Thanksgiving Break 2013

        On the day I went home for the Thanksgiving break, we started brainstorming for our final project, to be worked on in class and outside, for my Drawing I class: a drawing of a still-life. I got the idea to make dancing and drumming Africans from plastic bottles caps with wire for the arms, Easter egg shells for beehive huts, clay cross graves with straw flowers suggesting the dead died recently, deacons made from plastic bags and wire carrying a body, and the dancers and drummers to show life goes on for the still life, inspired by a story I read in one of my Lonely Planet books of Africa about a man who lived in an African village for years, and saw a funeral a day due to AIDS, the theme of my drawing to be that life goes on. My teacher thought that sounded like a good idea. Later I read a lot of the reading for my World Masterpieces class. Afterwards I sorted some recycling in Ellis and put my recyclables in my closet. I also called work I found out I work on Sunday from 10:30-7, Monday from 12-6, Tuesday from 10-6:30, Wednesday from 8-4:30, and Friday from 10-6:30. I checked out and drove home for about forty minutes before my mom and I stopped at an antique shop, where I had a good time petting the owner’s cats, though realizing that I would soon be home with one of my own cat’s dead body and I got a pocket knife. I got home and found my Lord of the Rings flute book lying on my bed. After that I worked on my bags woven from Walmart bags. I also talked to Tyler who I learned is starting a bottle cap collection. I decided to give him some of my duplicates and make him a box to store them. I went to see Jim Gaffigan afterwards and thought he was very funny.

                The next morning before I went to bed, I sorted out some bottle caps for Tyler during which I found a new one for my collection. After I had breakfast, I went into town and got a haircut. After I got back, I talked to my friend Erin on the phone. Then I practiced my flute for half an hour playing The Prophecy from my Lord of the Rings flute book, though it used a different fingering system than I was used to and had to adjust to it. Later I worked on my figurines from bottle caps. Then I watched World’s End with Mom and Dave. 

                The next day I went to work. I got a new Snapple cap for my collection from my drink at lunch and afterwards I got the December 2013 issue of National Geographic and the Historical Collector’s Edition Obama. I also got the idea to make my bottle cap fish look sort of like Rainbow Fish, from a story book from when I was younger. After I got home I watched a YouTube video of a scene from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Version, which I thought was pretty funny, and would love to see, even though I didn’t think there would be much to add. I showed it to Dave, and he thought it was funny too.

                I went to work the next day getting another Snapple cap during my break. After I drove home with Dave, I realized that it’s good I do my job as many people might love help out after tiresome exhausting jobs, like, as I learned last year, a social worker in a house with thirty screaming kids. Later I worked more on my figurines made from plastic bottle caps and Cam got home. 

I went to work the next day and got a new Snapple cap on my lunch. I also learned about the children’s book that inspired my bottle cap fish idea called Rainbow Fish about a fish with beautiful scales which he was so proud of and one day a fish asked for one of his scales and he rudely refused and after that none of the fish wanted to play with him so he went to the Mysterious Octopus who told him that he should share because it would make him happy and he did and it made him happy, which I guess is sort of like the message of Buddhism. I thought that it could inspire me to write a screenplay where a guy is rejected by his community after he refuses to share his great wealth and is rejected by his community and tries to find a place where he isn’t asked to share what he has only to learn to give back to the community he belonged to. I also realized that Gandhi and his followers living with few possessions may have made them more humble and less likely to be violent and more likely to die for their cause as they had nothing to lose like for that matter suicide bombers or people who commit self-immolation in Tibet, and if Gandhi and his followers had used violence, as opposed to non-violence, the British may have not been able to fight the Nazis as they may have been too overtaxed fighting the Indians and other rebellions throughout their empire and many people on the spectrum lagging behind in basic motor skills and having selective mutism may just be a more extreme version of trying to escape reality.

                While I was at work, I saw the Shawnee Mission East choir working, playing, and begging for money at the store and realized this was the effects of the budget cuts. By the end of work, I made $39.50 in tips. I got home and I realized that part of diversity is about the context in which we talk about different groups. I also worked on my bag woven from Hen House produce bags.

