Stuff I've Been Discussing Lately
I've been inside all day packing (for moving this sorority house across campus, which was supposedly going to happen Thursday, but has been pushed back again... but I'm not going to rant about that), not really interacting with people. Then this evening I was just a burst of conversation! And now it's 3am, roommate Lobo is asleep, and I'm still feeling talky. :P
I recently was told about what the Meyer Briggs test is. So I went ahead and took it and was a little surprised to see INTJ since it's described as the Mastermind or Scientist. Most of the overall description I don't think I matched up with (lots of stuff about being engrossed in laboratories and super hard working). But individually I have to agree I'm...
Introverted, not Extroverted: This one throws people because it seems like I know everyone. I do know a lot of people--I do a lot of orgs, I love being a part of something bigger than myself, and I like getting to know people this way--but when I'm not at a club meeting or practice or whatever, I'm off by myself. If I have free time to go grab food or lie on the grass, I never think twice about inviting someone to accompany me. I do orgs to get my dose of extroversion (I'm only slightly introverted), but on my own time I enjoy spending it alone.
iNtuitive, not Sensing: If somebody tells me something, I'm likely to just accept it without questioning it too much. Not to say I'm never skeptical, but I usually think outcomes are based more on intangible effects than tangible ones. (This explanation is pretty vague... but I can't pinpoint. :/ Boo, ineffective communication...)
Thinking, not Feeling: Simple Wiki (couldn't bother with long Wiki... x_x) says that thinkers make decisions on their own and feelers seek opinions from others. I almost always feel like the decisions that occur in my life are made by me first and foremost if not me alone. Sometimes I ask for opinions, but even then, I find I'm rarely dissuaded from my original opinion. (That could easily be dangerous... so far, I've had good judgement though, I guess. Lucky me.)
Judging, not Perceiving: This one was added later, I think. Judging just means you are more Thinking/Feeling than iNtuitive/Sensing, and Perceiving is just vice versa. Since I can't pinpoint my feelings about N/S dichotomy, it makes sense that I see myself as a Thinker more than an iNtuitive.
What do you folks think you are?
I'm still doing that with TalkBank.org. However, now I'm also helping a Pitt/CMU grad student with his research. Sort of funny story: I randomly met him in a Starbucks. He asked me to guard his computer while he went to the bathroom or something. When he came back he thanked me and went through a few pleasantries, asked me how my summer was, whether I was taking classes. I mentioned that I make transcriptions and he was taken aback--someone with experience transcribing (especially gestures) was just what he needed, a second pair of ears so he doesn't bias his data with just his own view.
I was a little concerned at first (a little weird to randomly meet someone who needs something that specific). But he seems legit--meets me in public places, mentions his wife all the time, showed me his thesis right off the back.
He's very Type B, says he likes to be straightforward and communicative about pay and when I can work and stuff which jives with me. He likes to ask me about my life too, not just my work. I mentioned that I was considering just one grad program, that one-year masters in ESL I've had in the back of my brain. He gave me a tip: apply to more programs. Even if I don't want the other programs, if I get accepted at a good school and CMU, then I might be able to use it as a bartering chip to get more funding or something. Ultimately could be worth the $40 application fee or so.
I feel like meeting a grad student who isn't super caught up in his work is good for me. All the advice I get about post-undergrad is either from professors who obviously went through grad school or grad students who are at CMU (most of them straight from undergrad, most of them in intense programs and often engrossed in their work). This guy loves his work, plans to be with it for a long time in some way, works towards goals but at a reasonable pace, but never loses sight of his life outside of work--his wife, wine tastings, going to coffee shops, simple things. I always figured my work (or my grad work towards better work) would be separate from my life, just a means of funding whatever I want to do with my life. It's good to see that someone going for a PhD can live the way I'd like to.
I didn't realize until I saw Thor how movies can be good in different ways, not just "good" or "bad". Thor is a pretty predictable movie in terms of dialogue. I, someone who is pretty familiar and disdainful of cliched dialogues, found myself being able to predict the next line a surprising amount of the time. Because of this, I figured I shouldn't like the movie. However, I did like the movie. The characters were interesting, not entirely built up, enough to give you a taste but leave room for imagination. The scenery for the worlds, real and fake, was believable. The special effects were good but not over used. I would've done the ending differently, but if you need to capitalize on a sequel, so be it.
