‘Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate’

I could thoroughly relate to Cynthia Kim’s experiences in Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate, A User Guide to an Asperger Life (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2015). Kim and I grew up during a time when our condition was not understood or documented to the degree that it is today.

“Like a lot of autistic adults of my generation, I made it well into middle age before realizing that I wasn’t just shy or weird or nerdy. That I wasn’t going to outgrow my quirks and wake up one day to suddenly find I was ‘normal.’”

With candor and honesty, Kim writes about early challenges: about being bullied and then later becoming a “mean girl” herself.

League bowling: Lexie Firth bowls first games for ‘Killer Bees’

My husband Jonathan Donihue and I had an opportunity to bowl last night with the Lake County Record-Bee “Killer Bees.”

Our departure from Lake County, Calif. is only a few weeks away and I treasure these last occasions to bowl with my team. The two seasons that I bowled with the “Killer Bees” marked the first time in my life that I competed on an athletic team.

Lexie Firth and Nathan DeHart rounded out last night’s quartet as we bowled against D&K Carpet Cleaning. Firth’s average and handicap are yet to be determined, which will influence the wins and losses. I think they will be close games.

For my personal scores, I bowled 99 during my first game. My second game was low and during the third game I bowled an 87. My average remains at 80.

Beat my bowling average all three games

During league bowling last night at Lakeside Family Fun and Event Center, our opponent, the Wilde B's, won all three games and won pin count. Congratulations, ladies.

Nathan DeHart, Jonathan Donihue and I bowled for the "Killer Bees."

Last night was a good night for me; I beat my average of 79 during all three games: with scores of 86, 78 and 109. One of the ladies on the Wilde B's commented that my average will now go up.

Killer Bees ranked second in second half of bowling league

The Record-Bee "Killer Bees" are ranked second for the second half of Lake County Chamber of Commerce winter bowling league, based upon three weeks of compiled results.

Jeremy Walsh has a season high score of first in men's handicap series and I have a season high score of third for women's handicap game.

The Killer Bees bowled against Prather Brothers last night. We won two games and pin count with a handicap of 316 compared to Prather Brothers' 201.

Walsh, Jonathan Donihue, Shawn Garrison and I bowled for the Killer Bees. I scored 74, 100 and 83 with an average of 79. Last week's standings placed me in third for women's handicap game.

League bowling: Week and season high scores

Lake County Chamber of Commerce Bowling League continued Tuesday at Lakeside Family Fun and Event Center.

The Lake County Record-Bee "Killer Bees" bowled against our own average as our opponent for the evening forfeited the game. We met our goal by 19 pins with Shawn Garrison, Nathan DeHart and I bowling for the Killer Bees.

I beat my 79-pin average during the first two games, with scores of 90 and 101. As a team, our scores were low during the final game.

Last week's results placed the Killer Bees in third place for handicap game and second place for handicap series. Jeremy Walsh ranked second in men's scratch series, third in handicap game and first in handicap series.

I was ranked second in women's handicap game and handicap series behind Kelly Thorn, who bowled last season with the Killer Bees.

Among season high standings, Walsh is ranked first for men's handicap series and I remain in third place for women's handicap game.

League bowling: Walsh bowls 65 above average

League bowling on Tuesday pitted the "Killer Bees" against S&K Automotive.

The teams were closely matched with only 29 points separating their respective handicaps: 255 for S&K Automotive and 284 for the "Killer Bees."

Shawn Garrison, Nathan DeHart, Jeremy Walsh and I bowled for the Record-Bee. Walsh had a phenomenal showing: 212 during his first game (65 pins above his average) and 214 during his third.

I scored 86 during my first game, 73 during my second and broke 100 for the third time during my league bowling career: 117 during my third game. My average was 78.

The teams were tied: S&K won two games and "Killer Bees" won one game and pin count.

League bowling: Killer Bees vs. Marina Grill

Lake County Chamber of Commerce Bowling League resumed Tuesday at Lakeside Family Fun and Event Center in Lakeport, Calif. The Lake County Record-Bee “Killer Bees” won three games but lost pin count to Marina Grill.

As of Dec. 18 results, our opponent held first-place season high scores for scratch game, scratch series, handicap game and handicap series. The deciding influence in last night's contest was our teams' respective handicap: 190 for Marina Grill and 309 for the “Killer Bees.”

