mtbakervapor

[u4ia]

I've sort of accidentally "collected" quite a few adult friends who are on the autistic spectrum... all along the spectrum from "doesn't handle change well" to "can't look people in the eye at all, can only wear one brand of shirts, doesn't understand idioms, and would rather write notes back and forth than have a conversation, because talking is exhausting."

One day one of my ablebodied, neurotypical friends asked why I was an autistic spectrum magnet, not realizing that one of the other guys we were out with was himself on the spectrum. The latter replied, "Probably because we don't have to explain anything!"

That said, every time I think I have a good understanding of how my sister works, I discover something that reminds me I don't have a clue. Some things you might be interested in, Doug, and that your wife may or may not experience:

I was reading a blog by an autistic woman one day - she's a very successful employee at a major computer company, designs their chipsets, I believe. Yet, she's *severely* autistic (nearly nonverbal)... but old enough that she didn't get diagnosed till she was in her 50s, so she'd just learned to cope... with some things better than others. Anyway, she now advocates for kids with autism, especially vis-a-vis the school system. I was reading through some of her materials one day, and she was explaining that she doesn't think in words - she drew out what's actually in her head when she thinks a simple concept like "time for bed," and it was a swirl of abstract colors and shapes. Then she diagrammed out why that image meant "time for bed," - and it is an actual "language" in her head, by the definition of language. Just not something translatable to any other language - yet, every time she speaks or types, she's "translating" to English... but she's not translating words! In her case, it's like trying to translate maroon to cheese. Holy crap, no wonder many autistic people have a "language deficit" or difficulty expressing themselves... they're doing twenty times the work!

Intrigued by this, I went to my sister and said, "Hey, what do you think of when you're hungry?"
Her: (long pause) What's that stuff at the museum that gets spiky next to a magnet?"
Me: Iron filings?
Her: Yeah, that.
Me: Really? Do you know why?
Her: Maybe cause it looks like the refrigerator. Why?
Me: Well, cause when I'm hungry, I think "Hm, I'm hungry."
Her: Whoa. You think in WORDS?
Me: Sure. Most people do, at least some of the time.
Her: Why would anybody *do* that? That would be so much *work*.

The autistic woman referenced above also cleared up for me the *specifics* of why my sister can't handle physical change (like, say, switching the furniture around). According to her, any time an area is unfamiliar, including if the room has just been rearranged, her vision gets a digital camo/pixelated effect... so she *literally* can't see where everything is for several minutes, until her brain "remaps" the room.... and that effect persists each time she re-enters, until the room has been "remapped" enough times to not do the digital camo thing at all. I immediately called my sister out and showed her the example pictures on the blog, and she went, "Yeah, DUH... why, do other people not have that?"

*That* makes complete sense to me, since my feet/legs also have to "remap" if my usual markers change. The human brain is *so* weird, and it gets exponentially weirder if the slightest thing gets tweaked.

vaping some Bavarian Cream now.

Wow. That was an informative post. Seriously, just wow.

 

[thesandman]

my order of MBV came in... steeping time!

 

[Sambuca]

Wow. That was an informative post. Seriously, just wow.

most of what Seanchai writes is beautifully written. i'm trying to encourage him to add a blog for his own stuff. he was wondering if there was interest. what say you?

 

[Cob24]

Thanks, think I got it

 

[u4ia]

most of what Seanchai writes is beautifully written. i'm trying to encourage him to add a blog for his own stuff. he was wondering if there was interest. what say you?

I say absolutely.

 

[mcol]

I say absolutely.

Ditto..............

 

[Cob24]

What's everyone's favorite fruit or fruit based flavor?

 

[odysseysteve]

most of what Seanchai writes is beautifully written. i'm trying to encourage him to add a blog for his own stuff. he was wondering if there was interest. what say you?

Yes! Please do!

 

[Mowgli]

Yeah, the Black Rhino went extinct a few months ago. It was a bummer and I don't think the rest of the world hardly noticed.

How the Western Black Rhino Went Extinct | Extinction Countdown, Scientific American Blog Network

It pisses me off because there was no need for that to happen. Using a little common sense and being responsible and the Black Rhino would be around another 1000 years. It's not even a matter of nature taking its course. Poachers literally wiped them from the face of the earth with their greed.

Here's an episode about unsung heroes in a great series about wildlife crime at WWF.
A ranger is killed about every 4 days on average.
They keep going to work and chances are they'll be kiiled fighting poachers. Brutal >:<



Vaping Blue Moo, Sticky Bun, Butterscotch and Hazelnut.


http://worldwildlife.org/pages/stop...ldlife-trade&utm_content=share-link-tiger-psa

 

[kelli]

Thanks, Dusty. We'll be fine, I'm just venting because this one blindsided me a bit. Trust me, compared to some past Christmases, having a delayed Christmas is like, well, Christmas... in the past 13 years, we've had a Christmas where all of us were in the hospital (three different hospitals), Christmases where the best we could do was stick a bow on a ponytail palm and tuck into a meal provided by St. Vincent de Paul (which we were very grateful for), and a Christmas in a motel while our house was repaired after the tree hit it... the latter wasn't a bad Christmas per se, except the insurance company took so long to reimburse us that we fell behind on the mortgage and subsequently lost the house, then rented it back from the slumlord who bought it till he lost it out from under us a second time.