                The next day I walked to work, seeing some gangly-looking crows on my way to work. At work I got three new Snapple caps on my breaks and lunch. I also saw a girl from the Shawnee Mission East choir look really upset as she forgot to bag a customer’s groceries and couldn’t get them to her in time.  I told her, “Don’t worry.  It happens.” She seemed to feel better. Then after buying a two-liter bottle of Pepsi I realized I could put the top over my Buddha statue with the wrapping as light switch plates and covering the bottom with foil to make an incense burner. I asked Cam if he still wanted his old bottle caps and he said no so I got twenty-nine more bottle caps for my collection. I also went to Winstead’s and the Pathless Land with Granddad, the latter where I got the December 2013/January 2014 issue of National Geographic Traveler, the Winter 2013 issue of Parabola, the November/December 2013 issue of Afar, the Winter 2013 issue of Buddhadharma, and the December 2013 issue of Saveur.  I learned about National Geographic Traveler’s Photo contest winners in their magazine and thought I’d check out their photos and submit some one day. I also went to the Pathless Land where I meditated thinking of changing the world while going over the Padmasambhava mantra in my head and I did the dedication of merit. I got home and heard Mom say the budget cut’s support would end in 2014. I fed Peter after that. Then I started working on my vase and incense burner made from a bottle

                The next morning, I found I got my Lonely Planet Mozambique book in the mail. I also found some places to visit in my book. Then I went to my grandmom and granddad’s house and worked on my bottle cap figurine. Then we had Thanksgiving dinner while I said a grace by Thich Nhat Hanh. After dinner we talked to Uncle Todd, Aunt Laura, Abby, and Eric over Skype.  We also had Thanksgiving pie. I also decided to make Buddha wall art from bottle caps. I got home and called Erin and wished her a happy Thanksgiving.  Then I worked on my bottle cap figurine. 

                I went to work, and I decided to make a wind chime out of bottle caps in my collection. During my breaks I got a new Snapple cap for my collection. I got back and found a new bottle cap for my collection in the stash Cam gave me. After dinner I buried Polly in our backyard, and I said a few words about what she meant to me. The next day I went to Chipotle with Dad and Cam and found out Dad’s giving me a ride back to school tomorrow. Then Dad and I went to Half Price books and got a Lonely Planet book on Rajasthan, Delhi, and Agra, where I learned about some Buddhist caves in southern Rajasthan, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Visual Companion. Later I worked on my bag woven from Walmart bags.  I also learned autistic girls may compensate for their lack of non-verbal social understanding by a “sixth sense.”

Asperger Syndrome and Love

    

On the morning fo the football game I ate breakfast with John, as well as another UCM student, also named John. Then I found another pebble out in the Ellis courtyard. Then Tyler arrived, along with his mom, and his grandfather with Alzheimer’s, who looked very confused. We went to the THRIVE reunion barbecue where I saw Hillary, Mr. B, Mrs. Fahrmeier, Dr. Mayfield, and Julie. At the reception, Tyler struggled to help his grandfather into his coat, and I said, “Tyler do you want me to help with that?” I helped him grandfather get his arm through his sleeve and then something incredible happened: he smiled and held out his hand for me to shake, which I did. I suddenly realized what it must be like for my brother Jamie, working and interning at a senior center for people with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Then Hillary, Tyler, and I went to watch the football game up in the presidential box where we had been invited for the reunion. I also read a story about a college couple on, the two of them with Asperger syndrome, who lived together in an apartment at the University of Massachusetts and found a way to compensate for their condition to be together. It began when Kirsten Lindsmith met a guy named Jack Robison. Kirsten had been misdiagnosed with ADHD and never had heard of autism. Her boyfriend at the time was a high school socialite who had a way of always correcting her social behaviors, such as speaking in monotone, scooping up the food she dropped on the floor at restaurants, and speaking for long minutes to her boyfriend’s friends about her interest in animal physiology. Kirsten went through years of social rejection, making her so eager to please, and thus prone to manipulation by others. Then at UMass Kirsten met Jack at a café as he, a man with an intense interest in chemistry, did some testing of explosives in the woods, which he filmed for YouTube, upsetting people from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, for Jack didn’t realize that setting off explosives in the woods may not necessarily be seen by the ATF as ambitious chemistry experiments.

