A place for my thoughts

Brandi Easterling Collins, independent author

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Essays, General Thoughts

What does depression (and anxiety) look like?

Most commercials for antidepressants show people in despair, lying on a couch crying or dressed in baggy clothing with unkempt hair. Is that what depression looks like? Yes. Sometimes. But often,…

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August 6, 2017
Essays, General Thoughts

Childhood Lost

Childhood Lost- Narrative Essay for Comp I. 9-27-99 Sometimes when I listen to myself speak, it is not my voice I hear, but my mother’s. I love Mom, but the last…

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July 25, 2016
Essays, General Thoughts

And They Didn’t Even Buy Us Dinner First: Property Insurance Woes

Property insurance is necessary if you own a car or a home, especially if you have a loan or mortgage. But it’s also a flawed system that punishes you for…

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March 24, 2024
  • Cast photo of "My So-Called Life"
    General Thoughts,  Pop Culture

    My So-Called Life: What the show meant to me then and now

    October 17, 2023 /

    Television habits before 1994 I grew up watching TV and movies rented on VHS tapes. As an avid reader, escaping into another world wasn’t uncommon for me, but there was just something about watching it on screen that evoked all my senses. When I was a little kid, I watched mostly cartoons: The Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite, The Care Bears, and of course, The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. Later, I watched family-friendly shows with my mom, like The Wonder Years, Dr. Quinn, Home Improvement, and the TGIF line-up that included shows like Full House, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, and Step by Step. And I can’t forget the…

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    Designed by jcomp / Freepik

    Losing My Religion

    February 9, 2020

    Two Years of Updates: Reading, Writing, and other creative outlets

    July 22, 2018

    Day 6: Countdown of my favorite love songs (pour your heart out)

    February 10, 2018
  • Book cover featuring woman standing on a stage with text: When Does Life Begin?
    General Thoughts,  Novels (my writing updates)

    Writing update: When Does Life Begin? publication and sneak peek

    September 8, 2023 /

    Writing update for When Does Life Begin? I’ve spent the last few months finishing and editing my fifth novel, When Does Life Begin? It’s been a long process from its original draft when I was still a kid to what it is now. As long as everything goes well with the physical proof, the novel will be available on September 23, 2023, in both paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon.com. Read more about my other four novels. History of the story I dreamed up Lydia Dawson (once spelled Dahson) in early 1995 when I was 13 years old. Officially, it was the first novel I started as a teen, but it…

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    Back to school

    August 12, 2018
    Woman dealing with mental health issues.

    When your mind betrays you: depression rears its ugly head again

    December 9, 2023

    All I know about my dad

    January 1, 2017
  • "Collins Family 23" drawn in the sand.
    General Thoughts

    First summer beach vacation

    July 1, 2023 /

    Childhood vacations I remember the first time I went to the beach with my family when I was a teenager. We didn’t stay right on the beach, nor did we swim in the ocean, but it was an experience all the same. I remember getting to go out on the beach at night, and I saw a shooting star. I made a wish on that star to meet the man I was supposed to spend my life with by the time I was 23, and it came true. I met Jonathan right before my 23rd birthday. Road trips were always our thing because the expense of flying was out of…

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    Bag of money

    Ways I Save Money in our Household Budget

    March 13, 2023

    Day 7: Countdown of my favorite love songs (message to new lover)

    February 11, 2018

    All I know about my dad

    January 1, 2017
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Recent Posts

  • My Favorite Holiday Movies and TV Specials (Even the Guilty Pleasures)
  • A Family Road Trip: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
  • Summer 2025 Writing Update and Sixth Novel First Chapter Teaser
  • Can High Goals Get in the Way of Contentment?
  • How Many Times Can You Start Over?

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