The Dawn Of A New Era: New Year's Eve & Autistic Celebration

[UberScout]

Three hundred and sixty five days have passed since 2018 has been on the calendar. Now it is time for the year to die of its prime, and with that, the world is both rejoicing in happiness, and cowering in fear.

Beverages and drinks are being drunk as a way to say "Welcome".

Parties are being held in eager waiting.

But there is one division of society that has no idea what to do with itself in honor of the new year....

And that's us. The Aspies.

How does an Aspie welcome the world's largest crystalline ball descending into the Empire State Building in Rockefeller? What does someone with an inside-out brain do when a giant clock is on their TV screen counting down thirty minutes to midnight because 2019 is almost here?

Do you scream wildly at the neighborhood because it's an exciting occasion? Do you raucously blow an airhorn?

One can only imagine how the rest of the world is saying hello to 2019. But for me?

I am deathly afraid.

After all that's happened to me and my family throughout the year, my ability to keep my head up and stay positive has been mortally destroyed, obliterated completely. I do not feel excitement at 2019's arrival, I feel fear. Dark, shadowy, icy-cold fear.

My family and I will either die slowly in the frown of misfortune this year, or we will struggle more. I don't know which will happen.

 

[Misery]

For alot of us, I think the solution is... nothing. As in, just stay the hell away from all that lunacy and keep to yourself.

Sure is what I'm doing. Hell, I'd forgotten that it even is New Years Eve until someone mentioned it to me an hour ago. And it's like, "Hey, cool story, bro" as I intend on just ignoring the whole freaking thing.

Chances are I'll have forgotten again by midnight.

Though I will admit the fear/paranoia is there, but that's not really related to New Years for me. It's just sort of always present and the subject of that fear is always random.


On a side note, if you ever need anyone to talk to about anything, I think pretty much any of us here are willing to listen and try to help if necessary. Well, most anyway.

 

[Pats]

I do nothing - but tomorrow I'll be doing my "Marco" to all my kids so they can "Polo" me back and I'll know they all survived the night.

 

[Fino]

I used to rant about how holidays, time, calendars, etc. are all arbitrary and that making goals based on the arbitrary cycles is a silly excuse to not have done the thing earlier...

But in the last year or two I decided to stop that because people like me more when I don't do it LOL

Now I just think about the things I hope to do in the coming year, not necessarily related to the exact dates but use it as a reminder to do what I've been doing and would continue to do anyway, which is to reflect on my goals and such.

Back when I drank and partied, at midnight, I would scream things like, "OMG TIME PASSED NO WAY," or "HOLY COW I CANT BELIEVE ITS MIDNIGHT AGAIN WHAT DO WE DO" or scream at the wrong time and then people are confused and you're like, "Oh.. was I early? Well now I don't have to do it later."

I hope your life defies your expectations and improves instead.

 

[Sherlock77]

I don't care about the fireworks, I just photograph the people watching the fireworks... From New Year's Even 2016...

 

[Sherlock77]

I used to rant about how holidays, time, calendars, etc. are all arbitrary and that making goals based on the arbitrary cycles is a silly excuse to not have done the thing earlier...

But in the last year or two I decided to stop that because people like me more when I don't do it LOL

...

Back when I drank and partied, at midnight, I would scream things like, "OMG TIME PASSED NO WAY," or "HOLY COW I CANT BELIEVE ITS MIDNIGHT AGAIN WHAT DO WE DO" or scream at the wrong time and then people are confused and you're like, "Oh.. was I early? Well now I don't have to do it later."

...

Agreed... Best not to rant, just lay low and do your thing, no need to broadcast it to everybody

And I do think (in general) the older people get, the less interesting New Year's Eve becomes, even for NT's... I know lots of people of all stripes who have almost zero interest, my only interest is the event aspect and photography, see my post above this one... I enjoy going, in search of a great photo, or two, or three... That's my only reason to go

 

[UberScout]

You know, I remember something from my stay at Cherry, a state mental hospital in NC where I live. (No, not a behavioral center, not a rehab center, a state mental hospital where people who are messed up in the head go; and the only reason I went there was because of a royal screw up with someone's chart and recommendation that they never bothered to fix)

I was staying there at around Christmas time, and I was maybe two days away from going home (and it was a LONG trip home, because Cherry is located in Goldsboro NC, and I'm in Wilmington, that's maybe 2 1/2 hours of a drive there, I'm lucky one of the people working there even offered to take me home), and likewise, in my pod there was a lot of characters. One guy, whose name I remembered was Danny, had the constant tendency to just wade over the floor dragging his feet everywhere, probably didn't even know where he was half the time, and all he ever did was ask people what time dinner/lunch/breakfast was, which was very few and far between and didn't last long at all; another guy sat at the table playing Pinochle with what I assume he was saying was the ghost of his long-lost son who died of leukemia, and if anybody tried to join a hand, he'd move tables, and I know my roommate was a special kind of crazy, literally all he ever did was lay on his side of my room, under the sheets, staring up at the ceiling all wide-eyed, grinning ear to ear and cackling like somebody was sitting next to him telling him the most hilarious jokes in the world, I never saw him move once, or go anywhere at all; I don't think he even ate.

