On Saturday we rode our bikes down to the farmer’s market in downtown Las Cruces. It was nice; spouse and I haven’t been able to ride in so long because it’s been raining so much. I do not weather changes in routine very well. It is very disorienting. Speaking of, today has been a weird day and I’m having trouble focusing on work because my routine for the day has been disrupted. I probably won’t do a business related post today and instead, will just catch up with you. I hope that is okay.
This morning I rode my bike down to the college (a half hour’s ride) to sign up for a class at the community college for Adobe In-Design to help with book layout and hopefully online tutorial page layout. Not knowing how to lay things out is a big reason I don’t put out more tutorials whether on the web or in hard copy. The trip down was a big waste of time -and sweat- but I did ride the irrigation ditches all the way back so that was nice. It was a waste of time because I went to the wrong campus. The wrong campus. Ten miles in the wrong direction. And me, with no car. I thought I’d attend the first class (today at 10:00 am) to see if I liked the ambiance. As it is, the class is full. Still worse, I haven’t even done the paperwork to get admitted. I just want to audit, who cares about the grade? Maybe someone will drop the class and I can get in. I could also use a class in illustration but I think they’re using Macs. In the end, I don’t know what I’ll do or if I can even hack it. Not brain wise but stimulation-wise and change in routine. I was very overwhelmed at the school and was just prime for a melt down. It was a strange place, I didn’t know where anything was, I couldn’t find a place to lock up and little things like that really bother me. I guess it’s a good thing I rode the bike, hopefully I got rid of some of that.
Speaking of reasons for being overwhelmed, today is my Re-Birthday. Seven years ago today, I was diagnosed with autism. It was the most significant event of my life. I don’t write about it very often because I get a lot of negative reaction from ignorant people. Either they treat me like I’m retarded or they treat me as though I were mentally ill. Still others think they’re being supportive in discussing treatment options with me, as though I’d want to be cured. As I said, I don’t write about it much. If I do, sales usually take a nosedive. I think people fear it because they don’t understand it or they think it’s weird. If that’s you, let me assure you we’re not nuts. Crazy yes, but not nuts. We’re not retarded either, autism is correlated with genius rather than retardation. I just have a different brain flavor from you and too much social contact wears me down. I’m socially inept. In writing, I sound much more harshly than I intend.
I’m totally bummed. I ripped my pants. And my outfit matches (no small feat). I was going to ride home to change them because I have to go to the post office later and then I thought, “hey, I can fix them here”. Whadda concept. I know I’m not the only person out there who hasn’t turned on a sewing machine in a while. Still, if I fixed them, that’d totally ruin my record. I don’t do repairs unless I’m shamed into it. The other thing is, are they even worth it? These were used when I got them 3 years ago. These tore because the fabric has worn away. I think these pants are history. Bummer, these were my favorites even tho they didn’t have pockets. I tell you, for a woman with a scrawny butt, I sure do rip out the butts of a lot of pants.
I am also distracted because my husband and I have had our first spat (we married August 5 of last year). We do not quarrel. He is tired of having conversations that involve going off on eight different rabbit trails in order to discuss the topic at hand. See? It’s not just you who have that problem or have that problem with me. Ostensibly, the topic of this post is the trip we took to the farmer’s market. At this rate, maybe that will be farmer’s market part two.
Oh, I have to tell you this news. I’m going to run a marathon. I am not looking forward to it. I am not athletic. I quit smoking 65 days ago and figured running was an upgraded habit to replace it with. Yes, I quit smoking. I think there are enough non-smokers in the industry these days that they won’t kick me out of the business. Anyway, the marathon thing is kind of cool. I signed up with this group called Team in Training. They will coach you through running a marathon -free!- and in exchange, you have to raise funds for charity (leukemia research). You sign up by the event and each event costs different. The one I’m signed up for is the P.F.Chang Rock n Roll marathon in Phoenix this January. By the way, the Team in Training thing is nationwide and in Canada too. They will also train you to cycle a century (bike 100 miles) or a triathlon. My husband and I are planning to do the 100 mile America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride next June in Lake Tahoe but I have to get through this event first. Depending on interest, it may be possible to meet up with some of you in Phoenix but that’ll be very hard for me because I have trouble being around a lot of people and having to talk to them or be the center of attention. Maybe I can get up the gumption to do it if people would agree to donate a certain amount. I see that as win-win. It’s all tax deductible.
