Guitar God's Birthday

Happy Birthday,
Eric Clapton!

Eric's celebrating today!  He's one of my favorite Guitar Gods.  I had a big crush on him in the past.  Saw him concert at the Fleet Center (now the Garden) back in 1998.  Great show!

He's performed with a lot of bands including the Beatles.  He's also had a great career as a solo artist as well.

Last fall, Eric released his autobiography and it ended up on the Best Seller's list.  Congrats, Eric!

"Pretending" by Eric Clapton

Even Music Producers Can Have Asperger's

Michael Buckholtz, a former record producer for MC Hammer, has Asperger's Syndrome.  He was diagnosed back when he was in his early 30's (he's now 42).  He wrote this essay called Autism is My Universe.  It details why he created his My Space website (www.myspace.com/aacfdonation) to advocate for services for adults with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

I can easily relate to his method to interact with people because I too had to observe what others did around people to learn about emotions and reactions.

Thanks for your help, Michael!

Outside In Song of the Week

Tickets for the June 25 Ringo Starr Concert in Boston at the Pavilion went on sale this week.  Naturally, I bought mine online and was able to print up my own ticket using my printer.  Love that modern technology.

This is Ringo's 10th All-Star Line up: Colin Hay, Billy Squier, Hamish Stuart, Edgar Winter, and Gary Wright.

"The Logical Song" by Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band (featuring Roger Hodgson, former lead singer of Supertramp) from 2001 in Atlanta, GA.

Let's Go to Surfing Camp!

Cowabunga, Dude!  The first annual surfing camp for children with autism and Asperger's Syndrome starts on March 31.  A very exciting alternative to Spring Break.  The University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD) are co-hosting this event.  The two groups provides educational and psychological services to 4,000 individuals with autism in the Miami-Dade county area.

At the surfing camp, the attendees get experience in surfing, snorkeling, exploring marine life, and studying basic oceanography and  meteorology.

Take Extra Steps in CT

Two local organizations in Connecticut are putting together the Extra Steps Program to help individuals and their families living with Asperger's.  They are focusing on services like vocational, living skill development, school, recreational, and other day to day things that are essential to living an independent life.

The two organizations are Marrakech, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Woodbridge and the Connecticut Center for Child Development, Inc. (CCCD), an private non-profit organization located in Milford.

Thanks for the help!

CNN Manager has Asperger's Syndrome

A female manager at CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, has admitted that she has Asperger's Syndrome.  She was recently diagnosed at 46 years old.  She is also married for almost 27 years.

Her essay, "Asperger's: My Life as an Earthbound Alien," brings back my memories of childhood and what my struggles in trying to socialize with others.

Also, CNN is doing a bunch of stories regarding autism for World Autism Day at this link: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/news/autism/

Thanks for raising the awareness, CNN!

Asperger's in Nantucket

The Nantucket Public School system has at least 20 children that are on the autism spectrum.  An article in their local newspaper talks about a family that has two children with autism.  It seems as though it is 1 in 66 children are most likely to be diagnosed with autism on Nantucket Island.

It looks more like autism is worldwide when there are children on that small Cape Cod island with autism. 

Happy Birthday, Reg Dwight!

Happy Birthday,
Elton John
(Born: Reginald Dwight)

It's Sir Elton's B-day today!  He's made a ton of hit records.  Too many to mention here.  I'll just mention what my favorite EJ song is.  I loved playing this song when I was a DJ.

"I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" by Elton John

RIP Neil Aspinall

Sad Beatles News:  Neil Aspinall, the Beatles' first road manager, has died of lung cancer over the weekend.  He was associated with the Beatles for 40 years as well as a good friend of theirs.

He'll be missed.

Steve McQueen's Birthday

Happy Birthday
Steve  McQueen!

He's the King of Cool!

Steve on a motorcycle in The Great Escape!

Fluoride in Water - Does It Cause Asperger's?

A recent forum in Ashland, Massachusetts, had a debate over the use of fluoride in the water supply.  A retired nurse believes that the fluoridated water cause her neighbor's death and her son's Asperger's Syndrome.   A chemist also has said that there has been little or no effect to dental health whatsoever. 

