Not just what are your autistic traits, but what are some of the silly things or compulsive things you do that you feel is unique/possibly related to your autism?
I always keep a 12’ measuring tape on me which is kind of a new thing in the past year. I fuckin love measuring things, and it makes me feel good to have JUST in case.
I cannot wear branded clothing. I simply cannot.
Yeah I’m not a free marketing sign for them (especially when it is more expensive than other things)
Same, but I make an exception for shoes… and underwear. Both are purely due to comfort-related considerations.
My people.
Haha, I love you just like measuring things. I used that measurement app on my phone for a while and did quite enjoy that also.
I tend to acquire every small fiddleable object through the day so my pockets are usually filled with little bits and bobs. Pebbles, bottle caps, cable ties, ribbons, bulldog clips, maybe bits of Lego or whatever. Just anything I’ve fiddled around with during the day. I have to empty it all out periodically. Along with a hundred tightly rolled up receipts and scraps of paper.
Oh yeah, for whatever reason I find new/random objects to be more satisfying to fidget with than my actual fidgets. Lately fidgeting with paper clips has been my jam. What do you think your current faves are?
Yeah I think I have a paperclip in my pocket. I also end up using them more than my fidget toys. I guess my fav currently are these silicone reusable cable tidy things we have at work. I just spin it around, tie things up, stretch them and generally dick about with them.
Funny you mention measuring stuff, because a quirk I’ve always had which I think is associated with my autism is a very weak ability to estimate quantities and measures. Like if someone asks me how far away, how big, how heavy, etc. something is, I often give a guesstimate which is so far off of what they expect the correct measure to be that they look at me funny and ask “wow really?” which makes me recalibrate my guess and say “uh no actually probably not, if that was the reaction you had to it”
Hahaha, II love that you’re kinda faking them out even if you’re right or not lol. I used to work as a cashier, and I would always guess the weight of the vegetables/fruits before putting them on the scale/scanner thing because i love estimating that stuff too. I did it out loud once and got it almost exact and a couple customers jeard and wete impressed. So I tried a few times and the customers in line and I made a game of it and cheered or "awww"ed when I got it wrong. So fun.
I also like trying to guess the amount of something i need for recipes. Like, a recipe calls for a cup of onions, I look at the whole onions in store and based on size I imagine what it would look like diced in a measuring cup, I usually get close and its so satisfying
I really enjoy doing mental maths, so now whenever me and my friends need to split a bill, they let me do it because they already know I want to.
I also have a measuring tape in my bag! And at my desk. And the couch. And the kitchen. Just because, lol.
I also have a thing for obsessively checking the temperature and humidity in my house, so I have sensors in every room and the balcony!
Heck yeah measuring sibling! Hahaha I love that they’re everywhere, easy access is important if you gotta measure RIGHT NOW!
I used to have two but I lost the large one somehow! It still upsets me to this day and it’s been months lol. I want to get a mini Keychain one just because.
Temperature/humidity checking sounds kinda fun since it probably fluctuates a ton. Is there any particular tend you’ve noticed or that it fluctuates like, minute to minute or anything?
The keychain one is the one I have in my bag! They’re the perfect size to take with you and I honestly used it a few times in stores when I can’t quite guess how big or small something will look in my smaller appartment. Not just furniture but various items.
The trend I see is just… All over the place. It changes from day to day a little bit, obviously when it’s raining the humidity is higher but even with warmer weather the humidity is high, sometimes. But then I can act accordingly because I can justify taking pain killers for my chronic pain, humidity is the Evil Force that makes it worse and I don’t wanna take pain killers whenever so then it tells me “it’s okay, weather’s just shit”.
Also an European thing to do because we don’t use AC is opening doors and windows whenever it cools down at night / mornings. I check the measurements every 15 minutes and whenever it’s cooler outside then inside, it’s go time! Lol
Dang taking the temperature to determine when to close/open the windows is a great idea. I don’t have AC in my house and much prefer fresh air so I open windows at night and try to find the perfect time when I should close everything up. I think between 11am-12pm is the sweet spot, but then I worry if I close up too early I’ll miss out on more sweet sweet cool air! Lol
Exactly! Lol
I even went as far as getting a cheap temp sensor from AliExpress that works on batteries and has wifi so I get a notification when temp is below xx degrees called “windows open”
I don’t do it now, but I used to carry a compass because I couldn’t work out where south was. I grew up by the sea, which was south of me, and moving in-land caused much confusion.
