A Difficult Receipt Story

The day after I got back from New Hampshire, I went to Lake Lotawana with my brothers to see my grandparents, Uncle Todd, Aunt Laura, and cousins Abby and Eric, where I sold my aunt the receipt coasters she hired me to make and got paid fifty dollars for it. After a dinner of fries, brisket, and ribs, my granddad drove my brothers, cousins, aunt and uncle, and I on a boat ride. Over the next few days, I enjoyed my Lonely Planet Germany book, learning about many World War Two, East Soviet, and beer halls, going to Starbuck’s, and reading Water Touching Stone. The next Thursday I went to my art class and on the next Friday I worked from 4-7, getting a new Sweet Leaf Tea cap from my drink I bought with my dinner afterwards. Two days later I practiced my flute for half an hour, playing tunes from my Hobbit flute solo book. Afterwards I realized I probably ought to RSVP to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network Kansas City chapter July meeting on Facebook soon. I also remembered a promise I had made four months ago for after I sold my receipt coasters to my aunt, I would donate a portion of it to the memorial scholarship fund of a girl, and friend to the THRIVE program, Erin Hook, who died in a car wreck along with another female friend, Jennifer Reeder, also a supporter of the THRIVE program, as well as a portion of the money to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. That night I donated $10 to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network and put in a section saying, “in honor of,” “Erin Hook and Jennifer Reeder.” That night I put up a post about it on Facebook, and later saw Barbara Mayfield commented saying, “I admire your selflessness, Ben.” Beth Rutt, the director of the Student Wellness and Recreation Center wrote, “Ben, you are a great example for us to pay it forward.” Despite people’s comments, I felt restless that night, pacing nonstop as I have many times throughout my life, mostly when younger. The couch no longer felt like a place I could sit on, and I felt so much better on the outdoor swing, reading my Lonely Planet Germany book while struggling to hold a flashlight to read it. But it was no go, and I continually paced until I finally felt able to go to sleep. The next morning, I found out I got 17 likes on that post about my donation, including from Abby, Dr. Downing, and my dad. I also practiced my flute for another half hour. That next night I made my donation to the Erin L. Hook Memorial Scholarship Fund, writing in the memo, “In honor of a champion of the disability community who helped coordinate events for her alma matter's THRIVE program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the THRIVE formals of 2012 and 2013 and Zumba. May this legacy be carried on throughout the life of our world and let its champion, Erin L. Hook and her friend Jennifer Reeder, be recognized and rewarded in memory for her work to make this possible.” But as I saw Hook’s smiling face, so, full of life, which it was no longer. I made another Facebook post that night where I posted my tribute. That night was another night of constant pacing like I had not remembered for a while. I woke up the next morning, I saw my status had gotten seventeen likes again and Mary, a girl from the THRIVE program shared it, writing, “an example for us all." That night I went to Winstead’s, Barnes and Noble with my granddad before going to the Pathless Land, and got back feeling quite restless again, and quite some time to fall asleep. I awoke the next morning feeling my stomachache a bit and told my Mom I thought I ought to sleep in and didn’t feel able to go to my art class. She understood, and I slept until twelve, like I had so many times since coming home for the summer, when I felt better physically then. I got through the day much better without the need to pace and clicked “going” on the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network Kansas City chapter July meeting’s page.

A Retreat in New Hampshire

I woke up on the last Sunday of June with my brother Cam taking me to the Kansas City airport and caught my plane to Baltimore, where I read some of Water Touching Stone to pass the time. At the Baltimore airport, I got a Rolling Stone special issue on Michael Jackson (a man I’ve heard to be autistic) and an Essence magazine special issue on Maya Angelou. I also enjoyed an Arby’s brisket sandwich for lunch. I made it to New Hampshire where I met my grandmom and my mom and we drove down to the cabin in Mirror Lake where my mom and Dave, Uncle Andy and Aunt Marge, and I would stay. I met my mom’s cousin Rich there and got two new bottle caps for my collection from the drinks we got there. Later Dave and I canoed across Mirror Lake to the house where my grandmom, Uncle John and Aunt Nin were staying, where we enjoyed some kebabs cooked in Cajun spices cooked by my Uncle John. 

                The next day I went to Sandy Beach with my mom, Dave, Uncle Andy, Aunt Marge, Uncle Kurt and Aunt Barb and their children Kyley and Hunter, who I played with on the beach. When I got back, I found in my Lonely Planet West Africa book a festival in the Gambia that commemorates the countries slave heritage with music workshops, parades, and performances, a way I felt was good for Buddhists like me (assuming they, or I, have the money) to bear witness to people’s suffering. Later we all had salmon together while I got a new bottle cap from my drink and from Uncle Kurt and Uncle Rich. Then we all went and got ice cream together while I realized I might like to do a book of quotes from famous people with autism. 

