Even before the fateful Apollo 13 mission, Houston already had a problem. Astronaut Ken Mattingly was exposed to highly contagious rubella. The disease’s time frame might have him incapacitated with illness when his crewmates…
Predictions for “hot toys” this Christmas include some perennial favorites: Barbie's Dreamhouse, a car set (Monster Jam Garage this time), and good ol' Lite Brite. But here's the one I want: a 6-foot-long inflatable, remote-…
In their third year of school, medical students begin to choose their specialties, rotating through each one - Internal Medicine, Surgery, OB/GYN, Psychiatry and Pediatrics. I have my third-year students read The Official MD…
For Screaming Down The Road Part III, the pandemic lockdown was on. People still vacationed that summer of 2020, mainly driving to remote spots. I highlighted one cousin's solution to avoiding crowds at rest stops: installing a…
The heavy metal band Queensrÿche's biggest hit wasn't a screaming head-banger, but ironically a lovely ballad about helping a child with nightmares control his dreams. The title “Silent Lucidity”, refers to lucid dreams wherein…
In 2017, in this column, I recounted almost drowning in Grand Isle. I had messed up by drinking a beer before going in and swimming against a strong current but got this important thing right: I had a lifeguard. My friend Dayle…
This week's guest columnists are Drs. Chris Johnson and Traci Bourgeois, Family Practice residents at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. When I was three, a fun trip to my grandma's became a trip to the…
With the Pandemic, no one's wanted to be in tight spaces with others who might be shedding deadly Coronavirus. California's Disneyland has been closed because of that concern. Being squeezed into lines and rooms at Disney is…
When my wife was in college, years before we met, Saturday mornings boys would knock on her door: "Make us a gumbo!" This was in Wyoming where gumbo was rare, and she and her roommate, also from Lafayette, were popular for their…
In 2014 I reported on a 22 pound cat named Lux who attacked his family. The family's seven-month old baby pulled Lux's tail, so he clawed baby's forehead. Dad kicked the cat, who went ballistic and trapped the parents in a bedroom…
