13 Jan 2006, 1:41 am
Hello everyone! I'm Ritchie, a 38 year old male living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA. I was diagnosed as having AS. I ran across this site a while ago and found it to be very resourceful. After seeing what's all here, I joined the site yesterday. I look forward to getting to know everyone here. I'm glad to be a part of such an incredible community of aspies. Have a great day everyone! 
13 Jan 2006, 7:13 am
larsenjw92286
Veteran
Joined: 30 Aug 2004
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,062
Location: Seattle, Washington
13 Jan 2006, 5:39 pm
14 Jan 2006, 10:03 am
G'day, wilkommen and you have a great day too 
15 Jan 2006, 2:33 am
Hi WP community, I'm raedizzle2006...I am a 34 YO male (who will be 35 on Valentines' Day, and still don't have a GF..bummer). I strongly suspect having AS; I sure appear to "fit" a lot of the common (and not so common LOL) characteristics of it. I was bullied mercilessly since about as far back as I remember (probably 2nd, 3rd grade); I never really felt like I was truly a part of any collective group. I probably felt no less "lonely" around crowds of peeps than by myself, literally. 
School was virtually hell for me , though I graduated and even attended college off-and-on (hadn't gone back in several years, though). Growing up in my neighborhood (I'm in North Carolina) was really no better; I was shunned and made to feel like an "outcast" for the vast majority of my life thus far. I may not have been able to explain how I was so "different" from others while growing up, but I just instinctively knew it. However, I came to grips with the likely fact that I have autistic "disorder" just over a year ago. I read several online sites about AS, and lo & behold if many of the "symptoms" didn't fit me to a near-perfect "T!" I find it damn near impossible to "read" people; body language and other subtleties seem to invariably escape me. Plus I rarely can tell if someone is joking or not, not to mention being told I have "no common sense", "slow", "ret*d" (despite making honor roll in HS?) and other things
along the way. I also seem to have rather limited interests (Anyone wanna know about them? Prepare to be bored to tears, LOL)...I could go on and on (perserveration and very detailed, another AS trait!) but anyway...
Interestingly enough, I went to Jr. High school with a friend named Doug (I'm Stuart, BTW..but prefer to be called raedizzle, if that's okay). Doug, like myself, is also AS. He too had suffered a lot of the same societal problems as I have, and even spent basically the first half of the '90's in an autistic group home in NC (I probably could've benefited from such, LOL). He is now living by himself (while I still live with mom, for now) in Miami, and we both work near full-time jobs. I even drive a car! (No wrecks or tickets yet; hope to keep it that way. Got my license at 33, a year and half ago) Doug and I give each other "updates" on our goings-on, usually once (or sometimes more) a week. It's good to know that IRL I have some fellow "comrade" that had a lot of the same trials and difficulties as myself, but I also want to get to know more people. Too doggone bad I have very few "friends" IRL; I can't seem for the life of me to be able to tell who is "really" my buddy or not. I've been duped more times than I care to remember... 
I know this is a long intro here, but as stated before I'm really wanting to make sure I spell out a lot of what I feel needs to be said. I hope that on WP I can develop relationships with "cyber-pals" that are going thru a lot of what I have! That would be greatly appreciated (to feel like I'm truly part of, not apart from, a group)....thanks! 
PS Also, I've mentioned in my subject heading that I'm new (sort of). I have actually lurked around WP for probably the better part of several months now (since last summer?), but have admittedly been kinda "shy" (even afraid?) to get "brave" and finally register so I can post! I've even been rejected a lot on various MSG boards (not AS-related sites), when I was just trying to be myself. SO FRIGGIN' WHAT if I don't come across like the "mainstream", whether it's in the way I communicate, walk, eat, watch on TV..whatever. I just wish people who are "different" would be afforded the same respect that all "normal" people seem to be able to get, without having to try so damn hard! Looking forward to posting here....if I'm not too "weird" for y'all, too! 
