Thanksgiving Break 2014

The day after I got back for Thanksgiving Break, I worked on making some more plarn. After that, Cam, Nora, and I met my dad at Panera, and he gave me his bottle caps that he saved, from which I got two new bottle caps for my collection. Then Cam, Nora, and I went to Hen House where I met Rick, and he told me to call him on Monday about work. Soon after that I talked to Tyler.

                The next day I worked more on one of my drawings. Then I read through over half of my book for my Anthropology of Food class, pausing every so often to go to the bathroom, draw some more, and help my mom edit one of her Facebook posts, and I got better at my drawing too.

                I showed my mom and Dave my drawings based off The Lord of the Rings appendices, and they liked them. Dave and I talked a lot about the gaps Tolkien left in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings and how there’s a whole Middle Earth fan fiction based off that, which he said I might enjoy. After I told my mom about how I planned to attend ASAN’s meeting tomorrow if I don’t work, she asked if she could come, and I said she could. I had dinner with my mom and Dave after that and told them about my time at school. Later I went down to Starbuck’s, where I thought to myself, if an Autism Awareness Homecoming queen candidate, of all people, deserved to be recognized at UCM for helping the autism community, why has she not made the autistics at UCM more able to be openly autistic there?

                The next morning, I realized I realized Alpha Sigma Alpha may have put an “autism awareness candidate,” as Homecoming Queen Candidate in an effort to help my group. The next day I called Rick and found out it was too late to get me on the schedule before the 30th, but I understood and felt a little relieved to have a little bit of a break. Then I worked on my drawings some more and then some plarn, around which time I decided to maybe make Jack and Elizabeth something for Christmas, thinking of the parents they lost who are no longer around to give them presents, except perhaps in spirit. After that I went down to Starbuck’s and enjoyed their peppermint Frappuccino. Soon after that, my mom and I met Dave at Bella Napoli en route to the ASAN meeting, which my mom stayed at temporarily to check out, before we headed back home. There I saw Mrs. England, her son Cole, his girlfriend, Pam, Anna, Spencer, and Marshall. Teigan stayed at home to de-stress from her schoolwork while Spencer led the meeting, and Marshall led the chat room. During the meeting, our two main points of conversation were ASAN’s participation in the Autism Society of the Heartland’s autism walk, of which ASAN would benefit from, and National Day of Mourning on March 1, for all the disabled people this year who had lost their lives to their caregivers. As the meeting ended and I left, Marshall said, “Good to see you, Ben.”

I got back and edited a poem in my journal and then found another way to moderate my pacing: with animals, namely Peter. That night, I recited a sankalpa, a practice in Buddhism whichinvolves setting an intention for the next day, as I had done about a week ago.  The next day I worked on some plarn some more. After that I went down to Starbuck’s. I got back and had burgers with Cam, my mom, and Dave. After that I decided to one day go around America and other parts of the world and see sites associated with the Disability Rights Movement and started listing them in my little pocket journal. Then I talked to Granddad some and he assured me I do a lot more for the autism community than “Autism Awareness Homecoming Queen,” and agreed that ASA may have appointed her Homecoming Queen candidate because she wanted to help the group. I also finished another bottle cap tambourine. Once more I recited a sankalpa that night. 

                The next day I went down to the store and got some pie crusts for my mom. I also e-mailed Mrs. England and Riccardo with The Friend of Autism Pledge. My mom's dad, who we his grandchildren call Pop-pop, arrived, along with his girlfriend Sandra. I also finished reading Eat, Drink, Vote. I had Thanksgiving dinner with my mom, Dave, Jamie, Cam, Pop-Pop, and Sandra, and it was very enjoyable. Soon after that I read some of Unfinished Tales while I waited for pie and continued reading it afterwards. I also read an article on-line about dealing with grief that was very helpful, talking about ways to express it, including art and poetry, as well as reading books and poetry. Soon after that I watched American Dad! with my mom, and for a short time Jamie, who was doing it in the hopes that it would get me to watch Trailer Park Boys. Pop-Pop said goodbye to me, and I made some more plarn. I also remembered how it’s been a while since I read my Tanaina Tales of Alaska book, but also my Inspector Shan books, whose character I loved for his Sherlock Holmes type wit, though he is a much more grim and sad character. That night I once more recited a sankalpa. 

