Nothin' Virtual About These Friends

My friend, Sara, gave me a blog award for friendship that really got me thinking. Who knew that blogging would result in special relationships with people you can be real and honest with and who will speak the truth in love to you? People you can visit with any time of the day or night? Who can make you laugh and make you cry. Who keep you current as well as take you down memory lane? Who knew??

I talk about my friends from blogs like I would any of my other friends. Trying to explain who they (you!) are to people who don't blog is like to trying to explain the ocean to somebody who has never set foot out of the desert. They just don't get it.

In this technology age, I know there are "virtual assistants". But I don't think of my blog friends as "virtual friends". You are very real. I find it interesting how Dictionary.com handles this word:

The instructions on this award say to pass it on. The bloggers who make up the rules to these things get a little carried away with numbers in my opinion, so I am whittling the recommended 8 down to just 2 people. These 2 friends are fascinating and I love to visit with them:

1. Hats off and it's a pleasure to know you, ADHDme. Fascinating and fun, a fireman friend. (Do you say firewoman?!)

2. Let me introduce you to Ballerina Girl. She's an American living in Brazil and just back from the most fabulous trip you can imagine. I promise you need to see these photos.

The truth is, if you are reading this, I want to thank YOU for honoring me with your time. And I would love for you to recieve my extended hand of friendship and post this on your blog. So if you needed an award today, you got it!

I love having friends not only all over the country, but all over the world! I hear "Road Trip"! One day....

Get in, Get It Done, Get it Over With & Get Out

Last Thursday, I mentioned that I used to teach a seminar called “Discovering Your Personality IQ” and fished for interest in following up with some highlights on the basic 4 personality types.

A number of years ago, I attended a CLASS Seminar and Training (Christian Leaders, Authors and Speakers) with Florence Littauer. She is a prolific author and wrote Personality Plus among other books.

The beauty of this system is in its simplicity. However, fitting humanity into just 4 categories is about as effective as putting all women into just 4 bra sizes; there will be a lot of “in between” situations!

Today, I introduce to you the “choleric” personality. This person is an extrovert and a leader. They are happiest when in control. They are very task oriented and if people's feelings get hurt on the way to the goal … oh well. They know how to get a job done. Typical jobs for this person would be lawyer, coach, career military or a business owner.

One of my co-workers has this personality. He is a trip, in my opinion. Very smart, very efficient and you can get along fine with him if you do what he says and let him be in charge. : )

My husband has a blending of this personality type in him as well, even though he is primarily a “melancholy”. (I prefer the name “analytical.”) That’s when it’s a really good thing that we’re opposites. It works!

I honestly can’t name one blogger that is primarily choleric. My theory is that they are too busy getting things done to do much social networking. There are probably a number of them with business-oriented blogs; they would have a mission and and be focused on accomplishing something specific.

A well-known public figure who is choleric is Hilary Clinton. If you want to name someone you know that fits the bill here, the forum is open!

Running to Jail

Cupcake (youngest daughter) has a history of providing entertainment for our family. She is a little comedian in her spare time. She also has a part-time job while at college as a runner for a law office. I got this email from her last week and it struck me that a big part of college is what you learn outside of the classroom!

Email Message from Cupcake:
Hello :)

Let me start off by saying off by saying that I am very thankful to have a job but I just thought I would tell you of my day so far..

Mr. Lawyer (P.A): I need you to go to the jail now!!!

Me: Yes sir.

The runner van was occupied by the other dude at the time of this "emergency" so I hopped in my car. (they re-embuirse for mileage) I was told that the woman I was picking up would look "rough" and that she was in her early thirties.

I had to call back and ask for the "clients" name.

Yes rough was an understatement. When I got there she was sitting on the sidewalk. And guess what?? She HAD BEEN IN JAIL AND SHE WAS IN MY CAR!!!!!! AH! She smelled like rotten garbage. All she had was a little brown paper sack with her belongings in it. I couldn't believe it. How are you supposed to make conversation? I said, "Are you okay?" Oh jeez wrong move...she sobbed almost the whole way back to the office and was asking me all these questions like"Are you taking me home? "Do you know where my fiance is?"and I kept telling her that I am only the runner. Oh my goodness. I didn't know what to do...I had on the radio but then I thought she may hate this music so I switched it to talk radio and then I thought oh we'll this is probably depressing her.

While riding along..I thought...hmm.. little things that go wrong here and there..and I thought my life had some problems in it...this woman is a wreck.

If you ever need a jail transport release service I'm your gal! ;)
There is more to being a runner than I thought!!

