Third and Fourth Week of the Autism Group

         

On the first day of the month, I took my exam for my North American Indian class, and I thought I did pretty well on it. After that I went to the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group Game Night, where I saw Tom and met a new person named Matt. After introductions we paired up into groups of two, Matt and I, and Tom and Barbara. I learned that Matt was from England and had an interest in Japanese culture and anime. After we shared what we learned with the group, we all played a game that Matt had brought, a Japanese anime card game which was rather complex but fun all the same.

When I got back to Ellis, I found my mom had sent me a cutter and some toilet paper rolls from home to make some decorated cable holders for the group. I made two more of them then talked to Tyler a bit. I also started cutting out pieces of snack wrappers to make collages. Later I went to a mandatory alcohol program in the Union which was basically a violence and substance abuse trivia night. On my way I realized I am probably running the only autism group in all of Warrensburg. Then later back in Ellis, I sat at Late Night with several people from my hall including John and Kyley, while I worked on my handbag made from snack wrappers, which I thought I’d give to my mom for her birthday sometime and make another one for the next girl I date. That night I also found my phone charger wasn’t working while my phone was out of batteries, and I gave up trying to charge it after much frustration.

Thankfully I woke up in time to meditate, shower, and eat breakfast before my Drawing I class even though I didn’t have my alarm. After my Drawing I class the next day, I read a lot of the reading for my World Masterpieces class. After that class I found a new non-crown bottle cap for my collection while sorting some recycling. Then I finished my Algebra practice quiz for about an hour and a half before I passed with one hundred percent necessary to move on, then a review. After that I worked on some planning drawings for my snack wrapper collages, to be of history’s great people on the spectrum.

I then got a haircut at ProCuts, and then went to the Verizon store to get my phone and charger figured out. While a woman at the counter looked at it, I saw Tom and Jerry playing on the TV, thinking about how Monica loved to watch that show. Finally, after the woman came to the conclusion my charger wasn’t working, I got a new one for $34. When I got back to my dorm, I talked to Tyler some more and I heard him say he knew Monica, from a dance troop, which did make sense as I remembered her saying she was in a dance troupe in high school. I also recharged my phone with my new charger, and it worked.

Before my Algebra class the next day, I read some of the reading for my North American Indian class. Then during my Algebra class, I passed the test with 100%. I later finished reading the reading for my North American Indian class. I also realized how for girls with autism, coming to a group like the one at UCM may be harder for them as they may not know how to assert their own boundaries and are in groups surrounded by males as females often get the diagnosis very late in their lives if at all, not because of a lack of females on the spectrum, but of them often being able to blend in with their non-autistic peers. I started writing a letter to Sharon daVanport of the Autism Women’s Network, asking questions about how groups like mine could make a more comfortable environment for females and what kind of unique struggles they experienced.

I talked to my granddad who thought it was a good idea to write that letter seeing what I could learn. I also ate dinner with Levi and Mary while I worked on my scrap pieces from snack wrappers and Levi thought my letter was good idea and was also doubted there were necessarily less girls on the spectrum. Later I worked on some flowers made from straws and my new wall art piece made from toilet paper rolls. I also talked to my mom and dad who liked my letter idea, and my dad said one of the biggest questions people in his field of psychology are faced with is how to get females on the spectrum to be comfortable getting support.

The next day I started on some beads made from cigarette boxes after my Drawing I class. I also read the reading for my World Masterpieces class. I sent out e-mails to the group members about the bowling night the next week and then I worked on my poster board for Disability Awareness Week, but I found out none of the printers on campus would print color which I needed for several things on the board. Then I went to the Grinstead Building for the next Print Club meeting but got there and learned that I missed it, and it was an hour earlier. However, one of the members, Stacy, stayed behind for a few minutes and told me and wrote down what they discussed. I learned we were making designs for cards for the next meeting and would all try and go to a junk antique store in Warrensburg called Those Were the Days, buy something there and make something from it. After I thanked Stacy for going over all this with me, I went to Crazy Dog’s and got myself some ice cream as a reward for one of my days of studying. I later worked on my wall art made from toilet paper rolls.

