Bill Brenner

8 Things You Should Know About This Blog

by Bill Brenner February 16, 2015 Adventures in writing

Many family members have recently started reading this blog. Given the semi-autobiographical nature of this beast, misunderstandings have caused friction with a couple people along the way. I’ve written what follows in hopes of clarifying a few things. Mood music: I don’t come here to complain about life. Parts of the blog are dark. Other parts are chock-full of my blunt opinions. Some misinterpret that as unhappiness on my part. That’s not the case. Everyone has…  [Read More]

Monogamy Isn’t Dead, It’s Just Missing a Hashtag

by Bill Brenner February 13, 2015 Marriage and relationships

Chris Messina, the self-proclaimed inventor of the hashtag and advocate for open-web initiatives, has written an article for CNN about why he chooses non-monogamy. I respect his beliefs. People should be free to love who they want to love. I’m also a happily married, old-fashioned romantic who wonders if people have stopped trying. Mood music: Messina writes about being a child of divorce and having had the notion of “happily ever after” monogamy shoved down his…  [Read More]

I Can Be Hell on the Marriage

by Bill Brenner February 12, 2015 Depression

Erin and I have a strong marriage. But every marriage requires constant work, and ours is no exception. That work often requires me to look in the mirror. Mood music: For Erin, it means seeing my bad days for what they are and helping me work through them. For me, it means doubling down and fighting back the demons that make me difficult to live with sometimes. Having experienced all this, an article in Communication Monographs caught our interest….  [Read More]

The Bright Side of Being Buried Alive

by Bill Brenner February 11, 2015 Gratitude

Here in Massachusetts, hell has frozen over. We have six feet of snow on the ground and at least two more snowstorms in the forecast. The kids have had 2-3 snow days a week since late January. Public transportation is at a standstill. Words like “unprecedented” and “historic” keep surfacing. Mood music (sure, this song is about cocaine, but the title fits): But I’m here to tell my fellow citizens that it could be worse….  [Read More]

Brian Williams and the Line Between Truth-Lie

by Bill Brenner February 10, 2015 News

Brian Williams lied and ought to be fired. Mood music:  The NBC Nightly News anchor says he “conflated” events when he told the world he was on a chopper that was shot at during the Iraq War. In fact, he was in another chopper an hour behind. I don’t see how one could possibly misremember something as huge as getting shot at. As this shitstorm intensifies, we’re hearing about other points where he embellished his…  [Read More]

New OCD Diaries Banner

by Bill Brenner February 9, 2015 Adventures in writing

So, you might have noticed something different about the blog’s appearance in recent days. Your eyes do not deceive you. That IS a new banner. It’s the work of Eddie Mize, a security professional popularly known as EddieTheYeti. I’ve written a lot about his art and have done a lot of posts where I put words to his images. Think of the new banner as a continuation of that project. Like the last banner, this…  [Read More]

Stop Fussing Over That Belichick Kiss

by Bill Brenner February 5, 2015 News

I’ve said it before: My interest in football is minimal, though my attention perks up a bit when my hometown New England Patriots play the Super Bowl. My focus usually turns to how people behave in the heat of the moment. Whether their team wins or loses, people latch on to the supremely stupid after the big game. Mood music: Sometimes Patriots fans are the worst. After the team lost the Super Bowl a couple years…  [Read More]

Anatomy of an Identity Crisis

by Bill Brenner February 4, 2015 Family

When a sibling’s death turns the baby of the family into the oldest son, you get an identity crisis filled with anger and confusion. Mood music: I’ve written at length about my brother Michael, who died of an asthma attack when I was 13. That experience will test any kid, and I was no exception. The loss infused a deep reservoir of fear and anxiety in me that would bubble up many times over the years….  [Read More]

The Imperfect Art of Coming Out

by Bill Brenner February 3, 2015 Adventures in writing

As new readers find this blog, they often ask the question I’ve heard many times before: Why the hell did I out myself? Wasn’t I afraid people would blackball me at work? Don’t I worry that I’ll be defined by my struggle with OCD above all else? It’s a fair question. Mood music: First, let’s get the notions of courage and bravery off the table. Some have used those words to describe what I’m doing,…  [Read More]

Heavy Metal Saved Me

by Bill Brenner February 2, 2015 Coping tools

I am your main man, if you’re looking for trouble. I’ll take no lip, no one’s tougher than me. I kicked your face you’d soon be seeing double. Hey little girl, keep your hands off of me…I’m a rocker. “The Rocker,” by Thin Lizzy A lot of people are amused to learn about my musical tastes. My work space at home and the office is cluttered with political and history-based trinkets, which would leave one…  [Read More]

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