The "<insert number here> things" meme is going around twitter, and I've been tagged by @empirebetty. A while back, when it was a blog meme requiring eight things, Rich Burridge tagged me. So I'm now faced with the challenge of finding seven things beyond that which you already know about me. I will do my best.

I've decided to make my response theme-based. The theme, taken from @empirebetty's astute observation, is "Endearing Neuroses".

1. Today I am an INTP. Check back tomorrow.

   Years ago, I took the Myers-Briggs Personality Test as part of a course I took at UT Austin. At the time, the results indicated that I was an ENFP:

   ENFPs are introspective, values-oriented, inspiring, social and extremely expressive. They actively send their thoughts and ideas out into the world as a way to bring attention to what they feel to be important, which often has to do with ethics and current events. ENFPs are natural advocates, attracting people to themselves and their cause with excellent people skills, warmth, energy and positivity. ENFPs are described as creative, resourceful, assertive, spontaneous, life-loving, charismatic, passionate and experimental.

   I really did used to be an extrovert, and many of the items in that description resonate with me and how I was back in those days. But that's not me any more. I don't know if those early results were flawed or if I changed. But I've since taken an online test -- mainly to get the widget for my last.fm page -- and now I'm practically the complete opposite, an INTP:

   INTPs are logical, individualistic, reserved, and very curious individuals. They focus on ideas, theories and the explanation of how things work. They are especially adept at discussions and debate. They have the ability to focus intently on a subject. They appreciate and respect intelligence in others.

   Reading the additional descriptions of the INTP, I do think that sounds more like the way I am today. Do personalities change that much over time? Regardless... I'm me, whatever type (or types) that happens to truly be.

2. I love horror movies, but I close my eyes during the scary parts.

   Actually, that's not entirely true. I place my hands over my eyes and then slowly spread my fingers apart to peek because I really do want to see what's going on....

   The funny -- or sad -- thing is, I don't love (or even enjoy) really scary, brutal, bloody horror movies. I prefer movies that play on one's fears and suggest horror rather than actually display it. So I'm covering my eyes for what amounts to some pretty tame -- and often lame -- scenes. <shrug>

   As a related aside, I'm starting to get into J-Horror. All the benefits (psychological fear, suggestion of horror, etc.) without the need to hide my eyes. If you have any good suggestions for J-Horror, by all means let me know.

3. I am, on the whole, a secular humanist. One that believes in ghosts.

   And, yes, I do realize the inconsistency there. By definition a good, true secular humanist wouldn't believe in ghosts. Mind you, I'm not convinced they exist; I'm simply not convinced that they don't, nor have I been given any evidence to prove that they don't. For some reason, I tend towards believing in them rather than disbelieving. Plus ghosts make for good TV and movie entertainment.

4. I buy my vacuums based upon their bug-sucking-up attachments.

   (I realize that for some of you, this is not new information. But for many it will be, and it is consistent with my chosen theme.)

   I have, for as long as I can remember, been completely afraid of bugs -- at least those which are in danger of coming into contact with me. It doesn't matter if they are alive or dead as far as the contact goes.

   I've dealt with this over the years in a variety of fashions:

   • Marriage. Proved to be a successful solution for awhile.
   • Cats. Believe it or not, this can be effective. Cats find small moving things amusing. Plus they tend not to grumble.
   • Poison. Certainly gets the job done, but the quantity I used was so disproportional to the lethal dose for my victim that I tended to have subsequent asthma attacks and my home smelled toxic for at least a day.

   At long last I arrived at my current solution: Vacuum cleaners with really long attachments. Healthier for me than marriage, cats (turns out they trigger my asthma), and poison.

5. I often wonder "What will happen if....?" And decide to find out.

   If I do say so myself, this approach to life in and of itself is admirable -- it arguably may be amongst my best qualities. Unfortunately, I'm only curious about things I know absolutely nothing about. Combine this with my incredibly short attention span and low tolerance for frustration and... well....

   Sometimes I have an amazing amount of success, like the time I replaced the icky 80s-chandelier-style fixture that (dis)graced my condo with a much more suitable fixture. Mind you, I turned off power to my entire home beforehand -- after dressing nicely, doing my hair, and putting on some makeup just in case what I learned about electricity from the Home Depot guy proved significantly incorrect. Other times I'm less fortunate.... Still, holes can be patched, ceilings repainted, and plumbing replaced. Besides, the fridge poetry wall (yes an entire wall) in my kitchen -- while lumpy -- is a reported favorite of the contractors who come to clean up after me.

