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@SteveClough@metalhead.club cover
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

SteveClough

@[email protected]

Christian Quaker, software developer, anarchist, Green, and many other things I am not very good at.

He/Him. Also respond to it/Oi/Shut up you idiot.

#Nobridge #Nothreads #Nofascists

Header image: Seascape sunset.
Avatar: A cat above a message that says "Schroedingers cat is " and then an image with the words "alive" and "dead" combined.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

toxy , to bookstodon
@toxy@mastodon.acc.sunet.se avatar

@bookstodon

20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers.

18/20

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@julesbl @toxy @bookstodon And so it should (not meant in criticism of you). It is a book about authoritarian government, and it is intended to represent actual government, and is based on Orwells own observations and experience.

It is supposed to scare people into not voting for the fascists. Sadly, those who do haven't read it. Or understood it.

Tim_McTuffty , to actuallyautistic
@Tim_McTuffty@beige.party avatar

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 282 , Monday 05/08/2024

I slept deeply last night for a change & woke just before 6am.

I decided that today there would be a gardening reckoning , I had some stray motivation knocking about , it was a dry day but not too warm & the brambles invading from next door over the fence were driving me nuts!

So armed with a pair of Mechanix gloves (hey this is serious sh*t!) & a set of heavy duty pruning snips I went into battle !
30 minutes later the brambles had been returned to their homeland & our fence was free of invaders.

Mrs S. has been dropping industrial sized hits about the front garden recently so next I put on my big boy pants & went to war with the hedge & our Millennium tree.
We were so excited about getting that tree - one could apply for one free ! There were many different varieties that were picked at random for applicants … we of course got a hawthorn tree!
The spiky little (well not so little anymore) barsteward is never shy in fighting back when I trim it each year!

I dealt with the wild strawberries yesterday, they had got a bit rampant & were merrily working on domination of the gravelled area that makes up the bulk of our front garden - its a massive drain away sump to prevent flooding , living on the side of a hill I didn’t think flooding would be a problem when we moved in - oh how naive we are in our youth !

The hedge also needed doing it’s not huge but the drive slopes towards the house (another reason for the flooding) which makes getting to the top of it a challenge when you’re 5’5” in your stocking feet!

I inherited a serious hedge trimmer from my FiL when he passed (he left me all his tools bless him), which makes short work of the hedge & the hawthorn - when I can actually get high enough to bring it to bear!

The bulk of the hedge duly trimmed I was finishing off just zapping the low level branches that had escaped the main foray when I made a classic schoolboy mistake - I got over confident & thought I could nick the last little wayward stray without catching the cable - 4 inches away from the cutting site.
YES I know! H&S elves are , even as we speak, drawing up contracts for hitmen to take me out for such boundless stupidity. 🙄🤦‍♂️ Anyway even the Orange Oaf could guess what happened next!
Magically the cable divided in two … I could try my usual cry of innocence, but nobody is gonna believe me 🫣🤭.
The RCD in the extension cable tripped & saved the RCD on the main board tripping which was a major win given the givens!
Next time I will not be a lazy , over confident git & will move the cable out of the way like a sensible bunny !

So the hedge & hawthorn tree are trimmed to within an inch of their lives, all the debris is cleared away & the cable is repaired.

I decided that, given various parts of my body were suggesting that legal action was definitely on the cards , the afternoon should be given over to sippin & sittin & catching up with events in the Fediverse.

Mrs S. has been generous with her appreciation & a takeaway has been ordered for tea!

UPDATE: takeaway (fried chicken n chips ) has been consumed & herself is off to bed.

Final Thoughts.

Tonight is one of those increasingly rare occasions when I actually feel I’ve achieved something. Even if that is slightly offset by being a complete pillock & near zapping myself !

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@RosePuckey @Tim_McTuffty @actuallyautistic We don't want roast squirrel.

Slowly sauted is far better.

Glad you are OK and banished the electricity to the outer beyond.

