Personalities.... oh! The Possibilities

Ever taken a Myers-Briggs personality test? A few of us were discussing our personalities at New Year's ... and I thought I'd expound on it a little more here...

I've taken the test several times... and while I don't remember exactly what I scored the two or three times I've taken it before - this last round, I came out as an INFJ. That translates to:

Introvert - I "recharge" my batteries by being home and quiet.

iNtuitive - I like to look for patterns and relationships within the big picture.. I tend to enjoy variety and life, and am usually up for a challenge.

Feeling - I tend to pay attention to how people are reacting to me, and make my choices based on my convictions as much or more so than the "facts"

Judging - (not to be confused with judgemental) Even though aspects of my life don't reflect it... I like to have a method to the madness. I like to be organized, even if it's an organizational system understood only by me! I like to plan, and to know what to expect.

Yes, I'm an introvert. Surprisingly enough - I know several people who are extremely outgoing and social... introverts. When restricted to a social setting, an introvert will pick a 2 hour chat session over a cup of coffee and the extrovert will pick a largly attended christmas party consisting of many 5 minute conversations. Me - the largely attended party will give me a headache within an hour - I can't follow that many conversations at once! Not to say that everyone will ALWAYS pick along those lines... as this site points out, these are only indicators of preferance (sort of like being left or right handed.... you're perfectly capable of catching a ball with either hand (or learning to do so) but you have a natural preference for which hand you'll catch with. There are time's I can't stand my own company - and have to get out and go do something noisy and extroverted.

It's extremely interesting to see how - under extreme stress, the behaviors that people exhibit will flip flop from their normal "settings" to the exact opposite... (I'll get to what pairs with what in a minute). I've seen that flip-flop exhibited in my life as well, in some of the materialistic, impulsive, excessive things I've done (and later regretted) as well as being preoccupied with useless things... like picking the sock lint out of the grooves between the rubber nubbies on my swim shoes.... (extremely pointless - and yet there's an intense sense of satisfaction at the completion, so the organized side of me was happy!.... that was a REALLY stressful day!)

So, without going into too much more detail, because the website I mentioned covers everything much better than I can... here are the pairs:

Introvert vs. Extrovert
iNtuition vs. Sensing
Feeling vs. Thinking
Judging vs. Perception

Neither is better than the other - they're all just different.
An interesting side note - different traits are dominant, depending on the combination of traits (sort of like rock, paper sissors... but not)

Happy reading! I'd love to know what your personality is described as!

10 Ways Duct Tape Goes Back to School...

In the true spirit of all things duct tape... here's a top ten list for going back to school - and why every college student should have recieved a roll of duct tape in their christmas stocking...

from the great guys at www.ductapeguys.com...

10. Backpack reinforcement - help that old backpack make it through one more year of school - reinforce the bottom and seams with duct tape. (how many of us have done THIS?)

9. Contruct your own backpack! Cover a grocery bag entirely in Duct Tape, then duct tape the bag onto your kid's back (over clothing to avoid back skin and neck hair loss).

8. Book covers: Cover your books in paper, then cover the paper with duct tape. Don't tape right onto the book (school administrators are not real duct tape friendly, and will probably fine you for duct tape stickem all over your returned books).

7. Lunch money clip: Duct tape your kid's lunch money to the back of their leg so they don't loose it or have it stolen by the school bully.

6. Note from home security: Tape those notes from home onto your kid's forehead so they don't forget to give them to the teacher.

5. Reusable lunch bag: Don't waste your money purchasing a nylon reusable lunch bag... simply duct tape over a paper lunch bag - your kid will be the envy of the classroom, and this bag will last them right through to college!

4. Sandwich safety belt. Avoid the stain and embarrassment of sandwich spills. Duct tape around the sandwich holds the fillings in place. You just eat down to the duct tape - then squeeze the contents out.

3. Book straps: Some schools are forbidding backpacks because of security issues. The Duct Tape Guys suggest making a book strap out of duct tape (like grandpa and grandma used as kids). To avoid books from spilling out of the strap, duct tape the spines of the books to the strap.

2. Duct tape fashion: Save HUGE bucks... instead of purchasing expensive brand name clothing, cover your last year's outfits entirely in duct tape. Go with silver for the heavy metal look, black for a mysterious/artsy look, or try one of Duck® brand duct tape’s NEW Xtreme Tape® - it's duct tape in dayglo colors: hot pink, lime green, citron yellow, and blaze orange. The same colors that are so trendy with the Xtreme Sports participants.

1. Make a knowledge magnet. Duct tape around your head sticky-side-out, and every word that your teachers say will stick to the tape and soak into your brain. (This has not been fully tested, it's just a theory at this point).

There you have it folks - Just a few ideas to get you into the "back to school" mode... just in time for winter quarter!

Here's to a pleasant evening... and always remember to keep a roll of duct tape in your car trunk!