COVID-19 Gratitude 2: Getting My Health Back
This time last year, I was hovering around 290 pounds. How I got my health back.
What I Learned About Myself at DEF CON
I’m just back from Las Vegas, where I attended BSidesLV, Black Hat and DEF CON. I’m jet-lagged as hell and feel like toxic waste, but I’m also feeling pretty good about myself. Mood music: Here’s the thing about DEF CON: Attendance is huge, the lines are long and it’s easy to find yourself wedged between …
Bad Customer Service Is a Mental Health Threat
There’s a reason the recorded call with a belligerent Comcast employee went viral. It wasn’t for sheer entertainment value, though some will undoubtedly find it amusing. It’s because practically every Comcast customer has suffered one of those dreadful service calls. For Erin and me, the last such experience was a couple weeks ago, when we …
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Getting The Band Back Together (Sort Of)
As some of you know, I sang in a band called Skeptic Slang in the early 1990s. I’ve also been playing guitar religiously for the past year. A former bandmate has decided to start playing again as well, which can mean only one thing: The band is back together. Mood music: Well, sort of. We …
My Name Is Bill, and I’m with the Religious Left
I’ve been on a spiritual high for the last several years. I became a Catholic in 2006 and since then have tried to live my faith to the fullest. I’ve been on three Catholic retreats, one as a team leader, and have spoken up about my beliefs regularly in this blog. I’ve worked hard to …
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What I Learned On My Summer Vacation
The headline is a bit misleading. The kids had the summer off, but Erin and I were as busy with work as ever. Still, we did a lot of summery stuff and, with the kids back in school next week, I thought a recap of our experiences and what I learned from them might be …
U.S. Loses, AAA Credit Rating. Mental Health Tested Next
For a lot of people with mental illness, world events can have a crushing effect on sanity. Especially when those events can have a direct effect on the personal finances. Mood music: http://youtu.be/t2zqYC8xKwM For me and my OCD, it used to be that way all the time. The recent financial crises, including the latest news …
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I’m Getting Too Old For This, But It’s Worth it
Erin and I drove 90 minutes north yesterday to see The Avett Brothers perform in Portland, Maine. By the end of the night, we realized we just don’t have the concert-going energy we had in our early 20s. Mood music: http://youtu.be/2L6XJOjCaAE The band didn’t begin until 9, and we were surrounded by people in their …
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Physical & Mental Health: Not Two Different Things
I got a note this morning from an old friend that brilliantly illustrates how tightly physical and mental health are intertwined. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLrxQ2Cdwho&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] I’ll share his note, but keep the name out: Went to see a chiropractor yesterday (after the urging of my wife) to help with my anxiety. Went in very skeptical. …
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Coffee With My Therapist, Part 2
I paid another visit to my therapist this morning, and the discussion was a lot more productive than last week’s get-together. Last week wasn’t his fault. I went in there with a migraine. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lz6qLQ4xSM&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] We’re continuing to work on my struggle to balance the urge to do everything with the need to …