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@RosePuckey @Tim_McTuffty @actuallyautistic That would work too.

ninsiana0 , to bookstodon
@ninsiana0@mastodon.social avatar

Read INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE by Anne Rice if you love recalling the past, grave mistakes, small things, New Orleans, chasing rumors, theatrics, asexual relationships, disconcerting dynamics, ruminating on evil, Paris, sad boys, revenge, losing your humanity & tape recorders.

@bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@ninsiana0 @bookstodon I am watching the TV series - S2 has just started. When I get my head into it properly, it is very good.

jda , to bookstodon
@jda@social.sdf.org avatar

Just what I need - nearly 175 to add to my nearly endless Want to Read pile. Only a little bit of crossover and I've probably read less than 10% of them.

Sigh.

100 Best Books of the 21st Century:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/best-books-21st-century.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6k0.40sZ.jbh48iEMRMCX&smid=url-share

75 Best Science Fiction Books of All Time:
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g39358054/best-sci-fi-books/

@bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@smashedratonpress @jda @bookstodon I have read 8, and heard of another 3 (one is on my TBR pile).

I am not sure that ones I have read are the best of the century. So I think this is quite an "opinionated" list. And US-centric, I suspect.

Sci_Fi_FanGirl , to actuallyautistic German
@Sci_Fi_FanGirl@hessen.social avatar

Feeling shaky and on the verge of crying although I'm not sad. It's just too much sensory intake, too much socializing, and too much emotional burden.

One more week to go until the summer holidays and I feel completely exhausted. A complicated problem with one of my students drains me and there will be very unpleasant talks.

I guess I'm close to meltdown and/or shutdown.

Do you also feel like crying when you're close to absolute overwhelm?

@actuallyautistic

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Sci_Fi_FanGirl @actuallyautistic I do. But one reason for my new tattoo is a reminder to pause ..... to stop the things that are overwhelming. To do this irrespective of what it means. knowing that there is - on the other side - a ... continue. You will continue. And in the continue, it is new and fresh.

SallyStrange , to bookstodon
@SallyStrange@eldritch.cafe avatar

10 authors, of whose books I've read at least five:

Ursula Le Guin
Kim Stanley Robinson
Octavia Butler
N. K. Jemisin
Becky Chambers
Iain M. Banks
Martha Wells
M. R. Carey
Lois McMaster Bujold
Vonda McIntyre


@bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@n0madz @SallyStrange @bookstodon

10 authors, of whose books I've read at least five:

Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
Iain M. Banks
John Wyndham
JRR & Christopher Tolkien
Isaac Asimov
Neil Gaiman
Robert Jordan

I am now struggling. There are quite a few others who I have read a few of, but I cannot get any more that I have read more than 5 of!

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@SallyStrange @n0madz @bookstodon

I could have included Ben Elton and Gerald Durrell if I had stretched a little further.

I wanted to keep them within the broad SFF genre.

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Enema_Cowboy @greybeard @n0madz @SallyStrange @bookstodon Yes. But he has written all sorts of others works. A lot of his writing feels "unfinished", but because he is just exploring ideas.

I love his mind. And his writing.

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@greybeard @n0madz @SallyStrange @bookstodon I think I have everything he has published.

clacksee , to bookstodon
@clacksee@wandering.shop avatar

A different kind of request…

Are you in, the , , or the ? I need some assistance from one reader in each of those countries, please.

What do you get out of this? A free book! An actual physical book! You can take your pick between the Starship Teapot books or the Vigilauntie Justice books.

What do I get out of this? To test my new website and fulfilment system!

Comment below or DM me and I'll send you instructions and a link.

@bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@clacksee @bookstodon Starship teapot book? I am in the UK.

It sounds weird, which is exactly my bag.

weirdwriter , to bookstodon

So I'm reading Blood in the machine and actually think being called a Luddite is the highest complement you can give someone today. I encourage everyone to read Blood in the Machine. Luddites weren't technophobes. https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?lens=little-brown @bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@weirdwriter @bookstodon I am a Luddite. I work in Software dev, so when I tell people I am a luddite, they look ar me odd.