But then one guy I remember sitting at a meeting in the cafeteria with, he was halfway-coherent for the most part but he still had broken-machine moments, as soon as the nurse mentioned how some people are there on their birthdays (oh hell no!! Not me!), he got around to holidays like New Year's Eve/Day, and this patient was the most fanatic person about it:

"Oh, you can never forget that one, it's the most important day of the year!" He started going on about what you're supposed to do: "You gotta have, uh, black-eyed peas, you gotta have ham, and...collard greens, man, put all of it on there! I oughta get me a plate when I get home..." As he trailed off, he started mumbling to himself about how awesome it all is. I understand he was mental, they might have even listed him as a "Chronic" (I heard that term from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest), but there's the kind that some people can ignore by doing nothing at all and then there's the kind some people ignore by getting away from it.

And even if he wasn't trying to follow me everywhere, and even if it was by pure coincidence he kept ending up near me or around me, somehow, this guy was everywhere I was. The hallway of the dorms, the transitioning hallway to between different areas of the pods, the nurse's station, I couldn't seem to get away from him.

Anyway, at one point, near the end of the day, when everyone was about to go to bed, the last thing he did was just stand there in the dorm hallway of our pod, saying the same thing, over, and over again:

"...peace, and happiness, and love, and joy...to your EEEEEEVER-LASTING LIFE!!!"
Over. And Over. And over. And over.

Again, I get it. There's a couple screws loose in his head. He can't really help it.

But I couldn't have been the only one thinking, SOMEbody PLEASE, SHUT this guy UP. Get him to bed, give him an anxiety medicine, give him some decaf coffee, talk to him, anything.

Thank God I'm out of there. And I'm making sure that I NEVER GO BACK.

You don't want to know what Cherry Hospital is like. If I was allowed to bring a camera with me to take pictures of my time there, they wouldn't be allowed on this forum.

 

[Progster]

I saw in the new year in bed with a book. For me it's just an ordinary day like any other, nothing special, and I don't do anything to celebrate it. What for other people is fun and entertainment, for me is boring and usually just noisy. Like these stupid TV shows that people watch, so that's supposed to be entertainment?

 

[Sherlock77]

I came, I went, I failed in epic style... My New Year's photography that is... And the fireworks were less than spectacular... I feel like I wasted my time even going downtown tonight, my worst ever year for photography of New Year's Eve...

 

[Fino]

A brother of my friend invited his friend and that friend had a girlfriend and the girlfriend left her boyfriend once she was drunk and followed me around, touching me! What the heck! She thought it was hilarious that I was drinking mineral water. I wonder if her boyfriend is mad at her right now or what. How embarrassing...

My friends said they'd never invite them again.

 

[George Newman]

Three hundred and sixty five days have passed since 2018 has been on the calendar. Now it is time for the year to die of its prime, and with that, the world is both rejoicing in happiness, and cowering in fear.

Beverages and drinks are being drunk as a way to say "Welcome".

Parties are being held in eager waiting.

But there is one division of society that has no idea what to do with itself in honor of the new year....

And that's us. The Aspies.

How does an Aspie welcome the world's largest crystalline ball descending into the Empire State Building in Rockefeller? What does someone with an inside-out brain do when a giant clock is on their TV screen counting down thirty minutes to midnight because 2019 is almost here?

Do you scream wildly at the neighborhood because it's an exciting occasion? Do you raucously blow an airhorn?

One can only imagine how the rest of the world is saying hello to 2019. But for me?

I am deathly afraid.

After all that's happened to me and my family throughout the year, my ability to keep my head up and stay positive has been mortally destroyed, obliterated completely. I do not feel excitement at 2019's arrival, I feel fear. Dark, shadowy, icy-cold fear.

My family and I will either die slowly in the frown of misfortune this year, or we will struggle more. I don't know which will happen.

Hang in there, UberScout. I hear ya and can feel all the emotion and pain in your post. It was well written and it is heard. Stay tight to this forum. I’d like to know the ups and downs of your 2019. I wish for you peace, fortitude, bravery, clear-thinking, and perspective. I wish these for us all in 2019.