On the other side of the debate is a former Boston oral health director and an Ashland dentist that say that there is no credible evidence that the fluoride in the water has harmed anyone and that the use of fluoridated water has been supported by every major public health organization in the U.S

Happy Easter!

It's a day late, but it's the thought that counts!

Happy
Easter!

I got back from Silver Spring, Maryland, this afternoon.  My flight was early which is a big surprise.  My cats are glad to see me back.

Outside In Song of the Week

It's been a short week for me because I'm going on Easter Vacation today.  I'm heading down to DC for a couple of days.

Happy Birthday,
Kassie DePaiva
(Blair Cramer Manning of One Life to Live, my favorite soap)

Not only Kassie is an actress but also a singer.  She sometimes does a song on the soap.
This segment is from the "Babes Behind Bars" musical episode that was broadcast on July 4, 2002.  All the female characters show up in musical numbers.  Blair shows up singing a Dionne Warwick classic and her daughter Starr (Kristen Alderson) appears and sings a song from the musical "Annie."  You're actually getting two songs this week.

Check out her website: http://www.kassiedepaiva.com/

"I'll Never Love Again" by Kassie DePaiva (followed by "Tomorrow" by Kristen Alderson)

No Obstacle for College Students with Autism

An interesting article about students with autism and Asperger's Syndrome and going to college  It's called "Autism No Longer an Obstacle for Students Seeking a College Degree."

I went to Emerson College years before I was diagnosed with Asperger's and managed to succeed with getting my degree.  Happiest moment for me was when I finally got my college degree in 1986.  I had my struggles with socialization while going there.  It got tiresome to hear someone say to me, "You know you're supposed to be doing (or saying) ____."

Challenges that had me dealing with other people always drained me.  It was hard to read other people's faces.  Not an easy situation but I made through four years at Emerson.

The Return of Clint to the Big Screen

Clint Eastwood, my favorite actor, will be  coming back to the big screen in December.  He will be directing and starring a movie titled Gran Torino.  No word yet about what the plot is about, but he will start working on the movie soon.  It's the first time in four years that we will see Clint in front of the camera instead of behind it.

Paul McCartney: Free as a Bird at Last!

Paul McCartney is officially divorced from Heather Mills.  The judge made his ruling on Monday, March 17.  Heather did not get her much wanted $250 million from Paul.  Instead, she's getting only $48.7 million in the settlement.  In the final hours of the court case, Heather dumped a glass of water on top of the head of Paul's lawyer.  What a sore loser!

The judge had a hard time believing her testimony and found Paul's testimony to be "consistent, accurate, and honest."  Way to go, Paul!

Free as a Bird by The Beatles

RIP Ivan Dixon

Very sad news today: Ivan Dixon, one of the stars of the 60's sitcom Hogan's Heroes, has passed away at the age of 76.  His acting career started in the late 1950's.  He starred in movies: The Cave Dwellers, A Raisin in The Sun, Nothing But a Man, and Car Wash.  He suffered a hemorrhage after suffering complications from kidney failure Sunday night.

Dixon is best remembered for playing Staff Sergeant James Kinchloe on the 60's sitcom.

He will be missed.  I loved watching him on that show.  His character was a very important person in the prison camp.  He handled the technical stuff and the communications devices.

RIP

The Opening Sequence of the Hogan's Heroes Pilot (It was filmed in B&W)

Boston Legal Birthday

Happy 50th Birthday
Christian Clemenson
(Jerry of "Boston Legal," the one with Asperger's Syndrome)

A scene with Jerry in court from "Boston Legal"

Green Day

HAPPY
ST. PATRICK'S
DAY!!!!

20 Years for Jay Gordon and Elvis Presley

This past January, the Sunday morning show on WODS-FM in Boston called "Elvis Only" hosted by disc jockey Jay Gordon celebrated its 20 anniversary.  The show is heard in other radio markets and will soon be heard in more.  This will expand the fan base even more than before.

Congrats, Jay!

Beware The Ides of March!

                                        VEHICLE
                                                     

Outside In Song of the Week

Happy Birthday,
Mike Love
of the Beach Boys

He went to India with the Beatles to meditate with the Maharishi back in 1968.  He still practices Transcendental Meditation.  He also still sings lead for the Beach Boys.  I saw him last summer at the Hatch Shell in Boston.  Mike blew me a kiss when I waved at him.

