What It Means To Be A Person

It was a Thanksgiving evening a good number of years ago, when my uncle decided that we were all sedated enough by the fullness of turkey, stuffing and pie, to trick us into taking a personality test. Indeed, we were too full to protest to sitting down in front of a questionnaire full of seemingly nonsensical questions, so we agreed to be Uncle David's personality guinea pigs.



In our vegetative state of mind we were quite certain that Uncle D. was full of it and this Dr. Phil phoo phoo was just another post-modern phase.

 

As each of us took the test and read our results we couldn't stifle laughter or the contemplative "ah-ha" moments. It was a little more spot on than we'd figured. Of course, Uncle D. was over our shoulders like the evil mastermind finally bringing into submission a whole planet of minions. Okay... well maybe he wasn't that devious and I'm sure he just wanted to encourage conversation and better understanding among the family (though I thought he'd enjoy that depiction since he's an INFP, aka the personality type that believes fairy tales are real).

Ever since that revealing day, personality typology has been a subject of interest in my family. I am guilty of convincing all of my friends, and most anyone who I think won't be too weirded-out, to sit down to a personality test. Some of the tests are better than others. If you haven't ever discovered what your personality type is, I highly recommend it. Or if you have taken it already, it never hurts to take it again. I discovered that my personality has changed (or maybe my understanding of who I am has grown?) since the night Uncle Dave enlightened us to personality profiles. This one, by Human Metrics, is my favorite right now. This test is based on the Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Myers typology.



I must say, these tests and ideas are not the be-all and end-all. They aren't going to give all of the answers for your life or completely figure you out to a T. They're more like guidelines. Very good guidelines for understanding who you are better, what it means to be you, why you do things the way you do them... and so on. It's not about right or wrong. It's about who we are as people, and understanding who we are will give us more security and curiosity to go out and understand others better.

It's fun. It's not the end of the world. And who knows... it may give you some much needed peace about your personality as you'll discover that, in fact, you aren't horrible for being a babbling extrovert or an I'd-rather-be-alone introvert. Or for making detailed plans for your vacation... or doing just the opposite and throwing organized lists out the window in favor of spontaneity.

When I first took the test I was probably 15 or 16 and my result was an ESFJ. Now I'm an ENFP... (although I occasionally get ESFP).

I really like this website for an overview description of each of the 16 personality types: Keirsey Temperment Overview. It seems to give a decent, brief view of each type.



I also like this site for a little more detail of each type: The Personality Page. It gives a more in depth look at the different types.

These are just a few of the informative websites on the subject that are available out there. Let me know if you find some that you like better!

Anyway, it's good fun! Take the test if you haven't. Alas, I'm not done writing about this subject but it's 10pm... which is 30 minutes past my bedtime. I guess 7 and 1/2 hours of sleep will have to do tonight. :)

Rest

It's a chilly sort of morning with grey clouds that are giving off a steady mist. It's thanks to this bit of rain that my employers decided to let me stay home this morning. When time off does come I hardly know what to do with the myself. Torn between the many things I should and want to do and the urge to simply rest. It's important to rest and sometimes I think I forget to unwind, relax and do nothing at all. There are so many pressures that make me guilty for just sitting, but I am doing mainly just that this morning.

A little bit ago I went out to the back porch off my house and sat on a ledge; dangling my feet like a child, observing my little flower garden. Humming birds buzzed to the feeder. One took such a long draft of the sugary water that I looked at the level of the liquid, half expecting to see it drop before my eyes. He must have been a thirsty little bird.

The plant leaves were host to glistening drops of rain that caught the light of the sky and sent it back. The earth was a deep blackish, brown color, rich with precipitation. I enjoyed the tree branches with leaves that draped down onto mowed lawn like a soft gown on a beautiful woman, gracing the floor.

I picked up a book from an end-table earlier. It was titled, Everything Is Obvious *once you know the answer* . Sometimes it's good to simply acknowledge that I don't know everything... in fact I don't know a lot, and that I don't need to know all of the answers right now. Learning is a process that takes years and is a journey that must always be traveled but never concluded.

Resting feels wonderful because it allows your mind to stop having to come up with the solutions to every problem on earth and it gives your body time to heal from the constant strains of life. The real amusing part is that there is research that suggests that when you allow yourself to rest, you are actually giving space for your subconscious mind to have the time to work on problems. This can be accomplished through sleep and daydreaming. That's where the real work happens and the real solutions to dilemmas are discovered.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. - Genesis 2:2-3

The Summer Solstice

And so the longest day of the year has arrived.



I've had the what's-your-favorite-season conversation with a lot friends. Usually I hear Summer or Fall. Spring is the best, I say. Everything's growing... the length of day, the tree leaves, the grass, the warm air. From now on out it's downhill, at least as far as daylight is concerned.

Oh well, I don't mind. Summer is long and luxurious... and Fall isn't too terrible either.