So compared to *that*, any of that? This will be a great Christmas, just a little delayed. There are so many worse problems in the world. Don't let my annoyance make you think I'm in any way in need... I've got a great life, truly. I've weathered *actual* problems and this isn't one. Take care, my friend, and hang in there.

just.........because ♥

 

[Criticalmass]

I've sort of accidentally "collected" quite a few adult friends who are on the autistic spectrum... all along the spectrum from "doesn't handle change well" to "can't look people in the eye at all, can only wear one brand of shirts, doesn't understand idioms, and would rather write notes back and forth than have a conversation, because talking is exhausting."

One day one of my ablebodied, neurotypical friends asked why I was an autistic spectrum magnet, not realizing that one of the other guys we were out with was himself on the spectrum. The latter replied, "Probably because we don't have to explain anything!"

That said, every time I think I have a good understanding of how my sister works, I discover something that reminds me I don't have a clue. Some things you might be interested in, Doug, and that your wife may or may not experience:

I was reading a blog by an autistic woman one day - she's a very successful employee at a major computer company, designs their chipsets, I believe. Yet, she's *severely* autistic (nearly nonverbal)... but old enough that she didn't get diagnosed till she was in her 50s, so she'd just learned to cope... with some things better than others. Anyway, she now advocates for kids with autism, especially vis-a-vis the school system. I was reading through some of her materials one day, and she was explaining that she doesn't think in words - she drew out what's actually in her head when she thinks a simple concept like "time for bed," and it was a swirl of abstract colors and shapes. Then she diagrammed out why that image meant "time for bed," - and it is an actual "language" in her head, by the definition of language. Just not something translatable to any other language - yet, every time she speaks or types, she's "translating" to English... but she's not translating words! In her case, it's like trying to translate maroon to cheese. Holy crap, no wonder many autistic people have a "language deficit" or difficulty expressing themselves... they're doing twenty times the work!

Intrigued by this, I went to my sister and said, "Hey, what do you think of when you're hungry?"
Her: (long pause) What's that stuff at the museum that gets spiky next to a magnet?"
Me: Iron filings?
Her: Yeah, that.
Me: Really? Do you know why?
Her: Maybe cause it looks like the refrigerator. Why?
Me: Well, cause when I'm hungry, I think "Hm, I'm hungry."
Her: Whoa. You think in WORDS?
Me: Sure. Most people do, at least some of the time.
Her: Why would anybody *do* that? That would be so much *work*.

The autistic woman referenced above also cleared up for me the *specifics* of why my sister can't handle physical change (like, say, switching the furniture around). According to her, any time an area is unfamiliar, including if the room has just been rearranged, her vision gets a digital camo/pixelated effect... so she *literally* can't see where everything is for several minutes, until her brain "remaps" the room.... and that effect persists each time she re-enters, until the room has been "remapped" enough times to not do the digital camo thing at all. I immediately called my sister out and showed her the example pictures on the blog, and she went, "Yeah, DUH... why, do other people not have that?"

*That* makes complete sense to me, since my feet/legs also have to "remap" if my usual markers change. The human brain is *so* weird, and it gets exponentially weirder if the slightest thing gets tweaked.

Vaping some Bavarian Cream now.

Talking IS exhausting for me anyway. My wife too. We only talk to each other so much because we are comfortable with each other. I think a lot of people who don't know it fall on that spectrum somewhere. My wife is incredibly smart as many who have varying degrees of autism usually are. She just has quirks that make her unique. That's how I see it anyway. It's very easy to discount people who might have some unusual quirks that's why it's never a good idea to judge people only by what we see. I have to remind myself of that from time to time.

I am now trying to figure out if I think in words or images. It's hard to say, probably a little bit of both I think. It is amazing how we can find ways to cope or make things work for us. The human brain is so complex I'm not sure science will ever be able to fully explain all the inner workings.

Your sisters sounds like she's got more figured out about life than we do.

 

[mcol]

Hubs brought home both a cake and a pie (LOLOL).

So reading what everyone had written I suddenly thought THE WORDS
"I WANT CAKE"
And THEN
had a mental image of the cake in question.

Excuse me I need to go get some.............

 

[ziggytrix]

What's everyone's favorite fruit or fruit based flavor?

fruit based - strawberry shortcake
single fruit - grape

 

[mcol]

What's everyone's favorite fruit or fruit based flavor?

Fruit based - banana cream pie

 

[Butch]

Banana cream pie
Blue moo
Moo juice
Salacoius Strawberry

 

[kelli]

What's everyone's favorite fruit or fruit based flavor?

strawberry shortcake
green apple

 

[u4ia]

Thanks for the bump Ms.Kitty

 

[kgj]

most of what Seanchai writes is beautifully written. i'm trying to encourage him to add a blog for his own stuff. he was wondering if there was interest. what say you?

Be careful what you wish for. If Sean's busy with a blog it will leave him less time to post here.

 

[u4ia]

What's everyone's favorite fruit or fruit based flavor?

I like the Green Apple for a straight up fruit, I like Thug Juice for something that's both different and fruity.

 

[Butch]

Anybody know when Uno is due back, or what is up with Roonies?