The next morning, I ate breakfast with Chris and John then Oscar and Mary after they left. After that I worked on two pairs of Oriental stress balls. Later I found out I could not print using the cords I had to my computer and printer, but I texted Hillary asking her if I could use her printer for to print these off and she said I could when she got back from Lee Summit that night. I worked on some flowers then talked to Tyler, who still seemed to pine over Mary and after talking to him for about an hour, I felt fairly stressed with my schoolwork and finishing the poster board for Disability Awareness Week, doing my laundry, reading my World Masterpieces reading, and finishing my card for the Print Club before the weekend ended. I talked to my mom, which felt like it didn’t do too much good-she told me I need to take breaks sometimes with being a regular student-and I soon felt ready to explode, but I felt better after running on the treadmill. After that I got some flaming hot Cheetos, Hershey’s, pepperoni, Altoids, shampoo, and soap. I got back and talked to Tyler and told him I loved talking to him but couldn’t hear him talk about Mary all the time because I have a lot of work with the group and my schoolwork. After words I took a short nap to recover my strength and then I got a text from Hillary saying she had gotten back, and I went and printed some stuff off. Early the next day I finished my poster board, then did some laundry. Later I read more of the reading for my North American Indian class and during my exercise I read a lot of the reading for my World Masterpieces class.

I woke up at 6:30 on Monday so I could do my meditation, take a shower, and eat breakfast before going to the Union to set up the poster board at 8. I learned later that it was Cam’s birthday on Facebook and posted a happy birthday message. Later as I was cleaning up my student e-mail account, I found an e-mail from last year from a student named Caleb who said he was on the autism spectrum and saw the group flyers and wanted to know about the group. I responded apologizing for not noticing his e-mail until now and telling him about the Bowling Night. Then I worked on my drawing for a card for the Print Club. During my Drawing I class I worked on the midterm assignment-letters made from anything we could find that spelled a word from mythology. Mine said “Xeinos,” a Greek term I learned during my World Masterpieces class discussion of The Odyssey, which meant reciprocity, cut out from the paper package my mom sent those cardboard tubes in, which I twisted to make look 3-dimensional.

I got back and worked on some Oriental stress balls made from straw wrappers. Then I read a lot of the reading for my North American Indian class. I also texted Cam to wish him a happy birthday. Then read the reading for my World Masterpieces class. After that I finished my Algebra assignment. I ate lunch with Connor, Richard, Ro, and Mckenzie. Then I went down to the Union and got myself a strawberry smoothie as a reward for finishing the poster board and drink it while I made another coaster from receipts. I got back and talked to Tyler while I worked on my lampshade made from straws.

          

The next day I got one hundred percent on my Algebra practice quiz, and then I got one hundred percent on the quiz. I also realized more of how I’d make my lampshade made from straws. When I got back, I finished my card for the Print Club then worked on my lampshade. I also got a text from Mom saying my friend Erin’s grandmother had died. Then I read the rest of the reading for my North American Indian class. After that I worked on my snack wrapper collages a little bit. During my North American Indian class, I found out I got an 89% on the exam.

After class I went to the bowling alley. Tom was there and soon Matt arrived. Then James got to the alley and said Monica might be coming. After waiting a few minutes, we got shoes and set up the game. After that Monica got there and we added her name. After I bowled well on my turn I told Monica, “It’s a lot like fighting a dementor. You got to think of something happy.”

She laughed and said, “I love Harry Potter. I once watched all the movies in a row.” By the end of the game, Monica had the highest score. Afterwards she asked when the next meeting was, and I said I’d send everyone an e-mail about it.

I got back and worked on my sign for my Drawing I class. Then I saw Connor, Thad, and Mckenzie all walking to dinner, and they asked me to join them, and I said I would. I saw Alex, Oscar, and several other THRIVE students sitting at a table, and they invited me, though I explained I was already eating with some other people and would catch them next time. After dinner I made some more flowers from straws. I talked to Tyler after I ran on the treadmill, and I got my medication.