                The next day I climbed Mt. Washington four an exhausting four hours with Mom, Dave, Uncle Kurt, Uncle John, Aunt Nini, Uncle Andy, Aunt Marge, and Uncle Rich. I saw two or three different kinds of birds, one of which I got a picture of, and a unique frog, which I also got a picture of. At the top I bought some Wonka gobstoppers, of mints. Then I saw a couple kiss and thought it was a nice thing to see. After that I got a bracelet made from parachute cord. I also made some paper airplanes from hot dog trays, which I realized I could give to Kyley and Hunter. On our way to dinner, I realized I may have enough time in my life to take several trips to a lot of the different African countries and spend a week or so absorbing some of the various places like Ouagadougou, Dakar, the Adrar, and elsewhere. We ate dinner at a pizza place where I saw a girl hug a guy and remembered what it felt like to be hugged by a girl like that, which I hadn’t felt for a long time, and decided I would experience that joy once more. I was also cut short from working on my travel plans to West Africa because of the moths everywhere, during which I spilled my beer in the dark after turning off all the lights planning to go to my room.

                The next morning, I started scooping up the bugs for the windowsills. Then I went with Mom and Dave to meet Uncle Andy, Aunt Marge, Uncle Kurt, Aunt Barb, Kyley, Hunter, Uncle John, Aunt Nini, Nannie, Uncle Rich, and Aunt Dixie down at Sandy Beach where I played with Hunter and lounged in a tube with a beer from where I got a new bottle cap, and we stayed there until it started to rain. When we got back, I scooped up all the dead bugs. Then I went with Nannie, Aunt Nini, and Aunt Dixie to an antique shop. Afterwards we ate steak at Uncle Kurt and Aunt Barb’s house where Aunt Nini gave me a new bottle cap, I made two bracelets for Kyley, and played with Kyley and Hunter.

                The next morning read until I paddle- boated into the center of the lake, joined halfway by Mom and met the rest of the family including Mom’s cousin Andy and his son, Morgan. We all had dinner later at the Wolfsboro Inn, before going out to ice cream. When I got back to the house I talked to Tyler, who told me how he had gone on a date with an actress friend of his.

                “Well, that’s good,” I said. 

  “But I want to find a girl who shares my pain,” he said.

                “Do you mean has special needs?” I asked.

                “Yes!” he said.

                “Tyler, that doesn’t matter too much. A girl could be good for you regardless of whether or not she has special needs.”

                But I knew exactly how Tyler felt. We would find a girl who was a true supporter of disabled people like ourselves, who could understand our struggles. Having the most beautiful or popular girl could not possibly replace having a girl who supported me through the struggle.

             I read some more of my Lonely Planet book when I heard my mom, sitting at her computer say, “Ben, guess what?”

                “What?”

                “Your friend, Ian Sneid: he’s going to UCM next year!”

                My heart leapt. 

                “That’s great!”

                The next day I went with my mom into town where I went to the Country Book Seller and got Buddhist Boot Camp and Lonely Planet Guides to China and Germany (the former because I accidentally tore a page in it). Then I got a chocolate and caramel covered cookie in a candy store next to the bookstore. On our way back home, my mom said she thought it was a good idea for me to do my autism books and told me that the Autism Asperger Publishing Company is in the Kansas City area. 

                When I got back, I read a lot more of Buddhist Boot Camp. We went over to Aunt Nini’s and Uncle John’s house where I read it some more, found another Snapple cap, got a new bottle cap, and realized that even if we spent more on autistic people by providing them services, the fact is statistically we commit less crime so in ways, we will always spend less on autistic people. That night it rained so the Wolfsboro Fourth of July parade was postponed until the next day. 

                The next day my mom, Dave, Uncle Kurt, Aunt Barb, Kyley, and Hunter saw the fourth of July parade before going to the airport and making our way home, with Kyley giving me a small friendship bracelet before we left. At the first airport I looked on my Facebook on my phone and found out I had been invited to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network Kansas City chapter’s July meeting at the Plaza Library on the 21^st, and thought I ought to go. On the ride back, in which Jamie drove us home, I talked to Tyler, who called earlier that day. When I got home, I called Hen House and found out I was scheduled for the next Friday from 4-7. 

Questions and Answers

On the day after we got back from Colorado, I pulled some weeds and the mowed the lawn.  Then I went to Starbuck’s and read (reread) where I left off in Water Touching Stone.  I also e-mailed Elizabeth to ask her if she could give me a ride to the Camp Encourage panel in Lawrence.  Dave’s brother-in-law Kent came to see us who he was staying with while in town for his Skills USA, and we all had dinner.  I was also asked over Facebook by Elise Johnson Chaplain from Horizon to answer some questions on Buddhism for a class she’s teaching for her MSW, which was due on Friday, which I gladly agreed to do.  I also got a call from Jack inviting me to see Shakespeare in the Park on Saturday, which I agreed to do.  In a week we would also be going to New Hampshire to see my mom’s family, and I would get up on Friday to catch a plane at 4:50.

