i am wish-to-talk-but-have-no-beginning. oh-my, oh-my, who ate my pie. i am at the top of a mountain, about to fall downhill. it is a day for appreciation and resentment. i feel right now that humans are likable and nice and i want to play with them... but i am no-verbal and slow-verbal and hi-gerbil today.
i can't talk properly to people i like. people in a specific function, are easy-- like store clerks & librarians. polite voice, smile, smile, fake as needed. but chit-chat is so much harder with people i do not hate. feels like lying. and i hate lying. so mostly i am awkward and silent and "quiet."
this is because i don't want to talk about the weather or trade sarcastic insults back and forth. one good thing about garret is that i don't feel embarrassed saying whatever pops into my head, but he doesn't really respond in kind. he just tolerates....
Me: HI! pounce. meow. (accompanied by an actual pounce.)
G: Hi.
Me: make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold! that has been stuck in my head for three days, it keeps singing over and over and i always hated it. we had to sing that in Brownies in 3rd grade, which is like Girl Scouts, but smaller, and i guess more tasty and impish, but we still had to sell cookies, not brownies. Don't you think those are perfectly stupid lyrics? I asked the grown-up which was which. She said the old ones were gold, but i don't think that makes sense. Seems like old goes more with sliver, because that gets tarnish on it if you neglect it, and the song is about not forgetting the old friends you already have. And if BOTH are your friends, then they ought to both be the same thing. One shouldn't be more valuable than the other, and silver can't ever become gold. So no matter how long the new friend stays around, even after 20 years they would just be a chunk of silver, so that's dumb. New friends can become old, so i always thought the line ought to be one's a diamond and the other coal... because coal is valuable and it can become a diamond.
G: i see.
Except, I don't know that he does. I think he just likes to say "i see" a lot. And i know i should be grateful i have someone to pounce on and tell what's on my mind... but i wish i had someone who could pick up the thread of conversation and knot it.
And most of the stuff running through my head is stuff like that-- disjointed, not exactly connected to anything else. The game i like is to say all the random stuff i am thinking, and have the other person say stuff, and then connect things.
I don't know how to play "regular conversation."
5/7/08
Melatonin
Well, the good news is that I have a Sagira in my lap... but the crap is that i'm back in utah.
(Hmmm. I did just notice that I am thinking in capital I's, but even so, "i'm" back in utah. Apparently, it's that much of a downer.)
I did not bother to sleep last night since my plane was scheduled to leave early, and we had to leave for the airport at 4am. It took me until 3 to finish packing, as I had put it off in favor of playing MarioParty8 with my brother-- (it's the easiest video game he owns.)
SO, I should be VERY tired right now. I should be happily asleep at 4am and NOT wide awake.
But unfortunately, and duh, I am a bit of an idiot.
My mom read this article about Melatonin, so I got some yesterday. And, even though I have somewhere important to be today at 9am, and even though I was already plenty tired to sleep tonight, I unwisely decided to take a pill before bed. I have fallen asleep a few times but then the DREAMS woke me. Here's a summary of one:
As a child, I witness an altercation between a strange man and a little girl at my grandparents house. (Then skip ahead a few years.) A year before Papa's death, in 1994, I find the bones of that little girl. Nothing comes of it because then he dies, and so no one can pay attention to my stories of bones because they are too grieved about Papa. Then circumstances come to light that indicate Papa may NOT have died of a heart attack (like he did in real life) but that there may have been foul play. There is a sense of danger. I am in danger. Then I am in a strange place with many people. They are in white and their backs are toward me. We are all looking out a window that shows the front window of my own house. I turn to a girl next to me and I ask her if she can see plants in the window. I ask her if they are green and yellow and purple. She says yes, and this is a bad thing. I grab her hands and look at her and intensely ask-- How do I get better? Her face gets blurry and melts off her head. I turn to the back of another person, and I put my arms around him, but he morphs into someone else, someone scary, a women with gray hair and dark, deep eyes who grabs my hands and wants me to believe her, insists it is not her fault. I am afraid, and then I am somewhere else. I am rocking on the floor talking to my grandmother and she is sorry she didn't believe me about the bones and I am crying (and I can feel all of it, complete with drool running down my chin) and I am hitting the floor and screaming, "I saw him HIT that little girl, I saw him HIT that little girl!"