                The next day I found out Jane England sent me an e-mail agreeing to let me add her name to The Friend of Autism Pledge. Then my mom offered to pay me to mow the lawn tomorrow. After that I finished and posted my next Ben’s Blog post. I also went with my dad, Jamie, and Cam to pick up Joe’s Kansas City Barbecue and went to our grandparent’s house where we all had it for dinner, after which my grandmom offered us some of her pumpkin bread, which I still had enough room for after dinner. As we drove home, I decided I could get some signatures on The Friend of Autism Pledge by reposting it and sharing a link to my post on some of my autism groups. After I got home, I did my part of the project for my Creative Problem-Solving class. Then I reposted The Friend of Autism Pledge on Facebook and shared a link to it and put on my post that if anyone didn’t want their name to be on it on Facebook, they can message me saying “porcupine,” and I will add their name. Soon after I posted The Friend of Autism Pledge, I got nine more names to add to my list through Facebook. Again, I recited a sankalpa that night. 

                The next morning, I saw my pledge got another like on Facebook. Soon after that I worked on my book report for my Anthropology of Food class. Then I went down to Starbuck’s. I got back had Minsky’s take-out with my mom and Dave, during which time my mom asked me to ask about Sara’s tattoo. After that I put some of my clothes in the laundry. That night I also recited a sankalpa.

                The next day I saw I had gotten another like on The Friend of Autism Pledge. Then I worked more on my toilet paper roll wall art pieces. Then I packed up for UCM. After that I drove back there with my mom. When I got back, I put all the names I had gotten for The Friend of Autism Pledge earlier on there. Later I wrote some poems during dinner. After dinner I went down to Break Time I got some more beers. I got back and Josiah gave me a Twix and some pumpkin bread, and I gave him a beer, and then we hung out while I found that one of the bottle caps I got recently was new to my collection. Then I put my sheets on my bed.  After that I ran on the treadmill for about an hour, where I worked on some newspaper bag plarn. After that I got back and finished making the plarn for Jack’s, Elizabeth’s, and my god’s eye. Soon after that I made some more plarn for a homeless blanket. Then I talked to Tyler. That night I also recited a sankalpa. 



Top left, Aragorn journeys to the land of Rhun in the Far East of Middle Earth;
Top middle, Aragorn rides with King Thengel of Rohan, father of King Theoden;
Top right, Aragorn serves Ecthelion, Steward of Gondor and father of Lord Denethor;
Bottom left, Aragorn meets Gandalf in Arnor, who persuades him to guard the Shire after he learns Bilbo has a ring of power;
Bottom middle, Aragorn and his rangers guard the Shire;
Bottom right, Aragorn leads a fleet of Gondor ships against the rebellious province of Umbar, burning their ships and killing their captain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many Meetings

The first Friday of October was here, and it was the day I went to Horizon to speech to Mrs. Lindgren’s high school literature class about my experiences after Horizon as an autistic man. My granddad drove me, as I had forgotten to bring my medications home, and I got there buzzing in at the front door and then went into the main office. There I met my old high school, middle school, and elementary school principal, Sharyl Kennedy. We said hello, and I filled her in on my events of the seven years. Then a short woman with shoulder-length brown hair arrived as though looking for me. She smiled. 

                “Hi, are you Ben?” she said.

                “Yes,” I said.

                “Hi, I’m Mrs. Lindgren. I’m the high school literature teacher. Mrs. Asher’s told me about you. Thanks for coming. If you would like to just follow me downstairs?”

                I followed her and we stopped at an empty classroom, in which was my former high school teacher, Vicki Asher, looking the same as she had always done since I was here.

                “Hi, Ben, you can come on in here if you like.”

                I walked in and sat down. Mrs. Asher explained to me that her class was learning in a different classroom and asked me what had been happening since I last saw her. I told her about joining the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, and how I had been pursuing a degree in Cultural Studies, which after school I hoped to use to help the autistic community. She said, “Well, you already know how to do that, not that a degree in Cultural Studies wouldn’t help.”