The next day in my Drawing I class I learned to draw by moving my elbow rather than my wrist. After class I remembered something my former THRIVE counselor asked me to do: take a risk loving someone who will love me the way I deserve to be loved. Then I called Erin and wished her my condolences. I also got myself a mango smoothie at the coffee shop as a reward for being willing to take a risk in love. When I got back my mom called and asked if I wanted to come home this weekend and I thought that would be nice and said I would. I talked to Tyler that night and we agreed for me, him, and Jack if he was able to, to get together this weekend.

          

The next morning in my Algebra class I got all the homework for that class done. After class I read the reading for my North American Indian class. Then I realized more of how I’d make some beads made from cigarette boxes and worked on the when I got back. After dinner I talked to my Granddad and found out he was taking me home the next day. Later I made forty more flowers from straws and worked on my snack wrappers collages.

I went to the Print Club later and met several people there and while we went to another room to work on computer editing the cards Stacy saw me haul a bunch of paper from a trash can into a recycling bin and said she respected me respected my recycling, having seen me put a bottle from the trash into the recycling bin last time she saw me and I told her and a few others about my environmental crafts which they thought sounded great. Then I finished computer editing the card and got my design on some wax paper so it could be used to make prints. Afterwards I got back and talked to Tyler some more. Then I read some more of Sahara, took a nap, and worked on my wall art made from toilet paper rolls.

Graduation on the Horizon

         On Monday I worked on redoing my Excel Capstone project. When I got back I studied for two ten minute study blocks with a break in between to use the bathroom and get a snack. I went to the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group again with Jack, Tyler, and Dr. Mayfield and she told me there were several girls registered with her office who might join making there more girls this time then when I started the JCCC group. Suddenly I decided to keep my mind open in dating. We came up with the idea to cook meals together using solar ovens which are environmentally friendly and I paired Tyler and Jack together and Dr. Mayfield and I and we took four minutes to each get to know three things about the other person.

I went to the graduation picture with President Ambrose and the other second year THRIVE students and during study hall I made a toilet paper roll diorama of Tashilhunpo monastery in Tibet and worked on three napkin rings made from toilet paper rolls. When I went to the Rec Center two people saw me after I put some bottles in the trash in the recycling said they thought it was very awesome how I always recycled those things. After I did it after I ran on the treadmill for about an hour, the girl swiping cards looked back at me smiling and one of the people who said it was great how I recycled those things said it made her day to see me do it and I realized I would be a lot more accepted if I was myself than if I tried to be who people want me to be. When I went up to get a snack on the first floor of Ellis I saw the TV lounge and realized what a great communal feeling it can give and how my group can have that. Later Tyler came back and gave me some chips he bought me from the vending machine and I gave him a dime and we considered him all paid back for that dollar twenty-five I lent him. I also realized potlucks can also lend to a good communal feeling.

The next day I studied for two more fifty minute study blocks and during my break I enjoyed a Mexican caramel sundae for Cinco de Mayo and after my studying. Later I went to the Union bookstore and got some more construction paper and I did my take-home exam for my Transition Planning II class. I went to Fun Before Finals while I was at the Rec Center and I enjoyed slides, rope tosses, and archery. I also promised Tyler that I’d listen to five songs from him playlist the next day. The next day I studied for another two fifty minute study breaks with a ten minute break in between where I used the bathroom and I took out the trash. 

True to my promise to Tyler I listened to five songs from his playlist and he gave me some duct tape, printer paper, Hershey’s kisses, and a picture of him and his niece as going away presents. I took out our recycling and I found another pebble. I used the duct tape Tyler gave me to fix up and decorate my binder with the Buddhist mantra Om mani padme hum in Phoenician which I written without vowels which I learned from Daniel Tammott, a man with autism, in his autobiography I Was Born on a Blue Day five years ago and I went to Rocking Entertainment with Autrey later and I agreed to go to Hasting’s with him tomorrow. I also went to Crazy Dog’s.