                The next day I got an e-mail from Elizabeth saying she was rather swamped but telling me that she could come pick me up on Wednesday morning and take me to camp to volunteer with her at camp that day, then to stay at an apartment of a friend of hers, where we would sleep on couches, go to camp and volunteer the next morning before the panel, and afterwards go to her Bible study in Lawrence before going back to the apartment, and going home the next morning.  I of course agreed and e-mailed Mrs. Johnson to tell her I would need the questions by today or tomorrow to do them in time.  The next morning I pulled several acorn trees and later I went to Starbuck’s.  Later I answered the questions on Buddhism for Mrs. Chaplain and e-mailed them to her.  I also talked to Tyler.

                The next morning Elizabeth picked me up and told me one of her favorite shows Switched at Birth took place in Mission Hills.  I went with Elizabeth to pick up her friend Angela, who I met and found to be very nice, as Elizabeth said.  We went to Camp Encourage, where I helped a few kids from one group of campers make stress balls, and then another group with making slime.  Then I switched to helping the next group of kids make stress balls and then slime.  During that time I got to meet Kelly, who was in charge of the camp as well as a young blonde counselor Cassidy.  After the last group of kids had left, Elizabeth, Angela, and I cleaned up the mess.  Afterwards we all ate dinner together and then we went to the LLC Room where we sat in a circle, accompanied by two interactive musicians and kids played with maracas, tambourines, and percussion instruments and we sang Red by Taylor Swift, Baby by Justin Bieber, God Bless My Underwear, and Baby Shark.  Afterwards I had smores with several campers where I saw Matt who worked with Sean and I at the JCCC Autism Spectrum Support Group and who I got caught up on my recent activity.  Afterwards, a small camper, no more than ten years old, came to me “Do you have autism?”

              “Yes.”  I said.

“What do you do about your autism?”

“Well I’ve had help when I was younger and it helps me live my life.”

“Do you still have autism?”

             “Yes.”  I said.

“What will happen when I grow up?”

“Well, when I was younger I found the right supports and that helped me navigate in my life.”

“Are you ever gonna get married?”

“I hope so.”  I said.

He asked me these questions some again, and I gave him the same answer.  Then told me that when he grew up he wanted to teach kids with severe autism, and as Angela and I cleaned up the instruments and a counselor beckoned him to leave, he said, “Nice to meet you.”  Elizabeth and I then dropped Angela off back at her house and then we got a bite to eat at Shake and Steak where I insisted on paying for her meal to reimburse her for her gas money, and after making my case several times, she accepted that.  We got back and we saw Switched at Birth.

The next day we got breakfast and then helped set up the tie-dye work station, where I helped one kid make a tie-dye t-shirt, then dyed one for another kid who was allergic to dye, and then helped the next two groups.  Later Elizabeth and I got together outside the LLC room before the panel and found a young man sitting on one of the couches.

“Hi, I’m Nathan.”  He said.

                Elizabeth and I introduced ourselves and then at 2:30 we went in and I anxiously readied myself for the panel.  Finally, the first group, accompanied by Kelly and a young dark-haired neurotypical girl came in.  After being asked, “how do I define autism,” I was asked, “What has been the biggest challenge in your life?”

                I said, “Even though I have the social skills to have successful interaction with people, whenever I meet people, friends, romantic interests, I often wonder if they will be mature enough to understand what I’ve been through, what I’ve had to do, and how I’ve had to grow up at an early age because of my life with autism.”

                At this Kelly was in tears and the young counselor teared up as well.  As the next group came in, I told them about how people in my life have not always been able to truly understand myself as an autistic person or my struggle and I said, “One girl, who once* had a romantic interest in me seemed to try and show she was just like me by saying on Twitter how she loved getting movies on Netflix.  I’m thinking ‘that’s not an autistic thing!’  You can’t even get your stereotypes right!”

                Everyone laughed.

                The next group came in and I told them, “Sometimes I would like a girl while not knowing how she felt about me, and therapists would say, ‘you just don’t understand non-verbal social cues,’ and that was a real oversimplification of it.  Several kids nodded in agreement and said, “I know just what you mean,” and, “I’ve had the same thing happen to me.”  Afterwards one girl at the camp said to me, “Thank you!”

