Pressing Puzzles

For once, I really don't think this has to do with my disability, but as I've gotten older I've noticed I've become more of a night owl. I do remember growing up at first being an early bird, especially on Saturdays because I wouldn't dare miss my morning cartoons. When I became a teenager, things started to change in my sleeping habits. I found myself staying up later and when Jaimee and I first got together then we REALLY stayed up late! (That sounds kind of naughty.) As an adult, I've really had to be more of an early bird because of college and later teaching. I will admit that in my college life, there were days when I did stay up late to write term papers, but other than that I tried to get to bed at a good time. I have often thought to myself why I do this? The only thing I can think of is routine...again. It seems if I get started late then it takes more time for me to go to bed. I just can't simply go to bed; I have to do all the little quirky ...

I thought this would be good around Valentine’s Day . I know I've addressed my marriage in general and the love I have for my wife, but in some way this would be part 2. Making a commitment by far is very difficult to do...and mean it! As I've mentioned before I've always tried to make it a point to follow through on any promise and boy is that hard to do. Trying to make a promise to the one you love is even harder! I love the line "for better or for worse..." and of course the two of you stand there together saying your vows, you're not really thinking about the "worse" part of the sentence just the better half. Anyone who has been married knows that at some point, there is always a worse part. I realize no one ever wants to talk about it, but it really is a test to any person’s commitment and marriage. In my case, we've lost family members, had illnesses, had to separate for job reasons, been broke (money) several times; so going through the...

This is my kryptonite, because I have a serious problem in this department. I think this is a problem for a lot of people. It's funny though because I'm not always doing things at the last minute. I've noticed that there will be times when I will do some task at the minute rather than wait until later. I think the issue is my forgetfulness! I do worry about forgetting things and if there was something important I had to do then I might try to do it at that moment. Sadly, there are something’s that even though they are important, I'll put it off for several reasons: it might be that it would overwhelm me, I don't quite understand what I need to do, I figure it would be easy to do so save it for later, I have no interest in it...etc. I realize that there should be no excuses, but I have found that there are certain times when there is a legitimate reason for certain things that happen to people. I guess in many ways I really don't like the phrase 'no excuse...

I have to admit that this post was inspired by a reader who made a very nice comment from England. Understand that there is a lot more to the story than just a comment, my wife and I have always want to"go on holiday" to England! As I've mentioned in a previous post, I have always had a fascination with Doctor Who so that is where I first had my interest in Britain. For my wife, when she was growing up she loved the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen's books. I have been to Europe, although that was back in 1987; but I did get to visit Belgium, France and Italy. So jolly ole England has eluded me for decades now and I really want to go! I'm not completely sure, but I believe I did have ancestry from England so there alone is some motivation. I remember when I was taking my undergrad and we had a guest professor from Bath, England. (Funny, I first thought the Education Department was joking with me when they told me he was from "Bath"!) For Doctor Who, it ...

I was going to add this to a previous post about identity, but I felt it needed to be addressed all on its own. I realize having an identity crisis and living a life can run parallel, but I want to look at just existing. The first thing that made me think of this was when I had released our pet turtle. I'm not sure what bugs me more, letting her go or knowing that part of my routine has changed for good. I say that because when I would put the dogs to bed, I would then feed the turtle. It made me think about emotional attachments to animals and people. I find it hard to have any emotional attachments to people and animals, but it almost goes without saying the difficulty of living my life without some kind of attachment to the ones I love can make me feel very lonely. In a way it’s like a double edged sword when it comes to the ones you care about. I chose to be married to my wife and have children. Not everyone makes the same decision and that's perfectly fine, I mean...

I intentionally waited until December to write this particular blog. Unlike many stores who seem to think that Christmas starts in August , I actually was patience enough to write this within the month. Of course, if you ask the question 'What is your most favorite time of the year?’ some will say summer, but many would say Christmas . I wanted to write this early because Christmas is one of those holidays that are a full season, not just one day. I think this is the one time when I enjoy the days leading up to Christmas more than the actual day itself. It's amazing how things change so quickly, from the decorations, lights, trees and all the other Christmas displays that spring up faster that lightning! There is no other holiday that has this effect on our society as much as this one. With my Asperger’s, Christmas can be a little difficult because the traditions that I did as a child are not the same as an adult. Worse than that, my tradition is constantly changin...

If you've had the opportunity to read any of my blogs, you might have noticed that there were many times in my life that I would thrust myself into the role of the leader. It's been peppered all through out my different postings, from scouting to teaching. I guess the question would have to be 'Why am I greatly drawn to a leadership position when I try to avoid people and conflict?!!!! Arrrrrrr!' Very frustrating! It doesn't seem to make any sense. I guess I could think of it like an 'arm chair quarterback', I would gripe about how things should be; but I actually want to do something about it. It seems like I feel compelled to step up and do the job, rather than simply complain. In its simplest form, I'm the leader of the house...or at least that is what my wife wants me to think. She does a lot of backdoor deals that I tend to be unaware of. When there is life or limb on the line, I'm usually the one who makes the final decision...storms, emerge...