Posts by Peggy
Overheard in the Wolfe House #47
Peggy: Paige will be there in time for that grand 70th birthday party you’re having.
Peggy’s Mom (via Skype): Oh, that’s great.
Paige: You’re going to be 70? You’ll be the same as Gus in dog years.
Overheard in the Wolfe House #46
Peggy: Sam, let’s Google robotic floor cleaner and see what we get.
(Sam chooses Scooba)
Peggy: There it is. The washer one.
Sam: $500. What a bargain!
Overheard in the Wolfe House #45
Peggy: There’s a billy next door. Looks like they’re ready for little goat babies.
Sam: Physical attractiveness is important in all matter of creatures. Insects, and cats.
Merry PianoChristmas
Almost two years ago, I sent my little upright grand for an extreme makeover, Philip Williams-style. Today, I received an e-mail that my old friend is ready to come home.
Let the carols begin.
Overheard in the Wolfe House #44
Before I pull out my Merry TubaChristmas scarf …
What is the difference between a government bond and a trumpet player? A government bond eventually matures and starts earning money.
Not an adjective
I love playing with language.
For me, reading and trying new word combinations can be as exciting the unexpected deliciousness of eating watermelons and tomatoes together, or layering old favorites from my closet in a new, flattering combination.
But I couldn’t muster the stuff for a tech writer who described a tablet-only publication — as in a newspaper subscription for your iPad with no external links — as an “autistic app.”
Eeeeeuw.
First and foremost, autistic is misused as an adjective. And any editor who let that slide needs a refresher course, not only in English but also in People First language. You show respect when saying “he has autism” instead of “he’s autistic.” Two steps way back with that.
Here are some reefers to real apps … just in case you were wondering …
http://www.modelmekids.com/iphone-app-autism.html
http://www.autismepicenter.com/autism-blog/blog2.php/2010/10/23/autism-apps-that-will-help-you
http://www.gadgetsdna.com/10-revolutionary-ipad-apps-to-help-autistic-children/5522/
Some of them look marvelous and it makes me wonder how we ever made it, hauling around that little crate of vocabulary cards.
Harry Potter hits the core
This weekend the kids and I went to see the penultimate movie in the Harry Potter saga.
We are all big fans of the books. When Michael was young, he wanted to dress up like Harry Potter for Halloween — and some other days, too — long before the first movie ever came out. I went straight to our local costume shop, Rose’s Costume, where owner Judy Smith and her astute crew had already assembled Harry Potter costume kits from old graduation robes, round-framed glasses and brooms to go.
So, Michael, of course, had already seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 twice, including a midnight opener, by the time all four of us were able to take it in over the holiday.
Sam had warned me that he thought he might not be able to sit through the most challenging scenes. This was a first. I didn’t understand it, until the movie was underway. Even I had to close my eyes during some of those torture and fight scenes. I felt badly that we didn’t sit somewhere to make it easier for him to escape, or to have Michael help prepare him.
Sam didn’t feel like he could stay put and just look down. I understand that — the movie theater experience is about going all in with the story. Still, he said he was ok, and he stuck with it the entire film, just in and out for two hours. He said he ought to be able to tolerate it once we have it at home on DVD.
What is it about the big screen that just pushes the story’s emotional core right to your own?
Oh, and by the way, if you saw it at Northpark, along with those balony anti-vaccination ads that I’ve heard were running then, please do all of us in the autism world a favor and complain. What is with these anti-vaccination people?
Overheard in the Wolfe House #43
(exhausted on Sunday morning, after a marathon weekend hanging Christmas lights)
Sam: Mom, I still can’t find those white LEDs I bought. They’re not in the truck.
Peggy: (long, rambling mumble about receipts and empty boxes and cleaning up the staging area on the back porch). Wait, Sam, we wrapped them around the metal wreath frame.
Sam: Ok, Mom you just knocked me totally back into my senses.
Royalty check
Before anyone thinks you automatically get rich writing books, let’s just say my latest royalty check for “See Sam Run” would not quite cover the cost to fill the tank next time I’m at the gas station.
But I was thrilled to see it on the plus side, rather than the other way around (deficit for returns). The book is still selling, which says something.
Plus, I sleep well at night knowing this kind of royalty isn’t my take in a zero-sum game.
Road trip
I’ve been experimenting with leaving Sam on his own for a couple of days, just to see how he holds up. Dishes get washed, and animals get fed, house stays clean. He even went to the post office and picked up the mail and collected all the newspapers. This is good.
We shop before I go so that he can cook for himself, but he doesn’t. This time, I made a pile of sausage kolaches before I left. That was supposed to be breakfast. He just told me that was pretty much what he ate while we were gone — he made neither the spaghetti nor the pizza — both of which he’s made many times on his own for family meals.
When your toddler has autism, sometimes it’s hard to discern which is which. For example, was that temper tantrum the sign of something that needs to be addressed, or was it just your run-of-the-mill hissy fit?
I feel like I’m right back there again. Do I worry that this is a sign of self-help skills that need shoring up, or is he just being a bachelor?