Details: Goose Boy?

One of the questions I found most helpful in the initial quiz in Cynthia Kim’s I Think I Might Be Autistic was in the section about “intense or unusual interests.” The author asks, “Do you find that you naturally focus more on the details of things than on the whole?” I’m grateful that Kim went on

Judgement Day

Me (on the phone with my sister): …oh hey I should do a Tarot reading for you sometime. I still have some learning to do but I’m really into Tarot I don’t know if I ever told you that. Sister: …you’re into Tarot? Me: Yeah! Not, like, oh wow I think these cards can tell

This One’s Going Out To…

Neurotypical spouse: (introduces me to new song) Me: Wow. Spouse: I thought you’d like it! Me: Definitely. Me: This is what I listen to now. Spouse: (laughs because he thinks I’m joking) Me: (smiles because I know I’m not)

2 Face Blind 2 Furious

An autistic acquaintance mentioned that although she has aphantasia and therefore experiences some of the same issues I do with movies and new people, she finds face blindness mystifying. I don’t blame her. I feel the same way, and I have face blindness. I can say this: it’s not that I don’t pay attention to how

The Joy Of Face Blindness

Me: (watching TV with spouse) Me: (specifically an episode of The Big Bang Theory) Me: (one of his favorite shows) Spouse: (is married to the actual literal last person in the world not to have seen a single episode) Me: (going for the win for marital harmony and cultural literacy) Me: Oh! Spouse: ? Me: can you

Do You Have A Chainsaw?

Me: Honey, I want to know what you think of this. Kiddo: ? Me: I’ve been reading the testing part of I Think I Might Be Autistic, and – gosh, I’m not totally sure yet, but I think – I think some of this might apply to me. Kiddo (trying to keep a straight face): Oh? Me: “Do

I’m Disappointed In You

Me (out walking with my spouse a couple of weeks ago): So. Spouse: ? Me: What would you think if someone said – on her blog – “you know, I wish someone had told me that it’s okay to feel a little sad and worried when you find out your child is autistic”? Spouse: Well,

Walk Like An Allistic

Me: ooh lookit that big weirdo plant Me: I love that guy! Me: (takes a million pictures) Me: I love succulents so much. Me: I think I’m becoming the main character in that novel I wrote. Spouse: …the wealthy heiress gay teenaged boarding-school student whose loved ones were systematically murdered? Me: Okay, not JUST like

One Of These Things Is NOT Like The Other

The following pairs of statements are drawn from conversations I’ve either witnessed or directly participated in. The first statement in each pair is a summary of a situation, edited for succinctness and factuality; the reply is as close to verbatim as I can make it. 1. “I have chronic nausea. It’s directly related to a

Aspirational Me

Me: …so, yeah, I’m still having a really hard time reading I Think I Might Be Autistic. I don’t know why. It’s giving me so much good information. It’s telling me things I need to know and confirming things I already suspected. But it’s rough going. Me: I mean, let’s face it – being autistic is