 

Jack was cleared of all charges and recruited by the UMass Chemistry director, who was impressed by his home-built chemistry lab. Jack moreover was the son of John Elder Robison, the author of the book, Don’t Look Me in the Eye, about being diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at the age of thirty-nine. His father regularly wondered could someone with Asperger syndrome find love? I knew I had gotten the support in my childhood that allowed me to be very social and good at reading non-verbal cues and social perceptions and have the same quality of life as others, but that didn’t mean I never feared how others would perceive my own differences.

Kirsten met Jack between classes and he felt a strong sense of love for her but unable to tell from her non-verbal expressions what she felt, and one day simply e-mailed her telling her his feelings flat out. Kirsten told her boyfriend about it and that she felt she had found her soul mate. Jack and Kirsten grew closer and lived together in an apartment at UMass, but faced some difficulties, such as Jack’s lack of understanding of human touch in relationship that nearly brought Kirsten to a nervous meltdown. Yet through seeing a relationship counselor, they devised a plan for them to get a housecat, which they could pet and use that as a way to demonstrate how she wanted to be caressed. Afterwards their relationship continued to flourish and they ended up contributing to Wrong Planet, so it seemed for Jack’s father, the answer to his question was yes, people with Asperger syndrome can indeed find love. I finished reading the story feeling very deeply and personally affected by it. Love, I’ve heard over and over, comes when you least expect it.  I imagined over the summer before I dated Emily and after that, that I would meet at the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group, yet my Granddad would say, “Maybe you will meet someone in one of your classes.” I remembered last year though how Teresa gave me a stone on our last Person-Centered Planning meeting that said “Risk,” asking me to love someone who will love me the way I deserved to be loved, which she said I did deserve. 

After I got back I saw I was getting a call which turned out to be from my mom and I answered it. She said, (she and Dave being in Colorado) that our pet sitter Nick went into the sunroom and found my fourteen year old cat, Polly lying on the floor, dead. I froze and after I hung up, Tyler’s mom put her arm around me. I suddenly felt strange; Polly had been with me for fourteen years of my life. 
                Tyler and his mom left and I called my friend Erin, who gave me her condolences for Polly. I talked to my dad who told me his and Sherry’s old cat Buddy Girl, also died recently. Then I worked on my snack wrapper collage of Maja Toudal, though still with a residual shock over Polly. I still hadn’t eaten, and it was fifteen minutes until my exercise time, the closest restaurant being Chic Filet, which I didn’t want to eat at due to its owner’s stance on gay marriage, while there was also Crazy Dog’s which would make me late for my exercise, which I needed in light of Polly’s death. In the end, I went down to the food court shop and bought some beef jerky for dinner, so I would at least have some energy for the treadmill. After I got back I talked to Jamie, who had heard about Polly and gave me his condolences. He also said I was right about how it felt when I helped Tyler’s grandfather. I also made another mala from straws and finished a bicycle streamer made from snack wrappers. I decided to save my meditation journal entry for today for the next day and make that day’s and today’s entry one entry dedicated to Polly. Yet I felt a strange sense of joy realizing what she was to me. 

On Sunday I saw a trailor for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug before I went to bed. After I got up and did my meditation, I worked on my travel plans to Kenya. I also talked to Tyler some more.  I learned about the ruins of Thimlich Ohinga in my Lonely Planet Kenya book, which were said to bear great resemblance to Great Zimbabwe, and felt excited for my Modern Sub-Saharan Africa class. Later Kyley came into my room and said she really liked the Autistic Pride pencil cups made from Pringles cans. After that I reorganized some of my recyclables and worked on some earrings made from bread bag tops. Then I went down to the library, got on a computer and posted on Facebook a eulogy for Polly:

R.I.P Polly Edwards. I knew you since you were a kitten when I got you for my tenth birthday. You were there for all of middle school, high school, learning to drive, two colleges, starting two student group, four relationships, two houses I lived in, and much more. I will remember you always.

