Yeah... about that cat...

Disregard the mindless Half-Life 2 reference. I have a new companion to make my life a little easier for me. Her name is Jessica, and she's been living at my mother's having to fend off now two cats until just yesterday. This should bring my spirits up quite a bit and I should actually be able to do some house chores now. I suppose you could say I'm awakening the cat lover in me, yet again. It was always there, but it grows stronger the more this lovely little breathing ball of far purrs. She's still assessing her new home, getting to know the general lay of the land, starting to realize that some things are VERY movable, etc. But she's a wonderful addition to my apartment and I will cherish her as if she were my human partner.

Welcome!

Hello. My name is Brian Holtkamp, and I have a disorder called Asperger's Syndrome. It messes with my brain and somehow accelerates my thought functions in certain areas (such as logic), but makes it difficult for me to learn, as I absorb information at a slower rate than the majority of people that don't have this problem. If you need that put in lay man's terms, I'm smart, but it's hard for me to learn new things. On top of that, I have ADHD or Attention Defecit Hyperactivity Disorder, as yet truly untreated, making it difficult for me to pay attention at times. I have learned to cope inevitably by forcing myself to pay attention until it became somewhat naturally (but it still presents some major problems during longer sessions of whatever I'm doing, and would make it nearly impossible to work a job at times, which is why I do not).

But a little more about me. I am 21 years old and I was diagnosed with ADHD at 7 and Asperger's at 14. I also have a thyroid problem, which is now fairly under control so long as I take my meds, but the problem is still somewhat prevalent, as treatment of thyroid issues insn't an exact science as of yet). I was "raised" by my mother until the age of 14 (but often shoved off to a friend of hers named Russ), until I moved in with my father at that time. He was fairly ignorant of me, so Russ has been more my mentor often than either of them (bless that man's patient soul). Aside from that, my school history was often one of low grades and shifting locations during my tenure with my mother. It eased a bit once I started getting medicated, but I still am not on the correct combination, 14 years later, because most of the doctors we saw took me in the rather wrong direction and potentially made things worse. I will not glorify my doctor, since he may well fall short of your expectations in terms of the patient-doctor process, being so busy, but he is doing an excellent job and actually gives a damn- which helps quite a bit. He does not accept medicaid, which is probably in the end a good thing with the inevitable collapse of the system, potentially (this author's opinion! Don't slaughter me for it!)