Tag: Mystery novels

The Good Old Days? True or False, by Art Smukler, MD, author & psychiatrist

by artsmuklermd, posted in Writing

This morning as I sat in Starbucks reading the world news on my iPhone, checking basketball scores, texting my daughter about getting together, ordering tickets for an upcoming comedy show, and getting a text confirming an afternoon visit from a repairman, I thought back to when I went to college and med school in the sixties and seventies. 

NONE of the above would have been possible without going home and using my landline, standing in a phone booth, or buying a morning paper. And coffee? There were restaurants scattered here and there, but who ever went for just a coffee? And for me, Starbucks and Peet’s brew excellent Java. Plus they have great little tables, decent jazz playing, and a chance to sit and think and write. 

Well, there’s one thing that the Sixties and Seventies has over now. The name Trump wasn’t plastered and projected everywhere. He was just a young man being trained to lie and cheat by his father. Sorry, I couldn’t help it. The man’s influence on our world horrifies me. 

Oh well, nothing in life is perfect. Maybe I’ll get a refill of Verona blend.

Check out my mystery novels and have a fun read.

Art

#Sixties, #Seventies, #GOODOLDDAYS 

Goodbye, Tales From Smukler’s Couch, by Art Smukler, MD, author & psychiatrist

by artsmuklermd, posted in MY NOVELS, Psychiatry, Self Examination, Writing

It seems like just yesterday, but it’s been several years since I retired from my psychiatric practice. My well-worn couch is probably gathering dust in someone’s basement.

But half a century of being a psychiatrist certainly altered the way I think about life, whatever the subject. 

Recently I met a good friend for breakfast in Manhattan Beach. We walked up a steep hill and sat down on the curb to catch our breath. Sitting there next to my buddy was exactly how I felt when I was 10 years old hanging out with another good friend. Two guys just sharing whatever popped into our heads. A stream of consciousness that felt so connected, peaceful, and fulfilling. It doesn’t get any better.

So I’m calling my blog what it really is, Inside the Mind of a Psychiatrist. Like Popeye said, “I am what I am.”

Some things never change and shouldn’t. And today that’s what’s inside the mind of this psychiatrist.

Feel free to share your thoughts. I’m happy to respond.

Thanks, Art

If you’re in the mood for a good psychological suspense novel, check out what came from my mind.

Little Italy, Patient X, or The Secret of Carol Rosa.

#LittleItaly, #PatientX, #Thesecretofcarolrosa, #Insidethemindofapsychiatrist, #psychiatry, #writing