Two very good examples of movies that are good in completely different ways are The King's Speech and Transformers. The King's Speech is the type of good that gets a lot of writing awards. It's the type of movie you see if you like good acting, character development, subtlety. But... if you don't really care about how good the acting is, character development, little nuances in human interaction... you'd probably be bored to tears since honestly not much happens in that film. Transformers has none of what The King's Speech has. It gets awards for action, special effects, hot leading ladies. If you want something that is visually stimulating, with a plot that's easy to handle, you go with something like Transformers, something where you can get up to get popcorn and come back without really skipping a beat.
My friend Myrka was telling me about her parents and childhood. She was an only child. She was a good kid (studied a lot, had a mild weekend social life, got all A's, didn't drink, didn't lie, didn't sneak out with her boyfriend, &c). And she tells me that her parents were sometimes very strict. Her example was this: her father told her to always load the dishwasher with the forks facing downward, and she often did so. However, occasionally she would forget or just not worry about it. One day, she loaded the forks wrong and her father got upset at her for "not listening when he told her many times". She ended up grounded for something like 3 weeks. She says her parents' method was to punish her severely just once and she'd never do it again. But I think that was pretty extreme.
I'm the oldest of three. I was similarly a good kid. However, I didn't get punished very often (I don't think I was grounded since age 10 or so). And I was usually well-trusted and my reasoning for my choices has always been well-respected by my parents. They were nowhere near as strict.
What were your parents like?
I feel like I'll end up in Pittsburgh (unless I find some good offer elsewhere... I've always been open-ended, why change now?). But if I'm around the Burgh, hopefully I'll be good about letting go of things like leadership and participation in stuff at CMU (it didn't seem to be much of a problem in my previous experiences) while still being able to visit.
I like the idea of Pittsburgh because the housing is damned cheap, I typically like the feel of the people here (quirky, not too concerned about class differences, everyone is a little bit nerdy), and the weather doesn't bother me (this summer has been surprising me as it seems like there have been very few straight-up hot/humid days--always been clouds or drizzle or wind to keep the heat/humidity at bay). And I have a job that I can keep after I graduate (probably) which I could have for a long time or I could just use as a crutch until I get to my next job.
I recently asked Alan V and Ghanners about San Francisco. I'm a fan of cloudy, windy, 60s weather. I figured if I accrued a good amount of money in Pittsburgh, I might like to spend some of my later 20s out in SF, mingling with CMU grads. (From what I remember/interpret from chatting with them) Alan V says there are plenty of CMU grads out there and that I should apply to be a technical writer (linguistics and tech, good call). Ghanners though warns me that there are no longer seasons and that people in SF are in two groups: poor and rich. No middle class, like I'm used to. So those are good things to keep in mind. I'll probably have to visit sometime at least.
Lobo, daydreamer that she is, has a little scenario in her head. She gets a steady work flow from various opera/performance opportunities in Pittsburgh since it seems the arts in the city seem to be stressed for the city's growth. I get a job too. We get an apartment in the same complex as her boyfriend, here in Shadyside. I get the bigger bedroom since she'll often be spending some nights with her boyfriend. She pays slightly less of the rent, but in return she does all the cooking for both of us (she's a pretty good cook). Lauren's convinced I'll have some boy around, not somebody who is around all the time or clingy or somebody who spends the night much (as I explained, I'm introverted and like alone time), but someone who comes around occasionally and enjoys my company and I his, someone to "be lonely with" as I oxymoronically put it. And, if course, I have a toucan named Ptolemy which the landlord is totally okay with. :)
Long term, I'm in the mountains or by a lake. Ideally, I'll live similarly to my uncle Jake whom I just visited. Close enough to the city to drive in, but off in the rural parts with some awesome pets (he has sheepdogs, I want toucans, other interesting birds, cats), music (who knew me and my 55 year old uncle both like Mumford & Sons), and hobbies (he likes playing croquet, I would like a billiards table and hammock in my adult home-ownery life).
