2. List seven unusual things about yourself

3. Tag (and link to) seven other bloggers at the end of your post, and post on their blogs to let them know they’ve been tagged.

_____________________________
Here goes:

1) I usually leave the little plastic thingys on my shoes and coats when I tear the pricetags off. I have no idea why and when people want to cut them off or ask why they’re there I tell them there’s a reason but I can’t share it with them.

2) I have two dogs – one that is very smart and naughty and one that is dumb but loveable and naughty. I spoil them when no one’s looking.

3) I love turtles. I have a sea turtle tattoo. I have a box turtle named Paco and a Sulcata named Tank – they roam the house and everyone either loves them or is scared of them (for an unknown reason).

4) I prefer to drive cars with manual transmission. Its more fun that way and I feel like I’m doing something the average person doesn’t take the time to learn to do.

5) I suck at math and sometimes feel that its about time to start reviewing my times tables or I will forget them forever.

6) My cousin and I are foot twins. You can’t tell our feet apart and they’re the exact same size.

7) I pick up on people’s accents like there’s no tomorrow – I start to mimic them without trying and it actually can be hard to stop. Sometimes I feel bad becuase I don’t want people to think I’m mocking them or making fun of them but I truely can’t help it. Is there a name for this or am I the only one?

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Today: Top 5 Wish list items if I could ask for anything…

I wasn’t sure what I’d come across when searching for  items I’d love to ask for – stuff that would be cool or fun regardless if its practical or necessary or … whatever. Stuff I’d never really ask for simply because I don’t want people spending money on me in such a frivolous way…. But if…

I decided to try the Personality Profiler on myself on gifts.com to see what items come up as suggestions for someone with my personality. I didn’t quite agree with the first few picks, but after browsing through those listed for the “domestic diva” I ran into a number of items I would enjoy. Here’s a collaboration of my fav from those items, a few I came across at random and a couple from other sites…

1. I think I’ve fallen in love.

It only took about 30 seconds on the first site I searched to come across item numero uno. Now I’m not a shoe-crazy-kinda-gal… but when I find boots that are stylish, comfy and fun, I tend to wear them always, in all ways. These just made the list (without trying them on, I have no idea if they’re comfy – but they look sooo worth it). Of three reviews, two mentioned that they’re not very comfortable – one person even returned them for being too narrow… but the third stated they were both comfy and stylish – so there’s always hope )

They’re the Ingenue from Carlos by Carlos Santana and I think they’re fabulous! At $189.00 with free shipping, they’re almost worth considering for a self-given Christmas gift… if I had that kind of money this year… Find them at Piperlime.com or click here

2. A pair of personally designed Keds

Here’s something that at first I thought “Oh that’s just tacky…” but then I started playing around with some ideas and found that it’s actually quite fun and cute.  These Keds can be customized with whatever image, color, design or creative thinking you can come up with! Originally I played around with the colors provided by default- and wasn’t impressed – but then I found the mother-load… you can upload your own image onto your shoes! Why? Is there a reason anyone would want to do this? I have no idea, but I think its kinda fun and cool. Definitely a great present for kids – customize their little feet to whatever their interests are. Or add text – learning tool? Right/Left anyone? For me, personally, I just like being able to find something that might match my personality – even if I never wear them out the house! ) One pair= $60.00 Design your own here!

3. Wii

I want to interact with my games. I want to exercise with my games. I want to interact with other people interacting with their games. And I want MarioKart. Need more be said? Wii would be awesome!

4. Upside-Down Tomato Garden

Funny thing is, I don’t really even like tomatoes. But I do make a killer batch of home-made salsa. (Really – its really really good! Email me for info on receiving a pint if you’re interested in trying it!) Plus with winter being so long and blah and just… yucky – a healthy green plant bearing live fruit (or are they veggies?) all season long could really boost moods around the house. I do have a corner full of houseplants but I’ve always enjoyed growing tomatoes outdoors and I certainly have a couple of pets that would appreciate the fresh red rubies as well! I just hope the cats would stay out of the dirt on top… find them here.

5. iConvert Photo Scanner

I have a big box (okay it’s like ½ the size of a shoe box) of 35 mm negatives that I’m not quite sure what to do with. On top of that, I’m sure my mother has saved all of her negatives over the years. I would love to be able to simply and easily convert those to pictures again without the hassle of taking them in somewhere or even using one of those adaptors for a flatbed scanner. Intriguing… maybe this will make my actual Christmas list… learn more here.