Mollysdailykiss , to bookstodon
@Mollysdailykiss@kinkyelephant.com avatar

If you have not read either of these books, then you really should.

Regardless of whether you like Non fic or not, if you are using this here big old interwebs, then honestly read them both. Start with Doppelganger and then read Code Dependant.

Is technology gonna destroy democracy? What about the whole of humanity?

These books made me worry, but both also gave hope for the future and the power of humanity and most of all communities.

@bookstodon

Front cover of the book Code Dependant by Maghumita Murgia which shows a Control keyboard button lit in purple and red

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Mollysdailykiss @bookstodon I can't remember if I have read Doppelganger, but Klein is always a good read.

SteveClough , to actuallyautistic
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

Question @actuallyautistic - I have found that when I am reading somthing complex (philosophy texts, for example) I use hand movements that feel as though they help me read it.

It is similar to talking with ones hands, I guess. But do other autistics do anything like this?

Schnuckster , to bookstodon
@Schnuckster@beige.party avatar

I was in the Gower Street Waterstones today, asking about where to find books on neurodiversity. Got told they could be in any of three or four places depending on the type of book it is. Made me wonder, when a bookshop is that big, wouldn't using Dewey decimal be a better option? @bookstodon 📚

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Schnuckster @bookstodon I think one core reason is that they need to put thing they want to push at some time near the front.

And things like general fiction they know people will look for. So they can be further back.

So it is driven not by ease of finding but by marketing.

Libraries are more for finding a specific book you want, and then getting it, so Dewey is probably more suited to that.

But I get your pain.

NickEast , to bookbubble
@NickEast@geekdom.social avatar

This is why I'm not allowed to teach literature... anymore 😜😂

@humour
@reading @bookstodon @bookbubble @books


SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@NickEast @humour @reading @bookstodon @bookbubble @books

I love this cartoon. So subtle and clever, with so few words.

NickEast , to writers
@NickEast@geekdom.social avatar

Reader/Writer question:
How do you write/enjoy accents and dialects in your books?
Do you just mention that there is a dialect or do you write it out? And which do you prefer a a reader? 🤔

@writers @writingcommunity @writing
@reading @bookstodon



SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@NickEast @writers @writingcommunity @writing @reading @bookstodon Generally not a fan of accents, because they are difficult to write and unless you know the accent, are not easily readable.

I prefer verbal ticks or phrases. So one of my characters said "'k'n'" - expressed as more of a tick than anything else. It might locate them for some people, but not for others.

kimlockhartga , to bookstodon
@kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

Have Y'all ever found a character in a graphic novel who kinda looks like you? @bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon No - I don't read horror graphic novels

eivind , to bookstodon
@eivind@fribygda.no avatar

Reading in the foreword to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea that Verne originally envisioned Captain Nemo as a Polish noble on an underwater campaign of vengeance against the Russian Empire that'd killed his entire family, but that this version was pronounced unprintable by his publisher for political reasons. @bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Seanochicago @mattmcirvin @eivind @bookstodon In fairness, mortality was high in those days, so there is a possibility of one dying.

But there wasn't the same level of forensic assessment that we get these days. I am not saying it was better or worse, just different.

CommonMugwort , to bookstodon
@CommonMugwort@social.coop avatar

@bookstodon Darling English audiobook readers, the ss sound at the end of ‘coup de grâce’ is pronounced. When you leave it off, it sounds like ‘coup de gras’ - not the blow of grace (mercy), but the blow of grease (fat).

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@CommonMugwort @bookstodon I mean, if I was doing it, it might well be a blow of grease....

kimlockhartga , to bookstodon
@kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

@bookstodon What's your favorite book title, whether you've read it or not?

