0 Fewer Autism Blogs, Infrequent Posts?

I haven't been posting much to The Autistic Me blog in the last six months or so. I could list all the excuses, and there are many, but I've noticed that my blog isn't alone with less frequent updates. I've also noticed many blogs have either been abandoned or changed managers/authors in the last year. My "autism" group in NetNewsWire, my RSS reader of choice, is shrinking. On the Autism-Hub site, some pages haven't been updated in six months. Only ten have been updated within the last 30 days.

What's happened? Have we all shifted to Facebook? I doubt it.

Maybe we are exhausted, as a community? That seems plausible, after several busy years. Maybe there will be another spike in discussions once the new DSM-V is published, but we might have exhausted those debates, too. Opinions seem fairly set on many of the subjects.

Blogging requires some compulsion to address a topic, or at least to tell a personal story. I'm not sure why anyone would care about our daily lives.

There aren't many exciting topics to address in a blog. My wife and I are a normal couple, living in a nice new development, with normal (boring) concerns about life. We are preparing to sell our previous house, we are hoping the Jeep lasts another year or two, and we are trying to get some time to decorate our new house. Nothing exciting, nothing unusual. Having a normal life, relatively speaking, is not a bad thing.

Yes, there are still "autistic" issues, but they aren't that interesting. I don't like Pittsburgh's disorder and over-stimulation, but we live closer to Boardman, Ohio, anyway, so shopping and eating in Ohio is becoming part of our routine. I want our house to be perfect, but that will be a matter of time and energy. Paint needs to be touched up and I want to get some bookcases installed. Again, my intolerance for disorder and "mistakes" in the house is nothing exciting or particularly interesting. (I still hate flaws in the Minneapolis house, and we sold that home a year ago.)

Trying to work side jobs is one reason I haven't blogged. We're paying for two home loans, at the moment, and both homes need minor improvements. The old house is nearly done, though. Once it is sold, I want extra income so we can finish some projects around the new house.

I'm applying for a few academic posts, nearby, because my contract ends in April. Again, not exciting: people have to look for work. Welcome to a weak economy and the world of higher education, which has been a tough job market for two decades or longer. If I don't locate another academic post, I'll be doing something else — whatever I need to do. Being uncertain about the future worries me. It worries my wife. Nothing unusual about a couple wondering what's next when a job is going to end. (Okay, I am anxious, hoping I'll either find a good job or be able to create a good job for myself.)

The one thing that is on my mind is how isolated we are, my wife and I, compared to other people. We don't entertain at our house: we don't know that many people. We don't go out to bars, clubs, or movies. We keep to ourselves. Sometimes, I do wonder if we should have some sort of social network. We are trying to be a little involved in some local groups, but we both find social gatherings stressful. In the end, I find that I like being alone with my wife, the one person I seem to understand well.

As you can tell from this rambling post, I don't have much to say that is captivating.

If there is something I should be writing, I'm uncertain of what it might be. Maybe you have some suggestions. Maybe there is something people expect when they visit this blog.