Classroom Noise was Distracting!

This article from New Zealand did bring back a memory for me about classroom noise.  It was distracting!  Sometimes, it caused confusion for me, and my grades would suffer for it.  Bringing home a bad report card was frowned upon in the house I grew up in.

Happy Halloween and Happy 55th Birthday, John Candy!

Happy
Halloween!

=========================================

Happy 55th Birthday

John Candy!

I still miss you.  It's been 11 years since you left this world.  :-(

Happy 60th Birthday, Fonzie!

Happy 60th Birthday,
Henry Winkler!
The Fonz of "Happy Days" and the star of "Out of Practice"

Propects London Calling!

A Diabilities article about Prospects London's Transition initiative for students and graduates with autism and Asperger's Syndrome, in order to help with finding jobs.

New Job Prospects For People with Autism

Take a Wild Road to This Book!

The East Bay Rhode Island online newpaper has an article about Ann Baur, the arthur of A Wild Road Up The Cupboards.  It's the story of a mother who has a son with Asperger's Syndrome, written by a mother who has a son with Asperger's Syndrome.  This sounds like a great book.

http://www.eastbayri.com/story/18226746229197.php

A Positive Story About Employment for a Person With AS

From the New River Valley Current (part of the Roanoke Times) in Virginia:

Employment Brings Independence

At this workplace, everyone accepts him as who he is, and that's great.

Autism Research From The Land Down Under!

Information from an Austrailian Research Institute regarding the impairment of the executive function in the brains of children with autism.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=32541

Finally My Car is Back!

Tonight I got my car back after a co-worker's father took it on Sunday to have repaired.  He happens to be a mechanic.  It took a few days because he wanted cash only.  Payday was today for me.  :-)

My car, the Mustang aka Sally, drives smoothly now without any of those bothersome noises.  It was the brakes this time.  I know so little about car care that I'm lucky my car hasn't fallen to pieces like the Blues Brothers' car at the end of their movie.

Of course, Leroy, the mechanic, lectured me about bringing in the car whenever it starts making noises.  Also I should wash it often.  I never have time to go to the carwash.  I wonder how he would have reacted if I told him how many months it's been since the last oil filter change.

I've had Sally for nine years and hardly drove it for the first five years.  It's been in recent years that I had to uses it often than not at all.  When I bought the car at the time, I had hoped I would be married and allow my husband to handle the car care issues.  So far I don't have any candidate for husband.  Unfortunately, I'm still single, so I'm stuck trying to remember to take care of my own car.

I got to worry about my health right now.  I have to go in for lung x-rays because I am still coughing a lot.  The antibiotics helped  somewhat, but I still have a cough.

This Sunday is the Holistic Health Fair in Newton.  Maybe I can get some tips about getting rid of this cough.

RIP Rosa Parks

Last night I heard the breaking news that Rosa Parks had passed away from natural causes at 92 years old.  That put tears in my eyes.  I never had the chance to meet her.  She was one of my idols.

She was the pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement.  Back on December 1, 1955, Rosa refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger.  Her arrest was the catalyst for the Alabama Bus Boycott that went on for more than a year.  It also started the Civil Rights Movement as well.  The whole nation finally noticed that segregation was wrong.

Here in 2005, the Asperger Association of New England and other orgainzations are working hard everyday to raise awareness of Asperger's Syndrome and autism.  Most importantly to make people understand what autism spectrum disorders are.  Not all people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome are alike, just like black people.  Although I have an autism spectrum disorder, I am very different from Raymond Babett, the character with autism Dustin Hoffman played in Rain Man. 

I have met a lot of people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.  We have struggles.  Many have trouble living independently and getting jobs to support themselves.  Even the ones who are employed like myself still have many struggles with everyday things that people who don't have autism or Asperger's take for granted. 

There is a movement going on to educate the public.  This blog is part of it.  That's why I created it.  When I decided to do this blog, I thought of Rosa Parks.  She did one small thing and the whole nation noticed.

RIP Rosa Parks

Happy Birthday, Johnny

Happy 80th Birthday,
Johnny Carson!

You were one of my idols who inspired me to pursue broadcasting as a career.  I miss you so much.  I cried a lot when you passed away last January.  I'll never forget you and many others will remember you until the end of time.  You were the ultimate TV icon.

We never had the chance to meet face-to-face, but I did send a happy birthday card to your fan club who forwarded it to you three years ago.   So you did know about me.

My Famous Quote! I'm Published!

This weekend I received a copy of Ellen Notbohm's new book, Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew.  On the top of the back cover is the quote from this blog.  It says in big letters:

Forget Letterman!  This is the Ultimate Top Ten List!

--Yvonne Christian, adult with Asperger's and writer of the blog "Outside In"

Many thanks to Ellen Notbohm, Kelly Gilpin and Future Horizons!

