Friday, August 28, 2015

Book Review: Look Me In The Eyes by John Elder Robison

 Genre: Memoir

Synopsis: The author writes about his life with Aspergers, before there was a commonly held diagnosis. John is the older brother of Augustun Burroughs, the author of Running with Scissors. He talks about his early years, how he sees the world and how the world saw him. His success and his failures, and how he believes Aspergers contributed to both in different ways.

My thoughts: This was assigned reading to help me understand my son, who has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum, probably Aspergers. One of the things I struggled with was the portrayal of the parents. I'll be honest, I have not read Running with Scissors and know little to nothing about it other than vaguely remembering the trailer for the movie. As a mother with a child with Aspergers, I have often felt like I was going crazy. After we moved (before he was diagnosed) we were in between insurance which meant no counselling or medication. For a time I was isolated (no extended family nearby, no friends, working from home.) and the primary caregiver. For that first six months, I might have become very unhinged.

And I knew that my child was special needs. I had the long-distance support of family, I had the internet. Still, I worried that my child was a sociopath. I felt like he was doing things intentionally to bully me (and after reading the book, I'm not entirely convinced he wasn't.) If I had been living in the same time and had the little support system that their mother had, I am not sure I could have held onto my sanity.

An interesting perspective.

If you enjoy Sheldon from The Big Bang, then you will probably enjoy this memoir, but for someone living with a loved one with Aspergers there were many moments I had to laugh simply to keep from crying.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Wacky Wednesday- Rewatching Supernatural

I know, how in the world do I have time to watch TV? Mostly it plays in the background while I am writing, editing, supervising homework, folding clothes... etc. Sometimes it plays while I am pretending to do one of the above... busted.



I have been re-watching Supernatural as we recently got Netflicks and I realized that there are three whole seasons I have not seen!!! What?!?

I went back to the beginning, and I am already on season 4. This show is like crack!

But why do I enjoy it so much?
Not just because of the eye candy.

I love the snark, the campyness, the beautiful way that it makes fun of itself, embraces horror culture, pokes fun at us nerds, and even classics that I love. But there is more.

I love this show because it reminds me of my brother. Sure, we grew up without a dad, not a mom. But mom was on her quest to get an education and it was my job to look out for my kid brother.

The way Dean and Sam fight with each other, the conflicting emotions about their family, the way they would die for each other, sacrifice for each other. That is me and my brother. Or at least it was.

Normal everyday life has come between us. Moving halfway across the country has come between us. I miss the days when it was us against the world.

Love you little bro. Miss you.



Monday, August 24, 2015

What is this blog about?

Hello Lovelies,

I have been having a crazy summer. (Hence the few posts, so sorry.) As part of trying to get everything back on track, I joined Jeff Goin's Intentional Blog seminar. It is something I often struggle with on this blog. Trying to decide what this blog is all about. I started it to share my writing adventures, my self-publishing adventures, and my work. The problem with that is that it takes a long time to write a book, especially when you are a wife, a mother of two rambunctious boys, working a full time job, and you feel like your being torn a thousand different directions. I don't want to post only every six months, but I also don't want to blog every single bit of  my work in progress....

So, I needed guidance to provide regular posts, without becoming a personal blog, and still leaving me time to write my books.

Those of you who have been with me from the beginning (thanks mom and Meggers) know that I have tried several times to blog more intentionally over the last several years, but I have found that difficult. I often bite off more than I can chew.

Here we go again, with an effort to be more intentional. This blog will continue to be, as it always has been, a place where I will share my work, post book reviews, invite guest authors to post, and focus on the writing world. But I am also going to make it a bit more personal. (As if my poetry wasn't personal enough for you, right?)

I will share more of the entertainment I enjoy, the joys and frustrations of being a working mother, the latest and greatest family hits, and my secret fears and insecurities.

(I know, I have insecurities? No way!)

In a nutshell, this blog is going to be the way I view this wonky world we live in.

Hope you enjoy!!

Oh, and check out my new About Me Page, with a poem I did to find my blogging voice.

Don't forget to subscribe and

Until next time,

Keep reading, writing, and loving life!