Joining Clubs and Organizations

After the day after Labor Day had started, I read a lot of the reading of The Odyssey before my Algebra class. Then during class I heard Mrs. North say see was extending the deadline of the quiz because of Labor Day weekend. I took the real quiz during class and I got one hundred percent. After that I got back my study guide with 4.5 out of 5 points. Then I got more than half way through with the math review.

Back in Ellis I found a way to make my penguin statues stand up during lunch. In my book on contemplative photography, I read how color and texture of an object can create a metaphoric quality, like the crack in a glass I once took a photo of, and how you zoom in and out in with your camera can affect the feeling of a photo. On my way to class I took some more photos. Before it started I read more the reading for The Odyssey.

             During my North American Indian class I felt pretty well able to connect everything being said in the lecture. I heard the Anthropology Club was meeting the next day at six, also remembering how many autistic people, not including myself, may feel uncomfortable in many student groups, so my group would give them one where they would feel comfortable. After class as I sorted some recycling and a guy passing by me saw me and said, “You’re a good man.” I took some more pictures and got some more pebbles on my way back, as I took a lot of recycling to the recycling bin in the Ellis courtyard. When I got back I worked on my lampshade made from straws, my handbag for Emily, and my penguins made from snack wrappers. I also read more of the reading for The Odyssey and started my first response paper. 

I texted Emily during dinner though I never heard back from her. I also took some more pictures and learned to slow down the pace of my life even more when I saw apple pie in the Dining hall again. After finishing dinner and writing in my meditation journal, I read more of The Odyssey and started enjoying it, finding it very exciting. I also started seeing from a picture of the stairwell how what my contemplative photography book said about zooming in and out with your camera is very true. Then I talked to Tyler who said that and he said I treat him like a real brother. 

The next day I went to my Drawing I class and we learned to draw a still-life by drawing only the negative shapes, and I learned how drawing slanted lines helps give them more character. Outside my art class, when our teacher asked us to take a ten minute break, I saw a sign for a group called the Print Club, which was meeting in Room 306 of the Grinstead Building on Friday at six. After class I learned to use snack wrappers to make the covers of scrapbooks. Then I went to my World Masterpieces class where I took a quiz and got five out of five on it. After class I got the idea to make a pin cushion using a snack wrapper and laundry lent.

After I made some change at the bank, I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Mayfield for the next day at nine. Then I got some more tape and a hole-puncher at the Union bookstore. When I got back to Ellis I sorted some more recycling in the halls. Then I worked on my shopping bag woven from Walmart bags and tried making a pin cushion with laundry lent and a snack wrapper. I also made a chain bracelet from snack wrappers but my penguins made from snack wrappers went pretty bad and sadly I ended up throwing all but one, which I thought went alright, away.

I went to Crazy Dog’s for dinner where I got a new bottle cap for my collection from my beer and I read on my phone that a frying pan could help shrink snack wrappers and unfortunately got some buffalo wing sauce on my shorts with no time to change before the Anthropology Club meeting.  On my way there I did take a few pictures however. I got to the building where my North American India class met and saw the instructor, Dr. Yelton. I said, “Is this where the Anthropology Club meets?”

             “Yes, come on in.” he said.

I went inside and sat down. Laci, a girl from my class, gave a presentation on a law called NAGPRA, which required all federally funded agencies to record any Native American remains they found, which thought would be a good way to preserve their cultures. After the meeting was over I complimented Laci on her presentation. Then I went back to my dorm and I worked on my lampshade and my handbag. I made two more chain bracelets from snack wrappers while running on the treadmill that night, using my pocket knife to cut them up, and after they were done I realized they would need to be shrunken to be more snug and secure. 

I got back and talked to Tyler on the phone during Late Night and told him I would have to hang up at ten so I could get back and write in my meditation journal, and I reminded him of that as it was three minutes until ten and at ten o’clock I told him I had to hang up and he understood. I wrote down what I did for my meditation journal before I saw I had a call from my dad. I called him and he said he called to ask me how I was doing and I told him I was doing pretty good. He also said I ought to call my grandparents to let them know how I was doing and that my grandparents could still be up at that hour. After I was done talking to him I called my grandparents to tell them I was doing great, for which they were thrilled. After talking to all of them, I decided to save the rest of my meditation journal entry for the next day. 

The next day I went to my appointment with Dr. Mayfield at nine. I told her about my idea to have a poster board hung out in the Union for the group about autism, and possibly do these prizes for people getting a certain number of people to sign the Friend of Autism Pledge and she really liked my design for these prizes which said “Autistic Pride” above a rainbow infinite sign, she having heard only of the rainbow sign being used in the autism community. For the poster board she advised me to go to the front desk in the Union and fill out a form. She also advised me to get a student registration form filled out, which I could get at the Office of Student Activities, and to go to Union Room 307 about reserving a room for the group to meet. She then said she was waiting for a call from a journalist who wanted to do a report on autism over the phone and asked me if I would like to take part in it. I said certainly and she said I could try and get the things she mentioned done in the fifteen minutes before she should call back. I got a form from the Office of Student Activities, which I got all filled out except for a secondary student contact and out faculty advisor’s (Dr. Mayfield’s) signature. I went back and found out the journalist had not yet called back and I learned Disability Awareness Month would be held from October 7th to the 14th and that would be a good time to hang up the board in the Union. I filled out a form at the front desk, and then got a copy of it. When I got back, Dr. Mayfield said the journalist had not yet called back, so I left to do some other things.

I got back to the dorm and made two pencil cups from Pringles cans. Then I made a card for Phil to thank him for the hours he gave me over the summer, gluing on it a picture of a leaf I had taken. Later I went to my Algebra class and got most of the way done with the review.  When I got back I worked more on my trellises made from twist-ties. Then I went to my North American Indian class, where I learned more about how archaeology works and how you could, for example, tell if a flint point is supposed to be an arrowhead by how heavy it is.

When I got back to my dorm I worked on my lampshade some more. I worked on my handbag some more during dinner and a girl wiping tables, a shirt serene Indian girl passing by mine, asked me what I was doing. I told her about how I was making a handbag, which I told Emily about and she loved that idea. She took a picture of it with her phone and said, “She’s lucky to have you.” 

 After dinner I finished making one of my bracelets made from snack wrappers. Then I wrote in my meditation journal, this entry about both the day after I meditated from both today and the day before. I got back and I called my mom to tell her I was doing great at UCM. She was really thrilled. The next day at my Drawing I class I learned to taper the lines while we worked on drawing just the corners in class. Between my classes I realized I could weave a bracelet out of bag strips and I read most of the reading for my World Masterpieces class. After my World Masterpieces class I mailed my thank you note to Phil. I took some more photos around campus then went to the Print Club meeting, where I found out they were thinking of doing printed signs making awareness of various causes in Warrensburg and campus organizations so we may be able to make some for the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group. Then we elected a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer, and I added my name to the list. Afterwards I ate dinner at the Hong Kong Express getting a new Snapple cap from my drink. When I got back I worked more on my handbag.