Unresolved

My car, the Mustang a.k.a. Sally, is still without brakes.  I have been talking to mechanics for the last two weeks about getting this taken care of. 

What's the delay?  Well, I have my schedule with work and a cold to recover from.  Meanwhile the rest of the world have their own schedules.  So there's been a lot of phone tag going on.

Then, there's the cost of the repairs.  Life is not so simple when it comes to car care.  I just hope my car passes the state safety inspection.  I have until Halloween to get it inspected.

Stay tuned.

Visited The Doctor

After having a bad cough for almost three weeks, I decided to see a doctor over at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston this afternoon.  Dr. Reale had me doing deep breaths to determine what was wrong.  I had to do those several times because I was coughing a lot during the examination.

She heard my lungs and they didn't sound good.  "A lot of tightness," she said.  She gave me a prescription for antibiotics and cough syrup with codine.  Really strong stuff.  It might be a bronchital infection or a mild case of penumonia, according to her.

So now I'm taking some stronger medicine.  I hope this works.

Happy Birthday, Gary!

Happy Birthday,

Gary Puckett!

You're great at French-kissing! :-)

Mind Blindness

Mind Blindness means the one with Asperger's Syndrome doesn't know what the other person is thinking.  Not to be confused with Face Blindness which means not being able to see and interpret facial expressions.

In the Herald Dispatch's recent article, a mother advocates when her son is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.   It's great that Asperger's Syndrome is being recognized in children, but what about the adults out there like me?  No one figured out for years that I have Asperger's Syndrome.

Just The Thing!

From the Charlotte Observer:

Just The Thing To Help Unique School

A home school for children with dyslexia and autism.  Every little thing helps.

Still Sick and My Car's Sick Too!

I'm still struggling with this head, chest and nasal cold.  I was very feverish over the weekend.  I took some vitamin C, cough syrup, and other remedies.  It seemed like I was getting better, but I am still coughing a lot and blowing my nose often.

Monday night I had trouble with the brakes with my car.  For the past few weeks, they had been squeaking loudly, but because of my cold I didn't have the chance to get them checked out sooner.  I had the brakes fixed three years ago, but I don't know what's caused the brakes to fail Monday night.  Also, one of my hubcaps turned brown.  One of the mechanics that looked at my car last night said that it's called brake dust.  Never heard of that term when I was in Driver's Ed.

I'm going have another mechanic look at my car to see what caused this to happen and figure out how to fix it without draining my finances.  My car has do its annual state safety inspection this month, or I'll get in trouble if my car doesn't pass the test.

I already had enough car trouble earlier this year and it was just last December when I had the car accident.  I'm not able to afford a new car right now.

I'll Never Forget John Lennon!

Five years ago, I wrote "I'll Never Forget Him," an essay about where I was when I heard about John Lennon's murder.  I read it for the first time at the Club Beatles of New England's Happy 60th Birthday to John Lennon convention they had in Attleboro, Massachusetts.  Alf  Bicknell, the Beatles's chaffeur, was in attendance that day and  loved my essay.  I got huge praise for it as everyone in the convention hall applauded when I was done reading it.

I wrote that essay a few years before I learned that I have Asperger's Syndrome and that the Beatles are one of my restricted interests.  I am still attempting to get "I'll Never Forget Him" published.  It's hard to focus on a writing career when you have a full time job to focus on at the same time though.  Hard to find balance there.

In my essay I was in high school.  My father was the one who told me about John's murder that terrible night.  I also write about what went on in high school  the next day.  Then I write about the murder of my grandfather who I hardly knew.  His murder happened six months after John's.  I write about my becoming a disc jockey years later.  Very short essay.

What I didn't mention in that essay was how depressing my life was at that point when John Lennon was murdered.  I kept the stuff about my being teased constantly at school and the death of my brother Alfred out of that essay because I would have been crying a lot when I read it out loud at that convention in 2000. 

Now I am seriously thinking about doing a rewrite of that essay and adding in all the depressing stuff.  Why?  I feel more open about myself since I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 2002.

Wish You Were Here, John Lennon!

Happy 65th Birthday,
John Lennon!

There's a new book out called LENNON REVEALED by Larry Kane, a journalist who went with the Beatles on tour back in the 1960s that was chronicled in his book, TICKET TO RIDE.  Larry had a friendship with John Lennon for many years after the Beatles broke up.  This new book features new interviews of Yoko Ono Lennon, friends and family about the life of John Lennon.

Highly recommended.
 

I Hate Having Colds!

I came down with a cold last Friday.  It seems to have gotten worse, despite all the fluids I've been drinking.  I have taken cough syrup and cold tablets, but the bad cough still persists.  I've gargled with salt water in the morning and before bed, but I still have a hoarse throat.

