:)

As a (vaguely) autistic person, I tend to do the hand-flapping thing a lot. To prevent this when talking to somebody, I tend to either jam my hands on my pockets or give the thumbs-up sign a lot. The last one is also cover when I don't know what to say. Anyway, one of my flatmates, who is Austrian, has picked up the gesture in the last few weeks. I don't know if she is doing it unconsciously or thinks it is an American thing or wants to make me feel comfortable, but I am touched by it.

Last week we had a fire alarm go off – some idiot who didn't know how to use his toaster. I nearly didn't make it down the stairs because it was so loud, and when I was finally out of the building, I walked straight to the library and hid in the stacks for a few hours. I like them for the same reasons everyone else doesn't – they're quiet, dim, and deserted – and will be sad when they finally renovate.