The next day I found another pebble and I went to Hasting’s with Autrey and I got a Lego set of Gollum’s cave from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a book called Screenwriting for Dummies, and a Japanese Gilded Panel Kit from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We went to the Dollar Tree afterwards and I got two soap trays for the soap on Tyler’s and my sink and shower which I could put plastic bottle caps on to make them last longer. I added the bottle caps to my soap dishes and built my Lego set. I also started working on my Japanese Gilded Panel Kit and I got invited to a THRIVE graduation party with Jack at his home. I also learned about taking notes on people’s reactions to my screenplays and I went to Tyler’s dance performance in which he did really well.

At the dance performance in one of the dances I saw a girl from my Essential Managing Information class, Regin and after the performance I told her I thought she did really well. After that Tyler, Mary, and I, along with another student from THRIVE Oscar with Tyler’s parents to Sonic where we bought ice cream. We also all agreed to hang out during the summer and Tyler’s mom said she could take me home with Tyler and when I talked to Mom she agreed for us to do that. A little anxious about my Geology exam I saw the Disney channel show Dog with a Blog where the father tells his kid that if you’re in the present, somehow you’re prepared for anything. The next day I watched Twin Lords with Jackie Chan with Tyler and I worked on my Excel Capstone project.

 

On the first day of the next week I resubmitted my Excel Capstone project and found out it was really just a day to redo any of our projects and I didn’t end up getting a better grade on any of the projects I did (in fact on one I did worse) but I passed with a C. The next day I found a button on the bottom of the Ellis stairwell and I turned it into the lost-and-found. I also was encouraged to slow down when I was eating and in life when I saw some apple pie and I wrote a haiku about it in my poetry journal. I also heard Kriti was thinking of starting a student group for the THRIVE program and she thought I should be its president. I was flattered but with my full course load and the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group next year I thought I might be a little busy but thought I would be able to contribute to it. I also made several flowers from soda cans and gave one of them to Tyler as a going away present. Later that night my dad said he thought I’d do fine on my exam and I took notes on people’s reactions to my screenplays. 

As I ran on the treadmill I read on my phone about a singer/songwriter with Asperger syndrome named Maja Toudal from Denmark who was quite beautiful and I realized that people with autism don’t abstain from socializing because they are withdrawn but rather due to a lack of social skills or acceptance due to their disability. Tyler and I saw Cassie and Mckinsey at late night in the cafeteria and we sat down with them and I learned that after graduation she will be going back to St. Louis. The next day I told myself an affirmative phrase before going to my exam and I went there and thought I did pretty well. When I got back Kimmie asked me if I could go to a Q&A with the governor in the Collaboration Room and I said yes. Later that day, Tyler and I signed up to check out on Thurdsay and I gave Tyler a journal I ordered on-line which I thought was too small for my meditation journal to Tyler. He showed me what he wrote about Mary and I to the two of us and Mary gushed. I said, “Now that’s going on my blog.”

The next day the governor couldn’t be there so we all went back to our rooms and I made some more of the pebbles I found into mani stones. I gave a flower to Amanda and I added another shelve to my shelf for my toilet paper roll diorama. I also returned my Geology textbook. I went to Crazy Dog’s one last time and packed up a lot of my stuff. The next day I finished packing and Tyler’s mom brought the two of us home.

Warrensburg, Missouri, April 2013

I took the exam for my Essential Managing Information class and got a 63%. Afterwards I took a nap and after that I looked at my Lonely Planet book on West Africa and found several more places in Guinea to visit. I later worked on my travel plans to Guinea and Cameroon in study hall. The next day I went down to Hasting’s and got the next issue of Ancient American and later I filled out the work sheet for a movie in my Geology class. Afterwards I made two soap trays using plastic bottle caps and I called Mom and asked her to wire fifty dollars from my account at home to my account at school.

