A full-time autistic traveler’s experiment. — “I usually notice car number plates or similar strings of information.” — Question from the Autism Spectrum Quotient Test This is the question that made me doubt whether I was autistic. Math was a joy until sixth grade, and I’d certainly never been that interested in numbers (or cars, for…

The secret of dual functionality. — Have you ever watched a child wandering with their blankie? They use it for security, self-soothing, warmth, hiding, or even as a superhero cape. Children understand dual functionality. But as they grow up, they’re bombarded with single-function items, like a dress only worn on special occasions, or lined paper that’s…

Why minimalism is so attractive. — When I left the United States in November 2019, I fully expected to return six months later. After I’d left my stressful job, I planned a sabbatical in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, and the Azores. I offset my costs by housesitting part of the time in more expensive places like…

How to manage sound on the road. — Have your upstairs neighbors ever dismembered a corpse? Or set up a bowling alley in their apartment? Or hosted a rave? Whether you’ve been on the road or lived in one place, we’ve all experienced dreaded neighbor noise. And that’s not all. If you’re autistic, these experiences may be intensified…

Restoring your faith in humanity, one tiny observation at a time. — Dread and panic were setting in again. Christmas was going to be “cancelled” in the UK, and yet another lockdown was coming in December 2020. There had been a moment of hope in November, but that had quickly been washed away, replaced with a grim extended quarantine through the winter. …

A rough guide for Americans in the UK this winter. — “Do you think it’s Covid?” I asked. “How could it be? Is that a symptom of it?” my partner asked. I flashed a graphic image at him from my phone. “It’s called Covid toes.” We stared at his swollen, shiny, pink-purple toes. “It must be something else.” “I’m sure we…

Without letting them get you down. — Surreal is the best word for it. Here you are, just trying to understand what autism is and what it all means. The article looks official, and yet those professors are calling you names. Check out these article titles: “Autism Spectrum Disorders: Translating human deficits into mouse behavior” “Hippocampal contributions…

When you know something isn’t right. — This morning, I found the perfect walking path. Or so I thought. When I’m living in a new place, I always seek the greenest places for a long morning walk. At 6:30, I quietly closed the door to my housesit, though I doubt the deaf-blind cat I’m housesitting noticed my…

No need to break the bank. — Since November 2019, I’ve traveled over 4700 miles via rail across the United Kingdom, from bonny Scotland to the tip of Cornwall. For someone from Seattle, that mileage seems low. But if you’ve ever traveled in the UK, you know how far that is. That’s over 30 mostly long-distance journeys…