Mental health

I’m Not a Hero

May 16, 2013 Mental health

In the three-plus years I’ve been writing this blog, I frequently get messages from people telling me I’m a hero for opening up about my mental health experiences. It always makes me wince. Mood music:  No More HeroesSlashApocalyptic Love – feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators A new wave of hero labeling hit after a [...]

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Luke Skywalker Has OCD (May The 4th Be With You, Too)

May 4, 2013 Lighthearted

In honor of Star Wars Day, I share an observation about Luke Skywalker. The dude went through a lot in life, and I respected that. But there has always been something about him that gets on my fucking nerves. Was it the way he whined like a baby after Darth Vader introduced himself as Luke’s Daddy? [...]

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Falling Off the Mountain Syndrome

May 3, 2013 Mental health

Something excellent happened in my life this week. I’ll tell you more about that next week. But for now, let me tell you about something that happens whenever I’m the recipient of awesomeness. I get the wits knocked out of me. Mood music:  Under My WheelsAlice CooperKiller I woke up this morning with a nasty [...]

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TV News and Depression: How I Learned To Turn It Off

April 21, 2013 Depression

This week’s news coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and the aftermath only hardened the feelings I express below. I have nothing but contempt for the big three: CNN, Fox and MSNBC. Local news did a far more admirable job covering this tragedy. Mood music:  TV PartyBlack FlagDamaged I find myself increasingly outraged at what [...]

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Julian Assange: Autistic Hacker Or Just An A-hole?

April 9, 2013 Communication skills for the crazy

Last year I wrote a post about a report suggesting autism is an affliction of the brilliant. One man mentioned as an example was WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has described himself as having the “hacker’s disease.” Yesterday, a reader’s comment inspired me to revisit the issue. Mood music:  Leslie Anne LevineThe DecemberistsCastaways and Cutouts The reader [...]

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The Day Kurt Cobain Died

April 4, 2013 Addiction

Tomorrow is the 19th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death. I wrote this for last year’s sad anniversary. I remember exactly where I was 18 years ago today, when I saw the news flash about Kurt Cobain’s suicide. I was lying in bed, depressed and reclusive because of frequent fear. Mood music:  I was living in Lynnfield, [...]

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Layne Staley, 11 Years Later

April 4, 2013 Addiction

“What’s my drug of choice? Well, what have you got?” –Layne Staley, Alice in Chains This week marks 11 years since Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley was found dead. Mood music: Like Kurt Cobain, Staley had a big impact on me in the early 1990s. But while I identified with Cobain’s depression, I identified [...]

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Human Tourniquets And Freaks Who Love Them

March 29, 2013 Communication skills for the crazy

I originally wrote this three years ago. Looking at it again, it’s an important post describing a time when not even best friends were safe from my insanity. I’ve updated it for the present.  Mood music:  TourniquetMarilyn MansonAntichrist Superstar You know the type. They hang  out with people who act more like abusive spouses than [...]

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Don’t Go Away Mad

March 28, 2013 Gratitude

A funny thing happens when people share stories of the not-so-happy moments of their lives: You walk away thinking they’ve experienced nothing but tragedy. In reality, there are plenty of uneventful pages in between the drama. Mood music:  Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)Mötley CrüeDr. Feelgood 20th Anniversary [Expanded Version] One time I led [...]

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Worth Your Time

March 20, 2013 Mental health

I’ve written about my battles with mental illness at length here, but to fully understand how this beast works you have to see other points of view. Concord Monitor reporter Annmarie Timmins offers some powerful testimony in a piece she wrote as part of a larger series on mental illness.  Read it. All of it. [...]

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