Later I found Hillary and Alex Habib put their condolences by the remark and I thanked them for it. Afterwards I read most of the reading for my World Masterpieces class. I got back to my dorm and did my laundry. Later I worked on my snack wrapper collage of Maja Toudal. Of, course I also made the day’s meditation journal, about today and the day before that, something I dedicated to Polly. 

I later ate dinner with Logan and another THRIVE student, the former, especially, seeming happy to see me. After I got back from the Rec Center I made another mala from straws and talked to Tyler while I worked on my yarn painting of Hank Hill. 

 

In my next Drawing I class I learned more about accenting the lines on charcoal drawings. I later got some more super glue at the Union bookstore, getting another dime for my collection from my change. I found out later that my World Masterpieces so after sorting some recycling I got back to my dorm and worked on my foil sculptures of the Buddha and Thomas Jefferson while I talked to Tyler. Then I got finished with my Algebra homework for the day. Afterwards I worked some more on Hank Hill and Maja Toudal. 

The next day I made two more roses from straws and worked on my handbag made from snack wrappers. After my North American Indian class I went to the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group meeting, which Tom and Dr. Mayfield came too and we decided on a Bowling Night the next week. I talked to Tyler some more while making some “plarn” (yarn made from loops cut out from plastic bags). After running on the treadmill I made another mala from straws. I also showed my mom my snack wrapper collage and she loved it. 

I sat with some THRIVE students at lunch the next day. Then I read most of the reading for my World Masterpieces class. After that I got one hundred percent on my Algebra quiz. I then e-mailed all the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group members about the bowling night next week and the movie night. Later I talked to Tyler for a bit. Then I found a way to repurpose some of the plastic bottle caps in my pile by turning blue ones into Earth Day magnets, white ones into snowman magnets, and brown ones into Thanksgiving turkey magnets. 

The next day in my Algebra class I got 82.65% on my Algebra test and half way through the study guide. Then I posted on my Aunt Laura’s Facebook page thanking her, my uncle, and cousins for the birthday presents. Later at my North American Indian class I found out I got twenty-seven out of thirty points on the oral presentation and eighteen out of twenty points on the written part. I also started realizing how the more we learn about different cultures, the more we see how people can adapt to all different kinds of environments, like the harsh deserts of northern Kenya, or the Danakil Desert of Ethiopia and Eritrea. On my way back to the dorm, I got a picture of the Rec Center wall behind a tree and it was glowing yellow in the setting sun and I thought I’d submit it to UCM Photos of the Week contest. Later I made three more stamps from plastic bottle caps and Styrofoam, and I decided that instead of making signs with my bottle cap collection, I would make a wall fish, which would take up less space. Later I went to Max’s, the UCM drug-sniffing dog, retirement party. I also talked to Tyler while I made another mala from straws. I also told my Granddad about my photo and my idea to submit it to UCM Photos of the Week and he thought that was a great idea.

The next day at breakfast I sat with Oscar and Tom, inviting Oscar to join in the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group movie night and he accepted. I also thought about the great works of art indigenous peoples have done and realized it shows their lives are not all about struggling for survival. I went to the movie, though no one ended up coming, though Oscar did text me saying he had a lot of studying to do and couldn’t come. I did notice how the planet the movie took place on almost looked like Tibet, and thought if the Chinese wanted to wipe out the natives through intermarriages, forced sterilizations, and assimilation, they’d need to find someone else to do all the menial work. I didn’t end up staying as I really had to use the bathroom and no one was there. Afterwards I would have gone to the Print Club but I was far too tired and needed a break. I talked to my granddad when I got back and he said that what the group may need is better advertising. Later I worked on my bag woven from bags and some plarn while I ran on the treadmill. I got back and talked to my dad who telling him about the movie night and he thought that people might not be showing up because there’s no one there for them to meet and we could start by getting a core group of THRIVE students to come. I liked this idea and decided to try and work it out. Afterwards I worked on my plastic bottle cap Green Man. 

