Do you ever call/consider yourself autistic? (AS Dx)

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My diagnosis is kind of hazy, because even back when I was diagnosed at the age of six, Aspergers Syndrome and High Functioning Autism were sort of intertwined, so I've been described as both being autistic, and as having Aspergers. I usually describe myself as having Aspergers, but I've had people had people say to me "I understand X can difficult for you because of your autism" and things like that. I know full well that Aspergers Syndrome is just another name for HFA, but I prefer it because it carries a "genius" connotation; if I say I'm an aspie, people will think that I'm a super-smart, socially awkward dude and not someone with a serious developmental disability, because in many people's minds autism = mental retardation (not trying to be offensive, just using technical terminology).

I don´t go around sharing either, but I have had the question: "What is Asperger" and to the answer: "A sort of autism", they went : "Huh?" or "Naaaah, can´t be".
It is still new to me and being in the social system, I will have to explain at some point, why I have had difficulty holding down a job.
I have settled for a modest explanation: "We don´t read social situations quick enough. AS is a "one thing at a time" syndrome, meaning a narrower bandwidth and less RAM, so we need to either work OR speak. We need instructions in a logical language, and we may learn concrete tasks at a slower speed because of a different processing".
That would be things, that understandably would be a problem in modern work life, unless you´re lucky enough to have found yourself a niche.
"Any strengths?" I would point out: "A good ability to make systems, good at working things out logically, precision, good at detecting deviations, autodidactive, unorthodox".
(Gosh , I didn´t realize, I was that typical).

I would say aspergers as opposed to autism in the presence of other people because society's opinion seems to be that people with aspergers are "the ones that are more normal"

i don't really get into a lot of situations where i have to talk about my ASD, bit occasionally it comes up and i'm not really sure what to call myself. or if i even care.
my diagnosis isn't very clear first of all. i was assessed by people who did not know my parents native language (they were dominant in spanish and the assessors spoke only english). my mother apparently exaggerated my symptoms to get me treatment, as she had been turned down at an earlier place. whan i finally was diagnosed with "Autism" at age 4, they didn't agree with it.
all of my school files and psychological evaluations only say "Autism" under "diagnoses/health issues". they make no distinction between HFA, aspergers, etc. keep in mind i was diagnosed in 2001.
i don't really think about it, but i would say i have aspergers. nothing else. socially, i have been treated like anybody else, if not a bit ignored. i was rarely bullied.

most people, teachers especially see me as "smart" and "gifted" even without knowing of my diagnosis. and i plan not to tell them, they might change their mind, or they might not care. i know that I don't really care.
i qualify for special ed and i've been given the privilege of extended time on some tests, but i never really had to use it.
when i tell people i have aspergers (only people who ask politely and with a good reason, and people i'm close with), they tend to say stuff like
"but you seem so normal"
"you're not that bad" and
"you seem normal to me".
but then i've received comments like

"half the school thinks you're ret*d" (my school has around 2300 people)
"all of vada knows that you're autistic"
the former comment coming from my LO.

still, i try not to avoid labeling myself. i'm more than a diagnosis, but sometimes when i'm feeling ahhhh i wish i could just get rid of it.

I do call myself autistic, because that's what I am. AS is just one particular style of autism, and not necessarily the mildest one, either. It's not that I think AS is a bad concept--we needed something to tell us that autism could be mild and could occur in people who can speak--but all in all, I think of myself more as "autistic" than "Aspie". It doesn't hurt that I've been diagnosed as being, variously, AS, autism, and PDD-NOS (and Rett's too, if you count a clerical error). I find things in common with people who have classic autism, as well as finding things that I can't identify with in diagnosed Aspies. It's all one spectrum and I cannot see any real dividing lines.