When I had my previous website, The Shy Highway, the most successful thing on that site was the page "For Madmen Only", a short essay on the enigmatic ending of Herman Hesse's 1927 novel, Steppenwolf. Though a committed loner all his life (he is often found on lists of famous people proposed as Asperger candidates), … Continue reading Rescuing Fiction | Herman Hesse | Steppenwolf again |and For Madmen Only
Good news for shy people | Work stress, you and your telomeres
Let's look again at Elizabeth H. Blackburn's 2017 book The Telomere Effect: a revolutionary approach to living younger, healthier, longer. Dr Blackburn is one of the leading researchers into the genetics of the telomere, that device at the ends of your DNA strands that protects them from deteriorating (often compared with the plasticized ends of … Continue reading Good news for shy people | Work stress, you and your telomeres
Psychology | Is anxiety natural? | Elaine Aaron and the Highly Sensitive Person
How, you may want to ask, can something considered pathological be natural?
Death and Remembering | My wife Merle is gone
Almost as soon as I said I was back here, I had to leave. My wife Merle went in the hospital on May 16, where her condition steadily grew worse. I was going to include a rant here about the current Ontario government's attempts to erode the Canadian healthcare system, in our case depriving Merle … Continue reading Death and Remembering | My wife Merle is gone
I’m back | The trauma of moving and saying goodbye | hope for the future
What would you think of a 74 year-old man who set out on the hardest, longest, most traumatic undertaking of his life? One that would physically and mentally exhaust him, and render him, after it was over, unable to think straight or do anything constructive for days? For the past two months I've been unable … Continue reading I’m back | The trauma of moving and saying goodbye | hope for the future
Autism | Toronto’s van rampage and the Incels | Alex Minassian convicted – what now?
Alex Minassian's trial finally took place and, to no-one's surprise, he was convicted.
Rescuing Ourselves | Alzheimer’s and dementia
In case anyone wonders why there have been few posts here recently, for which I apologize, this is the reason. My wife/lifelong partner has been suffering from Alzheimer's/dementia for years, along with some severe physical disabilities. I am her chief caregiver. We have entered the late stages and as much as you can read about … Continue reading Rescuing Ourselves | Alzheimer’s and dementia
Autism and Shyness | Are they related?
In my novels The Birdcatcher and Skol, and in The Shyness Guide, I’ve said that I think shyness and autism are both usually natural. I've also suggested that, in some people, they may be connected. This perception of them isn’t supported by any research as far as I know. But when I was a boy … Continue reading Autism and Shyness | Are they related?
Autism | film review | Oops, Wrong Planet!
This 2010 film - subtitled "Understanding Asperger's Syndrome" - looks at first sight to be just another autism film, with a tour of autistic patients, much talk about symptoms and therapies, etc. But there is much more in the 55 minutes of this documentary. After suggesting that famous people like Einstein, Beethoven, Mozart, Van Gogh … Continue reading Autism | film review | Oops, Wrong Planet!
Alan Conrad 