Tomorrow is my dad’s birthday (and also Earth Day). And the phone call I make to him may be the only thing I do tomorrow. Last weekend and this week have been full of fun things, but at this moment, the keyword there is “full.” I need a day. Well, I need a month. But I get a day, and I’ll take it.
Speaking of fun things, here are a few exciting happenings that are coming up soon (like, tonight soon) and a couple of books I had feelings about.
- Tonight! Our duo (Sarah and I), They Say The Wind Made Them Crazy, is playing at Rubber Gloves. In fact, the whole show is going to be great. If you’re local, hope to see you there!
- Dr. Devon Price’s book Laziness Does Not Exist has been on my TBR for a while, so I’m delighted that this program about creating adaptable educational environments to make them more accessible is coming to UNT next week.
- Spiderweb is hosting an open mic night at Rubber Gloves next Tuesday. I haven’t decided if I’m going to read one of the pieces I’ve been working on or just observe, but it should be a good time.
- Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass – What this main character needs is a sounding board. Someone she will actually confide in (as she already has many people she could confide in if she could put aside her pride long enough to do so). Because I wasn’t prepared for it to be me. Oh, I tried. I listened sympathetically as well as I could. Several times, I said (yes, out loud – you’re welcome, neighbors) that she should stop being clueless (you know things have to be hella obvious if even I pick up on them) and just have a conversation with the dude. Or her father. Or her best friend. Or maybe find a nice grief counselor. But alas, she could not hear me as we are both fictional in each other’s worlds. So instead, it was hours of repetitive whining about not knowing where she stood with other people, particularly the guy. I believe the audiobook reader captured the character’s voice perfectly. Unfortunately, her voice is super melodramatic, which grated on my nerve, because it’s hard to sustain constant, invested empathy, which is what seems to be expected when Every. Word. Is. Stressed. Even when she’s just walking somewhere and sees someone in the far distance she has even the slightest twinge of beef with for any reason, it was told with Big Feelings. It is especially difficult when the character’s main conflict is her own stubborn insistence on making assumptions and thus constantly getting in her own way. It seems like I didn’t enjoy it, but I didn’t have any trouble finishing it. I did have to take a nap when it was over, though.
- One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus – We read this YA selection for our church book club, and we all seemed to like it a lot. The plot moved along at a good, steady pace, and I found myself rooting for (almost) all of the characters. I would have five-star loved this book in junior high/high school, but it was thoroughly enjoyable even in my jaded adulthood.
What are you looking forward to the most this weekend/upcoming week?
M. Suzanne Terry 
First off, mad respect to you for recognizing that you need what we call a “down day”. Introverts and autistic folx alike seem to do a lot better when we mind that need and take care of ourselves by protecting that sort of time. (And I hear you on the month!)
Also, “Laziness Does Not Exist” is on Meredith’s TBR right now! She just finished Dr. Devon Price’s book “Unmasking Autism”, which rolled right into my TBR the moment she put it down. I expect “Laziness” to follow shortly, too, so perhaps we can discuss it after I get to it, too!
YES. Dr. Price’s presentation was so good. And it was clearly cathartic for many of the attendees, as there were constant comments of “this is so helpful and validating.” I have so many things circled in my notes that I’m discussing with my supervisor next week (as he’s really good at asking how trainings went). I think my favorite was “Starting a conversation with ‘how are you?’ is a nightmare. My #1 goal in that moment is to reassure, say ‘fine’ and get out of there.” The whole presentation was so kind to everyone. Repeatedly saying, “You’re not a bad person if you’ve done these things. You didn’t know. Thank you for showing up today so that you can make your workdays more accessible for everyone.”
I could talk so long about it. It was one of the best presentations I’ve been to in a while.
Thank you for reading and for your insight, friend.