Greetings, all. I've been lurking on this site for some time now and decided to jump in. My name is Jack and I turned 60 last September (still haven't completely come to terms with that, but it beats the alternative ) I'm in New England USA for the present and my be relocating soon, can't say where yet.
Strange route I took to get here... I was diagnosed BP back in 1987 and have managed it with uneven success. Last year I was going through a rough spot and one of the few friends I have suggested that I might be AS. So I did some searching and eventually took the test - Aspie score 127/200. Only thing is, if I had given the answers I would give when I was twelve, it would have been much higher. I was a mess as a kid, and somehow I've learned enough NT behavior to "pass", but not enough to get much of a life. Found this site on Google and liked what I read right out of the box - people in here are really interesting. I enjoy reading (and seeing) how you folks talk about stuff.
I'm pretty left-brain: worked in engineering, casually read books about physics and cosmology but can't do the math. I really enjoy the Space site. I don't routinely consume pop culture, like watching TV or Top 40. I prefer jazz (straight ahead, even avant-garde), and classical (I prefer to call it symphonic if it requires a symphony to play it - technically the "classical" period ended just before Beethoven). Every so often I visit my son in NYC and catch up on the latest .
Team sports never held much interest for me. I started bicycling at sixteen and have ridden everything except time trials and the track. Maybe someday. Used to be a pretty good skier, but haven't done it in a while. Ours was a family like Pluto was a planet - my mother is 88, lives 2200 miles away, and we talk a couple of times a week. One sibling, a brother who is just as distant. We don't talk anymore, just e-mail only when absolutely necessary . Dad died many years back; funny, he was very difficult to live with, and was a huge influence. There isn't a day goes by that I don't think about him.
I'm actually pessimistic at this point. I've been out of work for about eight months, will have to make some pretty tough choices by mid-year, and I'm running out of options. Retirement is staring me in the face, and my mental conditions are getting more difficult to manage. I'm on this site because I hope to hear about what's working in your lives, and also to have others to talk to.
I just realized that this is a really long post, and I hope I'm not getting under anyone's skin for it. If you've read this far, I thank you profusely. If you respond, I'll be totally grateful.
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NT enough to pass, not enough to have a life.