Yet another new person on here!

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Yes, I'm unusual. A bit different. Somewhat strange. I tend to ramble on about things nobody is interested in but me. Wait. No. Should I delete this? Since I was a child, I was not the same as others. But I couldn't really tell, all I knew was me. As I grew older, I became more aware of being different and doing copycat things to fit in. And fit in just a tad. Not many friends in life, but those I have are good ones that I've known for years. I almost always excelled in school, unless I became bored with the subject or the teacher. I was asked to join the National Honor Society in my junior year. I turned them down. I was not a member of any club, sport or afterschool activity. I grew up in the strict household of a career US Army enlisted man. When I was young, I would stand at attention outside my room for its inspection! All toys put away? Darn tootin'! I played with Lego's from the age of 2. I didn't care much for others to come and play, they would either do something stupid, break something, or try to introduce another toy into the play that was out of scale (Someone brings a GI Joe that's 12" tall into my Matchbox car arrangement.) Most kids thought I was odd. I didn't think so. I had to do a presentation in front of my senior year English Honors class. I was scared out of my mind. When I got up there, I started into my spiel (I was explaining to them the aerodynamic effects of lift and drag in concern with automobiles and airplanes), I stepped into my world. I was up there for 12 minutes (only was to do 5 minutes). Finally the teacher had to bring me down. I joined the US Navy. I wanted to go to MIT, but the consellors at school were worthless to find out about grants, etc. My parents made too much for me to cry poor. They made too little to send me to school. So the Navy it was. I went to the Naval Nuclear Power School in Orlando Fl. I was in my element. The equivalent of 4 years of college engineering shoved into you in 6 months. I think there were many more people like me in that program. But I was still odd to many. After graduating and moving on to the next thing, I had long distance family problems in combination with interacting with people I didn't want to be around. I shut down. I got busted. I went to the regular fleet where I was taunted by "sea apes" (best I can describe it.) Thank God I got out not too long after that. Sooo... I went to work in the stereo business for many years. Started out installing car stuff, then went on to home stuff. I even went to Skywalker Ranch for 2 weeks in 1996 to get my THX Level 2 certification from Lucasfilm. But burnout became ever more present. I left that business and became a telephone lineman in cable repair. Where I am today and hate it. Money and benefits are good. Job sucks. I learned to deal with people over the years. But the more I'm around them, the more time I want alone. I got married a few years ago. I hunted down the girl I liked when I was nine. We get along good. She has enough empathy for both of us. Man, there is so much I could say in this post! Sheesh! A couple of years ago, I heard of AS on NPR. As I was listening to this guy talk about he and his son, I just kept laughing and saying, "That's ME!" over and over. Finally the other week I ordered Tony Attwood's Complete Guide to AS. When it first came in, I flipped through it randomly. Shaking my head. "That's me. That's me, too." Son of a gun. My wife started flipping though it and laughing even harder. "That's you!" She kept saying. So here I am. I don't think I have as much social anxiety as many folks, I can easily be the life of the party with endless jokes (all dirty.) But I'm always on my toes. In an environment where I don't know the people, I'm careful and usually sit with my back to the wall. Looking. Assessing possible threats to security. Can't wait to get out. I have no empathy. I can't "read" a room. I look at people. Their expressions, the way they carry themselves. I think I should be a cop. I made an appointment to see a clinical psychologist in about 5 weeks. The various tests I've taken online point to AS. All I've read points in that direction. My idiosynchratic behavior points there, too. I just don't know. It's like being on the verge of discovering your true identity. You think you know. But you want to confirm it.

Are you asleep yet?

Specialized interests:
Automobiles.
Lockheed Skunkworks aircraft.
Quality! (Cameras, watches, tools, etc.) If I buy it, I'm going for the best I can get with my wallet.
Stereo equipment.
A bunch of other stuff!

“Hello,” ncpaladin, and welcome to the Wrong Planet community.

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

The first few lines were pretty much me..... And anything beyond that, I dunno, because I haven't lived that long yet.

I find it amusing that you're both proof that you can achieve anything that you want and that you really shouldn't do stuff that's not right for you.

Have fun. The label's a bit sticky, but fun and worth it.

And the disorder's a bit of a hassle, but fon and worth it.

....Just think of this: Perhaps you experience things, ALL things more intensely then most. You just don't know it because it's normal to you : ). I RELISH good food, good comedy, I get repulsed by bad food and low humour.....

Go look for attributes you may not have realized you had. Then grin in retrospect....

"Life ain't measured in years, it's measured in tears and laughter and whatever causes it"

Welcome ncpaladin.

You will fit in with a lot of long-winded people here. I am kinda like you, I can't read a room unless they're about to storm the podium!!

Hope this is ok to say: could you please use paragraph breaks in the future? Thanks!

welcOme!

Welcome to WP!