...And that's where I woke up with my heart racing. (2nd dream had Audrey Hepburn in it, and my mom was an English teacher.)
Now, it is possible that how I feel right now might be due to other stuff- like I am just extra tired or something. My throat is all closed up from being back in the 6th most polluted city in the USA, so that can't help my sleep either. But, I am giving the credit to the Melatonin for now.
I feel both tense and in a good mood. Possibly similar to a ton of caffeine? Zoloft? I can't relax, but I don't mind. That makes me suspicious. I think- shouldn't I mind? My brain and body are definitely in disagreement right now.
Since I'm too amped up to sleep anymore, here I am... so... here's what I noticed so far that was interesting/unusual to me:
First, the dreams were VIVID. Much more intense than my average.
Second, they were still somewhat nonsensical and dreamlike, but they had a definite PLOT. This is unlike my average dreaming, which is usually more of an endless wandering of ideas rather than an actual story.
Third, there was a sense of TIME. I thought in dates, like 1994, and the dates and time made sense, wasn't so loose/expanding. My Papa (grandpa) really did die in 1995 of a heart attack, though none of the other events corresponded to reality.
Fourth, and the most shocking to experience-- in all the dreams I recall having tonight, I had a fixed sense of identity. Usually I shift in and out of 1st/3rd person, and sometimes I am myself and sometimes I am the other characters in the dream. The usual sense is fluid and hazy, not concrete. i am usually everything/everywhere in a dream, and I am not used to being just Amanda. Also relating to this is-
Fifth, I spoke. Sometimes my dreams have conversation in them, but mostly there is just a sense of things being said. A sense and understanding of motives/intent without actual speaking. Usually I just know what's going on.
(Hmmm. I did just notice that I am thinking in capital I's, but even so, "i'm" back in utah. Apparently, it's that much of a downer.)
I did not bother to sleep last night since my plane was scheduled to leave early, and we had to leave for the airport at 4am. It took me until 3 to finish packing, as I had put it off in favor of playing MarioParty8 with my brother-- (it's the easiest video game he owns.)
SO, I should be VERY tired right now. I should be happily asleep at 4am and NOT wide awake.
But unfortunately, and duh, I am a bit of an idiot.
My mom read this article about Melatonin, so I got some yesterday. And, even though I have somewhere important to be today at 9am, and even though I was already plenty tired to sleep tonight, I unwisely decided to take a pill before bed. I have fallen asleep a few times but then the DREAMS woke me. Here's a summary of one:
As a child, I witness an altercation between a strange man and a little girl at my grandparents house. (Then skip ahead a few years.) A year before Papa's death, in 1994, I find the bones of that little girl. Nothing comes of it because then he dies, and so no one can pay attention to my stories of bones because they are too grieved about Papa. Then circumstances come to light that indicate Papa may NOT have died of a heart attack (like he did in real life) but that there may have been foul play. There is a sense of danger. I am in danger. Then I am in a strange place with many people. They are in white and their backs are toward me. We are all looking out a window that shows the front window of my own house. I turn to a girl next to me and I ask her if she can see plants in the window. I ask her if they are green and yellow and purple. She says yes, and this is a bad thing. I grab her hands and look at her and intensely ask-- How do I get better? Her face gets blurry and melts off her head. I turn to the back of another person, and I put my arms around him, but he morphs into someone else, someone scary, a women with gray hair and dark, deep eyes who grabs my hands and wants me to believe her, insists it is not her fault. I am afraid, and then I am somewhere else. I am rocking on the floor talking to my grandmother and she is sorry she didn't believe me about the bones and I am crying (and I can feel all of it, complete with drool running down my chin) and I am hitting the floor and screaming, "I saw him HIT that little girl, I saw him HIT that little girl!"
