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As an autistic man, one way in which I observe the world is by seeing the idiosyncrasies of how people act. The behavior traits we possess are a product of the environment in which we grow, the people we are around. I cannot speak for the ways in which a neurologically 'normal' individual--and, for that matter, anyone else aside from myself--develops their personality in comparison to those who have autism. However, it stands to reason that the experience would largely be the same for most folks. We observe how grown-ups and other kids interact with each other. We are influenced by what we see and hear on TV, at the movies, on the radio, and more prevalently these days through the ever-expanding juggernaut of streaming services and video websites. From infancy, to adolescence, well into the beginning years of adulthood, our minds are as moldable as clay. Being aware of this has helped to keep me honest, not only in how I manage my own behavioral patterns but in my reactions to those of others. I don't remember who said it, but remember an old saying from my childhood: "for every stone you are preparing to throw, be aware there are at least three more being prepared for you." To offer an example from my daily experiences, there have been times where someone would say hello to me, then automatically follow it up with 'how are you doing today?' I would respond, then ask the same question. A manufactured greeting is met with a manufactured response, or sometimes none at all. There have been times where I would ask someone how they are doing and either be met with complete silence or a statement that had nothing to do with the question. It makes me feel as though my words are going in one ear and out the other, that I am not of enough merit to merit a response. In recent times, I've been able to put a humorous spin on it...I played around with the idea of giving a more bugged-out reply ("I'm sleeping with chickens, how about you?" or "I'm letting eighty tigers loose in the neighborhood, how about you?"--something along those lines) but abandoned the idea, simply because it's not really in my nature to use that kind of sarcasm with people. (For what it's worth, LL Cool J actually used the latter line on a track called "Soul Survivor", and I point this out as a safeguard against incurring the wrath of Cool James' legal team.) As Evelyn observed, I have a tendency to take benign situations and attach meaning to them that isn't there until it is assigned. In the interest of keeping peace, I take things in stride as much as I possibly can. Growing up in what many will consider a golden era for animation, I found myself heavily influenced by what I watched on television, and graduated from a passive observer to an active participant--as actively as you can participate in something being broadcast off a Betacam SP tape, anyway. After watching a particular episode of a series enough times, I would find new ways to immerse myself in the experience, whether that involves paying attention to 'easter eggs' the artists would occasionally insert into certain scenes or listening much more intently to dialogue. Every show had its own elements that made an impression on me, and even at a young age I was able to observe the interplay between characters, honing the immersion process as a means by which to not only expand my own personal lexicon through the appropriation of interjections, phrases, and expressions but make observations on acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. In something as seemingly inconsequential as Dexter's interactions with his 'stupid sister' Dee Dee, or the ways in which Eustace would torment his dog Courage (who inevitably wound up saving him and his wife Muriel from certain doom by the end of an episode, true to his name), the Eds' harebrained schemes to swindle the neighborhood kids out of their allowances and spend the proceeds on jawbreakers, or the inspiring stoicism demonstrated by Samurai Jack as he battled against the demonic deity Aku and his malevolent forces of darkness, a template was being created that would inform much of my youth and retains an influence, however fleeting, on who I am today. My school years have gradually become ever more a blur, which I would attribute more than anything else to how aside from the moments in which I would focus enough on my schoolwork to get good grades on assignments and exams, I had become so captivated and fascinated with the media I absorbed that it became a preoccupation. There is little else I could tell you, with any assurance of full accuracy, about what it was like in those days. I do remember that as a child, I was never fearful of anyone or anything. I never tried to get out of going to school for fear of potentially running into a bully, though being in the ESE (exceptional student education) program may have in a sense served as a 'get out of jail' free card for avoiding bullies. There are names that come to me, the faintest recollections of faces. I remember a young man named Travis who had a predisposition to sensory experiences, a young girl named Laura who bore a striking resemblance to the Scooby Doo character Daphne. I don't recall having to go to the doctor very often, though how much this was influenced by my parents is uncertain. What I do remember is that while I did have to take the occasional sick day off from school, I never fell victim to anything worse than the common cold. I never had to deal with mumps, measles, chicken pox, or rubella. The sickest I have ever been in my life was when I contracted COVID-19 in 2021, nearly twenty years removed from those school days. Luckily, I managed to make a full recovery in less than two weeks and subsequently received two vaccinations. (As I don't enjoy having needles in my skin, this is not by any means a 'flex'.)