November 27, 2014 Giving Thanks....

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'd like to give thanks to my Teddy Bear, Teddy. He's one of my favorite toys, you know. He keeps all the monster and aliens away that I believe in. Especially the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who.

Me and my teddy bear...

I'm also grateful for my Mommy and Daddy. Because I love them very much. My Mommy makes dinners and lunches and breakfasts. She does my blog with me. I help her at the store. And she helps me with my stories.

I'm thankful for my Daddy because he pays for all the special things we do. Especially the TV. I'm grateful that he does that because it's one of my favorite things to do. He also fixes stuff like my broken glasses. (Which of course I just broke again.)

I'm also grateful for my soft comfy bed. It keeps me warm at nights. Helps me rest my eyes. And helps me grow when I'm sleeping. It's also just comfy to lay on.

I'm happy about my creative mind. It helps me build forts in my room.

I'm grateful for my big brother and my big sister. When I was a little kid, my brother Brad took me to 2 movies, Iron Man and Avatar. I still have the picture we took at the Iron Man Movie! And I'm grateful for Meggie because she takes me to hockey games. I HEART hockey!

They only thing I'm grateful for my sister, Lilly is because she plays games with me.

And my Grandma and Grandpa? I'm grateful for them because they watch me while Mommy and Daddy are doing stuff. Like tomorrow night! Of which I can't wait! I get them all to myself!!

I'm also thankful for my Grandmama. She visits us almost every summer. She takes me places like Connors and the movies. Me and her went to the movies twice.

I'm grateful for ballet. It keeps me busy on Wednesdays. It helps me calm down and helps me think for my things for my stories.

I'm grateful for my little puppy dog! He's so cute and fuzzy. And apparently he's the only pet in the house right now. The fish died. RIP, little fishy....(Lilly cried but it didn't really matter to me that much.)

I'm grateful for the house we live in. Where else would I build my forts?? Not outside! It's too plain cold!

I'm grateful for the rest of my family. Of course they live all over the U.S.A. And some live up here. I have A LOT of relatives...

All in all, I'm just thankful that we have a nice place to live in and a nice planet to live on.

I salute you, America!!!!

William Carl Benz

November 25, 2014 We separated the "H2" from the "O".....

Welcome back, everyone! It is near the Nutcracker, so if you have enough money, please go!

So, in other words, it's a good ballet! Anyway...let's move on to the stuff I'm supposed to blog about...

Ok, so....we did an experiment that separated water. But, the water didn't really go away, it was still there. The hydrogen atoms just stuck to the end of the pencil (graphite). Graphite is an electrical conductor. Here is some pictures of what we did. Then I'll explain. 

The separation of hydrogen and oxygen in water is called Electrolysis. Electrolysis is "Physical Chemistry. the passage of an electric current through anelectrolyte with subsequent migration of positively and negatively charged ions to the negative and positive electrodes." (Source from Dictionary.com)

We got a 9 volt battery and attached bald electrical wire to the anode and cathode, or in other words, the positive and negative parts of the battery. We sharpened 2 pencils on each end and shoved them through a piece of thin cardboard. We placed that in a glass of water, salt water to be exact. Then we attached the wires are were attached to the battery to the graphite on the pencil parts sticking out of the water. After some adjustments, we finally got it to work. THERE WERE HYDROGEN BUBBLES ON THE END OF ONE OF THE PENCILS THAT WAS IN THE WATER!!! Hydrogen was collected around the cathode or the positive charged pencil. The other pencil had chlorine gas bubbles form because a secondary chemical reaction happens in experiments like this one. The oxygen atoms combine with the salt in the liquid and get stuck. They form hydroxyl ions. And well, that's pretty much all I got on this. But, it was a pretty COOL chemistry experiment..

chem dance

This is Mom's little bird friend. It's a mourning dove. They are called that because their cry is very sad. He hangs out on our deck. He even sleeps under the chair that's on the deck. We think he's doing that because he's hurt. Either that, or he just likes us....

Me on the tread mill. I listened to Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.

Anyway, see ya later, alligator! I've got other work to do. 

