Pressing Puzzles

S-T-R-E-S-S, this I believe is something that keeps building and getting worse every single year. In some cases, this is a beneficial thing because I don't think I could've finished any college paper or something for work without it. There are many times when I wished I did things a little sooner than the 'last minute'. My bad habit though seems to get the best of me because without the stress of getting something done on time, it may never happen. I try to put self-imposed deadlines for all my work and there are times when it works, but not all the time. A recent article talked about stress in the work place, it talks about how you look at your own approach to the job and how you should adapt to the changes that take place. The problem with this idea is that change is very difficult for me with my Asperger’s. It goes on to suggest that I "gain control" and "get physical" which all sound great, but I'm in a job ( teaching ) were control is a  c...

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 t...

I agree in many cases that " The love of Money is the root of all evil ". I'm not a big fan of money, of course I'm not rich, but believe it or not...it doesn't really matter. I didn't come into this world with money and when I leave...it's not going with me! The only irony in all of this is that my favorite color is green. It has been since I was a kid. ( But, it wasn't because of money .) I believe the issue I have the most about money is trying to keep everything organized as to bills that needed to be paid versus trying to purchase items that might be needed for the family. To be honest, my wife JaimeeAsperger's, I might miss or forget important details that could be critical to our budget. I did make an open observation that slapped me right in the face when I was given a credit card for me to use because we have to be careful about our funds at the current time. Little did I know that I ended up 'nickel and diming' myself right th...

When it comes to setting my priorities, you would think this would be a "No Brainer", but with my Asperger's ( and my wif e); that's not always the case. My problem is "the situation", not the guy from Jersey Shore, I mean when anything like my job or my family comes into a conflict for me ( hinds the situation ); I actually find it difficult to make to proper decision. Why I say my wife, is because she feels there are many times when I do something for work, where as I should’ve been something else I needed to do for the family – ahead of the job. I think the main problem with priorities is that I tend to be a "do it now" person. Sometimes, it is a good idea to get things done right away, but there are times when I should put certain things off because of some more pressing matter. With my memory issues, I tend to forget a task if I don't address it right away, it rarely gets taken care of. As Shakespeare would say, therein lays the rub, if...

"In God We Trust." Or so it says on all of our currency, but what does that mean to you and me? As an adult with Asperger's, trust is one thing I try to open myself up for a little more, but it sometimes comes back to get me in the end. With my view on trust, it seems like I have two extremes; I either put my full faith into someone or something, or not at all. I generally don't tend to be an "all or nothing" person, but with trust, that seems to be the case. I'll never forget as a father and looking at my daughters when they were babies; I'd often think to myself how much they trust and depend on me. If they didn't trust me as their dad, they might be dead now because they are completely vulnerable, being so young. One time I remember when Megan and I were going into a fast food restaurant and we were going in between some cars. We were about ready to cross through the drive-thru when I spotted an on-coming car. Megan was too little to see o...

I would like warn everyone right now that my wife could easily write the rest of this blog. ( It wouldn't surprise me if her comment is longer than my blog !) There are two things everyone needs to understand about listening, 1.) It's not the same as 'hearing'. Hearing is one of your 5 senses, it helps you with the listening, but they are different. 2.) Listening is work. I have told my speech and drama classes that for years and each time they look at me like I'm nuts. ( Depending on your definition !) To actually listen, it takes a lot of effort and energy. Eye contact and acknowledgment of the speaker is mandatory. As adult with Asperger's, the toughest of those has to be the eye contact. My wife is a very beautiful woman, but even with her good looks, I still have a hard time looking in the eyes for a long period of time...especially when she's mad at me! I've been married for over 20 years and the one thing that makes a differences beginning able ...

If there was anyone that can smell out something odd about you...it would be a bully. They all had this uncanny knack of being able to zero in on anyone that might be a little off from the rest of the pack.  ThePostGame.com   had this to say about bullies: "Experts say that more than 150,000 children miss school every day because they are afraid of being bullied. More than half of all schoolchildren have witnessed a bullying incident and three of every four students say bullying is a problem at their school." I'm a teacher and even that surprised me! I knew it has aways been an issue, but I think this is the first time experts have actually studied this problem. The report did go on to say: "The bulk of bullying occurs from the fourth through the eighth grades, although it can continue through high school and even in the workplace. Bullying is intimidation or domination toward someone perceived as weaker, a way to establish superiority through coercion or ...