Episcopalians

I'm going home to Hernando for the weekend, to party with some Episcopalians (click on the "Council" link). Hopefully, I'll have something to talk about when I get back on Sunday.

hello to all the visitors

Cecily, at "and I wasted all that birth control" has linked to me from her very fabulous blog that has lots of readers, so to all you who are here for the first time, I feel I must post and let you all know that I'm not as boring as this blog makes me seem. I am, however, a full-time grad student who's semester just started, and all my time is spent reading about libraries.

To friends to visit this blog on a semi-regular basis, I'll try to get back to interesting topics sometime in the near-future.

more about my personality...

The Counselor Idealists are abstract in thought and speech, cooperative in reaching their goals, and directive and introverted in their interpersonal roles. Counselors focus on human potentials, think in terms of ethical values, and come easily to decisions. The small number of this type (little more than 2 percent) is regrettable, since Counselors have an unusually strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others and genuinely enjoy helping their companions. Although Counsleors tend to be private, sensitive people, and are not generally visible leaders, they nevertheless work quite intensely with those close to them, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes with their families, friends, and colleagues. This type has great depth of personality; they are themselves complicated, and can understand and deal with complex issues and people.

Counselors can be hard to get to know. They have an unusually rich inner life, but they are reserved and tend not to share their reactions except with those they trust. With their loved ones, certainly, Counselors are not reluctant to express their feelings, their face lighting up with the positive emotions, but darkening like a thunderhead with the negative. Indeed, because of their strong ability to take into themselves the feelings of others, Counselors can be hurt rather easily by those around them, which, perhaps, is one reason why they tend to be private people, mutely withdrawing from human contact. At the same time, friends who have known a Counselor for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that they are inconsistent; Counselors value their integrity a great deal, but they have intricately woven, mysterious personalities which sometimes puzzle even them.

Counselors have strong empathic abilities and can become aware of another's emotions or intentions -- good or evil -- even before that person is conscious of them. This "mind-reading" can take the form of feeling the hidden distress or illnesses of others to an extent which is difficult for other types to comprehend. Even Counselors can seldom tell how they came to penetrate others' feelings so keenly. Furthermore, the Counselor is most likely of all the types to demonstrate an ability to understand psychic phenomena and to have visions of human events, past, present, or future. What is known as ESP may well be exceptional intuitive ability-in both its forms, projection and introjection. Such supernormal intuition is found frequently in the Counselor, and can extend to people, things, and often events, taking the form of visions, episodes of foreknowledge, premonitions, auditory and visual images of things to come, as well as uncanny communications with certain individuals at a distance.

Mohandas Gandhi and Eleanor Roosevelt are examples of the Counselor Idealist (INFJ).

INFJ - the counselor You scored 9% I to E, 21% N to S, 14% F to T, and 36% J to P!

Your type is best summed up by the word "counselor", which belongs to the larger group of idealists. Only 2% of the population share your type. You are so empathic that you often know what others need before they know themselves. You are a complex person who can deal with complicated issues and people, almost prefer to, as you love problem solving. You can be something of an idealist or perfectionist, and should try to take yourself a little less seriously. You are a supportive and insightful romantic partner, encouraging your mate to have dreams and work hard to make those dreams come true. Because you are so creative, you have a wealth of ideas to help them toward those goals. You need harmony so much that you are driven to resolve conflict quickly, as long as the terms don't violate your ethics. You feel the most appreciated when your partner admires your creativity, trusts your inspirations, and respects your values. It is also vitally important that your partner be open and emotionally available - in other words, that they be willing to share themselves completely. Your group summary: idealists (NF) Your type summary: INFJ

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 11% on I to E You scored higher than 16% on N to S You scored higher than 5% on F to T You scored higher than 25% on J to P

Link: The LONG Scientific Personality Test written by unpretentious2 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

a rant

WHY, WHY, WHY is it so difficult to find jeans that fit?! Are there really so many people in the world who need a 34-inch inseam that it has to be standard? 30-inch is too short. I can never find 32s. And I refuse to spend a lot of money on jeans that I have to get hemmed. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm being unreasonable, and that a tailor could fix all these problems, but I just came from a store where I tried on several pairs that were all too long. uurrrggghhh.

a joyful Christmas season

Here's a list of the some of the books I've read since the beginning of December:

Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden.
I read this book when it forst came out a few years ago, but I wanted to reread it before seeing the movie. Alas, I could not find my original copy, which I got from Rhonda in a care package, so I had to go out and buy another one. The book is amazing, and I won't spoil the twist at the end by telling you what it is (they don't mention it at all in the movie, so you'll need to read the book to figure it out). The movie was ok, but not as good as the book. One of my favorite parts was the description of the work that went into the geisha costume, and that was barely touched upon in the movie.

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt.
Reread this beautiful book about a group of students at a small liberal arts college who get a little too involved with their Greek classes and end up murdering one of their own.

