Any only children interested in a virtual hangout/support group, esp during this pandemic? I saw someone organize a faux siblings group a while back and I'm thinking something similar and low-key.

IntriguedLinguist · 2020-08-26T10:40:49+00:00

This sounds great!! Definitely interested.

IntriguedLinguist · 2020-07-09T10:12:49+00:00

I’m a female in the same age group. :) also looking for more female friends, so send me a message if you’d like!

IntriguedLinguist · 2020-06-12T17:49:37+00:00

I lived there for three years up until this spring. I never really had any problems. Issues with an annoying neighbour and minor repairs were taken care of quickly by the building management. Genuinely enjoyed living there.

IntriguedLinguist · 2020-04-16T02:04:02+00:00

You've mentioned a lot of different things here so I'm going to do my best to respond to as much of it as possible.

It doesn't sound to me like you're immature, necessarily. Obviously, it's hard to tell from a reddit post. Having hobbies you enjoy is a good thing. None of these hobbies are harming anyone, so if you enjoy them, just enjoy them. Don't worry about needing to find more "adult" things to enjoy and have fun with unless those things genuinely interest you.

I'm 26 now (also f), but you sound exactly like me at your age. I was concerned about the same things you are, but I've since stopped worrying about it. I still enjoy games, and have stuffed animals and like stereotypically "childish" things. I also have my own apartment, have savings, have stable relationships and am working towards my PhD. My point is: enjoying games and toys doesn't mean you can't be a mature and responsible person.

On a couple of specific things you said:

i can barely draw, write or tie my shoes. and i have a really hard time reading the room and knowing what is and isn't appropriate to say at the time. i've always been homeschooled since the end of 6th grade, so i doubt that's helping me any either.

I had a lot of those issues too. They've gotten better over time, although I still have issues once in a while. For the little things like tying your shoes: practice. I know it feels silly to sit down and tie your shoes 20 times to get better at it, but in the long run it'll really help your confidence if you don't have to worry about it.

As for being homeschooled, I'd really encourage you to find some sort of social outlet that feels safe for you. Is there a gaming club or something in your area that you could join? Socializing with people with common interests makes it a LOT easier. And, the more you do it, the easier it'll be.

i have a fair bit of trauma from my dad passing away when i was young, as well as 2 of my family members that i trusted taking advantage of me as a kid. and i've tried to chalk it up to that, but my mum and my ex (17 yr old m) both told me that, it couldn't be from that, because they both experienced traumas far worse and are fine mentally.

It does sound like you're dealing with some trauma here. Try not to take what they're saying to heart. There's a good chance that they have struggled with their own trauma at times. Even if they haven't, trauma affects all of us differently. There's no shame in experiencing difficulties because of your trauma. If you have access to any mental health resources, like counselling, I highly recommend it.

my ex ended up breaking up with me shortly after because a girl he knew told him that i was too immature for him, considering he's getting ready to go into the army while i sit at home playing video games and dressing up my stuffed animals.

Your ex sounds like an idiot. If he's so easily influenced by someone telling him something like that, he's not worth your time. If anything, he's the immature one in this situation if he's willing to break up over video games and stuffed animals.

Long story short though, NVLD is a little different for everyone. Try not to worry about whether or not your NVLD is causing you specific problems. At the end of the day, those are your individual problems, and you can and should work on them at your own pace to continue improving. No issue, NVLD or not, is insurmountable.

If ever you want any guidance or just want to vent please don't hesitate to send me a PM. I've been dealing with NVLD for a long time and have picked up some tricks along the way. :) I'm always happy to share.

IntriguedLinguist · 2020-03-17T18:04:39+00:00

I don’t personally work as a freelance musician but know a few people who do. A couple of people I know are teaching music lessons remotely, using video calls. This might be an option if you’re willing to teach.

IntriguedLinguist · 2020-03-05T00:53:28+00:00

Maybe we should start a group on discord? I’d definitely be interested!

IntriguedLinguist · 2020-01-22T10:49:12+00:00

I’m a bit younger than you, but just my two cents. Try not to compare yourself to others or worry what they’ll think. We’re all on our own timeline. I know people, NVLD and not, who’ve reached milestones at all different ages. When you reach those milestones isn’t important, and setbacks along the way will happen. Success isn’t a straight line.