Jeremy Walsh, Nathan DeHart, Jonathan Donihue and I played for the “Killer Bees.” My totals were 85, 62 and 73. My average remains at 79 with a 117 handicap. I remain with a season high score of third place for women’s handicap game.

League bowling: Season high score, women's handicap game

With the completion of bowling last night at Lakeside Family Fun and Event Center, the Lake County Chamber of Commerce league will take a two-week break.

Shawn Garrison, Kevin N. Hume, Jonathan Donihue and I bowled for the Lake County Record-Bee. Latest stats, encompassing Dec. 11 bowling, showed me with a season high score, third place for women's handicap game.

My bowling average crept up by one to 79 pins. Last night I bowled 80, 83 and 70. Team scores (with handicaps) were 782, 781 and 749.

League bowling: Killer Bees vs. Ashley Steam

The Lake County Record-Bee "Killer Bees" bowled against "Ashley Steam" (Ashley Carpet Cleaning) last night at Lakeside Family Fun and Event Center.

Jeremy Walsh, Nathan DeHart, Shawn Garrison and I bowled for the Record-Bee. With our respective matching shirts, our opponents and we formed the two best-dressed teams in the Lake County Chamber of Commerce league.

I bowled 95, 69 and 80 last night with my average at 78.

Last week's standings showed "Killer Bees" taking third in handicap game and second in handicap series. I placed third in women's handicap game.

League bowling: No opponent but ourselves

Shawn Garrison, Nathan DeHart, Jonathan Donihue and I bowled Tuesday for the Lake County Record-Bee "Killer Bees." We bowled unopposed but had to come within 40 pins of our average. We met the goal and had an enjoyable time. I beat my average of 78 pins during the first and third games.

League bowling: Broke 100 second time

Bowled 101 in my third game last night for Lake County Record-Bee's "Killer Bees." This is the second time I've broken 100 during my U.S. Bowling Congress career. Bowling with me on Tuesday were Shawn Garrison, Nathan DeHart and Jonathan Donihue. Our opponents were a fun group of ladies known as the Wilde Bs.

League bowling: Killer Bees vs Marina Grill

Shawn Garrison, Nathan DeHart, Jonathan Donihue and I bowled for Lake County Record-Bee's "Killer Bees" last night in the Lake County Chamber of Commerce bowling league at Lakeside Family Fun and Event Center. Last night's bout pitted us against Marina Grill, a highly-ranked team. Good night for bowling in a supportive atmosphere.

Best game of bowling career

I had the best game ever of my U.S. Bowling Congress career on Oct. 16: first “Turkey” (three consecutive strikes), first time I broke 100 and bowled more than 50 pins above my average.

Oct. 20 update: League stats from Oct. 16 were posted tonight at Lakeside Family Fun and Event Center. The Killer Bees took third place for handicap series. I took first place in women's handicap game and second for handicap series.

Etonic Dragonzilla, Jr. bowling shoes

My birthday gift arrived today: my very own Etonic Dragonzilla, Jr. bowling shoes: black with yellow dragons that will look awesome with my bowling shirt. I look even more the bowling superhero now!

Team bowling: nearly a superhero



The Lake County Record-Bee Killer Bees
From left to right: Jeremy D. Walsh, Cynthia Parkhill,
Kevin N. Hume, Shawn Garrison and Kelly Thorn

Being on a league bowling team is the next best thing to being a member of the Justice League or some other superhero cadre. You'll just have to take my word for it, because I am so not kidding. I rank league bowling with superherodom.

Awesome dragon-enhanced shoes

Maybe it's because we all dressed up in matching shirts. We were the only team that did and I think it made us stand out: black polos with the Record-Bee's name on the front and the emblem, "Killer Bees," on the back.

I personalized my shirt by adding fringe and strung beads.

Team sports wasn't something I enjoyed until bowling with the "Killer Bees." I was always picked last and missed out on that team camaraderie.

But with bowling, any disparities among level of ability is evened out by our handicaps. We only ever compete against our own best scores.

In that sense, I made an improvement: I entered the league with a 67 average and ended with an average of 70. That may not seem like much but to me, the gain shows definite improvement.

I'd wanted to bowl in a league for months before joining the "Killer Bees." I'm grateful to former publisher Gary Dickson for organizing the team and to my teammates, Shawn Garrison, Kevin N. Hume, Kelly Thorn and Jeremy Walsh, for supportive and positive camaraderie.

