Mulligan's recent activity
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
-
Comment on How do you all do "deep readings"? in ~books
Mulligan LinkI recently read Ulysses and found that in my desire to finish the book I'd sometimes gloss over, ignore, and/or forget passages. I didn't want to miss anything so I'd end up rereading entire...I recently read Ulysses and found that in my desire to finish the book I'd sometimes gloss over, ignore, and/or forget passages. I didn't want to miss anything so I'd end up rereading entire pages. I wanted to enjoy and remember the work so I tried a couple different tactics. What worked best for me was reading out loud. Focusing on intonation and pronunciation gave me a greater appreciation for the work and let me retain more of the dense text than when I'd speed through.
Obviously it's not always possible to read aloud but if I started by reciting the first couple sentences I could carry that focus through the entire session.
-
Comment on My problem with writing in ~creative
Mulligan LinkLook up Gene Wolfe. I highly recommend the Shadow of the Torturer. He has a talent for limiting information. The reader is only allowed glimpses of the world through the perspective of the...Look up Gene Wolfe. I highly recommend the Shadow of the Torturer. He has a talent for limiting information. The reader is only allowed glimpses of the world through the perspective of the narrator. In addition there's a subtext that the narrator may be unreliable and at times outright lying to the reader.
-
Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
Mulligan (edited )LinkI'm working on my novel, a modern day literary adventure. I'm 450 pages deep with a target page count of 600-700. I recently started a new job and I've been waking up an hour early every day to...I'm working on my novel, a modern day literary adventure. I'm 450 pages deep with a target page count of 600-700. I recently started a new job and I've been waking up an hour early every day to get a couple pages down. I don't know what I'm doing but I'm enjoying myself. I figure as long as I'm making forward progress I'm golden. I'm working on at least one thing in service of my dream and not at the behest of someone else.
During a recent bout of reading/editing I realized my antagonists were weak. The scenes without the protagonists were boring and mainly expository. They were the kind of scenes that I hate in books and film. After a few weeks meditation and study I had a major epiphany regarding my baddies.
I started from the beginning and I've worked my way back to page 150, rewriting with them in mind. It's been interesting to see the work change. Not only are the scenes with the antagonists stronger, but thanks to their realness, the actions and reactions of the protagonists feel genuine. The rewrite has been a lot of work but I'm happy with my decision.
-
Comment on The perfect language (and why Go still isn't it) in ~comp
-
Comment on What creative projects are you working on? (July 2019 edition) in ~creative
Mulligan Link ParentIs there a forum on tildes to exchange feedback on writing?Is there a forum on tildes to exchange feedback on writing?
-
Comment on What creative projects are you working on? (July 2019 edition) in ~creative
Mulligan Link ParentI went through a drought after an extended trip abroad. I didn't write during travel and it carried over on my return home. I recently came across a system that got me back on track:...I went through a drought after an extended trip abroad. I didn't write during travel and it carried over on my return home. I recently came across a system that got me back on track: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique
I recommend it. Even if you only get 25 minutes in every day, you're making progress. I find that the ticking of the timer is a great reminder that this is not time to daydream or research, it's time to write.
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? #16 in ~books
Mulligan LinkMy Struggle, Vol. 1. - Karl Ove Knausgard The Vorrh - B. Catling V. - Thomas Pynchon I finished My Struggle a couple weeks ago. It had been on my list for a while and it was something I really...My Struggle, Vol. 1. - Karl Ove Knausgard
The Vorrh - B. Catling
V. - Thomas PynchonI finished My Struggle a couple weeks ago. It had been on my list for a while and it was something I really wanted to dig into while it was topical. I think there's something to be said for reading impactful works in the time that they were written and I was afraid that if I didn't get to it soon I might never pick it up. I was nervous of the style and thought it might be claustrophobic or overwrought, but I enjoyed it. The scenes of childhood and the early relationship with the father were excellent. A friend said he found the 'realness' contrived but I thought the work was sincere. He has a way of defying expectation that makes simple moments impactful.
I just finished the Vorrh yesterday. I'd attempted and set it down a couple times previous and I felt like Struggle was a nice warm up. After making it through the first hundred pages I fell into it. Catling is excellent with the surreal. I thought some of the characters were stronger than others. The two main female characters began unique but ran together for me as the book came to a close. I see something of Gene Wolfe in Catling. The world is dense and fully realized, though it's nowhere near as layered, self-referential, or complex as something like The Book of the New Sun.
I'm starting V. tonight. The only Pynchon I've finished is Inherent Vice. Tried Gravity's Rainbow a few times and gave up. My reading taste moves in waves from complex to simple and I've been feeling heady so I'm hoping to ride that through V. before I need to move on to some pop-lit or hack-n-slash to cleanse my pallet.
