Puzzling

So, does this summer's crop of girly pop feature more metaphorical references to puzzle pieces than usual, or is it just that I am more sensitive to these references now that I can't escape autism in any aspect of my life? (Puzzle pieces are a symbol for autism awareness.)

Miranda Cosgrove:
when I'm kissing you my senses come alive, almost like the puzzle piece I've been trying to find falls right into place, you're all that it takes...

and Katy Perry:
I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece; I'm complete

And how does it fit into this that for the last three months, my mom and brother have been working on a 2000-piece jigsaw puzzle, and on multiple occasions while waiting for a late date I sat down to work on the puzzle, and never once found a piece that connected?

Never...

I guess I should have seen it coming.

Mom and Dad

Breakup advice from my mom:
"It's like a physical wound. You have to go through the healing process; it takes time. Think of it like a broken leg. And you haven't even had the cast set; you're still waiting at the emergency room."
"But I don't want to be with anyone else!"
"Well, of course not. You're not thinking about going running when your leg just broke, because it hurts."

Breakup advice from my dad:
"Geeze, don't call him! There's no need to put HIM through your emotional roller coaster."

*sigh.*

I do have awesome parents...

Inventory

Sore collarbone, shoulder, chin, flaring in pain with every well-meaning embrace.
Almost-invisible fingerprint bruises tracing up my arms and all the way down my legs.
Legs aching with every step away.

Not everything will fade so quickly.

How do I fall out of love?

Wouldn't it be nice?

I'm not the only person who listens to the Beach Boys all summer long, am I?
Anyhow, this one's my current theme song...


Wouldn't it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long
And wouldn't it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong

You know it's gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through

The happy times together we've been spending
I wish that every kiss was never ending
Oh wouldn't it be nice

Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true
Baby then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do
We could be merry
And then we'd be happy

Wouldn't it be nice

You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But lets talk about it
Oh, wouldn't it be nice

Signs I miss my kids:

I had a dream about one of my students last night. In my dream we'd gone back to school and over break he had started TALKING. He was hard to understand, but he had functional language. What I wouldn't give for that to come true!!!! :(