Well, There Goes That Idea

Of course, right after I make the resolution to post more, things happen that will make that tough to do for a little while.

There was a death in the family yesterday, my father-in-law. I realize that the impact that his death has on my blogging abilities is probably the least important thing in the world right now, although the Aspie part of my brain is pissed at why this has to happen to me right now. But I know that’s insensitive; I can’t control how my Aspie brain thinks, but I can give it a hard slap in the face when it gets out of line.

Anyways, due to dealing with certain things (funeral, family fallout, etc.), my posting may need to take a hiatus again. Hopefully not months like last time.

Take care, and well wishes for everyone out there.

Gotta Get Back In It

Yeah, I know. I suck. I’ve only posted twice this year, I know. I really suck.

I had some stuff take over my life and got distracted and busy and all the other words I can use as excuses but don’t really work to get me off the hook of one plain and simple fact: I need to post more. I had a good rhythm going, but it got all messed up and the Aspie in me totally lost my groove.

So, I’m going to get the groove back. I’m going to make it a habit to post once a day. That will get me back in it. So you’ll probably be getting a bunch of annoying “boring shit happened to me today” posts. But it’s better than no posts, right? I think so.

Apologies for the dead-ness of this blog lately, and future apologies for the annoying-ness of this blog soon. 🙂 But I’m back!

Interaction

It has been brought to my attention from one of my followers – who also happens to live in the same house as I do and also happens to be married to me – that I need to be more interactive with my commenters and followers. Apparently, this “follower” has not been paying attention to any of the posts on this blog… or the behavior tendencies of her husband for the past fourteen years.

She also doesn’t know about the meth lab I have running in the basement.

Breaking news: I have Aspergers. Also breaking news: people with Aspergers are generally bad at interacting with others. So yeah, you could say that my people skills are not exactly up to par. When interacting with people, at best I come off awkward and strange. At worst, I come off like a heartless, uncaring sociopath. And I thought one of the goals of this blog was to attract readers, not repel them.

I would not be the first person to make that mistake.

With that being said… as much as it pains me to say so – because I’ll never live it down – this “follower” is right. I should be conversing with my commenters and followers. Sure, I can post personal and interesting things for you to read, but what better way to reach out than to talk to my readers and respond to their questions and comments directly? We might start a a conversation that never would have been explored without that direct level of interaction.

So, along with responding to emails, I will also be answering comments on my posts when the situation calls for it. And yes, I will also be responding to comments from that certain “follower” as well.

If I have the strength left after heaing “I told you so” 1,364 times.

Yo, WordPress… You Are Creepy

I wasn’t going to post anything tonight. I was just poking around the WordPress options and junk, and I saw a little “Inspiration” feature on the post page. I assume it generates a random fact or quote or whatever for you to write about if you’re stuck.

So I clicked on it.

WARNING: You cannot un-read this.

Italo Calvino said: The more enlightened our houses are, the more their walls ooze ghosts.

Ummmmmm…..

Welcome to WordPress!

After excesive frustration with Blogger’s Twitter widget (IS IT THAT BAD THAT I WANT MY TWEETS TO SHOW UP ON MY BLOG?!?!?), and after much urging from my wife, I decided to move Inside the Mind of an Aspie over to WordPress. So here we are!

I’m working on getting everything set up and customized to the way I want them, so things might look a little funky until I get things settled.

Hopefully WordPress will work out, otherwise I may have to go crawling back to Blogger or find somewhere else to blog. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Top 12 of ’12

In honor of the culmination of the year 2012 (WE SURVIVED A MAYAN ALIEN ATTACK, OR WHATEVER THAT WHOLE THING WAS ABOUT!!!), this is a countdown of my top 12 favorite posts I made during the past year.

Yes, this is my blog’s version of a clip show.

Enjoy!

12. The Self Aware Aspie  (12/23/12) – how a diagnosis helps an Aspie and others understand their situation.

11. Feeling Out of Place (8/15/12) – I get the feeling that I don’t belong.

10. Friday Night Anti-Socialite  (11/3/12) – I am EXTREMELY uncomfortable at a social gathering.

9. Like I’m Not Even There  (4/6/12) – Nobody listens to my awesome ideas.

8. Perfectionism (7/15/12) – Why can’t everything be right?

7. The Dentist (1/25/12) – I suffer through a trip to the dentist.

6. Dunkin Donuts Ruins My Day (1/10/12) – It’s the little things that drive me mad.

5. Hi, Nice to Meet You. By the Way, I Have Aspergers. (10/15/12) – How does one drop the Aspie bomb?

4. I’M NORMAL!!! (for once) (10/16/12) – I surprise myself with my unexpectedly rational behavior.

3. The Challenges of Being an Aspie and a Parent  (6/28/12) – You think being an NT parent is hard?

2. Unseen Health Risks of Aspergers (2/23/12) – A doctor’s office can be a scary place.

1. Facing the Truth  (8/6/12) – Aspies will save the world!

IMHO

Just a little bit about me, and this blog, FYI.

I write this blog from a number of viewpoints. First, I write as a parent of a child with Aspergers. I have a 6 year old daughter who also happens to be the cutest little girl in the world (sorry to all of you people out there who also have daughters, but it’s true). She inspires a lot of what I write here.

Second, I write as a “medically informed person.” Notice I did not claim to be a doctor, nor did I claim to have all of the correct answers when it comes to medical problems. This blog is not meant to diagnose, treat, cause, cure, or worsen any disease or mental health state.

Third, I write this blog form the viewpoint of a person with Aspergers… presumably. You see, I was never formally diagnosed with Aspergers, but while getting my daughter diagnosed I began sensing a lot of… shall we say “odd, unexplainable behaviors” on my part. I came to learn that Autism tends to run in families, and things began to clear up a bit. After months of soul searching, I finally became comfortable with the fact that I have Aspergers. A diagnosis now would be redundant. A lot of what I write will end up sounding strange and unbelievable, but it comes from my inner feelings as an Aspie myself.

So I wear many hats when I type these posts up. First and foremost, I write these posts because I expect NOBODY to read them. That’s right. I don’t have delusions of grandeur; I don’t expect to be this massive blogger reaching thousands of people, spreading Autism awareness, and making the world a much better place to live in. I’m just using this blog to help express myself, figure out my feelings, and hopefully connect to the world a little better.

Now, if someone other than me happens to be reading this… awesome! Welcome! Don’t be afraid to comment or e-mail me at aspieblogger@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter (@mindofanaspie).

I just ask one thing of you readers – please don’t take what I say as the gold standard of facts about Autism. My posts contain my opinions based on the many aforementioned hats I wear. I may be commenting on something my daughter did, or something I read while reading about Autism research. I may be talking about some private feelings I have about how hard it is to try to fit in with you normal people. But please remember that all Sprectrumites are different. We are all unique. In fact, I fully expect other Aspies to read this blog and claim I’m full of crap. Just try to keep an open mind, and we all might learn something from this.