                I told her also about trying to start the first ever autistic student club at UCM, and how so many autistics were reluctant to join for fear of “coming out of the autism closet” for both to others and themselves.

                “Well, it’s like the five-stages of grief," she said, "not everyone deals with it the same way. Sooner or later it’s best that they embrace it sooner or later and accept the strengths and challenges that come with it.”

                Soon another teacher arrived, one with short blonde hair, who I remembered very well: my former art and music teacher. She led me down to a room, the Blackbox Theater, explaining excitedly how she was teaching drama since the last two years. Suddenly Mrs. Asher, followed by Mrs. Lindgren and my former school counselor Brad Epsten came in and started setting up chairs in front of the stage. Mrs. Asher took a stool and set it right behind the top of the steps.

                “Is that where…”

                “We were going to have you sit here if that’s alright,” Mrs. Asher answered for me.

                I got up and sat myself down on the stool. Soon nearly two dozen people showed up, not including Mrs. Asher, Mrs. Lindgren, Mr. Epsten, a tall plaid-dressed man with a mustache, and another one of my former high school teachers from eleventh grade, Alice Jones. The students sat down, their eyes all on me.

                Mrs. Asher cleared her throat and spoke.

                “So, it turns out we were going to have the entire high school class come and talk to you, just so they can learn for when they get out of Horizon how to navigate life outside school, not just as people on the autism spectrum, but people with different intellectual abilities in general, so if you could go ahead and introduce yourself?”

                I took a deep breath, and said, “Hello, my name is Ben Edwards. I am twenty-five years old,

 and I am an autistic man. I go to the University of Central Missouri, and I am majoring in Cultural Studies. I also write two autism blogs, and I am a member of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network of Kansas City, and I am trying to start a student organization for autistic students at UCM.” Mrs. Asher turned on her eye-pad and aimed it at me. “So, with that in mind, what would you like to know?”

                A student in the front right row raised his hand.

                “Yes?”

                “What is it like for you to have autism?

                “Well, that is a good question. I think the main difference between me and other non-autistic people is that I tend to sense things differently, and that sometimes impacts my learning, though I have learned I can do things to accommodate for it and learn just like the rest of my peers.”

                Mrs. Jones raised her hand.

                “Yes?”

                “I have a question, Ben. Could you tell us a little bit about these sensory differences and how they are for you?”

                “Ok, well, the thing is, I experience so many things differently. Different pieces of art or music may stand out more to me, and I may be more receptive to certain colors or sounds or tastes.”

                A student raised their hand.

                “Why do they call it the autism spectrum?”

                “That’s a good question. To me it’s because all autistic people are different, not so much in a linear way, but they do have various sets of abilities. Some would not be speaking up here but might be using a type machine. Some may not go off to college as I did but might find other work to do. What I’ve found is those with certain abilities may be able to help those who don’t have those abilities, but regardless I think all autistic people can contribute something and we together are a great voice for ourselves.”

                People clapped around the room. Another student, a young male on the left-hand side raised his hand.

                Mrs. Jones raised her hand again.

                “I have another question, well more of a comment really, I mean, you never used your autism as an excuse not to do things, I mean, you said in your Student of the Year Award speech when you were here that we can give someone the key, but they have to unlock the door, so it seems for you that we can give you something, but you in the end have to be the one yourself who does the work.”

                “Yes, that is true. And as for the fact that I never used my autism as an excuse, there is also a flip-side to that, that I did not want to admit my autism, even to myself, and it took me some time before I was truly willing to embrace it, and accept it as part of who I am.”

                People clapped again. Then Mr. Epsten raised his hand.

                “I had a question, Ben. Could you tell us what is it of Horizon that you felt prepared you for later in life, like what we did that we should keep doing that could help our other students here for when they graduate and they go out into the world on their own?"

                “Yes. I felt one thing that Horizon did was it prepared me socially in way that I did not have before. Just very subtle ways the school did things helped me learn others' thoughts and ideas that they don’t always say. And in one case, I really think I learned to write well, using lessons later that I learned here, that helps me now that I do my blogs. I would also say the drama classes helped me very well, for I learned very well public speaking, which helped me later as I started an autistic student group at Johnson County Community College, so those of all things I felt really helped me at Horizon.”

