Is it a very autisticy thing that I once, as a grown adult, thought it was a good idea to make my own Charlie Brown zig zag T-shirt and then wear it out in public with khaki cargo shorts, and I only thought it was mildly quirky when I did? 🤔😆
Or that even now I have ideas for how to make an even better one?
Context: I didn't know I was autistic at the time. I do know though.
I'm finding that I'm really obsessed with practicing UV unwrapping in Blender and coming up with clean, simple, and attractive UV maps. Everyone else seems to loathe doing this. Is this the #Autism? 😆
Also, Blender 4's native tools are pretty good. I'm mostly only using third party apps occasionally and just for better packing when I do.
** I also used to really love paper folding long before computers were a thing. Maybe that's part of it too? 🤔
@JeremyMallin@actuallyautistic tbqh - I talk about the weather all. the. time. because it’s fascinating to me. NT folks who know me avoid talking about the weather with me 🤷🏻♀️😂
I was well into adulthood when I finally figured out why no bath towel ever seems absorbent enough.
I'm #ActuallyAutistic; so, any moisturev at all on my skin greatly bothers me.
Skin soaks up water like a sponge. Even if you remove all the surface moisture, some water absorbed by the skin still makes its way back out to the surface.
@JeremyMallin@actuallyautistic I have a towelling bathrobe made of non plushie towe fabric. I put it on after the shower and it dries me excellently without the need for rubbing. All I really need to run is my shins and feet and I'm done. It also solves my problem of being cold when I dry myself with other types of towel
@JeremyMallin@actuallyautistic I can so relate to this! Speaking takes more energy, that I don't always have. I can keyboard type, but I'm blind. So speaking is sometimes faster. But, sometimes I wish everyone would just communicate via text.
#SensoryIssues
I noticed many years ago, that certain fabrics, materials, clothing types irritate my skin less when it's sufficiently cold enough in winter. I wonder why that is. 🤔
I have trouble maintaining direct #EyeContact, but I have no problem with photographs of people looking directly at the camera or drawings of people looking at the viewer.
Do people really have this level of problem with it? Do you?
I find pictures of faces looking into the camera very distracting. I find it really hard to focus on reading if they come up on my timeline. I wouldn’t call it disturbing but I’m always grateful for a cw on pictures like that. (moving gifs are the worst)
In real life, I’m not keen on eye contact. I’ll look at you while I listen, but I’ll look elsewhere when I speak.
@nellie_m@JeremyMallin@actuallyautistic
If it's any comfort, I think most NTs look away when they speak. Staring at the person you're talking to would be a power move, and not a comfortable one. So I think you can be relaxed about that. 🙂
I'm curious… what's the definition of "active users" versus "total users" regarding #Fediverse instances? How are those calculated?
The Pixelfed instance I'm on reports well over 100k users, but only 5.4k active users. I don't see how there are that many inactive users. What's up? 🤔
The other (not this one) Mastodon instance I'm on has more active users but far fewer total.
@JeremyMallin@actuallyautistic I intentionally use the names of people like waiters or sales people helping me. When I was a teen a person I respected use a server's name during a meal and I liked how it recognized the person's humanity. In general conversations, I have no idea. Other than family members I very infrequently talk to anyone who isn't a service person helping me with something, where I try to be intentional. >shrug<
I feel like addressing people by name is one of those things that society pushes as "good social etiquette." As a way to connect w people & signal that we're caring & empathetic.
and maybe that's absolutely true...
but for me it feels so completely unnatural that it literally makes me cringe. I guess bc it just feels so horribly invasive & intimate. With strangers it's almost impossible. I'm so bad at it that any empathy I'm trying to project is lost in awkwardness & then it's just weird.
Even w people I know well I still have to force myself. Just one of a hundred "mental reminders" that, for me, fall under the category of autistic masking.
A fair number of mutuals from the old platform are now mutuals on here. I'm really glad about that, but I still miss some of the ones I remember from before who aren't here yet. I wonder how the missing folks are doing sometimes.
@AlisonW@actuallyautistic Yeah. I've probably searched for hundreds (definitely at least dozens) over the years. I've found maybe a hand full at most, but for some reason that small number makes me feel successful in the attempt. Weird.
@ashleyspencer@JeremyMallin@actuallyautistic I've ran into similar issues. It's hard to keep up the appearance for very long. Although it's affected me more when I have really long interviews or have to deal with a lot of people at once (panels and similar), then after I get actually hired.
Are there any Autistics who do not have any auditory sensory issues at all? I've found plenty with different auditory triggers than I have—some times even seemingly opposite to mine.
The construction equipment working in this grocery store parking lot is emitting a high decibel low frequency bass that is killing me while I'm waiting for my pickup order.
@JeremyMallin@actuallyautistic I read somewhere about how the frequencies of civilization activate parts of the brain relating to fight or flight or smth like that, whereas the frequencies of the forest and nature activate our rest and digest mode (the response opposite to fight or flight)
@JeremyMallin@actuallyautistic Been thinking just this. It's the clatter of the maddening crowds that assault my senses. The natural world is always a symphony.
I'm curious… does anyone have good recommendations for sneakers for people who walk/run on their toes?
It seems like all the ones on the market assume everyone walks heel to toe. So they have a lot of cushioning under the heel and very little under the toes. Exactly the opposite of what toe walkers need.