My time at school was absolute hell. It’s not that I have problems paying attention, more that I have extreme focus for short periods of time. Classes at my high school were fifty minutes long, and there was no way I could handle that! I was always told that I was intelligent, and I would steam through that periods work in ten minutes flat. After I had done that, though, I wanted to go and do something else. Like other ADD-ers, I did very well in classes I was interested in, but even though I found the work in the other classes easy, I just had no interest in it. Most of my day was spent bored out of my mind. I dropped out a year before graduation.
Somehow, I got into art college, and found it much easier. I didn’t have to sit and work for set periods, I could work hard for ten minutes, and then go for a walk for five minutes.
Since getting my degree, I haven’t had much luck getting work as an artist, but jobs in my area are sparse at the moment. I have had a few summer jobs, but I get so bored. I just cannot handle working solidly for four hours, then lunch, then working for another three hours. I don’t think most people understand how long eight hours is to me! It is an eternity. Needless to say, I only last a month or two before I quit.
My friends find it both difficult and exciting. They hate shopping with me, because It takes me less than a minute to look around a record shop and choose what I want to buy.
If I’m in a shop waiting for them to buy something, I’ve been told that they can see my interest start to disappear after three minutes. On the other hand, I’m never boring to be around! I love bar crawls, because I can’t handle being in the same bar for three hours like my friends can.
As for my hobbies, I love punk rock, because it’s exciting, and most of the songs are only three minutes long, especially ones by The Ramones. I really do like to read, but only for ten minutes at a time. I read the classics, but it can take me six months to read one book. I also love watching films, but I usually watch the first half one night, and finish watching it a couple of days later.
I was very happy to find your site and read some of the other stories, especially the shorter ones. (No offence intended, my problem, not yours) It’s nice to no that I’m not a freak.