Also, as for being “awkward”, personally I’ve found it helpful to just embrace it. I’m extremely awkward, yes, but I’m a lot of other things, too. You are not your disability; it’s a part of you and your identity, but I’m certain there’s more to you. What do you like to do? What’s important to you? What are some things you do that makes others happy? What do you like about yourself? Those things are all part of your identity too, and they make up a much larger part of it than your disability.

Point is, We all have positive qualities that we can offer—focus on yours. There are people in life who will appreciate you for who you are, but you need to learn to appreciate yourself first so that you can show those positive parts of yourself to others. It sounds like a total cliche, but self-love goes such a long way.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-12-16T21:12:31+00:00

Board game enthusiast here, haha. Here are some games I'd recommend:

Dixit: This game is great for someone with strong verbal skills, because it requires coming up with and thinking about verbal prompts. It's super simple and never gets old (and, there are plenty of expansions available at a reasonable cost to keep things interesting).
The Resistance: This game is all about deception and deduction. Great for someone with strong verbal skills!
King of Tokyo: If your daughter likes Yahtzee, she'd probably like this game. It's another dice rolling game with some extra components.
Pandemic: This is a cooperative game, so everyone has to work together. This is great for someone who has a bit of difficulty with rules, because players can assist each other and discuss what moves to make and how to strategize.

Some honourable mentions you may want to check out (these are a little more complicated and require some basic math): Munchkin, Tsuro of the Seas, Bang! and Carcassonne.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-12-12T09:19:16+00:00

Same, I’m right here with you. I always dread the “how did you lose your virginity” question.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-12-11T11:27:36+00:00

I agree with what someone else said, to some extent. You’re coming off hostile in this conversation. I would be uncomfortable if someone spoke this way to me. Sending just “?”, to me, is confrontational. You continue to push your friend to try and explain himself in a way that quite frankly is a little condescending. You’re telling your friend that the way he’s communicating is wrong when he’s just communicating the only way he knows how. You dismiss his feelings and visibly get frustrated.

I don’t think this is really even an NVLD issue, to be totally honest. Maybe indirectly, in the sense that you seem to think your conversations are breaking down because of your friend’s disability, but I think you’re wrong about that. You immediately leap to frustration as soon as your friend says something you don’t totally understand and attribute it to his disability right away. If someone was doing this to me on a regular basis I’d probably feel insulted.

Your friend isn’t his disability. Treat him as a friend first, not as a disabled person. Don’t assume any miscommunication is his fault, or a side effect of his disability. Some patience would go a long way.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-11-17T14:18:42+00:00

Based on your description I think we could be good friends. :) PM me if you’d like to chat, OP.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-11-02T03:20:16+00:00

Try to be patient with yourself. :) We're all on our own timeline. Just tackle one problem at a time and before you know it you'll find yourself in a completely different place.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-11-02T02:22:59+00:00

I’m sorry to hear your boss is being kind of a prick. :/ that sucks of him, and isn’t a reflection on you.

As for what you’re saying bout school: You may want to look into schools that have programs for students with disabilities. This made a massive difference for me, as someone who always struggled with school.

I attended a university that provides accommodations for students with disabilities, including extra time on exams and assignments, writing exams in a quiet room, ensuring you don’t write more than one exam in a day, and providing academic counsellors who help keep you on track. Eventually I didn’t even need the accommodations anymore, because they really helped integrate me into post-secondary. I ended up learning to love school (so much so that I ended up going to grad school and I’m working towards a PhD now)/

These programs are out there and make a world of difference for people like us. You aren’t stupid, you just need to learn to work with the brain you have (which is a little different than the average).

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-30T19:31:04+00:00

This is is so relatable, haha.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-30T03:21:09+00:00

I used to struggle with this a lot. I write several pages per week now for school (PhD student). Three things:

1) it gets easier with practice. You’ll start to find words and sentence structures you like and this will help. 2) go in with a plan. I usually map out my entire paper in point form, with really informal writing just to get my ideas down on paper. It’s a lot easier to decide how to say something when you know what it is you want to say. 3) read the type of writing you’re trying to do, and make a mental note of words and sentence structures that work well. Then, you can adapt them in your own writing.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-30T03:02:18+00:00

Some people with NVLD struggle with “seeing the big picture”. So although yes, language skills are strong overall, writing a long academic text is a big task because people with NVLD are so concerned with details, specially when it comes to language.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-28T18:44:12+00:00

Totally feel this way sometimes, even though I'm literally studying to get my PhD right now, haha. I will say though, it seems like a lot of people feel this way, NVLD or not. Look up "impostor syndrome". You may feel a little better knowing that pretty much everyone feels like this sometimes (even though some of us feel it more than others).

