Family

Another Reason Addiction-Depression Stinks

by Bill Brenner February 20, 2010 Addiction

I’ve mentioned before that one of the inspirations for this blog was a book called “The Heroin Diaries” by Nixxi Sixx, bass player and lyricist for Motley Crue. It’s a book of diary entries he wrote from late 1986 to late 1987, at the time the “Girls Girls Girls” album was recorded and the band toured the world to support it. At the time, he was in the tight clutches of a heroin addiction that…  [Read More]

What Kind of Day It Has Been

by Bill Brenner February 16, 2010 Addiction

The author’s day has not gone as planned. He’s OK with that, though he wasn’t always. Mood music for this post: “Adrift And At Peace” from NIN: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMnv8zrmAyU&hl=en_US&fs=1&] This day has not gone as planned. I wanted to be in the office today plowing through some work. But another winter storm forced me to work from home. Some would say it’s great I can do that, and it is. But when there’s a lot on…  [Read More]

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

by Bill Brenner February 14, 2010 Faith

The author goes to Church and comes away with a strange feeling. Mood music for this post: “Faith.” The Limp Bizkit version: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpPM-5TJIZ0&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Yesterday at All Saints Parish Father Michael Harvey delivered one of those Homilies that sent my mind and soul all over the map. I like Father Harvey. I wasn’t sure about him at first. He had the massive shoes of Father Mark Ballard to fill, so the deck was stacked against him…  [Read More]

OCD Diaries: The Office Mom

by Bill Brenner February 9, 2010 Coping tools

The author salutes Anne Saita, a former co-worker who showed me how to stand up to people and face down my fears — and whose blog is a must-read. I’ve been reading the blog Run DMZ a lot lately.The main reason is that it’s chock full of excellent content on how to eat and exercise properly. The other reason is that the author is someone near and dear to me: Anne Saita, my former boss…  [Read More]

Lessons From Dad

by Bill Brenner January 21, 2010 Family

I wrote this in 2010, not long after starting this blog. Since then, Dad has had a series of strokes and has trouble walking, seeing and swallowing. His refusal to let it break his spirit reinforces my appreciation for him all the more. Thanks for the inspiration, Dad. The author has learned some surprising lessons from Dad on how to control one’s mental demons. My father is on my mind this morning. I’m meeting up…  [Read More]

Courage in the Crosshairs

by Bill Brenner January 19, 2010 Courage

The author has been thinking a lot about courage lately. Some have told him it takes courage to write about his OCD battles. He thinks it’s more about being tired of running. Over the weekend, I got this e-mail from an associate in the IT security industry I write about for a living: “I’ve been reading your OCD diaries lately. This is perhaps one of the most courageous blogs on the planet and the work…  [Read More]

The Third Brother

by Bill Brenner January 9, 2010 Depression

Remembering Peter Sugarman, another adopted brother who died too early — but not before teaching the author some important lessons about life. The first time I met him was my second day as a reporter for The Stoneham Sun. He was an oddball who wore a jacket and tie to go with his sneakers and sweatpants. He was rail thin with a mustache that could comfortably hide a pound of whatever crumbs got caught there….  [Read More]

Marley and Me

by Bill Brenner January 8, 2010 Addiction

The author describes the second older brother whose death hit harder than that of the first. Mood music: [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/48842027″ iframe=”true” /] It doesn’t seem right that a friend’s death would hit me harder and fuel my insanity more than the death of a biological brother. But that’s what happened. This is the story of Sean Marley, who introduced me to metal music, taught me to love life, and whose death was one of the…  [Read More]

Lost Brothers

by Bill Brenner January 7, 2010 Children's issues

When my older brother died Jan. 7, 1984, a trend began where I would befriend people a few years older than me. A couple of them would become best friends and die prematurely themselves. It was also the day that sparked a lifelong fear of loss. It’s been so long since Michael was with us that it’s sometimes hard to remember the exact features of his face. But here’s what I do remember: We fought a…  [Read More]

Scaring the People in Your Life

by Bill Brenner December 28, 2009 Love

The author is hearing from a lot of old friends shocked to read about his past. Thing is, basket cases are good at hiding their craziness in public. To most of my family, the stories I tell in previous posts aren’t all that surprising. They were there. My in-laws may not have known everything that was going on back in the day, but they saw my quirks. Mood music: [spotify:track:78iMIaSjeVlUoNa7rehPOU] Even at work, my quirks…  [Read More]

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