Just N case

The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory describes the difference between sensing (S) and intuitive (N) types here. Briefly, S types are prone to pay closer attention to what is physically happening around them. N types are much less prone to pay attention to what is literally happening around them and focus their energy on ideas, concepts and possibilities instead.

I'd be willing to bet five whole dollars that my great-grandfather was the intuitive type. Here is the evidence on which I base my assertion. My mother's mother tells a story in which her father (uncharacteristically) ran a red light. He was then promptly pulled over and issued a citation. The officer said something to the effect of, "what happened?" and my great-grandfather replied thoughtfully, "well... I was just thinking about Moses..." It became a great family joke.

I have not run a red light in such a manner. I have, however, waited for a stop sign to turn green, turned on the wrong street, taken the wrong off-ramp, driven miles past my turn or exit and most recently and horrifyingly blew right through a stop sign in. a. school. zone. It was a three-way stop and thank GOD there were no children present. There weren't any cars, either, and were it not for a lady walking within view of the intersection who expressively threw up her arms and gave me a look that said, "WTF are you thinking?" as I passed, I might never have realized. I noticed her, furrowed my brow in thought, considered possible reasons for her actions, looked around to see if she was communicating with anyone else, and OMG THAT WAS A STOP SIGN AND I DIDN'T EVEN SLOW DOWN.

I was absolutely appalled at myself and more than a little nauseous at what might have happened if circumstances were different. Completely horrifying.

It's one thing to drive while distracted by a phone or iPod or the food in your lap or while reaching for something behind the passenger seat. Those things are fairly easy to self-regulate. But to be distracted by your very own brain?! How can I escape that? It often takes quite a bit of conscious effort (or small children) for me to actively remain in the present moment. And when I am, I'm often immediately bored and my mind wanders off to find something more entertaining to ponder. I go on auto-pilot and though I may look "there" I might not be. I'm almost always thinking about completely unrelated things in addition to whatever thing or task currently has some of my attention and focus. My strongly S-type husband is frequently baffled by my honest replies to his, "what are you thinking about?" He can't understand how or why I'd be thinking about _____ or what would cause me to remember _____. I shrug. I don't know either. It's just what I do.

Except I've got to find a way that ensures I will NOT do it as much while driving. Suggestions?

That was then. This is now.

I had a tendency to climb things. I still do.

These photos were taken a little more than 20 years apart, in almost exactly the same place. (Looks like the original fence post didn't last.)

Remember when...

I've been thinking about all the things I've seen come to pass over the course of just my lifetime. Things that my children won't be able to imagine because they've never known life without _______.

Feel free to add your own. Remember, the changes have to have occurred within your own lifetime. This is something that only our/your generation will be able to say.

I remember when...

1. The only way to roast a marshmallow was with a wire coat hanger.


2. None of my friends had a computer at home and when our family got one it was only because my dad worked for Hewlett Packard. The colors on the screen were black and green and gray.


3. All telephones were wired to the base.


4. Pagers were popular and the cool kids in high school not only had their own pagers but they knew pager code too.


5. We could walk the traveler to the gate at the airport or wait at the gate to meet them as they came off the airplane without having to be a ticketed passenger ourselves.


6. We kept paper maps in the car and used them to navigate our route.


7. No one owned a cell phone.


8. You had to lick stamps.


9. I didn't have to wear a helmet when riding my bike (this varies by state.)

Oh help.

Um, guys? I just finished formatting one month of blog posts from May 2004. Including various pictures and all the comments it takes up 35 pages. For one month. In 2004. It is now 2007. I'll be making books until I die.

Of the making of books...

Carrie's recent post alerted me to the fact that BlogBinders(.com) is going out of business. I had been counting on their service to turn my many old blogs into a nice, sturdy book sometime in the future. Real live paper books are less likely to be erased accidently or lost if/when the site goes offline and that's nice to have for someone who writes as much as I do. I've been "blogging" before anyone (including me) knew what a "blog" was... waaaaaaay back in 2000.

I might as well get started on this book publishing thing now while I'm waiting around the house for my baby to arrive. I'm so bored; there's only so much to do around here. I have seven years of blogging to publish. SEVEN YEARS. Also, the number of blog posts and thereby book pages I'm producing certainly will not be diminishing any time soon.

I looked into blurb.com and downloaded their book-making program BookSmart. They have a nice blog-to-book function that will snatch all the entries off your blog and then have them ready for you to plop into a book. Neat and easy. Except when your blog is the size of mine. I formatted a relatively smaller blog I kept on LiveJournal.com and that took up fifty 8.5 x 11 pages, front and back, point nine font. I'm working on my TypePad blog now. TypePad will allow the inclusion of comments into your book... should I or shouldn't I? Do you think it will add to the book or detract from my deeply insightful words? =) If I do include the comments it would make the book considerably longer and therefore cost more, but I love the reader interaction and response.

---

Baby news: had a dr. appt. today and there's nothing new to report. I'm not dilated at all; Kate's head is still light years away from my pelvis. She's rocking and rolling and having a grand old time in there. They won't let anyone stay pregnant past 42 weeks so when I see them next Tuesday for a non-stress test they'll schedule me for an induction later next week (though I'll try for the following Monday, which is when I'll be exactly 42 weeks.)

Cowabunga, dude.

Great milk comes from happy moms. Happy moms come from California.

California. It's the milk.

My mother reminded me today of the advice my mother's mother gave to her daughters re: caring for infants. This is an abbreviated version.

"Be a cow. Just hang around making milk in quiet and peaceful settings; visit quietly with other cows - but don't sign up for non-cow activities. Sleep a lot and don't do anything extra beyond caring for your immediate physical needs and the needs of your baby. If you're not a Contented Cow in the early weeks post partum you'll have more struggles months down the road."

My grandmother knows of which she speaks and here's why:

My mother fell out of a (moving) car when she was two years old and she still has the gravel in her forehead to prove it! The family had recently moved from New York to California so that my grandfather could start up his own business. Also, my grandmother had given birth roughly two weeks before my mom's accident to their fourth child; mom's older sister was 4 and other younger brother was 1. Can you imagine moving a family of five cross-country while 9 months pregnant? Then having your toddler fall out of a car? Me either. Which is why my grandmother is my hero(ine.)