On the morning before our trip to Colorado, I did not
sleep at all for some reason (that just happens sometimes I guess), but I
realized that if a chapter of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network is opening up
in Kansas City, then it will be very close to the autistic social
network/mutual aid society I started at JCCC and a similar organization that a
friend of mine from high school started at Penn Valley, as well as Elizabeth’s
group at KU (I thought), so they may be able to work together for their own
mutual benefit. I also remembered how
Tyler said he thinks of me whenever he’s stressed as it makes him feel
better. We headed off to Colorado
afterwards, and while we drove, I worked on my travel plans to Turkey. I also got a new bottle cap for my collection
from a drink at the gas station. I also
drove a little bit on the highway with some caffeine, during which time my mom
taught me cruise control, and both she and Dave thought I drove really well.
Next Wednesday would be Autistic
Pride Day so I worked on a post for that holiday that was inspired by a post I
had seen on Facebook called Thoughts from
a Female Aspie. We went to Whole Food’s where I got
another bottle cap for my collection from a drink I got there. Finally we made it to our home, which looked
very different, and I could even see a stone patio and found several pebbles
for my collection. I saw that our
bathroom had been almost finished. I
also got another new bottle cap for my collection from our drinks here. Then Dave gave me new cell-phone
charger. After that I helped get my bed
made.
The next day Dave offered to pay
me to pull the weeds from our patio after I finished meditating. I also did fairly well with making eggs after
some good pieces of bacon that Dave made.
He always makes good bacon. Later
I went to the recycling center with my mom and Dave, where I found two new
bottle caps, one crown and one not, and then I helped them at the dump. My mom and I got coffee and I got a lemon bar
after that. Then we went to pay the
woman who remodeled our house, Sandra, and I went with my mom and Dave to help
give her a feeling of appreciation by seeing more of the family whose house she
helped remodel. Indeed her neighborhood
was very nice and clean, although the houses were by no means big. Dave and I went to the taco truck outside
Safe Way afterwards where I found several bottle caps lying around, including a
new one for my collection and several for my wall fish. I also got a new bottle cap from my drink
they got me at Safe Way. I drove back
home so my mom and Dave could show me the way into town, which turned out to be
a pretty easy drive. I also met
Elizabeth’s friend Kelly through e-mail inviting me to speak at the panel for
autistic adults to the kids at her camp, Camp Encourage, after hearing of me
from Elizabeth, and I accepted.
I
got back and worked on my mandala made from plastic bags and realized how the
words I make transcending sections of the mandala would give the piece a
feeling of unity, just like my Drawing I teacher said intersecting shadow lines
do in drawing, and how I will also have interesting and diverse pictures on
there from all the different bags. Then
I worked on pulling the weeds until it started to rain and I went back inside
and worked on my plastic bag mandala. I
also wrote in my bottle cap collecting journal.
I pulled more weeds until it was impossible to uproot any more of them
and Dave thanked me for doing that. Then
I read about all the ruins along the Lycian Way and realized there seems to be
all sorts of things right up my alley to do in all the different parts of
Turkey. I also realized that perhaps I
may have had an influence on the Kansas Legislature’s willingness to pass a
bill requiring some autism coverage with my testimony at the Kansas
Legislature, which Elizabeth also attended.
After a dinner of pork chops and apple sauce that had some pieces of
broken glass in It from the container breaking at Whole Foods, I worked on a
belt made from plarn for my granddad for Father’s Day, and during that time I
also realized that my blogging and other work may have prompted people to push
for things such as the anti-bullying legislation, and they may have also
prompted insurance companies to fear a broader autism coverage bill to be pass
and prompted them to push for their current bill.
The
next morning I cooked some bacon and eggs.
Later I took a walk around the train tracks and creek with my mom and
Dave, where I found several more pebbles, some molten rock, including some to
give to Jack and Tyler as gifts, and several bb shells, saw several beaver
dams, and enjoyed being around Wally. Afterwards
I read thirty-six pages of The Divine Madman, where I sort of realized that
Drukpa Kunley’s sexual exploits and promiscuity may have been a way to teach
the girls how illusory romantic satisfaction, and I worked on a Father’s Day
present for my granddad. I helped Mom
and Dave move some furniture after that.
Then I called Granddad, who agreed with how I might have influenced
several moves that have helped autism, and Dad to wish them a happy Father’s
Day. After a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich, where I did try and somewhat like zucchini, I finished and posted
both my Ben’s Blog posts for today.
