The Unmasked Autistic

Life uncensored through the lens of a late-diagnosed autistic person - one blog post at a time.

Sorry I ghosted you: an Autism relationship tale

Concerned man with beard and glasses stares at a mobile phone with his elbows propped on a desk

This post doubles as an apology. One I feel I need to offer after researching ‘ghosting’ and its effects on the person left behind. In my case, I’m referring to the people in the various friendships that were, at the time, typically thriving. And still, that didn’t stop me ghosting you. I’m sure it didn’t (and perhaps still doesn’t) make any sense, but ignoring your texts and calls, avoiding you at all costs, dropping off the face of the planet…

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Dance like no one’s watching: my first ‘real’ blog post

Silhouetted woman jumping high on beach with sunset sky and silhouetted sand dunes in the background.

So it’s Friday, and that means it’s the end of another week, and that means that time has well and truly come loose from the chain. I mean, it’s out of control how fast the weeks are whizzing by… But that’s not what this is about. This is about how this is probably my first genuine ‘blog post’. Can’t you hear that informal tone? See that casual writing style? This is a blog post. That other stuff I’ve been writing…

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The miracle of shower therapy

Close up of large silver rain shower head with water drops falling from it against a blurred background

Last week, when I was in the midst of an extreme Autistic meltdown, it wasn’t the bottle I reached for, or the cat that I kicked*, it was the shower I ran for. In fact, if I could stay in the shower as long as I stay in bed, I would. I definitely feel better after 10 minutes under our ‘rain’ shower head than I do after eight hours of shut eye. That’s both an indictment on the quality of…

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Centrelink gave me a hangover

A meerkat with it's head hung low stands in a desert with tuffs of low growing grass

As I type, I feel like last night I had one too many red wines. But that isn’t what happened. I didn’t have anything to drink last night, or the night before that. I was in bed before 10, too. And I didn’t wake up with a cold or a bug of any type. What happened to me was Centrelink, and Employment Plus, and getting squeezed and poked by a system (or is it systems?) not designed for the likes…

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The tomato that ruined Wednesday

A wicket basket filled with plump red tomatoes

Wednesday morning I cooked a fry up: steak, eggs, hash brown, tomato. While it might not meet the current standards of Australia’s dietary guidelines, it was delicious. Except for the tomato. From the moment I took hold of the large red rock, I suspected we might be in trouble. Not only was it a solid fruit, and weighty, but I had to lean on the knife to quarter it. I cooked it slowly, turning it regularly, hoping that 15 minutes…

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