...And that's where I woke up with my heart racing. (2nd dream had Audrey Hepburn in it, and my mom was an English teacher.)
Now, it is possible that how I feel right now might be due to other stuff- like I am just extra tired or something. My throat is all closed up from being back in the 6th most polluted city in the USA, so that can't help my sleep either. But, I am giving the credit to the Melatonin for now.
I feel both tense and in a good mood. Possibly similar to a ton of caffeine? Zoloft? I can't relax, but I don't mind. That makes me suspicious. I think- shouldn't I mind? My brain and body are definitely in disagreement right now.
Since I'm too amped up to sleep anymore, here I am... so... here's what I noticed so far that was interesting/unusual to me:
First, the dreams were VIVID. Much more intense than my average.
Second, they were still somewhat nonsensical and dreamlike, but they had a definite PLOT. This is unlike my average dreaming, which is usually more of an endless wandering of ideas rather than an actual story.
Third, there was a sense of TIME. I thought in dates, like 1994, and the dates and time made sense, wasn't so loose/expanding. My Papa (grandpa) really did die in 1995 of a heart attack, though none of the other events corresponded to reality.
Fourth, and the most shocking to experience-- in all the dreams I recall having tonight, I had a fixed sense of identity. Usually I shift in and out of 1st/3rd person, and sometimes I am myself and sometimes I am the other characters in the dream. The usual sense is fluid and hazy, not concrete. i am usually everything/everywhere in a dream, and I am not used to being just Amanda. Also relating to this is-
Fifth, I spoke. Sometimes my dreams have conversation in them, but mostly there is just a sense of things being said. A sense and understanding of motives/intent without actual speaking. Usually I just know what's going on.
4/30/08
Florida
So.
I am in Florida for a few more days.
I'm tired of wanting something so much, yet having no way to obtain it. Apartment rent here is as much as a house payment... Sigh. If only I had been born somewhere like Cuba, then I would have been TRAPPED somewhere tropical, and then I never would have been able to make a stupid mistake like moving to Utah! Plus, I like dark eyes and hair. So, a tall Cuban guy would be handy to have around too...
I've been scrapbooking for my mom, plus I made a giant visual aid for Zac, for his report on the Bermuda Triangle. Yesterday I cut down a bunch of palm fronds for my Grandmother. She complained about all her coconuts, so I cut some of those down too, but then she said wistfully, "Well... those were the good ones". Then, today she mentioned them again and said maybe I should cut down some more. She is quite impossible.
Zac wants me to play Wii with him, though I don't know why since I am so bad at it. He also enjoys trying to teach me to Ripstick. That I can understand the appeal of, since I scream and fall off a lot, which makes him laugh.
I am in Florida for a few more days.
I'm tired of wanting something so much, yet having no way to obtain it. Apartment rent here is as much as a house payment... Sigh. If only I had been born somewhere like Cuba, then I would have been TRAPPED somewhere tropical, and then I never would have been able to make a stupid mistake like moving to Utah! Plus, I like dark eyes and hair. So, a tall Cuban guy would be handy to have around too...
I've been scrapbooking for my mom, plus I made a giant visual aid for Zac, for his report on the Bermuda Triangle. Yesterday I cut down a bunch of palm fronds for my Grandmother. She complained about all her coconuts, so I cut some of those down too, but then she said wistfully, "Well... those were the good ones". Then, today she mentioned them again and said maybe I should cut down some more. She is quite impossible.
Zac wants me to play Wii with him, though I don't know why since I am so bad at it. He also enjoys trying to teach me to Ripstick. That I can understand the appeal of, since I scream and fall off a lot, which makes him laugh.
