Season 4 Step 1: Halloween Special: The Legend Of Walhalla

 The Legend Of Walhalla

Last week, I drove Megan, Rachel, Luke, and Josh, around Clintonville because we were bored. Megan was riding shotgun, and the other three were in the back seat. "Oh!" I exclaimed. "You know what we should do! It's almost Halloween, we should check out the Walhalla house!"

"What's the Walhalla house?" Megan and Rachel asked in unison.

"You guys don't know what the Walhalla house is?" I asked. "Boys, you know what it is right?"

Luke and Josh informed me that they did, and after I took a sigh of relief, I drove towards Walhalla Road. When we started driving down the street, I told the story:

Walhalla Road is technically a ravine. The Calumet bridge crosses over the ravine. Overlooking the bridge and the rest of the ravine stands Mooney's Mansion. Mr. Mooney was a professor at The Ohio State University in the 1950s. One evening Mr. Mooney came home from work. As he walked through the ravine to his mansion, he greeted the children who were playing in their yards. He walked into his house, and he was met by his wife, his daughter, and the family dog.

There are multiple versions of what happened that night, but they all agree that Mr. Mooney murdered Mrs. Mooney and their daughter. Mrs. Mooney's body was found without her head, and the legend is that Mr. Mooney threw it into the ravine. After the murder, Mr. Mooney hanged himself from the Calumet Bridge. People to this day say that they can see the ghost of Mr. Mooney hanging from the bridge.

Over the years, kids of all ages would go down into the ravine to see if the ghost stories were true. Legend says if you take a car and put it in neutral right in front of the bridge, the ghost of Mr. Mooney pushes you away from the mansion. So when Mom was 16 years old, she and her best friend drove down to the bridge to see if this was true. However, they found a skinned deer lying in the middle of the road when they got there, and they were obviously freaked out!

I started telling the story about Mom and the deer right as we passed Mooney's Mansion. Before I could finish telling that story, a figure was suddenly illuminated in my headlights out of the darkness! Megan and I screamed, and we frightened the others. As we got a little closer, we realized that it was just a man walking his dog. When we understood that this wasn't anything out of the ordinary, Megan, Rachel, Luke, Josh, and I busted out laughing the rest of the way down Walhalla. In hindsight, however, I don't think we should have been laughing.

In preparation for this installment, I did some research because I wanted to tell the most accurate version of the legend, not necessarily the one that I knew. While I knew almost everything that I found in my research, I stumbled on a particularly interesting version of the story. In this version, not only did Mr. Mooney kill his wife and daughter, but he also killed the family dog. According to that same version, the ghost of Mr. Moody and the dog can often be seen roaming the ravine, searching for Mrs. Mooney's head!

Have a Greattastic Halloween!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 4 Step 1 Blog 23: The Rainbow After The Storm

 The Rainbow After The Storm

I pulled up to the gas station, turned off my car, and popped open the gas cap. I stepped out of the car and started pumping gas. I could hardly stand still as the tank filled up. The dress clothes I was wearing tightened around my elbows as I held the nozzle in the car and I became very aware that I was wearing them and where I was going.

Twelve years ago, on October 15th, my best friend, Samantha McCarthy (S.M.), passed away. In her honor, S.M.'s mom, Nikki, founded "Sam's Fans," which supports music and art therapy for sick kids in Ohio hospitals. A friend of Nikki's, Miranda, owns a fashion boutique called "Thread," and every year, Thread hosts a fashion show, "Thread of Hope" (TOH), benefiting Sam's fans. TOH Is the biggest night of the year for both Thread and Sam's Fans, planning for the next year starting a week after the event.

Shortly after S.M. died, Ladybugs started showing up everywhere. As a result, Ladybugs have become one of the many signs that S.M. is near. Another sign that she is Around is rainbows. Since Sam's Fans had to go virtual due to the pandemic, This year's TOH was branded as "The Rainbow After the Storm."

