Through the lens of a Level 1 Autistic Individual

A Struggle Against Perceptions of My Autism (Quick 1- or 2-Page Version)      When I was maybe 6 years old, I went to a clinic for testing (why I didn't fit the mold for a kid in 1971). The clinician there wasn't very nice or patient, and my mother said that I was "retarded" and my outlook was to become a gardener. Mom didn't accept that, though, and I went back to the clinic but with Mrs. Ferguson, who was much nicer. After a year of weekly sessions there, I was re-diagnosed as "normal" and went to Silvergate Elementary School (San Diego, CA) from 1st Grade.      During 1st Grade, though, I went through being bullied, singled out by the teacher there, and was glad when Summer Vacation came around. 2nd and 3rd Grade was in a new school a few miles away in one of the richer neighborhoods, as our family "blended" with another for the next four years. Loma Portal Elementary School was a true emotional War Zone. I was referred for weekly session wi...

Thanks to the new CDC guidelines placing quite a few people, including myself, back into the "donut hole" when it comes to eligibility for the Freedom Needles, I'm very concerned that COVID-19 could make a comeback. While it isn't necessarily the Death Sentence that it once was, treatment isn't as easy as grabbing some over-the-counter medication. Paxlovid may be effective in reducing the effects of the virus in the body, but people like me might not even be eligible for that. Then there's the possibility of "long covid". That being said, I've dropped any plans to go to crowded events such as comic conventions after SacAnime on August 31. That will be another "swan song" for me, six years after I tried one last cosplay gathering in San Diego. Many people who go to conventions are likely also ineligible for vaccines, and "con crud" could bring harsher reality. Another major factor in this decision is that there was energy towar...

The Office = Just Another Box      Earlier this year, I had received my Certificate of Achievement at San Joaquin Delta College in Medical Records Clerk. Coursework called for a lot of attention and study, with ZOOM calls, written assignments, a Field Trip, and one particular course (Office Systems and Procedures) involved a lot of working in a group on major assignments, including a term project paper. There were a lot of high notes, including a couple meetups in the Main Library to help another student conquer the gremlins in her loaned laptop to complete assignments in the filing class, and the groups in the office class all worked together and no dramas, except for the instructor wanting to change the term assignment after it's been started. I called that out, and started what could have been a popular revolt if she didn't relent and return to the status quo on that assignment.     The original impetus for this venture came from TV News, where it was mentio...

Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right      Racial discrimination and segregation unfortunately continue to exist, although they're not nearly as prolific as they were a century ago. In the 1960s, President Johnson started Affirmative Action, and its implementation over the next half-century had become Reverse Discrimination by letting minorities jump to the front of the line rather than joining the line in an equal basis with whites. Job applicants were given the shaft by all of this, even though they themselves didn't benefit from discrimination, let alone implement them.      I applaud the end of Affirmative Action and its current form lumped in as "DEI". Pushing agendas is creating a massive backlash, and I look forward to the end of the "If it's male and pale, it's stale" mindset.  And don't lump Environmental Responsibility with DEI. Fixing the environment actually helps with equity, as people wouldn't be limited by growing up in pollution.

Catharsis (From a Facebook Memory 22 Jan 2022) Remnant ("Pina") of an agave plant extracted like a rotten tooth The other day, we got around to getting rid of an agave that was getting ornery. An agave has uninviting sharp petals(?) that can house spiders or even vermin in the hollows. My stepmother had these plants at her house, and to me they symbolize her choosing meditation, vegans, and "plants have priority" rather than participation in our childhood with our father. Taking a saw to the petals and chucking them into the greens bin and then ripping the "pina" from the earth and rolling it to desiccate in the sun gave me that feeling of adrenaline in opposition to someone who tore my father from me and never did create any fond childhood memories.

 2010: Under the Sea Rare photo of me in one of my Theme Party outfits at the WRCA Convention -- I had a lot of fun with some of these throughout the years, but unfortunately photos are rare at best. I have a space suit all ready to go for this year too. | Photo taken and originally posted by Cricket Farewel l