The next morning I worked on my travel plans to Tanzania after breakfast. Then I sorted some recycling, during which time I found another bottle cap for my collection. I took out my own recycling and as I did I found my prescription from Dr. Mays. I found another pebble, and then I worked on my streamers and collages made from snack wrappers. I went to Those Were the Days and got some more embroidery floss for my malas and yarn paintings. Later I went to Walgreen’s and got some beef jerky, Hershey’s minibars, and Altoids. On my way I got a picture of a full moon over Ellis behind some clouds in a pitch black sky. Then I got back and talked to my granddad who suggested I tell the THRIVE students about the group in study hall or one of their classes. I read the reading for my World Masterpieces class while I was on the treadmill Notes From the Underground, which I thought was really good.  Then I made another mala from straws.

The next day I tried to submit my first photo but I couldn’t figure out this address I needed to type in to send it. Never-the-less, I still decided to take photos like that. I e-mailed Mr. B asking if I could come speak to one of his classes about the group. Then I ordered myself a sheet music book called The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Flute Solos and a Lonely Planet book on Mozambique. Then  I went to Hasting’s and got the Winter 2013 issue of Tricycle magazine, National Geographic’s Best City Weekends: Unforgettable Itineraries, Local Neighborhoods, 30 Insider Tips, the November/December 2013 issue of Native magazine, the Holiday 2013 issue of Woodcarving Illustrated, and the Winter 2013 issue of Do It Yourself magazine. I also recycled and sorted some bottles and cans I found along the way and when I got back. Then I made a pinwheel from a Kool-Aid pack. I also made twenty more flowers from straws. I read more of Notes From the Underground while I ran on the treadmill. I got back and did my laundry. Then I talked to Tyler for quite a while I made another mandala from straws. I also sent my mom the prescription numbers for my medications so she could refill them at home.

The next day I got three out of five questions right on a quiz for my World Masterpieces class, though I also got a bonus question right. Then I tried to get done my Algebra homework but again found myself to spaced out to concentrate that it took me a while to do several problems I normally knew how to do. I took a break during which I got the idea that while I didn’t have sixty milligrams of Vyvanse I was supposed to take I did have two thirty milligram pills, which I could take two of but decided to check with my dad who would know whether that would work. It turned out I wouldn’t be able to finish all the homework that night either however as I felt so exhausted from hearing about Tyler’s endless problems. I did talk to my dad though who said that two thirty milligram pills would be a good idea, though he also mentioned it didn’t work that way with every medication, for example, not all pills would have half the effect if you cut them in half. After that I made another bottle cap necklace for myself with a calligraphic piece by Thich Nhat Hanh printed on computer paper saying, “Peace is Every Step.” I decided I’d give my original necklace to Tyler, who might lose it, but giving it to him would still mean a lot to him. I also made seven more flowers from straws.

The next day I got a lot of the way done with yesterday’s assignment for my Algebra class during class time. Then I got back and worked on my second handbag made from snack wrappers, deciding to add one wrapper’s worth of links to it a day. Then after lunch I worked some more on my Algebra assignment before I had to go to my North American Indian class. After that I went to the Bowling Night where Tom came and we both excelled at the game, perhaps due to taking a Beginning Bowling class through the THRIVE program. Then I finished my Algebra homework and got a 95.12%. I got back and worked on my Thomas Jefferson bust while I talked to Tyler some more. After I finished running on the treadmill, I got the idea that maybe I would like, after I finished school and was waiting for my film career to take off, to work in helping with archaeological digs and hands-on cultural projects with kids with Down syndrome. I also got the idea to make an Inuit sorcerer figure from some of my plastic bottle caps. I talked to my dad who really liked the archaeological digging idea. I started working on my sorcerer figure and then took out my trash.

The next day in my Drawing I class I learned more about using different values to create contrast in an object. Then while I was at lunch Mr. B saw me and came over to my table telling me that, while he did not normally use class time for groups to talk about themselves, I could tell of my group to the THRIVE student organization and contact Ryan, who is there president. Later I went to my World Masterpieces class and got three out of five on the quiz. I got back and worked some more on my foil Thomas Jefferson bust. Later I made another toilet paper roll diorama of Erdene Zuu monastery in Mongolia. I also talked to my grandmom, who said she head from my mom that Sean Swindler would be coming down to UCM to check out the THRIVE program and help the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group get more members. Then I worked on my Inuit sorcerer figure and then saw Abduction with some people from my hall. Then I worked on my bag woven from bags and my second handbag made from snack wrappers. I also talked to Tyler while I made another trellis square from bottle rings and twist-ties, and decided it was time to say goodbye when I finished. 

