Saturday, April 30, 2005

Me and Myers-Briggs

One of my co-workers took a Myers-Briggs assessment recently, so I decided to check my own type via the many web tests that are available. First up:

My Bloginality is ISTP!!!

As an ISTP, you are Intraverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving.
This makes your primary focus on Introverted Thinking with Extraverted Sensing

This is defined as a SP personality, which is part of Carl Jung's Artisans (Sensation Seeking) type, and more specifically the Crafters or Mechanics.

Because of your desire for action and independance, you will change the format of blogging or design frequently to keep it interesting and different. Your loyalty may have you reading the same blogs over a long period of time. Even though you could be easily bored with blogging, you might find that because you like following a project through, this is a good way for you to use your alone time to sort the facts you pick up through the day.

On the other hand...


ISTJ - "Trustee". Decisiveness in practical affairs. Guardian of time- honored institutions. Dependable. 11.6% of total population.
Free Myers-Briggs Word Choice Test
personality tests by similarminds.com


I used to be an iNtuitive, but apparently not any more. That may be a case of the job shaping the personality. I am definitely an I and a T. Many of my favorite people are Ts, too. I guess the phrase, "I like the way you think," is very true for me.

The Percieving/Judging thing is a close call. I can see elements of both, depending on the situation. As I tie-breaker, I took the quicky test at http://haleonline.com/psychtest/ I tried out both P and J, and selected as the winner:

You're an ISTP

You're a realist who applies expediency and reasoning as you manage and adapt to situations...you are aware of what is going on in the environment and are able to respond quickly to the actual facts, making sure the odds are in your favor...

You're straight-forward, pragmatic, honest people who prefer action to conversation..you have a good understanding of the way things work, and are not pretentious...analytical...you tend to make logical and private decisions, stating things the way you see 'em...

don't like to be tied down and don't like working in a structure or schedule...you need to anticipate immediate practical needs in situations and to present a logical straightforward plan for meeting those needs...

Curious and observant... convinced only by hard, reliable facts...veritable storehouses of information...realist able to capitalize well on available resources... quiet and reserved...appear cool and aloof and are inclined toward shyness, except with good friends...

You operate on impulse....you learn best when you can observe first-hand in a one-on-one situation...prefer to learn alone...you thrive on excitement and action...probably like outdoors and sports....good trouble shooter...you lead through action...by setting an example...you'd prefer to managed loosely at work so bossman isn't breathing down your neck.

It's important to pursue your interests.. you will do what it takes to make time or money for your leisure-time pursuits (like pay for a Storm Palace subscription?) ....you like to have the latest and finest equipment for whatever your hobby is...you probably get turned on just reading the Trivial Pursuit cards just to learn the information....

Love? Responsive yet realistic, huh? You seek partners who'll give you your freedom (especially for hobbies and interests) or will at least participate in 'em with you....you're attentive to the little things that your partner will like..you like to surprise them with gifts and stuff... you'd rather show your feelings through actions than express them with words....

When scorned by a love, you don't share it with the world... you're usually not vindictive when the relationship is over...you don't give up easily on the relationship unless you're convinced by the evidence.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Smile

Daddy was a big, good-natured, man who loved to laugh, but like many men, he didn't like to smile for pictures. (Why is that?) Once in awhile, though, he would forget he was supposed to look solemn and just be himself.


Roy E. Coffey 5 Aug 1926 - 26 Apr 2002 Posted by Hello

He was in his element, wearing his work coveralls and puttering around outside. He may have been fixin' stuff, or since he is standing by the camper, he may have been getting ready to go on a trip.

He is also sweating, because that is also something he could do with abandon. Once when my brother called, I had to call Dad in from outside to talk to him. "He's coming in now," I said. "Is sweat running off his nose?" my brother asked. Of course it was. Dad could work up a sweat just thinking about work. Or breakfast. Or fishing. Anything, really.

I was always a daddy's girl, and when he got sick, I fretted about how I would cope when he was no longer around. As it turned out, we went back to the house, and we got out boxes of photos so we could pick out the pictures for the video at the funeral. Roy in psychadelic Sixties garb. Roy dwarfing a playground ride. Roy and his first car. Roy and his first grandbaby, both sound asleep.

And we smiled.

Monday, April 25, 2005

Monday

Not much to say - Mondays are work, work, work, pet the cat, check the internet, knit, gossip, and sleep.

An amusement, courtesy of http://www.acme.com/ Posted by Hello

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Open for business

Getting them was a comedy of annoying errors, but I now have in my possession the first order of the redesigned Piker Press business cards. Alex did a lovely job designing them, don't you think? I will be taking some to the Des Moines Poetry Festival today, in hopes of seducing some new voices to the Press.


Lovely new business cards Posted by Hello

I'm excited about the poetry festival. This year's featured poets include current and former Poets Laureate Ted Kooser and Billy Collins.

I haven't been to the festival for a couple of years, although in the past I have enjoyed hearing such poets as Donald Justice, Carolyn Kiser, Jorie Graham, Donald Hall, Mark Strand, Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, and the peculiarly engaging Robert Bly.

Bly read some ghazals, I think it was, which have two-line stanzas, and he did something I have not seen any other poet do. He read each stanza twice. At first I thought he was deranged, but soon I figured out that the first reading let you understand the words, but the second reading let you hear the poetry. It was brilliant.

