Call An Autistic!

Me: okay, got a lot to do today Me: Glad I planned ahead and actually made breakfast last night! Me: Now I can just sit down and eat, no prep needed. Me: And of course nothing goes better with a cup of overnight oats than my drug of choice: the advice columns! Me: Always nice

Leaning in or burning out?

“Hold that thought,” I said to my spouse. He was in the middle of a sentence, and I felt bad about cutting him off. But it would only be for a few seconds. And we were chatting rather than talking about something emotionally urgent. If this had been a serious discussion, I would have quite

Rye Crows

As I mentioned in a previous post, Monday is “details” day. So instead of posting about autism, aphantasia, or other neurodivergent news, I’m going to chat about something I’m passionate about. One of my special interests is birds. I don’t have a house or a yard, but I’m lucky enough to have an apartment with

The Bitter Autistic Wish List

1. When someone tells you they’re autistic, just nod. A friendly smile is nice, if you can manage it. 2. If you have a personal positive experience with autism that can be expressed in a single sentence – go for it. “Oh, great – so’s my sister” works. So does, “Oh, hey – I just

Masks Protect Us

Several months ago, BuzzFeed News ran a story about a woman who won the kind of contest no one even wants to place in: worst tattoo ever. It makes sense that such a tattoo would involve words rather than art. Plenty of people have rued the day they got someone else’s name inked on them.

Coffee, tea, or empathy?

Someday, when it’s safe for all involved, I will be able to visit my lovely father-in-law and his lovely wife again.  And when I do, I will bring my coffee kettle, the coffee scale and beautiful glass Chemex coffee-pour-over jug my kiddo got me for Christmas, the coffee grinder my kiddo recommended I get, and

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