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School, Work, Life

I realize my blogs (not only The Autistic Me) have been slow throughout 2016. Life has a way of consuming more hours than exist in the day. My "to-do" list exceeds any realistic amount of time I might have each day, week, or month.

If all goes well, in December I will complete my Master of Fine Arts in Film and Digital Technology. I'll have completed the degree in a year, with a few extra units. I completed five classes this summer, which was an insane workload for anyone.

During the summer, we also juggled personal health issues for my wife and me. I ended up with an overnight stay in the hospital just as my classes were ending and I was starting a new part-time teaching post. That is how this year has been.

In the coming months, I'll write some reflections on 2015 and 2016, but right now I'm simply trying to keep up with school, teaching, and a part-time job I took to help pay some bills. It is all a bit overwhelming some days.

I don't like disorder and I hate feeling like I can't take a break without falling further and further behind. Yet, I do need to take more breaks or I'll burn out. That's an important balance to find. Even when I do take time for myself, I end up working late to make up for the break. Doesn't everyone seem to lose ground after a day off or two? I can't imagine taking a weekend or even a week off — I'd never catch up!

The entire "autism" part of my life is on hold. I'm so focused on getting through each week of classes (teaching and studying) that I can't pause to read articles about autism, read any blogs, or follow any communities. It would also be too draining to let myself get sidetracked when I need to complete this degree.

The blog will be more active, I promise, but every now and then it does drop a few notches on my list of priorities.

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