Vax-Checking

Posted on March 18, 2019 by flem0328

Hello strange world!

It’s been an eternity since I wrote one of these. I know I said there would be more of these, but life unfortunately happens; That will be another blog for another day. I came here to touch upon a subject I may have touched upon briefly, but it deserves its own blog post. Judging by the title, you probably already know what this post will be about. If word play flies over your head, you’ve been living under a rock, or both, then it appears I need to explain a study that happened 21 years ago along with the present day consequences. Continue reading →

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell….

Posted on April 9, 2017 by flem0328

Hello strange world. It’s funny that the strange guy is calling the world strange but then again, if you’re all strange and I’m normal? Anyways, before I break the universe some more it’s time to get this show on the road. No this blog post has nothing to do with the infamous campaign in the military to repress one’s sexuality to preserve hyper masculinity, this post pertains to something I’ve struggled with for years as someone with a disability. Now before we get started we need to discuss the two types of disabilities; Visible disabilities and, invisible disabilities. The two terms are relatively self explanatory. A visible disability is one where you can look at someone and it’s pretty obvious they have some sort of disability. They’re either in a wheelchair, have a deformity, it’s pretty obvious they have a visual impairment (presence of a cane or guide dog) or, they’re on the lower functioning end cognitively (I’m fully aware some people don’t like functioning labels but, there’s really a lack of a better phrase). Then you have invisible disabilities. These are disabilities where you’d never know they exist just from looking at a person. These include any disorders that involve chronic fatigue like fibromyalgia, mild visual impairments that are still severe enough to render a person legally blind, seizure disorders or, people who are on the higher functioning end of any disability that results in cognitive impairments. Continue reading →

Singing The Blues

Posted on April 2, 2017 by flem0328

Blue shirts, blue buildings, blue ribbons. It’s Autism awareness month again ain’t it? Every year I have to watch the same damn thing unfold. Once again Autism Speaks is out on another mission to sound the alarm about a threat that doesn’t exist in order to pull in money that won’t go towards helping the very people the organization has sought out to exploit. You’d think creating this panic about Autism would be more played out than Drake songs on the radio but, unfortunately they’re always at it and have gotten increasingly more successful at duping unsuspecting people into throwing money at an organization that does not give a flying fuck what us Autistics actually have to say. For an organization called Autism Speaks, y’all sure as hell do a lot of the speaking for us. Due to the organization’s heavy presence during the month of April, people automatically assume that these guys are the gold standard of Autism organizations. Unfortunately, these guys have been responsible for a lot of the negative stigma surrounding Autism. Famous pieces like Susanne Wright’s “A Call to Action”, the documentary “Sounding the Alarm and, “I Wish My Kids Had Cancer: A Family Surviving the Autism Epidemic” seek to make Autism so scary that people will run to their senators and force them to provide more funding to Autism research,. Now don’t get me wrong Autism is still one of the least funded disorders but, the type of research Autism Speaks is seeking has all the wrong intentions behind it. They see Autism as something that should be eliminated instead of trying to advocate for better supports that would allow those on the spectrum to be the best possible versions of themselves. I shall leave you with a few things to think about. Continue reading →

The Bully Pulpit

Posted on January 9, 2017 by flem0328

[WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE & GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF ABUSE]

Hello world! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday because, we’re about to kick some more ass. After yet another blog about a my shitty love life, it’s time to talk about some more serious matters. Are any of you guys familiar with the phrase “The Bully Pulpit” No? I thought so. For those who aren’t, A bully pulpit is a conspicuous position that provides an opportunity to speak out and be listened to. The term was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt, who referred to the White House as a “bully pulpit”, by which he meant a terrific platform from which to advocate an agenda. To put it in simpler terms; It’s a place both physically and, figuratively where you spout any message good or bad and, people will hear it loud and clear whether they want to or not. Those who often follow my blogs will know that I often touch the subject of bullying, a subject that unfortunately hits home for me. Growing up I got bullied quite a bit. The scars still linger from my many ordeals and, I sometimes struggle greatly with my self esteem. People with disabilities get bullied and, even abused at a disproportionate rate. Now I’ve never really touched the subject of abuse but, we need to talk about two stories that have made they news as of late and unfortunately for reasons that over shadow an even bigger problem in our society. Continue reading →

Daydream (I Fell Asleep Beneath The Flowers)

Posted on December 27, 2016 by flem0328

I had dreams of fucking an R&B bitch!

