Maybe Next Year (World Autism Awareness Day 2019)

Maybe Next Year (World Autism Awareness Day 2019)

“Maybe Next Year” is a phrase seared into my Chicago Cubs-fan brain. It’s also what goes through my head on Autism Awareness Day year after year, as bits and pieces of hard data and promising factoids sprinkle down like pixie

Face Time, Haircut Time, Winter Time

Face Time, Haircut Time, Winter Time

Apologies for foisting my face upon you so many times here, but I just found that my phone seems to randomly snap stills of Ben’s videocalls to us, and what a pleasant surprise! Ben calls at all times of day,

Hit Me With Your Best Shot (This American Life)

Hit Me With Your Best Shot (This American Life)

A pleasant/unpleasant surprise… I just got word from This American Life that they’ll be re-running our episode from 2007, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” (it comes in the second half-hour of the show, “Unconditional Love”), centered around Ben’s move

The [Golden] Book Thief & Other Tales

The [Golden] Book Thief & Other Tales

It’s been a little while since we checked with Ben of the Blog. He’s been busy. One of our frequent activities is shopping for books, and Ben enthusiastically leads the way. ~~~ Ben very seriously considers which one to pick

One Need, Finally Met: The National Council on Severe Autism

One Need, Finally Met: The National Council on Severe Autism

It took too long, but recently I had an epiphany. It came when I was on the website for autism’s new-kid-on-the-block, the National Council on Severe Autism. Its title is self-explanatory. It’s also depressing, because it shows how the autism

Tom Owley

Tom Owley

“Yeah, how can those even EXIST?!” said Tom Owley, with a tone of hushed reverence that caught me off guard, even if it shouldn’t have. Tom wasn’t a classical music geek per se, but he was a music (and art,

Workin’ Man

Workin’ Man

Ben likes jobs. As Karen and I are getting ready to head back to Chicago, one of our routines is Ben (and I) take out the trash and go get the mail. Moms and Dads (to be stereotypical) can be

Another Word for Mess

Another Word for Mess

Our apartment building in Cleveland has a kid’s room, and Ben treats it as a sort-of lending library for books. Usually it’s nice and tidy, but on Sunday, it looked like a toddler tornado had just breezed through. Sometimes I

Berkshires, Bernstein, and Betty in 1940

Berkshires, Bernstein, and Betty in 1940

WARNING — This has nothing to do with Ben or with autism (even if it does have something to do with Cleveland where we wouldn’t be if it weren’t for Ben and autism so…)! And if you aren’t particularly interested

Train Call

Train Call

As I wrote in the other day’s blog post, Ben’s a bonafide videocall fan. I spared you from having to gaze at my mug in those pics of Ben (thank the photo editing app), but this new one is as-it-is.