Today we got to drive around and check out different subsidized housing projects. I like to drive but this was not an enjoyable drive especially since we weren't going anywhere Cherokee would like to go like the library. Yes, to Cherokee, a trip to the library is an exciting thing she really loves and enjoys. That's about as much excitement as she can take without being overwhelmed. And she admitted she is overwhelmed by this whole experience.
But I needed her with me as I drove from project to project because she notices things I don't sometimes. She likes to eat so she notices if there's a grocery store within walking distance. She doesn't drive so if I'm too sick to drive, she may need to walk to the grocery store on her own. It has happened at least once. I learned the hard way with that one to be careful how I word things with her. She asked about if she came across something she really wanted, could she get it. I thought she meant grocery wise because I was sending her to the grocery store. So I said sure thinking maybe she might grab a bag of chips or something of that nature. I didn't expect her to return with hundred dollars with of DVDs.
The different housing projects we went by today seemed to be in good condition from what I could see from the outside. Of course with it being Saturday, no one was in the offices to answer questions. But I did stop a couple of residents. Seems there are no washer and drier hook-ups, something very important to us because Cherokee wears pretty much the same outfit everyday. It's an Asberger's thing. When they're comfortable with something it's hard to get them to give it up for something else. So I need a washer and drier hook-up for our washer and drier because going to the laundry every night would suck. With the washer and drier in our home, she can wash and dry her favorite outfit every night herself.
This may seem like bizarre behavior, but for someone with Asberger's it's not unusually. She had a favorite blanket when she was very small that she carried constantly. I thought she would carry it off to kindergarten. Then she got attached to a jacket of all things for a while and carried it around just like she did the blanket. She even slept with the jacket.
It's certainly never boring being the parent of special needs individuals. She does currently have a favorite blanket. But she doesn't feel the need to carry it around everywhere like when she was little. But she likes to hold it to her face as she sucks her thumb when she's overwhelmed, and she's currently doing just that as she's back in her room isolating herself to try to recover from my dragging her around from housing project to housing project.
A couple of them I couldn't find and I'm very good with maps and directions. A couple didn't have good access to public transportation, something that's very important not just for someone with special needs like my daughter who doesn't drive. But for those of us with frequently breaking down vehicles because we can't afford a decent one and may occasionally go a couple of years with out our own vehicle.
I'm going to try to relax tomorrow since it is Sunday. But it's hard to relax. Not when I know Convergys is just waiting to stomp me into the ground and make sure we're homeless and destitute. I have no experience to help me with this and I'm expecting the worse. I wish I had never walked into that job fair day for them. I've never had a job before Convergys leave me so constantly stressed out and chink away my self-esteem a piece at a time. I've got to rebuild my life and myself from the ground up and Convergys seems determined to make it as difficult as possible.
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