Noticing differences, accepting your autistic traits, and such things.

Lately I've been noticing 'normal' people doing things in a way that is rather different from how I do them, and having to laugh at the constant realisations that yes, my brain is wired differently. These things relate, for the most part, to sensory issues.
A couple of examples: I was on a train, and I noticed someone reading a magazine. They had the magazine resting on their arms. When I read, I always have the book/magazine/whatever resting on my backpack, because the edges of the pages dig into my skin painfully. I have been compensating for this for so long that I do it without thinking. Until I saw someone without this issue, I had forgotten that most people are fine with having books etc touch their skin.

A similar example is when I saw someone reading a book on the grass, propped up on their arms. In that situation, I would need a blanket/sheet to stop the grass from digging into me, and something to rest my arms on to prevent my shoulders and arms from stiffening and locking up.

The funniest example would have to this one. I was in a lecture, and we were listening to Penderecki's Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima. I had heard this piece, but it was so many years ago that I did not recognise it. We (the students) were asked to write down our impressions of the piece. When people read their impressions out, most people had images of war and terror. My imagery was of a large, crowded shopping centre. Do we detect a slight difference in perception between me and the other students?

When it comes to sensory issues like this, I can laugh at my differences. However, it is another matter with social issues. Whenever I think about the fact that I spend my time at university either in class or alone at the library, that I have only one person who I see on a regular basis and that none of my classmates would ever think of me as someone to invite out for coffee/drinks/involve in their social gatherings, it bothers me. I feel as though there is something wrong with me. But why should this be the case? I'm fine spending time with myself. My time in the library is spent reading, researching, and learning- my favourite activities. If I went out for drinks, I'd hate it- a crowded bar is NOT my idea of fun. I am perplexed and overwhelmed by social gatherings involving more than 3 or 4 people. In short, I'm fine the way I am. It's only when I start comparing myself to 'normal' people that there's a problem. (Still, it would be nice to be invited out with people for drinks or whatever sometimes. It's good to feel valued.)