After that I talked to Tyler for a bit.
The
next day I cooked some eggs, and then read some more of The Divine Madman,
which actually helped my better grasp the Tibetan language, which still has a
long way to go, and I got an appreciation for how Buddhism is good in all
trials as all trials are indeed impermanent.
I later went down to the National Forest and Turquoise Lake with my mom,
Dave, and the dogs where I took several photos and we picked up several
recyclables. I got back and finished a
belt made from plastic bags. Then I
worked on my wood drawing for my granddad, which I was so satisfied with I
would be sure to take a picture of to have a sort of copy for myself. On the way to dinner I did see that the
Autistic Self-Advocacy Network had successfully gotten the Autism CARES Act to
include changing the agency which looks at issues of adults with autism. I went to the Grill with my mom and Dave,
where I had some delicious steak and chicken tacos. We got back and watched Ron White’s A Little Unprofessional on
Netflix after that, in which he seemed to have gone downhill from when I had
seen him before.
The
next day Later I went into town with my mom and got some tacos at the taco
truck, which I learned you can ask for with just meat and they will remember
it, and I found a new bottle cap lying around as well as several ones that
would be good for my Rainbow Fish wall fish, and got a new one from my drink I
got there. My mom and I went into town
and I got a guitar-shaped mints tin, a hazelnut truffle, and a box of edible
flowers, which I didn’t realize what it was, but realized my mom might like it
and decided to give it to her as a Mother’s Day present. Then I got three more Native American post
cards to frame as wall art with my other post cards and they all have a theme
of warriorship. I gave Mom the gardening
kit and she loved it. Then I drove to
the liquor store, which we remembered on the way home and got some new beer,
and I realized my bottle cap collecting journal also functions well as a beverage
tasting journal. I drove back and when I
got home I got another new bottle cap for my collection. Afterwards I edited my Autistic Pride Day
post. Then I worked on my travel plans
to Turkey. After that I wrote in my
dream journal for today, yesterday, and the day before that. I had a great turkey sandwich with the sauce
from the taco truck.
The
next day Then I assembled the other bunk bed for our room. After that I worked on my travel plans to
Turkey. After that I went on a walk by
our tracks with my mom and Dave into an old abandoned mine field outside our
property and found several new pebbles, picked up some trash and recycling, saw
another bird species, and I realized what it must be like to explore Turkey
with all its hidden secrets and undiscovered ruins. I also found some bone in the park and
several clay pebbles on our property.
After that I worked on my Autistic Pride Day blog post, which I finished
and posted after a dinner of pizza, with some frustration of uploading my
pictures.
The
next day I got a new bottle cap from my drink at the café my mom and I ate and
much to her delight, she finished her bagel sandwich before me this time. Afterwards I helped her move a trundle bed
into our car and into our house. On the
way back to Minturn, we saw a deer carcass on the side of the road. I also decided I wanted to use my career to
help kick-start an Autistic Renaissance.
Then I got a buttered bagel and a Chai tea smoothie at a coffee shop in
Minturn, before buying a CD called Turkish
Groove (recommended by Lonely Planet) at Scarab. On the way back to our house we saw an eagle
and a coyote feasting on the deer carcass, which I realized must attract
wildlife. I got back to our house and Later
I read about Cultural Studies and decided I might like to do something with
that as well as filmmaking. After a
dinner of a turkey sandwich with sauce from the Mexican taco truck and brewing
some hot tea, Graham and Lane, his girlfriend, arrived and I got to meet Lane,
and it was nice to see them.
The
next day we got some tacos at the taco truck and found some more of my rainbow
fish wall fish before went white-water rafting.
After that we went to Tennessee Pass where I learned Lane’s sister is a
blogger with Asperger syndrome and I gave Lane the addresses to my blogs and my
e-mail address to send me a link to her sister’s blog.
The
next day we drove home and I got another new bottle cap from my drink along the
way I also got some tacos at the taco truck with my mom, Dave, Graham, and
Lane, and found some more of my rainbow fish wall fish. Then we went white-water rafting. After that we went to Tennessee Pass where I
learned Lane’s sister is a blogger with Asperger syndrome and I gave Lane the
addresses to my blogs and my e-mail address to send me a link to her sister’s blog.
The
next day we drove home and I got a new bottle cap again from a drink at the gas
station along with some spicy chips. I
also practiced some highway driving for about an hour and both my mom and Dave
said I did really well. When we got home
I found out I worked from 4-10 the next Friday.