The next group came in and I told them how when I was in school, despite being segregated in a special classroom, I felt that there was no help for me in school until my last days of sixth grade.  Afterwards, a woman approached me, saying she was a special education teacher, and asked how I felt there could have been more help for me.  I told her it would have been good if my school had better methods for behavioral correction, more ways for me to be a part of my school, and had helped me as I had bullies.

                After the last panel, the kid I had met last night came up to me and asked for my contacts so I could talk to him outside of camp, and I gave him my home and cell number and e-mail address.  Elizabeth and I went to dinner and a young kid greeted me from behind.  When he was out of earshot, Elizabeth whispered to me, “I think you’ve got a new admirer.”

                As Elizabeth and I were about to go to her Bible study, I said goodbye to Kelly and she thanked me for coming, saying I was so inspiring to the kids and would love for me to come back as a board member of the camp or a counselor to help see that things were going right.  I thanked Erin for letting us use her apartment and said goodbye to her.  I said goodbye to Cassidy and went up to the young kid who I talked to the last night and said goodbye to him and wished him luck on and gave him and vote of confidence for teaching children with severe autism.  Elizabeth and I then went to her Bible study and I met several friends of hers including Joey, Lydia, and Bethany.  We discussed a book called the story of Bethany, and it was quite illuminating.  Joey eventually said, “People are saying that we can’t help the people who are coming to this country because of limited resources and that it’s a political issue.  I think, no, it’s a Jesus issue.  I feel if Jesus was alive today, he would have fed these people.

                Afterwards we walked down to a Mexican restaurant, during which I learned Joey was graduating KU with a degree in Latin American studies, and later planned to work in Mexico.  At the restaurant, where I ordered a beer and a churro, after I found out they were out of fried ice cream, I told Joey about Lonely Planet, how it’s authors research hotels, sights, and restaurants there, and how he might enjoy that if he’s going down to Mexico, as many of its authors do that in junction with other work, such as one author who did a chapter on Mauritania while down there to research the accidental shooting of the president.  He liked that idea and as we were about to walk back to the church, he gave me his phone to send me a friend request through his Facebook page.  As we got to Elizabeth’s car, I suggested we come there other nights and she thought that was a good idea.  We got back to the apartment and watched more Switched at Birth before falling asleep.  We stopped by the McDonald’s drive-through and I paid for the two of us again to reimburse her for her gas money.  Afterwards I went to work and the next day Jack, his dad and I went to Shakespeare in the Park, where I got a Shakespeare Festival 2014 A Winter’s Tale button for my donation.  We sat in lawn chairs, enjoying beers, wings, ribs, baguette, and cheese, and for three tickets, one dollar per ticket, I enjoyed a fried Snicker’s bar, while we watched A Winter’s Tale.  Afterwards Jack’s dad asked me if I wanted to see this bench in the park erected in honor of Jack’s mom and I told him certainly.  We saw it before he drove me home and I got what little sleep I could before I would wake up for the airport the next morning.

*Stay tuned.  A link will soon be available to a transcript of my interview on my other blog www.autistdharma.com. 

Autistic Pride Day in Leadville

On the morning before our trip to Colorado, I did not sleep at all for some reason (that just happens sometimes I guess), but I realized that if a chapter of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network is opening up in Kansas City, then it will be very close to the autistic social network/mutual aid society I started at JCCC and a similar organization that a friend of mine from high school started at Penn Valley, as well as Elizabeth’s group at KU (I thought), so they may be able to work together for their own mutual benefit.  I also remembered how Tyler said he thinks of me whenever he’s stressed as it makes him feel better.  We headed off to Colorado afterwards, and while we drove, I worked on my travel plans to Turkey.  I also got a new bottle cap for my collection from a drink at the gas station.  I also drove a little bit on the highway with some caffeine, during which time my mom taught me cruise control, and both she and Dave thought I drove really well.  

Next Wednesday would be Autistic Pride Day so I worked on a post for that holiday that was inspired by a post I had seen on Facebook called Thoughts from a Female Aspie.  We went to Whole Food’s where I got another bottle cap for my collection from a drink I got there.  Finally we made it to our home, which looked very different, and I could even see a stone patio and found several pebbles for my collection.  I saw that our bathroom had been almost finished.  I also got another new bottle cap for my collection from our drinks here.  Then Dave gave me new cell-phone charger.  After that I helped get my bed made. 

