Spectrum Superhero

Welcome to Spectrum Superhero! I'm* here to help pass along advice on how to survive the world as a neurodivergent person. People of all neurodivergences welcome. (*I - a 20 year old autistic with bipolar disorder)

[serious]

[exmellivorinae]

OH MY GOD whyyyy did no one tell me you’re supposed to send thank-yous after interviews?? Why would I do that???

“Thank you for this incredibly stressful 30 minutes that I have had to re-structure my entire day around and which will give me anxiety poos for the next 24 hours.”

I HATE ETIQUETTE IT’S THE MOST IMPOSSIBLE THING FOR ME TO LEARN WITHOUT SOMEONE DIRECTLY TELLING ME THIS SHIT

[a-windsor]

NO ONE TOLD YOU???? WTF! I HAVE FAILED YOU. Also: Dear ______: Thank you so much for the opportunity to sit down with you (&________) to discuss the [insert job position]. I am grateful to be considered for the position. I think I will be a great fit at [company name], especially given my experience in __________. [insert possible reference to something you talked about, something that excited you.] I look forward to hearing from you [and if you are feeling super confident: and working together in the future]. Sincerely, @mellivorinae

[exmellivorinae]

THIS IS A LIFESAVING TEMPLATE

[a-windsor]

YOU ARE WELCOME

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

I apologise for disappearing as soon as I set this blog up - unfortunately, it was unavoidable. A small series of catastrophes as I was moving away from my parents left me in some serious financial trouble, including a car crash and an emergency-fund consuming 3am vet visit for my poor puppy, Ella. I was so stressed out over my situation I couldn't contemplate the idea of writing anything, and I sincerely apologise.

I'm feeling somewhat better now, albeit battling a case of freshers flu, and I'm back to help - with the next year for students rolling in, it's a great time for me to delve into my favourite topics - organisation, planning, and time management.

(I say favourite. The worst things. But my favourite things to experiment with.)

[basketballhoopshowerhead]

Adult things arent NEARLY as complex as I thought they were growing up I just walked into bank of america and said im here to open a checking account and they said ok and opened me a checking account

[berlynn-wohl]

If you have anxiety about being an adult, it may help to think of adult things as basically just doing a lot of quests.

Me: [googles “where do i get a passport”] Me: [goes to that building] Me: [asks first person I encounter] Where do I get a passport? Them: Third floor, room twelve. Me: [goes to that room] Me: [asks first person I encounter] Where do I get a passport? Them: That desk over there. Me: [goes to that desk] Me: Where do I get a passport? Them: Fill out this form. Me: [thinking] Silver key opens the garden gate, in the garden is the red key, which opens the red door, there’s a boy in the red house who tells you his dog is trapped in the old abandoned barn and can I please rescue him…

[lemonsharks]

being an adult is a serious of fetch quests and waiting in lines

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

Just so you guys know, I'm not dead, nor have I abandoned this blog! I got sick with the flu a few days ago and only just really recovered, plus I'm moving house in a little over a week, and my thyroid problems are flaring up, so everything has just been really hectic and involved much more snot and a lot less energy than I usually have to deal with.

[lifehacksthatwork]

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

Twitter was probably not the best place to post rice-cooking tips, so I’ll pop this here for you guys, too! 

[coto524]

i like sticky rice so a recipe i’m using at the moment is boil it (without rinsing) with a little vinegar and sugar, gives it a kind of sweet sticky Edge that i think is neat. the recipe above does sound awesome though, i’ll try it next time i get a chance

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

That sounds rad! Not entirely my thing, but still pretty rad. I’m gonna reblog it so others can see it too.

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

What spices do you recommend for your rice recipe?

It’s not really a recipe, it’s just more of a general cooking method that routinely works for me.

I’m the sort of person who’d smother everything in paprika and garlic given the chance, which is probably why no-one eats my cooking. Before I became allergic to one of the ingredients, I quite liked adding chinese five spice, too. Schwartz does a pilau rice seasoning that I’ve never tried but seems pretty kick ass! Basically anything with a hint of sweetness and a bit of a kick seems to work pretty well. Also, you might wanna give these recipes a go

To be honest, though, rice is plain enough that even toasting it (which can give it a bit of a nutty flavour), you can do what you want with it. I can’t think of a spice mix off the top of my head that wouldn’t work. Taco spices, curry powders, lemon and herb, chinese stir fry spices; they all would work pretty nicely.

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

Twitter was probably not the best place to post rice-cooking tips, so I’ll pop this here for you guys, too! 

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

I have another guide written up, but due to the nature of the advice I’m giving, I’m getting a second opinion on it. I’ve done my research, but like all things, there’s nothing wrong with bringing in an expert who knows what they fuck they’re talking about. (Take that, Michael Gove.)

That being said, I do have a question: I’m gonna aim for adding guides once a week (more if I’m feeling particularly chatty). Is that a good pace for you guys?

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

best of luck, bro! i hope all goes well with your transitioning ☺️

@sockopath replied to your post: So today will be pretty quiet because I’m going...

