What's Eating ..... Me?

Gilbert: You know what? You're such a big boy.
Arnie: Yeah! 
Gilbert: You're such a big boy.
Arnie:  I'm a big boy!
Gilbert: You know what? I bet you could do this all by yourself if you really wanted to. Could you do this by yourself?
Arnie:  I'm a big boy!
Gilbert:  Yeah, you're a big boy. Now take this...
Arnie:  Take this.
Gilbert:  Wash everything, your towels are there.
Arnie:  Okay!
Gilbert:  And your robe is there.
Arnie:  Okay! The big boy is gonna wash himself! 

I work with Arnie. I am Gilbert Grape.  I spend 8 hours a day listening to Arnie talk to himself. Now I don't know about you, but just the 2 hours or so that you see Arnie in this movie, well after that I've had enough - and he isn't even in every single scene. Close, but not quite.  

Now just imagine 8 hours a day with Leonardo's character from What's Eating Gilbert Grape. 8 hours a day. 5 days a week. You'd go crazy, right? 

Welcome to my world.  Of course I couldn't be lucky enough to work with a Johnny Depp type, no. Give me the mental person. Great.

I read on IMDB that Arnie was autistic. So then I decided to go to Wikipedia (because who doesn't love to Wikipedia things??) to just pull some basics on autism, although she could have Asperger's - which is in the whole "Autism family". (Now I realize I have a degree in Psychology and actually did spend time studying autism, so therefore I should be able to spout off facts to you, but I'm venting, and creating a theory, and therefore I don't feel like it!) The following bullet points are from Wikipedia:

• People with autism have social impairments and often lack the intuition about others that many people take for granted.
• About a third to a half of individuals with autism do not develop enough natural speech to meet their daily communication needs.
• Autistic individuals display many forms of repetitive or restricted behavior.



• Compulsive Behavior is intended and appears to follow rules, such as arranging objects in stacks or lines.
• Sameness is resistance to change; for example, insisting that the furniture not be moved or refusing to be interrupted.
• Ritualistic Behavior involves an unvarying pattern of daily activities, such as an unchanging menu or a dressing ritual. This is closely associated with sameness and an independent validation has suggested combining the two factors.
• Restricted Behavior is limited in focus, interest, or activity, such as preoccupation with a single television program, toy, or game.

That is just the tip of the iceberg on what I have to deal with every single day I go to work. Only maybe 20 feet from me, I hear the same repetitive conversations where you can't possibly believe a grown up is the one having them. At the same time every day certain things HAVE to happen or it is a full blown crisis.  Really, I'll just cut it off there. There is no possible way to full describe the "Arnie" at my work.  I don't know how Gilbert Grape did it. Perhaps I should watch that movie tonight to get some pointers on keeping my sanity!

I'll leave you with this:

Arnie:  Gilbert, how many minutes till they come?

Gilbert: 3 million, buddy.

Arnie:  Three?
Gilbert:  Yeah.

That's my life. One word responses. "Yeah." Its easier to just give up and say "Yeah" than to try to actually communicate. (Did I mention I think "Arnie" is also a hoarder with OCD??) For reals. I can't make this stuff up.

Vacation is how many days away??