The next day Dave offered to pay me to pull the weeds from our patio after I finished meditating.  I also did fairly well with making eggs after some good pieces of bacon that Dave made.  He always makes good bacon.  Later I went to the recycling center with my mom and Dave, where I found two new bottle caps, one crown and one not, and then I helped them at the dump.  My mom and I got coffee and I got a lemon bar after that.  Then we went to pay the woman who remodeled our house, Sandra, and I went with my mom and Dave to help give her a feeling of appreciation by seeing more of the family whose house she helped remodel.  Indeed her neighborhood was very nice and clean, although the houses were by no means big.  Dave and I went to the taco truck outside Safe Way afterwards where I found several bottle caps lying around, including a new one for my collection and several for my wall fish.  I also got a new bottle cap from my drink they got me at Safe Way.  I drove back home so my mom and Dave could show me the way into town, which turned out to be a pretty easy drive.  I also met Elizabeth’s friend Kelly through e-mail inviting me to speak at the panel for autistic adults to the kids at her camp, Camp Encourage, after hearing of me from Elizabeth, and I accepted. 

                I got back and worked on my mandala made from plastic bags and realized how the words I make transcending sections of the mandala would give the piece a feeling of unity, just like my Drawing I teacher said intersecting shadow lines do in drawing, and how I will also have interesting and diverse pictures on there from all the different bags.  Then I worked on pulling the weeds until it started to rain and I went back inside and worked on my plastic bag mandala.  I also wrote in my bottle cap collecting journal.  I pulled more weeds until it was impossible to uproot any more of them and Dave thanked me for doing that.  Then I read about all the ruins along the Lycian Way and realized there seems to be all sorts of things right up my alley to do in all the different parts of Turkey.  I also realized that perhaps I may have had an influence on the Kansas Legislature’s willingness to pass a bill requiring some autism coverage with my testimony at the Kansas Legislature, which Elizabeth also attended.  After a dinner of pork chops and apple sauce that had some pieces of broken glass in It from the container breaking at Whole Foods, I worked on a belt made from plarn for my granddad for Father’s Day, and during that time I also realized that my blogging and other work may have prompted people to push for things such as the anti-bullying legislation, and they may have also prompted insurance companies to fear a broader autism coverage bill to be pass and prompted them to push for their current bill. 

                The next morning I cooked some bacon and eggs.  Later I took a walk around the train tracks and creek with my mom and Dave, where I found several more pebbles, some molten rock, including some to give to Jack and Tyler as gifts, and several bb shells, saw several beaver dams, and enjoyed being around Wally.  Afterwards I read thirty-six pages of The Divine Madman, where I sort of realized that Drukpa Kunley’s sexual exploits and promiscuity may have been a way to teach the girls how illusory romantic satisfaction, and I worked on a Father’s Day present for my granddad.  I helped Mom and Dave move some furniture after that.  Then I called Granddad, who agreed with how I might have influenced several moves that have helped autism, and Dad to wish them a happy Father’s Day.  After a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, where I did try and somewhat like zucchini, I finished and posted both my Ben’s Blog posts for today.  After that I talked to Tyler for a bit.

                The next day I cooked some eggs, and then read some more of The Divine Madman, which actually helped my better grasp the Tibetan language, which still has a long way to go, and I got an appreciation for how Buddhism is good in all trials as all trials are indeed impermanent.  I later went down to the National Forest and Turquoise Lake with my mom, Dave, and the dogs where I took several photos and we picked up several recyclables.  I got back and finished a belt made from plastic bags.  Then I worked on my wood drawing for my granddad, which I was so satisfied with I would be sure to take a picture of to have a sort of copy for myself.  On the way to dinner I did see that the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network had successfully gotten the Autism CARES Act to include changing the agency which looks at issues of adults with autism.  I went to the Grill with my mom and Dave, where I had some delicious steak and chicken tacos.  We got back and watched Ron White’s A Little Unprofessional on Netflix after that, in which he seemed to have gone downhill from when I had seen him before. 

                The next day Later I went into town with my mom and got some tacos at the taco truck, which I learned you can ask for with just meat and they will remember it, and I found a new bottle cap lying around as well as several ones that would be good for my Rainbow Fish wall fish, and got a new one from my drink I got there.  My mom and I went into town and I got a guitar-shaped mints tin, a hazelnut truffle, and a box of edible flowers, which I didn’t realize what it was, but realized my mom might like it and decided to give it to her as a Mother’s Day present.  Then I got three more Native American post cards to frame as wall art with my other post cards and they all have a theme of warriorship.  I gave Mom the gardening kit and she loved it.  Then I drove to the liquor store, which we remembered on the way home and got some new beer, and I realized my bottle cap collecting journal also functions well as a beverage tasting journal.  I drove back and when I got home I got another new bottle cap for my collection.  Afterwards I edited my Autistic Pride Day post.  Then I worked on my travel plans to Turkey.  After that I wrote in my dream journal for today, yesterday, and the day before that.  I had a great turkey sandwich with the sauce from the taco truck.