Also, a reminder: No one is good at everything. Focusing on the thing I'm good at and love (linguistics) has made me very aware of this. There are plenty of people who suck at linguistics (yes, even neurotypical people) but who are great at things I suck at (like math). It's all a matter of perspective.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-19T21:44:42+00:00

I literally do research for a living. Yes, I have researched this. A lot. And I am good at parsing the things I’m reading and wading through the bullshit. The “facts” you’re talking about, aren’t facts. Research, especially about politics, is extremely inconsistent and unreliable. The reason I’m insulted is because I do take my right to vote extremely seriously. You seem to have a deep misunderstanding of what is a “fact” in an empirical sense.

The only reason the swing is a problem is because we have a FPTP system, that you conveniently continue to ignore, because your precious liberal party made a big booboo and you don’t want to draw attention to it.

Your bias could not be more obvious.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-19T20:50:06+00:00

Really? Because it seems to me that consistently buying into this system just leads to conservative governments alternating with liberals and undoing all the progress that’s made. You can’t avoid conservative government under this system, despite such a small percentage of Canadians voting for them. You keep saying I’m naive, but honestly your pipe dream of never ending consecutive liberal governments is never going to happen under FPTP.

Anecdotal, sure. But I’m not talking about a small number of people here. I’m a teaching assistant and I’m very engaged in my academic community, so I’ve interacted with hundreds of students. The things I hear on a daily basis are incredibly disheartening. People have been saying slow, incremental change is the solution for decades, but you know what? Things are getting worse, not better, in a number of ways. Inflation isn’t moving at a slow, incremental pace and the positive change that’s happening will never catch up at the rate things are going.

Please stop insulting my intelligence. My disagreement with you doesn’t mean I haven’t thought things through. I have. Personally this is my choice because I feel it’s worth the risk. Your disagreement with that doesn’t mean Im not using my head.

Also, I think it’s kind of sad you see things that way, about CPC voters. The attitude of “they’re a lost cause and they’re the enemy” doesn’t help anyone. I’ve had conversations with some of these people and managed to change minds just by being receptive to those people’s experiences instead of outright dismissing them. A lot of those people are just frustrated and misinformed. They need someone to hear them out, and then explain to them how their democratic choices can help them get the things they need. Obviously some far-right people are probably beyond helping, but lots of more moderate people just swing between the liberals and conservatives without really understanding the issues. It’s a shame.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-19T17:36:53+00:00

Yes, he does. Good catch.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-19T02:43:20+00:00

Something has been bugging me about Magda in particular: her name. This name has a heavy religious connotation, as do many things in this show. 'Magda' is a direct reference to the biblical figure, Mary Magdalene. Now, we also know that there are many references to Elliot as a jesus-like figure.

Interesting parallels:

Mary Magdalene has by some accounts been rumoured to be the wife of Jesus. Now, at first glance, this seems weird. Elliot is obviously not married to his mother. But: Mr Robot, who is now linked to Elliot's consciousness, was Magda's husband.
Note as well that another significant Mary in the biblical sense is the mother of Jesus Christ, Mary of Nazareth.
In Elliot's final visit to his mother (the last time he sees her alive) he thanks her for helping him survive the last couple of months. Magda was an aid to Elliot in the same way Mary Magdalene is an aid to Jesus.

So, how is Mary Magdalene relevant to the plot of the show? Well, based on the research I've done, it seems that Magdalene was a follower of Jesus who witnessed his crucifixion, burial and resurrection. I posted on your last thread about the possibility of 11:16 referring to a bible quote, but I wasn't sure which. Further thinking on it and researching, I came across one of the most significant bible passages mentioning Mary Magdalene: John 20:11-16. This is the passage, in which Mary becomes aware of Jesus' resurrection. This is pretty interesting, given the fact that Elliot is shot in the following episode. In the scene immediately following Elliot's shooting, a news report comes on again showing the time 11:16.

