My Deceased Brother Alfred Would Have Been 60 Today

Happy 60th Birthday in Heaven, Alfred! July 13, 1961 – June 19, 1980

He’s been there for more than 41 years. It’s still hard to comprehend his death, and it devastated my family, especially my own mother. I do wonder how he would have reacted if he were still alive at the time when I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (an autism spectrum disorder) back in 2002. During my childhood, no one around his age (he was only 3 three years older than me) had no idea that I was an undiagnosed autistic child. Some of his friends had younger siblings around my age ,and they bullied me.

For some weird reason, no one hated Alfred at school. It seems that they gave him a free pass while a lot of students in school gave me a hard time.

It was unfair, but the biggest unfair was Alfred’s death due to a head injury he suffered from a car accident.

Today (December 17) Is My Birthday!

I spent my day indoors, thanks to the winter snow storm in Boston. I went outside only once to dig out my car. I was totally unable to travel to Key West or anywhere warmer because of the pandemic. Much safer to stay home for my birthday vacation.

Hope this doesn’t happen again in 2021!

A Black Ink Drawing I Made

I did this awhile back during the lockdown.

New Look for My Blog!

Last night, I spent over an hour putting up a new look for this blog! It’s gorgeous!

I am going to be putting in new posts besides the usual birthdays/obituaries! Here’s a taste of what’s to come!

New Blog Title (Sort Of)!

I changed the title of this blog from OUTSIDE IN to OUTSIDE IN VIEW OF UNCOMMON BOSTONIAN. Yes, I altered the title of this blog to reflect the title of my book, The Outside In View of Uncommon Bostonian.  (More info about my book is in that blog post I got pinned at the top of this site.)

Why?

It’s because I want to make a few changes to my blog which I’ve been doing for 15 years. Of course, 12 of those years have been on WordPress.  It was originally on AOL Journals which no longer exists.  It went away in the fall of 2008, and I had to switch the blog over to this place where it’s been since then.

It’s usually a good idea to change up your blog,  So this is the first change. i am thinking about other changes too.  I will still blog about pop culture, but I will add a little more content in the next few weeks.

Stay tuned!

My Older Brother Would Have Been 59 Today!

Happy 59th Birthday, Alfred Preston Christian! (July 13, 1961 to June 19, 1980)

It’s very sad that Alfred died 40 years ago in 1980 from the head and brain injury he got when his blue Camaro crashed into a tree back on June 15, 1980. He was hooked up to machines that could help him breathe and monitor his vital signs, but when his brain died his body died soon afterwards. It was very devastating to my family.

I was 15 at the time. No one, not even Alfred, realized that I was autistic. My Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis came in 2002. I still find it amazing that no one thought about autism.  They all assumed I was just a problem child trying to get attention. They were so wrong.

It was always peculiar to everyone that Alfred was so popular with a lot of people during his brief life.  He usually did everything he wanted to do, and it didn’t bother anyone.

He would talk about  favorite TV shows and movies that he liked (All In The Family, The Godfather, Sanford & Son, The Omen, etc.) and everyone was okay with that. However, when I spoke about my favorite TV shows and movies (Happy Days, Jaws, Six Million Dollar Man, The Sting, etc.) there was hostility towards me. Also, I would talk about how much I love the music of the Beatles and ended facing a lot of pissed off comments from the other kids at school.  The ones who would harass me constantly were never satisfied with anything I said or did.  From their point of view, I wasn’t supposed to like those TV shows, movies, and music.

By the time I graduated from high school, I completely disregarded them. I don’t even bother to do the reunion parties for my old high school.

NOT WORTH IT!

What a Bizarre Month! And It’s Not Over Yet!

I am staying in self-isolation like everyone else. I don’t have Corvid – 19, but the pollen that’s been floating around this month in Boston is horrible.  I have post-nasal drip that has been hell on my throat.  I have been doing all the home remedies.  I even bought Muscinex DM the first time ever.  It’s dry up most of the mucus in me, but I still have a runny nose and the occasional cough.

I could never imagine that I would be staying at home a lot this month with no other place to go because movie theaters, libraries, retail stores, and other non-essential businesses are closed up.  I can do take out at the local restaurants or have it delivered.  I have been doing things to keep my mind off all the depressing stuff I see on the news. I have gone to the store since that is still open. I have washed my hands several times and used hand sanitizer.  At least, my cats are happy that I am home with them more than usual.

I hope things get better in April.  March 2020 really sucks for the whole world now.

July Went By So Fast and Hot!

I hate the fact that most of this month I had to deal with a summer cold.  I have been coughing and sneezing.  At least, I don’t feel so feverish like I did at the beginning of the month.  I still have coughing fits and sneezing loudly.  I was able to go to the 4 of July party at the Esplanade in Boston and also go see the Rolling Stones at Gillette Stadium a few weeks back, despite the cold.

I also was able to see Blondie, Elvis Costello, Steve Miller, and Shaun Cassidy in the past week.  Great time!  Just wish I didn’t feel so exhausted afterwards.

Also, I managed to get through 2 heatwaves this month, thanks to my air conditioner.

Alfred’s Day is Today!

Happy 58th Birthday in Heaven, Alfred Preston Christian!

It’s very sad that he’s unable to be here to celebrate his birthday.  He was in a terrible car accident in June 15, 1980 and succumbed to his head injury on June 19, 1980, a few days later.  It devastated us.

I was horrified by his death because I was terrified about getting a driver’s license, despite the fact that prior to his tragic death, I had already enrolled in Driver’s Ed at the high school I was going to.  During those years, no one including me had no clue that I was a person walking around with undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism.  I was afraid that I would die in a car crash if I got my driver’s license while I was still a teenager like him.

I did get my license and my first car in 1996, almost six years before I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Another thing I think about regarding Alfred is that he somehow was good at making friends with just anybody, even the most obnoxious people who were going to school with me.  I always found it amazing that he could do that.  Obviously, he wasn’t autistic like me.

My Busy Offline Life

I have been busy trying to re-organize my life after moving to Roslindale from Jamaica Plain.  I haven’t had the time to blog here.

Happy Belated Birthday to Bob Dylan (5/24) and Clint Eastwood (5/31). Also, Happy Belated Birthday to both Dean Martin and Prince who share a birthday on June 7.

I was sad to hear about the deaths of Peggy Lipton and Tim Conway.  I grew up watching them both on TV: Mod Squad and McHale’s Navy.

I am trying to think of other ideas to use my blog to elevate my platform.  I happen to be an autistic black woman with a talent for writing and art.  Trying my best to promote myself has not been an easy thing because that involves money.  I did get some money from the sale of my condo, but I don’t want to wipe out my checking account by spending tons of money that might not generate income or job opportunities for me.

Should I ask for money on my blog even though it will not be a tax deduction for you because I am not a non-profit organization?  I’m just an autistic individual.  I don’t know how to sell my art or my writing through this blog, except for my book, The Outside In View of Uncommon Bostonian: What an Autistic Black Woman Sees.

There must be an easier way to make extra income. I do have a day job, but I don’t want it just to be the only source of income for me.  Despite my long work experience and talents, I am still considered inexperienced.  I have been part of the work force for more than 30 years.