Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What's the biggest change since your childhood in the way people think or act?
In general or toward me?

In general, I think there is a definite lack of moral turpitude nowadays and it seems to be getting worse everyday. I fear what the world will be like in 10-20 or even 30 years. But then again, isn't that what every generation says about the upcoming one? But the thing I've noticed most is the complete lack of chivalry from men...it wasn't Regency England when I was a kid, but it was a lot better then than it is now.

The biggest change toward me is the fact that I've learned to control my little Asperger ticks and I am able to appear "normal" to the masses. Someone who meets me now might think I was a little weird, whereas someone who has known me all my life is often a bit scared of me. I'm proud of my progress seeing as it's taken me almost a lifetime to achieve it.

2. The Olympic Biathlon involves cross country skiing broken up with either two or four rounds of target shooting. Which part of that would stress you out more? Or would you love them both equally? I'm definitely not a sports person, but are those not the two weirdest things in the world to put together, shooting and skiing? I would probably hate both. I hate guns and skiing is too much of a lack of control and that is not acceptable in my world.

3. February is National Canned Food Month...what is your most often purchased canned food item? What was in the last can you opened?
Considering I'm on a meal replacement diet, I haven't bought any canned food in months. But when I do, it's usually canned tomatoes or canned spinach and rarely any others. I don't care for vegetables much on a good day, canned fruit is disgusting, and I'm not really big on canned soups and stuff.

4. What river (anywhere in the world) would you most like to cruise?
The Thames. Actually, I wouldn't mind a flat overlooking it.

5. It's the middle of the night and you can't sleep...what do you do? Count sheep? Toss and turn? Watch television? Or do you get up and do something productive?
I have to force myself to go to bed every single night...sleep isn't easy for me to do, unless I'm already in it, then it takes an act of the heavens to get me out of it. The only way I ever fall asleep is to picture a scenario in my head and play it through...like a storyline. A popular one is, winning the lottery and building my dream house. From the building stage, through the move, to furniture placement, I imagine all the stages. During Disney planning time, I often plan the trip out step by step (although it never works out that way). My brain never stops and the only way to relax it is to focus on one thing and let it play out (although the scene may start the same, rarely ever does it end that way). This process will often spill over into a dream and take on a life of its own (and also leads to the next night's process).

6. How important is keeping your cool?
For me, vital. The Aspergers causes me to throw some pretty public tantrums sometimes, which, in turn cause my Social Anxiety Disorder to force me so far inwards from the shame of the public humiliation, it takes months for me to crawl out again. I have no mouth filter either, and when I'm heated, the things that come out my mouth, although true, have been known to be quite painful to others.

7. I've got white stuff on the brain so why not run with it? White lie, wave the white flag, white knuckle it, white wash a situation, or white as a sheet...which phrase could most recently apply to your own life in some way?
White knuckle it through the headaches I've had this week that leave me white as a sheet and all the while waving the white flag to the headache gods, but I white-wash the situation so others don't worry (or see my real pain) and white lie my way through my competency to effectively do my job with some of the headache meds on board.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Why aren't there more cross stitch stores in my area? Some things you just can't buy online!