                The next day I forwarded an e-mail from Dr. Mayfield about the meeting to the people on my list and I remembered how at JCCC we would pair up two people and we’d take about three or four minutes to get to know three things about the other person and then tell the group what we learned about them. I went to the meeting later that day and it turned out that Tyler, Dr. Mayfield, and I were the only ones there. However, Dr. Mayfield said she could get the 700# of the students on that list and we rescheduled a meeting for tomorrow at 2:30 in the Chic Filet area of the Union. I offered to walk Tyler and Mary down to Sonic for their one month anniversary dinner and I e-mailed all the students on the list about the meeting tomorrow. I worked on my travel plans to Benin that night at study hall using my book where I learned that to cross the border into Togo, seeing how arbitrary modern borders are, you just need to get your passport stamped at the police station in a border town in Benin. When I got back from the Rec Center, Tyler told me that Cassie would be working at Einstein’s on Sunday and I thought I’d get something there to say hi to her.

                The next day I went to the meeting and Tyler, Dr. Mayfield and I were still the only ones there. However, I showed Dr. Mayfield my constitution and she thought it was great. Later that day I walked down to Sonic with Tyler and Mary. The next day I sent the list of names to Dr. Mayfield and I made an appointment with Krisana West, the academic advisor for 2:30 on Monday. I did my homework for my Transition Planning II class and later I went down to Walgreen’s and bought a $25 dollar Barnes and Noble gift card. The next day I refilled two of my prescriptions.

                I went to Bi-Lo Mart and found a twenty and a one dollar bill on the way there and when I got there I got a copy of Life Magazine’s Paradise Found: 100 Places: Beautiful Beyond Belief, Time Magazine’s Thomas Edison: His Electrifying Life, and the latest copy of Archaeology magazine. Several of the works of architecture in Paradise Found made me realize that the places in there teach us what human beings are capable of, like what I’m capable of with my work for people with disabilities, environmental arts and crafts, film making, classes, and traveling, like what Pico Iyer calls ‘mindful travel.” Later I did my Power Point tutorial one and I realized it helps to know what it’s teaching me to do as I’m doing it so I’ll know what to do when I’m asked to do it later. I did the Power Point tutorial exam and I got an 86% on it. Later that night I went to Culture Night where I saw an East Asian pop music performance, a Nepali dance, Russian singing, Indian Bollywood dancing, a Japanese Mario skit, a traditional Saudi dance, a Japanese comedy performance, a Korean pop dance, a West African dance, a fashion show, and a flag show. 

                The next day I saw Cassie at Einstein’s and learned she was only preparing for the next day but she seemed happy to see me. We told each other about how we’re graduating this year though I’m coming back as a regular student next year and she said, “I’m happy for you.”

                “I’m happy for you, too,” I said.

                Later that day when Tyler got back I helped him make his bed and at night I relaxed and enjoyed a hot meal at Crazy Dog’s.

                The next day I did my Power Point tutorial two and part of my Capstone project. I worked on making flowers from straws the next day and I found some great places to see in Guinea Bissau. I also did my homework for my Transition Planning II class. The next day I worked on my travel plans to Togo and my notes for my Geology class and I e-mailed the latter to the students in my class. I went to my Geology class and I remembered what a foot fault is by connecting “walking down the other fault” to “foot” and head fault by connecting the “head” to “hitting it’s head against the other fault.”

                The next day I e-mailed the students on the list about the meeting that day and I went down to Hasting’s and bought the new issue of Shambhala Sun. I went to the group meeting and no one but Tyler and Dr. Mayfield showed up but Dr. Mayfield told me not to get discouraged because these groups often take a while to start. I found a new pebble for my collection the next day and I took out our recycling. I agreed to watch Operation Condor with Jackie Chan with Tyler the next day while we ordered from Pizza Hut and I remembered that discomformities in Geology were the result of volcanic activity since granite shows up in them and Tyler told me granite is a volcanic rock. I also made that pebble I found into a mani stone. 

