Podcast 0016; Season 02, Episode 02, September 11, 2018 Interview with visual artist Bobby Roma, part one. Bobby reflects on his experiences in the workplace and his pursuit of a career in the film industry. Bobby and I share a passion for filmmaking and the visual arts. We’re also close in age,…
Category: Relationships
Work, school, family… they are all about relationships.
Podcast 0015; Season 02, Episode 01; September 4, 2018 We open Season Two chatting with Grayson Rumsey, a 20-year-old autistic self-advocate, creative writer, performing artist, and member of the LGBTQ+ community. Grayson has dealt with more in 20 years than I have in nearly 50. We should admire Grayson and the…
The girls have been asking why they didn’t get to see the princesses or the castle at Disney. Explaining there is something wrong with Grandpa’s health isn’t something little ones understand. We left early, not using one day of our passes, because my father wasn’t feeling well. We still don’t…
Parenting stress is unlike other stress. Somehow, I manage to think more clearly — or not think — and get things done. I still need my wife to help sometimes, but I manage the basics when our children are involved. Earlier in the trip, I imagined the most panic I’d…
Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Monterey, Morro Bay, the Central Valley, and a fly over the Golden Gate Bridge at night. That was our ten-day (or eleven-day) vacation trip to California for the summer of 2018. Daddy and two excited little girls met up with friends and family for much of…
“How do you deal with parenthood?” I understand the question. Children are everything my autistic traits dislike: chaos, noise, arguments, dirt, smells, and much more. There’s one stressor after another. Every night I reflect on what I did wrong that particular day. There’s an endless sense that I could and…
Podcast 0012; Season 01, Episode 12; June 12, 2018 During the summer months, I need to ease off some of my workload to better manage time with family. After this podcast was recorded, I found that I did need to take a break from our littlest one’s pre-K graduation because…
“You need to smile more.” Professor in graduate school. “You need to stop seeing all the negatives around you.” Colleague at a university. “Why are you always depressed?” Teacher at a conference. The perception that autistics are depressed is a common stereotype. Commenting on things I want to fix, noticing…
Podcast 0010; Season 01, Episode 10; May 22, 2018 This week, The Autistic Me Podcast features a discussion about college and dating, as Daniel Sansing and I discuss the challenges autistic young people face trying to establish relationships. We also discuss our experiences. Thankfully, we both found special wives who accept us…
Podcast 0009; Season 01, Episode 09; May 15, 2018 This week, I have struggled to get going on several projects. I am preparing for academic conferences knowing that these events will not advance my career. My goal was to secure a new professorship for 2018-19 and use these conference papers…