A journey into one neurodivergent world (Buckle up) — Neurodivergent. The word has a certain appeal to it. It conjures images of tiny neurons standing up in defiance of a programmed regime. Except that defiance sets you apart from the status quo, making it difficult for others to understand the thought processes driving your actions. Your army of neurons…

And Why Writers Need to STOP Recommending Them “Become a six-figure writer in under a year.” “See how I made $50,000 in just three months.” “I earned $36,000 in one month and you can, too.” Sound familiar? The articles surface on Medium with frightening regularity. Chock-full of enough spelling and…

“Well, are you going to survive?” I extended my hand to show everyone my left thumb encased in a swath of bandages. “Unfortunately. My nail’s probably a goner, though.” “How did you shut your hand in the car door?” Mom asked. “Talent.” I collapsed into a chair, accepting a plate…

My phone buzzed for the sixth time, and I felt my palms start sweating. I glanced down at the accusing green light of the message indicator, the gradually-fading icon knotting my stomach. My fingers shook on my keyboard, and I deleted a mistyped word. The phone buzzed twice in rapid…

Population: Me — “A person willing to fly in the face of reason, authority, and common sense must be a person of self-assurance. Since he occurs only rarely, he must seem eccentric (in at least that respect) to the rest of us.” ~Isaac Asimov Or — to put it another way — if…

“I know this message sounds crazy and out of the blue, but I love you and miss you. And I’m so, so sorry if I’ve never understood what it’s like over there. Please stay safe.” Not the sort of dialogue one expects to hear outside a blockbuster action movie. The…

3 Complaints from a Chronic Pain Patient About MRIs — Am I rolling the dice on readers understanding my Venom reference? Of course. I recognize not everyone shares my love for the symbiotic antihero of the MCU. …

How One Childhood Joke Got Out of Hand — “If you don’t bring home straight-As, we’ll send you to Siberia.” Go ahead — laugh. Most people do when my parents trot out the story. Outright guffaws that anyone — even an innocent youngster — might take such an empty threat seriously. Indulgent laughter at hearing the tale for the…

Yeah, that isn’t my desk in the picture. It merely serves to illustrate the dramatic difference between my workspace and the places most people choose to call “home.” Sure, the color scheme varies, but I’ve stumbled through hundreds of variations on the SAME theme: a desk with a laptop, a…