                The next day I bought some more glue, white construction paper, mechanical pencils, and a lollipop as a reward for my environmental work at the Union bookstore and I did my homework for Transition Planning II class. During class we were asked to e-mail to him what happiness meant to us and how THRIVE helps us achieve it. After class I wrote, “Happiness to me is becoming wiser and more mature from our experiences and learning to build our future after we have seen it in our head.” Emily, Tyler, and I ordered from Pizza Hut (I got some hot wings) and I ate after I got back from the treadmill while Tyler and I watched Disney as we somehow thought new episodes of their shows would be on. The next day I worked on my travel plans to Sierra Leone, Guinea, Zambia, Malawi, and Namibia and I made two more flowers and arranged the three of them in Japanese Ikebana style with one tall, representing heaven, one medium height, representing earth, and one short, representing man. I also went to see The Hobbit movie with Jack and Tyler. 

                The next day I studied my Geology notes remembering that the Mesozoic Era is the middle era since Mezo, like “med” or “mid” means middle, that angular discomformities were discomformities at an odd angle, hence the name “angular,” and that biochemical has to do with life hence the term “bio.” I got familiar with the terms eons, eras, and periods and what minerals are found in what kinds of locales. I used straws for the stems of the flowers I made yesterday and covered them with green construction paper and I talked to Mom and she agreed for us to go grocery shopping after lunch before we went to my appointment with Krisana. I also made three DVD shelves from popcorn bags. I realized that the popcorn sign on them would look good in a home theater.   

                The next day I found out I was chosen to speak at the Pursuit of Happiness Day and I found two more pebbles for my collection. I went to Crazy Dog’s with my mom and we went grocery shopping and got Stewarts root beer, Snapple, Coke, bagels, pepperoni, and shredded mozzarella cheese for pizza bagels, and popsicles. I decided at my Person Centered Planning that Cultural Studies would be a good major for me and I went to my appointment with Krisana and picked out my classes for next year: Drawing I, The North American Indian, College Algebra, and World Masterpieces. My mom got a since of what direction at UCM would be like and found she didn’t need to come to any more meetings. She and I went down to the Union bookstore later and she bought me a course catalogue where I found several classes I thought looked interesting. 

                Later at my Transition Planning II class, Mr. B asked us to write down what we would do if time, money, and experience weren’t an issue and I realized I would make films, do my environmental arts and crafts, and travel to India, the Himalayas, Mongolia, Cambodia, Africa, Europe, and the U.S. When I got back, Tyler gave me a book called Paper Sculptures: 1995-2005 which they gave out in the Lovinger. The next day I ate lunch with several THRIVE students and people from the Missouri Department of Mental Health and we meet in the Collaboration Room in the Lovinger where I told them about my experience at THRIVE. Later I worked on a paper mache figurine inspired by the book Tyler gave me. The next day I went to Room 235 in the Union to speak at the Pursuit of Happiness Day where several people I knew were there, including Cassie and Keke and I said to my audience, “Happiness to me is becoming wiser and more mature from our experiences and learning to build our future after we have seen it in our heads. Coming to UCM, being in this town, going to classes, study hall, being with my roommates, and being on campus has helped me achieve that.”

                Afterwards people clapped and later a woman named Rebecca Vandergliff came up to the stand and talked about her life as a fashion model before being in a car wreck without her seatbelt, losing her ability to model, having to relearn how to walk, speak, and so many other things, then becoming an MSW and meeting her husband and having several children. Later I took my Lab Practicum for Geology Lab and afterwards I made a rudimentary table from legs made from toilet paper rolls wrapped in white construction paper and a cardboard box held together by hair bands I found on the ground. Then I went to the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group meeting and Tyler, Dr. Mayfield, and Jack were all there. We paired up, Tyler and I and Jack and Dr. Mayfield, and we each took two minutes to learn three things about the other person. I asked Dr. Mayfield to e-mail me our plans she wrote down so I could send it to the other students and they could give their input on it and afterwards Jack told me he enjoyed it where we paired up and took two minutes to get to know three things about the other person.

                That night I wrote a summary of the movie we watched in my Geology class. The next day I took out my trash and bought a bottle opener at the Union bookstore. I developed a study plan for my final Geology exam where I would study for five days in a row for two fifty minute blocks with a ten minute break for a snack and a bathroom break. I talked to Granddad and he thought it would be a good idea especially if I studied at a regular time each day. Later I found out the quiet rooms in the library have microphones. 

