Category: reminiscence

  • Clinical Problems in Consultation Psychiatry and The Break-Dancing Koala Bear

    Clinical Problems in Consultation Psychiatry and The Break-Dancing Koala Bear

    I ran across an old Clinical Problems in Consultation Psychiatry (CPCP) presentation by a couple of sharp medical students in 2014. They presented it at one of my morning consult rounds and it’s about Charles Bonnet Syndrome. They did a very nice job and it compares fairly well with the University of Iowa Ophthalmology Dept…

  • Do We Really Need Artificial Intelligence to Help People Who Are Demoralized?

    Do We Really Need Artificial Intelligence to Help People Who Are Demoralized?

    I was just going through the many files on one of my old thumb drives that I still keep after I retired from consultation-liaison psychiatry over 5 years ago. I found a file that I must have typed from a source on how to help medically ill persons who are demoralized. Demoralization is not the…

  • Try to Lift Just One Eyebrow Without Picking Your Nose!

    Try to Lift Just One Eyebrow Without Picking Your Nose!

    I ran across a couple of interesting articles today and I thought I’d pass this along. One article is about kids who pick boogers out of their nose and eat them. Another is about how to lift one eyebrow only. I bet a lot of people try to learn how to lift one eyebrow. I…

  • Thoughts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

    Thoughts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

    Today being Martin Luther King Day, I’m reminiscing a little about my short time as a student at Huston-Tillotson College (one of this country’s HBCUs, Huston-Tillotson University since 2005) in Austin, Texas. It’s always a good idea to thank your teachers. I never took a degree there, choosing to transfer credit to Iowa State University…

  • What Questions Should We Ask on MLK Day?

    What Questions Should We Ask on MLK Day?

    I ran across this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in my notes: “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. This week we’ll be getting the two biographies of…

  • Connections Between Psychiatry, Artificiality and Blues Music?

    Connections Between Psychiatry, Artificiality and Blues Music?

    I heard a song on the KCCK Big Mo Blues Show that I first heard in June of 2025. The song is “Artificial” by Walter Trout. At first blush, I agree with what I think is the point of the song, which is basically a protest against artificiality which could manifest in a range of…

  • Glue Myself to My Biography

    Glue Myself to My Biography

    There’s a reason for why I so often tell Dad jokes. In keeping with my post from yesterday about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s biographies: I glued myself to my autobiography. You may not believe it, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. We’ve ordered a couple of biographies about Dr. King. One…

  • Kudos to Dr. George Dawson on Today’s Blog Post!

    Kudos to Dr. George Dawson on Today’s Blog Post!

    I want to give a shout-out to Dr. George Dawson on his post today, “Enthusiasm is a plus…” It’s right on the mark. Having a zest for medicine is the reason why many physicians undertook the rigorous training in medical school, residency, and beyond. A sense of humor is evident in George’s essay—and he doesn’t…

  • Big Mo Blues Show and The Elvis Connection

    Big Mo Blues Show and The Elvis Connection

    The Big Mo Blues Show was really interesting last night. I’m just going to highlight a number done by John Hiatt called “Riding with the King.” The lore about this that I picked up from the internet is that Hiatt originally wrote and sang the song for the 1983 album Riding with the King. It…

  • Shoveling Through Retirement Thoughts

    Shoveling Through Retirement Thoughts

    I was just musing on Philip Rivers. You know about him. I blogged recently about his coming out of retirement to play quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. I guess you already know this, but he retired again. Unlike Philip Rivers, I’ve not even considered coming out of retirement since I left my position at The…