As I drove up to The Exchange at Bridge Park, where TOH is always held, I was in disbelief. First of all, I got my driver's license during the pandemic, so it was surreal going to TOH by myself. Second of all, and more importantly, I couldn't believe that I would see everybody again. When I walked into The Exchange, that disbelief Turned into Full-on sensory overload. Not a negative sensory overload by any means, but still way too much was going externally and emotionally to concentrate.

The event was a huge success (as always), and We all made a lot of good memories. I talked to all of S.M.'s friends and family and those who Sam's Fans have touched. I usually have more to say about social gatherings like this, especially when Sam's Fans. I think I'm better at this generally because I'm looking for content for these installments most of the time, but I was enjoying myself too much. So I guess all I have to say is I'm happy that Sam's Fans has returned, and I got to enjoy The Rainbow After the Storm!

Have a Greattastic Day and be safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 4 Step 1 Blog 22: Here We Go Again

 Here We Go Again

My brother Ryan's band, Cousin Simple, consists of him (lead guitar), Mitch Whitaker (Guitar, piano, and ukulele), and Will "Harsh" Hoag (font man). Will, Ryan, and Mitch went to middle school together. They started Cousin Simple while attending St. Charles Preparatory High School. St. Charles is also where Ryan and my two younger brothers, Luke (Senior) and Josh (Junior), attend school. Now I have known that Luke and Josh also have a band, but I thought it was more or less them making fun of Cousin Simple.

I work at New Story from 8-3 every weekday and Kroger from 6-10 Monday through Thursday. Even though I have a 2-3 ½ break between jobs, not a single member of my family is home at that time. I had a day off from New Story last week, so I saw Mom for the first time all week.

"Luke and Josh's band is playing a show this weekend!" Mom said out of nowhere.

I paused to process the information. "Well," I said with a big goofy grin, "here we go again!"

On Saturday, I got in my car with our neighbors, Megan and Rachel, and we drove to the house that the show was at. The only people I recognized at the show were my parents, a few family friends, Ryan, Will, one of Luke's friends, Cole, and Josh's girlfriend, Sophia. The boys and two other bandmates, Freddie and Max, performed in the backyard right in front of a pool. Thirty minutes after we arrived, the band entered the stage.

First, Josh started playing the drums while Freddie and Max began to play guitar and bass. When they had finished the intro, Luke ran onto the stage and sang the first cover song. When that song was over, Luke told everyone to come up closer to the stage. I did as Luke told me, and I found myself surrounded by a pack of Saint Charles guys.

They had eight songs prepared, one of which was an original that they would play for the encore. The band played their last cover and did their obligatory walk off the stage. Before they had all even left, one of the boys in the crowd started chanting" encore," and everyone else followed. Because nobody was walking back towards the stage, the crowd gave up. Knowing that they still had one more song, I tried to restart the "encore" cheer. Luckily I saw Cole in the crowd, so I started chanting directly at him. He got the message, and the crowd started chanting for the boys again. The band played their song "Almost There," and after hyping everyone up, they jumped in the pool at the end.

It was an entertaining night, Especially considering this was the first time I've heard live music since everything shut down. I'm so proud of Luke, Josh, and their friends, and I can wait to see what they do with this talent!

Have a Greattastic Day and be Safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 4 Step 1: The Goodbye Andersons Special

 The Goodbye Andersons Special

On August 18th, 2019, I awoke to the sound of my alarm at 6 a.m. I got dressed and ran to my "sister's" house. I walked into the kitchen and looked at all of the bags scattered across the floor. Aspen walked into the kitchen still in her pajamas, and I gave her the first of many goodbye hugs. Even though it's very in character for me to be sad when people move away, I wasn't this time. She was only going to college; I would see her again at Thanksgiving, then Christmas and New Years, and finally, she'd be back that next summer. August, Kid, and I stood in the driveway and watched as their parents, Rich and Barbara, drove Aspen away to begin her new life.