Mine is EVERYONE ON THE MOON IS ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL, by Julian K. Jarboe, which I have not yet read, followed closely by THEY DON'T MAKE PLUS SIZE SPACESUITS, by Ali Thompson, which I have read.

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon I struggle with this, because so many titles become well known, and so they are as surprising any more.

But I do think "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of the Window and Disappeared" I always thought was a great title (and I quite liked the book as well)

desafinado , to bookstodon
@desafinado@mastodon.social avatar

Fun fact (at least in my observation): the word “Shire” appears nowhere in the text of “The Hobbit.”

@bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@desafinado @bookstodon It is more about being "Home" - being his house - and not being home.

As someone pointed out - it is Hobbiton if he needed to name it, or "His own house" I think occurs.

But interesting fact that I didn't know.

skaeth , to bookstodon
@skaeth@writing.exchange avatar

What are your thoughts on DNF (Did Not Finish)-ing books? Do you feel guilty about it? Do you worry you missed out on something? Or are you confident in dropping a book and reaching for the next one?

At what point are you most likely to DNF, if ever? What sorts of things cause you to DNF?

My friend, book blogger Kriti, was musing on these questions a while back, and it sparked this new post: https://armedwithabook.com/dealing-with-dnf-the-practice-of-did-not-finish/

@bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@skaeth @bookstodon It is a very rare thing for me to DNF a book. Mostly I finish, because I want to get to completion in my head.

There are only 2 I can think of that I DNF: Juliette by Marquis de Sade (A book so hideously awful and poorly written it was agony to churcn through the turgid, abusive work); and Prousts "In Search of Lost Things" (Life is too short. I think I did pretty well, in truth.)

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@skaeth @bookstodon Yes and no. A book has to grab me, give me a reason for wanting to read it. But that is an emotional and speedy decision. So that is not highly selective, but if I have read the same story before (so many SFF works are telling the same story) I just won't bother.

Tim_McTuffty , to actuallyautistic
@Tim_McTuffty@beige.party avatar

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 91 Saturday 26/01/24

TL:DR Lazy buggers , read the entry, it’s like a dozen lines long !

Today has been a longish day, I was up around 4:30 had a nice chat with CDP 🧚‍♀️, have driven 160 miles, met up with family, been amazed at how quickly my nephews & niece have grown up & had a delicious meal .

In short a good day.

I’m totally knackered though so am going to be a total party pooper & sod off to bed.

Final Thoughts.

Once upon a time being sent to bed this early was a punishment, now it’s a relief!

How sad am I !

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Tim_McTuffty @DoubleTreble @actuallyautistic In fairness, that is me - struggling to get out. But I am sure you could drive a pumpkin home anyway.

beecycling , to bookstodon
@beecycling@romancelandia.club avatar

After enjoying R.F. Kuang's Yellowface so much, I'm now reading Babel - which I got from the library. It's a 500+ page honker, and the library copy is a hardback so I can't exactly slip it in my pocket to carry around. It's definitely an at home read. Enjoying it so far. She has a very readable style. @bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@olliethewobbly @beecycling @bookstodon It is good. It is very challenging, but also a great read.

And yes, not a small book to slip in your pocket!

alexisbushnell , to actuallyautistic
@alexisbushnell@toot.wales avatar

Right I should really try to sleep (or at least rest) because tomorrow is going to be really, really hard.

3 hours travel and my Autism triage assessment.

Please send spoons and spell slots and good vibes and basically anything you've got because I am so nervous (and still waiting to hear about the job I applied for too).

@actuallyautistic

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@alexisbushnell @actuallyautistic Oh sucky. So sorry. And yes, commuting doesn't leave you anything to cope with the other end (I used to do it regularly into London).

Have a rest. Look after yourself as best you can.

ChrisMayLA6 , to bookstodon
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

Here's a handy guide to check yourself against; which way do you display/store/shelve your ?