 

[Pats]

You know, I remember something from my stay at Cherry, a state mental hospital in NC where I live. (No, not a behavioral center, not a rehab center, a state mental hospital where people who are messed up in the head go; and the only reason I went there was because of a royal screw up with someone's chart and recommendation that they never bothered to fix)

I was staying there at around Christmas time, and I was maybe two days away from going home (and it was a LONG trip home, because Cherry is located in Goldsboro NC, and I'm in Wilmington, that's maybe 2 1/2 hours of a drive there, I'm lucky one of the people working there even offered to take me home), and likewise, in my pod there was a lot of characters. One guy, whose name I remembered was Danny, had the constant tendency to just wade over the floor dragging his feet everywhere, probably didn't even know where he was half the time, and all he ever did was ask people what time dinner/lunch/breakfast was, which was very few and far between and didn't last long at all; another guy sat at the table playing Pinochle with what I assume he was saying was the ghost of his long-lost son who died of leukemia, and if anybody tried to join a hand, he'd move tables, and I know my roommate was a special kind of crazy, literally all he ever did was lay on his side of my room, under the sheets, staring up at the ceiling all wide-eyed, grinning ear to ear and cackling like somebody was sitting next to him telling him the most hilarious jokes in the world, I never saw him move once, or go anywhere at all; I don't think he even ate.

But then one guy I remember sitting at a meeting in the cafeteria with, he was halfway-coherent for the most part but he still had broken-machine moments, as soon as the nurse mentioned how some people are there on their birthdays (oh hell no!! Not me!), he got around to holidays like New Year's Eve/Day, and this patient was the most fanatic person about it:

"Oh, you can never forget that one, it's the most important day of the year!" He started going on about what you're supposed to do: "You gotta have, uh, black-eyed peas, you gotta have ham, and...collard greens, man, put all of it on there! I oughta get me a plate when I get home..." As he trailed off, he started mumbling to himself about how awesome it all is. I understand he was mental, they might have even listed him as a "Chronic" (I heard that term from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest), but there's the kind that some people can ignore by doing nothing at all and then there's the kind some people ignore by getting away from it.

And even if he wasn't trying to follow me everywhere, and even if it was by pure coincidence he kept ending up near me or around me, somehow, this guy was everywhere I was. The hallway of the dorms, the transitioning hallway to between different areas of the pods, the nurse's station, I couldn't seem to get away from him.

Anyway, at one point, near the end of the day, when everyone was about to go to bed, the last thing he did was just stand there in the dorm hallway of our pod, saying the same thing, over, and over again:

"...peace, and happiness, and love, and joy...to your EEEEEEVER-LASTING LIFE!!!"
Over. And Over. And over. And over.

Again, I get it. There's a couple screws loose in his head. He can't really help it.

But I couldn't have been the only one thinking, SOMEbody PLEASE, SHUT this guy UP. Get him to bed, give him an anxiety medicine, give him some decaf coffee, talk to him, anything.

Thank God I'm out of there. And I'm making sure that I NEVER GO BACK.

You don't want to know what Cherry Hospital is like. If I was allowed to bring a camera with me to take pictures of my time there, they wouldn't be allowed on this forum.

How awful. I would think being in one of those places would start causing anyone to start acting like the rest of them. Glad you got out.

 

[Pats]

I ordered pizza - just wanted pizza. Around 9 or so I was getting so sleepy I couldn't hold my eyes open and the pizza informed me that I hadn't taken my meds - which includes Nexium so I couldn't lay down. I'd try to lay down but would have to sit back up.

 

[Progster]

the pizza informed me that I hadn't taken my meds

How does the pizza do that, and how does it know that you haven't taken them?

 

[Pats]

How does the pizza do that, and how does it know that you haven't taken them?

very informative, though non-verbal. Keeps coming back and refuses to leave me alone.

 

[Progster]

very informative, though non-verbal. Keeps coming back and refuses to leave me alone.

So how does it communicate to you? Through your stomach? I agree that food can nag quite a lot at times

 

[Pats]

So how does it communicate to you? Through your stomach? I agree that food can nag quite a lot at times

More through my esophagus. lol

 

[UberScout]

How awful. I would think being in one of those places would start causing anyone to start acting like the rest of them. Glad you got out.

And it was only because of our merciful God himself.

Never again. Never.

 

[UberScout]

Hang in there, UberScout. I hear ya and can feel all the emotion and pain in your post. It was well written and it is heard. Stay tight to this forum. I’d like to know the ups and downs of your 2019. I wish for you peace, fortitude, bravery, clear-thinking, and perspective. I wish these for us all in 2019.

You...you actually want to hear me out?

Wait, this isn't a joke or something? You are freely willing to read what I would have to complain about or something?

This...has never happened before...

You are literally the first person to not only be freely willing to listen out for me but also to offer that up front.

Great melancholy Sherlock Holmes, I think this is a sign! There may be hope for me after all!

 

[Misery]

You...you actually want to hear me out?

Wait, this isn't a joke or something? You are freely willing to read what I would have to complain about or something?

This...has never happened before...

You are literally the first person to not only be freely willing to listen out for me but also to offer that up front.

Great melancholy Sherlock Holmes, I think this is a sign! There may be hope for me after all!

He aint the only one that'll make such an offer. Heck, talk to me, if you'd like. It's something I've rather gotten used to. Certainly willing to help if I can.

As I said above, this is a place where you'll find that many are ready and willing to help.