I'm still using my CPAP with the humidifier, but I am still getting very congested anyway in one nostril while I'm sleeping.  It's ususally the right nostril than the left one.  I don't know why.  As soon as I get in bed and hook myself up to that CPAP, my right nostril (or, sometimes, the left nostril) clogs up instantly before my head hits the pillow.  It seems so unnatural.

I've always had problems with my sinuses, even though I don't have any allergies. I get plagued with sinus headaches year round now.  This has been going on for years.

I definately need to see a doctor about this to find out why I am having more problems with my sinus as I get older.

Cha-Chi's Back

WZLX didn't waste any time looking for a replacement to host Breakfast with the Beatles after former host John Laurenti's abrupt departure.  The new host is actually the former host, Cha-Chi Loprete, the Promotions Director of WZLX and WBCN.

Cha-Chi did his first show the week after John Laurenti did his final show.  Not bad at all.  I first met him back in 1994 when I started volunteering at WBCN on the weekends.  He always gave a movie pass.  Boy, how I miss those passes!

My best memory of Cha-Chi was during the spring of 1995 when I went to the WBOS Earth Day concert on the Esplanade and saw him in the VIP section next to the stage.  I asked the security guard if I could go in because I was also with WBCN like Cha-Chi.  She looked at me surprised when I explained to her that Cha-Chi isn't an employee of WBOS-FM and that he worked for a rival radio station.

"Wait-a-minute!  I thought he showed me a pass!  You're saying that man is with another radio station?" she asked me.

"Yes, he works at WBCN, the Rock of Boston," I replied.

People were gathering around us as we talked about him.  One person asked me for his name.

"That's Cha-Chi, the Promotions Director," I answered.

The whole crowd exclaimed, "That's Cha-Chi!"

The security guard went over to Cha-Chi and he showed her his VIP pass.  She told him that I was asking for him.  He went over and said "Hi" to me.  Unfortunately, he didn't have an extra pass to give me.

While we were talking, one of the celebrity guest hosts, Christopher Reeve, walked around the Hatch Shell stage.  The concert was several weeks before he had his tragic horse riding accident.

I came so close to meeting the actor who played Superman.

Btw, the other Cha-Chi, Scott Baio, is now on Arrested Development.

Thoughts on AANE's 10th Anniversary Conference

I went to the AANE 10th Anniversary Conference in Marlborough, Massachusetts, at the Royal Plaza Hotel.  The attendance this year was more than 600 people.  I sat at a table that had the sign "Adults with Asperger's Syndrome" which at the front of the room next to the big panel where the speakers were.

It was great to meet new members of the Asperger Assocation of New England.  Cory, who is a young black man currently going to school at Bunker Hill Community College, rode in the carpool with me and my social worker, Jamie Freed, to the conference.  We all gathered at the Riverside T station for our ride in Jamie's mini-van.

Dr. Oliver Sacks, author of Awakenings and other books, talked about the history of discovering disorders and growing awareness of this disorders over the years.  He mentioned his work with Tourette's Syndrome patients and also about his relationship with Temple Grandin, a woman with autism who has written books: Thinking in Pictures and Animal Translations.  At the beginning of his speech, Dr. Sacks was given a portrait of himself drawn by fellow AANE member, Jamie Maxfield who is an animater with Asperger's Syndrome.

Other guest speakers in the morning part of the conference were Dena Gassner and Stephen Shore.  Dena is the second of three generations of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.  She is from Kentucky and is an adovacte for people with disabilities.  Her speech was great.  She talked about her struggles which were a lot like my own.   AANE president, Stephen Shore, was great also.  He talked about the difference that ten years make since the formation of AANE.  He pointed out how he and others have taught people about what people with AS are really like.

The afternoon part of the conference featured a discussion panel with people who have been involved with bringing awareness about Asperger's Syndrome and helping people with AS over the last ten years.  The panelists were Daniel Rosen, Scott McLeod, Teresa Bolick, David Pauls, Dorothy Lucci, Elsa Abele and Richard F. Howard.  Their professions are in medicine, psychology, speech-language pathology and law.  Their individual speeches and answers to the audience's questions were helpful and informative.

Exhitbitors were many.  Lots of books about autism/Asperger's were on sale and some sold out very quickly.

I had a good time.  This makes my fourth conference so far since joining AANE back in 2002.

12-Year-Old Football Fan with AS

From the Noblesville Daily Times in Indiana:

12-Year-Old Boy is Millers Biggest Fan

Great article.  It's a great relationship between a boy with Asperger's Syndrome and a local football team called the Noblesville Millers.

We'll Always Have Casablanca!

From the Morrocco Times:

Round Table discussion about autism in Morocco.