Back to School Mule-Style

I scooped Peter’s litter box, read my Lonely Planet Turkey and Central Asia books, and cuddled Peter before my dad picked me up and took me to Warrensburg. He gave me his presents, a Native American flute and a build-your-own ocarina kit, and I opened Mom’s, a Leadville, Colorado shirt, and Uncle Todd’s, Aunt Laura’s, Abby’s, and Eric’s, a book on paper art and an ecofriendly sketchbook. Then Dad and I ate at Crazy Dog’s before he took me to UCM, and we got all unpacked. After that, I got my room all organized. Then I made another bracelet from leather, as I had promised to make every day before the silent auction for the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network of Kansas City. I also did some more of my word search from Colorado. I went to the mandatory floor meeting where we introduced ourselves, and told everyone our major, hometown, and hoe old we were. When it was my turn I said, “My name is Ben Edwards, I’m from Mission Hills, my major is Cultural Studies, and I’m twenty-five years old, which I just turned today.”

             Right away, everyone started clapping and singing, “Happy birthday to you.”

Mardy and I filled out our roommate agreement form. Then we went to the Mule Kick-off where I saw my friend from middle school and friend on the autism spectrum Ian Sneid, I talked to him and during that time I learned he was living in South Yeater hall, and I told him about the group.

             “Anyway, if you want to come, you’re welcome to,” I told him.

             “I’ll think about it,” he said.

I also met Paige there, a new THRIVE student with Down syndrome. Mardy and I then went to the THRIVE hall and met Blair, another new THRIVE student with Down syndrome, and hung out with her, Mary, her roommate, and Jade. Afterwards we went to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty on the lawn of the Central Baptist Student Union.

The next day I had breakfast with a new student in Ellis who is getting to know new people here.  Then I read over some more of my Lonely Planet Turkey book. Afterwards I had lunch with some people from my hall. I also went to the library where I saw several birthday wishes for me on my Facebook page. To show my autistic pride, I changed my Facebook name from ‘Ben Edwards’ to ‘Ben Edwards Au’ in reference to the chemical symbol for gold, which are the first two letters in ‘autistic,’ prompting members of the autistic community to launch “Light it Up Gold,” as opposed to Autism Speaks’ medical autism model based Light it Up Blue, and for many autistics on Facebook, including several of my autistic Facebook friends to add Au to the ends of their names to.  It would take sixty days for the change to take effect. Then I ate dinner with the people on my hall including Drake, a tall dark young man with a crew cut; Alex, a tall black man; Josiah with dark spikey hair; Cameron, a short dark-haired girl; and Sara with bright shoulder-length blond hair. I got back and talked to Granddad, who liked my idea for the Facebook name, thinking it was a good idea just like my porcupine picture. Then I went to the hypnotist with people from my hall where I go to know several of them.  After I got back, I went down to Break Time and got some beers.

The next day began both my Anthropology of Food class and my American Renaissance class. Before my Creative Problem-Solving class, which started fifteen minutes after the latter of the two other classes finished, Hillary texted me saying she needed help finding her two o’clock class, which took place right across the hall from my American Renaissance class, so I waited for her near the Rec Center and took her back up to that hall to help her find her class with five minutes left until my next class started, making it there just in time. After I got out of class I got out of class and bought a new poster of Albert Einstein and a print of Andy Warhol, two individuals reputed to be autistic. I got back and spent some time with Hillary and Mardy before running on the treadmill for half an hour, trying not to start at my usual time of about an hour after three whole months without running. I got back and got a birthday card and check from my grandmother. Then I hung out with Hillary and Mardy.  Hillary left temporarily to take care of some business, during which time I made another bracelet. Hillary got back and she, Mardy, and I hung out, sharing a beer with them and going down to Break Time to get some ice cream with them, during which time we agreed to walk together for a bit of time every day, and I got some more Altoids.

The next day I went down to the Ward Edwards building and got my laptop registered with the UCM wi-fi. Then I deleted several of my old e-mails and sorted them a little bit.  Afterwards I went to help Hillary get her printer set up. Later I got two new prints, a print of Andy Warhol’s depiction of Marilyn Monroe and a print of Johnny Deep from one of his films, both of these individuals having been believed to be autistic. Then I got back and turned two of the now empty printer cartridges from Hillary’s printer into paper weights one with a Jesus drawing and the other of Muhammad Ali and started on one of Mother Teresa. After that I went to dinner with my hall where I almost think I spotted Jess checking me out. I got back and finished my paper weight depicting Mother Teresa, and then did another one depicting Gandhi. After that I ran on the treadmill for forty minutes. I got back and talked to Dad. Then I got a call from Mom saying my tuition had been paid. Afterwards I went to the library and checked out Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature for my America Renaissance class, and some Lonely Planet books on Kenya and Tanzania.

