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I'm really agitated right now. I tried to be assertive and talked to others about a concern and it just backfired. It's so stressful... I might need to take a Klonopin.
April and Phil were supposed to go with Michael and me to the 11:15am UU service, but they backed out. We first needed my mother's boyfriend to put air in the car's tires (unexpectedly) and took a wrong turn, but got to the church on-time. The sermon was supposed to be about pluralism and nihilism, involving quotes from Moby Dick, but it was changed last-minute to be about the shooting in Arizona and the death of a couple church members very recently. Apparently the boy who did the shooting had some violent acts on his record that would have prevented him from being able to buy a gun at a gun shop in Illinois (where I live), but not in Arizona. My father was a lunatic and owned tons of guns hidden everywhere and I don't like them much. I don't think anyone with violence on their record (other than self-defense) should be allowed to own a gun. Unfortunately, my eyes kind of glazed over the readings from Moby Dick because words often get lost on me when they are spoken as opposed to written. There were some other really sad things, like this woman whose dog just died:( I almost started crying. Though another woman had good news that her son was getting a service dog.
After the sermon we talked to people and everyone was very nice. I had to explain to one woman I couldn't work due to my autism and she said it must not affect me very severe socially:P It's true my autism affects me worse in other areas and I know a lot of autistics who are less disabled than me in all other areas except socially. I know a lot of non-autistics worse than me socially. Michael's response to this woman was "it depends" and "she's come a long way." But really, even in college I could put on a social mask, even when I had trouble understanding spoken words and small talk was meaningless to me. Ritalin LA also helps. Sometimes I seem normal and sometimes people mistake me for being socially retarded. We talked to the woman who is leading the UU membership classes and she has a nephew with Asperger's Syndrome. That came up when Michael was talking about his OCD and how he may have to leave the classroom (for the first UU membership class) due to gum chewing. Fortunately he managed okay just sitting in the back of the room. The class was interesting, though felt a little long to me. The next class is supposedly more interactive. They provided us with a big lunch -- sandwiches, carrot sticks, apple slices, cheese sticks, potato chips, and brownies. Some people also got food from the potluck going on in the main room. The youth group in the sanctuary next to us was having a class on sexuality. They have a class like that starting with first grade and going up through the end of high school (but not for every single grade).
I don't know how I'm going to get there on days when Michael isn't around, but I signed up for the free yoga classes. It's only 5 classes. I don't know if I can get my mother to take me at least to the first class... She only has one well-behaved car right now and she drives my brother to and from work. Hopefully she can take me if my brother isn't working then or will get off later than my class ends. It's rather frustrating to me because my brother doesn't even have to pay for anything other than beer or cigarettes, so his job doesn't seem that important to me and I'm sure arrangements could be made...
I also singed up for this:
Building Your Own Theology
During this class, we will examine varieties of religious experience, ethics, ultimate reality, and the meaning and purpose of life. Participants are invited develop their personal credo statements: the fundamental religious beliefs, values and convictions that inform and direct the living of your life. Preparation: Short readings will be assigned each week in preparation for the next class. Prior to the first class, participants may receive the reading as a hard copy or via e-mail.
***
Hopefully Michael will join that class with me so I will have transportation. Though my brother usually doesn't work Sundays, and especially not early. I would need to be dropped off at the church before 11:15pm and picked up at 4pm. I really want to take these classes...
April and Phil were supposed to go with Michael and me to the 11:15am UU service, but they backed out. We first needed my mother's boyfriend to put air in the car's tires (unexpectedly) and took a wrong turn, but got to the church on-time. The sermon was supposed to be about pluralism and nihilism, involving quotes from Moby Dick, but it was changed last-minute to be about the shooting in Arizona and the death of a couple church members very recently. Apparently the boy who did the shooting had some violent acts on his record that would have prevented him from being able to buy a gun at a gun shop in Illinois (where I live), but not in Arizona. My father was a lunatic and owned tons of guns hidden everywhere and I don't like them much. I don't think anyone with violence on their record (other than self-defense) should be allowed to own a gun. Unfortunately, my eyes kind of glazed over the readings from Moby Dick because words often get lost on me when they are spoken as opposed to written. There were some other really sad things, like this woman whose dog just died:( I almost started crying. Though another woman had good news that her son was getting a service dog.
After the sermon we talked to people and everyone was very nice. I had to explain to one woman I couldn't work due to my autism and she said it must not affect me very severe socially:P It's true my autism affects me worse in other areas and I know a lot of autistics who are less disabled than me in all other areas except socially. I know a lot of non-autistics worse than me socially. Michael's response to this woman was "it depends" and "she's come a long way." But really, even in college I could put on a social mask, even when I had trouble understanding spoken words and small talk was meaningless to me. Ritalin LA also helps. Sometimes I seem normal and sometimes people mistake me for being socially retarded. We talked to the woman who is leading the UU membership classes and she has a nephew with Asperger's Syndrome. That came up when Michael was talking about his OCD and how he may have to leave the classroom (for the first UU membership class) due to gum chewing. Fortunately he managed okay just sitting in the back of the room. The class was interesting, though felt a little long to me. The next class is supposedly more interactive. They provided us with a big lunch -- sandwiches, carrot sticks, apple slices, cheese sticks, potato chips, and brownies. Some people also got food from the potluck going on in the main room. The youth group in the sanctuary next to us was having a class on sexuality. They have a class like that starting with first grade and going up through the end of high school (but not for every single grade).
I don't know how I'm going to get there on days when Michael isn't around, but I signed up for the free yoga classes. It's only 5 classes. I don't know if I can get my mother to take me at least to the first class... She only has one well-behaved car right now and she drives my brother to and from work. Hopefully she can take me if my brother isn't working then or will get off later than my class ends. It's rather frustrating to me because my brother doesn't even have to pay for anything other than beer or cigarettes, so his job doesn't seem that important to me and I'm sure arrangements could be made...
I also singed up for this:
Building Your Own Theology
During this class, we will examine varieties of religious experience, ethics, ultimate reality, and the meaning and purpose of life. Participants are invited develop their personal credo statements: the fundamental religious beliefs, values and convictions that inform and direct the living of your life. Preparation: Short readings will be assigned each week in preparation for the next class. Prior to the first class, participants may receive the reading as a hard copy or via e-mail.
***
Hopefully Michael will join that class with me so I will have transportation. Though my brother usually doesn't work Sundays, and especially not early. I would need to be dropped off at the church before 11:15pm and picked up at 4pm. I really want to take these classes...