Yesterday, I went out with Mr. Isaac to a wheat field and a plot of oats for a photo-shoot. Mostly because the wheat was whimsical and the oats were cheerful. And also because the evening was slow and warm and we desired to go for a walk. Walks are always better when there seems to be a purpose to them. At one point Isaac took the camera from me and said I should be in some pictures, too. He has a pretty good eye.

Oh, did you know that tonight is the "strawberry moon"?? Pretty much it's simple the full moon occurring at the same time as the Summer solstice. I popped outside to capture a picture. Yep... it looks just like the other moons. I have noticed, though, that often it's cloudy on the night of the full moon so it's only every few months that you get to behold the moon in it's exact fullness.

Anyway, it's neat because a strawberry moon hasn't happen in 30 years. If it wasn't Monday I'd call up some friends and have them over for a bonfire. Then we'd watch the moon rise into the indigo sky and take a midnight walk down the gravel, country roads. Instead I shall go to bed since the farmers are haying and I'm supposed to wake up extra early for milking.

Photography.

I just can't help it. I see something beautiful and my first thought is, "Where's the camera?!" It's exciting; getting done with a long day of work and realizing that there's a gorgeous sunset, grabbing the camera and running out to catch the fiery orb in it's descent.

Sometimes I wonder what the point is in taking all these pictures. ...but that's only between every other 1,000 shots I take, download and edit. Yes, I do delete some photos. Not enough, of course. That's my nemesis... the need to keep only the best and being harsh about whether a picture is worth keeping or not.

It's much more than a hobby. It's a passion.

I'm learning to use the manual camera settings. My photographer friends say, try playing with one setting at a time. Just mess around with the shutter speed or just the apeture, or just the ISO, they tell me. But hey, no one ever sat me down in a stick-shift vehicle and said, "Alright. To make this easier just focus on the clutch. Don't worry about the gas or the brake pedal."

So maybe it's harder to learn all three settings at once, but it's too confusing to try and figure out one at a time. I like to see how they all work together... and I'm hoping I'll be better off in the long run.

Anyway, if I do go to college for advanced study, I think it will be for photography. Or journalism. Or photojournalism. Yeah... I could be a photojournalist. It's gotta be the best of both worlds.

Anyway, here's a shot of last night's sunset:

Canon D5 Mark II

 For some, the calm comes before the storm. For others, it comes after.

Cook Me Curry

I went out to dinner for Thai with my friend, Chris, a few weeks ago. I hadn't ever ordered curry before and I thought I hadn't tried it either, so in favor of a new experience I ordered a green curry. Well, it was one of those moments where I was struck with my complete 'blondness' as I realized I've actually been cooking curry for the past year. Although it's true, I've never had curry at a restaurant, I have made it at home a number of times. Some things in life are just too obvious. ;)

As it happens I was working for my dad's boss' wife last Summer. She was in charge of cooking meals for the concrete crew. Which means she planned out the meals and I cooked them. Haha! Knowing how picky guys can be she had me make some really delicious meals. This recipe was one she had me prepare and it was so easy and delicious! Something different from the same old meals I was used to at my house.
If you want to make an easy meal, something that will please everyone, try making this curry:

Fragrant Chicken Curry

2 T. curry powder

1 t. ground ginger

½ t. cinnamon

¼ t. cayenne pepper

2 T. vegetable oil

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 rotisserie chicken, skinned and boned
(meat pulled into large chucks – 3 ½ to 4 cups)

1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 14.5 oz. can chicken broth

To serve: Cooked basmati rice, chopped fresh cilantro and mango chutney

Mix spices in small bowl. Heat oil in a dutch oven or small soup kettle over medium-high heat; add onion and saute until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic; saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spices; toast until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add chicken; stir until completely coated with spices. Add coconut milk, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a simmer; cook uncovered until flavors blend and stew is thick, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle with cilantro and serve over rice. Pass chutney separately. Serves: 6
 

 

One thing Mrs. E. changed was the rice. I haven't tried making the basmati rice yet but this Indian rice recipe is to die for. In fact, Mrs. E.'s brother-in-law who was from India taught her how to make this rice recipe, so it's authentic Indian cuisine. It goes really well with the curry recipe as the spices in each dish compliment each other.
I must say, I did not use a rotisserie chicken. Instead I boiled a chicken in water (with generic spices: salt, pepper, garlic). It's like killing two birds with one stone as it provides your meat and your broth. I also don't have curry powder on hand so I used the "Thai Kitchen" brand of curry paste. I also haven't tried the cilantro or the mango chutney, but I'd imagine they'd both be nice.

