After years of driving a school bus, this Podcast will talk about experiences on the bus. There will also be more stories from my experiences as a motor coach (tour bus) driver. I also have input from around the U.S. via HARO (online).
Following many years of struggle, living with Bipolar2 and turning into "My own worst enemy", I jumped the mental health stigma hurdle an started writing and speaking in public. After a good 2024, I have just booked my first two speaking/book tour stops. May 8, 2025, St. James, MN library in the morning and Madelia, MN library in the afternoon.
Now available on Apple podcast platform. Random thoughts from a bipolar-2, Iowa grandfather while he entertains his 3-year old grandson with Paw Patrol. 25-minute podcast covers: *Freedom of the Press and explaining sex to boys.
Way back in 2021, I wrote and podcast about the need for mental health discussion. I was following up on national reporting that mental health problems were increasing...for all ages. Politicians will not touch the subject and news organizations don't cover the story if it doesn't bleed. For me, writing about mental health is therapeutic. I wish it actually made me feel better.
Haste makes waste. There have been many examples of doing things quickly, without planning, causes mistakes. The 2020 Census may be one.
More than just the "flu", Covid-19 continues to wreak health havoc in people of all ages. Isolation, disrupted routines, loneliness, stress, anxiety and fear has climbed as the pandemic continues. 55% of respondents to a recent survey reported an increase in mental health issues.
From my basement, on the October day of Iowa's firs snow of 2020--shutting the TV off after another very poorly played first half of the Sunday Vikings game--I start adventure in podcasting--ORBITS--an initial effort to get us thinking about more than the gloom and doom of the pending Second Civil War.
Two items today: 1.) No stimulus money for tour buses? 2.) What is a "Boogaloo" rally?
Reading from two articles in Des Moines Register Eight strategies got managing mental health "It was a quiet death"
The Impeachment struggle. Elite failure ails us, not just Trump's abuses. That's the important lesson from two weeks of impeachment hearings. We have learned that not just Trump is suffering from uncontrolled chaotic thinking, but of something much worse: that the American people are in decline due to systemic elite failure. We are not alone. The same plague has overtaken the English. Just consider Brexit. The elite that has failed and continues to fail is the management class raised up by the industrialized society. It is most easily defined by its system of recruitment (higher education); by its social function (providing regulatory technical expertise); and by its culture and mind-set of privilege and entitlement.
As reported by Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Dairy farmers are in crises -- and it could change Wisconsin forever Wisconsin lost almost 700 dairy farms in 2018, an unprecedented rate of nearly two a day. As of Feb. 1, Wisconsin had 8,046 dairy herds, down 40 percent from 10 years ago. This Iowa grandfather is very concerned. I like a cold glass of milk, every day. This should be front page news...not the comical, wasteful Trump crimes!
First podcast in 2019. New refurbished Toshiba Satellite. New download of Audacity. New Blue Snowball mic. Time to get busy on a number of fronts. Writing(started 7th book--BOOMER SHORTS, on Amazon. Couple new counselors as I try a renewed effort on controlling my demons. Excited about my new commercial, as face of the 50+ Club for Wild Rose Casino, in Jefferson, IA. Also, the commercial is running on local TV. You can view it on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/u-Z7kwlG1nM.
Podcast from Colorado. The Senior Flatlanders are reporting in from 9,100 feet above sea level. Out here in Silverthorne, CO. GOOGLE The Dairy. Check this place out. Then take a look, online, about Breckenridge, OC. There is something for all ages.
Reality has been altered and we are all standing silently as it controls our lives. Social media has made lies easy and commonplace. We believe what we want to believe. Along with writers Leonard Pitts (Miami Herald) and Nathan Bomey (USA TODAY), I talk about the crises of our times.
It's been a year since Mr. Trump surprised us all with his election. It's been a year of more and more abnormal behavior. As I publish this, the government is shut down. Unacceptable.
Summer vacation and the weather is hot and muggy. The sweet corn will enjoy this weather, while this school bus driver is enjoying having the summer off...sleeping until past 9 AM! Today, as a enjoy the coolness of my basement, I am recovering from the lower back impact brought on my a 10-day visit from my daughter Jenna and her three boys. The 2-year-old is a challenge with his 35 pounds needing a boost. Don't get me wrong, I miss him already. I love being a Grandpa!!!! Today I am reading from two articles: 1.) Des Moines Register article, written by Marc Hansen, "Ankeny loses far more than great bus driver", then 2.) A short segment on Senior Living, by Shelly Charter, of Valley View Village, "Staying social is good medicine."