The net morning before I went to bed, I read in National Geographic about a Nigerian terrorist group called Boko Haram, who many Nigerians were so afraid of that they didn’t even say their name. I thought that sounded kind of like Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter, and then I realized that’s how I used to react whenever someone said the words “Asperger syndrome” or “autism.” After I woke up, did my meditation, and had breakfast, I went to my Algebra class where I passed the quiz. Then I did my daily work on my handbag made from snack wrappers. During my North American class, we watched a video on the controversy surrounding Native American mascots, which provoked such strong reactions from the people in class. As I saw it, a small part of me thought “that is the nature of prejudice and when I find love it will need to be with someone on the spectrum, who can understand the autistic struggle,” temporarily took hold of me like it never had before. As I thought this, Laci, who was sitting next to me, looked as though she’d just been told she was laid off a job. Suddenly, I thought perhaps I was wrong to think that, and that maybe that thinking is what has held back people with autism for so long. Really I was just divided in two from years of prejudice and discrimination, the former which still has not stopped for me.

I worked on some streamers, scrapbook covers, and collages made from snack wrappers when I got back. I also visited the UCM art gallery where I got started on my gallery trip paper for my Drawing I class, critiquing an intaglio print. Later I ate dinner with Josh, Mary, Oscar, and Levi, and two other THRIVE students. Then I took out my trash and made three more stamps from plastic bottle caps and Styrofoam and an earth magnet to hang on my fridge. After running on the treadmill I went to the Turkey Bowl with Hillary, Phillip, Mardy, and Ryan. I thought how it is often believed that people with autism don’t want relationships, or don’t care for the physical aspects of it, but I think it’s really that they don’t understand the social aspect to it. But I felt quite bad about my own ablest thoughts in my North American Indian class, especially seeing many of the people I had seen that day did not deserve to be tarred that way, which was no fairer than being denied access to society for their disability. I thought I did need to be more open in love, very uncertain of how it would turn out.

Needing to Set Boundaries

As November arrived, I finally had my second exam in my World Masterpieces class and I thought I did pretty well on it. As I nearly finished I heard myself getting a text, which, sure enough, turned out to be from Tyler, saying it, was an emergency. I called and found out a family friend of his had died and he said it was things like that which wanted to make him keep his family and friends alive. I told him he couldn’t hold onto them forever though and should enjoy them while they were there. I also realized this desire he had must have been somewhat caused by the death of Jennifer Johnston. A little after I got back I worked some more on my snack wrapper collage of Maja Toudal. Then I went to the Print Club where I gave Mark the necklace to sell at our booth at Those Were the Days. He seemed to really like it. Then I made ten of my own cards. After that I went to Experience Africa and saw a Congolese dance, for which the dancer had other people get up on the stage and dance with him, of which I joined in despite people videotaping it probably to put it on YouTube, a group of female dancers, a pianist playing three African national anthems, a poetry reading, and a fashion show with costumes from various nations. All the people came back on stage after they were done to do other performances. After all that was over I got some dinner at Planet Sub. I showed my dad my collage and prints and he really loved them. Then I worked on my foil bust of Thomas Jefferson, deciding to make it big so it could be seen from a mantle. After that I read ten more pages of Cahokia. I also sorted some recycling throughout Ellis. Then I worked on my Green Man made from plastic bottle caps. The next morning before I went to bed, I read about how many people with Asperger syndrome will retreat to their “special interests” as it gives them comfort, realizing perhaps why some group members never showed up to the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group. Contrary to popular belief, the interests of people with Asperger syndrome are not as strange and limited as believed, but often are all they talk about in social spheres as their lack of social skills doesn’t enable them to do much else, and they see things differently, as their perceptions and brains are simply wired that way.