Stay tuned 'til next time!

TO BE CONTINUED......

P.S. I'm writing a story called, Once, Twice, 3 times the Imagining. Coming to a blog near you!

November 18, 2014 A snowy update....

It's really deep outside! Everything is completely colorless. It's completely white! I cannot wait to get in it. It's so fun! We're just waiting for it to slow down a bit. And I'm jealous because Little Rock, AR is getting sunshine!!!!! And I don't like the sun that much, but I would like some color.

We gonna watch a movie until it slows down a bit out there.....I recommend not going outside if you're in this area. If you have sensory issues like me, you'll get a headache. can barely see anything!!!!

I'll update later.

p.s. - I'm going to have a snowball fight with Lilly!!!

YOU WILL BE TRAPPED!!

We are behind the "wall" of snow. Buffalo (front of photo) has none!

November 17, 2014 Who's afraid of the big, bad polar vortex??

Basically, the polar vortex is the cold air coming to visit us from the North Pole - where Santa is!

The polar vortex is always there.

From NOAA.gov

The media
 just uses it as a buzz word. They are just
 trying to sensationalize the weather to
 make it seem worse than it is. When this
is just what is supposed to happen now.





Nobody should be afraid by the phrase,
 "POLAR VORTEX" . It just means
 it's winter....

So. If it snows. don't stress out! Be prepared! Stay home, and stay warm. If you have plans, bundle up tight and keep warm. Don't drive in white cars because people won't be able to see you and they will crash into you. Drive in a black or red car, people can see them.

Me? I'm going to get my long johns out!  They keep me warm in bed! Tomorrow, if it snows, I can make a snow man!

snowman

See ya later!!! We have more work to do....

p.s. We moved my desk into the living room!!!

I like it here!

November 10, 2014 Hey, guess what?!?

Well, due to the last blog, a fellow blogger Angel the Alien, wrote the same kind of thing her kind of way. I think it would be good for people to read it because it shows no 2 people with Autism are alike. Basically, that makes everybody the same! All people are different. Like, for an example...somebody with light skin and somebody with dark skin. Their skins aren't alike. But, inside their bones are the same, the muscles are the same and every other body part that the skin holds are the same. And it doesn't make them strange, just makes them unique!!

And that came from the top of my head!!!

Read this blog and maybe even comment..

Salute, soldier!
William

http://diaryofanalien1.blogspot.com/2014/11/autism-is-different-for-everyone.html

November 7, 2014 This is Autism

I found this video. Some of it describes William. But, some doesn't. This just goes to show how Spectrum People are different...kind of like all of us. :)  William will follow with his observations. Thanks for following... Oh, video is only 3 minutes long - please view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACLV9hytZb0


1: florescent lights: Imagine walking in a building where the buzz of florescent lighting is almost deafening.

William: Not at all! I don't even hear it! In the Sabres building, the little lights I walk past don't really bother me. The big wall lights don't bother me either.

2: Imagine not being able to read the facial expressions of others.and as a result, you have no idea what they are thinking or feeling.

William: I'm 50/50. Half the time, I know what they are feeling, half the time I don't. For an example, if someone looks calm (to me) but is mad, I can't tell what they are really feeling. 

3: Imagine that someone is trying to talk to you in a noisy store, but you can not focus because all the voices blend together.

William: This doesn't bother me either. Noise makes me anxious and want to go home. If there are a lot of people around me, I feel like I'm stuck in a door frame - it's all tight.

4: Imagine taking a shower, but the water hurts. In fact it feels like getting caught in a hail storm.

William: No way, Jose! But, some cloth really itches me and feels weird. Some knits feel like steel wool. Tags in my clothes itch. I hate people touching my hair. It kind of hurts my nervous system. And it makes me want to throw the nearest projectile. Cold water still kind of bothers me, but I'm getting better with it. Extreme cold like snow still makes me cry like a baby. It stings like a bee sting. 

5: Imagine all your friends have learned to ride a bicycle, but for you it's still too difficult.

William: This is definitely me! DEFINITELY!!! When I ride a bike, it feels like I'm out of control of my legs and I can't direct signals from my brain to my legs.