If you want to be trained to enter this marathon, it’s not too late. My training starts Sept 2nd. If I lived in someplace up north like Minnesota or Michigan, I’d sign up for this in a heart beat. You’ll get to go to Arizona in the dead of winter and your expenses are included in the amount you raise for charity so it’s like a free trip. With a car wreck. A free trip and an appointment with the equivalent of a car wreck. I don’t look forward to the running 26 miles part. I haven’t run in years and even when I did, I was slow. As I said, I’m not athletic. I was always picked last for teams. It only occurred to me to do this because I quit smoking. Please encourage me by donating to sponsor my trip. On my personal blog, (don’t traipse over there yet, there’s exactly one entry) I will be announcing the names of everyone who donates. Miracle has already donated $100. This lady named Linda D (from Dallas) who I gave about 45 minutes of free consulting time, said she was going to donate but she hasn’t. I contacted her twice too. The deal was free consulting for a donation. She didn’t follow through. I will be mentioning this to the person to whom I referred her. Always meet your commitments. Word gets out.
Oh and speaking of me going places, I’ll be going to Germany next March/April for 3 weeks. One of the places I want to visit is in Karlsruhe, it is supposedly the best patternmaking school in the world. Maybe I’ll visit the Burda people. They’re just outside of Stuttgart.
Anyway, way back like I said at the beginning of this post, we went to the farmer’s market on Saturday. You knew I’d get around to the topic at hand eventually, no? Actually not. I’m out of time for today. I don’t have time because I have to go home to change my pants because I have to be presentable at the post office. The fabric of these pants is too thin to repair and it’s not worth it. If I post now, I’ll have just enough time to get home, change my pants (my socks and shoes won’t match anymore, darn), come back to the office, prepare orders and go shipping. I’ll tell you more tomorrow.
How was your weekend? Anyone else in school or signed up for a marathon?
Thanks for sharing Kathleen. Congrats on quitting smoking. I quite about a year and a pinch ago and haven’t looked back. It was the best thing (besides my son) that I’ve done.
I went to San Francisco Fashion Week on Friday. It was really great. I had never been before and it was incredible to see the independant fashion community out en masse. I also met up with a friend of mine who just quit her day job (finally) to do her business full time. She has been designing and running a boutique with a day job for the last little while. She also showed me some great places to get fabric. In all it was a hoot. I even got a letter from my editor so that I could do my first real news story!
So, in all I did feel like I went to fashion designer boot camp…does that count as school?
Andrea
1) Congratulations on your re-birthday! Finally discovering something that makes sense of some strange things in your life is such a relief. And thanks for talking about autism: I have some autistic relatives and it’s been terrific to learn so much about living as an autistic from you and from Autism Diva (found her on your site) and from ballastexistenz (found her on Autism Diva’s site). The web can be such a generous place.
2) Congratulations on quitting smoking! And on having the guts to train for a marathon!
3) Sorry about your spat. Those can be heartbreaking: I know, I had one this morning.
4) I love that there rambling, rabbit-hole post! (I bet spouse does too, just not before breakfast.)
I am starting a class tomorrow. Public Speaking. ack! What could I have been thinking. I’m 40, so I’ll be old enough to be everyone’s mother in my class at community college.
It’s too bad you get negative feedback about Autism. I’ve learned a lot about it just from reading your blog, and I’m glad I have.
Congratulations on quitting smoking. My husband smokes, and hasn’t been able to quit. It’s very courageous of you to run a marathon. I don’t thik I could do it…
Best of luck Kathleen. My wife’s involved with TnT but probably won’t do Phoenix. And at about your age, I also decided that this was the “do it or forget it” year… and have dropped 35 pounds with a couple more to go. I’ve promised the wife a six pack for Christmas each year since we’ve been married… maybe this year it will actually happen. Thanks for continuing to inspire me… on your blog and in your life.
Kevin
http://www.evolvingexcellence.com
Kathleen….
You are an inspiration – flaws and all. I’m trying to run – I’ve never done it in my 50 years of life but I did complete the 60 km walk for breast cancer and raised almost $3000.
I think its time to try a small run for a worthy cause.
I’m going back to school next Tuesday for fashion design! After 2 years of thinking about it I’m finally doing it. It was a big decision but I feel it’s the right one for me. In 2 years I learned how to sew from knowing nothing about how to even thread a machine and started learning about pattern drafting. I have been knowledge hungry for the past couple of years and hoping fingers crossed that this will be a good school and that I can learn a lot from it.
Kathleen,
If you do visit Burda, could you please do an in-depth article on them? I love their magazine and especially some of their collar and lapel drafts–not seen on this side of the atlantic, that’s for sure. They have this collar with a separate stand that is very unusual because you sew the stand to the collar first then sew the whole thing to the neckline.
BTW, D-day (Diagnosis Day) is an important “holiday” for many of us!
Karen V
Just reiterating my email.
Thanks!
Hope you have a better day today.
I have wondered off and on if my daughter has some autistic characteristics. I’m leery of getting her tested or diagnosed simply because I feel that she is who she is. Her uniqueness isn’t a DIS ability, just her own abilities. She is supremely functional in our world, so I am sure that plays into my decision making. I would love for us to live in a world that acknowledges everyone’s different abilities and needs and doesn’t have to label them disfunctional.