The next day I read a lot of Nature after my Anthropology of Food class while drinking some coffee. After my last class I went to the Union computer lab where I happened to run into Maria, who said she saw my blogs and Facebook page during the summer and thought they were very interesting. I also learned she was living in East Ellis and was no longer working as a CA. I sat next to her in the lab while I took the syllabus quiz for my Creative Problem-Solving class and e-mailed a list of textbooks I need to my dad. I got back to Ellis where I had dinner with people from my hall. After dinner I made another bracelet. Then I worked more on making Facebook pages for my blogs.  After that I ran on the treadmill for about an hour while I read more of Buddhist Boot Camp, which taught me about how power self-talk is, like when I think I cannot change the world for autistics with Autism Speaks in the way. I got back and started teaching myself Arabic from the Rumi book I got. Then I went to Break Time where I got some more beers and Doritos.

The next morning, I ate breakfast with Shay, Alex, and Anna, during which Anna asked me about the group and said she was the new THRIVE student organization president and the organization would call me about speaking to them about my group. I went to an appointment with Barbara Mayfield, the Autism Spectrum Support Group advisor from the Office of Accessibility Services. During the meeting, we thought we would ask Tom, an Autism Spectrum Support Group member and THRIVE student who was the only one to come to most of our meeting last year, to be our vice president, especially as it may attract some THRIVE students. I of course also made another bracelet. The next day I had breakfast with Anna and dinner with my hall. I also finished reading Buddhist Boot Camp.  After that I went down to Hasting’s for the first time in a while and got the current issue of Sufi magazine, Nobel: A Century of Prize Winners, a new translation of The Art of War, and Tai Chi Classics. Then I went to Walgreen’s and got some shampoo and a notebook for my Creative Problem-Solving class. After that I went to Crazy Dog’s and got a new bottle cap for my collection from my drink. 

The next morning, I had breakfast with Jess and several other people from my hall and in Ellis. After that I went down to the sheltered workshop, where I saw some hay barrels that I had never noticed before on my way, picking up several recyclables and repurposables along the way and recycling all the recyclables I brought and found two new bottle caps for my collection, and on my way back I picked up and recycled more recyclables and found more repurposables. Then I made another bracelet. I also had dinner with people from my hall. After that I went to Crazy Dog’s where I got two new bottle caps for my collection and realized twelve reasons why people at UCM might not be coming to the Autism Spectrum Support Group meetings:

1.       They aren’t willing to admit they are autistic.

2.       They’re worried how other people will react or view them if they find out they’re at an autism group.

3.       They don’t want others to know they’re autistic.

4.       They don’t like the idea of being in a group that is autism-based.

5.       They’re used to social rejection.

6.       They’re used to social isolation.

7.       They have some lack of social skills

8.       They don’t know anyone at the group.

9.       They don’t know anyone at school.

10.   They don’t have their parents for backup in this social situation.

11.   Unlike in community colleges, the people who might shun them for being in an autism group are always living near them.

12.   They’re worried about how this group may portray autistics, having seen material from various professionals and groups like Autism Speaks portraying autism as a weakness.

13.   They are so embroiled in their special interests, and don’t want to leave them behind.

After thinking of this, I realized the solution may be to pair people up in twos several times instead of one as we had done earlier at UCM, each time with different people, though I then remembered doing it with several people at JCCC. That way they could get to know people there and make friends more easily and have another reason to come to the group and meet people who share their interests. Later I got a call from Hillary asking me for some help with her Composition I homework, and she came up here and I helped her write the paper.

On Monday morning I read several more pages of The Art of War. After that I went to the bank and got some quarters. Then I found out where my Cinematography class is. After that I e-mailed my dad the name of the textbook I would need for my Cinematography class. I also went down to the Union bookstore and found out they were out of Selected Works that I needed for my American Renaissance class. I got back to the dorm and went to the front desk to get some envelopes and stamps, where I saw Anna and Brittany, but found out they didn’t have envelopes, so I went down to the packing store to get a stamp and an envelope. I got back and worked on drawing the front of a Thank You note for my grandmother for her birthday check, since I didn’t have an actual card to send. Then I drank some coffee while I read a lot of the reading for my American Renaissance class, which gave me an appreciation for nature writing myself. 