Congressional reports show that Iowa is rock bottom, as far as care for the elderly. AND, dead last in the childcare. The state of Iowa votes on the use of fireworks, but not on the care and nurturing of our young or elderly.
Mixed thoughts as I spend my first Spring Break 2017 day with a physical and a doctor's appointment. There are good thoughts, as I recall that 44 years ago I randomly selected Florida as my only Spring Break escape, in 1973, and found my life's mate. Yesterday, from my school bus driver's seat, I hear two stories that gave me pause. One, a young man from a split marriage, being told by his distant mother to pack his PASSPORT. The other story coming from the sad side on the aisle, where two youngster's were not looking forward to the long break due to the volatility at home.
We can't end mental health's stigma if we won't talk about it.
"If we design workplaces that permit people to find meaning in their work, we will be designing a human nature that values work." (Psychologist Barry Schwartz) For me, the US Postal Service drained all the energy out of me. Enough to cause clinical depression. After retiring, and writing four short books on that damage, I have found the 'perfect' job for me...driving a school bus.
We had another accident in our school bus family. A new driver was coming off the highway and took the inside turn lane, INSTEAD of the recommended outside turn lane. Resulting in too much bus and a wrinkled car. Almost got free pizza, as that is the prize if we go one month without an accident. As the holidays are upon us and the traffic increases, we must be diligent. We need to be on trop of our game--taking good care of our passengers and taking good care of our buses.
It took 50 years and 68 jobs to figure out that I was Bipolar-2. Now, as I write books about it and feel I've got 'things' figured out, the USA goes nuts and elects a man with no experience to take us into a new REALITY. God help us!
Trump has stimulated more off-the-wall talk. In Iowa, a renegade Congressman (Steve King) has talked about 'cultural suicide'. In an Opinion, printed in the Des Moines Register, Swarthmore assistant professor Sangina Patnair tears into his wildly racist fear-mongering.
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. I have decided to share information on social media. The most recent data (2014) tells us that there were 42,773 suicides in the United States. That is 117 per day. One every 12 minutes. Twenty veterans commit suicide every day. We need to talk about this. We need to get a handle on this mental health crises.
First week back-to-school is over. Same old problems. Our neighbors to the west, Waukee and Johnston, made it on TV and into the Des Moines Register. Our first week kinks were minor compared to their mess. New managers, additional students, drivers quitting over loss of benefits, upset parents--this local soap opera has it all. Check out my blog and my podcast for more information. @postmasterjim #jimthebusdriver busbiz.libsyn.com/podcast http://www.postmasterjimblog.wordpress.com/
For some, free tickets to fly to Alaska would be a great gift. For this flatlander, with a long-term Fear-of-Flying, it has been a hurdle I have not been able to get over. Panic attack, following by rumination and depression. The only way to break it was a 4-hour road trip to go see my daughter and her two boys. The 7-year-old was busy riding bikes -- but the one-year old was right where I needed him. Holding his arms up for a Grandpa Lift -- it was that little boy that gave me the life. Thanks Cal!!!
Our political scene appears to be so harsh and so segmented. The world is now the scene of great disruption. We have police shootings across the U.S. I am recalling my Navy experience, when I was a member of the "Blue Jacket" choir -- when we would sing the NAVY HYMN. I trust you will listen and think of peaceful times.
Our most precious cargo, Children! Almost every year, a number of school bus related topics are discussed at the legislative session, with some being introduced as bills. Some bills eventually work through the legislative process and become law while others are simply information requests. As a school bus driver for six years, I remain vigilant to any new legislation that could impact school buses--after all, this is my primary livelihood. And, as is the trend, nothing got done in the Iowa House. Eleven bills marched up the hill and NONE were adopted, or passed. The one the angered me the most was that someone thought it was a good idea to propose reducing the first time penalty of Kadyn's Law (SF196). The current fine ranges from $250-$675, with a 30-day license suspension and an optional 30 days in jail. We are finding that this fine is RARELY imposed and NO ONE goes to jail! We have even heard of a recent court ruling where a 17-year-old, who ran an extended RED STOP ARM was warned and then fined ONLY $100.
