Draw-A-Thon for Autism

One of my facebook friends posted this on their wall and I thought I would pass it on here.
As some of you may know, many programs across the country are doing budget cuts. I know that the autism support services I use have been affected by this.
I'm going to copy and paste the info from facebook here.

Usually I'm against the global e-mail thing but I'm going to be a hypocrite this time. Some of you may or may not know that my wife and I have a 12-year-old autistic son who is seriously affected by this condition. His name is Brandon. On Saturdays he attends a special autism social and behavioral coaching group for kids called Community Coaching Center. It’s a social program that gets them out into the community and does fun things like take them to the zoo, children's museum, trolley rides, parks, beach, Coronado, etc. They work with them on getting integrated into society as normally functional as possible.

Because of the current state budget crisis they will be losing approximately 90% of their funding. Meaning pretty much the service will end in the next month or so without donations and corporate sponsorship. Some of the parents are coming up with different fund raisers to keep it going.

I want to have a 48-Hour-Draw-a-Thon (48 hours in a row) where whoever would like to sponsor me can make any sort of donation big or small to this invaluable service for these families and great kids. CCC Kids is a non-profit organization so donations are tax deductable. You can learn more at www.CommunityCoachingCenter.org.

From Friday night, November 13, to Sunday night, November 15 I'll be drawing straight through, creating various abstract and non-abstract sketches (pen and ink, some pencil) with the theme of autism or what one might be thinking in his little autistic mind... which could turn out some wild and weird work. In addition, I would like to invite any other of our amazingly talented artists at SOE to join me for an hour here or there, or whatever, just to mix it up. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Besides helping out a great and urgently important service, after the weekend is finished I will put together little booklets of all the drawings and give them out to folks who donated.

Draw-A-Thon for Autism

My New Favorite Cliche

In general, I am rather opposed to cliches. Generalizations seem to almost always hurt people. I've recently come across a new one that I like quite a bit.

If you've met one autistic, you've met one autistic.

Most people, in general, when in a group with their peers, resemble their peers in dress, mannerisms, hair styles...This is not true for autistics.Everyone has different coping skills, strengths, weaknesses, stims, interests, etc.

My personal experience has been that if I tell someone that I have Asperger's, sometimes they have a nephew/third cousin/neighbor kid who is autistic and since I do not act like them, I must not be. It is very frustrating and I limit my real world talk about it.

I've been reading a lot of new studies, lots of info coming in. I'm looking forward to processing it all and blogging about it!

Autism: The Musical

The husband recorded Autism:The Musical for us one night. We brought the kids in for some of it. I haven't told them that I am autistic. And I don't think my son knows his friend is (who was recently diagnosed). My friend is urging me to tell them, but I am not sure how.

I had mixed feelings watching this. I am always heartened to see anyone do things that they seem to have a natural affinity for, and with support. But sometimes, hearing how some of the non autistic people spoke about them was harsh to the ear.

I recommend watching it though.

Transition

I don't post much when I'm in Transition phase, but I'm thinking a lot. Transitioning is hard for those on the Spectrum...even in daily life. Give me a moment to tell me we're doing something different, let me finish what I'm currently doing or I am likely to not finish it. I'm thinking of the good that comes from the transition to get me through it. And maybe some cake. I try not to do that too often, but if there is a lot going on, sometimes something textured just right helps ease some stress.

We're turning from school year to summer, to little boys being home and baseball and bike riding, finding new places to explore and holding on to time for just a little while. I'm reading the first Harry Potter with my eldest, my youngest starts Tball and we have many things to do before my sister moves just a little bit away. My personal main goal is to get myself situated to start school next Spring. I'm very excited about this prospect, I have vision and I have hope for the future.

I ended up finding both The Pillars of Earth and the sequel by Ken Follett, both books I've been wanting to read for quite some time. Pillars has not been in my library for awhile. It's very satisfying to me to lug around this book and read more than 100 pages a day:).

Summer Reading

Since I had children, I usually end up with an obsessing interest over the summer that I spend time researching. It's included the Arthur Legend, Maeve Binchy books, Emily Carr, F Scott Fitzgerald/Ernest Hemingway, the history of comic books/graphic novels, 2012 etc.

This summer is feeling a little different and I feel like I may get to choose something instead of just falling into it. It's a little weird, but not all together bad.

I am thinking though that I may just buckle down and finally read The Lord of the Rings. I was thinking the other day about Tolkien and wondering how much his experience in WWI influenced him. That maybe some of that can be seen in the trilogy. There are some books out about him and his experiences that I may have to hunt down.

Either that or continuing my reading about Dillinger and co. I'm debating whether or not I want to see Public Enemies since there was at least one really graphic photo in the book 'Dillinger Slept Here' that got to me. I like Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and a number of other actors in it though. We'll see!

Otherwise, my sister is moving from the Twin Cities and I want to do a number of things with them before they go. They aren't moving too far and it will be fun to explore a new city as well.

Sometimes All a Girl Needs

Is a few rounds of Lego Indiana Jones. I've been rather stressed with all the construction work, so I've been fitting in some game play. I'm still cracking up over Lego Marion Ravenwood wacking Lego Indiana Jones with a banana.

I'm also thrilled that Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal are working together again! I've watched a lot of their individual works but they work so well together. Looking forward to seeing Rudo y Cursi!

Diego and Gael on Jimmy Fallon May 6, 2009 (hilarious interview).

The Great Purge

Lately, our lives seem to have taken an interesting turning point. I'm trying to change how I eat, to fight 20+ years of bad eating habits, to figure out what is normal, as far as eating and exercise goes.

On top of all this, our basement flooded. Again. And it's bad. We can't fix it ourselves. The workers have discovered old wood paneling under the sheetrock and there is mold *everywhere*. My habits of stocking up on things to use later have cost me in the end, I threw out 12 bags from my room downstairs. It's a new beginning. The house will be different. I threw out mementos from people that I no longer come in contact with, not for any reason other then life changes. Dreams of crafting exquisite things from found objects have died finally, I will create in other ways.

I'm ready for this new time. For new dreams.