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Headed To The Land Of Sin. Be Back Soon

by Bill Brenner July 23, 2012 Uncategorized

Upon telling a friend yesterday that I was headed to “the land of sin” for a security conference, he said, “Oh, so it’s in Lynn, then?”  It’s actually Las Vegas I was referring to, and I’m on my way. I’ll be doing a ton of writing for the security site I work for and I want to stay focused. So for the next few days, I’m taking a break from blogging here. I’ll still run…  [Read More]

I Don’t Really Practice Before Writing And Speaking Anymore

by Bill Brenner April 19, 2012 Uncategorized

It’s odd for an OCD case, but I don’t practice before doing the public speaking that has increasingly become part of my job. Crazy, you say? Perhaps. But hear me out. Mood music: My preparations for a speaking event — even if it was just moderating a panel, which is mostly what I’ve done of late — used to look a lot like the preparations I’d engage in for a writing assignment: When I started…  [Read More]

Don’t Let Anger Blind You To What Really Matters

by Bill Brenner April 4, 2012 Children's issues

The front office at my kids’ school is mad at me and another parent for complaining about something on the school’s Facebook page. I don’t think they saw yesterday’s post in this blog. That would make them angrier still. Mood music: I’ll admit I was angry when my wife told me the principal and office administrator got after her about my behavior. It’s not like I jumped up and down on Facebook yelling obscenities and calling…  [Read More]

Update on THE NEW OCD DIARIES

by Bill Brenner March 24, 2012 Uncategorized

Erin and I have been busy on the planning of a relaunched OCD DIARIES, and I thought I’d give a quick update… –Andy Robinson, creator of the banner atop this page, is working on a new one we’ve designed; something that fits the broader theme of the blog. –We’ve chosen the overall look and widgets and have started building. We’re going for something clean and simple. –I’ve found some some cool music plug-ins that will…  [Read More]

Racism Is Alive And Well

by Bill Brenner March 16, 2012 Communication Skills

I’d like to think those who dislike Obama simply have differences with him over economic and social policy. I’d like to think that in 2012, people don’t hate based on skin color. Then I see something like this:

Things Kids Say, March 16, 2012

by Bill Brenner March 16, 2012 Uncategorized

The children continue to let their guard down and say the most interesting things, apparently unaware — despite this being one of several installments in a series — that I’m lurking nearby, writing it all down. Mood music: “All this time I thought you wrote that song,” Sean, after hearing John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy” on the radio. I frequently call both kids beautiful boy, much to their chagrin. “John Lennon was shot to death by…  [Read More]

Sumo Wrestler With An Itch For Life

by Bill Brenner March 11, 2012 Lighthearted

This is one of many photos I took for a slideshow during the recent RSA Conference. For obvious reasons, I didn’t put it in the final slide deck. But this is a personal blog, so what the hell… I actually liked this guy. He always had that smile on whenever I passed his booth. A smile like that is contagious. The slideshow, for CSO, was of the more interesting scenes from the RSA exhibit floor. You…  [Read More]

Sober In San Francisco: Easier Than It Used To Be

by Bill Brenner February 26, 2012 Uncategorized

The first day in San Francisco for RSA and BSidesSF is done, and I’m happy to report being a lot more comfortable in my sobriety than I’ve been at past conference gatherings. Mood music: Right after I got sober at the end of 2009, these networking events were difficult for me. A couple drinks used to loosen my nerves and bring me out of my shell, and it took a long time to learn how…  [Read More]

I Regret Wearing That Charles Manson T-Shirt

by Bill Brenner February 26, 2012 Uncategorized

In the early 1990s, Patti Tate, sister of Sharon Tate, was on a public tirade against Guns N Roses frontman Axl Rose for going onstage every night wearing a Charles Manson T-Shirt. Around the same time, I had my own Manson shirt, worn regularly to freak people out. Mood music: Here’s Axl in his shirt: Here’s me in my shirt: The picture was taken 20 years ago — 1992 — when I was in a…  [Read More]

New Facebook Page: ‘Justice For Jessica Cormier’

by Bill Brenner February 15, 2012 Uncategorized

Early last month I wrote about Jessica Cormier, a young woman who worked for my father and stepmother and was murdered Jan. 3 not long after leaving Brenner’s for the day. Mood music: Last night I got a message that a new Facebook page has been set up in her honor called “Justice for Jessica Cormier.” Pages like this are good for keeping caught up on investigations and other developments. It’s also a good place…  [Read More]

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