They made the two-day drive from Columbus, Ohio, to Miami, Florida, where Rich and Barbara dropped Aspen off at Barry University. Within a couple of days of attending college, Aspen had found her groove. She made many friends, was doing well in her classes, and found her passion in the ROTC program. Of course, I wasn't there so I can't tell you exactly what happened. Still, in the most basic terms, the distance between Aspen, myself, and her family gave her the freedom to figure out who she is as a person outside of our childhood friend group.

When Covid-19 hit America, Aspen was forced back to Columbus and completed her school year online. Shortly after the lockdown ended, Aspen, Kid, August, her boyfriend, Ben, and I had a campfire and played guitar by the firelight (Season 3 Blog 3). When the night was coming to an end, we returned inside, and I prepared to go home. As I was getting ready, I offhandedly mentioned something about Aspen returning to school.

"I'm not going back to college." Aspen said confidently.

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed. "You gave me so-h-ho much crap when I dropped out, but suddenly you want to do it and it's okay?"

"You didn't have a plan!" She retorted.

"Fine I didn't have a plan," I argued, "but I got a job at Haugland (New Story) and I'm going to announce a book this summer! What's your plan?"

It turned out that as Aspen took her online classes, she realized that she enjoyed the social aspect of college way more than the academic. The other part of her time in Miami that she missed was ROTC. After some research, she discovered "High School to Flight school." Basically, after two years of training, Aspen would be flying helicopters for the Air Force! After five years of service, she could leave, and if she wanted to go back to school, the military would pay for it. Aspen was more or less guaranteed the spot because the program needed more women, and physically if anyone I know is fit for the military, it's her!

Throughout her time back in Columbus, Aspen and I spent many a night walking the streets of Clintonville and keeping our mental health in check. Honestly, she is one of the main reasons that I survived the last 19 months. When she wasn't helping me out or hanging out with the girls and me, she would spend her time working. Aspen would have to travel out of the city every few months to meet up with her recruiter and do a health or some other test.

Unfortunately, things started to fall apart pretty quickly. First, a rule was added that said if Aspen didn't get all of her tests done by October 30th, 2020, she would have to do ten years of service instead of five. Then the recruiter kept rescheduling the last test so that it would not be complete before the 30th. The rule did not stop Aspen, and she took the test in early November and then didn't hear back from the recruiter until the beginning of this year! When she did hear back from him, the recruiter told Aspen she needed to take even more tests! Aspen, ever the trooper, did what she had to do, and when it was all said and done, the military said they didn't have a place for her.

As I explained a couple of installments ago, August moved in with Marshall in Cincinnati to train for her new job. The training is over now, and she is most likely going to move to the Colorado office. However, as of the posting of this installment, nothing is set in stone. With August on the way out and Aspen's plans dashed, Marshall asked Aspen if she wanted to move in, and she accepted.

Most seasons of Rules for a Greattastic Life have an official name. Season 2 is "The Coronapocalypse," Season 3 is "The Empire Of Friends," and this Season is "Step 1." I didn't give Season 1 an official name. Still, in my head, it's called "Goodbye Andersons" because it dealt with the older three Anderson girls moving. Regarding my "sisters," we are back to where we were pre-Covid: Arden out in Colorado, with August heading out there soon. Aspen is off doing her own thing leaving just me and Kid in Columbus.

Covid did a lot of terrible things. But as I watched Aspen drive off to Cincinnati, I smiled. For me, the silver lining of the pandemic was that I got to spend a little more time with my "sisters" in Columbus than expected!

Have a Greattastic Day and Be Safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 4 Step 1 Blog 21: Perfect Timing

 Perfect Timing

Lori (Noah's girlfriend) is a teacher in a school about a couple of hours outside of Columbus. On October 1st, her school held a dinner for Alumni. The problem was October 1st was Noah's birthday. Lori could get into town around 10 p.m., but she didn't want Noah to spend his whole day alone… that’s where I came in!

