Zach has been through so many freaky stages it's hard to even know where to begin.  When he first started to act "different,  he was about one and a half years old and he was obsessed with matchbox cars.  He had about 5-6 in his hands at all time  He would try to eat with them in his hands, and when he wasn't trying to eat he was organizing super highways all around my apartment.  Complex designs of cars and trucks all placed in systematic order.  If I dared to move a car when he wasn't in the room he would come running in take one glance at the minimum of 60 vehicles on his highway and he would immediately run over and "fix" what I did.  It was quite interesting to watch.  Here was a little boy, so tiny only a year old and he was building highways, making sure all the cars and trucks faced the same direction, with color schemes and visually pleasing patterns.  I used to get annoyed when they were all over the house and I would trip on them, so I would clean them up and he would immediately start building again.  One morning I found all of my hairbrushes and combs lined up on the floor a beautiful little pattern of order and structure.  I wish I could have appreciated this more back then but I must admit it seemed so odd it scared the hell out of me.  Then there were the throw pillows on my futon, that he would not allow.  He would take them off, and I would put them on, here we were two nut-cases  fighting over throw pillows.

I used to love to buy him really cool matchbox cars.  I would love to bring one home to him after I would return from my night class.  One night I stopped off at CVS before I picked him up to get the usual, baby wipes, diapers, binky, hot tamale candies ( for me) and a matchbox car for Zach.  I got him a yellow NASCAR matchbox with Penzoil as the sponser.  I thought he was going to love it.  Damn, was I wrong.  I watched him making his super highway and I would never ever see the Penzoil Car included.  I would find it hidden all over the place, and me being my antagonistic self, I would sneak it in to the highway when he wasn't looking.  I found this car hidden all around the house, under the couch,in the bottom cupboard,stuffed in the cushions of the couch,in the bottom of the storage closet, behind the garbage can, ANYWHERE but in his super highway.  I couldn't understand why but I admit I got quite the kick out of it.  Well I guess Zach eventually was the victor ( a very common occurrence )because  one day the Penzoil car was gone, disappeared, never to be found again.  My God, he hated that car and I wish I could have snuck into his thoughts to find out exactly why.