Piece #80 - Happy Birthday?

If you've read any of my previous posts then you know that November 6th is my birthday. It is a little ironic that I write this on my birthday. The reason I'm writing this is because as an adult with Asperger's, birthdays used to be very special to me, not just the fact it reminded me how old I was, but I guess I liked it because it was all about me. In some small way, I saw my birthday as a more special time than Christmas when I was young. For some crazy reason, I can still remember a moment when I had turned 7, I was climbing a tree in the front yard and just thinking that it was my birthday and I knew what was going to happen. I do remember a few times when I was little older, getting to go to Showbiz Pizza Place (it's now known as Chuck E. Cheese) and boy did I have a blast! Lots of arcade games, games that you could win tickets to get free stuff and they had an animatronic show with all the mechanical animals singing like the ones you see at theme parks. As for the pizza, I guess it was okay, it really didn't matter to me. I can't remember which birthday it was, but probably my most favorite cake when I was younger was a Batman cake with plastic bats surrounding the cake and on top was a Batman figure who was ready to leap over a fence I believe. I just thought that was the coldest cake I had ever seen.

It's kind of funny that I really can't remember a lot of the gifts I had received over the years because I tend to get them confused with Christmas and Easter presents. I was always excited about the gifts because that was the biggest reward about having a birthday. Don't get me wrong, I did like having grandparents there or best friends to celebrate with, but hands down the presents were what I would tend to fixate on. (Love that OCD!) Of course, as I have gotten older, a lot of that has changed.

I know that most people still tend to really whoop it up when it's their birthday, but those are the kind of people who are big partiers. There is nothing wrong with older people like myself to go celebrate, but that's just not me because I just feel uncomfortable in those situations. There is a little part of me that is happy that it's my birthday, but it is nowhere near like it used to be. In a tiny way, I actually miss those times, not the fact that I was a lot younger, but the great times I had as a kid. I am a little disappointed that I can't remember all of my birthdays having autism, but I do remember some of them and pictures help with my bad memory. I know my wife would always like to do something special, but generally we would do too much...maybe dinner and/or a movie. Jaimee really does want to really celebrate, but when it comes to her birthday...not so much. I will say that one of my proudest times with Jaimee's birthday was that I actually through her a surprise party with all of our friends when we still lived in southern Missouri. Jaimee had turned 30 that year and I wanted to make it really special. I learned a valuable lesson from that experience...surprise parties are very hard to arrange!!!

In my perspective about birthdays is that you only get to be that age one time, for a year and then it's over. I really try to make each year mean something positive and reflect on what I might have done right and what I might have screwed up on. It is a passage of time that we never get back and do want to make the most of it. I would try to see the positive, but there have been too many times when I look back in frustration because something may not have turned out like I had hoped it would or I really missed an opportunity that I will never get again. I can truly say that my birthday has changed a great deal to me, but I still try to have a little fun.

{Election Day will fall on my birthday and we've elected several presidents on that day like Lincoln, Eisenhower and Obama. Daylight Savings Time has ended on my birthday. If today is your birthday too then we share it with Sally Fields, Rebecca Romijn, Emma Stone, Maria Shriver, Ethan Hawke, etc.}

Song of Inspiration (Check it out on iTunes or Android!):

Song: "Heart Attack"

Artist: Manafest

Album: Fighter

I simply picked this song because I love it and it is my birthday!!! It is an awesome song and here's the video...or a least a few pics with the song...sorry.

Sorry, I had to have Deadpool!

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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