6. I really like movies by M. Night Shyamalan.

   Even "The Happening." There, I've said it. Phew! I feel much better.

7. My father passed away this year.

   I've been debating off and on about whether or not this is something I want to announce to the world. The reason I finally decided to go ahead and share it here is primarily to explain -- perhaps even justify -- why I've been largely AWOL personally, socially, and professionally for the past several months. And to do so once in writing, rather than a bunch of times face-to-face. Yes, I AM taking the easy way out. I admit it. And under the circumstances, I think I deserve it.

   The basic facts are these: My father happened to be mentally ill and my last contact with him was when I was 13 (I'm now 38.). I learned of his passing via a letter sent to my place of employment by an attorney. The cause of death, I later found out, turned out to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

   It's funny the sorts of baggage we carry around without realizing it. Then something like this happens....

   What I've learned from this situation, and what I want to focus on, however, is this: People are amazing. I've received a tremendous amount of patience, warmth, and support from folks -- some of whom I had confided in, many of whom I had not. Some of whom I've known for years, some of whom I barely know -- or in the case of twitter, never even met. Many of these individuals could have concluded that I was blowing them off and would have been justified (albeit completely incorrect) in their thinking. Instead they keep checking in on me, looking out for me, in some cases even helping me pick up the pieces of my life because I've been too stunned to do so on my own. These people, though not related to me by blood, are my true family. Thanks for looking out for your crazy cousin in her time of need.

With apologies for those who don't like memes.... I'm tagging:

• @newts (Update: His seven things)
• @jenocal (Update: Her seven things)
• @theberrygirl
• @wwalker
• @davidbolter
• @comay
• @tindle

That's what the gods are! An answer that will do! Because there's food to be caught and babies to be born and a life to be lived and so there is no time for big, complicated, and worrying answers! Please give us a simple answer, so that we don't have to think, because if we think, we might find answers that don't fit the way we want the world to be.

--Mau, in Terry Pratchett's Nation

...And those of you who know me know what that means: the frighteningly rapid approach of the course which shan't be named.

Given the lack of public transportation in New Hampshire and my rather ADHD personality, waiting around for a bus to fling myself in front of doesn't seem like a viable option. Do you think it's possible that the Maya sucked at math?? I mean it's almost 2012, and they didn't have calculators back then....

Words - Missing Persons

Do you hear me
Do you care
Do you hear me
Do you care

My lips are moving and the sound's coming out
The words are audible but I have my doubts
That you realize what has been said

You look at me as if you're in a daze
It's like the feeling at the end of the page
when you realize you don't know what you just read

What are words for when no one listens anymore
What are words for when no one listens
What are words for when no one listens it's no use talkin at all

I might as well go up and talk to a wall
'cause all the words are having no effect at all
It's a funny thing am I all alone

Something has to happen to change the direction
What little filters through is giving you the wrong impression
It's a sorry state I say to myself

What are words for when no one listens anymore
What are words for when no one listens
What are words for when no one listens it's no use talkin at all

Do you hear me
Do you care
Do you hear me
Do you care

Let me get by
Over your dead body
Hope to see you soon
When will I know
Doors three feet wide with no locks open
Walking always backwards in the faces of strangers
Time could be my friend
But it's less than nowhere now
less than nowhere now
less than nowhere now
now
ow ow ow

Pursue it further and another thing you'll find
Not only are they deaf and dumb they could be going blind and no one notices
I think I'll dye my hair blue

Media overload bombarding you with action
It's getting near impossible to cause distraction
Someone answer me before I pull out the plug

What are words for when no one listens anymore
What are words for when no one listens
What are words for when no one listens it's no use talkin at all

What are words for when no one listens anymore
What are words for when no one listens
What are words for when no one listens it's no use talkin at all

Do you hear me
Do you care
Do you hear me
Do you care
tell me what are words for
Do you hear me
tell me what are words for
Do you care
tell me what are words for
Do you hear me
so tell me what are words for
Do you care
so tell me what are words for
Do you hear me
tell me what are words for
so tell me what are words for
Do you care
so tell me what are words for
Do you hear me
tell me what are words for
so tell me what are words for
Do you care
so tell me what are words for

(Lyrics provided by leoslyrics.com via Rhythmbox)

Dave Winer says:

We all hope our houses don't catch fire, but when they do, we're damned happy we don't get an argument when we call 911. Why should cancer, diabetes and heart disease be any different? I don't get it.

Indeed. And I don't get it either.

Dave said a bunch more than that though (read his full entry).

