I was surprised to learn that the origin of the internet can be traced back to the 1960’s and the space race.  In a relatively short amount of time, the web has become a daily reliance and continues to evolve.

It is good to have the W3C to provide professional guidance and standards.  Without these standards, developers would have a lot of frustration and content available to the public would be limited.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center web site is one of my favorite websites.  The content is easily understood by people of all levels of native plant knowledge; even by people who do not know what a native plant is.  Information is easy to locate due to the tabs, links, and search window being very easy to visibly locate.  The graphics are very pretty which is what a gardening enthusiast would want from a plant website.

I like that the URL is wildflower.org because it is easy to remember.  It took me a while to remember that the site is actually the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center which is why I’m sure they didn’t use that as the URL.

Purple Coneflower

I was a little surprised by my results but not completely.  After reading through the description, I agree that I do have a lot of characteristics listed in the ISTJ profile.  I was happy to learn that being an “I” didn’t necessarily mean that I’m shy and don’t enjoy socializing.  I can be a little stressed if I don’t have some alone time however.

I can get so caught up in my thoughts that I get lost.  This is especially true if I’m trying to solve a problem.  If I’m driving, I can miss a turn. If I’m at work, I can walk right passed my office.  I might not be the most organized at all times but whenever I am not, it causes me a lot of stress.  If I don’t get something organized, it’s likely to occupy my mind until I do. 

I once worked with someone with a very different personality type from mine.  There was a lot of underlying tension between us and I never really understood why. After taking a workshop together, we learned that I am very fact centered, don’t take things very personally (as long as it’s fair) and can work alone for hours.  She needs a lot of reassurance and interaction. 

After learning about her personality needs, I approached our working relationship very differently.  I made a point to chit chat with her every morning; even if it was for only five minutes.  I made a point to compliment her work whenever I could and especially in staff meetings.  Our relationship changed completely.  Because we learned that our personality types are different, we stopped trying to make each other wrong.  We started to accept each other.  We are friends now and even tease each other about our personality differences!  For me, I learned that a small change in perspective could have a big impact and turn around a once difficult relationship.

One of my favorite web-based services is Pandora Radio.  I have a very eclectic taste in music and I really like the way Pandora makes playlists or “stations” based on a genre of music.  Genres can also be mixed which really caters to my diverse musical preferences.  When I select an artist, group, or song this service matches my choices to other artists and groups with a similar sound.  I then get to pick which matches I like and which ones I do not like.  Eventually, I get a station that plays only the songs/sounds I really like.   It is very easy to find groups and artists I know.  I also learn about artists I have never heard before.  The site also publishes lyrics and videos and has a socializing aspect, too.  There are also options for purchasing songs and albums.

It’s really great that Pandora is free but that is also the downside.  With the free option, you only get 40 hours a month of play time.  Once you hit 40 hours, you are done for the month.  You are also only allowed to skip so many songs in one listening session but once a song is skipped it is usually not played again on your station.  Of course there is an upgrade option for a fee which then eliminates these limits. 

Also, I really wish they had an option for blocking all recorded live cuts.  I might really like an artist but I don’t like listening to songs (unless it’s instrumental) that have been recorded live.

I checked out several other similar sites and the only other one I think that gives Pandora any competition is imeem.  It isn’t as easy to navigate as Pandora and the genre choices seem limited.  imeem doesn’t have any limited playing time which I really like and you can make some really great album and ringtone purchases.  It’s a little difficult setting up a playlist but once I did, I found it a little difficult to get the mix I wanted because it’s based on my limited knowledge.   

imeem also has a socializing aspect and a daily blog that discusses current music related news.  I’m not really interested in either but I thought it was great they offered those options for people who are.

I like that Pandora does the mix for me and that my knowledge of groups and sounds is expanded.  Overall, Pandora gets my top vote. 

I think my presentation was well organized.  I did a good job with the format, the pictures, audio and the video.  I tried to make it interesting yet simple. 

I wish I would have practiced more.  I didn’t get to show all of the video because it was longer than five minutes.

One of Carnegie’s principles that I read, is to make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.  I think I have an experience that exemplifies this concept.

My Dad battled and eventually passed from cancer.  I loved my Dad very much, but we were not very close. We both made mistakes in our relationship.  Soon I realized how lucky I was to know this before he passed because I still had time to do something about it.  Intuitively, I became highly motivated to make sure he knew how important he was to me and how much I loved him.  I called him almost every day.  I made the 8 hours- one-way weekend trips to just spend a day with him.  My dad passed knowing that although we could not make up for lost time, we made the best of our remaining time together.  I’m very grateful for the inspiration that motivated me to take that approach with my Dad.

After my Dad passed, I really reflected on my life and relationships.  I reconnected with a really good friend of 20+ years.  Now I realize I need to take a similar approach with her as I did with my Dad.  I need to take some action to make sure she knows just how important she is to me because I’m not sure she knows.

It’s easy to underestimate the power of a phone call.  A quick phone call to let her know I was thinking about her could make a big difference.  Or calling her to follow-up on the date she had or how things worked out with that problem at work.  I have to make time to see her too, even though the miles make it a challenge, it is time well spent.

Managing household paperwork can be a test of your organizational skills and your sanity!  If you have a stack of paperwork that has taken on a life of its own, the best way to wrangle it back into your control is to just start. 

First, set aside an appropriate amount of time.  The bigger the stack the more time you will need. 

Next, sort your papers into three groups; (1) file, (2) shred, and (3) recycle.  If you are unsure of which group to put a document in, place it in the file group.  You might get a better idea of how to deal with it when forced to file it or after you have gained more information about what household documents to keep by checking out this helpful website http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cfocus/cfrecords06/focus.htm.

I think I do a pretty good job at managing my time while at work.  I have relied on using a daily planner in the past however, now I rely a lot on my Outlook calendar.  I set deadlines and reminders as appointments.  Outlook really helps me a lot.

After reading some things on Mindtools however, I realized that I do not really manage my time outside of work.  I tend to just “wing it”.  I do remember things like paying bills etc., but when it comes to things like tackling my personal paperwork or starting a household project….I don’t seem to be able to apply the same skills.

I really benefitted from the personal introductions last Monday evening.  As I listened to the introductions, I became aware of how much all of us in the class are in a state of transition.  All of us are taking steps that we are counting on to get us to another place.  Those other places vary between all of us.  Some of us want to finish something so that we can start something new; some of us are happy where we are but know we need a little development.  I think we are all hoping that from the experiences we have in class, we arrive at that other place more of who we are; an enhanced version from what we previously thought and knew of ourselves.

There were several personality types evident in the introductions.  Some were energetic and enthusiastic; some brimmed with confidence, while others were more reserved.  The varying personality types could work well together in our class because our differences can work together to reach a wider audience.

I have a fair amount of experience speaking to groups so I typically feel somewhat comfortable giving presentations.  However, one thing I would like to strengthen in my presentation skills would be my confidence.