What items would you add to your list?

Try the Personality Profiler on gifts.com? What did you think? Accurate? Helpful?

ENFP – all about me…

General: ENFPs are both “idea”-people and “people”-people, who see everyone and everything as part of an often bizarre cosmic whole. They want to both help (at least, their own definition of “help”) and be liked and admired by other people, on both an individual and a humanitarian level. They are interested in new ideas on principle, but ultimately discard most of them for one reason or another.

I like that it states I am part of a group of people that are both “idea”-people and “people”-people. On more than one occassion I’ve tried to catagorize myself into one or the other but never felt comfortable being either. Being both feels right…

Social/Personal Relationships: ENFPs have a great deal of zany charm, which can ingratiate them to the more stodgy types in spite of their unconventionality. They are outgoing, fun, and genuinely like people. As Soulmates they are warm, affectionate (lots of PDA), and disconcertingly spontaneous. However, attention span in relationships can be short; ENFPs are easily intrigued and distracted by new friends and acquaintances, forgetting about the older ones for long stretches at a time. Less mature ENFPs may need to feel they are the center of attention all the time, to reassure them that everyone thinks they’re a wonderful and fascinating person.

I do genuinely like people… I love PDA *smile*… I can relate to the attention span in relationships as I think back to high school… I never associated myself with one “clique” of people, but rather felt that I bounced from one to another time and again… I don’t know that I ever “forgot” old friends, but there were times that I hung out with a different group of people for a while before coming back to my “usual” group of friends. And of course I’m a wonderful and fascinating person – why else would I blog about my life for no other reason? *smile*

ENFPs often have strong, if unconventional, convictions on various issues related to their Cosmic View. They usually try to use their social skills and contacts to persuade people gently of the rightness of these views; his sometimes results in their neglecting their nearest and dearest while flitting around trying to save the world.

Cosmic View? I’m going to have to give more thought to how this one relates to me…

Work Environment: ENFPs are pleasant, easygoing, and usually fun to work with. They come up with great ideas, and are a major asset in brainstorming sessions. Follow through tends to be a problem, however; they tend to get bored quickly, especially if a newer, more interesting project comes along. They also tend to be procrastinators, both about meeting hard deadlines and about performing any small, uninteresting tasks that they’ve been assigned. ENFPs are at their most useful when working in a group with a J or two to take up the slack.

“Follow through tends to be a problem… ” Some might call it ADD and put me on medication – whatever works! Yes, I tend to get bored quickly – and I love new challenges. I do procrastinate, but I also find that I do some awesome work when the pressure’s on!

ENFPs hate bureaucracy, both in principle and in practice; they will always make a point of launching one of their crusades against some aspect of it.

No crusades…yet…

ENFPs are friendly folks. Most are really enjoyable people. Some of the most soft-hearted people are ENFPs.

Awwww… why thank you!

ENFPs have what some call a ‘silly switch.’ They can be intellectual, serious, all business for a while, but whenever they get the chance, they flip that switch and become CAPTAIN WILDCHILD, the scourge of the swimming pool, ticklers par excellence. Sometimes they may even appear intoxicated when the ‘switch’ is flipped.

I’m not even going to comment on this… all I have to say is… Just you wait!

One study has shown that ENFPs are significantly over represented in psychodrama. Most have a natural propensity for role-playing and acting.

I was in theater…

ENFPs like to tell funny stories, especially about their friends. This penchant may be why many are attracted to journalism. I kid one of my ENFP friends that if I want the sixth fleet to know something, I’ll just tell him.

Hmmmm…. sounds slightly insulting – are we always the gossips? I hate to admit it, but I do love some juicy gossip! The difference is that I also know when to keep my mouth shut…

ENFPs are global learners. Close enough is satisfactory to the ENFP which may unnerve more precise thinking types, especially with such things as piano practice (“three quarter notes or four … what’s the difference?”) Amazingly, some ENFPs are adept at exacting disciplines such as mathematics. Go figure.

Ugh! I hate math! But I can read and play music… so I think that’s a good balance.

Friends are what life is about to ENFPs, more so even than the other NFs. They hold up their end of the relationship, sometimes being taken advantage of by less caring individuals. ENFPs are energized by being around people. Some have real difficulty being alone, especially on a regular basis.

True. True. True. and True.

One ENFP colleague, a social worker, had such tremendous interpersonal skills that she put her interviewers at ease during her own job interview. She had the ability to make strangers feel like old friends.