Entertainment on a Shoestring (Cheap Laughs)

I’d like to give a big SHOUT OUT to all who played along and voted in 2nd Cup of Coffee’s Ugly Mug contest. I feel like I am doing my part for the economy by being an example of how to find entertainment without spending much money. The .52 I spent at Goodwill last week provided me with hours of entertainment! You would have thought I'd scored a brand new designer dress for $5.00 with how delighted I was with my find. My Bony Nose mug won 1st runner up. Becky’s longhorn mug was photographed on her stove and captioned “Home on the Range”. She’s creative and clever. Becky’s blog is called “Adult Deprived” as she is home with 4 small children. I’m thinking that notwithstanding the fact that she is funny and owns an ugly mug, she deserves the boost of winning!

Now….EVERYONE has a chance to win something. As if you didn’t have enough to do this week, I’m going to inform you that there are more than a THOUSAND give-aways available at the quarterly bloggy give-away carnival. Sweet mercy that’s a time temptation if I ever saw one. So if you are timeless, don’t click here.

I’ve got more but I have to get to work. Have a great day.

My favorite things in "C"

My friend Sara introduced me to this meme and I thought it looked like fun. It was!

If you want to play, leave a comment on this post letting me know, and I’ll assign you a letter. You write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter, and post it at your place. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on...

Sara assigned me the letter "C", so here's my list:

1. Chocolate - a true comfort food. I’ll take it in brownies, Butterfingers, malted milk balls or mud pie for starters please.

2. Corn – as in popped corn! PopCorn is one of my favorite foods. When left to my own devices for dinner, a big bowl of popcorn is a top choice.

3. Clean sheets. I love to climb into my own freshly made bed. Now that’s happiness!

4. Coastal locations. I love the water. I have joked that my roots are those of a Sea Oat. I love to wiggle my toes in the sand. I even enjoying riding over bridges. I have lived in Florida all my life.

5. Communicating. I desire to encourage others and touch lives through communication. (Speaking, writing, building relationships!) I am rarely at a loss for words.

6. Comic Relief. I love to laugh. Smiling’s my favorite! I am easily entertained. Aat one point in my journey when I owned a business and was trying to carry too much, I lost my laughter and knew I was in serious trouble. I made some major changes in the next months and got my laugh back.
7. Children. Of course our 3 children are my heart walking around outside my body. They have grown into wonderful young adults but they are forever my children. I love being with them and I also love being around children of all ages. I desire to be childlike in faith and in wonder.

8. Christmas. Christmas is love and faith, family and friends (and chocolate). Wonderfulness!

9. Choruses. I had to get music into this list. Choruses are the main part of songs, whether sung or played on my piano. I breathe music.

10. Christ. My King. My Savior, Redeemer and Friend. He is my Peace, My Hope, My Strength. He is joy unspeakable and full of glory. It is amazing to know Him and to be known by Him.

Leave me a note if you want to do this- I promise I won't give you X or Z!

P.S. If you missed my post on the Ugly Mug Contest, please back up a step and then go on over to Linda's and put in a good word for me. Thanks!

Now THAT'S an Ugly Mug!

Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee is having the 1st ever “Ugly Mug Contest”. This 45 second video will show you why you should go to her site on Monday, January 26 and vote for me. I am shamelessly stumping for your vote. I was highly entertained by this project. Hope you are too.


If you’ll say “Remind Me” in your comment, I’ll drop by your site Monday with a nudge.

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tales

Here's the puppy update; I am going to wait on the Morky I showed you last week. At my husband’s request, I am going to study and research breeds and make a decision after I have carefully considered all the possibilities and the timing. Sigh. I’m sure that’s a smart course of action. However, if left to my own devices, I would get this puppy and I would be happy with it. This scenario reminds me of our personality differences.

As a Sanguine, my plan of action is
Ready, Fire, Aim.
Think about that, or not, as the case may be.

My husband is a Melancholy and his method is Ready, Aim, Doublecheck your Aim, Deep Breath while Aiming, Step Back and Check the Wind and How it Will Affect Your Aim, ReAim,
Fire.

I actually taught a Seminar for years called “Discovering Your Personality IQ”. It definitely helps in relationships to respect the personality differences rather than let them annoy you. I had retired that seminar but I am thinking I need to resurrect it. (For me! LOL) The lessons are still as applicable as they were 20 years ago. To think that Hippocrates came up with the basic 4 personality classifications in 370 BC does imply longevity. Below is a simple chart that I think is helpful. This is not an academic profile, but it's fun and this is not an academic blog!

I was thinking about doing a series for the next 4 Thursdays highlighting each personality type and giving some examples of well-known people (maybe even bloggers we all know) who define the particular perosnality types. Let me know if you think that sounds interesting. I am enjoying looking at this material again.