Acquired Taste

When a medical professional tells me I’m probably autistic, I’m not surprised. I’ve suspected it for over a year now. This diagnosis isn’t even the main reason why I’m here. I’m in this office because my sister was just diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I think I might have it too.

Continue reading “Acquired Taste”

It Doesn’t Have to Be This Hard

I am returning to blogging (hopefully on a regular basis) after an exhausting semester. Five days a week, I did the following:

  • woke up and walked to the bus stop
  • sat for hours in classrooms where the lights were too bright and I had to interact with people
  • did intellectual work that added to my mental exhaustion from social interaction and an overstimulating environment
  • took the bus and walked home again

And then I frequently worked a dinner shift after that.

Continue reading “It Doesn’t Have to Be This Hard”

Why I Suck at Eye Contact

Content note: This post talks frankly about ableism in a way that might induce anxiety in autistic readers.

Recently, I started a new job. I haven’t told anyone there that I’m trans or on the autism spectrum. I don’t like to have those conversations unless I feel safe and know I won’t be treated like an oddity or less of a person. Because I usually don’t talk about these identities of mine in public, I often hear things I don’t care for.

At this new job, I overheard a conversation between two coworkers where they were talking about a customer they didn’t like. One of them said, “Isn’t making eye contact just, like, basic human decency?”

And the other one said, “You’d think so, but…” Continue reading “Why I Suck at Eye Contact”