You know you are getting old… when you get a ‘full’ helmet for a present. Now, I have to say that I never dreamt of a helmet, hinted that I wanted a helmet… and in truth… I have been praying for the day when they repeal the stupid helmet law. I mean, do they really think that a helmet is adequate protection from a Mack Truck or a drunk in a Volvo?
I guess if they see my head rolling by in some collision, they’ll say, ” I’m glad he was wearing a helmet!” huh?
In any event, I tried on my new helmet… and… well… as far as helmets go… I like it. Thank you Laura… it was a big improvement over my 13 year old version that was leaving little black things on my head.
Kristin gave me a lot of ‘Big Dog’ gear… and her best present was flying home.
Karen gave more ‘SC Trojan’ Gear and
Karla wanted to recieve this year ( she was very generous last year)… so it was a great year for ol dad.
I have a nice group.
Enjoy the holidays… reality will be here soon enough.
a Special Merry Christmas Morning to all of you early birds!
I don’t know what it is… but Christmas Morning has always had many special meanings to me over the years… but on each and every one of them… I was always the first up…. hoping to enjoy the spirit of Christmas and make it last as long as possible.
This year, it was especially important to be up early in order to start cooking the ‘turducken’ … containing the meat of three ducks and two chickens… and the turkey this year was very large.
I know that when my girls wake up and glide down the stairs… the smell of turducken and the other scents of Christmas will be apon them… could anything be better?
Merry Christmas!
Roger Freberg
….and a special heartfelt thanks to the men and women serving overseas in our armed services… our hearts and prayers are with you.
G*d be with you always!
Eventually, most of us have an experience that tells us ‘life is short’ and that ‘we’re not dead ,yet’… so, we get off our butts and try to do some of the things that gave us pleasure in other days.
What struck me most was a comment he made to his doctor. He wanted his doctor to tell him to ‘go to Hawaii’ when his time was near. His doctor let him know it was time… but phrased it in a much kinder way…
“He said that right now, I’m in the best shape I’m going to be in, because in the coming months, my health will most likely deteriorate. He wasn’t saying go to Hawaii to die. He was saying, go now while you can enjoy it. Good advice.”
The holiday season can often be a melancholy time for some folks… ‘but you’re not dead, yet’… so enjoy the season …. and all the time you have left.
Seasons Greetings, Leroy
Being married to a Psychologist has made for many interesting experiences… every action I have ever taken has been completely analyzed… but as — I believe Freud said– sometimes a ‘cigar’ is just a cigar…. and a wife showing interest is a compliment after all.
ENTJ’s (masterminds) and INTJ’s (fieldmarshalls) are said to work well on the battlefield… assuming they are both on opposing armies… however, this isn’t intuitively supposed to be the best match-up for a couple. Personally, I needed an intelligent engineering-type woman ( who loves football)…. and Laura’s personality fit me perfectly. Laura and I have always enjoyed seeing how the other ‘thinks’… which I guess explains why we get along. I still seem to amuse her.
On the positive side, here is some things about Entj’s and Intj’s:
Likes looking at information from a global viewpoint, spotting patterns and relationships, that lead to an understanding of the key issues
Focuses more on possibilities for the future than the here-and-now
Enjoys change, challenge, and variety
If you check out the above linked articles , you can learn more about how these two personality types might conflict… none of this has been a surprise to either of us. As for me, I learned long ago to ‘let the wookie win.’
Here are some of the areas in which ENTJ and INTJ personalities may grate on others:
INTJ (Laura’s type) (1% of the population)
being single-minded or stubborn
not taking sufficient account of current realities
not expressing appreciation for the contributions of others, particularly where it hasn’t been fully competent
not delegating
making errors of fact, and appearing to make decisions irrespective of the facts
ENTJ (Roger’s type) (2% of the population)
issuing directives sometimes without explaining the reasons why
dominating the team
not taking account of others’ feelings
driving too hard
deciding too quickly and without sufficient consultation with others
not taking sufficient account of current realities
introducing too much change, and not leaving well-established, workable routines alone.
First, I won’t admit that all of these negative traits are completely accurate about ‘snookums’ and me … but I will just say that they are common characteristics of people who hold the INTJ and ENTJ personality types. I would admit that I have been guilty of some of the negative characteristics…
Besides, it is not always our differences or similarities that — in and of themselves — determine whether we succeed together as a couple or not… it is recognizing our similarities and building on them… and identifying the trouble spots and accommodating, compromising, acquiesing and limiting unnecessary conflict.
If you have a tendency to be a dominant type… just step back until it is really really necessary to say or do something. Sometimes it is better to let another person do it 70% correctly than jump in to close the gap to 100%. Laura has taught me sooo much.
This goes a long way in saying…. that since Laura thinks in the long term on certain emotional issues and some issues are very important to her… it was key to let her choose the house…. and… then we could move in with her…. that has been the secret to my happiness.
In truth, Entj’s and Intj’s are natural buddies… they are referred to as “Pals” in the literature… by this they mean that ” they work and play well together… with few natural conflicts”… looking at many of the other pairings… I am blessed… but then I always knew that.
Hmmmm…. I don’t know if it was watching my daughter Karen shrink before my eyes, or watching my wife Laura lookin’…. good! …. but I was impressed… impressed enough to want to jump on their band wagon and sign a year’s contract with Jenny Craig!
Now, I did find a diet that helped me lose weight from 427 down to 240.. but it was high on the cauliflower and low on… anything that tasted good. Don’t get me wrong… my diet works… but after watching them devour chocolate brownies, frajitas and stuff that I haven’t seen in years… well, it just seemed that it was time to change. This morning, I ate a banana nut muffin, glass of milk, & cottage cheese as part of my 2300 calorie diet…. it was delicious! I don’t have to wait until lunch , as I get a yogurt mid-morning! Jenny has something for you about 6 times a day…
I started yesterday at noon… so this completes my first day on “Jenny Craig”.
My goal weight is 229… which I set just to test my limits. The last time I weighed this was in 1978 and my mother sent me $20 thinking I was a victim of wifely abuse and needed some food money.
Starting a diet for me is a social activity… Laura and Karen have been at it for a month now and , frankly, I wanted to be sure that they would stay on it before I joined them. Too many times I join an activity only to find myself ‘alone’… this is called ‘loneliness.’ However, they have been strong… so the future looks promising.
Now, I know what you guys are all thinking… “Jenny Craig” is for women…. well, not really. Besides, do you think I really want to be in a weight loss program with a bunch of sweaty guys… or hang with gals who are really concerned about their appearance? Hmmm… let me think about that for a moment.
Weigh ins are once a week so I let you know how it goes… so far it has been fun… eating with no dishes to clean ( it all comes in portion controled microwavable packages!).
Kristin gave me a lot of ‘Big Dog’ gear… and her best present was flying home.
Eventually, most of us have an experience that tells us ‘life is short’ and that ‘we’re not dead ,yet’… so, we get off our butts and try to do some of the things that gave us pleasure in other days.