"Surfin' USA" by The Beach Boys

New Gary Numan Interview

Great new interview with rock star Gary Numan in The Mirror this week.  Gary, who just turned 50 years old last Saturday, talks about his 30 year career in the music business, marriage, being a father to three daughters, and having Asperger's Syndrome.

It's a great read.  Check it out!

Raising Caine at 75

Happy 75th Birthday,
Michael Caine

Love a lot of his movies.  There's Alfie which is a classic.  He's now Alfred the Butler in the new Batman movies starring Christian Bale.

Alfie Trailer

Marvelous 60

Happy 60th Birthday,
Billy Crystal

I grew up watching him.  First on Soap, then Saturday Night Live, and at the movies.  I loved Throw Momma from the Train and City Slickers.  Great movies.

Yesterday, Billy played baseball with the New York Yankees, but he struck out at bat.

ABC News Story about a Mother Loving Her Son with Asperger's

ABC News once again raises awareness of Asperger's Syndrome with this story about Cherie Tiffany and her son, Austin.  Learn about their struggles and the support they received once he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. 

It's another case of discovering what's causing the problem and how to handle it.  Read their story.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=4400325&page=1

Flushing To Raise Autism Awareness

Parents in Flushing, Michigan, are hoping to start a local community event in the near future on World Autism Awareness Day.  Sundae Peterson and Diane Tackett each have sons who have autism.  They are hoping they can unite with other parents in the Flushing School District to make the public understand autism and Asperger's Syndrome.  Lisa Pyne, the Director of Special Services for the Flushing School District said that the population of children on the spectrum has tripled in recent years.

Thanks, Sundae and Diane, for helping out!

Page Heads to Missouri for Lectures and Discussions

Sandra Hodge, an associate professor at University of Missouri, was so impressed after reading Tim Page's article in The New Yorker last summer that she invited him to do lectures and discussions about Asperger's Syndrome.  Last August, music critic Tim Page wrote about his struggles in the article called "Parallel Play: The Life of a  Journalist with Asperger's Syndrome."  Page turned his disability to ability when he became a music critic for The Washington Post in 1995.

Page will be at the University of Missouri next Monday and Tuesday.  He is also an visiting professor at the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California and will be writing his memoir next year.

Commonly Misinterpreted

Everything I did was misinterpreted a lot before I got my diagnosis for Asperger's Syndrome.  This article called "Asperger Syndrome Commonly Misinterpreted" does a profile of an Asperger's advocate called Michelle Fattig-Smith, who also has Asperger's.  She went through the same problems I had growing up.  It was hard making friends.

Check out this article please.

Remembering Brad Delp

It was a year ago yesterday when the lead singer of Boston, Brad Delp, took his own life.  Many people miss him very much.  His second band, Beatlejuice, decided to keep on going and searched for a new lead singer.  They did it because Brad loved the Beatles very much.

Eleven years ago, I met Brad Delp right after Beatlejuice performed at a WZLX event  honoring the Beatles.  He was like everyone else has said about him.  He was very nice.

"More than a Feeling' by Boston

Belated Monkee Birthday

Mickey Dolenz also had a birthday this past Saturday.  He's one of the Monkees.  I grew up watching the reruns of the show during the 1970s.  I had the pleasure of meeting Mickey on two occasions during the 1990s.  He's very nice and good-looking up close.

Happy Birthday
Mickey Dolenz

"I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" by Mickey Dolenz  (Live at North Fork Theatre, L.I. New York)



"Goin' Down" by The Monkees (Live at Wembley Arena in England on 03/19/97)

Pre-Spring Cleaning/My Condo is De-Cluttered!

Yesterday, my neighbors helped me out with de-cluttering and vacuuming my condo.  I've lived here for 11 1/2 years.  Being a person with Asperger's Syndrome, I have trouble with my executive functioning.  In my case, it's being organized at home.  Also, I love collecting magazines, comic books, newspapers, and everything in between.  Plus, my old vacuum cleaner was broken and I couldn't afford a new one.  They gave a new, more powerful one to replace it.

I am grateful to Amy who came up with the idea and gathering a few of our neighbors together for one Saturday afternoon to help me out with getting rid of a lot of the clutter and boxing up stuff I just didn't feel like parting with.  I'm so attached to inanimate objects.  Now, my living room looks like a living room again.