                Another round of applause went around the room. Mrs. Jones raised her hand again.

                “Yes?”

                “Well, you’ve said very well what Horizon helped you with, but were there any other ways we could have done things differently that would have made you better prepared for the real world?

                “I have to say after high school there were some times I struggled, a lot of it in classes that I would sometimes drop out of [at JCCC], particularly in math and so on, but I do feel that all that has happened to me is the reason I am here today, and if I would have gotten help when I needed it sometimes, I feel I could have avoided certain struggles I had.”

                Mr. Epsten spoke.

                “So that goes as a lesson for all of us here: ask for help when you need it."

                The room applauded once more.

                Another student, sitting on the left in the first row, raised his hand.

                “Yes?”

                “Were you ever influenced by Marie Montessori, the founder of the Montessori school system?”

                “I can’t exactly say I was because I don’t really know much of Montessori, though I do believe I’ve heard of this person. It is possible that I was because our paths may have crossed somewhere and Montessori may have influenced what later shaped how I think, so…”

                Mrs. Jones raised her hand again.

                “I wanted to ask about jobs, since you had a job since you were here in high school, I mean what can you tell these students about jobs for when they go off into the real world?”

                “Well, yes, when I was here, I had a volunteer job. After I got out of high school in my first year of college, I got a job at Corinth Hen House grocery stores, sacking groceries and taking them outside for customers who wanted it. Sometimes I didn’t always understand what was being asked of me, but I learned you can thrive at a job if you do what you’re asked, be polite, be on time, and ask for help when you need to.”

                Mrs. Asher raised her hand.

                “I’m sorry, Ben, could you repeat those four things for us."

                She aimed the iPad more at me.

                “Do what you’re asked, be polite, on time, and ask for help when you need it.”

                “Ok, thank you.”

                The room applauded once more.

                A student in the second row on the left raised her hand.

                “Yes.”

                “Did you ever feel in college like you were cast aside?"

                “Well, the thing is, I don’t think I was so much cast aside as I cast myself aside. Often times I just worried people would reject me because of my autism that I didn’t do so much with them. It took me a while to trust them and be comfortable around them. Eventually though I started my own social network of the JCCC Autism Spectrum Support Group at JCCC where I felt very accepted."

                A student in the back of the right side raised his hand.

                “Do you believe you would have done these student groups if you didn’t have autism?”

                “You know I don’t think I would. I may not have seen what goes on with autistic students and may not have realized they needed help.”

                The same girl in the second row on the right raised her hand again.

                “If you could choose not to have autism, would you.”

                “The truth is I don’t think I could.  I couldn’t imagine myself without autism. It would just be like trying to imagine myself as a different race or a different gender, and I don’t think I could picture that.”

                The whole room clapped again. Then Mrs. Asher spoke.

                “Thank you, Ben for your great words. We’re out of time now, but I just wanted to say we always knew you were headed towards greatness, and we wanted to thank you for coming here to share your great understanding and awareness, and we wish you luck wherever you go.”

                The whole room clapped again. I got up and went over to the door.  As the students left, they shook my hand and said, “Thank you.”

                As they all left, Mr.  Epsten approached me and said, “Well thanks, Ben. I also wanted to let you know I’ve enjoyed reading your blog. If you have time, would you like to take a quick tour of the school?”

                “Sure.”

                We went upstairs, and he showed me around the old floor that I had taken classes on. It was very much the same except there was a brand-new wooden floor and one of the old rooms had now been converted into a “panic room,” where stressed out students could go to relax anytime. He told me he heard that many autistic people were uncomfortable saying they had autism but were also alright with saying they had ADD. We also talked about the tendency I mentioned of being reluctant to get help.  He said, “I kind of think if you’re not willing to get help, no one can make you do it,”

                We finished the tour, and I got ready to leave. We said goodbye and he thanked me for coming there. I met my granddad on the far east parking lot and got in his car. 

                “So how did it go?” he asked

                “Good. I think I did really well.”

