Mulligan's Q&A
Name: Michael Mulligan (pseudonym)
Place: Boulder, Colorado
Why a pseudonym? George Orwell (Eric Blair) is my idol. Also, I teach. More than once I have remained reticent due to the complicated political fabric within education. We have free speech, but as a secondary teacher, the societal structures put pressure on what can actually be said.
Have you ever been in a fist-fight? What was it over? I was in a penalty box during the Canadian Girls versus The American Boys annual school hockey game. Some Canadians from the stands pulled my jersey over my head as I was returning to the ice. Soon, I had trouble breathing. I snapped. Fortunately, I only landed two punches in the jaw of what turned out to be a friend.
Guilty Pleasure: My Suzuki GS650. My in-laws call it the “alternative mode of transportation”—but hey! Why let the fear of death be the impetus for life!
Phobia: I am afraid that I need to see a psychologist. Once, while riding my motorcycle through Wyoming, I looked to my left. I saw an old man, naked, with a long beard, dragging a dead pink poodle through that inimical waste-land. I have had several similar dreams or hallucinations. Is that normal?
What would your sign say if you were homeless? Joshua Tree or Bust
Activities: Rock climbing, reading, chess, and the Rubik’s cube.
What would your first (or next) tattoo depict? The golden ratio, φ, in the pupil of an eye.