Category: Uncategorized

• Breakroom Temperatures, Preferred Seating, and Super Bowl Aggressions – Thoughts from February 11, 2026

  

  My recent two-part article went into how I have OLD (obsessive-logical disorder). It’s not exactly OCD but is mental illness adjacent. I’m going to point out another time at work that my mind flips out. It takes place in a breakroom that I shortly discussed in one article. The breakroom has two major flaws. Being…

  Brian Kirwan

  July 21, 2026

  Uncategorized

  2026, A-holes on the freeway, aggression of the event, break from the cold, breakroom, despising everything football represents, extra anxiety, guns and shooting, heating my lunch, humorless, imperfect day, keeping my good ear to the room, mental illness adjacent, mind flips out, my preferred seat, obsessive-logical disorder, OCD, OLD, people think I’m kidding, prop the door open, quarantine myself from the Super Bowl, seeing the microwave numbers, Super Bowl, Super Bowl on TV, super bowl Sunday, temperature of the room, thoughts, working on Super Bowl Sunday

• Double Doors, Automatic Toilets, and Germaphobes – Thoughts from February 1, 2026 – Part 2

  

  When last we left the mentally ill rantings of the author of this two-part article, he was explaining OLD (obsessive-logical disorder). I was describing the double doors at the top of the stairs at work. If none of this sounds familiar, go back and read Part 1 of this two-part article. I established in it…

  Brian Kirwan

  July 14, 2026

  Uncategorized

  2026, automatic toilets, automatic towel dispenser, automatically flushes again, backpack, breakroom, contradicting rules, courtesy flush, crowded restroom, double doors, fix the situation, germaphobe, half of lights off, I’m glad you asked, illogical behavior, illogical flushing, keep to the right, kind of right either way, lining up doors, living in caves, lockers, logical questions, logical reason, logical side of my brain, mentally ill rantings, obsessive-logical disorder, OLD, paper towels on the ground by the door, Part 2, restroom, rude behavior, stalls, thoughts, Thoughts from Life, two-part article, urinals

• Continuing Throat Problems, Odd Cabinet Connections, and OLD – Thoughts from February 1, 2026 – Part 1

  

  On January 22, I had my checkup appointment for my throat. I changed the cough drops I used, but I could still feel something on my vocal cord. The polyp had grown back. I saw that on my last appointment. When the doctor came into the exam room, he asked how my throat was doing.…

  Brian Kirwan

  July 7, 2026

  Uncategorized

  2026, acronym, cabinet between two floor vents, checkup appointment, common behaviors, connecting solidly, cough drops, doctor, double doors, drinking water on my way to work, healing my throat, humongously entertaining explanation, keep to the right rule of walking, kitch remodel, logical way of doing things, long commute, lower cabinets, mental illness, not perfect, obsess over illogical things, obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive-logical disorder, OCD, odd connection points, OLD, Part 1, people behaving illogically, polyp on my vocal cord, scowl on my face, thoughts, throat doctor, throat problems, vent cover, wood grained panels

• Fugitives, Relocating, and a Possum Named Steve – Thoughts from January 10, 2026

  

  Patti and I are fugitives. If that doesn’t make you interested, I don’t know what will. In case this is the first Thoughts from Life you’ve ever read; I’ll briefly explain the situation. Patti (my wife) and I (me/Brian) have adopted an outside cat (Archie). We would let him come into the house, but we…

  Brian Kirwan

  June 30, 2026

  Uncategorized

  2026, an opossum is in the trap, animal trap, apple pieces, Archie, Brian, bushes to hide, California, cats, Competition ruins everything, cut up apple, fugitives, giant rat tail, illegal activities, illegal to relocate a possum, illegal to relocate a raccoon, meowing endlessly, opossum, outside cat, Patti, Patti’s truck, porch, possum, possum’s open mouth, proper punctuation and grammar, Scout, slim chance of survival, Steve, thoughts, Thoughts from Life, trapdoor closed, undisclosed location, wire cutters, zip-tied door

• New Year, Cassette Repairs, and Cats Living Together – Thoughts from January 5, 2026

  

  This is my first entry for 2026. After screwing up and writing 2025, I wrote 2026 for the first time this year. I thought about it the other day and figured out I don’t have many opportunities to write the year anywhere. These entries are one of the last places I write out the whole…

  Brian Kirwan

  June 23, 2026

  Uncategorized

  2025, 2026, 8-track ADAT audio tracks, ADAT cassette, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Archie, cassette tape, cats were freaking out, champagne, CNN, commercials, countdown started, digital tape, done working in my office, drinking throughout the night, fit of laughter, Hulu, illegal fireworks, karma, lip sinking to songs, live TV, living in the same house together, meow-screams, mid-90s, nerd talk, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Eve with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, Patti, putting it back together, regular TV, signing something, taking apart a cassette, thoughts, tiny parts, toast the New Year, too much noise, VHS tapes, writing the year, YouTube

• Hosting Christmas Eve and Remote Controlled Gift Frenzies – Thoughts from December 30, 2025

  