6: Imagine that you are constantly in trouble at school because your teachers don't understand high functioning autism. They don't know the difference between misbehavior and a meltdown.

William: This is kind of what happened in regular school. Like when we were writing (in public school), if everyone was making noise and I couldn't concentrate, I would have a meltdown. My teacher wouldn't even notice i was even aggravated. The cafeteria lady yelled at me because I had a meltdown. 

7: Imagine being the only one in your grade who didn't have friends.

William: This is me. There were some guys I liked to talk to, they would kinda talk to me - like say Hello. I don't know if the kids were being mean to me, or if they were taking advantage.

8: Imagine not being able to get jokes, figures of speech or sarcasm.

William: I get jokes, but I'm just beginning to understand sarcasm. And I understand idioms!!!

9: Imagine living everyday feeling like you are living in a strange and hostile world..

William: No way! The world is just fine to me. Lilly (twin sister)is the only hostile person I know. 


Mom: William is quirky. We can't deny that. Sometimes I wish I still saw the world as black and white as he does. Most times, he can't relate to kids his age. Sometimes he gets really frustrated over what most would think of as dumb stuff. Sometimes he does things in public that make people cringe - and sometimes he states his observations - aloud - not thinking what the implications might be. Sometimes, ok a lot of times, he gets stuck on a subject AND YOU MUST LET HIM FINISH HIS THOUGHTS!!!!! Drives him nuts if you don't.

I don't get it. I look at my 4 kids, and they all have idiosyncrasies. Don't most kids? Don't most adults?? So can't we just treat Aspies like NT people? What makes this group stand out? Because they do. I just don't know why - just can't put my finger on the one thing that would make it all make sense...

Oh well, I'm rambling. Sorry - you all don't come on here to listen to me....anyway....

William is working on a new Penguin story - so -

STAY TUNED!

November 4, 2014 Nicholas Nickleby Synopsis of Part 1.

So far, I like this book. The characters are fascinating. I think Charles Dickens was true to his time period. There were nasty and pathetic people. Like Nicholas's mother. She was pathetic and helpless. Nicholas is a nice character. He helps Smike and overall is a good person. 

Most important characters:

Nicholas Nickleby: Honest, young, loyal and often hotheaded.

Kate Nickleby: Nicholas's sister, similar qualities to Nicholas, but more demure. She is very pretty.

Catherine Nickleby: Their Mother, a widow. Often serves as a comic relief. She was flippy. Nicholas and Kate had to take care of her.

Ralph Nickleby: Their uncle. He is a villain - a bad guy - crook. And a cheapskate.

The Squeers: They run Dotheboys Hall - a "school" for boys. They beat the boys and basically steal all their money. And they have a "learning system" is actually just a way to make the boys do all the work. They really don't run a school, it's more like a work house.

Smike: Secretly, Nicholas's cousin, Ralph's son. He works at Dotheboy's and get beaten more than the other kids.

Part 1

This book (movie) is a dark story written by Charles Dickens. Some of it is kind of funny, but it's starts with a sad beginning as Nicholas' Dad dies.

Nicholas must make some money in order to pay the bills. His father left them no money. The family goes to London and seek out their uncle. His uncle gets him a job working for Dotheboys Hall. Apparently, the headmaster and his family are mean. Nicholas does not agree with the way the boys are treated, or the way they treat Smike. Nicholas beats up Mr. Squeers before Mr. Squeers can beat up Smike. Both boys run away. But, Squeers daughter accuses Nicholas of stealing a ring (Her love for him was unrequited.)

The boys ran away to London. They get work at a theater run by the Crummies. The Crummies are okay to Nicholas and Smike. They let them work in the theater and got to act in Romeo and Juliet. Nicholas was Romeo.

Kate got fired from her job at the hat factory because the lady she worked for didn't like her. The lady was jealous of Kate because Kate was prettier. After that, her uncle wanted her to house-keep for him during a party. (Be a hostess) When she got there she realized it was an all male party. She felt tricked and uncomfortable.