Bill Brenner

Falling Off the Mountain Syndrome

by Bill Brenner 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: [spotify:track:6TPMFSJFmyIohTM5El90Po] I woke up this morning with a nasty headache, a sore neck, and a stomach churning acid like an active volcano getting ready to spew lava. I call it Falling Off…  [Read More]

Kiera Wilmot Case: Proof We’ve Gone Off the Deep End

by Bill Brenner May 2, 2013 Fear and anxiety

You want an example of how fear has pushed society off the deep end? Check out the case of 16-year-old Kiera Wilmot. A student of Bartow High School in Florida, Wilmot did something worthy at least a few weeks of after-school detention: She mixed a few chemicals together in the science lab and caused a small explosion. But she had no sinister intent. She was being a curious teen, doing something stupid and reckless. Now she faces…  [Read More]

‘Dude, You Are Pathetic’

by Bill Brenner May 1, 2013 Communication Skills

I don’t always respond to readers who call me names in the comments section, but sometimes it’s necessary. Mood music: [spotify:track:0xfaolnQFiBRZLff8vvkUK] When I wrote a post the other day about being released from mental therapy, a guy named Jerry had this to say: Dude you are pathetic. Be a man, work out your issues outside, or in the gym. Talk to your friends and family. You don’t NEED anything, you just tell yourself you do….  [Read More]

May Day!

by Bill Brenner May 1, 2013 Lighthearted

Happy May 1st, everyone.

My Therapist Fired Me

by Bill Brenner April 29, 2013 Coping tools

For the first time in many years, I have no therapist. No shrink to call my own. The guy who worked me through five years of challenges officially fired me Friday. Mood music: [spotify:track:28clONjZmul6FjfO6tZQDE] Maybe it was all the times I walked into his office with a huge cup of Starbucks bold. He was always on me about quitting coffee because it’s “just another drug.” Bringing coffee to my appointments was my way of telling…  [Read More]

Williams-Sonoma’s Overreaction to Boston Bombings

by Bill Brenner April 26, 2013 Fear and anxiety

I wish I could appreciate Williams-Sonoma’s decision to pull pressure cookers off the shelves in Massachusetts following the Boston Marathon bombings. It was done to show some respect for those who might be traumatized at the sight of a pressure cooker, which the bad guys used as their bombs. But the move was foolish. It’s the typical knee-jerk reaction to fear that makes me wonder how the human race got this far. Mood music: [spotify:track:5lnzidC2Roj5tkGtvAfj98]…  [Read More]

I’ll Stick With My Starbucks

by Bill Brenner April 25, 2013 Food

I got a healthy chuckle from this little bit from Ryoko Iwata’s blog about all things coffee-related. And since sharing is caring…

A New Food Plan, A New World

by Bill Brenner April 25, 2013 Food

For five years, I’ve been living off the same exact food plan. Four ounces of protein, three ounces of grain or starch, 10 ounces of vegetable. It served me well most of the time, but in the past year my nutritional needs have changed and sticking to the old plan made a mess of me. Tuesday, I went to see a new nutritionist, and my diet is now changed in a massive way. Mood music:…  [Read More]

If the Charges Are True, This Man Is a Monster

by Bill Brenner April 24, 2013 Crime and punishment

I tend to avoid the abortion issue, because it’s a no-win topic. But I’ve been following a murder trial recently that turns my stomach so severely that I can’t keep my mouth shut. Mood music: [spotify:track:21MwEJ8tHezcPy77BaELJ6] The Catholic Church tends to label anyone who is against Roe v. Wade as being a baby killer. I don’t think the situation is that simple. I agree that abortion is wrong, tragic and evil. It disgusts me that some…  [Read More]

Dzhokar Tsarnaev’s Age Can’t Shield Him From Justice

by Bill Brenner April 22, 2013 Lessons from the past

After the elation everyone felt Friday night when the second suspected Boston Marathon bomber was captured after a bloody manhunt, the mood dropped again. Some fellow parents lamented the fact that a 19-year-old kid could do what Dzhokar Tsarnaev is accused of doing. They pictured him curled up in a ball in that backyard boat in Watertown, scared beyond all comprehension. Tsarnaev is someone’s child, someone pointed out. Here’s why I’m less sympathetic. Mood music: [spotify:track:22f0HfO1PUGJ3bjVozEewR] I…  [Read More]

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