I've been an on-again/off-again member of AER (Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired) for a decade or so. The reason for my fickle membership has been that I just don't see much benefit from being a member, especially now that my focus is 100% on assistive technology -- an area which should be much more of a focus in AER given that AER is basically THE organization of the profession and that one's ability to live and work independently as a person who is blind depends significantly on having access to and skills in the use of AT.

As a result, I tend to renew my membership when doing so will get me discounts on conferences I need to attend or a reduction in fees when I'm applying for re-certification. At least that was before I received this "AER-GRAM":

***URGENT! CANCELLATION NOTICE!***
***IMMEDIATE REPLY REQUESTED!***

THE AER BOARD OF DIRECTORS, IN COMPLIANCE WITH OUR ORGANIZATIONAL BYLAWS, MUST TAKE FINAL ACTION CANCELLING YOUR MEMBERSHIP UNLESS THE MEMBERSHIP DUES BALANCE SHOWN BELOW IS RECEIVED PRIOR TO JANUARY 31, 2008. FAILURE TO MAKE PAYMENT OF YOUR AER MEMBERSHIP DUES WILL PROMPT US TO REMOVE YOU FROM AER'S MEMBERSHIP ROSTER.

WE URGE YOU TO GIVE THIS MATTER YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. PLEASE REMIT THE ENTIRE BALANCE DUE IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS LETTER, PLEASE CONTACT AER AT (877) 492-2708, EXT. 202.

Any lingering questions I did have about the value of being a member were just answered.

Or rather my photo of the Nansen-Ski-Jump has been. That is soooo cool. Thanks to Danlev for the heads up!

I've been having a really hard time getting into the presidential elections this go around, which is shameful being a proud resident of the First in the Nation state and all. Is it just me?

Anyhoo.... A couple of weeks ago I was chatting about this with a friend of mine and mused that, having watched some of the recent debates, I feared that the candidate whose views were most compatible with mine would either be Kucinich or that gentleman from Alaska (whose name always escapes me, but who never fails to make me laugh). Well, according to this survey, my fears were well-founded:

Kucinich: 78
(you have no disagreements with this candidate)

Gravel: 64
(you have no disagreements with this candidate)
Note to self: Gravel, his name is Gravel.

After that things go quickly downhill on the candidate-compatibility scale:

As for the rest of them...

I knew I didn't like Romney.

Question is.... Am I living in the wrong country??

Update: Check out the stats from that survey along with this quote from the page:

You would probably be interested to know that Kucinich has been the first choice of 105098 people (out of 192211). That wasn't my intention or expectation when making this site, but it is certainly interesting.

Indeed it is. So.... Is the survey (unintentionally) biased? Are the majority of people taking the survey democrats pondering whom they should vote for given that the candidate who shares their views doesn't stand a chance of winning? (Do the primaries have more in common with choosing the Homecoming King and Queen than we would care to admit?)

In the front matter of Stephen King's Dolores Claiborne:

"What does a woman want?"

--Sigmund Freud

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me."

--Aretha Franklin

Indeed.

I'm on vacation.... Sort of.... Basically I couldn't cope with the day job, and I NEVER take time off so I'm simply not working again until the 28th. Here's what I've learned so far:

• Migraines aren't nearly so bothersome when you can sleep in as late as you want.
• People are extremely and unforgivably rude to the folks who work at the DMV -- folks who are, in turn, amazingly nice and polite. I suppose I shouldn't complain about my day job: At least no one wanders into my office and screams at me. I hope karma proves true. Everyone should get what he or she deserves.
• Breakfast at 4:00 AM at the Red Arrow Diner is awesome: Good food, good folks, and no tripping over presidential hopefuls.
• An excellent time to go to LL Bean in Freeport is 7:30 AMish. Not too many shoppers, and lots of associates all of whom are eager to help. It's hard to say if they were inspired purely by good ol' fashioned Maine hospitality, or if that deer-in-the-headlights look I tend to get when confronted by the task of shopping had anything to do with it. Regardless, LL Bean is my new favorite store.
• Best dip ever: Azure Cafe's artichoke dip. Their tomato vodka soup is also quite good.
• An awful lot closes down in the fall in Maine. Tom Tom doesn't know about these things.
• Coolest metal sculpture suitable for inclusion in your home: September Tree. (The image on the site doesn't do it justice.) I was "good" and refrained from buying it. I do want it though. Perhaps as a holiday/New Year's treat....
• Apparently my literature appreciation skills are wanting. Everyone else just loves The Road.

...you move a monitor causing a cable to fall behind your desk, and out of sheer reflex try to retrieve said cable by pressing Ctrl+Z. D'oh!