So...

That's my history, but who am I?

I am a single, thrity-two year old datacenter operator and computer scheduler, employed in Massachussetts and living in New Hampshire. I love to write, and I dream of being a published author. My favorite animal is the wolf. I practice karate and Iaido. I am an Eagle Scout and Lifetime Member of the National Eagle Scout Association. I love to travel to northern New Hampshire to hike and ride my bike through Franconia Notch during the summer. I read Terry Brooks, I watch Futurama, and I listen to Bruce Springsteen. Christmas is the holiday for me.

And it so happens that I have Asperger's Syndrome.

I can't deny it is a part of my life, but it's a footnote. If I'm having trouble with something, I don't say to myself, "Well, I can't do it because of the Asperger's." If it's even because of that, I figure out how to get by it. Remember I said I love to write?

"Writing skills, again depending heavily on integrative processing, are limited."

I found that note in my evaluation from a visit to The Children's Hospital in Boston. It won't stop me, it will just make me aware of how to work around it.

I didn't grow in a vacuum. People were there to help at every point. My pediatrician, Fred Bogin and my primary psychologist, Jacob Azerrad with their knowledge. My teachers, Art LaFleur, Peter Petrigno, Judy Robinson, and countless others with their encouragement and fresh thinking that kept me focused on my goals. My parents, Gordon and Barbara for more than anyone else could give; they were patient, they were determined, they did not take "I can't" as an answer from anyone, including me. I have to thank my parents again, for passing that on to me.

It's a bit of an Internet fad to be nuts over Teddy Roosevelt right now. But then look at his childhood. He was the future President of the United States, a blackbelt in jujistu, the famed Rough Rider, and gave a 90-minute speech immediately after being shot in a botched assassination attempt. He earned the Nobel Peace Prize and (posthumously in 2001) the Medal of Honor. He was also, as a child, nearsighted and so asthmatic he had to sleep propped up in bed or in a chair. He looked at his condition and began to exercise and took up boxing. He saw something standing in his way, and he said, "So?"

So?

End

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