ENTJ
Ever take a Myers Briggs (MB) test? I did for the first time some 13 years ago, and got the same result as I did just last week: I'm an ENTJ (Extroverted-Intuitive-Thinking-Judgemental), although I score slightly low on the E and T characteristics, bordering on Introverted and Feeling. What I find fascinating is the fact that the MB is consistent over time and amazingly revealing about peoples' personalities. This afternoon, the MB came up in conversation among the Philosophe Five and we discussed how some of our collective traits overlapped, but that for the most part we are all different. I think this is just another example of how effective we are as a team; how we complement each other.
We joked a few weeks ago that we should try and convince a future employer that we all need to be hired as a group, that none of us fly solo. Spousal accomodation is common in academia, so why not hire think tanks the same way? Alas, there are not too many think tanks in the plant sciences. In fact, I suppose one of the few is located here: the autonomous, but Cornell-affiliated, Boyce Thompson Institute. BTI is not so much a think tank, per se, but close enough for this example. Regardless, I do not see any of us, besides JM (who used to work there) finding a slot at BTI. If I played the lottery, and struck it big (say, at least 300 million dollars), I would establish a center for plant research that would allow each of us to work in our own research areas, yet collaborate when appropriate. I would like it to be affiliated with, but not tethered to, a university. That way, we get the benefits of a collegial environment and its resources, but would be perhaps immune from some of the Ivory Tower headaches. And, of course, Friday afternoons would be reserved for discussion time.
I suppose I should start playing the lottery. Or, find a very wealthy benefactor. I wonder if Bill Gates likes plants?
I often get chastized because I only talk about trees, and temperate ones at that. So, as I sit here in Stella's this cold/drizzly night, I figure I should spice things up a bit. One of the downsides of living in the northeastern part of the US is that one cannot grow a darned thing from the Southern Hemisphere. However, temperate maritime climates (Cf for those who know the Köppen scheme), such as the British Isles and the Pacific Northwest, are great places to grow faniciful things from 'down south.' One species that I became smittin with while living in the UK is Crinodendron hookerianum, an evergreen shrub from Chile. This species produces luscious red flowers, remininscent of lanterns, that dangle amidst glossy, dark green leaves. Who knows, with global climate change, maybe temperature and precipitation patterns will shift sufficiently that one will be able to grow such a beauty in upstate New York someday? As tempting as that may be, I hope it does not happen.
Ever take a Myers Briggs (MB) test? I did for the first time some 13 years ago, and got the same result as I did just last week: I'm an ENTJ (Extroverted-Intuitive-Thinking-Judgemental), although I score slightly low on the E and T characteristics, bordering on Introverted and Feeling. What I find fascinating is the fact that the MB is consistent over time and amazingly revealing about peoples' personalities. This afternoon, the MB came up in conversation among the Philosophe Five and we discussed how some of our collective traits overlapped, but that for the most part we are all different. I think this is just another example of how effective we are as a team; how we complement each other.
We joked a few weeks ago that we should try and convince a future employer that we all need to be hired as a group, that none of us fly solo. Spousal accomodation is common in academia, so why not hire think tanks the same way? Alas, there are not too many think tanks in the plant sciences. In fact, I suppose one of the few is located here: the autonomous, but Cornell-affiliated, Boyce Thompson Institute. BTI is not so much a think tank, per se, but close enough for this example. Regardless, I do not see any of us, besides JM (who used to work there) finding a slot at BTI. If I played the lottery, and struck it big (say, at least 300 million dollars), I would establish a center for plant research that would allow each of us to work in our own research areas, yet collaborate when appropriate. I would like it to be affiliated with, but not tethered to, a university. That way, we get the benefits of a collegial environment and its resources, but would be perhaps immune from some of the Ivory Tower headaches. And, of course, Friday afternoons would be reserved for discussion time.
I suppose I should start playing the lottery. Or, find a very wealthy benefactor. I wonder if Bill Gates likes plants?
I often get chastized because I only talk about trees, and temperate ones at that. So, as I sit here in Stella's this cold/drizzly night, I figure I should spice things up a bit. One of the downsides of living in the northeastern part of the US is that one cannot grow a darned thing from the Southern Hemisphere. However, temperate maritime climates (Cf for those who know the Köppen scheme), such as the British Isles and the Pacific Northwest, are great places to grow faniciful things from 'down south.' One species that I became smittin with while living in the UK is Crinodendron hookerianum, an evergreen shrub from Chile. This species produces luscious red flowers, remininscent of lanterns, that dangle amidst glossy, dark green leaves. Who knows, with global climate change, maybe temperature and precipitation patterns will shift sufficiently that one will be able to grow such a beauty in upstate New York someday? As tempting as that may be, I hope it does not happen.
posted by guy among the trees at 9:00 PM
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