Bill Brenner

What’s The Worst That Can Happen?

by Bill Brenner August 31, 2011 Depression

A friend keeps telling me about big fears he has of not getting the mortgage paid and being homeless. There’s no danger of that happening. But OCD and reality rarely see eye to eye. Mood music: He wrote: My Biggest Fear is that we will lose our house because we will get too far behind in our mortgage and we will end up homeless.  I even wrote a script that details how it all happens…  [Read More]

I Miss The Beer Bottle Collection Under The Patio

by Bill Brenner August 31, 2011 Coping tools

In my opinion there’s no better way to release anger and frustration than prayer. But let’s be honest: Sometimes it helps to break things. Mood music:  When I lived in the house on Revere Beach, there was a storage room beneath the concrete patio where I collected all the empty beer bottles from the numerous parties we had in the basement apartment. I spent a lot of time in that room. I’d blast my old…  [Read More]

A Loss Beyond All Reason and Comprehension

by Bill Brenner August 30, 2011 Coping tools

I’m praying hard for my co-worker and friend Joan Ritchie Goodchild and her husband Bryan. Bryan’s uncle and cousin were swept away in the flash flooding Tropical Storm Irene caused in Vermont Sunday. Mood music: Here’s the basics from the Burlington Free Press: The body of Rutland Water Treatment Plant Supervisor Michael Garofano, 55, was found Monday near the raging brook feeding the Rutland city reservoir he and his 24-year-old son, Mike, went to check…  [Read More]

This Is No Place To Make Amends

by Bill Brenner August 29, 2011 Adventures in writing

After running the post “Bully’s Remorse” a few days ago, it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, writing it was a mistake. Or maybe it simply didn’t go far enough. Mood music: [spotify:track:5rpRzNcJZqKQXk9PIjreB6] Like many topics in this blog, I wrote it to yank another skeleton out of the closet and acknowledge that as a teenager, while I was getting bullied and should have related to others who were bullied, I just turned around…  [Read More]

Screw Hurricane Irene. Let’s Rock!

by Bill Brenner August 26, 2011 Children's issues

On my facebook wall, an old friend, Taimee Leary Scarpa, posted this: “Hope you have a happy birthday. Hope you are able to fit in some fun before you start taping your windows for Hurricane Irene, lol.” She was referring to the events I described in the post “Fear and Duct Tape.” Truth be told, Hurricanes stopped scaring me some time ago. Learning to ditch the fear and anxiety of my younger years is the main…  [Read More]

41 Years

by Bill Brenner August 26, 2011 Addiction

Some people get depressed on their birthday. Not me. The fact that I turn 41 today is a freak of nature. But a year into my forties, I know I have more cleaning up to do. Mood music: Item: When I was sick with the Crohn’s Disease as a kid, I lost a lot of blood and developed several side ailments. I’m told by my parents that the doctor’s were going to remove the colon more than…  [Read More]

A Call From My Mother

by Bill Brenner August 25, 2011 Children's issues

It’s Wednesday morning. I’m working from home, face behind the computer. My kids and two neighborhood kids are tearing though the house, overturning everything in sight. Then the phone rings. Mood music: “It’s been five years,” the voice on the other end says. “Can’t we fix this?” It’s my mother. I saw her at my cousin’s wedding two weeks ago but we largely avoided contact. We’re six years into an estrangement that I think is…  [Read More]

The French Toast Alert System

by Bill Brenner August 24, 2011 Lighthearted

Bookmark for use in the upcoming winter storm season… For those in New England who tend to panic over impending hurricanes, Nor’ Easters and the like, here’s something that’ll help you prepare while taking the edge off. From the folks who run the excellent Universal Hub site, I direct you to the French Toast Alert System. (They also have a Facebook page.) “The French Toast Alert System has been developed in consultation with local and…  [Read More]

You Can’t Be Everyone’s Friend

by Bill Brenner August 24, 2011 Adventures in writing

I once wrote about an obsession with the Facebook friend count. I worried about offending people who de-friended me. Lately I realize it’s ok if I can’t be everyone’s friend. I’m even warming to the idea. Mood music: I’ve always had this stupid idea that I needed to be everyone’s friend. Even when I was bullying someone, I’d turn around and try to be their friend. I always wanted everyone in my family to like…  [Read More]

Earthquakes, Fear and Anxiety

by Bill Brenner August 23, 2011 Uncategorized

An earthquake centered in northern Virginia just rattled a huge part of the eastern seaboard. I think our building in Framingham, Mass. shook some, but I’m not sure. Mood music:  We’ve had quakes in New England. They happen often, in fact, but they are usually small. This was bigger than usual, but I wasn’t bothered. Like hurricanes and other natural hazards, the thought of earthquakes used to terrify me. When I made my first trip…  [Read More]

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