Lighthearted

Christmas Group Therapy

by Bill Brenner December 9, 2011 Depression

Yup.

THE OCD DIARIES, Two Years Later

by Bill Brenner December 7, 2011 Addiction

Two years ago today, in a moment of Christmas-induced depression, I started this blog. I meant for it to be a place where I could go and spill out the insanity in my head so I could carry on with life. In short order, it snowballed into much more than that. Mood music: http://youtu.be/IKpEoRlcHfA About a year into my recovery from serious mental illness and addiction — the most uncool, unglamorous addiction at that — I started…  [Read More]

Pepperspray, Waffle Makers And Other Black Friday Stupidity

by Bill Brenner November 26, 2011 Communication Skills

This post is all about the folks who make it hard for me to keep my faith in humanity. Consider it a momentary indulgence where I give thanks that for all my screw ups, I don’t behave like this. I spend a lot of time in this blog looking at the brighter side of human nature — examples of people rising above the odds and living to the fullest despite the hand they’ve been dealt….  [Read More]

Get In The Van And Head To The Channel

by Bill Brenner October 25, 2011 Coping tools

A friend from the Point of Pines, Revere shared a memory yesterday. It involved getting in my brother Michael‘s van and going to see a rock legend perform at the Channel in Boston. Mood music: Julie Doyle Frascino read my post “Lost Brothers” and posted this on my Facebook page: “Michael was such a good kid! I remember one time we all piled into that van he had and went to see the Joe Perry Project…  [Read More]

A Facebook Fad I Can Embrace

by Bill Brenner October 7, 2011 Communication Skills

There have been a lot of groan-inducing Facebook fads along the way. The “25 Things About Me” is one example. The “only some of you will have the guts to repost this” is another. But the latest fad is one I can actually embrace. Ever since the redesign everyone complained about, amusing posters have popped up everywhere. I suspect the ability to play images bigger was the prime motivator. A lot of them are pretty…  [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]

I Pet My Peeves Until They Become Triggers

by Bill Brenner August 21, 2011 Addiction

I really hate all those pre-written, self-righteous Facebook posts. I told Erin I was going to write a post flaming all those stupid sayings. Mood music: “Tell me what that has to do with OCD?” she asked, giving me that stare she gives me when she’s certain that I’m full of shit. “It’s a trigger,” I said, not really meaning it. “It’s not a trigger. It’s a peeve. You going to go pet it now?”…  [Read More]

Caught On Camera: The Aging Process

by Bill Brenner August 1, 2011 Coping tools

Remember that post I wrote about the time I tried to be Jim Morrison? Well… Mood music: My stepmom found some photos of the younger me during a recent cleaning spree. Here I am, with long hair and very large glasses, circa 1992: That hair was halfway down my back before I decided to chop it a year later. Now, nearly 20 years later, the hair is ON my back. I still have pretty big…  [Read More]

Born On A Street Corner

by Bill Brenner July 29, 2011 Lighthearted

I thought we had a good childbirth story when, on the way to the hospital to give birth to Duncan in 2003, Erin’s water broke as I plowed our brand-new car over the train tracks. But Tim Whitman, one of my security PR friends, and his wife, Lauren, just wrote their own birthing tale that just goes to show how far Tim will go to generate publicity. Here’s a bit of the story from the…  [Read More]

My Filthy, Despicable Mouth

by Bill Brenner July 28, 2011 Coping tools

When my first child was born, I resolved to clean up my language. I was pretty successful for a long time. Lately, though, the Revere talk is reasserting itself. Mood music: I probably wouldn’t even notice the increasingly filthy mouth if not for the curse jar Erin put out. Whenever someone uses a curse word, they have to put 25 cents in the jar. The kids were delighted last week when Erin herself said something…  [Read More]

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