Lack of daily routine

Yes the Mafia does go way back, not that I can remember much information. With the limited information that I can recall, we covered this:

https://www.history.com/.amp/this-day-in-history/aldo-moro-found-dead

No need to  apologise, I can’t remember details about the Mafia.

‘I find it interesting that both Italy and Germany are relatively recent as actual united countries, having been small city states or principalities for much of history.’

Maybe this explains why there is such a marked North/South divide in Italy, certain regions wanted to exist independently. For your knowledge or interest, there are 20 regions in Italy.

 I have a Kindle although I don’t use it much now, I much prefer paper books.

I also shun routines. This is  because I have realised that the upset caused when a routine is, unavoidably, broken, is of far greater impact than is the soothing effect of any routine that runs to completion.

I bet the origins of the mafia go way way back. I was reading something about Ancient Greece and some areas had cultures which reminded me of the mafia (not that I know anything beyond the most basic general knowledge as I don't like violence and don't watch violent movies) and they did have links with Sicily. I can't recall the details and it was a kindle book so I tried to look but one can't just flick through the pages and try to find a thing and the chapters only had numbers which is really unhelpful for me finding anything!

It is a bit frustrating when I can't recall details, sorry. I make connections but then can't follow them!

I find it interesting that both Italy and Germany are relatively recent as actual united countries, having been small city states or principalities for much of history. Except the Roman empire of course, which went way beyond just Italy.

‘Anything I don't know much about also attracts my attention, but there is so much to know and I am very much aware that I can barely scratch the surface, but still, it is a very satisfying itch to scratch!’

Yes there is so much to explore, we can learn so much from the past. Maybe you can delve a bit deeper into church history to satisfy your inquisitive autistic brain. Feed your curiosity! 

When I studied A Level Italian yes I did study history. There was much more content about the culture and history. I learnt about the period of Fascism before the World War and the Mussolini era as well as the origins of The Mafia and their influence on the country. I really enjoyed these topics, it was really interesting to learn about the country in more depth. I also learnt about the North/South divide and I read the book ‘Io non ho paura’ (I am not scared) for one of my exams. It was great!

Thanks for asking!

Yes, and the feminists wanting herstory, but that is not the actual etymology of course. As a Christian I rather like the idea that the whole of history is His story, Him being God!

I don't have a fave period any more, it was more a case of filling in the gaps and fitting things together. I am currently interested in church history and how that relates to political, social and cultural history, the development of theological ideas and how they interact with philosophical ideas. Also how the Old Testament relates with the Ancient Near East.

Anything I don't know much about also attracts my attention, but there is so much to know and I am very much aware that I can barely scratch the surface, but still, it is a very satisfying itch to scratch! And seeing different viewpoints and how the same events are experienced by different people. Trying to imagine alternate histories how things might have gone is also interesting.

Did you study Italian history as well as the language?

Have you ever realised that the subject of history is literally ‘his story?’

What periods of history interest you most now?

I have become more interested in other periods of history since, and how they fit together and tracing themes through time, but back then I was very much more into medieval stuff.

Yes, I do relate to that. Novelty and sameness! Motorhoming is my ideal holiday as I get to take my own safe comfy environment with me to new locations. Only problem can be outside noise, but that can happen at home. And my hobby of language learning - a new language is novel but it is still a language and has familiar features. I do have stable long term special interests and other short or medium terms one, or ones I am sometimes into and sometimes not.

I was struck by what she said about being at home the ADHD traits come out more but when out the autistic traits come out more. Food for thought.

https://youtu.be/pMx1DnSn-eg I have just come across this video and its certainly food for thought! I have 2 friends with ADHD and another who has mentioned the possibility in themselves. I have always related well to this youtuber, more so than many others. Hmm...!

Re dual diagnosis, it's interesting how she said you can feel contradicted by yourself and also how the traits can cancel each other out. I do have quite a need for novelty but sameness at the same time. 

I'm very routine based, too. It also takes me sometime to adapt to my wife being off work when she takes holidays. I just adapt to it & she's back at work again. Within my household 99% of the time I'm the first one up in the morning, whether I'm at work or not. If I'm not it really knocks me to pot. 

She also recently bought me a snuddie, I put it on for 10 minutes, then took it off again, hung it back upstairs within my wardrobe again, reason for doing so, I thought it was making me too lazy, sometimes I can't even understand myself

Cuneiform sounds really interesting, it was obviously a very intricate process that required lots of skill and attention to detail.

AuTriker said:

I did my medieval languages at degree level and yes it was much better learning languages in that environment. My Biblical languages I have had online tuition for which I have found even better for learning as I am not doing other degree modules as well which would exhaust me now. As my sole focus I was able to learn Greek really fast and well.

This type of learning suits our monotropic neurology so much better, we can become specialists (as you notably are). I think that is also why A Level Italian suited me better because there was so much more depth I could explore at this level.

AuTriker said:

I am now imagining if the education system was designed to suit us! What a pleasant idea. I think some subject might suit being devoured in big gulps, like studying just one period of history for a whole month, but languages do best with a little every day. I think for subject I enjoy, the thought of doing them in bigger blocks than an hour here and another there appeals, but for subjects I dislike maybe they would be better scattered in smaller chunks...

Yes it’s a great idea! Yes I would have much preferred devouring subjects in big gulps because by the time I was interested in a subject at school, the lesson was nearly finished. Yes if the education system was redesigned for autistic neurology we would be able to engage much better/passionately and be great autodidact learners. It would be so cool, this is our vision for autopia! 

Having a passionate teacher is so important, students can’t be interested if teachers are not enthusiastic. There is no such thing as a boring subject, it just depends on the way it is delivered.