Later I went to my Cinematography class, where I learned about how in classic Cinematography, shadows will be cast in darker scenes, and powerful people might be in the center of the frame, while less powerful people might be to the left, and I thought this class could really reawaken my appreciation for film. Our first assignment was to take two photographs of an object, one from a normal angle, and one from a more unusual angle, to show how angles influenced the mood of the picture. After I got back and ate dinner, I tried frantically to get onto the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network-KC’s Google Hangout for the meeting, but after trying for over half an hour to get on, Hillary got Josh and he tried to help me get on for almost twenty minutes until we found out I hadn’t gotten the invitation to the meeting by mistake. After that I ran on the treadmill to try and relax, while reading more of The Art of War. I got back and talked to Tyler after he called until I insisted that I was exhausted and stressed, and I needed to go. I got back and helped Hillary with her Composition I homework. After that I made another bracelet. Then I got several of my textbooks in the mail, along with a birthday card from my Uncle John, Aunt Nini, and cousins Scott and Tim.

                The next day I ran into my old friend Antwon from last year as I was heading to class, and we caught up a bit and I got his number and planned to text him mine and see him later. I read more of my Creative Problem-Solving book and realized a lot of the strategies for businesses it mentioned paralleled The Art of War’s philosophy. After my last class I got back and finished my thank you note for my grandmother. Then I went to dinner with my hall and Chic Filet, where Josh assured me the difficulties I was experiencing over the conference would be resolved. After that I got some more beers (or rather hard cider) at one of the gas stations. I got back and heard back from Teigan and we got it so I was able to help out at the JCCC Autism Across the Life Span Conference. I also made another bracelet.  As I was walking to the Rec Center I ran into Sara holding a dog on a leash standing next to a short stocky man in a bright red shirt. She smiled and said, “Hey, Ben. How are you?”

                “Good, how are you?”

                “Good, just walking my dog,” she said breathing heavily.

                “That’s good,” I said. “Well, I’ll see you around.”

                “Bye,” she said smiling.

                I saw her again as I was going down the stairwell to Late Night, she was walking up. I said hello and she said, “Hey, Ben. What are you doing?”

                “Just going down to Late Night.”

                “That’s cool. Just relaxing?”

                “Yeah.”

                “That’s good. Well, have a good night.”

                The next day I met with Barbara Mayfield, the Autism Spectrum Support Group advisor from UCM’s Office of Accessibility Services about the group. I told her my theories on why people weren’t showing up to the group, and she agreed I could be right about them. During that time, we came up with the idea to plan activities for after our pair-up sessions, get together THRIVE students for activities to help get them into the group, and to meet with the THRIVE staff to help that happen and to get THRIVE students involved. I said sure, and he told me they would probably get together to practice sometime soon. I went to the Lovinger computer lab and worked on putting a presentation together for Disability Awareness Week, when I got a call from the bookstore saying they had the textbook I needed, and I could come down and get it. I went down there and got it and a fine-tipped sharpie and my arabesque origami box. Then I went down to the packing store, where I ended up getting eight new stamps for my collection along with two envelopes. As I left the Union, I ended up going back to walk with Hillary and Mardy to the bank. I got back and mailed my letter to my grandmother. Then I finished my arabesque box. After that I went to dinner with my hall, sitting next to Jess there, and got the idea to make another bottle cap sign that says “Wake up,” and to carve some of my wooden blocks into a box (for myself). I then made another bracelet for the Silent Auction. After that I talked to my granddad.

                After my first class the next day I went to the library and checked out an edition of Walden. I got to the cafeteria and read a lot of it. Later Mardy and I agreed to ride home the next day together for Labor Day weekend. I went down to Late Night again that night trying to relax and ran into Sara and her friend Cameron.

                “Hey, Ben, how are you doing?” Sara asked me.

                “I’m good, and you?”

                “Oh, I’m doing pretty good,” she said sighing and nodding her head.

                “That’s good, and how are you?” I said to Cameron.

                “I’m good,” she said.

                “Well, I’ll see you later, Ben,” said Sara.