  Patti and I hosted Christmas Eve, but we couldn’t do it at our house because our kitchen and the rest of the house are not usable. I planned to work on the kitchen on my four days off from work, but rain prevented it. We had our hosting night at Patti’s sister’s house. It’s much…

  Brian Kirwan

  June 16, 2026

  Uncategorized

  2025, Archie, asleep on the floor, battery powered tools, blindfold with eyelashes, blindfolded, cats, cats freaking out, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas games, cotton balls as snowballs, dietary restrictions, enourmous kitchen, exchanged gifts, gift exchange frenzy, gifts for a child, growling bear, hosting Christmas Eve, kitchen island, kitchen remodel, leftovers, meowing, new carpet, no shoes rule, our cluttered house, outside noises, overflowing cotton balls, packing the car in the rain, Patti, Patti’s nephew, presents, rain, remote controlled Disney characters, Scout, Scout’s kids, shoes off, snoring, stuffed mushrooms, thoughts, younger relatives

• Triggered Traps and Monster Wreaths – Thoughts from December 13 and 17, 2025

  

  December 13, 2025 For those of you who were waiting on an update to the trap in our yard, I have the first happening since we put it out and filled it with apple cores. To catch up, our outside cat, Archie, was having his food eaten by one of the animals in our backyard.…

  Brian Kirwan

  June 9, 2026

  Uncategorized

  2025, animal trap, apple cores, Archie, atheism, backyard animals, bow on the door, cat in a stocking, cats, Christmas, Christmas decorations, Christmas town, Easter bunny, favorite movies, giant Hello Kitty, Jack Skellington, learning from your mistakes, monster wreath, neighborhood cat, opossum, outdoor decorations, outside cat, Patti, plastic coat hanger, raccoon, religious decorations, relocating a raccoon, Santa, smart animals, squeezed out like a hamster, Stitch in a Santa hat, taking religion out of American holidays, The Nightmare Before Christmas, thoughts, trapdoor closed, triggered the trap, zip ties

• Restrooms, Doing Nothing, and Annoying Habits – Thoughts from December 10, 2025

  

  It’s been a while since I wrote about just my thoughts. This thought takes us back to the restroom. It’s based on a little bit of actual events, but it’s more of a general thinking around the restroom. Humans have been using restrooms for a relatively brief time in human history. I guess it shouldn’t…

  Brian Kirwan

  June 2, 2026

  Uncategorized

  2025, acting weird in restrooms, annoyance factor, backside burps, bodily noises, cleanup, courtesy flush, creepy, drinking plenty of water, Elvis, fiber in your diet, food with no nutritional value, hearing only breathing, heart attack on the toilet, heavy breathing, human history, judgemental blowhard, just my thoughts, on phone at the urinal, phones in the restroom, playing video games on the toilet, regulate, restroom, restroom silence, restroom stall, restrooms amplify sound, silence is my enemy, sit on the toilet and not do anything, something medically wrong, straining hard, talking through speakerphone, texting clicks, thinking about the restroom, thoughts, Thoughts from Life, toilet-related activities, urinal

• Stealing Archie’s Food, Relocating Animals, and Happy Endings – Thoughts from December 9, 2025

  

  This Thoughts from Life is going to take us into the lives of five cats. Four of the cats are indoor cats and one is an outdoor cat. The inside cats are Scout, Willow, Luna, and Beatrix. Scout is the mom of the other three. They are all female cats. The outside cat is Archie.…

  Brian Kirwan

  May 26, 2026

  Uncategorized

  2025, after living happily ever after, animal control, animal stealing Archie’s food, Archie, author created world, autobiographies, backyard animals, Beatrix, belief in supernatural happenings, déjà vu, fantasy stories, fate, five cats, friendships, grammar checker, I keep it random, indoor cats, keep myself interested, lazy writing, live happily ever after, Luna, my story writing, non-believer, nothing is predestined, opossums, outdoor cats, Patti, pest control, raccoon, raccoons carry rabies, religious concepts, relocating, relocating raccoons, relocating raccoons is illegal, romantic concept, Scout, sups, the problem will solve itself, thoughts, Thoughts from Life, vocal orange cat, wet cat food, whatever happens will be the solution, wild animals, Willow

• Jury Duty, Early Mornings, and Golden Tickets – Thoughts from December 7, 2025

  

  In November, I got a jury duty summons. It was for Tuesday, December 2. The good news was I didn’t have to report until noon. For someone who works at night, this takes planning to get there at that time. I normally get up at 11:00 am, but that day I got up at 9:00…

  Brian Kirwan

  May 19, 2026

  Uncategorized

  2025, bailiff, being excused, conflicted feelings about America, courthouse, courtroom, courtroom dramas, Do you want to be on the jury?, extreme point of view, filling out questionaires, getting out of serving jury duty, going to bed early, golden ticket, group number, hearing the judge, impartial juror, in the jury box, judge, jury duty, jury duty summons, jury room, justice in America, legal knowledge, legal questions, my good ear, no paid time off, Patti, pink jury verification slip, sexual assault case, shortened version of my routine, they never ask about religion, thoughts, working at night