                The next day Then I assembled the other bunk bed for our room.  After that I worked on my travel plans to Turkey.  After that I went on a walk by our tracks with my mom and Dave into an old abandoned mine field outside our property and found several new pebbles, picked up some trash and recycling, saw another bird species, and I realized what it must be like to explore Turkey with all its hidden secrets and undiscovered ruins.  I also found some bone in the park and several clay pebbles on our property.  After that I worked on my Autistic Pride Day blog post, which I finished and posted after a dinner of pizza, with some frustration of uploading my pictures. 

                The next day I got a new bottle cap from my drink at the café my mom and I ate and much to her delight, she finished her bagel sandwich before me this time.  Afterwards I helped her move a trundle bed into our car and into our house.  On the way back to Minturn, we saw a deer carcass on the side of the road.  I also decided I wanted to use my career to help kick-start an Autistic Renaissance.  Then I got a buttered bagel and a Chai tea smoothie at a coffee shop in Minturn, before buying a CD called Turkish Groove (recommended by Lonely Planet) at Scarab.  On the way back to our house we saw an eagle and a coyote feasting on the deer carcass, which I realized must attract wildlife.  I got back to our house and Later I read about Cultural Studies and decided I might like to do something with that as well as filmmaking.  After a dinner of a turkey sandwich with sauce from the Mexican taco truck and brewing some hot tea, Graham and Lane, his girlfriend, arrived and I got to meet Lane, and it was nice to see them.

                The next day we got some tacos at the taco truck and found some more of my rainbow fish wall fish before went white-water rafting.  After that we went to Tennessee Pass where I learned Lane’s sister is a blogger with Asperger syndrome and I gave Lane the addresses to my blogs and my e-mail address to send me a link to her sister’s blog.

                The next day we drove home and I got another new bottle cap from my drink along the way I also got some tacos at the taco truck with my mom, Dave, Graham, and Lane, and found some more of my rainbow fish wall fish.  Then we went white-water rafting.  After that we went to Tennessee Pass where I learned Lane’s sister is a blogger with Asperger syndrome and I gave Lane the addresses to my blogs and my e-mail address to send me a link to her sister’s blog.

                The next day we drove home and I got a new bottle cap again from a drink at the gas station along with some spicy chips.  I also practiced some highway driving for about an hour and both my mom and Dave said I did really well.  When we got home I found out I worked from 4-10 the next Friday.

Freedom of the Open Road

On the first day after I got my driver’s license, I drove to my art class, withstanding the torrents of rain that I had not yet practiced, and to work, where I again got another USDA cap. I also talked to my granddad, telling him the news of my driver’s test, of which he was really excited. The next day, with no more errands to run for my mom not that I had my license, pulled a lot of acorn trees and weeds, spread some mulch over my mom’s garden, put cushions on the outdoor seats, and moved some bricks to the pile in near the back fence for Mom. Then I had an idea to turn Tyler’s bottle caps into a sign saying “Jesus,” and I talked to Tyler, who loved the idea, before I watched Regular Show. After that I went into the Prairie Village shopping center where I got a new bottle cap for my collection from my drink at Better Cheddar. Afterwards I mowed the lawn, and then I got two more bottle caps from my drinks at Better Cheddar while I found out about some great places to shop in my Lonely Planet Turkey book, including a shop where unemployed women make handbags and jewelry from recycled material. In one week, we would go to our vacation home in Leadville, Colorado. 

The next day I had lunch with Cam, Nora, and my dad, and I made a heart-shaped pin from the straws there. I got back and I went to Starbuck’s. Then I made another coaster from receipts. The next day I pulled some more acorn tree for Mom. After that I went to the small Hen House and got a People Magazine special issue on Michael Jackson, who was said to have autism. Then I went to Starbuck’s before I got back and worked on my Lord of the Rings card boxes. The next day I went to Starbuck’s and talked to Tyler on my way back before driving down to work. When I got back, I talked to Tyler some more. The next day I cleaned out my minifridge where I found my last Smirnoff and took a shelf from the garage down to the basement as well as my stuff for school to put on it, and I took my school bookshelf downstairs and put all my plastic bottle caps there. Then I emptied the dishwasher before I went down to Better Cheddar and got a new bottle cap from my drink. I went to Hen House and got a National Geographic issue on famous women in history, and then I went to Starbuck’s. Later I drove down to Elsa’s Ethiopian Restaurant, which I was very comfortable going to, and ate there with Mom and Dave, who came there from their yoga class. On Wednesday I also got a Facebook message from Elizabeth saying she was volunteering at a youth camp for people on the spectrum and served on a panel of adults on the spectrum to help answer questions for the kids, and a good friend of hers asked if she knew anyone who would be good for serving on the panel and she told her about me and asked me if she could introduce me through e-mail, which I said she could. I did my usual drink at Better Cheddar, from which I got a new bottle cap, and going to Starbuck’s. I got back and later I went to Winstead’s with Granddad. Then we went to Barnes and Noble where I got the Lonely Planet guide to Istanbul and a songwriter’s journal. After that we went to the Pathless Land where I meditated and realized I find the same block with seeing old friends that I did with driving, which is trying to get my mind off my “special interests” long enough. When that was over we went to Roasterie in Brookside. The next day I worked on my snack wrapper collages before going to work and then getting back and packing up to get up the next morning to go to our vacation home in Leadville, Colorado.

