I am reading a book for a class that I am teaching on Monday. I have already read this book close to ten times and have taught on it before, but each time I read I find something new to ruminate on (aren't those the best kind of books?).

I just had to share this quote, because I think it summed how I felt in the past week:

"As I drove home...I steep in the utter fullness of not wanting to have anyone else's life but my own".

That's about it!

Keep Your Life (Sort of) Private

(WARNING: I realize that the blog post below is being posted publicly online and is complaining about how people post things online. I can live with the contradiction; so should you)

I was sort of set to come on here tonight and talk about how my day at work had been kind of up and down. And then I got a call from a friend from grad school, all about how a former colleague of ours had bashed her employers and workplace on her blog and it had gone viral.

This prompted several reactions from me: "How studpid of her!", "Wow, I'm glad it wasn't me", and "Why do people think this is ok?"

Honestly (see warning at top), the internet kills me in that everyone seems able to share everything whenever they want. It is frustrating when people throw their credibility out of the window by saying things in the heat of the moment in such a passive manner.

I enjoy social media and using it for both personal and professional means. I try, however, to have a good balance between posting nothing and posting everything, being snarky and earnest, and communicating online and in person.

The problem for me is that the internet (and everything that comes along with it) is truly astounding. We have achevied a seeming apex in global communication within about 15 years of commercial use, and yet it seems that all it is used for nowadays is trivializing minor points, shoving your beliefs upon others, and normalizing negative behavior.

Sites like the "secrets" ones that have popped up at every college and university make me sad. People getting into fights about political and social stances are not helping anyone to understand. And not voicing opinions in person (where it's difficult and awkward) but doing so behind the thin veil of the intenet is pretty cowardly (once again, see warning).

I wish we could use the internet in good and proper ways. It is so great to utilize the medium to see pictures of my friends' new baby. And to share what just happened on a good tv show. And to think of something randomly sarcastic and tweet it. Let's use the internet for cool things like that!

And if you wouldn't want your grandma to see it, then don't post it. Just tell me in person instead.

Extroverts vs. Introverts

Due to a recent holiday where a certain religious figure died and rose from the dead in a matter of days, I had an extended vacation from work. This same holiday and its circumstances also meant that I had a lot of friends (read: most of the people I hang out with on a weekend) leave town, while I did not.

This meant that I spent an inordinate amount of time by myself this weekend. Don't expect this post to suddenly turn into something where I discovered the virtue of solitude. The exact opposite happened - it sucked.

I realized (quite glaringly) that I am, in fact, an extrovert. This might seem very obvious if you know me, but I question that it only seems obvious because the term "extrovert" has now been misinterpreted by society to mean "loud", "outgoing", or "talkative". And while I am all three of those things, I am also an extrovert by (I assert) mutually exclusive means.

I say that knowing this: I happen to work with a lot of introverts. This can drive me nuts sometimes. I have also then been able to see a full spectrum of introverts. Some are still external processors. Others are louder than I am. Some are amazing public speakers. They're not all quiet, shy introspective people - who knew?

At the same time, people are surprised to learn that I like to read. "Even though you're extroverted?", they say. Yes, just because I gain energy from others does not mean that I can't enjoy a good legal thriller every now and then.

I am rambling (this is due more to me being a J on the Myers-Briggs scale than my extroversion, I guess). My point is that typology theories (and especially extrovert vs introvert debates) need not be so dualistic. They should instead acknowledge and accept a wide range of characteristics that could fall under such an umbrella.

Meanwhile, I am going to get out of my office and find someone to talk to. All this time with just me and my computer has been draining.