Last note: thinking about Megabussing to DC with Edge and Ellie in early August. There I'll visit some people who are staying in the city like Patrick and Maggie, and Hahna will drive down to meet us. Then I can drive back with her to Langley, go to her free-food-a-ganza at Nasa, and visit the beach. Hopefully these plans pan out--they're almost too awesome to be realistic. :P
I recently was told about what the Meyer Briggs test is. So I went ahead and took it and was a little surprised to see INTJ since it's described as the Mastermind or Scientist. Most of the overall description I don't think I matched up with (lots of stuff about being engrossed in laboratories and super hard working). But individually I have to agree I'm...
Introverted, not Extroverted: This one throws people because it seems like I know everyone. I do know a lot of people--I do a lot of orgs, I love being a part of something bigger than myself, and I like getting to know people this way--but when I'm not at a club meeting or practice or whatever, I'm off by myself. If I have free time to go grab food or lie on the grass, I never think twice about inviting someone to accompany me. I do orgs to get my dose of extroversion (I'm only slightly introverted), but on my own time I enjoy spending it alone.
iNtuitive, not Sensing: If somebody tells me something, I'm likely to just accept it without questioning it too much. Not to say I'm never skeptical, but I usually think outcomes are based more on intangible effects than tangible ones. (This explanation is pretty vague... but I can't pinpoint. :/ Boo, ineffective communication...)
Thinking, not Feeling: Simple Wiki (couldn't bother with long Wiki... x_x) says that thinkers make decisions on their own and feelers seek opinions from others. I almost always feel like the decisions that occur in my life are made by me first and foremost if not me alone. Sometimes I ask for opinions, but even then, I find I'm rarely dissuaded from my original opinion. (That could easily be dangerous... so far, I've had good judgement though, I guess. Lucky me.)
Judging, not Perceiving: This one was added later, I think. Judging just means you are more Thinking/Feeling than iNtuitive/Sensing, and Perceiving is just vice versa. Since I can't pinpoint my feelings about N/S dichotomy, it makes sense that I see myself as a Thinker more than an iNtuitive.
What do you folks think you are?
I'm still doing that with TalkBank.org. However, now I'm also helping a Pitt/CMU grad student with his research. Sort of funny story: I randomly met him in a Starbucks. He asked me to guard his computer while he went to the bathroom or something. When he came back he thanked me and went through a few pleasantries, asked me how my summer was, whether I was taking classes. I mentioned that I make transcriptions and he was taken aback--someone with experience transcribing (especially gestures) was just what he needed, a second pair of ears so he doesn't bias his data with just his own view.
I was a little concerned at first (a little weird to randomly meet someone who needs something that specific). But he seems legit--meets me in public places, mentions his wife all the time, showed me his thesis right off the back.
He's very Type B, says he likes to be straightforward and communicative about pay and when I can work and stuff which jives with me. He likes to ask me about my life too, not just my work. I mentioned that I was considering just one grad program, that one-year masters in ESL I've had in the back of my brain. He gave me a tip: apply to more programs. Even if I don't want the other programs, if I get accepted at a good school and CMU, then I might be able to use it as a bartering chip to get more funding or something. Ultimately could be worth the $40 application fee or so.
I feel like meeting a grad student who isn't super caught up in his work is good for me. All the advice I get about post-undergrad is either from professors who obviously went through grad school or grad students who are at CMU (most of them straight from undergrad, most of them in intense programs and often engrossed in their work). This guy loves his work, plans to be with it for a long time in some way, works towards goals but at a reasonable pace, but never loses sight of his life outside of work--his wife, wine tastings, going to coffee shops, simple things. I always figured my work (or my grad work towards better work) would be separate from my life, just a means of funding whatever I want to do with my life. It's good to see that someone going for a PhD can live the way I'd like to.
I didn't realize until I saw Thor how movies can be good in different ways, not just "good" or "bad". Thor is a pretty predictable movie in terms of dialogue. I, someone who is pretty familiar and disdainful of cliched dialogues, found myself being able to predict the next line a surprising amount of the time. Because of this, I figured I shouldn't like the movie. However, I did like the movie. The characters were interesting, not entirely built up, enough to give you a taste but leave room for imagination. The scenery for the worlds, real and fake, was believable. The special effects were good but not over used. I would've done the ending differently, but if you need to capitalize on a sequel, so be it.
