I recently put a WEIRD presentation together for a hobby happy hour in the Wiggle Work community: Bonkers for Bugs. It focused on the three primary types of bugs my son and I raise together, the three Bs–bees, butterflies, and beetles. It was a lot of fun to sort through all these hundreds of pics from over the years and fully realize the important role it has played in our lives and in our relationship. The bugs themselves are undoubtedly very cool, but more than that, it’s a hobby that fostered curiosity and research, created bonding and “hyper-focus” opportunities, and drove an appreciation for pollinators and nature. So, here’s that presentation in blog form.

I have been hyperfocused lately on AI use’s current and future implications in general, but more specifically with ChatGPT and neurodiversity. Ultimately, trying to think of all the potential ways it can create more inclusive and accessible jobs, classrooms, and communities–not only as a tool for neurodivergent individuals but for others looking to better understand and adequately accommodate them. As always, I figured a blog post would be the best way to get my head straight around all these exciting and hopeful thoughts.

I attempted to start a space for remote, flexible, part-time, transparent jobs a few years ago, pre-pandemic. There was overwhelming interest in this from a job-seeker aspect. However, employers proved less than enthusiastic–taking issue with the flexible, part-time, and transparent (pay-wise) aspects of what Wiggle Work was supposed to be all about. After a few months of effort, I gave up on the idea, always clinging to the general concept of their being a safe space for people desiring and needing this type of lifestyle.

I was inspired to write more about this based on a Mastodon post I published this week. Essentially, I’ve become burned out with the “ADHD LOL” meme culture and general lack of consideration for all the excessively negative aspects of either having ADHD yourself, living with someone with ADHD, or what is becoming more common: both. ADHD can undoubtedly be funny, but when most of our societal exposure consists mainly of these light-hearted glimpses into the disorder, a genuine lack of understanding and empathy takes hold.

Another pollinator post to wrap up the summer! This is one of my longest-lived hobbies. Years ago, I bought freshly hatched monarch caterpillars from Monarch Watch. I envisioned that my son would be especially interested in this and take over–but that’s not how this played out. I became so utterly fascinated and involved in raising these absolute wonders. Even after all this time and exposure, I still find it incredible and fulfilling.

We’re in the middle of a thrilling time of year again: leafcutter bee season. I genuinely look forward to this for months, and while this year was a rocky start with chilly temps and fires, things are starting to slowly pick up. These incredible creatures are more efficient pollinators than honey bees (which are invasive to the US) and are non-aggressive.