two lunches, two personality tests

Yesterday, I had lunch with a favorite high school teacher of mine. Over hot drinks, we discussed the day's current events, I proclaimed my communist-feminist-anarchist tendencies (which she points out is a contradiction in terms, but that just depends on how you define the terms).

And today I had lunch with my very own mother. It was wonderful. We made plans to have lunch together every Friday, partly so she'd stop calling me in the interim (a boundary I'd been meaning to set for months, but never had the guts). Also smoked my last cigarette today, which means that now I'm quitting.

In other news of positive self-discovery, I took a couple personality tests today. According to Myers-Briggs, I'm an INTP:

"INTPs value knowledge above all else. Their minds are constantly working to generate new theories, or to prove or disprove existing theories. They approach problems and theories with enthusiasm and skepticism, ignoring existing rules and opinions and defining their own approach to the resolution. They seek patterns and logical explanations for anything that interests them. They're usually extremely bright, and able to be objectively critical in their analysis. They love new ideas, and become very excited over abstractions and theories. They love to discuss these concepts with others. They may seem "dreamy" and distant to others, because they spend a lot of time inside their minds musing over theories. They hate to work on routine things - they would much prefer to build complex theoretical solutions, and leave the implementation of the system to others. They are intensely interested in theory, and will put forth tremendous amounts of time and energy into finding a solution to a problem with has piqued their interest."

I'm also a type 4 on the Enneagram:

"Fours are emotionally complex and highly sensitive. They long to be understood and appreciated for their authentic selves, but easily feel misunderstood and unappreciated. They have a tendency to withdraw in the face of a world that seems harsh or crude, and are often somewhat moody or temperamental. They are emotionally centered and spend much of their lives immersed in their internal mental landscapes, where they feel free to cultivate and analyse their feelings. A desire to manifest this internal world often leads Fours to an interest in the arts, and some do become actual artists. Whether artistic or not, however, most Fours are aesthetically sensitive and concerned with self-expression and self-revelation, whether it be in the clothes they wear or in the overall nature of their often idiosyncratic lifestyles."

There's aspects of both that aren't completely spot on, but there's many things that click into place, and fit exactly what I feel on a day to day basis. It's interesting how M-B captures my intellectual side, and the Enneagram perceives my emotional side. M-B makes it sound like I'm cold and aloof through and through, while the Enneagram captures the emotions roiling through me when I know I'm alone. Still, M-B has me pinholed as a sci-fi nerd, and Enneagram thinks I'm a suffering artist. Both have pretty great celebrities though--plenty of famous scientists with M-B, and all sorts of excellent artists with the Enneagram.

And then there's the actual me, who can barely get out of bed some mornings. If people with temperament similar to mine can reach such great heights...what's stopping me?