     

Preparing for My Driver's Test

The day after I had gotten my grades for the last semester while mowing the lawn, I realized that as a person with Asperger syndrome, it may have been harder for me to learn to drive due to my tendency to retreat to my "special interests" during stressful especially from having suffered bullying and discrimination. The next day I got a call from work asking if I could come in and work from 4-9, and I told them I would love to, so I drove to and back from work where I got another USDA cap for my collection. Two days later I went to the bird store in Corinth Square where Hen House is located, and helped her shop there, and also got a new bottle cap from the drinks we bought there. The next day I went to my art class and enjoyed doing my painting there. I drove to my art class and enjoyed doing my painting there as well as telling the women there about my recent love life story. I drove to Einstein’s afterwards and home and when I got home, I watched good videos on parking and parallel parking that. I later looked at my Time magazine bookazine on Thomas Edison and found out he proposed to his own wife in Morse code, which struck me as interesting, as if he like one of the other autistics I have read about on Autism Myth Busters, seemed to prefer non-verbal communication over verbal communication, even if with the woman he loved enough to be his own wife. I drove to Einstein’s afterwards and home and when I got home, I watched good videos on parking and parallel parking that. I later looked at my Time magazine bookazine on Thomas Edison and found out he proposed to his own wife in Morse code, which struck me as interesting, as if he like one of the other autistics I have read about on Autism Myth Busters, seemed to prefer non-verbal communication over verbal communication, even if with the woman he loved enough to be his own wife. I went down to Prairie Village where I read about one of the first music therapy institutes still in existence and functioning as a museum in Turkey at the height of its glory in the 16th century. As I got back from Starbuck’s I thought the gay rights, women’s rights, and Tibetan freedom posts I share also have their merit to the autistic struggle as it was the struggle of woman and ethnic and sexual minorities that has in fact inspired the disability rights movement. 

                The next day I called Hen House and learned I work on Sunday from 4-7 and Wednesday from 4-8. Later I did a wood burning of a silhouette of the Fellowship of the Ring with the quote “Not all who wander are lost.” I had dinner and chocolate cake dessert with Mom, Dave, and the Wendlands. The next morning, I realized Thomas Edison could have invented the light bulb because he had special interests as a person with Asperger syndrome and couldn’t sleep some nights and needed the light bulb to allow him to engage in his interests after sunset. I went with Dad to meet my grandparents at the King Tut exhibit. The next day I realized that special interests appear to be for people with Asperger syndrome what stimming is for people with “Kanner” syndrome, not that I believed these distinctions had any validity. Later I drove to Michael’s before work, during which time I got better at parking, and I got frames for my Tibetan paper tapestry and my THRIVE certificate. I drove to Hen House and got better at parking along the way. There I saw my old middle school classmate Marina Singleton, who is now working at Hen House. After work I got the schedule and found out the only other time I work this week is on Wednesday from 4-8. I got a new USDA cap from my drink afterwards, I realized that one thing that may have caused stress that complicated driving while I was at JCCC for the first few years was being surrounded by all these people after six years of only knowing a small,non-threatening environment like Horizon, and on my way home I realized I may do well in an autism-related field seeing how Dr. Roy Richard Grinker was ableto lead a groundbreaking study of autism in Korea with training inanthropology, while I am making my way towards a degree in Cultural Studies, that Einstein having Aspergers appears to corroborate with the fact that he played the violin, his life-long passion, before his speeches, considering how even for me public speaking is stressful, and I realized that some of the things that may have caused Einstein particular stress in his life are fleeing Nazi persecution, his divorce, giving up his first daughter for adoption, and the misuse of his invention the atomic bomb, and from the time I was sixteen until eighteen, the source of stress that could have complicated me driving may have been being a self-hating autistic. I got back and starting turning part of a discarded t-shirt into a coffee sleeve, while I talked to my dad, who mentioned my Horizon Academy story being on their Facebook page in a link sent by my grandmom from our family friend Mrs. North, and he was very complimentary about it, as was my granddad.  Seeing my determination to be a translator, I realized that I like Einstein and other reputedly autistic people have an undying resolve at pursuing my passion.

