Personality tests, New Year's thoughts

I don't blog much. It is an extension of my personality, which has been measured repeatedly as an INTP. (For the unitiated, that's Myers-Briggs lingo for an introverted, intuitive, thinking, perceiving type, making up about 1% of the general population.) But when I do blog (or otherwise express myself), it is usually on a topic I care deeply about, and have considered carefully. I guess one reason I don't blog much is that my type is often perplexed by meaninglessness. Although I care about others, I often realize I can't do a hell of a lot for them. (Lead a horse to water...) I tend to have an optimistic outlook, however, which can easily confuse you other types. (Perhaps ignorance is bliss.) I know I am wrong just as much as the other guy, but I will stick to my guns, and present my argument with verve in order to save face. I like a good story or show, but won't often laugh politely just to make others comfortable. I am hoping to make some personal improvements in the coming year, but it took many years to figure out how to deal with me, and I'd like to get better at that before I make any drastic changes.

So, why are you reading this? Good question. Perhaps you will be dealing with me in the future (cycling teammate/opponent, massage client, scrabble opponent, Swiss bank teller) , or you have dealt with me in the past and have been wondering 'Who the hell does he think he is?' I know I'm not that good of a writer, so this may not be the most efficient way to know me. But since I don't talk much, this may be your only option.

I don't like controversy. I read and enjoy the blogs Smithers, Rookie, Donimator, Skibby and others put out, but stay on or near the sidelines. I like the creative and diplomatic nature of the Jareds, Gwens and Sarahs of the world. Tuffy and dis are in the list somewhere of course, because they appear to me as adding thoughtful voices of reason. Although I avoid controversy, I sometimes wonder if I should ask Rookie if he has followed any formula for building the cycling team of his dreams, or if I should keep my mouth shut and not stir up trouble. Does dis really run the show? Is Gwen the social coordinator? I think this 'after-the-fact' analysis behavior is one of my weaknesses. I don't tend to get involved from the get-go, hoping to save my energy for that stage when everything is sorted out. I've been thinking it might be informative to get a map of each personality on the team, but maybe that's been done already.

You may be wondering, 'Is this going anywhere?' I am wondering the same thing. I think that the fast approaching new year has something to do with this. Just trying to get some idea on what the near future holds, I guess. Wanting to leave some things up to intuition, I'll keep my improvisational skills sharp, so that I can deal with things that weren't predicted by past analysis. There are those who like to believe in a destination, and I get caught up in that occassionally, but these days I am tending to side with those who say 'Enjoy the ride.'

I have a dream

A prospective client stopped me as a worked my way through the grocery checkout the other day. As I could only recognize the face, not the name, Jen reminded me that we had met at a craft fair where I was giving chair massages. She had planned on calling me back to have me work on her wedding party. I remember thinking that would be a nice thing to do for those who were getting dressed to the nines for her. But, as she continued to explain, my hope for civilization began to fade. She said the pastor would not allow chair massage in the church; I guess she couldn't work out the logistics to set me up in someone's home. I guess this pastor had never heard of Sister Rosalind, and although I wasn't surprised, I was sad, because there are still too many people out there who are living in the dark about massage.

The latest news out of Iowa City is that a high school has banned hugging. Apparently, group hugging was so prevalent that hallways were being jammed. How do we take this? Too much of a good thing? I think if I were a student there, it would be fun to break the rule on a constant basis. I mean really. Who's going to enforce this? I'm sure there's no chair massage in that place!

So as long as you have the right to arms, people, you must exercise them! Hugs and massage are not tools of the devil. Preserve your rights, and stand up against those who choose to embrace a colder, lonelier planet!

Voice Your Opinion

Whenever I read one of these stories, I am always astonished by the accounts of how the 'laws don't allow the proper punishment.' What a bunch of crap. I'm no lawyer, but it sounds like this judge could have done more to set a precedent. We need to prosecute killers, no matter what weapon they use!

Man vs. Machine

If you play enough scrabble, you know who Jim Kramer is. This past month, he beat a computer in a best of three match. Not quite the duel that we saw when Kasparov was tackling chess computers, but it is amazing nonetheless. Maybe this winter I will try to check out some of the local league play. I would like to meet the guy who won $10,000 playing scrabble!