Hi all! Long time, no post! Just dropping you blog-readers a line to let you know that I've published a new essay via The Art of Autism. It's a fierce critique of Netflix's new satirical film, Don't Look Up, which features a disturbing portrayal of an autistic-coded villain. Read the whole essay here! This is… Continue reading Publication Announcement: A Critique of Autistic-Coded Rep in ‘Don’t Look Up’
Category: Musings
Short Stories, $1
Imagine a perfect morning. You're walking down a cobblestone street. Sun rays peer through leaves in the trees, around roofs and chimneys. A cool breeze bobs the geraniums in the window boxes. You have a coffee or a tea in hand. It is made exactly the way you like, from an open-air cafe just up… Continue reading Short Stories, $1
The Millennial Coping Skill Other Generations Should Pay Attention To
That's right, Millennials have coping skills. How could we have gotten this far without them? Reveling in the Ridiculous might be our most powerful skill.
The Value of a Book
I recently paid $40+ for a used paperback book. I wasn't required to buy it for any reason. And no, it wasn't a college textbook. (That'd be a steal!) It was a book I was very much interested in reading, that was not available through my library, and that was out of print. So I… Continue reading The Value of a Book
Querying While Autistic
One of the most difficult parts in processing my late autism identification and diagnosis (at 30 years old) is dealing with a constantly shifting perspective, specifically in comparing how I function in the world and how non-autistic people function in it. I spent my whole life assuming my way of being was "normal" or neurotypical,… Continue reading Querying While Autistic
Why I Don’t Like to Tell People I was DIAGNOSED WITH Autism
I was diagnosed with autism and inattentive ADHD in November 2020. Almost immediately after I found this out, I realized I hated saying that sentence, especially the "diagnosed with" part. I am still getting used to, "I am autistic," but through those words, I feel a sense of pride and relief: they help me know myself more fully. "Diagnosed with" never sat well, and as time goes on, it's sitting worse and worse and worse.
Why I Chose to Get Assessed for Autism at 30.
I knew I was autistic. So why did I bother getting assessed?
2020 in Books
This is the fourth consecutive year I've written a "year in books" blog post, and 2020 is the weirdest of them all. This year (ugh, this year) has been wild, devastating, excruciating, depressing, anxiety-inducing, heartbreaking... We've all lost so much. Where I live, the library was closed--CLOSED--for a long period of time. So if I… Continue reading 2020 in Books
I’m Autistic. (And I have ADHD.)
Even after hitting "Publish" on this post, I still don't know how I feel about the title statement. How it's worded, I mean. The ideas it represents are absolutely true. On November 9, 2020, I was assessed as having met criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In other words (and maybe… Continue reading I’m Autistic. (And I have ADHD.)
Mantras for 2020
In an effort to process all that has happened in the past months, I collected and recorded what I'm calling Mantras for 2020.