Bill Brenner

Hey, Tom Duggan: You’re Doing It Wrong

by Bill Brenner March 7, 2013 Communication Skills

I like Tom Duggan, editor of one of my local newspapers, The Valley Patriot. Against heavy odds, he started his paper nine years ago to compete with The Eagle-Tribune, the dominant daily of the Merrimack Valley region, and it’s been a big success. Mood music: [spotify:track:1qGiiSb3RgkDdkZOmAd8UZ] As a former Eagle-Tribune editor, I’ve enjoyed Duggan’s effort. I have bad memories from my days there, much of the grief self-inflicted, some of it the byproduct of spending…  [Read More]

‘Help’ Might Be the Best Four-Letter Word Out There

by Bill Brenner March 6, 2013 Mental health

A topic I’ve visited often here is the shame people feel in asking for help. When we do so, we think we’re being weak, selfish and all-around pathetic. But, as I’ve said, that’s bullshit. Another blogger made the point so eloquently this week that it must be shared. Mood music: Jennifer Pastiloff is a writer, retreat leader and yogi with a popular blog called The Manifest-Station. Monday, at the very end of “Bitch Slap It,”…  [Read More]

Horse Platitudes

by Bill Brenner March 5, 2013 Communication Skills

PLATITUDE: A banal, trite, or stale remark —Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary CNN online has an article about “instant outrage,” something that has reached absurd levels in this age of social networking. In such moments of outrage, we’re dropping platitudes all over the place. A good example came after the Sandy Hook massacre, when the debate about gun control was re-ignited. Those against more gun control trotted out the old, tired, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” Mood music:…  [Read More]

Love in the Grammar Trenches

by Bill Brenner March 4, 2013 Love

Since Erin and I are both writers-editors, there’s almost a Valentine’s-Day quality to this National Grammar Day. It can be a dangerous thing putting two wordsmiths together in holy matrimony, and yet we’ve managed to keep it going. How, you ask? I’ve been thinking about that. A basic truth about people who work with grammar for a living: Put more than one in the same room for long periods and someone gets roughed up. People…  [Read More]

A Revere Kid Celebrates National Grammar Day. Punk-uation, Anyone?

by Bill Brenner March 3, 2013 Adventures in writing

Tomorrow is National Grammar Day. For writers and copyeditors (my wife is both), this is kind of like St. Patrick’s Day and Easter rolled into one. Erin plans to stay glued to her desk all day, weighing in on all the conversation that comes rolling off the Twitter tongue. Given her job, she has no choice, really. Mood music: Being a writer and editor myself, I should be just as excited. But I’m from Revere,…  [Read More]

Putting Up The ‘Away’ Message

by Bill Brenner February 23, 2013 Uncategorized

Due to a business trip this coming week, I’m taking a break from new posts. I’ll be writing up a storm in my Salted Hash security blog on CSOonline, so if you’re interested in the subject matter, drop on by. Have a fantastic week. –Bill

This Time, Anxiety Won

by Bill Brenner February 23, 2013 Fear and anxiety

A confession: This past week, I’ve done a miserable job using my many coping tools to manage OCD and anxiety. What makes this particularly sinister is that I’ve just finished a week of vacation with the kids. Mood music: [spotify:track:5sSXTZeLV25Byz0ryxoc4O] Everything I’ve told you in past posts about learning to enjoy the precious present and not let worry take over is true. Weeks like this simply drive home the reality that I can never be…  [Read More]

Packing For #RSAC and #BSidesSF 2013: An OCD Case Study

by Bill Brenner February 22, 2013 For travelers

I’m preparing to pack for five days in San Francisco, where I’ll be writing about goings on at RSA Conference 2013 and Security B-Sides. When you have OCD, packing a suitcase is as ritualistic as the compulsive hand washing you’ve heard about. Mood music: Before I had the OCD under control, packing was an all-day affair. I’d line up all my pants, shirts, socks, suit coats and accessories in order of the days I planned…  [Read More]

A New Addiction Takes Hold

by Bill Brenner February 21, 2013 Music therapy

During my vacation this week, I’ve been playing a lot of guitar. I picked the instrument back up over the summer after a 20-year break, and I haven’t looked back. My addictive personality has latched onto it like a starving lamprey. But it may be one of the best outlets I’ve ever had for calming the mind. Mood music: [spotify:track:56oTnXlr7xFw2lmoi3g0o3] I now own two electric guitars and an acoustic. I’ve acquired a Marshall amp and…  [Read More]

Mindy McCready and the ‘Celebrity Rehab’ Curse

by Bill Brenner February 19, 2013 Addiction

CNN doesn’t say so directly, but in its follow-up coverage of country singer Mindy McCready’s death, it suggests that those who appear on Celebrity Rehab are cursed. Mood music: [spotify:track:1mvEbRAlocvkJvqZIj3zHu] The report notes that McCready is the fifth Celebrity Rehab alum to die in the last two years. She follows former Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr, Real World cast member Joey Kovar, Grease actor Jeff Conaway and Rodney King, who had been beaten by police in 1991, to the grave. McCready’s…  [Read More]

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