AuTriker said:

Also within a subject having choice in topics - I was so frustrated that GCSE history had so much modern and virtually no medieval! I think the teacher had choice, but I had no choice of teacher...

It would be so much better if the curriculum was designed around interests, at least you had the pleasure of studying medieval languages at degree level. I personally enjoyed learning about more modern history, it felt much more relevant to our life today. 

Cuneiform is a writing method slightly older than hieroglyphic and may be the oldest writing system in the world. It is formed by pressing a wedge into wet clay. If a library of clay tablets burnt down, it had the effect of firing the clay so it survives, the opposite effect of other libraries! It was used to write the Sumerian language and Babylonian and a couple of others.

I did my medieval languages at degree level and yes it was much better learning languages in that environment. My Biblical languages I have had online tuition for which I have found even better for learning as I am not doing other degree modules as well which would exhaust me now. As my sole focus I was able to learn Greek really fast and well.

I am now imagining if the education system was designed to suit us! What a pleasant idea. I think some subject might suit being devoured in big gulps, like studying just one period of history for a whole month, but languages do best with a little every day. I think for subject I enjoy, the thought of doing them in bigger blocks than an hour here and another there appeals, but for subjects I dislike maybe they would be better scattered in smaller chunks... Although if taught well there didn't ought to be bad subjects. Also within a subject having choice in topics - I was so frustrated that GCSE history had so much modern and virtually no medieval! I think the teacher had choice, but I had no choice of teacher...

M11 said:

I just don’t see the point in having time off

Neither do I, I wouldn’t probably choose to use my holiday either. 

AuTriker said:

Ten weeks is not really long enough to learn to read all the hieroglyphics, but I understand the principles. Not all the signs are pictograms as such, some are phonetic and some show what category of thing a word means. The only two I remember are niwt as city and that cat sounds like miaow! But we also looked at some of the literature which was interesting.

I suppose ten weeks is not long enough, the courses sounds really interesting though. Understanding the principles of hieroglyphics is a really unique and cool skill to have.

What is  cuneiform? Never heard of that before.

‘Funny thing, I didn't totally enjoy language learning at school. I think I would have in a class with others who wanted to learn, but too many kids just want to muck around and not pronounce words properly so trying too hard at pronunciation would have drawn even more mockery than I already attracted.’

That why specialising in a language either at A Level or degree level is better because you are with a group of people who have chosen to study the subject and really enjoy it. I understand that other students can be quite mean or disinterested but I bet your teachers would have been impressed by your dedication and interest. You seem to have already educated yourself much more about languages through your dedicated interests, then what you were taught at school.

It would be so much better if the education system was built around students interests, it would suit our monotropic autistic/neurodivergent minds much better!

I might try Duolingo again since we are chatting about it. Yes some of the sentences are quite funny.

Thanks! Ten weeks is not really long enough to learn to read all the hieroglyphics, but I understand the principles. Not all the signs are pictograms as such, some are phonetic and some show what category of thing a word means. The only two I remember are niwt as city and that cat sounds like miaow! But we also looked at some of the literature which was interesting.

I am certainly attracted to obscure languages. I would rather like to learn cuneiform, but that would be really difficult.

Funny thing, I didn't totally enjoy language learning at school. I think I would have in a class with others who wanted to learn, but too many kids just want to muck around and not pronounce words properly so trying too hard at pronunciation would have drawn even more mockery than I already attracted. Oddly though it was actually the school trip to Germany that helped me be a little less unpopular. They got us to write a diary of the trip and I won the prize for it because I wrote loads and most people didn't, but on the bus trip back everyone wanted to read my winning diary and they seemed to enjoy my writing so I got a bit of respect after that.

I don't entirely dislike Duolingo's odd sentences, they are often amusing. 

I don't seem to gain spoons from enjoyable things, sadly. The best case is some don't seem to use any spoons as such.‘

That’s a shame.

I thought Greek might be one of your dedicated interests. You are very much a linguist! You seem like a very interesting person.

Your ten week course in Ancient Egyptian sounds really interesting, do you understand hieroglyphics? There is so much we can learn from foreign cultures both past and present.

Ancient Egyptian or Greek seems so much more exciting than the standard languages we learn in school. Having said that I studied Italian at GCSE and A Level and really enjoyed it.

‘I have used Duolingo, but I'm not sure I will ever need to tell a Spaniard that my turtle drinks milk...’

I doubt it too, like you say some of the example sentences Duolingo provides are rather odd and will never actually be useful.

Recuperating today.

Ausomely Autistic said:

If I am on holiday (which I really don’t like) it’s like I have too much time to be able to organise myself to achieve anything. I think it’s because I am monotropic, I need to be interested or focused on one or a few things to achieve something.

This is exactly me! I always get asked to use my holiday bank as I’m always got 90% left midway through the year and unless I’m taking a trip with my partner I just don’t see the point in having time off as I’m usually just so unproductive and end up spending my time switching from TV, phone and any other menial tasks I waste my day with.

I don't seem to gain spoons from enjoyable things, sadly. The best case is some don't seem to use any spoons as such.

Yes I could already read the Greek alphabet, writing systems having been one of my special interests since my teen years. Learning the Hebrew writing now is fun, as I haven't tried learning a new alphabet for many years now, and it's an interesting one with how it does vowels.

Add Old English, Middle English and Old Norse to the list, some French and German from school and a ten week course in Ancient Egyptian! I have used Duolingo, but I'm not sure I will ever need to tell a Spaniard that my turtle drinks milk...

Unknown said:

I think I put too much pressure on myself sometimes even when it's just me at home.

We are our harshest judges unfortunately.

It's good to be motivated though, but, try to not load so much on yourself. That's what I try to do now.