Long Way Round, by Ewan MacGregor and Charley Boorman.
The book about the trip these two actors took around the world on motorcycles. There was also a TV series on Bravo that chronicled the trip, which was really good; I'm trying to track down the DVD. I love Ewan (mostly for his Scottich accent), and this was an interesting read. The most difficult leg of their trip took them through Ukraine, Kazakstan, Mongolia, and Russia (I had to get the book out to figure out how to spell Kazakstan). Doyle would like this book; tons of motorcycle stuff. I've been waiting for this one to hit paperback, because I rarely buy hardcover books, and this was worth the wait.

Going Postal, Monstrous Regiment, and Three Witches, all by Terry Pratchett.
Pratchett has written an enormous series of books about a place called Discworld. I love long series', because when I find one I like I know I'll have a supply for a while. Pretty good.

The Deed, by Keith Blanchard
A young New Yorker finds out he is the last remaining decendant of the family who supposedly owns the island of Manhattan. However, the deed is necessary to prove the link, and a search ensues. THe consequences of finding the deed are enormous. Guy falls in love with the young Native American lawyer who wants to help him find the deed, yada, yada, yada. This was an ok book, but definitely written by a man, which doesn't work when the book is being sold as chick lit. Not worth reading again.

The Spiral Staricase, by Karen Armstrong.
The sequel to Armstrong's Through the Narrow Gate, which chronicles her life as a nun and subsequent decision to leave that life. Lots of interesting stuff about life inside a convent, what it was like to be a nun who was studying at Oxford, and the major changes that happened when Vatican II changed everything.

The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman.
I've been aware of this series for a while, ever since I worked in a bookstore a few years ago, but never picked them up--others told me they weren't very good. I read a review that changed my mind about them, and really enjoyed them. A lot of people avoided them for their kids because the books are supposedly about demons and evil, etc., but that's completely off the mark. The best part of the series is the ending, which happens halfway through the last book and finally lets the reader figure out what has really been happening the whole time. I've been recommending these to everyone. Loved them.

Mr. Darcy's Daughters, by Elizabeth Aston.
Picks up 20 years after Pride & Prejudice, when the five daughters of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam give their parents hell over boys and parties and marriage, or at least as much hell as can be mustered in Victorian England. It was ok, but obviously can't touch the original. I started this book knowing that there were a lot of books like it, and with the hope that I had discovered a new series to read, but didn't continue past this one. Maybe one day.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke.
This book got a lot of press, made it onto the New York Times Bestseller List, but I didn't pick it up until a few months ago. I read it on and off for several weeks. It was interesting, but took a great effort to stay with, because it doesn't really pick up until a few hundred pages into it. Its about two magicians in Victorian England, who are trying to revive magic. Premise is that magic was at its strongest when King Arthur was around, but has been fading since, and is almost gone. Only a few people in the whole world can still do any magic. Takes place in a world slightly skewed from our own. Pretty good, but only read it if you're willing to slog through the beginning.

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo, but Obert Skye (which I think is a pseudonym, like Lemony Snicket)
Liz sent me this book for my birthday. We both love kids books, and are going to open our own bookstore one day, which will specialize in kids books. I liked this one, and the sequel is coming out on April "Foo's" Day. Foo is the place where people's dreams are made; its inhabitants were all transported out of our world and into Foo by a very specific set of events.

Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis.
Reread this series, for the first time in a long time, and saw entirely new meaning in them, which happens each time. Voyage of the Dawn Treader remains my favorite. (Can anyone else never again think of these movies and books without hearing "The Chroni-WHAT?-cles of Narnia!!" in your head? I certainly can't. You can still see the video clip from SNL on MSN video, while it lasts. iTunes had a free download for a while, but I missed it.

The Protector of the Small Series, by Tamora Pierce (First Test, Page, Squire, Lady Knight).
Loved these kids books. Same lady who wrote the Lioness series. I hope I have a daughter one day, so I can MAKE her read them. I gave my set to Whitley, and she called tonight to tell me how much she was loving them. The series is about a girl who wants to become a knight, in a system that doesn't want her.

Remember me to Harold Square and Thames Doesn't Rhyme with James, by Paula Danziger.
Two books I remembered reading when I was young, and picked up again.

This was obviously the season for rereading a lot of the great books I read as a kid.

I'm working on two tomes at the moment, A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth, and Kristin Lavransdatter, by Sigred Undset.

Watch out, World Poker Tour

By far, the funnest thing I did this Christmas was help teach my 11-year-old cousins how to play Texas Hold 'Em. Actually, their mother is my cousin, but we just call everyone "cousin" in this family. It's much less complicated, and links us to about half the state.* They picked it up so fast! By the end of the weekend, they knew all the terminology (check, raise, fold, shuffle up and deal, burn and turn, etc.) Unfortunately, there are no pictures, something I highly regret. Their mother threatened to call us to pay the bail when they get arrested for cleaning out all their fifth-grade classmates, but it was sooo worth it.

I drove off to Arkansas not expecting to have a great time with the family horde, but it was much better than I expected. I could have done without my brother, but that's not anything unusual. You know, we (as a world) are so very, very lucky that my brother is around because, in case civilization has to start over for some reason, he knows everything and can instruct the rest of us on the proper way to do things! We're in such good hands!



*which comes in very handy when stopped for speeding in certain parts of the state. "Officer, I believe you know my cousin, the sheriff?"