P.S. A Column On Things

Start of Feb. 26 Column. More or Less Continuous News Service since 1998

More About Me/ Meyers-Briggs ESFJ

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After my recent item Apropos Of The Lunar New Year, I am so far up my own ass I decided to spelunk a little farther down. I was well pleased with this list of ESFJ traits, including people-focused and social. I think it’s more accurate than astronomy or the Lunar Calendar, much as I love the traits of Year of the Dragon.

I have been suspicious of the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator ever since it factored into Jim Mitchell’s decision not to hire me for the San Jose Mercury in the early 80s. (What a disaster that would have been, as would a job at the San Francisco Examiner I was also after). However…

At Windows Magazine once, management had the staff take the test. I was shocked to find most journalists are introverts, but then I am shocked that most people aren’t extroverts (studies vary from 50/50 to 1/3 introverts). The best MBTI for journalists is INFJ, which means I’m about half off.

According to most web sites that list ESFJ jobs, I am best suited for several jobs I have done: teacher, office manager, PR manager and technical writer (most of my career). The only intriguing (to me) job on the list I have never done is to be a nurse.

Meme O’ The Week: Human Ranking

In case you can't read the credit, Joel Pett, Chicago Tribune Content, Feb. 20

Right Column Redux: Schindler Jingle/Dream of a Lifetime

The column to the right on this blog contains permanent content, most of which has appeared at one time or another in the main body. I’ve decided to include a reminder.

Schindler Jingle/Dream of a Lifetime

For 60 years, I dreamed of having my name sung, musical-ID style. I never worked as a DJ at a station rich enough to afford a jingle, but during Covid I paid PAM for “Paul Schindler, never been on the radio,” to the tune of the old KGW jingle (sung by the Johnny Mann singers): “Firstname, Lastname, 62 KGW.” And of course, I still know how to say KGW out loud; just think “My Pay Check.” I never said it on the radio; just sometimes at sign-on of the sister TV station.

If you've ever heard the answering  message on my cellphone, you've already heard the jingle.

Review: Upgraded ****

The Amazon movie Upgraded is a cross between The Devil Wears Prada, and any rom-com where the kiss comes near the beginning rather than the last scene. I found it hysterical―the villains were so cartoonishly villainous.  It left Vicki cold, however. Some of the plot twists were a bit much, but as Vicki noted, “It’s not a documentary.” Was that really a swan?

This and That

More Music
Actually the same old music in a new place. Paul Sings Paul is now a Youtube playlist. You get all the tracks in order for nothing (as long as you have Internet). It was never about the money; just sharing the music.

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But Once Quote
“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
― Stephen Grelle, a Quaker missionary
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Cool Magnetism Demo
From Linked In: Magnetism Demonstration using an AA battery.
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Johnny Cash/Why Folsom?
You probably already asked yourself the question in Arlo and Janis. Tip of the PSCAOT hat to Daniel Dern.
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Does Anyone Still Say This?
In the 1960s, playground wit included, “Great Play, Shakespeare,” “Smooth Move, Ex-Lax,” “No Shit, Sherlock,” and “No Shit, Little Beaver.” (Was that an Oregon thing, in the Beaver State?) “Close, but no cigar.”  “Rectal-cranial inversion.”

Invariants: Who Knew There Was A Word For It

Every day I do Elevate, a “brain exercise” program. Every few days, it reminds me how badly autocorrect has affected my ability to spell. Today, the word aircraft was offered, with the question of how to spell the plural. Well, duh, aircraft.

So I looked for a list of such words, and found the longest list of invariants here.

I know there are present and former editors and copyreaders among my readership, and it would not surprise me if you had occasionally pondered the question of invariants. But I would be willing to wager that none of you knew there was a word for it.

End of Feb. 26 Column (No. 918)

Start of Feb. 19 Column. More or Less Continuous News Service since 1998

My Granddaughter: Infatuated

At this moment she is infatuated with Ajji and Abba (grandparents) She says Abba, Abba, Abba, or Ay-ah, Ay-ah, Ay-ah (her best effort at Ajji ) even though her mom shows her pictures of us. She insists she will either not eat breakfast or not get dressed until she sees us in a video call. It is fun and funny, for us anyway. We appreciate the obsession, since we know you’ll outgrow it.

She also just learned to say poop, because she was being asked about her diarrhea.