Spin off: special interests

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Can someone explain the special interests thing to me...I am just not sure if I have special interests.

I know I get engrossed in TV on DVD collections, poetry (writing it), reading (but not lately), computers (I could be on the Internet for hours). But I don't think any of these things really are special interests.

For instance when i was playing WoW, i knew all about it. I dont just mean what characters you could play, but exactly where each quest was, silly numbers and equations about resists and stuff. I knew just about everything there was to know. When i get interested in something i research and involve myself in the interest to the point where i dont do much else at all. I didnt eat, didnt sleep... Just played WoW.

Im like this with books too, i cant put a book down if i get obsessed with it. Or a series of books for that matter. When i learned about aspergers i spent hours and hours every day and night reading and obsessing about it.

I guess its more of how much time you put into your special interests that matters. If you play a game for an hour a day you dont really have a problem imo. But if you play a game 16 hours+ (or read, or write or whatever) its seriously affecting other aspects of your life. Like when i was collecting dvds and books that i was interested in, i spent countless hours researching those as well (but i guess thats cause i have a tendency to get caught up with stuff thats hard to get a hold of, so i had to make special arrangements to get those things)

But like i said, i think its mostly about the time you put into them, not neccesarily what you're interested in.

A special interest is an obsession over something in particular. You feel as if you have to know everything about it and collect anything that has to do with it. Mine are the show 'Happy Tree Friends' and skunks.

For me, having special interests means loving a particular thing so much you feel like you can't live without it. At least, that's how I feel about my special interests.

It's something particular you like learning about, where each piece of knowledge you obtain seems to stick in your memory. You want to know everything about this topic and can't get through a day without trying to learn more. Sometimes they are short e.g. a few weeks, while others can last for years. For me anyway.

OK, then my obsession is definitely my TV shows, now that I have a clearer picture of what people mean. I will tape them on the DVR and watch them over and over. I will buy every episode on DVD and watch that over and over. I will read as much as I can about the shows I like online. I know about every character and freak out when one of my favorite shows gets cancelled, but still obsess over it for a few months (well, years, if you count Joan of Arcadia). It's mostly these teen shows, even though I am 27. I know some people my age who like them, but I think I know the most about the ones I am interested in.

In 1999-2000 it was "The Simpsons". Now it's politics.

I was soooo mad it was cancelled, to this day I will NOT watch the Ghost Whisperer, even though I might actually like it. My husband teases me that he got me the Ghost Whisperer for me on DVD