I saw Temple Grandin!

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Temple Grandin was giving a conference in my area yesterday, and my dad and I went to it...I was pretty excited because I've read several of her books, but I'd never seen her in person, except for in Youtube videos and her HBO biopic from a few years ago (which I really enjoyed seeing, btw. )

Anyway, my dad and I got there, and they had some breakfast stuff out, and a table full of books related to autism/Asperger's, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, and these really cute lizards called "Gentle Geckos." They were like the "Sand Pets" that were popular in the 90s, only a lot bigger, and they were designed for a person to hold in their lap and be soothed by the gentle pressure they gave. I wouldn't have minded a Gentle Gecko of my own, if they made one that was purple, pink, and blue and looked like Randall from Monsters, Inc.

Then the actual conference started, and Ms. Grandin told everyone about the different types of thinking (i.e. Visual Thinking, etc.) and about her career, how important it was to find mentors and supportive environments for people and their special interests, etc. At the end of her talk, she went back to the "break room" so she could answer peoples' questions and meet up with her mother (she had also come to give a talk, and I actually saw her walking around in the break room at one point) and my dad suggested that I ask her to autograph one of the books I'd bought (I'd gotten Aspergers and Girls and Different...Not Less). At first I was sort of anxious, because I was worried I would do/say something wrong and just embarrass myself, but when I approached Temple, I noticed that lots of people were standing around her, taking her picture, asking her stuff, etc. and somehow that made me feel better. So, when it was my turn to see her, I asked her if she would sign my copy of Different...Not Less, told her that I'd enjoyed her talk, and introduced her to my dad. We only saw each other briefly, partly because she had other questions from parents to answer, and partly because I was relieved that I hadn't done anything to embarrass myself (yet) and had said my goodbyes and turned around in my usual quit-while-I'm-ahead fashion, lol.

I also really liked the sound of her voice....it didn't sound like any other voice I'd heard, and I just liked that.

All in all, it was a great experience (my dad loved it too) and I was really happy I got the chance to meet her.

Wow! You are so lucky! That sounds so cool! I hope to see her in person, one day! How do you like that book? I am looking for good books about Asperger's in girls.

Hi, LAlien (I love your username!) Yes, it was really cool...she seemed like a nice person to talk to (even though I didn't see her up close for very long). I haven't really gotten that far into reading Aspergers and Girls yet (although I like what I've read so far), but there's also another book I liked called Aspergirls by Rudy Simone.

Ok, thanks! I'll take a look at both books (if I can find them near me). I am so happy she is nice in real life, too. I have been waiting for somebody to comment on my username, I thought it was very clever (wow, I'm not really that vain, am I? haha)!

That is so great. I am so happy for you that you got to have that experience. And what a treat to get to share that with your dad. I'll bet you'll never forget it.

And think I might like one of those geckos too!