Might be a little late but good luck dude

Thank you both! It went super well; I’m starting T in two days :)

[the-more-u-know]

24 Invaluable Skills To Learn For Free Online This Year

Here’s an easy resolution: This stuff is all free as long as you have access to a computer, and the skills you learn will be invaluable in your career, and/or life in general. 

1. Become awesome at Excel.

Chandoo is one of many gracious Excel experts who wants to share their knowledge with the world. Excel excellence is one of those skills that will improve your chances of getting a good job instantly, and it will continue to prove invaluable over the course of your career. What are you waiting for?

2. Learn how to code.

littleanimalgifs.tumblr.com

Perhaps no other skill you can learn for free online has as much potential to lead to a lucrative career. Want to build a site for your startup? Want to build the next big app? Want to get hired at a place like BuzzFeed? You should learn to code. There are a lot of places that offer free or cheap online coding tutorials, but I recommend Code Academy for their breadth and innovative program. If you want to try a more traditional route, Harvard offers its excellent Introduction to Computer Science course online for free.

3. Make a dynamic website.

You could use a pre-existing template or blogging service, or you could learn Ruby on Rails and probably change your life forever. Here’s an extremely helpful long list of free Ruby learning tools that includes everything from Rails for Zombies to Learn Ruby The Hard Way. Go! Ruby! Some basic programming experience, like one of the courses above, might be helpful (but not necessarily required if you’re patient with yourself).

4. Learn to make a mobile game.

If you’re not interested in coding anything other than fun game apps, you could trythis course from the University of Reading. It promises to teach you how to build a game in Java, even if you don’t have programming experience! If you want to make a truly great game, you might want to read/listen up on Game Theory first.

5. Start reading faster.

Spreeder is a free online program that will improve your reading skill and comprehension no matter how old you are. With enough practice, you could learn to double, triple, or even quadruple the speed at which you read passages currently, which is basically like adding years to your life.

6. Learn a language!

With Duolingo, you can learn Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, or English (from any of the above or more). There’s a mobile app and a website, and the extensive courses are completely free.

Full disclosure: BuzzFeed and other websites are in a partnership with DuoLingo, but they did not pay or ask for this placement.

7. Pickle your own vegetables.

Tired of your farmer’s market haul going bad before you use it all? Or do you just love tangy pickled veggies? You too can pickle like a pro thanks to SkillShare and Travis Grillo.

8. Improve your public speaking skills.

You can take the University of Washington’s Intro to Public Speaking for free online. Once you learn a few tricks of the trade, you’ll be able to go into situations like being asked to present at a company meeting or giving a presentation in class without nearly as much fear and loathing.

9. Get a basic handle of statistics.

UC Berkeley put a stats intro class on iTunes. Once you know how to understand the numbers yourself, you’ll never read a biased “news” article the same way again — 100% of authors of this post agree!

10. Understand basic psychology.

Knowing the basics of psych will bring context to your understanding of yourself, the dynamics of your family and friendships, what’s really going on with your coworkers, and the woes and wonders of society in general. Yale University has its Intro to Psychology lectures online for free.

11. Make your own music.

Step one: Learn how to play guitar: Justin Guitar is a fine and free place to start learning chords and the basic skills you’ll need to be able to play guitar — from there, it’s up to you, but once you know the basics, just looking up tabs for your favorite songs and learning them on your own is how many young guitar players get their start (plus it’s an excellent party trick).

Step two: A delightful free voice lesson from Berklee College Of Music.

Step three: Have you always thought you had an inner TSwift? Berklee College of Music offers an Introduction to Songwriting course completely for free online. The course is six weeks long, and by the end of the lesson you’ll have at least one completed song.

Step four: Lifehacker’s basics of music production will help you put it all together once you have the skills down! You’ll be recording your own music, ready to share with your valentine or the entire world, in no time!

12. Learn to negotiate.

Let Stanford’s Stan Christensen explain how to negotiate in business and your personal life, managing relationships for your personal gain and not letting yourself be steamrolled. There are a lot of football metaphors and it’s great.

13. Stop hating math.

If you struggled with math throughout school and now have trouble applying it in real-world situations when it crops up, try Saylor.org’s Real World Math course. It will reteach you basic math skills as they apply IRL. Very helpful!

14. Start drawing!

All kids draw — so why do we become so afraid of it as adults? Everyone should feel comfortable with a sketchbook and pencil, and sketching is a wonderful way to express your creativity. DrawSpace is a great place to start. (I also highly recommend the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain if you can drop a few dollars for a used copy.)

15. Make your own animated GIF.

BuzzFeed’s own Katie Notopoulos has a great, simple guide to making an animated GIF without Photoshop. This is all you need to be the king or queen of Tumblr or your favorite email chains.

16. Appreciate jazz.

reddit.com

Have you never really “gotten” jazz? If you want to be able to participate in conversations at fancy parties and/or just add some context to your appreciation of all music, try this free online course from UT Austin.

17. Write well.

Macalester College’s lecture series is excellent. If you’re more interested in journalism, try Wikiversity’s course selection.

18. Get better at using Photoshop.

Another invaluable skill that will get you places in your career, learning Photoshop can be as fun as watching the hilarious videos on You Suck At Photoshop or as serious as this extensive Udemy training course (focused on photo retouching).

