An Introduction and Index: First Words…thoughts of an anachronistic, solo pediatrician.

First Words

      …thoughts of an anachronistic, solo pediatrician

                            by Glenn Feole, M.D.

        "Be careful too that the reading of your story makes the melancholy 

        laugh and the merry laugh louder," Cervantes, Prologue to Don Quixote

Contact: ishmaelish36@gmail.com

Blog site: ishmaelish36.blogspot.com

    

From "Impressions of the Met" 

      I have been a pediatrician for 32 years…just writing this sentence fills me with emotions of amazement, gratitude, memories of the occasional pathos and struggle of medical practice, but mostly of joy at the warmth of the families and children.   House calls in Paterson, New Jersey (Public Health Service, 1985-1987), house calls (reverse and otherwise) in an anachronistic, solo practice in my home in Westport, Connecticut (1987 to 1998), and then working in migrant clinics and clinics for the under served in Virgina,  North and South Carolina.

     My mentors have always been the writer-doctors (Keats, Chekhov, Williams, Selzer, physician-poets, and the veterinarian James Herriott) so I have always scribbled anecdotes from my medical school days in the 70's until now; when things finally would slow down at the end of the day, I would look at the crumpled up, scribbled notes in my pocket late in the peaceful evening and…write.  I carried around Proust and my favorite poetry (Hardy, Hopkins, Keats, Shakespeare) during my residency at Children's in Cincinnati, so the bug has been chronic, relapsing, indolent and incurable, to my relief.

     I  hope to include a few things on a daily basis to share with you: anecdotes, interesting names, "chief complaints" (the reason written on the chart for the visit), some of my poetry, art and photographs…and occasional top ten lists of favorite authors, books, movies, musicians and songs.  (As my family knows, my top ten lists run into the 100's…)
     I have over 2,000 anecdotes so I better get started.  I hope you enjoy these.  I would love to hear your thoughts…please write (there are spaces for "comments" on the blogs), if you would like - my contact is ishmaelish36@gmail.com

     I will include an updated index (below) of some of the "favorites" I mention for movies, books and musicians/songs.

INDEX
(updated 8/20/14)

  I. Favorite Books and Authors:
        

Ashe, Arthur

     Days of Grace

Banyai, Istvan

    Zoom

Bauby, Jean-Dominique

    The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Block, Lawrence

    "Hilliard's Ceremony" a short story from Sometimes You Get the Bear

Bronte, Charlotte

     Jane Eyre

Bronte, Emily

    Wuthering Heights

Brown Raphel

     The Little Flowers of St. Francis

Bukowski, Charles

     Sometimes You Get So Alone

Collins, Billy

    poetry

Connelly, Michael

    Void Moon

    The Black Echo

    Black Ice

    Blood Work

Dellilo, Don.   (x2)

     White Noise

     Endzone

DeHueck Doherty, Catherine

    "Diary of a Poor Woman"

Dirda, Michael

     "Classics for Pleasure"

Joyce, James.  

     Dubliners

Keats

    On Seeing the Elgin Marbles for the First Time

    Ode on a Grecian Urn

    La Belle Dame sans Merci

Lahiri, Jhumpa

    short stories: The Third and Final Continent, Unaccustomed Earth

    The Interpreter of Maladies ("The Third and Final Continent")

    The Namesake

Maine, Charles Eric

     "He Owned the World"

Malamud, Bernard

     The Magic Barrel

Mark Twain

    Autobiography

Martin, George R. R.

    "The Sandkings"

Melviile

     Moby Dick

Moon, Tom

     1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

Morris, Edmund

    Teddy Roosevelt, a biography

New York Times, Obituaries

The New Yorker

Powers, Kevin

     The Yellow Birds

Pritchett, V. S.  Collected Short Stories

     The Nest Builder

     Blind Love

Proust

   Remembrance of Things Past

Ray, Jeanne

    Julie and Romeo

Sacks, Oliver

     Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Childhood

     Oaxaca Journal

     Musicophilia

Salinger

     Franny and Zooey

Shakespeare

     Sonnets, 74

Sheehan, George

     Running and Being

Sterne, Laurence   

     Tristram Shandy

Thoreau, Walden

Turan, Kenneth

     "Never Coming to a Theater Near You" (film criticisms)