                “Well good. I knew you would. You’ve helped a whole lot of people today, more than you’ll ever know.”

                I got home saw Mrs. Asher sent me a Facebook message thanking me for my words. Then I went down to Starbuck’s, where I got two new bottle caps for my collection from my drinks. I got back and finished my food journal entry for my Anthropology of Food class before five o’clock. I also found out where Spencer’s house was for the ASAN meeting.

 

                The next morning after breakfast, cuddled up in a blanket on the couch with Peter in the living room, remembering fondly how I used to love hanging out in that living room back in high school when the seasons got colder, and I spent every day at that house. Soon afterwards I went to Spencer’s house where my grandparents drove me, as I still did not have my medication, and meet him and several other ASAN-KC members, who it felt really great to be in the company of, and we prepared a bit for our presentation at JCCC. Teigan and Marshall arrived, and Teigan told me how she planned to attend UCM next semester because she heard the disability services at UMKC were very second-rate, and Vocational Rehab didn’t want to pay for her to go to KU, which was outside her home state of Missouri. I also heard Marshall mention to Teigan a young man named Riccardo, like I had gone to school with, who he liked very much and learned was also autistic. Eventually, when over half a dozen ASAN members had gotten there, we worked on deciding what we would say at the conference. We decided to say that, “the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network was started in 2006 by Ari Ne’eman and Scott Robertson, and that our chapter in Kansas City had grown to twenty active members, and we have since partnered with the Autism Society of the Heartland; our mission was advocating greater equality and inclusion for autistic people; run by and for autistics and their allies; we also used identity-first language (most of us anyway) to indicate that autism is not something we believe you can separate from an autistic person; we believed in neurodiversity-that all different neurological identities (Down syndrome, dyslexia, autism) were equal, and we were willing to work with different disability organizations to promote access for people with all abilities; we also agreed we would not answer questions about bodily functions, such as ‘why does my kid smear poop on the wall’ or ‘can you have sex?’” Soon however, my grandparents texted me saying they wanted to get home before it got to dark, so fifteen minutes later I told my group and had to leave and said goodbye. I got back and went down to down to Starbuck’s. Then I got back and hung out with Peter while I worked on my plarn belt.

                The next day I put away all my recyclables that I brought to store at home and scooped up Peter’s litter box. I also realized that Mom had left a new bottle cap for my collection on my bedside table. I went back to school with my grandmom and granddad, and when I got back, I took a nap for an hour and forty-five minutes. Then I went to Planet Sub with Jessie, Josh, Collin, and Drake. After I got back, I returned my library books. Then I ran on the treadmill for about half an hour and saw Jessie while I was at the Rec Center running on the track. I got back and saw Sara, who asked if I got a new haircut, and I said I probably just forgot to comb it, and she teased me saying that was probably the case. I got back to my dorm and talked to my granddad who was a little optimistic about the prospects of the group with Tom, Teigan, me, and others at the UCM group being able to attract more students for my group, which he said was great. My dad also agreed that the four or so of us should be a really good start for the group. 

Labor Day Weekend 2014

On the first day of Labor Day weekend, I went to Mickey Surplus’s army surplus store with my dad, Cam, and Nora, where I ended up getting a paracord bracelet making kit, a length of nearly one hundred feet of paracord, and a military can opener, which I assumed could also be used as a bottle opener when I didn’t have my pocketknife due to going through airport security to get home from Colorado. While I was there, I also got four calls from the same number. When I got home, I returned the call and found out they were from Paige, the new THRIVE student, who called me to wish me a happy Labor Day. Later on, I went to Starbuck’s as I had done so often before the summer started and read more of Water Touching Stone. I also found some time to talk to my friend Tyler. I also make another one of my leather braided bracelets for the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network of Kansas City’s silent auction to be held in November. I did that again the next day and got a soda from Better Cheddar, from which I got a new bottle cap for my collection. I also ate dinner at the Hereford House with my dad, Cam, and my grandparents. The next day I went back to UCM and continued one with my life as a student.