I have so many that I fit a number of different categories depending on which part of he house you're in.... I doubt I'm alone in my pluralist shelving habits

@bookstodon

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/jan/17/shelf-absorbed-nine-ways-to-arrange-your-bookshelves-and-what-they-say-about-you

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Grizzlysgrowls @riggbeck @ChrisMayLA6 @bookstodon It is ridiculously overused, though. Where here is means "arrange".

It irks me when it is used to mean something else.

SteveClough , to bookstodon
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

Nearing the end of this fab book.

It is really fascinating because it helps to identify what musical forms you like to listen to - not genres or bands, but what is it about the music that appeals.

It has shown me that Authenticity in music is really one of my critical points. And that I prefer Novelty to tradition, musically, as well as in life.

But it also helps me see why other people like music that I just cannot stand. What is it that attracts them.

@bookstodon

https://www.thisiswhatitsoundslike.com/

jillrhudy , to bookstodon
@jillrhudy@mastodon.social avatar

I really don’t mean to be a snob about indie and self-publishing but professional editing makes an immense difference and I can feel its absence within about three pages. Editors at the big 5 are very good at their jobs. 🫣 @bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@jillrhudy @bookstodon I would agree. I wanted to get traditionally published, to get access to the insights and skills of professional editors. But couldn't.

I could have paid, of course, but I would be paying thousands of pounds, and I would never see that back.

SteveClough , to bookstodon
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

Someone on @bookstodon was asking for books of the year. I always struggle with this - remembering, but also, books may have had a profoud meaning for me that I have then absorbed into my understanding.

However, two I will highlight:

Flowers for Algernon.
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting (currently reading). I will say more on this when I have finished it, but it is quite superb.

SteveClough OP ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@bookstodon Oh - it was @kimlockhartga on @bookstodon who started this. I should have known.

SteveClough , to bookstodon
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

I have started reading "The Death and Life of Schneider Wrack". I think the opening descriptions are some of the best portayals of hell I have read. If you want some real, gruelling horror.

It is a little bit Moby Dick and Zombies. Told from the perspective of a Zombie. What better recommendation could you have.

@bookstodon

Tim_McTuffty , to actuallyautistic
@Tim_McTuffty@beige.party avatar

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 35 Sunday 3/12/23

TL:DR A day of 2 halves, a day where my relationship with my father changed forever.
This is not an easy read - peruse at your own risk.

Up at 4 as usual , chatted with CDP 🧚‍♀️ ,then this old squirrel fell back to sleep - it being Sunday n all

My Dad and sister were due over today so my Dad could complete the ASD assessment Informants questionnaire.
We had some unexpected snow so a quick conflab with the parent & we agreed that the visit should be ok.
Tidying up the house , getting washed / changed took up the morning then headed out early because of the snow.

We met at one of our favourite eateries & had a delicious lunch , I had my first turkey dinner of the season & it was delicious.

The drive back was mildly interesting due to the white fluffy stuff but nothing too serious.

We topped my Dad up with a cuppa & biscuits & presented him with the questionnaire - all 16 pages of it !
I emphasised that it needed to be as thorough as possible because a ASD diagnosis can be difficult without childhood details.

About an hour later he finished .
My sister & my Dad left about 4pm to get home before the snow got heavy again. We said our goodbyes etc & they were gone.

I then read thru the answers my Dad have put down …
17/47 questions had no answers , 7 were ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers to open questions.
Apparently the only thing he remembered of me as a baby was that I didn’t sleep well.
Apparently my only strengths as a person are : IT Work & Computer gaming !

I wasn’t expecting war & peace but the total lack of information in answers that ranged from my birth to the present day, via my pre-teen & teenage years was disappointing to say the least.

I am gonna have to approach other family members to see if they can pad this out!

We’re watching Fargo, for about the 4th time, it’s moderately amusing & involves a lot of snow …. hey there are worst ways to pick a movie!

Mixed nuts & alcohol are helping me cope with being such an important part of my Fathers life that in answer to the question “Can they feel empathy” was blank.

