Fishing on Thursday

I took Zach fishing on Saturday. I am posting the pictures of all of the fish we caught. What, you don't see them?
Zach can go fishing every Thursday and Saturday now. He can do anything he wants on Thursday and Saturday now. His bosses at McDonalds have relieved him of his employment. It was a pretty shabby deal. I could fight this and make them give his job back, but why? He has been unhappy there ever since the new manager started. His work environment was filled with people who got away with calling him the r word and treating him badly. Now, maybe Voc Rehab will get serious and find Zach a job that he actually likes. One he can actually be truly successful at. One in which being autistic isn't a detriment.
There were no fish at the end of the fish stringer. Just our drinks being cooled by the water.
When it comes to employing people with disabilities, did you know that autistic people have the hardest time finding work? It's perfectly acceptable to put people who look disabled in the restaurants cleaning, or in supermarket entrances to greet, but if they don't look disabled, it doesn't happen. People still don't understand autism. People are always staring at Zach like he is something of fear or disgust. That isn't likely to change any time soon, either.
When the parents of autistic children get together and create organizations like autism speaks and make videos about how badly their autistic child ruined their lives and would be better off dead, what is the rest of the world supposed to think? Autism isn't worse than death. Autism isn't something to fear. Autism isn't disgusting. Autistic people do belong. Small words in a hateful world.
There were lots of dragonflies where we were fishing. I think it was too hot for the fish, and Zach really didn't want to stay until it cooled off. I was a little bummed, but we still had fun anyway. Niagara Springs was just as pretty as I remembered. If you are ever out this way, you'll have to check them out.

Holding on to summer

Ok, so I'm supposed to be writing progress notes right now. I only have 7 to do, so it won't take more than an hour and a half. I have to turn them in tomorrow so I can get paid. If I were good, I would write those 7 progress reports plus the one I have so far this week. Then I should only have 3 left to write for this week, assuming I don't have any more no shows. This PSR stuff really sucks. I am one of those dependable people who shows up when expected to and leave when the time comes. My clients do not share this part of my OCD. But, if they were all good at making appointments and maintaining a schedule with any regularity, they wouldn't need PSR, would they?

Next week I start school, anyway. I got my ISU email account back, and I just went through and deleted all of the old stuff that can't possibly really matter now that I have already earned my bs. And besides, I need something to do besides progress notes.

I am already missing this summer. It is quite gone yet, but the hot weather is letting go and the cold weather is inching closer. Do you remember the summers that seemed to last forever? Kids don't have well developed internal time keepers. It is a wonderful thing. Of course, it also works against kids in the middle of winter while sitting in a classroom in which the teacher is droning on and on and on. But summers, they had some staying power.


So I was sitting this weekend, watching tv from my front yard, because I really needed to start moving into my new house, when a dragonfly came to visit. I took a lot of pictures of the cute little fella. They really have cool faces, don't you think? (click on the picture to make it big enough to see!) Then I was looking at the leaves in my willow trees, and noticed how cool they looked the way the light was hitting them. I really like the picture I am posting here. It's like a background picture for a note, but there is no note. I am leaving it blank. Every time I look at it, I can fill in the blank with the feelings it brings. Its meaning will change over time. That is one of my favorite things about good art. It means what it needs to mean, when it needs to mean it.

Procrastination. I wonder if I procrastinate so badly because I am so reluctant to give up any more of my remaining time than I have to? I doesn't work, of course. It does seem, however, that the more things one does, the busier they are, the more quickly time flies by. Maybe I'm just middle aged or something. I can't get back any of the time that has passed me by, and I can't slow down the time that is coming. Is that a good enough reason to feel sad?

How well do you know Cheri? Food

Facebook can be fun sometimes. There is an application with which you can create a quiz about yourself, and invited friends to take it. I did just that, and the highest score was 50%. I thought I would use that quiz to create some posts about me. I mean, why not. If you want to take the quiz first before reading about why the answer was what it was go here.

As you recall, I am not addressing these questions in order. Last time I talked about the craziest thing I would do if I won the lottery, and it turns out that I do not think it's crazy to quit your job and go back to school, if not permanently, at least as long as I can afford to. This post will address what my favorite food is, which is question #4.

4) My favorite food is
a) strawberry shortcake
b) pizza
c) salmon
d) lobster
e) home-made brownies

I love food. There are so many foods I love that it is quicker to say what I don't like. Black licorice and custard. I hate black licorice, and I don't like custard, though I can tolerate it in some dishes. But this question isn't about what I hate, it's about what I love. And, I love a) strawberry shortcake. I eat plenty of it in the spring - every spring. Oh, how I love strawberry shortcake. But, it isn't my favorite. I love e) home-made brownies, too, which is the answer all of the women who took the quiz picked (was it just a lucky guess on the son-in-law's part?) Who doesn't love b) pizza? I don't think I know that person, and I'm not sure I'd want to. That's obviously a snotty over-exaggeration. But as much fun as pizza is, it isn't it. c) Salmon. But only when it's cooked right. Ok, and sometimes when it isn't. I love salmon, but it isn't even my favorite fish. Trout is. Trout is my favorite fish probably because it typically follows a long day of fishing with loved ones. That leaves d) lobster. I would eat lobster every day if I could. But then, if I could eat it everyday, it might not be my favorite. I do love lobster. Not the Mediterranean lobster at red lobster - way too much seasoning, can't taste the lobster. Just broil me up a tail and let me have at it. It would probably go good on pizza too! With a side of salmon. I can't decide if I want the home-made brownie or strawberry shortcake for desert. So I'll have both!