Twain, Mark

     "Italian without a Master"

Updike

    poetry

Valente, Kathryn

    The Girl Who Circumnavigated the World in a Ship of Her Own Invention

Winchester, Simon

    The Meaning of Everything; the story of the OED

  II. Favorite DVD's and Movies

10 (Dudley Moore)

9 (animation)

32 Short Films About Glenn Gould

2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick)

Alamar (6/26/14)

Arthur, with Dudley Moore

The Band's Visit

Between the Folds (origami documentary)

The Birdcage (Robin Williams)

The Bishop's Wife (Cary Grant)

The Bourne Identity (Matt Damon)

Brooklyn Castle

Cast Away, Tom Hanks

Children of Paradise (Iranian)

The Day of the Jackal, 1973

Doc Hollywood, Michael J. Fox

The Doctor, William Hurt

Driving Miss Daisy

The Elephant Man, John Hurt

Encounters at the End of the World (Werner Herzog)

Fugitive Pieces

The Girl in the Cafe, Bill Nighey

Goodbye Girl, Richard Dreyfus

Groundhog Day, Bill Murray

Hansard, Glenn, "Star Star" (video on youtube)

The Iron Giant

The Lunchbox (Indian)

A Man Named Pearl (documentary, gardening and sculpture)

Mystery Train

Once, with Glenn Hansard

Pina

Paris, Je t'aime

Rushmore, Bill Murry

The Shootist, John Wayne

Tender Mercies, Robert Duvall

Ulee's Gold, Peter Fonda

Whale Rider

Win Win

Morse, Inspector

     "The Remorseful Day"

Music from the Inside Out

The Shootist, John Wayne

The Straight Story

Titanic

Triplets of Belleville

Waking Ned Devine

Wrestling with Ernest Hemingway

Young @ Heart

III. Favorite Musicians and Songs

Allman Brothers

     "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed"

AWB

    "Just Want to Love You Tonight"

Bad Company

    "Can't Get Enough of Your Love"

Band of Horses

    "Infinite Arms"

     "Older"

Bibio

    "Love Remains"

Bob James

    Angela (Theme from Taxi)

Brahms,

     Symphony Number 4, 1st Movement

The Byrds (and Pete Seeger)

     "Turn Turn Turn"

Cat Stevens

     "Oh Very Young" "Peace Train"

     "Moonsong"

Chopin

    Prelude #14

    Prelude #7

                  CSN&Y (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)  

                      "Our House"

                  Deadmau5

                     "How to Destroy Angels" Remix

Doobie Brothers

    South City Midnight Lady

Dylan, Bob.

     "Girl from the North Country" 6/26/14

England Dan and John Ford Coley

     "Love is the Answer"

Eno, Brian

    Music for Airports

Evans, Bill

    "You Must Believe in Spring"

    "Everyone Digs Bill Evans"

Flim and the BB's

    New Pants

Fleet Foxes

     "Sun Giant" CD

     "Blue Ridge Mountains"

Fogelberg, Dan

     "Part of the Plan"

     "Longer"

Hancock, Herbie

    Chamleon

Hornesby, Bruce

     "Mandonlin Rain"

     "The Way It Is"

Isley Brothers

     "Groove with You"

Kaada

     "Hardangervidda" from "O'Horten" soundtrack

King, Carole

    "Home Again"

    "Far Away"

Luther Vandross

    "Amazing"

McCartney

     "Junk"

Merchant, Natalie

    "Wonder"

Monk

     "Crepescule with Nellie"

Mozart

    Symphonies

Seals and Crofts

    "Hummingbird"

   "Summer Breeze"

Seeger, Pete

     "Turn Turn Turn"

Simon and Garfunkel

     "Song for the Asking"

Sting

     "Mercury Falling" from the same album

     "Fill Her Up" from Brand New Day 

Taylor, James

    Carry Me On

Vandross, Luther

     "So Amazing"

Van Morrison

    In the Afternoon

Vaghan, Stevie Ray

    "Little Wing"