Okay good I got your attention. Welcome back to one of few reliable sources for all things Autism and, life in general. Today we’re gonna broach a subject that I don’t talk about much. Show of hands, how many of you like to daydream? Everyone? I thought so. Those who know me well know that I am a chronic daydreamer and no, none of those day dreams consist of fucking R&B bitches; Biggie dreams of fucking R&B bitches. My daydreams always depended on my mood and, what was going on in my life. Growing up, I daydreamed as much as I breathed. In school I wasn’t challenged as much as I should, especially in math. Math was super easy for me so, It was very hard to keep my attention. When something didn’t interest me, I’d often retreat into my head and start to dwell on what preoccupied my mind. Most of the time it was what ever video game I was playing at the time. I would constantly think about a solution to a dungeon I was stuck in or, plan on how I was going to beat a tough boss. Other times, I would be thinking about ideas I had for video games I wanted to create. I would conceptualize characters, worlds and, music. It was always a great escape, nothing could stop me, not even the,

“Flemmings!!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU DAY DREAMING AGAIN?” my fourth grade teacher would yell. Continue reading →

The Devil’s Advocate (Me Before The World)

Posted on August 20, 2016 by flem0328

(WARNING, THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE MOVIE “ME BEFORE YOU”. IF YOU’D LIKE TO WATCH THE MOVIE BEFORE READING THIS POST THEN DON’T READ ANY FURTHER, IF YOU’VE WATCHED THE MOVIE YOU COULDN’T CARE LESS THEN READ ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Continue reading →

I Got Broads In Atlanta (Southern Hospitality)

Posted on August 18, 2016 by flem0328

It’s 6 am and we’ve missed our flight to Boston. This WiFi is like that late night hook up you’ve brought home, they’re terrible at what they do but you haven’t gotten any in a while so you’ve gotta take what you can get. Can we just talk about how much I despise TSA? We pour a chunk of our budget into this hot mess yet the process is never as smooth as silk, I prefer the term “flint against sand paper with every accelerant you could think of” but we’ll get to that. I had the opportunity to spend a week and half in Atlanta where the players play and we ride on them thangs like every day, a place where parties apparently don’t stop til’ 8 in the morning. I can tell you that there were no such parties where I stayed but, I’m sure they exist in some capacity in the heart of the city. Travelling can be a roller coaster of events where there’s never a dull moment. The south is such an interesting place and to a New Englander like me, it’s like stepping into Narnia. I don’t know if this is what Aladdin meant by showing us a whole new world but, it comes pretty damn close. The south is home to some interesting customs, some questionable choice of flags, some of the best damn food I’ve eaten, some of the lowest property values I’ve seen in years and, crazy humidity. In list form, I shall elaborate on my experiences in the South. Continue reading →

Rainbow in the Dark

Posted on June 18, 2016 by flem0328

So I grew up playing this really awesome game called Kingdom Hearts. You get sucked away from your home on a lonely island and end up traversing a bunch of Disney worlds in the process. Now you’d think a game about a boy who fights monsters with a giant key would be stupid but, the concept was so successful that it spawned a sequel and so many spinoffs that the story line trips over itself. Now the premise of this game is that your friends have gone missing and you must find them with the help of Donald and Goofy all while reliving your childhood and learning about the consequences of giving into the darkness within our hearts and letting it consume us. You also learn that with in the deepest darkness, there is always a faint light shinning within that when taped by the right person can illuminate the darkest depths. Wait, you mean this blog isn’t supposed t be about Kingdom Hearts? But it’s such a great game even though the plot has now become more of a mess than Hillary Clinton’s messaging. I guess you guys want me to jump the point like playing hopscotch barefoot with thumb tacks on the ground don’t you? If you insist but y’all should play this damn game. Continue reading →

Everyone’s Feeling Blue

Posted on April 1, 2016 by flem0328

Blue Buildings, blue shirts, blue merchandise, everything’s so damn blue it looks like an episode of the Smurfs. Now why on earth could everyone be wearing blue? Are you wearing blue because you just happen to love the color blue or, are you wearing it because Autism Speaks told you it would support a cause predicated on spreading the wrong kind of awareness about Autism? If your answer is the former then good for you, everyone is entitled to what ever color they choose. If your answer is the latter, have a seat! I’ll grab you the best seat ever because I’m gonna give you a piece of my mind like I blew my own brains out and lived long enough to hand you the fragments. Now you’re probably wondering why an Autistic person such as myself has a strong dislike for a organization that is constantly spreading awareness about Autism. My issue with the organization is that the kind of awareness they spread is detrimental to the world view and perception of Autism. Continue reading →

Business As Usual

Posted on January 7, 2016 by flem0328

So I was watching NBC’s new comedy “Superstore” which I highly recommend and there was an episode that spoke to me in a way that TV episodes haven’t in quite sometime. The episode follows the crew of the store Cloud 9 as magazine has come to do a photoshoot for their next issue. One of he characters Garrett, who uses a wheelchair dreads the shoot as he’s had experiences with magazines taking pictures of him because a guy in a wheelchair working makes for a good story. Throughout the episode are scenes where one of the cameramen follows Garrett throughout the store hoping to snap a picture. Eventually, Garrett has to walk around the store with his middle fingers up in order to make getting a good picture impossible. While a person with a disability being employed makes for a good story to a person who’s never lived that experience, for us it’s honestly just another day, same shit different toilet. Continue reading →