 

After breakfast and my meditation I sorted some recycling. Then I went down to the Union and again studied for two fifty minute study blocks for my North American Indian class, with a ten minute break in between to use the bathroom and get a drink of water. I thought later about how The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug would go and thought it might end with the orcs mobilizing to invade Erebor, giving it the perfect cliffhanger ending. I got back and worked on my yarn painting of Hank Hill. I also read eleven more pages of Cahokia while on the treadmill. I got back to Ellis and sorted some more recycling. Back in my dorm I worked on a new handbag made from snack wrappers. Later I took out my trash. Then I worked on my block printing stamps made from plastic bottle caps and Styrofoam. I also talked to Tyler some more.

 

 

Before I went to bed the next morning I worked on my trellises made from bottle rings and twist-ties and my Buddha sculpture made from foil. I went to bed and dreamt that I led an army of two hundred Chittagong tribesmen from eastern Bangladesh to victory against the Bengali army of one million that was colonizing their land. I thought the dream may have been referring to how as an autism advocate, I can feel overwhelmed by the numbers of people who resist change for whatever reason, yet I don’t need to be. While I was at breakfast I worked on my travel plans to Kenya. Later I sent out personal invitations to all the members of the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group. I studied for my North American Indian class again for two fifty minute study blocks, with a ten minute break in between, during which I read about DIY projects and how they are popular among college and graduate students and often associated with fashion, printmaking and decorating. After I got done studying for my North American Indian class I finished my World Masterpieces take-home exam and submitted it to SafeAssign. When I got back I learned from a website on my phone about contemplative collage making, where you discover things about your subject in the process of portraying it. Then I ate dinner with Aaron, Kyley, John, Thad, and two other UCM students. Later I learned about how contemplative arts are arts done with mindful intent on my phone and also about keeping a journal or sketchbook for pictures of inspirations to do these arts. Then I sorted some recycling again. I worked some more on my bag woven from Walmart bags. After that I took a short nap to recover my strength, tired from helping Tyler sort out his issues with everything else. As fifteen minutes did not do it, I decided to give myself another fifteen minutes, then another thirty, realizing that Tyler has helped me learn to be kind to myself and if education and health care professionals worked more with people like him, they might learn to as well and be more productive, thus saving us money to train them to be so, rather than a financial burden.  Later I ran on the treadmill while reading ten more pages of Cahokia. When I got back I talked to my granddad, who agreed that my dream the last night lay have been telling me not to feel overwhelmed by numbers when trying to bring change for the autism community. After that I sorted more recycling.  Then I worked some more on my stamps made from plastic bottle caps and Styrofoam. Of course, I also talked to Tyler.

During my next Drawing I class, I learned to extend shade lines across an object to create more of a feeling of unity. I also found out I got two hundred seventy points out of three hundred on my portfolio. Later I worked on my Algebra homework for which I soon found I needed some help with at the Student Success Center. On my way there I sorted some recycling and found another Snapple cap for my collection. After waiting for someone to come at the Success Center, I got the help I needed. While I was there I did check out Lonely Planet books on Mongolia and Western Europe. Yet when I got back to my Algebra homework, despite having gotten help, I found myself unable to concentrate that well, taking quite a while to get done one problem, yet feeling I had to get this assignment done on-time, even though there was only a ten percent reduction on each problem for each day it was late. I took a homework break afterwards and got back to the assignment. Then Tyler texted me and I called him back saying I was losing a lot of energy listening to his worries all the time and I couldn’t call him that night because I was so behind on my Algebra homework. As a girl working at the Union computer lab announced that they would be closing in fifteen minutes, I decided to just try and finish the work the next day. Suddenly I realized how exhausted girls with autism could get. I talked to my mom who agreed to bring some vyvanse, money from my account at home, as I had none left at school, and clean clothes, which I had run out of. Then I wrote in my gratitude journal, knowing how gratitude is an effective relief against stress. I also managed to still read ten pages of Cahokia.