                The next day Mardy and I drove home together. I got home and turned several straws into beads. Then I decided to turn all my straws from now on into lampshades and started doing it. Afterwards I read a little bit of my Lonely Planet Germany book while I petted Peter. Then my mom, Dave, and I went to Elsa’s and celebrated my birthday where I told them about school and looking for the right girl, and she said if I keep my mind open to all possibilities, something will happen. When we got back, I made another bracelet while waiting for everyone to be ready to celebrate my birthday dinner. We celebrated it with triple layered chocolate caramel cake with vanilla and caramel cone ice cream while I got four new shirts, including a Mount Washington shirt and a salmon Winnipesauke shirt, as well as a book called The Uprooted: The Epic Stories of Great Migrations that Made the American People.

The Beginning of Summer

On the first day back, I spent some time pulling weeds in our garden and patio. As I emptied out my trash can, which I had used to carry a lot of my stuff home, I found a new bottle cap for my collection, which Sinho must have thrown away in there, as well as one from a coffee soda at Better Cheddar (which tasted awful), and from my Deschutes beer I bought at Crazy Dog’s, which didn’t care so much for the taste of either. I also found out Maria had accepted my friend request, as of course I thought she would. I went down to Better Cheddar and got a new bottle cap from my drink I got there. I also got an e-mail from Horizon’s public relations coordinator asking for a ten-twelve sentence article telling what I had done since leaving Horizon, what I missed most about or benefited most from the school, and what I looked forward to doing this summer and to see if I could get it to them by May 13. I told her I would be happy to and typed up the article. Unfortunately, a virus on my computer prevented me from sending it that day. I also talked to Tyler again.

On Sunday I went with Mom and Dave to Café Provence for Mother’s Day. After that we drove up to Hen House where several of my fellow employees were happy to see me and one of the managers said she would let Rick, the assistant manager know I stopped by and that I was now able to work, and I would be on the schedule by the twenty-fifth. On Monday I went on Amazon and ordered myself The Divine Madman as my reward for doing that one day’s reading for my Early American Literature class, as well as a Lonely Planet Turkey book to help myself plan a trip to Catalhoyuk, which I had learned about in my World Archaeology class, and perhaps to bear witness to the Armenian genocide. The next day I unfortunately had to retype my piece for Horizon, but I did it, making it pretty much the same as I had before, and I e-mailed it to Mrs. Campbell from Horizon. I also drove to and back from Hen House with my mom and there I filled out a W2 form so I could get back on the schedule. I also got a new bottle cap from the drinks we got there. Later I went with my granddad to Winstead’s before going to Barnes and Noble as we always do afterwards, where I got a new edition to Lonely Planet’s West Africa, and then went to the Pathless Land for the first time in a while. On Thursday I went to my art class with Donna for the first time this summer, driving there and back. I also went to BE Tech to look at a new laptop. The next day my mom and I went down there again and got my new computer. I did also go down to Better Cheddar and get two more bottle caps from my drinks and my Lonely Planet Turkey book in the mail, and the day after the next day I got The Divine Madman. The over the next two days I also got two new bottle caps both days from my drinks at Better Cheddar and on the latter of the two days I checked my grades and found out I had gotten B’s in my Film Appreciation, Modern Sub-Saharan Africa, and Early American Literature class, and an A in my World Archaeology class. 

*Stay tuned for soon on this post I will provide a link to my school alumni article on my other blog autistdharma.blogspot.com

Preparing for More Finals

On the first day after the rush of Autism Acceptance Month, I spent a lot of time tweaking my research paper and managed to get it to at least two full pages. After my Early American Literature class and my World Archaeology class, I finished my Film Appreciation paper at least six hours before it was due at midnight, so I could go to the Fun Before Finals Night, which Hillary, Philip, and Mardy had invited me to. I went there where we met Ryan and I agreed to come visit him the next day for the last day of his internship at the Salvation Army in Warrensburg. After that Hillary, Mardy, Ryan, and I went to the Oxygen Bar, and I got a t-shirt. I got back to Ellis and went to Late Night with Mardy, who told me, “I didn’t know you were coming back this year. If I did, I would have asked you to be my roommate for this year.”

