Because Flo took a M-B test via Alice, she made me post my well-established M-B/Keirsey results:

INTJ - The Rational Mastermind

Some excerpts from INTJ profiles:

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of “definiteness”, of self-confidence. Sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, this confidence is very specific rather than general in nature; its grows out of the specialized knowledge systems that INTJs start building at an early age.

INTJs are known as the “Systems Builders,” perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Anyone considered to be “slacking,” including superiors, will lose their respect — and will generally be made aware of this. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.

Contingency planning and entailment organizing reaches its highest level of development in the Rational Mastermind. It is not an informative activity for them, but a directive one in which the planner tells others what to do and the order in which to do it. As the organizing capabilities the Mastermind increases so does his or her inclination to take charge of whatever is going on.

While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations.

And some “rules” for dealing with INTJs:

• Be willing to back up your statements with facts or sound reasoning.
• Don’t expect an INTJ to respect you or your opinion without reason: respect must be earned.
• Expect debate. INTJs like to tear ideas apart to discern their worthiness. They will argue a point they don’t support just for the sake of argument.
• Do not confuse the strength of your conviction with that of your argument. INTJs do not need to believe in a position to argue it well.
• Do not be surprised when you encounter sarcasm.
• The ultimate insult to an idea is to ignore it. This means it isn’t even interesting enough to deconstruct.
• INTJs believe in workable solutions. They are extremely open-minded to possibilities, but they will quickly discard any idea that is unfeasible.
• INTJs do not care about how you view them. They already know that they are arrogant bastards with a morbid sense of humor. Restating the obvious is a waste of time.

And, last but not least, a few alleged and actual INTJs:

• Augustus Caesar
• Mr. Burns
• Ayn Rand
• Niels Bohr
• George Lucas
• Colin Powell
• C.S. Lewis
• Professor Moriarty
• Gandalf the Grey

tiny planets, two hydrogen/one oxygen at a time
counted easily as stars
forge in this one
a chasm that leads eventually to one grander

tiny planets, two sorrow/one suffering at a time
counted slowly as stars
forge in every one
a chasm that leads to one greater

between stone or hearts or both
between the me i know i am and wish i was
between the you that you are and the you that i remember
between the love of what was and the pain of what will be

or maybe they are all the same chasm
are all one
themselves and their like
across three days of darkness to the moon
and the further silence to the great planets
and phobos and deimos
cutting a chasm of all hearts
across the freezing hot black between
my world and yours

We will all be in Cali for the next week, so it’s travellin’ time again.  Some of you will see us, other, no doubt, will not be so, uh, fortunate.

I have downloaded Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell in audiobook format. I will be listening to it on the plane (when not trying to placate bored, frustrated children) and in the car (when not trying to placate bored, frustrated children). I’m a little behind on this; it does sound interesting in a “well, duh” kind of way. Hoping to take away some concepts that can be applied to other areas of my life (photography, writing, usability, etc.).

The wife is taking the kids to Chattanooga for her niece’s graduation and a few nights with the cousins so we don’t have to worry about child care for her first show in Nashville.

An out-of-town wife means one thing.

Star Wars.

As long as I can remember, I have been able to sleep just a few minutes after my head hits the pillow at night. I can stay up later, to read for example, but I don’t structure my life that way anymore and I rarely do so.

In the last three months, however, I am having trouble sleeping at least 1 or 2 nights a week, sometimes 4 or 5, and I don’t know why. I’m physically tired, and I can “turn my brain off” when I am ready to sleep, but it just doesn’t come. After lying in the dark for 15 minutes, the brain starts to run, obviously, and it snowballs from there.

So I would guess there is something in my life that is bothering me that I am not tapping into. Trouble is, just about everything bothers me.

I don’t have a numeric figure, but the weight loss trend continues.

Since leaving Cali, I have dropped two holes on all my belts.

Huzzah.

Google is great, yes.  I know, and I have for a long time. I have been using their search for a long long long long long time, I’ve used Gmail (but don’t currently), I’ve used their domain tools, I’ve used Google Earth, which is an incredible feat of technology, I use Blogger for some projects, and so the list goes.  I am not unfamiliar with Google.

I haven’t however, gone all the way yet. I have always thought the Google tools were great, but the didn’t all specifically fit my needs, so I used other solutions.

I have come into a situation where my work and personal computer are no longer one and the same, and I cannot use my personal laptop at any time throughout the work day. Consequently, I have had a good deal of trouble keeping my information life in sync between two computers.  Over the past two weeks, I have been experimenting with tools and methods of reducing and managing my traveling data and Google is it.

Between my new trinity of iGoogle Home Page, Google Reader, and Google Documents, and the High Priest of FireWire Hard Drive, I can move my personal projects anywhere and still be productive. Plus, when Google takes over the world, I will already by one of the fold.

Say what you will, this is how I know I’m doing a pretty good job.

The other day, Sera and I were in the car waiting for Flo and Amelie to finish getting ready. I had chosen Day of the Locusts by Bob Dylan as the musical selection to begin the drive. After it had been playing for about 30 seconds I inadvertently stopped the song on my iPod.

Before I could restart the song, Sera said, “Daddy, I want to hear the music you put on.”

Yep, my 4-Year-Old likes Dylan.

Game 1:
Josh 337
Flo 199

Game 2:
Josh 279
Flo 256

I left California on December 29th. That was the last I’ve had any Mountain Dew. Yes, comrades, that’s right, I’ve given up The Dew cold turkey. It’s actually been pretty easy, being on the road and camping helped. Since then I’ve only had soda a few times - pretty much only happens on our monthly trip to the Costco food court for kosher hot dogs.

I had also implemented a Snacks and Candy program at MSS which made junk food easily available, I have significantly reduced such foods as well. I don’t think I have had any candy since leaving Cali, and my junk food consumption has been reduced to heathly tortilla chips every other week or so.

We haven’t had a functional bathroom scale for a long time, but I weighed myself at Mimi’s before leaving Cali and found I had made it up to 255lbs.

We just picked up a scale last week and I weighed myself for the first time since giving up soda and candy, and found I’m down to 233lbs. That’s 22 pounds of HFCS I didn’t bring to TN with me.

Congrats to me.