Let’s do it now!

I had an interesting and fun conference call with Jason and Cassandra today on the problems with the review functionality in QMX.

I met Mary Charles for lunch today. It was good to catch up. We had interesting, non-stop conversation, starting off with catching up on everyone who used to work at the Career Center at the time we were both there. Rebecca is still in DC, hasn’t remarried, and has connected with some similar situation as the IBM Career Center with another corporation. They have a great assistant doing the job I used to do when I was there, and Jenny is still the project manager.

We talked a lot about the Myers-Briggs, of course, and she drew me two diagrams, which were great. I have reproduced one here, which talks about how the different types react to change. [I’m an ES: Let’s do it (now)!]

The diagram highlights the groups who tend to be in conflict with each other due to the way their types react to change. So, I struggle the most with those folks who want to “think about it differently.” In my own case, I know the frustration is based more in the fact that I want to do it now and they want to take time to think about it differently. That is, it’s the fact that we can’t get it done and checked off now that bugs me, not that we shouldn’t consider it differently. Just consider it differently on your own time. 🙂

She told me about a group session she did once with a team of about 30 people… high powered execs, too, so intense people. She first had them get in the four corners of the room according to their type without telling them why. Then she talked about the four ways the four types react to change, and she asked them each to look at the people that were in the corner diagonal to them, and she asked them, “Do you recognize those people as people you have the most conflict with whenever change occurs?” Their mouths all dropped. 🙂

The other diagram was about the difference in the ways that Js and Ps approach a project. These things are very insightful, and this one, in particular, may have helped us better get through the recent group project in ENG 508.

Speaking of that, we got our grade tonight. On the cover, Dr. Dicks wrote: “This is a superb report, one of the best I have seen. I especially like your coding of errors and analysis of each task by types of errors committed. Good job with the recommendations too, although your criticality numbers seem a bit conservative.” 9.8/10 Yippee!

After lunch, I walked around Cameron Village for 20 minutes to get in one of my three required days of exercise for this week — toward my 10 consecutive weeks out of 12 requirement of the IBM Health Rebate of $150. Now I have Sunday and Monday for two, and Wednesday will make the third, meeting my minimum requirements for the week. I do hope to do more, either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, but if I don’t, I’ve met my commitment for this week.

I’m having some coffee with some Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur in it for the second night in a row. Last night, I got the urge for a little flavored coffee, which I don’t often drink. So, I thought this would work: I put the grounds in the coffee pot. Then I took my vanilla extract, and I let a few drips of it fall on the grounds. And then I turned on the machine. Three minutes later. Nothing. No vanilla taste at all.

I asked Robert on an AIM conversation, “Do you think it would be bad if I just dripped some vanilla extract drops into the coffee after it’s already brewed?” During the course of that conversation, I thought, “Baileys!” Then I remembered I had some of this:

A little dab’ll do ya. A little dab did me. Tastes so nice, I’ve done it twice.