There’s a thing we do on Twitter called Follow Friday, where we list people we follow and suggest others do the same. I’m starting a new tradition: Facebook Follow Friday. Here’s why: Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TksqEIl1uxU&fs=1&hl=en_US] Facebook has become a place where people spill out their state of mind like blood. Sometimes, it’s beautiful to see …
Two years ago yesterday, I went on my last binge. Actually, it was more like reaching the end of a final, two-month long binge. The abstinent and sober life hasn’t been perfect by any stretch. But it beats the hell out of where I was at the start. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pdQ3z1Ji8U&fs=1&hl=en_US] Appropriately, I’m leading an …
I keep thinking of a kid from the Point of Pines who isn’t with us anymore. I’m not sure why this ghost is in my head, because we weren’t exactly friends. Mood music: [spotify:track:1GnCH2KszUkpUjXuDP2G3N] The kid’s name was Zane. I believe the last name was Mead, though I’m not sure if there’s an E at …
One of my security friends thinks she needs to delete her social network accounts because she lacks social skills. She tends to offend people sometimes, you see, and she wants to go away until she can learn to behave. Though admirable, it’s a bad idea for lots of reasons. At the height of my mental …
Continue reading “Run Out of Town (Or Off Facebook, Twitter)”
I’ve spent many years worrying — assuming, really — that various people hated me for some of the things I’ve done. This year, I’ve been realizing what a waste of worry it’s been. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FPBi9N9hNc&fs=1&hl=en_US] By definition — my definition, anyway — OCD is worry out of control. You worry about all kinds of …
There was a kid in high school everyone used to pick on. He had a monotone voice and was frail. Kids were terrible to him, including me. Mood music: [spotify:track:5Qy0zLjQy3czoj0yZ7DFkk] For you to understand what I’m about to get into, a review of the 12 Steps of Recovery are in order, with special emphasis on …
I’ve written a lot in this blog about Sean Marley, my friend and brother, who took his life in 1996. It’s been unavoidable. He left a huge mark on my life in ways dark and wonderful. Yesterday was all about the latter. Mood music: “Hollywood” by The Runaways: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWSoOnSfk_8&hl=en_US&fs=1] With Erin working and the kids …
The author realizes it’s time to let some things go. I’ve been making frequent visits to my father’s warehouse in Saugus, Mass., lately, digging through a bunch of boxes jammed into a crevice behind many pallets piled high with more boxes. The boxes I’ve been rummaging through are 15-20 years old, and some of them …
I’m a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/glass-is-more-than-half-full kind of guy. But sometimes I wake up in a bad mood and let my brain smolder over stupid things. This is one of those mornings. To roll with the moment’s mood, below are a few of the things that piss me off. It’s useful to get angry sometimes — as long …
Continue reading “These Piss Me Off (But Won’t Cut Me Down)”
As bad as the past was, the author is no longer afraid to face it. Mood music for this post: “Yesterdays” by Guns N Roses: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Fic0XjrSs&hl=en_US&fs=1&] The Guns N Roses song above is about letting the past go. “Yesterdays got nothing for me,” Axl Rose sings. I used to feel that way. But lately I’m …