-
Comment on What song are you currently addicted to? in ~music
Mulligan Link ParentReally digging Tiger. Looking forward to exploring Sons of Kemet. Have you ever listened to GOAT?Really digging Tiger. Looking forward to exploring Sons of Kemet. Have you ever listened to GOAT?
-
Comment on What were the best recent suspense/horror movies you watched? in ~movies
Mulligan Link ParentI was surprised it wasn't on your list :)I was surprised it wasn't on your list :)
-
Comment on What were the best recent suspense/horror movies you watched? in ~movies
Mulligan LinkFor slow-burn / atmospheric horror I'd recommend you check out; The Witch, A Dark Song, It Comes at Night, and Krisha. I'm also a big fan of the Dutch film Borgman. For out there cosmic horror you...For slow-burn / atmospheric horror I'd recommend you check out; The Witch, A Dark Song, It Comes at Night, and Krisha. I'm also a big fan of the Dutch film Borgman.
For out there cosmic horror you could check out Beyond the Black Rainbow and Mandy.
-
Comment on Books for someone who wants to get back into reading in ~books
Mulligan LinkI second the recommendation of Discworld. If you're looking for something recent, you might enjoy Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself or Lev Grossman's The Magicians. They're both enjoyable reads...I second the recommendation of Discworld.
If you're looking for something recent, you might enjoy Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself or Lev Grossman's The Magicians. They're both enjoyable reads that subvert genre. If you want to tackle one of the classics, I'd recommend Frank Herbert's DUNE, as it hits all your sweet spots.
p.s. "Long in the tooth" means old. :)
-
Comment on Bill raising Federal minimum wage to $15 heads to US House floor in ~finance
Mulligan LinkThere's effects from earlier similar policies that I find fascinating. There's a $15/hour min in areas of Seattle and it's caused some serious issues for corporations in retaining mid-level and...There's effects from earlier similar policies that I find fascinating. There's a $15/hour min in areas of Seattle and it's caused some serious issues for corporations in retaining mid-level and skilled managers. If you're making $16/hour as a manager and you're fed up, you can just demote to bagging groceries or something like that and still bring in a comparable wage. Corporations are stubborn and slow to adapt to change and it's causing problems all over the place. Business and industry in the area hasn't caught up to the wage increase and they don't seem to have any interest in increasing salaries across the board.
It seems that the $15/hour wage is having something of a Universal Basic Income affect where people are quitting jobs they don't like, or jobs where they feel like they aren't appropriately compensated.
If anybody has any info on the Seattle minimum wage and can direct me to some quality articles that discuss what I outline above, I'd really appreciate it.
-
Comment on Any advice on getting rid of intrusive thoughts? in ~health
Mulligan LinkOthers have suggested speaking to a professional. I second this. I will also offer advice based on my personal experience with meditation and terrifying intrusive thoughts and memories. My first...- Exemplary
Others have suggested speaking to a professional. I second this. I will also offer advice based on my personal experience with meditation and terrifying intrusive thoughts and memories.
My first recommendation would be to read "Mindfulness in Plain English". It helped me with my fear of intrusive thoughts. Mainly with a mantra that robbed such thoughts of their power, "this is just a thought, it can't hurt me." Particularly when you're meditating, you're not acting in any way. You're not acting on any thoughts at all, so during that time no thoughts have any power over you. Once you convince yourself of that, you may find yourself having an easier time accepting that from time to time, these thoughts will occur.
Advanced: Step 1: When meditating, these thoughts will arise. It is your job to say, "I'm meditating right now, I don't have time for these thoughts. I may consider them later if I choose to." Once you're able to do that, you'll find you have power over these thoughts.
Step 2: After you have been meditating regularly for some time(months? years?) you can shift tactics slightly. You pick a time and you allow one of these thoughts / memories / moments to arise. I found the best time to do this was at the tail end of a strong meditation session. "Ok nasty thought, I'm ready for you." I would then allow the thought to arise. It would bubble up slowly to the top of my previously blank mind. I wouldn't be scared of it. I wouldn't fight against its coming. I wouldn't react to it at all. I would accept it as part of me. It would arise. After it had arisen, I would study it. I would observe this terrible thought. Why was it terrible to me? Why was I scared of it? How had it affected me?
Step 3: Repeat the process above until you are at peace with the thought and the fact that it is a part of you, though not the whole of you.
This process helped me deal with some truly horrible thoughts that no longer bother me at all. If they do arise they're more like blurry grey memories than the vivid technicolor horror shows they once were.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
Been loving SNAP myself. I work in the industry as a CCG designer and there are so many amazing tweaks and improvements they've made to carve out a spot in the genre. I think there are parallels to poker, especially with the locations. The game does an excellent job of building tension and leading players to impactful moments.
I'm not in love with the acquisition model, but the game has taken over the bulk of my gaming hours.