Bill Brenner

When Sick is Good

by Bill Brenner January 18, 2010 Family

This was one of those weekends where sickness ran through the house. Duncan threw up all over the place Friday night and was down for the count most of Saturday, as was I. Sunday it was Sean’s turn. During a birthday party at a friend’s house, he threw up all over their living room floor. Luckily, the living room isn’t carpeted, so clean-up was easier than it otherwise would have been. The point of mentioning…  [Read More]

Strong Arm Of The Log

by Bill Brenner January 17, 2010 Adventures in writing

The author admits he stole the title for this entry from an old North Shore Sunday article because, well, he thought it was cool. See the bald guy at the front of the picture above? That’s Mike Strong, an old friend of mine from the college days. I look up to him today. But there was a time when I hated his guts. I met Mike back in 1993 at Salem State College. We were…  [Read More]

The Mood Swing

by Bill Brenner January 15, 2010 Depression

Back in the day, when I was throwing parties in the basement of my house in Revere, Mass., I would reach a certain level of intoxication around 2 a.m. where I’d freeze in place, yell “mood swing!” and throw candy and other food items around the room. People seemed to enjoy it, so I kept doing it. Even then, the ego was there. Looking back, I now know that those mood swings, which were real,…  [Read More]

Sarcasm or Gallows Humor?

by Bill Brenner January 14, 2010 Lighthearted

It’s appropriate to start with Dilbert’s take on the topic at hand: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO1UWmRS7yc&hl=en_US&fs=1&] My wife just read my post on the Power of Sarcasm and decided to go digging for the actual definition. She’s an editor. That’s what she does. Here’s what she found: “Sarcasm” is “a keen or bitter taunt : a cutting gibe or rebuke often delivered in a tone of contempt or disgust” or “the use of caustic or stinging remarks or…  [Read More]

Revere Revisited

by Bill Brenner January 14, 2010 The stormy past

I recently drove through my old neighborhood, the Point of Pines in Revere. Much has changed, some good, some not so good. Mood music: [spotify:track:5buAcoMYgdr4sCtuYiIXKs] Let’s start with the house I grew up in. It seems to sag a lot more than I remember. The bushes that covered the concrete patio are gone, but the huge birch tree on the front lawn is still there. Always loved that tree. A lot happened in this house….  [Read More]

Things That Make Me Laugh

by Bill Brenner January 13, 2010 Lighthearted

Early in the life of this blog, I wrote about humor as one of my most indispensable OCD coping tools in “Laugh It Up, Fuzzball.” I expanded on it Monday in my “Power of Sarcasm” post. Today, I have fresh humor to share. A never-ending source of laughter is my kids. Every day they say things that make me wonder where the hell they came from. They came from God, of course, and they definitely…  [Read More]

Rockit Records Therapy Session

by Bill Brenner January 12, 2010 Mental health

The author has mentioned Metal music as one of his most important coping tools for OCD and related disorders. Here’s a look at the year he got one of the best therapy sessions ever, simply by working in a cramped little record store. Back when I was an angst-filled teenager bent on self-absorbed periods of depression — and before I became an angst-filled grownup bent on self-absorbed periods of depression — it was a place…  [Read More]

The Power of Sarcasm

by Bill Brenner January 11, 2010 Lighthearted

The author explains why humor wrapped in sarcasm is one of his favorite coping tools — even though the edge of the knife can be too sharp at times. “If you can’t say something good about someone, sit right here by me.” The quote is from Alice Roosevelt Longworth, eldest daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. She was 96 when she died in 1980, and I can’t help but believe that part of her longevity was…  [Read More]

Even Dobermans Get The Blues

by Bill Brenner January 10, 2010 Depression

I’m taking Sunday off from writing on here because some of my readers say they need to catch up. But I can’t resist sharing this article, flagged by my good friend Ann Ball, about how dogs battle a little of their own OCD. Guess I should have abstained from faking the throw all these years. But what’s done is done. Here’s that article: Scientists Learn Why Fido Circles the Bowl By Jeremy Kaplan – FOXNews.com…  [Read More]

The Third Brother

by Bill Brenner January 9, 2010 Depression

Remembering Peter Sugarman, another adopted brother who died too early — but not before teaching the author some important lessons about life. The first time I met him was my second day as a reporter for The Stoneham Sun. He was an oddball who wore a jacket and tie to go with his sneakers and sweatpants. He was rail thin with a mustache that could comfortably hide a pound of whatever crumbs got caught there….  [Read More]

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