The next day I worked on my presentation for my Essential Managing Information class and I found a new pebble for my collection on the Ellis courtyard. I called Hen House later and they said Phil, my boss, wasn’t in today and I should call back tomorrow and I turned the pebble I found that day and the ones I found a few days ago into mani stones. Later that night I found some glasses outside Ellis and turned them into the lost-and-found and I called Cam to congratulate him as he had recently got accepted into the University of Denver. The next day made four more glasses cases made from snack wrappers and I worked on my power point presentation and did the audio for it. I called Hen House and got to Phil and told him I would be able to work starting the 12^th of May around thirty to thirty-five hours a week. 

Later I made a glasses case from a Cheetos wrapper I found lying around and I finished the second tutorial exam getting a 71%. Then I finished the third tutorial and the exam and I got a 90% on it. The next day I made four more glasses cases from snack wrappers and I did some laundry. I also realized that Cassie of all people was probably upset by the marathon bombings. I did my capstone project for my Essential Managing Information class and I went to Crazy Dog’s. I called my mom and found out she accidentally sent something to me when she meant to send me my paychecks. I also gave one of the glasses cases I made to Tyler and I talked to my granddad and he agreed she would be particularly upset about the bombings.

The next day I did the in-class evaluations for my Essential Managing Information class and later I went down to the Union and got a ring stamped with the letters B-E-N with a bear paw next to it which I thought had a Native American feel to it and expressed my interest in wildlife.  I went down to Hasting’s and found out the newest issue of Mindful magazine was out and they sold a magazine called American Archaeology then went down to Bi-Lo Mart and found out the new National Geographic Traveler was out.  Later I realized that public school teachers might think people with autism might never go to college and as a result might not work as hard on educating them yet Ben’s Blog should help change it.  I called my mom and found out she had sent me my paychecks that day and I found another pebble for my collection.  I worked on my travel plans to Botswana in study hall and learned about these ruins left over from a lost civilization.  Then I worked on my travel plans to the Gambia.  I also realized my group should help dispel the myth that people with autism will never go to college.

The next day I agreed to make a ring for Tyler to give to Mary for their date they were going on and in my Geology class I got all the answers for the worksheet in class.  I talked to my Granddad and he agreed he could give me the new issues of Mindful magazine when he’s finished with them.  I went to a mandatory THRIVE meeting about stealing and I found a way to make a ring for Mary using tape with her name and a cross written in it covered with a strand from a pom-pom.  The next day I took the power point exam for my Essential Managing Information class and got a 75% on it.  Later I did the homework for my Transition Planning II class.

At 3 I went to the UCM Autism Spectrum Support Group meeting.  The only person there was Tyler.  Dr. Mayfield could not be there for some reason and Tyler and I talked about ideas.  Tyler came up with the idea that we should make a banner where each person puts something on there that represents them and that we should paint a window in the Union for Spirit Week.  I came up with the idea that for Disability Awareness Month we should get an article about us published in the Muleskinner and we should have our group serve as a social network.  Later that day I got my checks in the mail.

I realized that people with autism at UCM might not register with the OAS Office because of the stigma it could incur and my group could also change that.  I made a pizza bagel for Tyler and Mary for their picnic before their date and I agreed to bring their point sheets to Daniel to sign that night because they wouldn’t be back until very late.  I worked on my travel plans to the Gambia during study hall and my Transition Planning II homework.  I also found several good classes for me to take in that course catalogue.  After I came back from the Rec Center I got Tyler’s and Mary’s point sheets signed and when they got back Mary said she would watch The Hobbit with Tyler, Jack, and I.

The next day I copied my worksheet for my Geology class and learned I mixed up the time of my appointment with Krisana.  I apologized profusely when I got there and she said it was alright and that she had a few minutes to meet with me.  I sat down with her for those first few minutes and she recommended I e-mail her the list of courses I found.  I deposited my checks and I bought some more poster board at the Union bookstore.  I also got the last few answers on my Geology worksheet. 