              The next day I went down the Salvation Army in Pine Street, finding a new bottle cap for my collection on the street along the way, where I did indeed see Ryan and I brought along several shirts, which I had found in trash cans in the laundry room and gave them to the Salvation Army, which Ryan really appreciated. He also invited me to see a movie out on the lawn of the Quad called Monuments Men, and I agreed to go. I also bought a Geography textbook called Regions Near and Far, which had some good sheet music and only cost me fifty cents. Then I went down to Those Were the Days and bought some vintage postcards, which I would frame a bunch of together to make wall art. I got eight new postcards, four of them of rock formations to frame together, two of waterfalls to frame with similar postcards, and one of a site in India and one of the Jefferson Memorial to frame with two other postcards. On my way back I also picked up some trash.

                When I got back, I worked on another coaster made from Styrofoam. Later I went to Chic Filet with Mardy, David, and Alex before we went to see The Lego Movie. While we waited for the movie to start, the three of them were all really impressed by the wallet I showed them that I made from Kool Aid packs. After enjoying the movie, I went back to my dorm, got a blanket, and went out to the lawn of the Quad, where I saw Monuments Men, and was joined up by Ryan, Mardy, David, and Alex. It was really peaceful and I forgotten the vigil that had taken place here only two months earlier. 

                 The next morning, I tried to study but felt too tired to do so, though I still understood the material better. Later I worked on a coaster made from the receipts from Sinho’s Spring Break vacation. Then I worked on a poem for theonering.net. After that I made some more heart-shaped pins from straws. I took a walk around campus later and got some pictures of the scenery. Later I went down to Break Time, and got a Snapple drink along with a new cap. Then I made some more heart-shaped pins and flowers from straws and turned some more plastic bags into yarn. While I watched TV in the Ellis TV Lounge, I saw Maria walk by and come in. 

                “What are you doing here?” she asked, not unkindly.

                “Just relaxing.”

                “Are you bored?”

                “No.”

                “Ok, well just coming to say hi.”

                The next morning as I took a shower, I forgot about any problems I was having as I looked forward to going to New Hampshire and seeing my family there this summer. Later I studied for my World Archaeology exam for two fifty minute study breaks with a ten minute break in between to use the bathroom and get a drink. I ate dinner with Alex, David, Oscar, Ryan, and Mardy afterwards while I made twenty more heart-shaped pins from straws. I then went down to Walgreen’s and bought some glue, a National Geographic issue, and some Altoids. On my way back I picked up several recyclables. After running I made several more flowers and pins from straws. Then I did some laundry before working on some toilet paper roll wall art in the Ellis TV Lounge. 

                The next day I scheduled my tests in the Testing Center and while I had my letters sent out to all my instructors next year. I went to Those Were the Days and bought nine new post cards to turn into wall art. I got back and I took my Modern Sub-Saharan Africa test and submitted it before 3:00 when it was due. After that I studied for my World Archaeology final and realized that I can use this time to see how well I’m learning the material. I also realized whatever happens in my love life will mean more to me if I keep my mind open. After that I finished another piece of wall art made from toilet paper rolls. Afterwards I went on Facebook to my high school’s Facebook page and gave them a good review with five out of five stars. I got back and made some more flowers and heart-shaped pins from straws and talked to Dad, who agreed about keeping my mind open. I went to Late Night where I made some more plarn. After that I made another heart-shaped pin from a straw. I worked on another toilet paper roll wall piece after that. I also wrote in my meditation journal for the last time I would do it in for at least a while.

                The next day I looked on Horizon’s Facebook page and saw they wrote back saying, “Thank you so much for sharing this with us Ben! The things you have learned over the years are inspirational and these are some wonderful words of wisdom to share with others as well. We are so proud of you!” While at the library to study when I got the urge for a snack, so I went to the vending machine to get one and while I did, I found a penny on the ground, which I put in my shoe. Then a voice inside my head said, “Go to the OAS Office and see if your World Archaeology test is in fact scheduled for Thursday at 2 like you asked it to be.” I rushed down, but when I got there I saw an unfamiliar face at the desk, though she told me my test wasn’t yet scheduled for Thursday at 2 because I needed to fill out a form and deliver it to me instructor. I did that, but then came back to the Union, got a coffee drink, and sat down feeling a little disappointed. I remembered how my granddad said true love comes when you least expect it. Well, I least expected it now.

                I tried studying for my test, feeling very distracted, and quizzing myself here and there on the information in my textbook. Then I saw Maria walk by.

                “Hi,” she said.

                “Hi,”

                She turned to exit the Union, then stopped and walked back to me.

                “Ben, I’ve heard some people complain that you neighbors have been making noise," she said. "Have you heard any of that?”

                “No, not that I remember.”

