I was always bullied. I couldn't figure out how other people had friends. I was pulled out alone from my 3rd grade class to take an IQ test, which I later found scored me then at 139. I never had to study.

I had "perseverations," which are single-minded interests in limited subjects. My first is music, and my second is genealogy. I have been working on genealogy for 60 years.

I can't read faces to tell when someone is laughing at me or with me, or to tell when they are bored and want me to stop talking. I talk too much.

I have managed to find jobs where my attention to detail were appreciated. I worked in convenience stores for a while and could remember everything. At the first job, credit gas sales required license plate numbers on the ticket. I had the numbers memorized for all the regular customers so they didn't have to tell me. When regular customers came in, I had their brand of cigarettes already on the counter to save them time. At subsequent convenience store jobs, I already had the job down pat, so all they had to do was show me how they wanted the register operated, the prices of cigarettes, beer, soft drinks, and candy bars, and then just put me to work alone.

My next important job was at a major yacht factory. I started out finding missing parts for my area, which was the last area before delivery. I learned which people in the main plant had extras stashed in their lockers. Later, I inspected the yachts when they came to the water for launch to find all the problems so they could be charged back to the responsible departments. I was really good at finding everything.

After that, I worked at a law firm in word processing. I promised the manager at my interview that I could promise 50 wpm of perfection. He put me on the clock immediately. I stayed there almost 20 years. I automated a lot of things at that firm. I worked on databases for a while and wrote the database they use in their library. I retired from working at 50, over 20 years ago.

I never made friends easily, but I'm better at it now. I have learned to "mask," which is attempting to force myself to act normal around others. I've done pretty well, as many people, when I tell them I have Asperger's, say they couldn't tell.

I never had girlfriends in school, partly because I didn't have money or a car, but mainly because I didn't know how to get one. I did date a couple of times in college, but that didn't go anywhere. I dated once in the late 70s after college, but all she wanted was a taxi service. I dumped her. I dated one other girl a single time, and then found out I was her last fling before marriage. I waited for years before I even tried again.

When I was 30, I decided I'd better find someone. I told everyone I knew that I was looking to get married. I was taking computer classes at community college, paid for by the yacht company, and two women in one of my classes said they had someone for me. I said fix me up. I met the woman on a Tuesday and set a date for Friday. We were married less than a year later and have been married over 40 years. She was a school librarian and loved the same music I did. We have gotten along well. She really liked helping special students at school, so she could handle my peculiarities. If I start to say something inappropriate, and she realizes it, she will hit me and stop me.

I've had a good life, in spite of the hardships. I play with my music and do genealogy. I'm really good at general research, which is related to what I have done in genealogy.