Seven Days of Summer

The day after I got back from Colorado, I scooped up Peter’s litter box before eating dinner with my dad and Cam. I showed them the bracelet I made, and they both said they should sell really well.  When I got back, I worked on my bottle cap snake before going down to Starbuck’s, as I had so much this summer. I made another bracelet when I got home, making it my resolution to make one bracelet a day before the silent auction. I told my granddad about the bracelets, and he too said they should sell really well.

                The next day I went to Starbuck’s and read more of Water Touching Stone. After that I found out Build-a-Bear Workshop ended their partnership with Autism Speaks. Then I made another autism awareness leather bracelet. My dad met us to take us to the lake and I gave him the belt I made in Colorado for Father’s Day. We got to the lake house and then went to the market and got some beers, from which I got three new bottle caps to repurpose. We met my grandparents, and they liked my belt, snake, and bracelets, and Cam said he had some bottle caps for me. Then I worked on my letter to Alpha Xi Delta asking them to end their partnership with Autism Speaks too. 

                My granddad suggested that they could be sold for ten dollars apiece, which my dad agreed with. My granddad and I also agreed to go to a labyrinth on Thursday with my grandmom in place of the Pathless Land on Wednesday, as well as Winstead’s and then Barnes and Noble. Then we went to the Canoe Club. I got back and found the bottle caps Cam had for me, as well as two new Snapple caps for my collection. Then I worked on my bottle cap snake. After that, I drove Cam around the block so he could show me how his car worked, as I had not driven it before.

                The next day I went to my art class where I was fairly satisfied with my progress on Mom and Dave’s painting of Leadville, and Donna asked me to e-mail her to keep in touch. I went into the village and saw Nick from my old high school who I learned is taking CLEAR classes at JCCC and has a girlfriend, and we exchanged numbers. Then I went to Starbuck’s, where I got an idea for how to stitch my Kool Aid pouch wallet together and read more of Water Touching Stone. I got back and spent the rest of the day stitching my wallet together, taking a break to make another bracelet.

                I continued stitching it together until nearly two in the morning. After meditating, eating, and showering, I finished stitching my wallet in the next seven hours. Afterwards I made two more coasters from receipts for the silent auction. Then I went down to Starbuck’s and read more of Water Touching Stone. I got back and talked to my granddad who suggested I pick out $50 worth of things from Barnes and Noble, and I got the idea while talking to him to make a coffee sleeve from old t-shit scraps tonight to see how much I could make when I’m away at school. I also made another bracelet.

                The next day I made another bracelet, as was my pledge, and later got a new bottle cap for my collection from my drink I got at Better Cheddar. Soon after that I went to see a glass labyrinth at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. My grandmom was sick that day, and unable to make it. We walked through the Nelson, and then got outside and found the labyrinth. As I walked through it, it felt so uplifting and mesmerizing, and I came out feeling almost completely different than before. My granddad was amazed that I didn’t run into walls as he and my grandmom had before. Later we went to Winstead’s, and then to Barnes and Noble, where he gave me fifty dollars to get anything I wanted there. As I was going in, I got a call from Tyler and told him I would have to call him back later as I was celebrating my birthday. I ended up getting a book called Rumi: 53 Secrets from the Tavern of Love and a CD by Nigerian artist/revolutionary Fela Kuti called Fela: The Best of the Black President 2. Afterwards I felt incredibly tired.

                “It’s partially from working on my letter to Alpha Xi Delta,” I said.

                “Well, you poured your heart out,” said my granddad.

                “When I get home,” I said. “I’m just gonna rest.”

                “What about calling Tyler?” my granddad asked.

                Sure enough I called Tyler when I got home before getting some rest that I very much needed. The next day I went to my art class for one last time for a while before going to Starbuck’s and reading more of Water Touching Stone. I also got another new bottle cap I got from a drink I bought at Better Cheddar. Again, I made another bracelet. The next day went very much the same, getting two new bottle caps, making a bracelet, going to Starbuck’s and reading Water Touching Stone. So did the next day except that day I had dinner with my dad at Minsky’s before going down to Better Cheddar again, and then finding a new bottle cap near the glass recycling bin in Prairie Village. Then I got home and packed up my stuff for the next day.

 

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. 

                “Don’t worry. It happens,” I told her. 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.”