19. Take decent pictures.

Lifehacker’s basics of photography might be a good place to start. Learn how your camera works, the basic of composition, and editing images in post-production. If you finish that and you’re not sure what to do next, here’s a short course on displaying and sharing your digital photographs.

20. Learn to knit.

Instructables has a great course by a woman who is herself an online-taught knitter. You’ll be making baby hats and cute scarves before this winter’s over!

21. Get started with investing in stocks.

If you are lucky enough to have a regular income, you should start learning about savings and investment now. Investopedia has a ton of online resources, including this free stocks basics course. Invest away!

22. Clean your house in a short amount of time.

Unf$#k Your Habitat has a great emergency cleaning guide for when your mother-in-law springs a surprise visit on you. While you’re over there, the entire blog is good for getting organized and clean in the long term, not just in “emergencies.” You’ll be happier for it.

23. Start practicing yoga.

Most cities have free community classes (try just searching Google or inquiring at your local yoga studio), or if you’re more comfortable trying yoga at home, YogaGlohas a great 15-day trial and Yome is a compendium of 100% free yoga videos. If you’re already familiar with basic yoga positions but you need an easy way to practice at home, I recommend YogaTailor’s free trial as well.

24. Tie your shoelaces more efficiently.

It’s simple and just imagine the minutes of your life you’ll save!

[jellyxdrums]

This is a brilliant source of info :)

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

So today will be pretty quiet because I'm going to the Gender Identity clinic today and it's quite a long way away. (If there's nothing horrendously wrong, I should be starting T very soon :D) I'll try to put some things in the queue whilst I'm on the road!

[trippin-lazy-blog]

TO ANYONE CHATTING TO SOMEONE ONLINE

If you are considering meeting up with someone online use this trick identify who really are who they claim to be:

1. Ask them to Skype 2. If they refuse or can’t for some reason ask for a current selfie 3. If they also refuse or can’t do not meet up with them 4. If they provide one ask them to send another with them holding 3 fingers up 5. If they refuse read step 3 6. If they provide a selfie where they show 3 fingers they are probably for real

(If you’re still unconvinced try again with them drawing something in their hand)

I SAY THIS FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY please spread this message as more and more young people are lured out into situations where they get kidnapped because they weren’t 100% sure the person they were talking to was real.

[prismatic-bell]

ALSO IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 MAKE SURE YOU STATE THE FOLLOWING:

“My [fill in trusted adult here] wants to come too. [pronoun] said we can do our own thing and [pronoun] will just sort of grab [pronoun] own table, but I wanted to let you know. Hey, if you have an adult coming too they could sit together!”

If hearing this freaks the other person out and they decline, TERMINATE ALL CONTACT. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to block. I’m 26 years old and if you tell me you’re coming with a friend or parent for your own safety, I will automatically say “hey, cool. Y’know, if you’re nervous we can just do Starbucks or something, I’m okay meeting in a busy place. That way your [adult/friend] can hang out, too, and they don’t have to pay for [admission, a movie ticket, whatever].” Your safety and comfort is important to me, and is important to any good person you meet online who wants to meet up IRL. In the early 2000s when I first started seeing online safety PSAs, this was a widely-spread tip. Use it.

And for the record, you can use this over the age of 18, too. I still won’t meet people from online except in public places. You never know–that person holding up three fingers and drawing a Pokemon on their palm could be some pervert’s child, niece, nephew, family friend’s kid who was encouraged to take some silly pictures. Always voice-verify and always meet in public, with another person if possible. 

Be smart and stay safe, kiddos. Nina loves you.

[stephiex-deactivated20190318]

This is all so important for everyone and especially my younger followers.

Anyone who is being upfront with who they are and who you can trust will do whatever they need to do to make you and your parents/guardians comfortable. Hence why I am constantly requesting to too-busy-dancing13 to FaceTime her mom…

[a-l-l-of-the-l-i-g-h-t-s]

Please please please listen to this. Not everyone out there can be trusted.

[soft-caressing]

@keith-ltd

[coffee-and-paint]

Take care of yourselves, my friends

[transmascezra]

And don’t just use three finger selfies that’s used a lot. Mix it up ask for the person holding a fork or a paper with a certain word written on it. Stay safe ppl

[keena-kapu]

Another important one I feel the need to mention cause it wasn’t covered; If you’re under 18 as well and the person advises against you talking about them to their parents or guardians, get the fuck out of there. They’ll try and convince you otherwise, but trust me; anyone who is against you telling your parents about them is bad fucking news.

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

So I set up a Twitter page too in case anyone’s interested: spectrumsphero 

I may be terrible at it - I’m not the most succinct person on the planet - but it’s a thing we have now! 

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

Holy hell, guys! That’s amazing, oh my god, I put his blog live YESTERDAY

[spectrumsuperhero-blog1]

Thank you SO much for the doctor appointment script, Dan! I have G.A.D so when I do these phone calls I get tangled up in what to say. I'm definitely looking forward to more posts ! :) thanks again!

I’m glad it’s useful for you! If there’s anything in particular you’d like to see, let me know and I’ll add it to my list