4/20/08
Hips.
so, when scooched all the way under bed, flat on my back, i can just fit my fist in between my face and the bed. this is ok, but even better would be if i could curl on my side... shoulders will behave-- they don't exactly pop out of joint, but i can put my arm underneath me in that way that angles them... so i can almost curl, but my hips need about another inch. hope it is not non-negotiable bone, and that fat will do... (i think i could jam myself sideways, but i have not tried it as i would probably get stuck.)
was under the bed today because bathtub got too cold, and Sagira jumped into the bathtub to see if i was ok, and that made me cry very hard because she is terrified of the evil, scary bath. was in the bathtub because my feet were muddy. my feet were muddy because i took my shoes off when i was watering the garden, and watering the garden was very distressing because the water was up too high and the pressure was too much for the little baby things that have sprouted, and i got upset that they were dying and drowning and being washed away, and garret wouldn't turn the water down. he says i always get extra nuts/emotional before i go to FL. this is probably an accurate observation.
getting a bed that is higher off the ground is not a good solution, because i do not like beds to be too high off the ground, and if anything, wish mine were lower. plus, i can not afford a new bed anyway. i had an excellent wooden toy-chest when i was a kid. a bigger version of that would be nice to bug-up in. one with a nice smell, pine or something.
was under the bed today because bathtub got too cold, and Sagira jumped into the bathtub to see if i was ok, and that made me cry very hard because she is terrified of the evil, scary bath. was in the bathtub because my feet were muddy. my feet were muddy because i took my shoes off when i was watering the garden, and watering the garden was very distressing because the water was up too high and the pressure was too much for the little baby things that have sprouted, and i got upset that they were dying and drowning and being washed away, and garret wouldn't turn the water down. he says i always get extra nuts/emotional before i go to FL. this is probably an accurate observation.
getting a bed that is higher off the ground is not a good solution, because i do not like beds to be too high off the ground, and if anything, wish mine were lower. plus, i can not afford a new bed anyway. i had an excellent wooden toy-chest when i was a kid. a bigger version of that would be nice to bug-up in. one with a nice smell, pine or something.
4/18/08
Skype
My brain is skitz. My brain is skitz. My brain is skittish and on the fritz... Got Skype today, which was a New Thing. And so there was Too Much today. Can't look at too many New Things because it is overwhelming. "Oh Amanda, don't be silly, it's not hard, just a simple download!"
Sigh. Not about hard. About looking at a New Thing. Everything online is full of crap and sideshow. Blah to skim through to get to the point of it all.
I am neglecting people. Haven't checked email. Too many New in the Inbox. Haven't returned phone calls. Sigh. Sigh.
Can't sleep from skitz-brain.
One of my many problems is... I play so well, so well, no one can tell... I seem just fine. I can talk, smile. Yay, good monkey. Sigh. SO MUCH effort to play monkey. I am tired all the time. People think, well, it does not LOOK hard, so it must not BE hard. Ah. Yes. Lovely logic, that.
Sigh. Not about hard. About looking at a New Thing. Everything online is full of crap and sideshow. Blah to skim through to get to the point of it all.
I am neglecting people. Haven't checked email. Too many New in the Inbox. Haven't returned phone calls. Sigh. Sigh.
Can't sleep from skitz-brain.
One of my many problems is... I play so well, so well, no one can tell... I seem just fine. I can talk, smile. Yay, good monkey. Sigh. SO MUCH effort to play monkey. I am tired all the time. People think, well, it does not LOOK hard, so it must not BE hard. Ah. Yes. Lovely logic, that.
Sorry Zhekai... (that i never responded to this)
zhekai said...
Cool:) I've enjoyed reading your blog. I also get the word interpretation thing...someone says 'I have misgivings' and my brain will tell me all the double-entendres and possible interpretations. So i'll think:1)Miss Givings, what about Mr and Mrs Givings? I hear they're a very giving family, etc.2) Mis-givings sounds like you tried to give something to someone, but you messed up, etc. I find that hilarious....but nobody else does, so i've learned to not say such things.Can I ask if you relate to something else?:I seem to have two modes of expression. My natural thoughts and ways of talking are very chaotic for others, so i try to make everything very ordered and logical. It means i'm always explaining myself...So i have to choose between speaking naturally and being misunderstood, or being understood but turning everything into a really boring explanation that nobody wants to hear!!!It's very frustrating. And the irony is that ordinary people, even if they dimly understand what i'm saying, don't appreciate it in the same way.Thanks for responding!
