Primer

A good friend of mine once said I got the trifecta: I'm autistic, I'm gay, and I have HIV. I suppose this unusual combination of circumstances gives me a unique and relatively rare perspective of life, and I suppose that is what this blog will be about: the daily challenges that my circumstances bring about.
I am an Aspergian Savant, meaning I have Asperger's Syndrome (a mild and high functioning form of autism) combined with a few savant like abilities. I am very lucky to have a photographic memory, and the ability to "speed-read" at an incredible pace. I love reading non-fiction books, because they give me a treasure trove of facts that, once read, are indelibly committed to my mind. Nobody has ever beaten me at a game of Trivial Pursuit, because I simply know more facts than anyone I've played with. I love word games, such as Scrabble, because I have a great vocabulary and can come up with obscure words, often with the harder to use letters. I am extremely linguistically gifted, and I pick up foreign languages easily. The most entertaining of these instances was a two week trip to Hawaii, a high school graduation gift from my mother, in which I became adept at the pronunciation and rudimentary translation of Hawaiian words. It still stands out as the easiest language for me I have ever come across.
The flip side of my autism is that I'm not particularly good with people. It is hard for me to be in large crowds, and harder still to strike up conversations with people I don't know. I often get stressed out by the circumstances around me (such as loud noises) and when that happens I am liable to just say whatever comes into my head. This is very unfortunate, because when one lacks an "inner filter," as my mother says, they tend to say rather inappropriate, often hurtful things. It is never my intention to hurt any one's feelings, but it tends to be a byproduct of my often overwhelming feelings of anxiety. I often tend to be overly literal and if someone uses speech that is too florid and metaphorical, I often don't know what they're talking about. Sometimes, when it takes too long for a person to get to the point in conversation, I get distracted and quit paying attention, not on purpose, but because my mind likes to wander. But, I don't mind it at all. It makes life a bit more challenging, but I have grown to like myself and I wouldn't change who I am.
I live in Layton, Utah, in a 3 bedroom house with my partner, Will. We have been together several months, and though we argue, we do deeply love eachother. Will is one of the most inherently kind people I have ever come across. He would give you the shirt off of his back, if he thought you could use it. Will understands that I don't understand a lot, and he tries to explain to me the things I don't get. He is very patient, and he often reminds me of the things I need to do, because they often just slip my mind. He is a great provider, and is the first boyfriend I've ever had where there is an equal partnership financially. He works hard, and is very giving with his money. I am never in want of anything, thanks to my mother and Will. Will is also devoted not only to his family, but to mine as well. He speaks to my mother daily, and my nephews adore the time they get to spend with him. Even my sister, a very hard to win over person, loves Will.
I was diagnosed with HIV a few weeks before I met Will. It has never been an issue in our relationship. I am rather lucky to have been born with a genetic mutation only found in about 600,000 people worldwide which makes me what they call an "elite controller." I have HIV, but I am somewhat immune to the worst consequences of the disease. It is only found in the descendants of Viking nobles (my father was a full blooded Dane), who survived the plague. The unfortunate part of being an elite controller is that the minute amount of the virus in my blood made me extraordinarily sick, and I had to go on HIV medications within months of my diagnosis, even though my CD4 (T-Cells) were still rather high, and my viral load (the amount of replications in the blood) were still extremely low. Since I've started meds, my numbers have improved even further to the point where I am now undetectable with standard tests, and my CD4 is now the highest of any HIV patient treated at the University of Utah. So, on that front, I am EXTREMELY lucky, and EXTREMELY blessed.
Anyway, that is basically the primer to who I am. The basic info that I hope serves as a suitable introduction to who I am. In the future, my posts will be more anecdotal, and less dry. And certainly less long! :-)