October 2011

It Changes In A Second

October 31, 2011 Children's issues

This weekend my kids learned that life can change for the worse in a split second, and that there are rarely do-overs. Mood music: Saturday we drove an hour north to Nottingham N.H. for an outdoor gathering of some friends in the security industry. Duncan was delighted to find they had a playground, and ran [...]

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Snowstorm Gratitude

October 30, 2011 Faith

It’s 6:14 a.m. and it’s still snowing. But I am big-time thankful for one thing: The power was on when I woke up, and may yet go out. But I managed to get my coffee made first. It’s the little things. Or, for this coffee addict, the huge things. I also stepped outside and found [...]

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An October Snowstorm? It Could Be Worse

October 28, 2011 Fear and anxiety

New England is in the crosshairs of a rare, October snowstorm that could dump 3-6 inches on parts of my state. People on Facebook are freaking out. But let’s look at the bright side. Yes, there is one. Mood music: I’m not typically given to positive attitudes in the face of bad weather. In fact, [...]

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Teddy Roosevelt Did It All. What’s Your Excuse?

October 27, 2011 Courage

Today is Teddy Roosevelt’s birthday, which I bring up because his is the ultimate story about staring adversity in the face, grinning and spitting in its eye. Mood music: TR was a sickly boy whose asthma often left him struggling for breath. He could have used that as an excuse early on to avoid life’s [...]

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R.I.P. Daddy’s Junky Music

October 27, 2011 Music therapy

I just saw a news clip about Daddy’s Junky Music closing after nearly 40 years. What a shame. I always loved that store, and when Skeptic Slang was up and running, they were very good to us.     We went to the Peabody, Mass. store in search of gear in 1993 and they hooked us [...]

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Before You Hate Someone For Life, Consider This

October 26, 2011 Communication skills for the crazy

We all have someone in our personal life who we hate. There’s often a good reason for it, especially if you’ve been molested. But we often loathe someone before we’ve considered all the complexities of the relationship. I’ve been there. But as I get older, the chip on my shoulder gets smaller and I’m better [...]

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Get In The Van And Head To The Channel

October 25, 2011 Coping tools

A friend from the Point of Pines, Revere shared a memory yesterday. It involved getting in my brother Michael‘s van and going to see a rock legend perform at the Channel in Boston. Mood music: Julie Doyle Frascino read my post “Lost Brothers” and posted this on my Facebook page: “Michael was such a good kid! [...]

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Thanks For The Memories

October 24, 2011 Children's issues

Duncan and I took my father to the last place on Earth I wanted to be Saturday afternoon: The family business in Saugus. Some of you know it as the blue, white and gold striped building across from Kappy’s Liquor store on Route 1. I’ve been trying to keep him out of there since he [...]

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Do Pedophiles Deserve Civil Rights?

October 23, 2011 Crime and punishment

I’m flabbergasted by a report where pedophiles claim to deserve special rights, on par with gay rights. Sorry, folks. But there’s a mighty big difference between you and the rest of society. The article that has be pissed off is in the Greeley Gazette. It leads with this: Using the same tactics used by “gay” [...]

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A Depressed Mind Is Rarely A Beaten Mind

October 21, 2011 Coping tools

A report in USA Today says 1 in 100 adults have planned their suicide in the past year, a statistic that doesn’t surprise me, knowing what I do about depression. Mood music: http://youtu.be/HiYK8TDbPRQ I’ve suffered a lot of depression in my day. I’m experiencing a touch of it right now. I’ve never seriously considered ending [...]

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