ENFPs sometimes can be blind sided by their secondary Feeling function. Hasty decisions based on deeply felt values may boil over with unpredictable results. More than one ENFP has abruptly quit a job in such a moment.

*clears throat* I don’t know what you’re talking about…. !

So all in all… I would say that’s a pretty good analysis of who I am. There’s more to me than that, I would argue – but to keep it in a nutshell its pretty darn close. I’m intrigued by anything that can tell me more about myself. Personality tests… even astrology to an extent… sometimes its accurate enough to be a bit scary!

100+ things I want to do before I Drop Dead.

{Last UPDATED 12/2/06}

(Yes I will be working on updating this again soon!)

1.         Skydive

2.         Visit an active volcano

3.         Visit a nude beach

4.         Scuba Dive the Great Barrier reef

5.         Go on a Safari

6.         Swim with dolphins

7.         Travel to Michoacan, Mexico to witness the migration of monarch butterflies

8.         Visit the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. (check!)

9.         Visit a former concentration camp

10.       See Stonehenge

11.       Visit the Pyramids in Egypt

12.       Visit Machu Picchu

13.       Visit the Galapagos Islands

14.       Visit the Rainforest

15.       See the birth of a Baby

16.       Ride motorcycle across the US .Chicago to LA or vice versa (Route 66)

17.       Ride a Mule through the Grand Canyon

18.       Test drive a Ferrari

19.       Take a steamboat ride down the Mississippi

20.       Attend at least one major sporting event: the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the U.S. Open.

21.       Throw a huge party and invite every one of my friends.

22.       Be an extra in a film.

23.       Make love on a forest floor.

24.       Be a member of the audience in a TV show

25.       Learn to ballroom dance properly.

26.       Sit on a jury.

27.       Write the novel I know I have inside me.

28.       Stay out all night dancing and go to work the next day without having gone home.

29.       Shower in a waterfall.

30.       Learn to play a musical instrument with some degree of skill. (check!)

31.       Drive across America from coast to coast

32.       Write my will.

33.       Learn to juggle with three balls

34.       Find a job I love.

35.       Spend Christmas on the beach drinking pina coladas.

36.       Spend three months getting my body into optimum shape.

37.       Go up in a hot-air balloon.

38.       Go deep sea fishing

39.       Climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty (check!)

40.       Learn to bartend.

41.       Run a marathon

42.       Learn to ride a horse

43.       Look after puppies for training for jobs (Customs, Seeing Eye Dog etc)

44.       Dye my hair a really ridiculous color (check!)

45.       Visit all 50 States (airports and drive-thrus don’t count)

So far: Arizona, California, Colorado , Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin

46.       Go on an ocean cruise

47.       Drive a motorcycle (check!)

48.       Achieve $1 million in liquid assets

49.       Get married

50.       Eat everything on BBC’s 50 things to eat before you die

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/50eats_index.shtml

So far: Fresh fish, lobster, steak, Chinese food, Ice cream, pizza, crab, curry, clam chowder, barbecues, pancakes, pasta, cheesecake, lamb, alligator, kangaroo, chocolate, sandwiches, burgers, ,Mexican food, squid, American diner breakfast, salmon, venison, mango, ribs, roast beef

51.       Make love on an ocean beach.

52.       Be able to locate 10 constellations in the sky.

53.       Flatten coins on a train track

54.       Ride a mechanical bull

55.       Join a softball league

56.       Hit a home run

57.       Dance with a stranger in a foreign country (check!)

58.       Get a tattoo (check!)

59.       Fire a gun (check!)

60.       Buy a personalized license plate

61.       Gamble in Vegas

62.       Go 1 week without using a computer

63.       Literally have my clothes ripped off my body, like in the movies.

64.       See a tornado

65.       Visit the Hershey Chocolate factory

66.       Go Scuba diving

67.       Visit Canada

68.       Visit Mount Rushmore

69.       Be a Maid of Honor

70.       Send a message in a bottle

71.       Visit all 7 continents

72.       Spend a day with someone famous

73.       See tigers in the wild

74.       Be debt free

75.       Fly first class

76.       Spend some time with a monkey

77.       Watch sea turtles come out of the water to lay eggs

78.       Drive a bus

79.       Visit all of the US National Parks

80.       Visit every aquarium in the U.S.

So far: Shedd, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Aquarium at the Indiana Zoo, SF Bay aquarium