Special thanks to my mother for letting me use her left-handed, eight-pound ball.

‘You Can Do It!’ Booktalk for teen girls

The Lake County Office of Education is hosting workshops on April 28 for girls in grades six to 10 to explore non-traditional careers for women. My boss, the managing editor of a news company, is one of the presenters.

I decided to use this real-life scenario as the (fictitious) backdrop to a booktalk for my Cuesta College class, LIBT 118: Connecting Adolescents to Literature and Libraries. With this booktalk, I hope to inspire girls to pursue their dreams to the fullest.

I’m a costumed superhero of league-bowling dream come true.

I wear my “Killer Bees” bowling team shirt, hand-beaded and fringed, and bring my bowling ball. Maybe even the Etonic Youth PDW Dragonzilla Jr. bowling shoes I’m ordering — black with yellow dragons — if they’ve arrived by then.

Have you ever wanted to travel? Perform on stage? Join a rock band? Learn a foreign language?

Maybe you, like Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas did, want to write a book.

On Sept. 11, 2001 Lauren was flying home from her grandmother’s funeral on United Airlines Flight 93:

“Already a hero to all who knew her, she became another kind of hero on that horrible day. As the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States reported, ‘The nation owes a debt to the passengers of United 93. Their actions saved the lives of countless others and may have saved either the U.S. Capitol or the White House from destruction’” (Grandcolas xi).

Lauren imagined a book that would help women “achieve their goals, realize their dreams and embrace life’s joys and challenges to the fullest” (Grandcolas x). After her death, her family worked to make her vision — her book — a reality.

Lauren saw this book as a way to re-create the feeling of accomplishment and community that she felt as a Girl Scout earning badges with her troop.

Each dream is broken down step-by-step with a mentor to guide your way.

Earning the badge — yes, there are badges — is only the beginning. Each dream includes suggestions for carrying it further once you’ve accomplished it.

Maybe your dream isn’t specifically mentioned — like mine: join a bowling league. Not a problem, the book encourages you to apply what you’ve learned toward whatever your heart desires.

“Invite your dreams to come out and play.
“Commit your dreams to paper.”
“Entertain the possibilities.”
“Picture yourself living the dream.”
And “Let your dream take shape.”

(Grandcolas 2-5)

Grandcolas, Lauren Catuzzi. You Can Do It! The Merit Badge Handbook for Grown-Up Girls. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2005. Print.

To enroll a girl in the (real) free workshop on April 28, visit www.lakecoe.org or call 262-4162. The event is funded by Mendocino College and LCOE Career Technical Education.

New ‘Generation T’ book arrives

As if Tuesday couldn’t have been awesomer — I was wearing my “Killer Bees” bowling team shirt, fringed and beaded with the guidance of Megan Nicolay’s first book, Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a Shirt when her second book, Generation T, Beyond Fashion: 120 New Ways to Transform a T-Shirt arrived.

I found the first book while shelving returns at the Middletown Library and couldn’t resist applying its projects to a drawerful of T-shirts I had at home. Now with the arrival of Nicolay’s new book, having had so much fun with the original, I look forward to additional creations.

I work-Tweet bowling updates

My bowling steadily improves each week. I think my current high score is 98. I “tweet” about each night’s bowling with the Record-Bee “Killer Bees,” and recently used Storify to assemble those Tweets into a narrative.

New bowling high of 98

Last night @JeremyDWalsh, Kelly Thorn, Shawn Garrison and I bowled for @RecordBee Killer Bees.

— Cynthia M. Parkhill (@CynthiaParkhill) January 25, 2012

My first two games bowling last night for the @RecordBee were 51 and 50, well below my 69 average. New high of 98 last game. Handicap 126.

— Cynthia M. Parkhill (@CynthiaParkhill) January 25, 2012

League bowling: my first game

Bowled my first Lake County Chamber of Commerce Bowling League game last night with the Lake County Record-Bee “Killer Bees.” The next game is in two weeks.

At the end of work today, Record-Bee publisher Gary Dickson had printouts from the night before and from the previous weeks of the league. My scores for last night’s three games were 67, 69 and 67. Consistent games, and my scores will likely improve with practice.

I enjoy bowling and will be given a “handicap” that compensates for my lower scores. The “handicap” will be based on the results of my first three games.