The plan was for me to go down to Adriatico's, a pizza place down on OSU's campus that Noah enjoyed when he was in college. Then I would drive to Noah's house, and after we ate our pizza, we would go to a bowling alley, where Lori would meet us.

Lori ordered the pizza in my name and told me it would be ready at 8:20. I arrived at Adriatico's at 8:22. I walked in and told the college girl working the cash register my name.

"We don't have an order under that name," she said, "Could it be under another?"

I gave her Lori's information only to be met with the same result. Confused, I walked out of the restaurant and called Lori. "Huh," Lori said, "That's strange… I'll figure out what's going on."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Could you get another pizza?" she replied.

"Of course!" I answered.

I went back into the restaurant, placed my order, and waited 20 minutes for it to be done. Finally, I got to Noah's house around 9:15. We talked and ate, and we didn't end up getting to the bowling alley until an hour later. I set everything up, and we only played one frame before Lori showed up.

On paper, this installment does look like a negative review for Adriatico's, but I don't think I would have changed anything. Other than taking Noah to Adriatico's with me so we could have spent more time together. I understand why schedules are essential, but it's too easy to get caught up in them. As an autistic person, I was super stressed out waiting for that pizza to be made because we were behind. But if we had been on time, Lori would not have arrived at the same time as us. Sometimes being late causes you to have perfect timing!

Have a Greattastic Day and be Safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 4 Step 1 Blog 20: Step 1 Part 1

 Step 1 Part 1

My former co-worker Lily left my Kroger about a year ago, and I have not mentioned her since the last season finale. She was my Kroger "workplace bestie," and we have been through a lot. I also haven't talked much about working at Kroger since she left. My reasoning is because the things that happen to me at Kroger tend to lean towards the outrageous. So while weird stuff has happened to me post-Lily, I'm not able to stretch most of the incidents into complete installments because the weird things are a lot more low-key without her.

Lily had the strangest effect on her friends. A year after she started working at Kroger, her best friend, Maya started working with us. Maya's brother, Ethan, started working with us shortly after that… and then the floodgates opened. After Lily moved to her new Kroger, her current boyfriend, Owen, worked with me for a short time. Then Chloe, Lily and Maya's other friend, began working at Lily's new store. Heck, even Lily's nemesis, Summer, started working at my store. Most recently, and most relevant for the sake of this installment, their friend Isabella (Izzy) started working in the front end with me.

While I'm here and talking about this group, I need to say that we had a big falling out with Lily very recently. It's a long story, and I'm super upset about what happened, but I hope we can resolve the situation someday. Despite the stress this has caused us, I have remained friends with Maya, Ethan, Chloe, Summer, and Izzy.

Now Izzy took Lily's spot as my Kroger "workplace bestie" even before we fell out with Lily because there was a void that needed to be filled. We've gotten super close since we started working together, and she has proven herself as a good friend, as she just helped me through a rough break-up.

As I mentioned in a previous installment, "Death Sentence," I don't want to spend my whole life acting like I can't be successful because I'm autistic. "Step 1" of my plan to prove the stereotype wrong is to move out of my parent's house. I couldn't do much for most of this season because I couldn't afford to move out on my Kroger salary, so I had to wait for the New Story job to start. When it did, the next thing I had to do was find a roommate.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to my usual Kroger shift, and Izzy and I started talking. "You know," Izzy said in the middle of our conversation, "If you're looking for a roommate… I kind of need one…."

"Are you serious!" I asked excitedly.

"Dead serious!" she replied.

Now we're back to a waiting game because Izzy is trying to find a better-paying job so she can afford rent, but once that happens, the plan is for us to start looking for apartments! I can't wait to see what comes next!

Have a Greattastic Day and Be Safe!

J. Mitchell Ulibarri