Piece #19 - November

If I ever get the chance to write my biography, the title would have to be November. I'm intentionally writing this blog during the actual month. If you've had the chance to read the last 18 entries, you'll already understand why my biography would be thusly titled. One thing I didn't realize about the month was that November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month. (There's a lot of irony in that!) If you look, you'd be amazed at how many famous people have died from the disease.

Of course, many of you all know that my birthday is in this month (6^th, Yes I’m a Scorpio), but many of my family members are/were in November as well. I've also mentioned that my wedding anniversary is on the 25th of the month and if my daughter Megan and her husband had some patience, they were aiming for November 11, 2011. (11-11-11) My daughter thought it was good luck if you caught the time at 11:11, then you could make a wish. I can understand why they didn't wait though. I was the same way with Jaimee.

Again, if you've read any of these blogs, you also know my mother-in-law Nancy Riggs had found out about her pancreatic cancer on Nov. 2, two days before her birthday (4th). That was a grueling month and year for that matter. The only thing I can say to that is time heals all wounds, but I'm not sure how much that is really true. I like to think that there are better things to come for this month. I mean after all, it is the month we all pause and give thanks.

I'll never forget when I was younger, Thanksgiving to me meant only one thing...getting out of school! As hard as my mom tried, I couldn't wrap my head around the concept of being truly grateful for what I had. I think in some cases it's like the old saying, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone." The problem is with my Asperger’s; I'll forget what I had or how that would be significant to me? I wasn't trying to be mean, it's just I couldn't grasp the apprehension of people or things. Of course as an adult, I get it. My wife is a true gem and one that would really hurt deep if I lost her. I seriously believe there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for being marries to her. (Actually, having my girls is a wonderful experience too.) I think most of all I'm thankful for the gift that the Lord has given to me, because I know that my time on the planet is going to be brief and eternity is a really long time. I'd really like to spend it with my God in the end.

One thing I really enjoy about November has to be the weather. I'm not big on long hot days or three feet of snow, but the mild weather is one thing I like. Of course raking leaves isn’t all that entertaining, but I'll live with it. If nothing else, I don't have to run the air conditioner that much and many of the allergies I have start to ease up.

The only thing that seems to be a focus is Black Friday and Cyber Monday; shopping for those needed gifts before Christmas. (Notice: there is no 'X' in the name of the holiday.) I have to admit the day after Thanksgiving; it can get really exciting for the December holiday. Mom always made a big deal for Christmas (And still does!) I will have to admit that by the time the Christmas holiday finally arrives, I'm ready for it to be over with!

The other thing I wanted to pay homage to is Doctor Who. The show premiered on November 23, 1963 (Yes! The day after Pres. Kennedy was shot.) For those who don't know about the show, it's a British science fiction that has been running on and off for all these years. For some reason, I've always had a love of the show. Lately it's been very popular and they actually filmed some episodes here in the U.S. To date, my favorite doctor still has to be Peter Davidson. You really ought to check it out!
11-11-11...make a wish!

Song of Inspiration [Check it out on iTunes!]:

Song: "Live Like We're Dying"

Artist: Kris Allen

Album: Self-Titled

Here's the music video to the Kris Allen song...

This was one of my early birthday gifts from my daughter and her husband. My favorite team of any sport has to be the Pittsburgh Penguins and they came here to Kansas City for an exhibition game against the L.A. Kings. As you can see we were very close to the action and it was a sell out! I loved it! Yes, the Penguins won the game in a shoot-out that night.

Piece #75 - My Directing Method

Being a director like I have for several years, there are things that I've had to deal with in this business. This isn't the professional method of directing, but this is my perspective on how to be a director in any medium. I will probably address the proper method of how to treat actors, but that is not the sole focus on what I'm going to share. As a director you will have to deal with people who think they know it all and you can't say anything that will benefit me. The problem that most amateur actors forget is that acting is an art form, but it's also an occupation. I think people tend to forget that acting is work...hard work. One of the things that I try to let the kids know is that it's a very difficult business to get into. I feel like they need to hear the truth about the world of entertainment. I tell them that they have to 'want' it very badly and do almost anything to get in. An internship is a great way to get your foot in the door, bu

Piece #103 - I.Q.

I have, in some form or fashion, addressed this topic on intelligence, but I thought I'd hit this head on. One of the big things that people with Asperger's gets tied with is having a high intelligence. I have to admit that I've had a hard time finding solid evidence on all people with Asperger's having a high intelligence. I guess this a bit of a piggy back to my earlier posting #78 No Talent Required. The difference between these two is I'm going to address the intelligence in general versus the talents from Asperger's (or Savants). When it comes to the topic of intelligence, I get a similar feeling like in high school when the class decides on 'the most successful' label. I say this because I've always questioned what is successful? In turn I would also ask in the same breath what is intelligent? Testing the intelligence of someone used to seem like either a brainiac, just an average person or an idiot...depending on the score which is reall

Piece #28 - Puzzles

I realize autism is symbolized by a puzzles piece and I've noticed that some people have taken some offense to that, but this doesn't deal directly with that topic. This is a straight observation on puzzles and how they affect me and the twins. With the new age of electronic devices, it has changed to way we do pretty much everything! In this case I want to focus on puzzles because there are lots of computer game companies that are betting on us to buy their own special puzzle game, whether it is on the iPad, iTouch or smart phone. I will say that I do own an iTouch and yes, I do love it! Unfortunately, I can get sucked into several good puzzle games. So far the top ones I love to play are Chuzzle, Bejeweled, Tiki Totems and of course...Angry Birds. To be honest, I also will go 'old school' and play Solitaire, Mahjong, Sudoku and even Tetris because they still have a place in my heart. Sometimes the simpler games I would rather play because they are quick and easier

Pressing Puzzles

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