Crime happens when there is a victim. From my island of safety, north of Des Moines, IA, the crime is very low--or is it just not reported? This morning I let my little Bichon drag me around our Dog Park for my sake. My exercise. My heart health. I walked with the only other person at the park, a pleasant young mother who was originally from New York, and had just taken her daughter to the Des Moines airport to fly back to New York. When we got back to our cars, hers was broken into. A smash-and-grab from the passengers side--taking her purse--and the credit cards. She called the police. They arrived quickly. It is then that we found out that this was the fifth broken window break-in at the dog park in the past month. I am sad that petty crime, with a variety of victims, has come to our quiet little town.
Now that school is out for summer and we FINALLY are on summer vacation, the school buses are now focused on transporting workers to the fields for detassling corn and special charter trips around the region. One of bus driving pals told me that he is signed up for three charters, this coming week. From church camp to Capital tours, from family reunions to picnics. For me, I think I am going to taking some days off. This chapter of BUS BIZ talks about one of the return letters I got from an airline pilot, in New York. I had reached out on HARO (Help A Reporter Out) and asked for bus travel input. Pilot Patrick Smith (Askthepilot) has a cute story about bus travel in Turkey, I think you will like it. And then you will probably ask, "Why has America let that same infrastructure travel service fall apart?"
The biggest relief come on the final day when you no longer have to deal with the double-parking, distracted parents picking up their kids in the BUS LOADING ZONE! I have great fears of the growing number of rude and distracted drivers that feel that the most convenient pick up spot at school (the Bus Loading Zone) is their own personal parking area. Some of these parents just pull up to the zone, get out and walk into the school for their meetings. No thought is given to the big old yellow bus that is trying to 'squeeze' and maneuver around their car, before and after dropping other kids off -- or picking them up. And then when we move into that left lane, because the right lane is now blocked, that clogs up the traffic. What is to be done? I know, there is more important issues to deal with -- like how did Donald Trump ever rise to the top of the Republican Heap. #BusBiz_podcast @jimthebusdriver @postmasterjim
Bronchitis has had me town for a few weeks, so my news may be TARDY. We are within sight of the end of our school year and the Prom is over, the graduation parties are underway and the summer jobs are getting picked up. This is the time of year that has mixed emotions. As a driver I will miss the kids. I will also miss the regular schedule. I am recalling the annual transition where 8th graders now call themselves incoming Freshman. The 'budding' relationships have now moved to hand holding in public. And the new drivers take away most of my passengers. Some trips I have only one or two riders. Sad as it may be...I am ready to sleep in!
That mystery person behind the wheel is your friend. We are responsible to know our students and we are working so that they will know us. We now carry ID cards. One of the parts of this new Podcast is making the driver more visible. Getting to know you. #jimthebusdriver
On a gorgeous 70-degree Tuesday evening, in Ankeny, IA...I look out the kitchen window to see my freshly mowed back lawn. Charlotte is at Quilter's Guild and when she comes home we will scoot over to the ballpark to watch grandson Griffin play in his first 8pm game. This early 8+ min reading includes comments from Harvey Mackay, in the Des Moines Register. Then I start reading from my 5th book...BUS BIZ...now on Amazon.
As I get better at my new hobby, I will be using some of the canned music for intros and outros...for now, I will start my podcasts with a favorite tune from my past. In this case, Brylcreem -- "A little-dab-will-do-ya" -- "simple rub a little in your hair" -- it was the hair product of choice in the 50's and 60's, before the Beatles showed us how cool the mop look would become. I continue with my readings from one of my four books on bipolar disorder.
As part of my own on-going therapy, I will burst into song when the time comes. Some of the time it is for an audition tape...some of the time it is just for giggles:)
On a cold and rainy, central Iowa day...this school bus driver is launching his PODCAST...just months after publishing my 5th book, BUS BIZ, stories and photos from my view in the front seat...after retiring from the postal service, my wife and I took a trip to Alaska...then she went back to work as a reading associate and I decided it would be a good time to get a part-time job that would be fun and allow me the chance to make a defference in the lives of children.
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