Another memorable festival moment came when C. K. Williams read these lines from his poem "The Dress":

in those long-ago days, women, my mother, my friends' mothers, our neighbors,
all the women I knew, wore, often much of the day, what were called "housedresses,"
cheap, printed, pulpy, seemingly purposefully shapeless light cotton shifts

that you wore over your nightgown, and, when you have to go to look for a child,
hang wash on the line, or run down to the grocery store on the corner, under a coat[...]

When he said the word "housedresses," I could feel dozens of people in the room gasp inaudibly along with me. In that instant, with one carefully chosen word, he made us all thirty years younger and transported us to other places, full of hair rollers, chicken and dumplings at Granny's house, and shirts baked stiff on the clothesline. "That," I thought, "is the power of poetry."

Sunday, April 17, 2005

Sunday afternoon

Katie found a new warm, sunny place to spend the afternoon - on top of the printer/scanner. She watched me while I worked, and spent a tolerably long time being fetching so I could take pictures of her.

Katie in the sunshine Posted by Hello
Hard to believe that this sweet thing eluded us when we picked her up at her sitter's house by climbing into the box springs and up on the slats so she did not creating any visible sags.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Return of the Memes

Thanks to Audie and Warrior for this one. Yep, I am perfectly suited for the safe and quiet life.


The Monk
You scored 34% Cardinal, 69% Monk, 41% Lady, and 29% Knight!

You live a peaceful, quiet life. Very little danger comes you way and
you live a long time. You are wise and modest, but also stagnant. You
have little comfort, little food and have taken a vow of silence. But
who needs chatter when just sitting in the cloister of your abbey with
The Good Book makes you perfectly content.



My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 40% on Cardinal
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 90% on Monk
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 59% on Lady
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 9% on Knight
Link: The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test written by KnightlyKnave on Ok Cupid

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Last photos

The cover photo on USA Today this morning was of the late Pope John Paul II's body on display for mourners at the Vatican. I've seen a lot of pictures on his body, in fact, which struck me as odd until I thought about my family.

We photograph the dead.

I was very young when my grandfathers died, too young to remember them, but our photo albums had pictures of them, even in their caskets. There were also pictures of people who died before I was born. Even knowing my parents' tendency to take funeral snapshots, I remember being taken aback when I opened a letter and a picture of Granny all laid out fell into my lap. Granny was poor, hardworking, toothless, and completely uninterested in fashion. Since I wasn't able to make the trip to the funeral, Mom wanted me to see how nice she looked. I suspect that was the thought behind a lot of our family funeral photos - this is the best he ever looked, so let's get a picture of it.

When our dad died, my brother and I went to the funeral home one afternoon and took pictures of everything - dad, the flowers, the stained glass window in the chapel. "This is so strange," I thought, "but it is also what Dad would have done." When mom died a couple of years later, we did the same thing. We also have a bunch of pictures of the gravestone as it progressed from having one name to two.

I thought this might be a southern thing, but T's older cousins remember having their photo taken in front of their grandfather's casket in Iowa. I learned this at a funeral luncheon when one of them sheepishly asked if anyone would object to her taking a few pictures. It was after the funeral, mind you, but all of the cousins were together, and it was a perfect chance to get a picture of everyone, so why not?

Death is an inevitable part of life. In my family, as in Rome, commemorating that passage is as natural as breathing.

Monday, April 04, 2005

Ah, Spring!

It was another beautiful day, warm and sunny and clear. The birds are singing, the lilacs are budding. I spent the day at the office, going in before it was fully bright out. I actually managed to get a lunch today (I don't always) and stepped outside for a few minutes.That's Monday in my world.

T spent the day packing the camper. We are taking it out later this week - the first trip since we bought the new one. Naturally, the forecast turns cold and rainy tomorrow and stays that way until we leave. Tough. We got a heater this time.

Sunday, April 03, 2005

A good Sunday

It was a good day in Iowa. We had warmer temps than our friends on either coast, and T and I went to a nearby trail and walked for awhile. The best wildlife we saw, though, was at the restaurant where we ate lunch. This pair was in the parking lot--


Ducks at Chips Restaurant Posted by Hello
Thanks to the fabulous Zire 72 and its little camera, we were ready to capture the moment.

May I just say--I hate Daylight Saving Time? I hate having to reset all of the clocks. I hate it tonight, when I have to go to bed before dark so I can be at work early tomorrow. I hate it as summer goes along and we can't even start stargazing until 10:00 PM. And I hate that I don't even know who to complain to about it. Who is in charge of the Department of Time, anyway?

Saturday, April 02, 2005

When I grow up

Last night, the Friday night knitters and some other creative types got together for an Idea Party. We listened to one of Barbara Sher's audio programs. We did the exercises, and talked about the results.

I enjoyed the evening, but I didn't learn anything earth-shattering about myself. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I know what sort of work situation I like to be in, though - with a small group of intelligent, outgoing people who can get things done and laugh when it is over. I am blessed be working on a team like that now, and I still have a lot of contact with my former fun team, too.

Since everyone at the party had creative aspirations, it was no surprise that they all wanted to find ways to be more creative - spend more time pursuing their interests, and getting more recognition for them. I can buy the "spending more time" part (hmm, would I rather knit or do payroll?) And every time I think about NaNoWriMo, I get envious of those who are able to write readable fiction. But thanks to The Piker Press I have had an outlet for whatever creative tchotchkes I come up with, and a small but admiring throng of interesting people to pal around with. Alex even tapped in to my then-unvoiced desire to be Sylvia Beach, and made me poetry editor, so I get to troll for new talent and be a teacher, too.

I may not have everything I sometimes think I want, but just about everything I have makes me happy and fulfilled. So why would I even want to grow up?