Two very good examples of movies that are good in completely different ways are The King's Speech and Transformers. The King's Speech is the type of good that gets a lot of writing awards. It's the type of movie you see if you like good acting, character development, subtlety. But... if you don't really care about how good the acting is, character development, little nuances in human interaction... you'd probably be bored to tears since honestly not much happens in that film. Transformers has none of what The King's Speech has. It gets awards for action, special effects, hot leading ladies. If you want something that is visually stimulating, with a plot that's easy to handle, you go with something like Transformers, something where you can get up to get popcorn and come back without really skipping a beat.
My friend Myrka was telling me about her parents and childhood. She was an only child. She was a good kid (studied a lot, had a mild weekend social life, got all A's, didn't drink, didn't lie, didn't sneak out with her boyfriend, &c). And she tells me that her parents were sometimes very strict. Her example was this: her father told her to always load the dishwasher with the forks facing downward, and she often did so. However, occasionally she would forget or just not worry about it. One day, she loaded the forks wrong and her father got upset at her for "not listening when he told her many times". She ended up grounded for something like 3 weeks. She says her parents' method was to punish her severely just once and she'd never do it again. But I think that was pretty extreme.
I'm the oldest of three. I was similarly a good kid. However, I didn't get punished very often (I don't think I was grounded since age 10 or so). And I was usually well-trusted and my reasoning for my choices has always been well-respected by my parents. They were nowhere near as strict.
What were your parents like?
I feel like I'll end up in Pittsburgh (unless I find some good offer elsewhere... I've always been open-ended, why change now?). But if I'm around the Burgh, hopefully I'll be good about letting go of things like leadership and participation in stuff at CMU (it didn't seem to be much of a problem in my previous experiences) while still being able to visit.
I like the idea of Pittsburgh because the housing is damned cheap, I typically like the feel of the people here (quirky, not too concerned about class differences, everyone is a little bit nerdy), and the weather doesn't bother me (this summer has been surprising me as it seems like there have been very few straight-up hot/humid days--always been clouds or drizzle or wind to keep the heat/humidity at bay). And I have a job that I can keep after I graduate (probably) which I could have for a long time or I could just use as a crutch until I get to my next job.
I recently asked Alan V and Ghanners about San Francisco. I'm a fan of cloudy, windy, 60s weather. I figured if I accrued a good amount of money in Pittsburgh, I might like to spend some of my later 20s out in SF, mingling with CMU grads. (From what I remember/interpret from chatting with them) Alan V says there are plenty of CMU grads out there and that I should apply to be a technical writer (linguistics and tech, good call). Ghanners though warns me that there are no longer seasons and that people in SF are in two groups: poor and rich. No middle class, like I'm used to. So those are good things to keep in mind. I'll probably have to visit sometime at least.
Lobo, daydreamer that she is, has a little scenario in her head. She gets a steady work flow from various opera/performance opportunities in Pittsburgh since it seems the arts in the city seem to be stressed for the city's growth. I get a job too. We get an apartment in the same complex as her boyfriend, here in Shadyside. I get the bigger bedroom since she'll often be spending some nights with her boyfriend. She pays slightly less of the rent, but in return she does all the cooking for both of us (she's a pretty good cook). Lauren's convinced I'll have some boy around, not somebody who is around all the time or clingy or somebody who spends the night much (as I explained, I'm introverted and like alone time), but someone who comes around occasionally and enjoys my company and I his, someone to "be lonely with" as I oxymoronically put it. And, if course, I have a toucan named Ptolemy which the landlord is totally okay with. :)
Long term, I'm in the mountains or by a lake. Ideally, I'll live similarly to my uncle Jake whom I just visited. Close enough to the city to drive in, but off in the rural parts with some awesome pets (he has sheepdogs, I want toucans, other interesting birds, cats), music (who knew me and my 55 year old uncle both like Mumford & Sons), and hobbies (he likes playing croquet, I would like a billiards table and hammock in my adult home-ownery life).
Last note: thinking about Megabussing to DC with Edge and Ellie in early August. There I'll visit some people who are staying in the city like Patrick and Maggie, and Hahna will drive down to meet us. Then I can drive back with her to Langley, go to her free-food-a-ganza at Nasa, and visit the beach. Hopefully these plans pan out--they're almost too awesome to be realistic. :P