Revere

Like Father, Like Son

by Bill Brenner April 7, 2010 Addiction

The author finds that OCD behavior runs strong among the men in his family. It’s been said that certain crosses run in the family. Addictive behavior. Depression. Yesterday my father had three long stents inserted into his leg. Apparently the entire leg was full of blockages. He eats compulsively, and this contributes to the problem. In 1998 he had quadruple bypass surgery, but the bad eating continued. He’s always been able to bolt down the…  [Read More]

The Short, Strange History of Skeptic Slang

by Bill Brenner April 6, 2010 Mental health

The author is tells the story of his 2 years as lead singer of a little-known band called Skeptic Slang. I avoided this for as long as I could. I don’t like to admit that I used to sing in a band. For one thing, my singing really sucked. For another, the band never went anywhere. But some pictures of me from around that time have been unearthed, and people are starting to talk. Here’s…  [Read More]

Peace at the Scene of the Crime

by Bill Brenner March 29, 2010 Family

About the time I visited my old hiding spot behind a boat yard in the old neighborhood and found something I had lost. Mood music: During my sometimes-turbulent youth growing up in the Point of Pines, Revere, there was a place I used to go where I could be alone, smoke, drink and escape the world. It was behind the Fowler Marine boat yard, just past a field of 10-foot-high weeds. From the walkway of Gibson…  [Read More]

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]

Addicted to Feeling Good: A Love-Hate Story

by Bill Brenner February 17, 2010 Addiction

Every now and then, it’s useful to look back at who I used to be so I can appreciate who I am today. I do it partly to laugh at how — in many ways, despite the progress I’ve made — I can still be as stupid in adulthood as I was 20-plus years ago. As I write this we’re halfway through Lent — a time to sacrifice habits you love — or, in my case,…  [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 Mood Swing

by Bill Brenner January 15, 2010 Depression

Back in the day, when I was throwing parties in the basement of my house in Revere, Mass., I would reach a certain level of intoxication around 2 a.m. where I’d freeze in place, yell “mood swing!” and throw candy and other food items around the room. People seemed to enjoy it, so I kept doing it. Even then, the ego was there. Looking back, I now know that those mood swings, which were real,…  [Read More]

Revere Revisited

by Bill Brenner January 14, 2010 The stormy past

I recently drove through my old neighborhood, the Point of Pines in Revere. Much has changed, some good, some not so good. Mood music: [spotify:track:5buAcoMYgdr4sCtuYiIXKs] Let’s start with the house I grew up in. It seems to sag a lot more than I remember. The bushes that covered the concrete patio are gone, but the huge birch tree on the front lawn is still there. Always loved that tree. A lot happened in this house….  [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]

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