from Ron Adkins who announced it on his Afternoon Jazz show which comes just before the Big Mo blues show. It’s one of those adult words that Big Mo would probably never use—only…
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Mental Health Affirmations for May 6, 2026
Today is May 6, 2026 and the Mental Health Awareness affirmation for today (from the Mental Health Awareness calendar) is about Affirmations: “Affirmations can improve people’s overall well-being, help them feel better about themselves, and reduce anxiety. Pick a supportive phrase and repeat it today.” I picked one from the list of suggested affirmations: “I…
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The Excitable Electrons
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…
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The Udder Flashing Cow and Other Memories
Sena ordered some Hoosier Hill Farm Whole Milk Powder from Hoosier Hill Farm. Much to my chagrin, it should arrive tomorrow or the next day. I was not consulted. I remember choking down powdered milk when I was a kid. It tasted off, somehow. I can’t put my finger on just what the problem was.…
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All That Digital News
I guess you have to be a certain age to develop the habit of doomscrolling. I’m not minimizing the problem. I just can’t see how anybody gets into it. I’m talking about digital news websites. It’s a tableau of yawners every day. It’s full of models, goggle-eyed golden retrievers, and ads for knuckle removers (“Do…
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John Heim aka Big Mo Retiring from the Big Mo Blues Show
We were listening to the KCCK radio Big Mo Blues Show last night when John Heim aka Big Mo announced he’s retiring as of May 15, 2026. Iowa musician Ed English (Uncle Ed of the Beaker Brothers band) was also in the studio and remarked that he’ll be taking over the show sometime after that.…
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Sena Finds a Red-tailed Hawk Sitting on a Nest
Sena found a Red-tailed hawk on a nest in the outlot beyond our back yard. At first, I thought it was too early for that sort of thing. Sure enough, today we went for a walk and both saw it. This has been a common theme for us. Over 20 years ago she saw a…
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We Heard a Barred Owl Last Night
We both heard a barred owl last night. This was a line of thunderstorms rolled through the area. Sena thought it was in the front yard, but there are no trees out there and it’s more likely it was in the back yard. I searched my photo files and couldn’t find one of a barred…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 