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Decoding the Disconnect: Why Neurodivergent Communication Isn’t “Shyness”
People often assume neurodivergent individuals avoid social interaction because of introversion or shyness. While those traits can certainly coexist, my own struggles with interpersonal communication run much deeper than... -
When “Feeling” Cold Isn’t “Being” Cold: Interoception, Nervous System Crash, and Phantom Chills
I’ve always preferred a cooler indoor environment. In my home, my sweet spot is sleeping at 68 degrees and keeping the thermostat at 70 during the day. Yet, odd... -
When My Work Environment Changed, So Did I: Paying the Cognitive Tax of Returning to In-Person Work
In 2020 and 2026, my workplace required all management to take a professional personality assessment. What’s most interesting isn't what changed in myself, but why. -
The “Textile Tax”: The Hidden Cost of Clothing Sensitivity
I’ve always had a distinct sensitivity to clothing. Until recently, I chalked this up to simply being nitpicky. While my choices are certainly particular, the underlying foundation goes much... -
What does it mean to be “asexual”?
At first glance, the word “asexual” seems to imply a total absence of sex drive, or perhaps a rigid, single-directional sexuality. Neither of those is true for me. In... -
The False Diagnosis: When Autistic Burnout Looks Like Depression
When my masking muscle memory atrophied after four years of remote work, forcing myself back into full-time office life wasn’t just uncomfortable—it was unsustainable. For the next two years,... -
Masking Muscle Memory: The Unseen Armor
For decades, I relied on complex social scripts to navigate the world—but I didn’t know that’s what I was doing. In the neurodivergent community, this is known as social... -
My Neurodivergent Triggering Event: The Breakdown Before the Lockdown
The first week of March 2020 is burned into most people’s memories as the edge of a global cliff. We were days away from the world shutting down, but... -
About Me and The Oval Peg
Greetings! My name is Randy Lovin. At age 40, after a lifetime of seemingly disjointed “quirks,” I was identified as neurodivergent—specifically Autistic Spectrum Disorder Level 1. It came as...
At age 40, after a lifetime of seemingly disjointed “quirks,” I was identified as neurodivergent—specifically Autistic Spectrum Disorder Level I. Through the discovery, I also learned some other traits that help explain myself and some of the challenges I’ve encountered over the years: Aromantic, Asexual (Ace), and Pragmatic. Now I have a clear picture of what the scattered puzzle pieces of my life represented and could assemble the puzzle for the first time. Learn more about me and my journey of acceptance, discovery, and adaption.