Special Thanks from Uncommon Bostonian (me) to:

Amy
Mike
Michael
John
John
Chico

Outside In Song of the Week

Happy 50th Birthday
Gary Numan
(he also has Asperger's Syndrome)

I love this song of his that came out in late 1979/early 1980.

"Cars" by Gary Numan

Is There a Link?

The debate about whether or not vaccines cause autism has started up again with federal health officials denying that there is a connection.  This in the aftermath of a lawsuit that was won in Georgia saying that a girl became autistic after taking a vaccine.  Senator John McClain, who is running for president, claimed last week that there was "strong evidence" to a link.  However, health officials say no evidence exists.

David Kirby of the Huffington Post says that every American should read the vaccine-autism court document.

One Psychatrist Explains the Difference!

A very informative article by Dr. Rachel Bryant about autism and Asperger's Syndrome.  She explains what they are and what sets them as two separate disorders.
The article is called, "Autism and Asperger's: How The Disorders Differ."

The very basic characteristic for Asperger's is the difficulty to socialize with peers.  Every time I read an article about the social skill impairment that Asperger's causes, I get a flashback about my own childhood and how tough it was for me to have relationships with others.  I don't see any of the kids I went to school with today, except for a few people I went to Emerson went.  I sometimes see them at alumni events.

Remembering John Belushi

Hard to believe it was 26 years ago when John Belushi died of a drug overdose.  It was a shock to hear the sad news on the radio that day.  I was in high school at the time.  I was home from school and had just listened to my Blues Brothers album: Briefcase Full of Blues.  Then, I turned on the radio and heard the disc jockey say that John Belushi was dead.

I cried a lot that night.  He was my favorite Not Ready for Prime Time Player.

1981 TV interview with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd



"I'm a King Bee" by John Belushi (The performance that started the Blues Brothers because Dan Aykroyd is in the background playing the harmonica and wearing the black hat and dark glasses)

Remembering John Candy

It was on this day in 1994 when John Candy of Second City Television died of heart failure while making a movie.  Very sad.  He was very talented.  I felt devastated by the loss.

Thanks for the memories, John!

Fishin' Musician with John Candy.  Special Guests: The Tubes singing "Sushi Girl"



John Candy and Steve Martin in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"

SCTV B-Day!

Happy Birthday
Catherine O'Hara
of Second City Television

I loved her work on Second City Television when I was a teenager in the early 1980s.  Her work was funny.  She's now a movie star.  Her recent movie is Penelope with Christina Ricci.

"Double  Love" from Second City Television



Penelope Trailer

Risky Financial Business

Is it tough for a person with an autism spectrum disorder to handle his/her finances?  Well, I have had problems dealing with car mechanics who charge me a lot of money for car repairs in the past.  In this article called "Risks of Giving Autistic Adults Financial Freedom,"  the question of guardianship is discussed because some can be taken advantaged of with dealing with salesmen, especially car salesmen.

At the time I bought my car back in 1996, I didn't know I have Asperger's Syndrome.  I got it at a good price.  I don't know if I could have gotten something cheaper than what I paid for it.  I still have this car today.  Most of its parts have been replaced so there's nothing old about the car.

Medical Tests for Eddie Van Halen

GET WELL SOON
EDDIE VAN HALEN!

Four upcoming March Van Halen concerts have been re-scheduled for April due to Eddie Van Halen's undisclosed medical problem.  In the past, Eddie has fought cancer and alcoholism.  During the 1990s, he had hip replacement surgery and fought oral cancer.  Eddie recently divorced his wife of more than 20 years, Valerie Bertinelli and did a recent stint in rehab.

His physician says that he is undergoing medical tests to determine his condition and recommend treatment.

Good Luck, Hillary!

                                   GOOD LUCK
          TOMORROW 
           HILLARY!




Jack Nicholson's Video Tribute to Hillary

Behind Blue-Eyed Birthday

I love this guy's voice so much, and he's a talented actor too.  Loved seeing him guest star on CSI awhile back.

Happy Birthday,
Roger Daltrey
(lead singer of the Who)

"Behind Blue Eyes" by Roger Daltrey with John Entwistle (Live at Carnegie Hall)