81.       Become a teacher (check!)

82.       Go ocean kayaking (check!)

83.       Go whale watching (and not get sick) during migration

84.       Play with an orchestra (check!)

85.       Learn sign language

86.       Learn photography (at least one class)

87.       Ride in a glass bottom boat

88.       Get a full spa treatment on a vacation

89.       Attempt to surf

90.       Go to Burningman (http://www.burningman.com/whatisburningman/)

91.       Spend a night at a Sybris hotel or fantasy suite

92.       Meet Bob and Tom and Chick and Krisit (and have a conversation with them)

93.       Do Hollywood Hotdish on WKTI (No longer exists….)

94.       Go Rock Climbing outdoors

95.       Learn something new every day for 100 days and keep track of it in a notebook

96.       Pierce my belly button, eyebrow. or nose

97.       See a wild kangaroo (check!)

98.       Learn to scuba dive

99.       Get laser eye surgery to repair my eyesight

100.     Drive in a demo derby

101.     Go to a black tie event

102.     Operate or participate with an animal rescue group

103.     Get up to see the sunrise each day for one full week

104.     Read one self-improvement book a month for a year

105.     Be a God-parent

106.     Be a foster parent or adopt a child

107.     Bike around Makinack Island

108.     Play paintball

109.     Hunt a deer and gut it myself (check!)

A Personal Essay.

Oswald Spengler once said, This is our purpose: to make as meaningful as possible this life that has been bestowed upon us; to live in such a way that we may be proud of ourselves; to act in such a way that some part of us lives on. What better way to make life more meaningful and to ensure that a part of you lives on than to instill knowledge and wonder into the minds of children? To teach a child is to learn about yourself and to have a child learn something from you is the greatest gift that you can give. I would be proud to call myself a teacher.

Why do I want to become a teacher? Its a seemingly simple question, but to come up with a simple response can be quite complicated. For me, there are many different answers.

I want to become a teacher because I want to influence children in the best way possible each and every day. I want to be able to provide to children a desire to learn and grow and strive to be the best person that they can in life.

I believe that learning grows through creativity. As a teacher I believe that I will be able to promote creativity in the classroom so that each child has their own outlet for learning and expanding their minds and ideas. No one should feel limited in their creativity and learning capabilities and I want to provide the best environment possible in which children can develop themselves. I feel that I am the person that I am today because I had some outstanding teachers while I was growing up. They made learning fun and entertaining while still providing a challenge. I want to follow in their footsteps and have todays children remember me tomorrow for being a teacher that influenced their dreams.

So, why am I looking to start a Masters Program now, since I already have a BBA and a good job working with computers? Recently, whenever I start to complain about my job or if Im being unreasonably negative about my bad day, there’s been one single thought that has remained in the back of my mind… “Right from the start, I should have been a teacher….

I’ve come to realize over the past couple of years is that I’m simply not passionate about what Im currently doing. Computers and technology make a great career for working with your hands and troubleshooting problems with your mind. However, it doesnt have the same appeal to me as becoming a teacher. I want to have a career that I truly love, not just a job that I feel obligated to go to every day. Ive tried telling myself that I could learn to love what I currently do, but I found that while I do enjoy reaching goals and learning new technical concepts from the IT industry, I still don’t have the feeling that this is what I’m supposed to do with the rest of my life. I dont have that passion, the drive that I feel when I know I want to become a teacher. I recently came across a quote from business philosopher, Jim Rohn that puts very simply exactly how I feel about my expectations for myself and my career: The worst days of those who enjoy what they do are better than the best days of those who don’t.

I wrote this when I thought I wanted to go back to school…
It was required for admittance to the college and believe me, it wasn’t easy to write. I had no idea if I really wanted to go back to school or if I just wanted a change. I really felt that I should have been a teacher… but at only 25 did I want to start that all over again? In the end, I withdrew from classes a week before they started after getting accepted. Call it cold feet, call it thinking more rationally, I just realized that it wasn’t the time then. Flash forward about 3 years…. what am I doing now? I quit the job I was working when I wrote that essay. I struggled to find new employment over the summer and…. guess what! I teach now! The technical college in our state don’t require a teaching degree to teach courses… just expertise and practical experience. So now I teach 3-5 classes a semester and work an additional job for benefits – and I love it! (The teaching, not the extra hours). I’m working on finding a full time position with the college…. strange how life just… works.