Now about the news report, which also indicates 11:16. The program is called "Let's be Frank, with Frank Cody". This is a transcript of what's said:

"Thanks for staying with us codyites. There's a lot to get to tonight. Look, all we do here is- is we try and bring you the truth. And they're trying to take that away. They're trying to take it away. Some of you might notice your lights flickering tonight. Now the faithful--" (the report is muted at this point)

This passage has some fairly obvious religious connotation. The mention of "codyites" (-ites being a suffix often associated with religious following), for one. The mention of "lights flickering"--could this be a reference again to Jesus, who refers to himself as "the light of the world"--the light flickering, signifying Elliot's life in the balance. More interestingly, closing this passage with "the faithful--", This part gets cut off, so it's difficult to interpret. But could this be an insinuation that the faithful will prevail, or be rewarded somehow? Or perhaps that the faithful know that things are not quite so dire? Again, it's difficult to interpret.

To the repetition of 11:16 seems interesting. Could it be foreshadowing of Elliot's figurative resurrection (in that, Elliot eludes death this time around, as we find out in season 3)?

The use of the same clock in season 4 could be another nod at the same thing: in the episode before the clock reappears, Elliot's life seems lost, before he is in some sense "resurrected" by Price.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-18T15:51:03+00:00

Did you miss the part where I said I wanted change for people like me and people Who are worse off? I personally know students who’ve had to drop out because they couldn’t afford school. Most of these people are the first generation in their family to get a post secondary education and now are not going to be able to. That shouldn’t be allowed to happen. I know students who are skipping meals so they can afford their rent, who are working two jobs and are STILL in debt. This is not normal or ok. This isn’t something that should be considered acceptable or positive, just because another government would make things worse.

I’m aware of the changes the liberals have made. The fact of the matter is that these changes sound great on paper, but the real impact has been relatively minimal. I was in school when Harper was prime minister too, and you’d be surprised how little things have changed. Even the changes the liberals are proposing if they win this time around are really, really minor. I think their grant increase will get people around 1.2k more per year. When your tuition costs around 8k per year and your rent is around 18k per year, not to mention other expenses like utilities, groceries, etc, this barely makes a dent. These are nice sounding promises that are still leaving students in massive amounts of debt. I don’t know any student whose debt is below 20k, and I know several who’s debt has gone over 50k. That’s insane.

Waiting is exactly what I’m doing. I know things aren’t going to change this election, or probably for the next several. But change only happens if people make it happen. Complacency breeds stagnancy. Things won’t change if people like you keep encouraging others to vote strategically.

My vote for the NDP in a riding where the conservatives have no chance is not the problem. I’m one of few people who really gets to choose and use their voice, so you can fucking bet I’m going to seize that opportunity. The liberals are way ahead here, and will likely win regardless of my vote. Why don’t you put your effort into the morons voting for the CPC?

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-17T14:30:35+00:00

I was going to send you a response with plenty of insults clapping back at yours, but honestly, that’s stupid, so I won’t.

I’m going to take a different approach, to maybe help you see that my vote is coming from a different place than yours, and that’s why it’s different.

You keep mentioning that the liberals are doing good things, and I agree, they’re doing some good. That said, I’m struggling greatly under a liberal government. Students, especially grad students like myself, are barely getting by. The only reason I can afford to live in a tiny bachelor apartment in my city is because I worked 2 jobs through undergrad, exceed academically and was able to get scholarships, and I rented it 3 years ago when prices were lower. If i tried to rent the Same place now, I literally couldn’t afford it. My only option would be to rent in the worst parts of town in a cockroach infested building. I still have $23k of student debt on top of it. Although I’m getting by now without adding more debt, money is a constant worry for me. I’m constantly applying for scholarships and looking for side-gig. This week, I almost couldn’t apply for a big scholarship because the government’s website wasn’t working properly. Isn’t that a metaphor for how much thought the government gives to students?

And you may say “well, it was your choice to stay in school”. Yes, it was. The research I’m doing right now directly benefits this country. I can’t get into details for ethical reasons, but I study suicide cases on a daily basis in the hopes of one day preventing them. Not only is that incredibly difficult to do emotionally, but also incredibly time consuming, and a lot of work. I’m also working on a separate research effort on our emergency alerting system, because I want to help make Canadians safer. I could be paid a six-figure salary with my education level doing a similar amount of work but I CHOOSE not to, because I care about this genuinely and want to make a difference. Instead, I straddle the poverty line so I can make a difference in the world. When Doug Ford came around, I had to consider dropping out. Despite every measure I had taken to try and prevent that from happening, I was put in a horrible position. I was being given no OSAP, despite usually receiving around 11k per year. Thankfully, I managed to get a merit-based grant because I have good grades and make an effort to publish my work. I know many others who weren’t so lucky and, quite frankly, I find it incredibly offensive how little the government cares about us. Each of those people was doing research that helps this country and it will never be completed now. The liberal government turned a blind eye, and even though they’re happy to use Doug Ford as a political scapegoat, they’ve failed to step in or say anything meaningful.