Indian Rice

onion, chopped

cooking oil

2 c. rice, raw

stick of cinnamon

6 whole cloves

6 peppercorns

½ t. tumeric

chopped tomato

green peas

Brown onion. Add spices. Add rice. 1 can of chicken broth; the rest water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
(in essence cook brown rice as normal, substituting part of the water for chicken broth, and adding other ingredients when you start to cook rice)

Song for the Summer

Every year has a different feel, a new variation of the same theme. This Summer is going to be a good one... full of adventure, discovery and new lessons to learn. Interesting things to add to the pages of the past. I can just tell.

But this song... this one fits perfectly. I love the mood and rhythm; calm, yet energized. The key element is found right in the first verse:

"'Cause a little bit of summer's what the whole year's all about"

Memorial Day Weekend!

Sometimes, when you're a lucky kid, your boss will give you a three day weekend. Last Saturday through Monday, I received just that, and boy did it feel like heaven.




Of course, the fun always begins as soon as you get home from work on Friday night, so I had breakfast for dinner and rented a chick flick. Oh.... and did I mention the large bowl full of ice cream with chocolate, caramel and a cherry on top?! ;)





Then on Saturday I drove to Madison, where my friend Laura was a vendor at a farmer's market there. She's so much fun! We usually see each other at busy events and never really get a chance to visit much, so it was nice to actually get some one-on-one quality time with her. Even if it meant driving around Madison on a wild goose chase with her.



In the afternoon about 85 people made it to the Gitto farm for a "Party just because..."! We enjoyed sports like volleyball, Frisbee and croquet, and of course there was food and music to be had as well.

 Croquet is a bit slow-paced when you have somewhere around 13 people playing.

My lovely friend Rachel... she's so gentle, encouraging and sweet. Her sweet nature and good example inspires me to be more mature and kind.

 This girl! Sarah... she's so good natured... and has such a fun sense of humor! 

Here are the volleyball junkies. Literally.... they may have stopped playing for a very short time to eat. I think they even played in the rain!

Sorry the pics are blurry... but the food and fellowship were fantastic! It's always a fortunate affair when you have so many great friends in one place.

So here we have Courtney... and her giant ice cream cone. She apparently forgot how you turn the soft-serve machine off. ;) ...it's funny, I almost did the same thing. You pull the lever and forget about everything else as you focus on getting that perfect twirl. =D

A big rain storm that rolled in, too. My friend Malachi captured a sweet time-lapse of the storm and stunning sunset. Sometimes he'll upload his time-lapses to his YouTube channel so be sure to keep an eye out for it.

As always, it was a good time at the Gitto farm. At a late night hour I zipped home with Courtney and stayed at her house for the rest of the weekend. Spending time with the Dunn family is always a pleasure! They all have their own amusing witty remarks and wisecracks. They jovial and fun to be around... but know how to be serious and calm as well. 

On Sunday, I went to Courtney's church. Both messages were good and then we had mango smoothies afterward!!! They were so tasty!

Then after lunch the sun came out, it was warm and the swings in the park were calling my name.... so we ran out the door to enjoy the "curious" weather. My new friend Josh lent me ALL of his camera stuff... we're talking fancy. So I tried one of the less intimidating lenses and cameras out. My subject was very photogenic as usual:





In the evening Court and I decided to go on an adventure... to Cheddar's! The food and atmosphere were surprisingly impressive. I had the most delicious whitefish, rice and salad, and Courtney had a big burger...

Courtney showed me where she taught school this past year. I convinced her we needed to get a picture of her for posterity's sake! ....especially since it's technically her first teaching job!

We spent the evening drinking sun tea, singing silly songs, and just simply relaxing. Mrs. Dunn and Court were trying to figure out what is important to each of us in life... relaxation was on the top of Court's list!

We found june bugs, Mr. Dunn showed me his garden and flowers! I love that he's like a farmer pretty much, in his own way!

We had a bonfire later on and I introduced them to s'mores with reese's peanutbutter cups instead of milk chocolate. It was the perfect night for sitting around a fire and visiting.

On Monday we went to the Memorial Day parade in Racine... and I forgot my phone!!! But luckily Courtney remembered hers and took lots of pictures... which you can see on her blog. Oh, did I mention all of the phlox growing in all of the ditches? Soooo much purple! It makes my heart happy! We took a walk on a wooded trail with phlox making up a good portion of the undergrowth. It was quite serene and peaceful.

Sammi, Court's cousin, came with us. She's so nice and fun! Christopher took us to this HUGE tree.. it had to be the oldest tree in the woods. The branches were the size of regular tree trunks. It was quite the tree, and rather perfect for climbing.

We brought Zirk along on our hike! He really is the coolest dog ever.

We decided to wade in this river. Water always attracts me. I can't help but feel it on my feet.

This picture of Zirk is soooo funny! He's such a feisty little dog. He wasn't too sure about hanging out in the water.



It was such a nice three days, but alas, I said goodbye and set off for home. The drive back was easier than I expected. No crazy holiday traffic or slow-downs... It was the best holiday weekend!