Happy Birthday Meredith! My baby is 22 today... tempus keeps on fugiting. I shall repeat every parent's refrain, "It seems like yesterday..." and post this link to Meredith's blue chair photos. That's my baby. I like to call the very first one, "The cell hasn't been made that can hold me, Warden!"We had management training at work yesterday, which involved yet another go-around with the famous Myers-Briggs "test." ("It isn't a test - there are no right or wrong answers - it's an assessment tool to help you..." etc.) This is the fourth time I have taken this in my post collegiate career. Generally when people ask me what Myer-Briggs type I am, I say "Taurus with Capricorn ascendant," because I tend to regard corporate exercises like this as a sort of pseudo-science.
As with the prior tests, the results I get are that I'm a ESTJ. (Click the link if you care at all what that means.) In a nutshell, I'm a "judgement" type - although Myers-Briggs seem to misuse the word to really mean an organized planner - which is certainly me. According to the test I'm also extroverted, but I don't believe this, looking at the criteria. I think my "energy" is primarily inwardly-focused, therefore I am an introvert - granted, with some wildly extroverted characteristics. The other stuff - the "S" and the "T" - aren't worth discussing, frankly.
We were given the opportunity to correct the test results for what we think we really are; I think I'm really an ISFJ. I find it amusing to learn that Robert E. Lee was supposedly a Myers-Briggs ISFJ type.
My salient characteristics are a sense of humor, introversion, organization, a concern with the passage time and boundless creativity. There.
One of our exercises, to determine how we view things, was to look at a colorful "Happy Birthday" hat and write about it. We were given about two minutes. I immediately got into my wildly creative, stream of consciousness Blog Mode and it was off to the races. Here's what I wrote: "My childhood friend was Sheriff John. He had an afternoon kid's show on a local Los Angeles television channel. One of the highlights of the show is that he'd sing the "Happy Birthday Polka" to kids whose birthdays it was. I can still sing the song and I know all the words. That's what the hat makes me think of. I miss local television; corporate network broadcasting is so slick and bland. I miss the regionalism of old time television. I'll take a cable access show any day over..." time's up. We each read what we wrote; my little essay was completely different than anyone else's.
Hey, look at this: "Civil War re-enactor causes lockdown at schools." In our post-Columbine world, it was sad but inevitable. The effect, of course, will be to discourage reenactors from hazarding such instructional shows for the sake of education.
I did this uniformed and armed show and tell thing three times in the public schools for each child; I forget what grades. For Ethan I did a Civil War show and tell, for Julie a Revolutionary War one, and for Meredith a Civil War one. Each time I made sure I had a note from the teacher and/or Principal that I was authorized to carry a reproduction musket and bayonet onto the school grounds, and each time I was very discreet about carrying same onto the property.
The kids absolutely love this kind of thing! I got quiet, respectful attention and a ton of questions afterwards - and, best of all, my kids felt special. Would I do one again? No, not in the current climate. I'd be afraid of having my musket confiscated, harassment form the police, being charged with carrying weapons onto school grounds, etc. (I may be willing revisit this with a grandchild, however.)
I feel sorry for Rebs. It's bad enough trying to smuggle a reproduction musket onto school grounds for a show and tell - can you imagine the brou-ha-ha among the teachers - a notoriously liberal set - if you're spotting carrying a Confederate battle flag in addition to the rifle? Racism! J'accuse!
(Actually, if you know a thing or two about Confederate vexillology you can fly a Reb flag pretty much without comment. How many Americans recognize the Bonny Blue Flag as being Confederate? Yet it was. Or the celebrated Stars and Bars? Yes, I know... the Confederate Naval Ensign is usually misnamed this. Education is power.)
Too Young the Hero (1988) with Ricky Schroder was quite good; I watched most of it last night and enjoyed it. Recommended for all interested in World War II naval history (I am looking at you, Don Tracey). As I have learned, there are SO MANY compelling stories associated with World War II...
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