(except. it's not really never since i'm responding. but. it's still been a while.)
yes. my brain will insist on telling me every possible meaning of something before i can move onto another thought. Ms. Givings indeed. i find #2 hilarious too. people are always looking at me like i am a hopeless dork.
Me: But don't you GET IT???!!!
Them: Yep. It's NOT FUNNY.
Me: I think you are not getting it. (this part muttered secretly in my head.)
I noticed I do something and am not sure if all humans universally do this too- when people speak to me, I have to repeat the sentence internally before i HEAR it. Sometimes this results in long, long pauses before i respond because I have to get through the Givings family Tree, then listen to a detour about the book The Giving Tree. Green cover. I like green. And then I have to "read" back the last thing said to me.
And yes, I have what I think of as my natural voice and then the "correct" way to talk. I always feel like I don't really speak English, I am just constantly translating. People miss the one version and are bored by the dissection process of the other. Like today, people were talking and I asked an either/or question-- "oh, are you collecting this or that?" and the answer was a both. so then i said they collected stone birds. but that did not make sense. they were like, what the hell is a stone bird? (the expression "kill two birds with one stone" combined itself into one stone, and then paralleled to the "both" in question.)
To me, that's not a joke, not trying to get a laugh exactly, just feel like it conveys lots of idea tangled into a short thing. But it doesn't really. I have "met" a couple Aspies online who get my twisted shorthand and love to talk in a combination of amanda-speak and them-too-speak, but most people do not appreciate it. Which, i can understand, because the explanation of things bores me too, the fun is in the breadcrumbs... play with me... follow me...
Cool:) I've enjoyed reading your blog. I also get the word interpretation thing...someone says 'I have misgivings' and my brain will tell me all the double-entendres and possible interpretations. So i'll think:1)Miss Givings, what about Mr and Mrs Givings? I hear they're a very giving family, etc.2) Mis-givings sounds like you tried to give something to someone, but you messed up, etc. I find that hilarious....but nobody else does, so i've learned to not say such things.Can I ask if you relate to something else?:I seem to have two modes of expression. My natural thoughts and ways of talking are very chaotic for others, so i try to make everything very ordered and logical. It means i'm always explaining myself...So i have to choose between speaking naturally and being misunderstood, or being understood but turning everything into a really boring explanation that nobody wants to hear!!!It's very frustrating. And the irony is that ordinary people, even if they dimly understand what i'm saying, don't appreciate it in the same way.Thanks for responding!
(except. it's not really never since i'm responding. but. it's still been a while.)
yes. my brain will insist on telling me every possible meaning of something before i can move onto another thought. Ms. Givings indeed. i find #2 hilarious too. people are always looking at me like i am a hopeless dork.
Me: But don't you GET IT???!!!
Them: Yep. It's NOT FUNNY.
Me: I think you are not getting it. (this part muttered secretly in my head.)
I noticed I do something and am not sure if all humans universally do this too- when people speak to me, I have to repeat the sentence internally before i HEAR it. Sometimes this results in long, long pauses before i respond because I have to get through the Givings family Tree, then listen to a detour about the book The Giving Tree. Green cover. I like green. And then I have to "read" back the last thing said to me.
And yes, I have what I think of as my natural voice and then the "correct" way to talk. I always feel like I don't really speak English, I am just constantly translating. People miss the one version and are bored by the dissection process of the other. Like today, people were talking and I asked an either/or question-- "oh, are you collecting this or that?" and the answer was a both. so then i said they collected stone birds. but that did not make sense. they were like, what the hell is a stone bird? (the expression "kill two birds with one stone" combined itself into one stone, and then paralleled to the "both" in question.)
To me, that's not a joke, not trying to get a laugh exactly, just feel like it conveys lots of idea tangled into a short thing. But it doesn't really. I have "met" a couple Aspies online who get my twisted shorthand and love to talk in a combination of amanda-speak and them-too-speak, but most people do not appreciate it. Which, i can understand, because the explanation of things bores me too, the fun is in the breadcrumbs... play with me... follow me...
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