The next day I carved a pendant from a stick based on a picture I saw on my Lonely Planet Nepal book.  I found another pebble as I was heading into town and when I got into town I got some more embroidery floss for making mala beads and friendship bracelets and some drinks for Tyler and I.  Later that day I ate at Crazy Dog’s and I made another toilet paper roll diorama of Sera monastery in Tibet.  The next day I saw several woodcarving magazines at Hasting’s each with a picture of the proper knife used to carve the things shown and I got a copy of American Archaeology.  I went to Bi-Lo Mart and I bought the new National Geographic Traveler and some pepperoni, shredded mozzarella cheese, and bagels to make pizza bagels. 

 

On my way back I realized my tool set already has all the different shapes of knifes you could need to carve anything so I don’t need to buy so many different knifes like my dad and Cam do.  I got back and watched The Hobbit with Tyler, Jack, and Mary and made the three of them and myself a pizza bagel.  Later that day I got Tyler’s playlist he made for me.  The next day Tyler and I watched the third Mysteries of the Bible tapes and I finished my paper mache monkey for my Children’s Day shrine, a holiday in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, based off a picture of an Indian monkey, which made me keen on seeing the wildlife in Africa, India, and Nepal.  Later I realized those glow necklaces and bracelets I got at the formal could be recycled into dream catchers and I remade my table with cardboard tube legs using a box with a top, cutting holes in the bottom where I put the legs through, and making inlets on the inside which I attached the legs to with lose hair bands and once I was finished you couldn’t see inlets or hairbands and it was much bigger than my first table and more sturdy and I put a lot of the stuff on my desk on it.  I also lent Tyler a dollar twenty-five for a soda at the Rec Center as we were leaving due to thunderstorms and he paid me back fifty cents.

 

On the last Monday of the month, I finished most of my next project for my Essential Managing Information class in class and I studied for my Geology exam from 10-10:50 then took a ten minute break where I took a bathroom break and had a pizza bagel.  Then I studied from 11-11:50 then had some Starbursts and took a nap to recharge.  Later I worked on turning the Starbursts wrappers into a bracelet.  I went to my last Person Centered Planning and at the end of the session Teresa gave me a stone with the word “Risk” on it and told me to risk traveling to where I wanted to go (I once expressed to her my worries about the dangers of traveling to places such as India) and to love someone who will love me the way I deserve to be loved.  Later I went to Hasting’s and got a Scythian metalworking kit from the Metropolitan Museum of Art which inspired me to carve my own reliefs to make my own metalwork. 

Later that day I got a Barnes and Noble gift card from Walgreens and I went to Crazy Dog’s.  I also got some more drinks for Tyler and I.  During study hall I made a relief using the tools from the kit.  At first glance it did not look quite how I wanted it to but I learned to shut down my inner critic and appreciate it.  I hung it up in my dorm when I got back from the Rec Center and learned I was right to shut down my inner critic as the picture of the metalwork on the cover of the kit had also lost some paint. 

The next day I studied from 10-10:50 before taking a ten minute break where I took a bathroom break and had a pizza bagel then studied from 11-11:50 and after that I took a nap and had some Starbursts who’s wrappers I continued on my bracelet with.  During my Geology class I learned a little about what culture is during our video about evolution and it made me enjoy the idea of doing Cultural Studies as a major.  I also realized my meditation while I’m traveling might enrich my mindful travel experience.  Later that night I went to Mazzio’s for the THRIVE Award ceremony and won Awesome Attendance in Person Centered Planning, the Outstanding Accountability and Participation in Class Award,  and “The Master Craftsman” Award for the individualized award we all get.  We each got to pick out a reward for each award we got and I traded one of mine for the Wood Shop Model Kit.  I returned a lapel I found to the Ellis lost-and-found and Tyler said it was too bad he traded the Wood Shop Model Kit because he wanted to give it to his niece for a birthday present since she’s into architecture and I agreed to buy it for him since I never really got him a present for his twenty-seventh birthday and he could give it to her.  I also realized meditation could also enrich my mindful travel experiences in Europe as well.