                “Ok, because they’re not supposed to be making noise right now.”

                Afterwards I signed the check-out sheet for 5:50 on Thursday. Then I finished two more toilet paper roll wall art pieces, and gave one to Sinho, Jay, and Kim Ryan as goodbye presents, and Sinho agreed to send my his address via e-mail, so I could send three others to his house, which he could send Kim, Jacob, and Wonyang. Later when I went down to Late Night with bags to make into plarn, in the line to get a hot dog, I saw Maria again, and sat down with her and a friend of hers. Maria asked me about what I was doing with my plastic bags and I told her about how I was making yarn from them, and she sounded rather impressed by it. Later she got up to leave.

                “Bye,” she said to her friend, then wave at me.

                “Chow,” she said.

                The next day, I went on Blackboard and found out I got a 90% on my Modern Sub-Saharan Africa test. I also saw Horizon had written on their Facebook page asking if I could write about my experience at the school and how I’ve done since then for their Alumni Spotlight of their monthly newsletter, and I said I would love to. Then I studied for my World Archaeology class for two fifty-minute study blocks with a ten-minute break in between to use the bathroom and get a drink. I did also decide to go to Crazy Dog’s before I left and did get a new bottle cap with my drink and bought another drink that had a new one for later. Then at seven I worked on the final project for my Early American Literature class-taking two of our weekly writings and expanding them to at least two pages, which, if everyone made them well-written and the required length, got an A+. After that I did a lot of tweaking on my research paper.

                The next day after a coffee from Einstein’s, I went down to the Testing Center, where I saw Dr. Yelton had put my book report with my test, and it got forty-seven points out of fifty. Then I took my test, answering every question to the best of my knowledge and going over and taking care of things I had missed, and then turned it in. I ate at Crazy Dog’s while I waited for my mom and indeed got a new bottle cap from my drink. I got back to my dorm and Maria was there and told me she wouldn’t be able to check me out at 5:50, so I asked if she could do that at 5:30. She said yes, her round face lighting up with delight. Unfortunately, my mom had not gotten there yet so she could not check me out then as I had not emptied the room of all my stuff, but she agreed to do it at 7. My mom got here, and with the help of Sinho, Kim, and Kim Ryan, I got all my stuff loaded into the car. Maria wasn’t there by 7, so I went down to ask for her at the front desk. The girl there looked at the list of CAs to find Maria’s number, and while she did, I was able to get her last name. Maria got to my room and checked me out, before I rode home with my mom. 

                After unpacking, went upstairs and found The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey flute solo book had come, and Mom had a new bottle cap for me from hers and Dave’s recent trip to Italy. Afterwards I talked to my dad, granddad, and Erin, and then I practiced one of the solos from my book for half an hour and improved my flute-playing dramatically. Then I went down to the new Starbuck’s in Prairie Village, and while I was there, I found Maria on Facebook on my phone and sent her a friend request. 

*Stay tuned for later I shall provide a link to my review of Horizon Academy on my other blog autistdharma.blogspot.com on this post.

Autism Acceptance Month Week 4

The next day I started getting back to reading The Goddess and the Bull. On Wednesday I went to a Sex Education Egg Hunt in the football field near Ellis where I met Mardy and we found several eggs, which had condoms, and also these strange, much larger female condoms. On Thursday I went with Hillary, Phillip, and Mardy to an Egg Hunt near the Union, where Hillary told me how some friends from Alpha Sigma Alpha explained to her how the female condoms we found at the egg hunt were used.

             “How do they know this?” I asked.

             “Because they participate in a lot of these functions."

             “What!"

Later I went on Blackboard, and I found out that I had gotten fifty out of fifty points on my Modern Sub-Saharan Africa class. On Friday I got the pictures and texts all together for my Autism Acceptance Month poster and Barbara sent me an e-mail about a mentoring group for THRIVE students on the spectrum, where I could share my ideas and help attract a core group of THRIVE students to my group. I e-mailed her saying I thought that was good idea, and she e-mailed me back saying she would bring it up at the next THRIVE meeting. After all that I made a wallet from Kool-Aid packs, which I got several favorable comments on over the next few days. I spent two hours outdoors while reading The Goddess and the Bull, and also took my Bilbo wood burning with me, as they say in Zen that any finished art piece can be an object of meditation, and to me it was a meditation on taking a risk and stepping out of your front door. On Saturday I started typing up my papers for my World Archaeology class and Film Appreciation class. I also took several miksang photos while managing to slow down in my life. On Sunday I realized my poster board I had gotten from the Union wasn’t big enough to hold the stuff I was going to put on the poster board, so I walked down to Walgreen’s in the rain and found a different one, and ended up getting splashed by a puddle moved a van driving by me. When I got back I still didn’t know any way to print off the pictures, and after much frustration, I found one at the computer center in the library at 11:40 at night, which printed color documents for twenty-five cents, though I had already paid for documents I printed off in black-and-white without having first realized I had to set the printer to color. I got back and finished my poster board and Sinho asked to get a picture so he could show it to his girlfriend in South Korea. 

