not sure how much i should say about myself

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i'm not good at gauging things like brevity in introductions, but here it goes :

*ahem* hello, i've come to this forum to meet new people i can discuss similar topics of interest with. i'm 20 years old (diagnosed with ASD by my psychologist at age 17). at first i was quite repellent to the diagnosis, thinking that ASD denoted a stigmatizing defect of sorts that put one at odds with "normal" people. it was a tough pill to swallow, but looking back, it became obvious to me that his diagnosis was correct. i had always been "different" from the other kids. instead of playing with other kids, i would fiddle around with and arrange rocks and wood chips on the playground and closely observe insects; i had these strange compulsions to vocalize peculiar nonsense words or noises; i would do repetitive rhythmic motions with my fingers, wrists, and toes; i would refuse to wear but particular favored articles of clothing; i refused (still do) to engage in physical contact (hugging, etc.) with even my relatives; i had trouble picking up on subtle social cues; i preferred to talk with adults rather than my peers.

i've "trained" myself so to speak over the years to mitigate my symptoms/compulsions. i've learned to play out my ticks in my head rather than express them physically; i've habitually conditioned myself to mimic NT facial/body language and expressiveness; i've become attentive to context in conversation so as to gauge sarcasm/facetiousness/colloquialisms/etc.; i meditate regularly to keep repetitive thought patterns at bay. i've got a long way to go in this department, but i like to think i'm less awkward/off-putting than i was in, say, middle school

i've gone through several main obsessions/interests over the course of my life. at first, it was paleozoology (i remember being particularly fascinated by trilobites), then herpetology, and then finally my current interest, philosophy. this may sound weird, but i feel as though each of my interests were sorta like relationships, with my current interest being "the one", my "soul-mate" interest (soul-interest?). concerning my philosophical views, i started out as an existentialist of sorts (being particularly enamored with Nietzsche's work), then i read into the mind-body problem and became obsessed with metaphysics; became an idealist (still am), which led me to ancient philosophies like Advaita Vedanta, Neoplatonism, and Gnosticism. from there i got into some weird occult/new-agey ideas. right now i'm particularly interested in the role of the unconscious in one's fundamental perception of reality (the bicameral mind and all that jazz); getting into Jung's work right now.

i have an oddly particular taste in music. i mostly listen to swing, bebop, 60s and 70s rock, power/traditional metal, hair metal, old-school death metal (especially from Finland), and renaissance/baroque (William Byrd and Andrea Falconieri are my favorite composers)

anyway, i'm hoping to find some cool people here who are into the same general stuff i am. hopefully my intro wasn't too awkward/cringey!

Hey upaya welcome.

Welcome!

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome Upaya! I really like Swing as well! I also like Rockabilly, hard rock, metal, and 1900's and 1910's Ragtime.

cool! i haven't delved much into rockabilly or ragtime very extensively, but what i've heard i really like. got any recommendations? i also love dixieland.

Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis

Welcome to WP!