I, for one, cannot be in large crowds, I can’t stand music in the background while doing a task, I have to force myself to make eye contact and proper facial body expressions when talking with people.
That’s just me, I know me, I know my strengths and my limitations and I adapt in situations that I know make me uncomfortable.
I might be able to find a “diagnosis” as to why I am like I am, but instead I am just choosing to be.
I hope I’m doing the right thing by my daughter in allowing her the same choice.
Kudos to you for accepting who you are, quirks and all.
If you do visit Burda, could you please do an in-depth article on them? I love their magazine and especially some of their collar and lapel drafts–not seen on this side of the atlantic, that’s for sure. They have this collar with a separate stand that is very unusual because you sew the stand to the collar first then sew the whole thing to the neckline.
I definitely plan on writing about it. I just have to contact them, make nice and get an invitation to meet with them. The collar you mention used to be more common. Of all the home patterns, I like their products the best. Theirs are very high quality and it’s rare that I find any errors in them.
Peace to you Kathleen. When out on your bike in Las Cruces, if you see an 18 year old girl sporting a mohawk (is that how you spell it?), listening to an i-pod, on a red bike, that’s my daughter, Jen (a.k.a. Bob). She’s going to NMSU, her first year. Yell hello to her. It’ll freak her out that you know her name (either one). ;-) Have a great week.
Awww 10 miles in the wrong direction and the wrong campus. Arrrgggg!!! :+(
Congrats on re-birthday. I understand autism a friend gave me a book to read. I did read most of it. At one time I thought my son may be a little austic but he is not. He just is addhd just like me and my other son. Yes the whole family has it except my mother. My dad is addhd too.
Sorry that you ripped a favorite pair of pants. I know how it is when you really like the fit of certain clothes and then they get wrecked. I have some favorite clothes of mine that are too small right now. I need to loose weight so can wear them again. The few years it has really upset me that I cant wear them and dh is nagging at me to get rid of them.
That is great that you are running a marathon. This is so fabby that you have quit smoking. Hurrah for you!!! Hang in there I know it is hard. On your marriage spat it, no one likes to fight. My dh and I had our first fight when we had been married about a year over smoking. ( yes smoking topic ) Dh had quit smoking, but he went back to smoking and was hiding it from me. Child tattletailed on him on course. I asked him if he was smoking and he lied to me!!! Well to make a long story short. We almost got a divorce over this. Yes really. We finaly did patch things up. I told him dont ever lie to me again right to my face.
Germany whoo hoo how exciting. Dh and I often talk about going to Germany and he tells me they make lace in Garmish. I so want to go to Garmish.
My week has been stressful. I started school on Monday. Im going to school to be a nail tech. Im not happy, but I have to stick it out till Dec. I will finish sometime in Dec. I have extra homewok to do. When I put polish on peoples fingers and toes my hands litterly shake.
Wed night when I got home I started crying. This is only 3 days after starting school. My dh told me to quit and go to another nail school.
I would have to pay a new school $900. Yes, there are very good reasons why Im unhappy at this college. It would take me forever to explain it tho .
I also dont have a job right now. Dh is a full time student and does not work either. $900 is lot of money to me right now.
Oh, Im so out of shape it would be scary if I tried to run a marathon. The ambulance would have to come get me if I tried to run.
Thanks for sharing with us Kathleen.
Autism doesn’t phase me but when you admitted to smoking (something I never knew about you) I just about had a heart attack! lol Our lean Kathlean puffing away on a pollution stick, the thought sickens me. Sorry, I’ve never smoked and I don’t understand it at all. Hope you don’t go back to them.
I went to two of the classes at San Francisco fashion week.
The “Trends in Eco fashion” was very stimulating. the woman who ran the discussion was totally fascinating, passionate & incredibly knowledgable about all aspects of sustainable fabrics & organic farming–from emotional to scientific. In fact, I liked the seminar so much, I’m considering volunteering at her non-profit (aimed at increasing organic farming throughout the world).
When I’m not feeling so lazy, I’ll post the info on her organization.
I’m also taking two classes at community college: Pattern Draping and Pattern Drafting. I’m looking forward to brushing up my skills and gaining a more standard education. yay!
Even tho you smoked Kathleen, you must be in very good shape from riding that bicycle everywhere.
I didn’t know you blogged the spat. It is in fact not the first one, but is my fault (and if you can’t remember the other(s), I’m not going to remind you 8~P ). The problem is not that you go down rabbit trails – I knew that already – but rather that problems at work have drained my psychic energy so that I don’t have enough left over for you. Definitely my fault for not separating the two better. You asked for an extraordinarily understanding man, but got me instead. Sorry, but I will always try harder to be that guy.