Final Thoughts:

I realise that I have not been a model son, I am no great academic , artist , musician or physician. Shit I can barely hold my own in the IT world. I had thought that my own low opinion of myself was just me , but it appears that my father has an equally low opinion of me, so much so that I barely register.

My diagnosis has suddenly become much less likely, since childhood details are fairly key apparently!

I am Squirrel, because being human is far too fecking hard !

Thanks to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you ! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Tim_McTuffty @actuallyautistic This is difficult. I wonder if he also is autistic - and finds it difficult to communicate because of this?

It is of no use to you, of course, but it might be him not you that has the problems.

Not that you don't have problems. You are a squirrel, after all.

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Tim_McTuffty @actuallyautistic Oh I wouldn't suggest it to him. Just for your understanding.

If you can see it isn't really his fault, then it might help you see it as an issue to be solved, not the fault of either side.

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Tim_McTuffty @actuallyautistic I suspect - with no evidence at all* - that he might also struggle to fill it out honestly. It might prove to be over-positive there.

"Oh yes she was walking at 2 weeks, and conversing on phenomenology by 6 weeks. Strengths: They are the greatest living human."

*Everyone else is doing it, so why not.

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Tim_McTuffty @actuallyautistic She clearly got the brains then.

6 weeks to congratulate you is ridiculous. Maybe - and this is just a possibility - he is a dick.

Although he gave the world Dr Sister and you, so he has contributed some good.

Tim_McTuffty , to actuallyautistic
@Tim_McTuffty@beige.party avatar

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 34 Saturday 2/12/23

TL:DR I am a truly socially impaired entity, I am thankful that I have really good & close friends to help me with this. (If that is not an oxymoron! ) ; I fear that spoons are soon to become a big part of my life. ; I am starting to understand that this journey I am on is many faceted , complex and Andrex™ long! ; Downton Abbey is still brilliant !

Today started early, as my days now do with an early morning cuppa and a chat with my Bestie.

Breakfast was had & Mrs Squirrel went to do the weekly shopping run .

I played No Mans Sky in co-op mode for the 1st time with the Cheeky Dutch Pixy who has been kind enough to introduce me to co-op gaming.
The experience was disrupted when an old Playstation Friend of CDPs joined us & my ASD triggered like a bomb going off ! I shrank away from both the new comer & my friend. I came close to turning off the playstation , but settled for flying off to the far side of the planet & changing all the privacy settings.
I fear that I may have scared my friend with some of the the things that I did & said, not that they were terribly terrible, but I am aware that my friend has her own battle with ASD (or ASS as it is in the Netherlands) & that was never my intention , but I had no real control over my reaction. I sincerely hope that a) CDP 🧚‍♀️ will forgive me & b) that in time I will learn tools & techniques to help me deal with such things.

A friend on Mastodon spoke of spoons, & the disconnect between the apparent & physical levels of exhaustion felt by some ND folk. I don’t know if this is a thing for me. I know that I never feel fully refreshed by sleep , but is that just me ?

This afternoon was a quiet one, a few chores & then a Downton Abbey double bill, with chinese takeaway & cider in the intermission.
Watching Downton Abbey: New Era , Violet has just died & my sentimental side is in full flow 😭, I’m such a soft squirrel on the quiet!

Final Thoughts:

The full force of my Social Interaction Impairment element of the ASD Triad hit me like a spade in the face today, the force & speed of the trigger was, in retrospect , quite scary.

The idea of ‘having enough spoons’ was raised again, I have yet to fully understand this concept & wether it applies to me.

When I started my ASD journey I’m not sure I fully understood what I would encounter & what I would learn along the way. This is intriguing, fascinating & frightening almost in equal measure !

Thanks to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you ! 😊🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Tim_McTuffty @actuallyautistic Spoon theory is a really good way to understand how we cope with life.

