January 2010


Awesome video!!! Chilly Cheeks 2010 – Blue Eyes, Krumy, Leslie, and Mick

Good news! There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m just an introvert! Sounds stupid but it was a major revelation recently thanks to a conversation with co-worker, Lynn, and her suggestion of a book called the “The Introvert Advantage“. This book should be renamed to “Mick for Dummies” or “The Missing Manual of Mick” or “The World According to Mick”. It should have my picture on the front cover. And it should be required reading for anyone who considers me a friend or works with me. Really. It’s THAT accurate.

It explained to me:

  • why I’m more comfortable in smaller groups and one-on-ones than larger groups
  • why I keep information and my opinions to myself unless they are pried out of me
  • why I get grumpy if I’m around people or activities too long
  • why I like to backpack in the wilderness and can easily go for days without human interaction
  • why I can focus on and completely lose myself in figuring out geeky computer stuff
  • why eye contact is uncomfortable
  • why I like to listen a lot more than I like to talk
  • why, when I take in a lot of information, it takes me a while to process it
  • why I am not good “off the cuff”
  • why I don’t like the spotlight
  • why I always underestimate how much I know on a subject until I have completely mastered it
  • why words elude me in oral communication, but am able to put anything I want into writing
  • why it completely drains me to have to do a presentation
  • why I need alone time to recharge my batteries
  • why I prefer delving deep into a single subject rather than skimming the surface on many subjects

And it explained to me how and why extroverts (3/4 of the population) think and act the way they do and why their qualities are more valued in modern society.

I’ve come to realize several things:

  • That not everyone has a constant running internal dialog (chatter!) with themselves. WHAT??? REALLY??? (I can’t even fathom this.)
  • That I don’t have brain damage. No joke. I seriously thought that my brain was damaged in some way. That maybe my mom dropped me when I was a baby. Really.
  • That I’m just hard wired differently. And it’s not something I need to “overcome”. I just need to know how to use it to my advantage.

Introverts unite!!! Errr…hang on a sec…

Looks like a mission accomplished – http://krumy.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/181/

[snicker]

And the best line I’ve heard in a long time:

“One thing about running with this group – it’s contagious. You find yourself agreeing to things you promised you would never do.”

Finally got some of the trim up. The downstairs bedroom is done and the living room is done. When I get rid of the piano that’s sitting in front of one of the windows in the dining room, I’ll finish that area up too. For now, there’s at least some noticeable progress.

The living room pre-floor and pre-window trim

The living room pre-floor and pre-window trim

Feels a little cozier now.

Feels a little cozier now.

Five of us (maybe 6 – not sure about Nicole) have committed to running the God’s Country Marathon on June 5, 2010 west of Mansfield/Wellsboro area in upstate PA. This will be my third marathon so I know what kind of commitment I’m in for. But I’ve been putting off the inevitable – getting back into the schedule of getting up at 4:30 am most days and going to sleep at 8:30 and eating right and being disciplined and….ugh.

The marathoners - me, Kathy J, Krumy, Nicole, and Michelle-Blue Eyes.  Leslie is missing.

The marathoners - me, Kathy J, Krumy, Nicole, and Michelle-Blue Eyes. Leslie is missing.

But Krumy’s post has spurred me into action. I WILL get back into the swing of things on Monday, January 18th – one week before the actual marathon training begins. No matter how little sleep I get and how crappy I am going to feel during the day because of that lack of sleep, I WILL get up and go in and run and do body pump. It will be a week or so of utter agony, trying to adjust my body to the new schedule. And I would just like to point out that I have off on Monday. So I COULD sleep in, but I won’t.

And while I normally only post out of the ordinary things in life here so I don’t bore people to death, I will be posting regularly about the marathon training. Wish me luck.