A Partner in Crime

Who is your best friend? Do you have several best friends? I have several best friends, but until recently I hadn't distinguished the difference between a best friend and a true "forever friend". This difference was made clear to me when a forever friend and I went on a roadtrip to a concert in Vancouver. My companion was one of my closest, dearest friends, the lovely miss Micaela. On this trip with her (in her mothers van, in a city I don't really know my way around) I realized that Micaela is a forever friend. Someone I trust 100% completely, someone I can share everything with without judgement. We had several interesting adventures on our trip, and I wouldn't have been able to laugh so hard at them without her. We are partners in crime, like sisters. Her friendship is so very important to me and I can't imagine anything coming between us. She is, however, leaving our small home town and moving to Burnaby to attend SFU. Being a good friend, I wish her all the luck in the world, even though I know she doesn't need it. I know how much I'm going to miss her, so I also hope she knows I'll visit as often as possible. She'll be studying communications, and she'll be fantastic. So, to my forever friend, I wish you all the best, and thank - you for being my partner in crime and keeping my feet firmly on the ground.

Your Brain on Autism

Anyone reading this has ideas, talents, is aware of the world around them, and understands what people are saying. Now imagine having all of that, but not being able to communicate the fact that you have it. That is what life is like inside an autistic, non-verbal mind. So much to say and express but no way to do so. My passion and goal in life is to change that. To change the face of all "disabilities", and to take the "dis" out to show just the abilities. A marvelous woman in Texas has already started to do just that. She teaches autistic individuals to communicate by pointing to letters on a letterboard. This has led to parents "hearing" their child's first words, sometimes after being told by doctors their child was mentally retarded and would never speak or communicate. If I had spent my life unable to communicate but being full of things I wanted to express, then someone gave me the ability to do so, I would say "I envy birds their wings". This is because I would want to summarize my endless need for complete and utter freedom. What would you say? Something to ponder on a sleepless night.

Musings From A Newbie

When a very good friend of mine asked for ideas on a blog name, I suggested a few. One of those was The Daily Quil, inspired by a newspaper column from Lillian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who" novels. This title stuck with me and has now become my blog. I will post "daily musings" about life, love, music, photography, travel, music, or whatever comes to mind. So, enjoy the ride. Maybe I'll give you something to think about.