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@ScottSoCal @Tim_McTuffty @actuallyautistic I think people use it differently and in ways that they find works, but the basic concept is still there, I think.

So yes, a battery makes sense too.

ExcessivelyDiverting , to bookstodon
@ExcessivelyDiverting@romancelandia.club avatar

8 most famous literary love stories from across the world

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/8-most-famous-literary-love-stories-from-across-the-world/photostory/104243207.cms?picid=104243218

@bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@JoelBarr @ExcessivelyDiverting @bookstodon Agree. I mean Beren and Luthien is one of the great love stories.

KrisBock , to bookstodon
@KrisBock@mastodon.social avatar

Quiz: which member of the Thursday Murder Club are you?: 47% - You are mainly Joyce! "You are the heart of the group. You’re the glue that keeps everyone together, and your disarming friendliness can help open doors that would otherwise be firmly locked." https://penguin.co.uk/articles/2023/11/quiz-which-member-thursday-murder-club-richard-osman @bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@KrisBock @bookstodon 40% Joyce, but 27% Ibraham. I'll take it.

theautisticcoach , to actuallyautistic
@theautisticcoach@neurodifferent.me avatar

Do you use the word "Neurodivergent"?

Why or why not?

Do you think it's ableist?

If you don't use it, what word do you use?

@actuallyautistic

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic I don't like it, because it feels too general. Because everybody's neuro-processes are different.

I am autistic. But I also acknowledge that this is quite a broad diagnosis too. It covers a range of experiences that are different for different people.

But it feels like it at least restricts the divergence.

chestas , to bookstodon
@chestas@aus.social avatar

I've just seen the Netflix series All The Light We Cannot See, based on the novel by Anthony Doerr which is sitting on my bookcase. It has tempted me to read and/or reread some novels based in WWII.

Does anyone have any recommendations of novels based historically in or around WWII?

@bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@chestas @jake @bookstodon It is next but one on my physical TBR pile. For a reread.

SteveClough , to bookstodon
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

I am onto a third level cache in my TBR pile.

That is, I have a TBR pile, and am now uto my 3rd level of next piles.

@bookstodon

SteveClough OP ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@MaJ1 @bookstodon It is dark and cold and miserable. ANd that is just outside.

Wife has has a lurgy, so I might end up with that too.

How are you - are you all recovered from your lurgy?

SteveClough OP ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Pierrette @MaJ1 @bookstodon Oh excellent - sort of.

It is good that you have learnt a new word.

ChrisMayLA6 , to bookstodon
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

This week I've been mainly reading, no. 108.

Ave Barrera's The Forgery (2013/2022) is a Mexican caper story about an forced to complete a forgery as part of an inheritance fraud. But by the end its unclear (perhaps purposefully) whether the narrator has experienced imprisonment & exploitation by a violent & rich mastermind, or whether its all a fever dream brought on by a hand injury (turning to sepsis). While quite enjoyable its also finally unsatisfying as a novel.

@bookstodon

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@muirinnmac @ChrisMayLA6 @bookstodon I think novels need to have endings - happy or not. They need to finish the story they are telling.

They can hint at more stories. They can make it clear that there is more than we have read. But the story being told needs to conclude.

And that is from me who loved The Gamekeeper by Barry Hines, which ends where it starts - because life is cyclic like that. It at least finishes.

kimlockhartga , to bookstodon
@kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

You know the drill, @bookstodon Whatcha reading this weekend? ❤📚👀

I finished WE ARE THE CRISIS, the excellent second installment of Cadwell Turnbull's Convergence Saga. NO GODS, NO MONSTERS was the first book.

I'm currently reading Ed Park's bizarro SAME BED DIFFERENT DREAMS.

Next up: THE FUTURE, by Naomi Alderman, author of THE POWER.

SteveClough ,
@SteveClough@metalhead.club avatar

@Cheery @kimlockhartga @bookstodon Do you like Nesbo? I read The Snowman, and found it very predictable.
So haven't been encouraged to try others.

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