 

                On Monday morning I went to the Union at eight and set up the poster. I spent much of the rest of the day finishing The Goddess and the Bull outside with a drink from Einstein’s, which brought up much memories for me, and by the end of the day I hadn’t gotten to my weekly posts for Autism Acceptance Month. The next day however, after getting a picture of a poster near my World Archaeology class of a famous celebrity shaking hands with Saddam Hussein, and getting myself a coffee drink as a reward for my efforts, I got done three posts for The Autist Dharma: Me Casa Su Casa (If I Can Manage): A Forum on Independent Living, Someone Stole Your Identity?  How Bad Do You Want it Back on Charles Darwin’s (another autistic’s) contribution to forensic science, and a post called Towards RealAutism Awareness, describing the social/cultural model of autism as opposed to the medical model. The next day I found out someone had the third post on Google. The next day I found a mint in the Ellis stairwell that encouraged me to keep going through my day and finally managed to finish my book report for The Goddess and the Bull. I also took more time to slow down and got some more miksang photos. I accidentally missed the mandatory meeting for my hall, but Maria saw me and told me it was ok and told me all I needed to do to check out.

 

 

Autism Acceptance Month Week 2

On Tuesday I went to the Office of Academic Advising and found out they didn’t have me scheduled for that day, so I ended up talking to the girl at the desk and got it rescheduled for 9:30 next Thursday. I also needed to do some laundry while still reading the reading for my Early American Literature class. I did my reading outside on the bench outside Ellis, going in after a half hour to put my laundry in the drawer, then again in another hour to get my laundry hamper upstairs and rush down to the laundry room downstairs, and bring the laundry up another two stairs, and still had twenty pages left of reading for my Early American Literature class. I rushed to that class and got there four minutes late after my instructor had closed the door, but luckily, he opened it when I knocked. 

I found out I gotten ten out of ten points on my last discussion post for my Modern Sub-Saharan Africa class. Afterwards I enjoyed the outdoor weather. During that time, I found a fortune slip that said, “Never underestimate the power of human touch.” I also read a lot of the reading for my World Archaeology class. That evening, I went outside, gathered a lot of sand in from the north stairs of and sidewalk corners around Ellis, put them in on one my Altoids containers, dropped a pebble in it, and racked the sand around to form lines making a Zen garden, which looked so beautiful and tranquil. I got back and got about halfway through Chinatown and decided to try and write an analysis paper on how it uses form and lighting to capture something such as disillusionment of the American dream or other and thought I might really enjoy the world of film scholarship to some extent. I decided to save finishing the rest of the movie for tomorrow when Maria knocked on my door and invited me and the other residents of my hall to an ice cream social, which only Antwon and I went to, but it gave him, Maria, and I a chance to hang out together, which was indeed rather fun. I felt pretty tired after I got up, so I took a three-hour nap, before eating dinner with Mary. I realized my tiredness stemmed from not taking my medicine this morning, which I quickly did. Afterwards I got my stuff from my mom in the mail. After talking to my granddad, I took another nap. I found out my posts and links got even more likes. Then I read the first few pages for my Early American Literature class and took another miksang photo. I took another nap, expecting to fall asleep. Instead, I went to Late Night and had some nachos before reading several more pages of The Goddess and the Bull and learning a lot more in the process and taking notes on it. 

