This page is for those who are morbidly curious about my previous writing stuff. I’ve posted some of this previously, but I’m trying to scoop it all up under one umbrella page. In my spare time.

Everything I write currently seems to be centered around finding our way out of chaos, confusion, war. These are what I used to write when I was in the mood, been thunderstruck by an idea, or something I dreamed. This page is not from your current Uncle TJ. This space is a collection of blasts from the past, from space orcs to wizards, and from so many places I have visited in my mind.

I’m particularly fond of the Tirra project, the roots of which go back to the 1980s. I was in the US Navy, newly introduced to table top gaming, and my, oh my. I had eureka moments every day for years. I will post more of this, but I’m trying not to re-write everything.

It started one day when I was trying to decide what vista would greet some fictional characters I was developing. I had no idea what was on the other side of the river, what surprises may greet them, or where that small chunk of visible road was going to lead. So I created a continent. Not just a map - I went down to exchange rates between kingdoms and the effects of war on the economy. I developed a game centered on that world, but it’s nearly unplayable because I based the rules on actual physics instead of game mechanics. Yeah, I had my geek on.

I may revisit that in my retirement - if I get a second one.

So this is a window into where I’ve been. These are echoes… shadows… I’m not writing fiction currently. .

To the left is a real blast from the past. I’ve always liked hats - they make me feel like something is helping me hold my head together.

As an adult I wear hats because my skin is weirdly sensitive to most sunscreens because of aloe vera. Yeah, I’m allergic to it. It gives me something like a sunburn! So, I use wide brimmed hats.

Previous versions of me are obsolete. I don’t agree now with everything I’ve ever said. I’ve had thousands of versions of myself. Many of them were weird. Apologies to everybody! I got over it. Mostly.

I’m posting stuff here to prove that I’ve evolved (hopefully). I’m posting here as part of my authenticity, my transparency about myself. I’ve had a human life, and this page is about that - before I started making headlines.

Neurospicy

Yeah. ADHD, Autism, OCD, anxiety, depression, and I stopped diagnosing stuff at that point. Yes, I’m on a medicine. No, it doesn’t fix much. I’ve stopped masking my differentness, and I hope this is an inspiration to everybody who is misunderstood. I’ve found a way to let my ADHD and Autism work together, and I think I’ve survived the effort…

Since we’re noticing so much more of these conditions in other people, let’s redouble efforts to really understand mental differentnesses. It’s not a disability. It’s not a measure of my mental health. We need a new term for the collection of people who identify with the spectrum other than “Mental Health” issues. Let’s just say “Neurospicy”. I think the “mental health” moniker is the next pejorative to need to disappear.

I know what it’s like to have anxiety so bad I had to punch a wall. I know what it’s like to be so abysmally depressed that an entire day disappeared just staring out the window without the slightest idea of what I wanted to do. At the same time.

If you’re also neurospicy, I have your back. I’ve decided to let everything just hang out and if people don’t understand my differentness, it’s not my problem. You don’t have to keep masking your symptoms. People’s reactions to you are not your problem. You are a soul. You are the same as anybody else as far as rights, independence, and finding your own path forward. My case is probably not normal though, so I’ll try to help as I can, but I’m still figuring this out as I go. okay?

I wear many hats.

Literally because I can’t find sunscreen that I like to use. And because I collect weird stuff because… I’m just flat out neuro-spicy, mkay?
Figuratively because I always end up wearing all the hats on the job. I don’t think these days will be any different.