Autistic N!ck’s Top Ten Favourite Blog Posts

Today marks an auspicious occasion.

As I fling open the wooden shutters and allow the sunlight to pour in.

I look down across the town square to see excited villagers hurrying around with fixed smiles on their faces.

Bunting is being stretched and attached to wooden posts. Tables are having virginal white table cloths laid onto them.

Chairs are being scraped and pushed under the table.

The smell of cooking can be smelt for miles around.

Wine is being delivered on the back of a donkey.

A banner is being placed up high into the sky.

It reads “Happy 150^th Blog post Autistic N!ck”

Yes, this milestone is worthy of a celebration and I intend to celebrate it.

So here then are my top ten favourite blog posts from the 150 blogs that I have written.

The Retro Interview

http://theretrocinema.com/

This was the first interview blog post that I did.

One of the main reasons that I selected the Retro cinema was that the two people behind it Gidgit Von La Rue and Angry Man

Have such a passion for the eighties movies that they review.

They also reached out to me when they did a review of the movie Rain Man.

I wrote a piece on my thoughts about the portrayal of Dustin Hoffman’s character Raymond Babbitt.

You can read my blog post on it here https://autisticnick.com/2019/03/18/rain-man-and-savant-syndrome/ and listen to the Rain Man podcast here http://theretrocinema.com/116-rain-man/.

On a personal note they have been so supportive of me and my website and I can’t thank them enough. I also came up with The Retro Cinema Bingo which you can play here.

https://autisticnick.com/2018/02/16/a-retro-interview/

Movie Reviews in 20 Q’s Interview

https://mritqs.podbean.com/

Next out of the gate is this hilarious podcast from New Zealand.

Sam Hurley and his lovely wife Stacey take a different refreshing approach to reviewing movies.

This is the reason why I reached out to Sam. Now Sam did a really wonderful thing after the article was published.

He recorded an audio version with his wife Stacey asking him the questions.

You can read my blog post on him and his podcast here https://autisticnick.com/2019/02/18/movie-reviews-in-20-qs-interview/ and listen to the audio version here https://mritqs.podbean.com/e/bonus-ep-interview-with-sam-about-mritqs/.

Again, I must extend my thanks to Sam and the Movie Reviews in 20 Q’s podcast for all of their support. Also, I came up with Movie Reviews in 20 Q’s bingo you’re welcome everyone in the world.

I hear on the grapevine that Nicolas Cage is a keen competitor.

A Tasteless Interview

https://www.tastelesspod.com/episodes/

This Tasteless Blog post is bought to you by Autistic Nick and no one else! (Inside joke) If you are a regular listener to Emily Higgins podcast then you’ll understand the reference.

Emily again attacks the movie review genre with a completely original take on reviewing movies.

Tasteless is a movie podcast that pays tribute to the films no one else wants to talk about, from the trashy to the absurd. In each episode, Emily Higgins takes a highly regarded film and finds a less beloved movie she recommends instead.

Emily was a delight to interview and to gain an insight into the person behind the podcast.

I wasn’t aware of just how much work goes into researching each movie before she makes notes and hits the record button inside her closet whilst her cat throws shade at her.

My thanks to Emily for taking time out of her busy work schedule to answer my questions.

You can read my blog post about Emily and her shady cat here https://autisticnick.com/2019/03/25/a-tasteless-interview/

Kira Community Services Q & A Series

Special mention must be extended to these guys.

The idea of these interviews was to allow people to gain an insight and to find out about the people who make Kira what it is.

I started this continuing series by interviewing the current CEO of Kira John ‘Angus’ Macdonald.

On a personal note John is one of the loveliest CEO’s that I have ever met.

He has a strong passion for helping those within the disability sector and has personally helped me out recently.

You can read about this here https://autisticnick.com/2019/04/15/autistic-nck-and-the-abc-the-australian-broadcasting-corporation/ my sincere thanks to John for connecting with his contacts and providing me with this opportunity.

To find more about Kira click here www.kira.org.au also

Kira are always looking for passionate and committed support workers.

If you think you have what it takes to join the Kira family, please apply online. 