The next day I finished the Algebra assignment and got 99.29% and found out the net assignment, the practice quiz, wasn’t sue until the next day. I also finished my study guide. When I got back I had a nice lie down. Then I called Tyler and told him no hard feelings for what I said last night and that I am always willing to help him because he is my friend. Then my mom arrived with my medicine, clothes, and money. She met Connor and commented to him on all the bags of trash I had to repurpose by Connor said he thought it was cool what I made from it. I went to my North American Indian class afterwards where I took the exam and I thought I did pretty well on it. During that time, I also started to understand Cahokia a little better. Afterwards I went to the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group Bingo Night, to which Tom and Dr. Mayfield came to. Dr. Mayfield brought some prizes from the UCM book store, among them were pens, UCM lapels, and a notepad with paper made from elephant droppings. Tom won the first two games and he and picked out some pens. He and I tied on the last game and he chose a lapel while I picked out the notepad. Afterwards I talked to Dr. Mayfield about what I realized about girls with autism becoming so exhausted from trying to blend in and being misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder, AD/HD, OCD, and other conditions and she knew what I meant. Then I found out the money Mom sent had come that day and I bought some super glue and a sketchbook to replace my missing one. After that I ate dinner with Mary, Levi, two of Levi’s friends, and another first-year THRIVE student whose name I did not know, while I made three more stamps from plastic bottle caps and Styrofoam. Later I worked some more on my snack wrapper collage of Maja Toudal. I ran on the treadmill and finished Cahokia, which I felt I understood and had some idea of how to write my book report on it. I got back and I worked on my bag woven from bags some more. I showed my dad my Green Man and he liked it a lot. Later I talked to Tyler some more while I made a Buddhist mala from straws, trying to cut down on my pile of straws by making one a day. I also realized that if people at the group felt they could be themselves at the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group, they may not be plagued so much by fatigue trying to blend in with the group, and maybe we ought to see movies together on campus, so people wouldn’t have to worry about blending in.

The next day in my Drawing I class I learned how to hold my pencil better and to make the dark spaces in the front of my subject darker, so my light spaces don’t stand out so much. I read most of the reading for my World Masterpieces class afterwards. During that class I took a quiz, though I only got two out of five questions right. However, after that I got one hundred percent on my Algebra practice quiz. After that I tried making Celtic crosses from wire. I realized it’s good that the Print Club’s booth at Those Were the Days, Print Reign Supreme, would sell things besides prints, because printmakers need to do other kinds of work as well. I went to Print Reign Supreme and saw that my necklace and cards seemed to have already been sold. Then I got some more embroidery floss. When I got back I worked some more on my yarn painting of Gandhi. While I was at dinner, Esther, the woman who swiped cards, complimented my bottle cap necklace I was wearing. Later I worked some more on my snack wrapper collage of Maja Toudal. Later that night I showed my dad my mala, yarn painting, and collage, all of which he really liked. After that I ate at Late Night with Connor, Mckenzie, Kyley, Thad, and another UCM student. Afterwards I made another mala and talked to Tyler while I made another rose from straws.

 

                The next day during my Algebra class, I got one hundred percent on the quiz, got back my study guide with five out of five points, and got over half way through with the review. As I sorted some recycling after class I found a bottle to make into a vase for some painted pebbles and worked on it when I got back. I went to my North American Indian class in a Hawaiian shirt where we did our role-playing exercise, which I found I and several others learned a lot from. I loved the comment one persona made to another, who believed aliens had to have taught the Native Americans what they knew as they had to get it from somewhere, saying, “That sounds like a pretty raw deal. They have space flight and they give us atlatls.” After class and sorting the recycling I ran into Dr. Mayfield while going to the Union bookstore to get some new scissors, board, and red construction paper there, planning on making a travel altar box, and staples. She said she knew a guy with autism who she told about me comment about social exhaustion and could relate to that completely and I told her about the movie night idea and she liked it. After that I worked on my Gandhi yarn painting. Then I went to Crazy Dog’s where I got another Snapple cap from my drink. When I got back I made another mala from straws. I made another rose from straws after running on the treadmill. Then I talked to Tyler while making another square for a trellis made from bottle rings and twist-ties, deciding that when I finished it, I would say goodbye. 

 

               The next day in my Drawing I class I learned how to do charcoal drawing. Later I read more of the reading for my World Masterpieces class, though I again got two out of five on the quiz that day. After that I told the group members about the next meeting. Then I worked on my yarn painting of Gandhi and my toilet paper roll wall art. I made another mala from straws afterwards, which I showed my dad, along with my yarn painting and he liked them both. I also talked to Tyler until I finished another trellis square.