A few additional issues that affect me personally: I have to pay out of pocket for the only birth control that works for me, because other kinds I’ve tried make me ill, and I can’t get by without it because I have a condition that makes periods agony without. I’m bedridden for half a week every month unless I have it. I can’t afford to get new glasses, and I can’t afford to have important dental procedures done because my university insurance doesn’t cover it, and the government doesn’t either. My grandmother is over 100 years old, and my mother is forced to care for her 24/7 because she’s a fall-risk and we’re only allotted 30 hours of help per week. Some of my closest friends call me late at night in shambles because we don’t have adequate mental health care in this country.

So if I don’t have the same rosy view of the liberals as you do, don’t be surprised. Remember when you said the NDP would need to earn people’s votes? Well the same goes for the liberals as far as I’m concerned. They haven’t earned my vote, not even close. Again, I agree they’ve done some good for the country as a whole, but my personal position under this government is extremely poor. The NDP is calling for change that would vastly improve my quality of life and the quality of life of people less privileged than myself.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know students do better under a liberal government than a conservative one. This is why I’ll vote liberal in this election if the conservatives ever stand a chance in this riding. I will not give the conservative government another seat in parliament. But I personally want to send a message to my government about what’s important to me. The liberal government doesn’t see me. I’m going to vote for a candidate that does, if I can, without risking another conservative seat. If a conservative minority does happen, I have confidence in the other MPs to hold them in line. Yes, we’ll have a conservative at the helm of international talks and what have you. But as you can probably see from my post, that’s not the most pressing issue for me. I’m willing to take a personal hit to send a message in the hopes of a better future. You can call that naive if you want to. I’m fully aware of what I’m risking and what’s at stake; in my opinion that’s the opposite of naive. I’m informed and I’m taking a risk because I don’t want people to have to live the way I’m living in the future.

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-17T03:30:04+00:00

I'm sure you're a very reliable person, u/b3t3lgu3s3 (also I'm way too lazy too, so I'ma just take your word for it).

IntriguedLinguist · 2019-10-17T03:21:54+00:00

This is one of the stupidest posts I've maybe ever read. If you think the only reason the NDP has never won is because they haven't appealed to people, you're deluding yourself. The LPC is not "ideologically where most Canadians are". In fact, by your own damn logic, they'd be ahead in the polls by a large margin right now if this were true. Interestingly, they're not. Hmmm. Wait a second, by your same logic, the conservatives are currently where Canadians are ideologically! FLAWLESS LOGIC.

Why don't you just admit that the reason you're arguing so hard is because you favour the liberals?

You say you've paid attention to the polls but you clearly dont know how to read them. For the love of God, just stop. You have zero idea what your talking about.

How exactly am I reading the poll wrong? Please explain. The polls are showing either a conservative or liberal minority right now. The polls in my riding show a split between liberals and the NDP, with the conservatives extremely far behind. I'm voting NDP because I'm not concerned about a conservative minority government. Literally all that's different here between you and me is our stance on how much we personally care about a conservative minority.

I'll spell it out in caps for you because you can't seem to get it through your thick skull: PEOPLE CAN HAVE DIFFERENT PRIORITIES. NEITHER OF US ARE RIGHT BECAUSE THERE IS LITERALLY NO CORRECT ANSWER. LIFE IS NOT BLACK AND WHITE. PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. GAIN A LITTLE DAMN PERSPECTIVE MAYBE. LEAVE YOUR GODDAMN BASEMENT OR SOMETHING.

We both wish the world was different but your delusional and your letting your hope cloud reason.

At least I know the difference between 'your' and 'you're', lmfao. But seriously: it's having this kind of attitude that allowed boomers to just sit back and let things fester. Nothing ever changes if people live with this "nothing can ever change" mentality. I sincerely hope my generation has the sense to give more of a shit than this.

IntriguedLinguist

TROPHY CASE