The next day I worked on my toilet paper roll wall art some more. Then I found one of my post cards that Mom sent me that I plan to frame as wall art and my ring that I had made at UCM. I also stitched together a coffee sleeve. Later I started on and got very far on a snack wrapper collage of Michelangelo. The next day I pulled some weeds for my mom before watching her do her bee-keeping, and then pulling weeds some more. Then we drove down to Rimann’s liquor near the Starbuck’s where we got some boxes for my recyclables. I realized I can get so caught up in doing these things that I forget about things like learning to drive. I got back and learned about several different types of Tibetan literature that have yet to be translated into English such as collections of songs by revered lamas and stories for conquering Tibet’s malevolent demons to allow the introduction of Buddhism. After going to Starbuck’s and eating dinner I posted an Autist Dharma post on the recent Santa Barbara shootings. The next day I got a lot of my recyclables sorted into boxes and on shelves, while working on my plastic bag mandalas. Then I did some highway driving, which my mom said was really good and where I really improved on my lane-changing, before I went to work. I got a new USDA cap on my break, and I got another bottle cap from the drinks Mom got at Hen House and she gave me a new lanyard that extends and makes it less awkward to unlock my door at school. Then I talked to my dad before going to Rimann’s and getting a new bottle cap from my drinks. I got back and found a page on Pinterest that has given me good ideas for simple woodworking projects, and it gave me the idea to make my own self for a lot of my books, some candles, perhaps for a candlelight dinner with a girl, which I think would be really romantic, and some signs. Later I read about how “being patient” with “the 10th request in five minutes from Tibetans to see your Lonely Planet book” “because it may be their only chance to see the Dalai Lama or other parts of the country” “can open locked doors (literally) to the monastery,” and I realized that may be my chance to access some of these Tibetan texts that I might love to translate into English. The next day I drove to my art class, during which time my mom said she let her guard down with me driving and got there and finished my painting. I drove back taking Mom to the Wendland’s to return something Mrs. Wendland left at our house. Then with my mom’s encouragement I unpacked all my stuff from the garage and then started building my new bookshelf for my Lonely Planet books. After that I talked to Tyler for an hour and then went to Starbuck’s. The next day I watched a show on beavers that Mom recorded and learned how they can help fertilize landscapes, and make their homes and live their lives, and it was pretty cute how this one beaver family “only objected to one visitor in their hotel-like homes: the filmmakers with their cameras.” Later I got two new bottle caps from my drinks at Better Cheddar and one from around the glass recycling before I helped a guy who saw me and asked me to steer his car with a dead battery into a certain position before technicians could come to revive it, and he seemed pretty grateful, and I knew he would remember it like my granddad said people remember about my help. I got back and mowed the backyard which my mom started on and the backyard. Then I went to the Prairie Village art fair, where I saw Jack and Dan from work, before I enjoyed my Lonely Planet book at Starbuck’s. I got back and finished my bookshelf, which looked great.  Then I called work and found out I work on Sunday from 3-8, Wednesday from 3-8, and Thursday from 4-8. 

On the first day of June while I was driving to Hen House, my mom heard they only go around the area of the DMV and the instructor was really nice from someone who recently got the driver’s license, and Mom said she wouldn’t have me do this and go out and drive on my own if she didn’t think I was ready. She also confessed that when I first started learning that she doubted I would ever learn to drive. I perfected my parking before I got back and got a new bottle cap from the sodas we got at Hen House. Later I drove down to get our pizza order from a restaurant, where I saw Beer Garden next to where we parked. The next day my mom said we should go take my test the next day. Then we drove to work where I got a new USDA bottle cap again. I also drew a Thomas Jefferson portraiture. The next day however, my mom ended up deciding it would be better to get my driver’s test the next day, so that day I drove my mom to Shawnee Mission East high school’s glass recycling, then to Target, and then to Brookside. Later I spent the whole night fighting nerves. My dad told me he thought I could pass, and my granddad told me it didn’t make a difference whether I passed or not. Then Mom, Dave, and I spent the night watching The Italian Job. 

 

The next day I had my usual café expresso at Starbuck’s before driving down with my mom to the DVM. The wait turned out to be much shorter than I expected, and finally a short blonde woman, the examiner, approached me, beckoning me to take the test. She appeared very friendly, and we had some casual conversation as I drove, and, to my amazement, I drove at the right speed, obeyed all the traffic signals, turned well, and didn’t even need to change lanes. Afterwards I parked in a lot perfectly and the examiner said, “Alright, you passed.”

“R…really?” I asked, pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I went in and a license was printed off on a sheet of carbon paper until such time as I got my permanent license. I drove home with my mom one more time and made my old permit into a mirror hanging with my name, picture, Kansas state capitol building, and the name of my state and put my Buddha dashboard figuring in the front before I drove on my own to work. My brother Cam got home that night and congratulated me.  I also called Tyler and told him the news. 

 

 

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