You can read all about John and his bagpipe playing here https://autisticnick.com/2019/04/09/qa-at-kira-john-macdonald-chief-executive-officer/ as well as my interviews with Gabi Anderson their HR manager and Sue Chaplin-Aradagh a Disability Support Worker https://autisticnick.com/2019/04/09/qa-at-kira-sue-chaplin-aradagh-disability-support-worker/

https://autisticnick.com/2019/04/09/qa-at-kira-gabi-anderson-hr-manager/

Janine Ripper

Janine and I met about two years ago and since then she has become not only my blogging mentor but a really great friend.

I have not only had the pleasure of interviewing her but also, we embarked on a mentoring journey together when for a month in January when I mentored a young Autistic boy in Rockingham (that car journey home one night was the funniest things that has ever happened to us, it’s a shame that we didn’t record it!) and Janine was my support worker.

So, a massive continued thanks to Janine who runs her own blog http://reflectionsfromaredhead.com/.

Janine is a writer, blogger, digital marketer and mentor. She is also a mental health advocate, sharing her story, self-help resources and tips about self-care, wellbeing and how to survive being an adult!

It’s a pleasure to be her friend and I am extremely proud that she is a mental health advocate too.  There was also that time we both fell into a food coma from eating chorizo, chips and toast at our local café! You can read my two blog posts about Janine here https://autisticnick.com/2018/01/27/a-thank-you/  https://autisticnick.com/2018/02/26/reflections-from-a-red-head-interview/ as well as a personal one here https://autisticnick.com/2018/01/06/an-expression-of-gratitude/

Run Autistic N!ck Run!

This was a fun post for me to write. I have always enjoyed running and I got back into it as I was primarily bored with my work out routine that I was doing.

My first obstacle was to find the best place for me to run. There were a few contenders but after putting each of them through their paces and a series of challengers I finally picked Grand Ocean Park as the winner.

Please note that there was no prize money, or glitter falling from the ceiling or tense over dramatic music playing as we waited to hear the result of the eventual winner being announced.

You can read more about Grand Ocean Park and how I got on with my running here https://autisticnick.com/2019/01/28/run-autistic-nck-run/

What is High Functioning Autism?

What people maybe don’t know is that there is an Autism Spectrum and when someone is diagnosed as being Autistic they fall somewhere on this spectrum.

Currently round 130,000 Australians live with Asperger’s and High Functioning Autism (HFA), meaning that they have a diagnosis of Autism without intellectual disability.

Approximately 97,000 of these Australians are men and women, aged 18 years and over, who experience the daily challenges of a largely overlooked, misunderstood, and yet highly complex and nuanced condition.

So, I wrote a post on what HFA (High Functioning Autism) is because I wanted to educate and inform people.

You can read my post here https://autisticnick.com/2019/01/14/high-functioning-autism/

And finally the last post in this top ten countdown is….

Drum roll please

Autistic N!ck’s Week

Cue audience applause

This post dealt with me and my flu.

I did not for the record have the namby-pamby ‘man flu’

No I had the actual flu!

I had a waste bin full of tissues

I spent a small fortune on throat lozenges

I lost my voice

I didn’t get home made soups made for me!

When I am fully recovered I will remember this insult!

In this hilariours recap I talked about how I slowly succumbed and surrendered to the flu.

https://autisticnick.com/2019/04/29/autistic-ncks-week/

I would like to take this opportunity to say a HUGE Thank you to each and every one of you who has supported me, subscribed to my blog, read my articles, commented, liked and shared on social media and just be down-right wonderful and positive towards me and my story.

LINKS AND INFO

THE RETRO CINEMA http://theretrocinema.com/ 

MOVIE REVIEWS IN 20 Q’S https://mritqs.podbean.com/

TASTELESS PODCAST https://www.tastelesspod.com/episodes/

KIRA COMMUNITY SERVICES https://www.kira.org.au/

JANINE RIPPER http://reflectionsfromaredhead.com/

Carry on the conversation

As always, I can also be found on Twitter: @AutisticNick9 and at my email autisticnick9@gmail.com

If you like what you have seen on the site today, then show your support by liking the Autistic Nick https://www.facebook.com/autisticnick9/ Facebook page.

Thank you for reading and I will see you next time for more thoughts from across the spectrum.