During breakfast Josh asked me if I would like to be in a video for THRIVE, and I told him I would be happy to. I ate with him, Kriti, and Connor, and Kriti told me about the Show Me Justice Film Festival which today was the last day of and how a series of short films was showing from 1:30-3:30 today and then two short films called Wheelchair Diaries and Reframing Islam were showing tonight at seven, and I agreed to try and come. I got an e-mail from the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network asking me to submit a statement on the Judge Rotenberg Center by Monday and I typed it up, though I felt frustrated when my computer didn’t let my fill in all the information. I also saw a link from Laci on Facebook about her presentation and commented saying, “Sounds interesting. I’ll have to hear more about it sometime.” I saw the short films that evening, which included a film on how apparently, two parents had been able to help their son recover from his autism with cannabis, yet by the end of the film, I was pretty unconvinced. I did go to the filmmaker’s Q&A, and soon the discussion turned to the connection between social justice and film, and I realized I didn’t want all my socially relevant films to be non-commercial, as most of the filmmaker’s films were, because I could show people that a socially responsible film could in fact make money. I also realized that rather than having to deal explicitly with social justice in my films, I could always follow Chogyam Trungpa’s view of working with film where one tries to incorporate the principles of building an enlightened society as he talked about through the arts, perhaps in a similar way to how Homer tried to  instill good morals in the Greeks through The Odyssey and The Illiad, especially seeing as saving this world, as the discussion turned to how films can get people to go out and vote, is not about converting the world to one party or opinion (e.g. democrat, republican) over another, just as the autistic struggle isn’t, and nor was the Civil Rights movement in Dr. King’s mind. At the end I introduced myself to my Film Appreciation teacher, who I told of my idea for my critical analysis paper, and he liked the idea. I went to The Wheelchair Diaries and Reframing Islam, writing down a haiku that came to me while I waited for the movie to start.  Reframing Islam dealt with Muslims in America who smiled, as opposed to our stereotypical view of angry Muslims. I liked the film, though I was left with some technical questions, and during the Q&A I asked the filmmakers, one of whom was a Muslim from the Middle East, how as I know many Buddhists and Christians who don’t smile regularly, that while I thought the film was good, I thought other film projects could also help change perceptions of Muslims and wondered what projects they were involved in to help due that. To that, the filmmaker answered that his film was rather more intended to use the images of smiling to show what Muslims had in common with the rest of the world. I got back and read a good article from Babble about autism and cannabis, which related so much of what I was thinking, about how it cannot cure autism, and how the effects it treats may be consequences, rather than symptoms of autism, and much more, and shared it on Facebook.

Afterwards I went down to Walgreen’s and got some toothpaste and shampoo. I picked up and sorted several recyclables on my way back. I got back and I saw Laci had liked my comment about her post about her presentation. I worked on my coasters made from paper plates and Styrofoam and then made several more heart-shaped pins from straws. I talked to my mom who said she shared a link to my blog on Facebook with several of her Facebook friends, including the wife of a famous football player whose son has autism and runs a charitable foundation called the Autism Foundation, and they had great comments, and the wife of the football player planned to show it to her husband. Later I started watching Clerks for my Film Appreciation class, pausing only to eat dinner, where I sat with Connor from THRIVE. Afterwards I watched the rest of Chinatown, and when I finished at 10:50, I rushed down to the library and finished my statement on the Judge Rotenburg Center for the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, my paper on Clerks, and my paper proposal all before midnight. 

The next day I heard about how theonering.net has a poetry series and This Day in Middle Earth series that its members can post on and how Tolkien said he did intend to give Middle Earth creative license to other forms of entertainment. I also read an article that was a photo essay on Tolkien’s influences. After meditating, showering, and eating breakfast I read a lot of the reading for my Early American Literature class, while learning to read one page at a time without rushing, just like I should when I eat. Then I made several more beads from straws after deciding to give myself a little break from my work. After that I found out where I go about my holds on my account from the Testing Center and went there and learned I need to take a general education test now that I’ve taken forty-five different hours. Then I typed up my role-playing paper, getting more in the mind of an archaeologist, as Yelton put it, or so I thought. Then I went to the Union computer lab and wrote my weekly April Autist Dharma post called People to Appreciate After Your Normal College Drinking, about what the world may have been like if Thomas Jefferson had not founded the University of Virginia, then a forum called All You Need is Love (And Interventions) (again, not my best title).  Then I wrote another post called Square Pegs Don’t Roll Off the Table: A Photo Essay on the World Due to Autism.  After that I had to run to the dining hall and got there to minutes before it closed. Then I saw The Autist Dharma had gotten over one hundred views, ninety-nine in the U.S., three in Russia, and one each from Canada, Germany, France, and Spain, and wrote a Facebook post on it about “lighting it up green” for autism, and several other posts. I also talked to Tyler when I got back.