Lessons from the past

Just Like a Car Crash

by Bill Brenner May 11, 2010 Fear and anxiety

The author is in a pretty good mood for a guy who cracked up his car last night. Mood music for this post: “Stigmata” by Ministry: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbMbTx6HyvE&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Last night, on the way home from an OA meeting, I cracked up the car. Badly. The good news is that nobody was hurt, though my car is another story. The front end is smashed in. Oddly enough, the headlights, while popped out of place, are intact and…  [Read More]

Skeptic Slang and Charles Manson: Six Degrees of Separation

by Bill Brenner April 17, 2010 Communication Skills

Skeptic Slang and a glimpse at mental illness in the making. Mood music for this post: “My Monkey” by Marylin Manson: A note about the music: Marilyn Manson put this on his “Portrait of an American Family” album, which was recorded in the Sharon Tate murder house. The title and chorus were taken from a Charles Manson song called “Mechanical Man.” Bits of Manson interviews are sprinkled throughout. It just seemed appropriate for some reason……  [Read More]

An OCD Diaries Primer

by Bill Brenner March 20, 2010 Addiction

A collection of posts that form the back story of this blog. Mood music: [spotify:track:19n9s9SfnLtwPEODqk8KCT] The Long History of OCD An OCD Christmas. The first entry, where I give an overview of how I got to crazy and found my way to sane. The Bad Pill Kept Me from the Good Pill. How the drug Prednisone brought me to the brink, and how Prozac was part of my salvation. The Crazy-Ass Guy in the Newsroom….  [Read More]

Helter Skelter

by Bill Brenner February 3, 2010 Addiction

The author admits that his OCD behavior includes an obsession with the Manson Case. Here’s why. Ever since I was a kid and I first saw the 1976 TV movie on the Manson Murders, I’ve been fascinated. I’ve read “Helter Skelter,” the book by Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, dozens of times. I own the 1976 and 2004 versions of the film on DVD, along with a documentary called “The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter,” where…  [Read More]

6 Guys I Look To In Times of Trouble

by Bill Brenner January 5, 2010 Coping tools

This is the perfect time to write about why I’m such a history nut. I’m in a rotten mood because my office technology is on the blink, keeping me from getting things done. People with OCD don’t just shrug off such things. We zero in on the problem like the proverbial laser beam, trying anything and everything to fix the problem until, exhausted and bewildered, we realize what we knew in the first place —…  [Read More]

No Year’s Resolutions

by Bill Brenner January 1, 2010 Lessons from the past

The author vows not to make any New Year’s Resolutions, because he has learned that it’s easier to meet all his objectives without that stupid list. Making New Year’s resolutions used to be a compulsive activity for me. I was always so desperate for something better that I fiendishly and feverishly made lists of what I would do in the coming year: –Stop binge eating –Stop worrying about what other people think of me –Stop…  [Read More]

The Bridge Rats of Point of Pines, Revere

by Bill Brenner December 21, 2009 Lessons from the past

In this post, the author reviews the imperfections of childhood relationships in search of all his OCD triggers. Along the way, old bullies become friends. I used to blame childhood bullies and name-callers for all the things that led to an adulthood with OCD. I was bullied, you ask? You betcha. I was called a lot of names related to being fat. Some kids gave me the occasional beating. But I was no better than they…  [Read More]

The Stormy Present

by Bill Brenner December 16, 2009 Adventures in writing

A week and a half into this blog, I have most of the backstory etched in. There’s a little more backstory to come, particularly on how Faith has played a central role in my recovery and about how the signs of my craziness were there in my early 20s. More humor is yet to come as well. Response to this blog has been tremendous, and I thank those who are taking time to comment. Until…  [Read More]

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