My new Ford Mustang convertible

Here’s the FULL story….

10 years ago I was involved with someone who had FOUR kids from a previous marriage. Certainly needed a bigger car than what I was driving at the time, and so in 1999 decided to buy this 1997 blue dodge Caravan, which has held up very well, and been a good, dependable vehicle over the years.  Even after that relationship ended I kept the van as a good vehicle to carry around stuff in the back, as well as just appreciating driving something a bit higher up, allowing me to see over more cars.

A few months ago, the youngest daughter from that previous relationship was talking about getting a new car, and I helped her do the deal, since it was her first car…  and eventually she ended up with a pretty nice Mustang, and while driving around with her a little to have the car looked at by my mechanic, etc a lot of people commented on the car and it really sunk in to myself, that it was time for ME to get something kinda flashy and fun myself!  — But I am generally VERY frugal, and spending $10-15k on a car when i already have something that works great didn’t seem like the best use of that money.

After another month or two, I finally decided some new “toy” seems like it might be a lot of fun!  And on Dec 31, 2009 went out to buy my own Ford Mustang…. Actually I had spent the week or two before doing some good research… asking friends what they thought might be a fun/sexy car.  I even looked in to a 1987 Ferrari !  (trying to stick around the $10-15k price range).  I was all ready to buy a pretty nice red 2006 Mustang (also with racing stripes) only 36,000 miles and selling for $13000, but after one final check on craigslist, I ran across a very sweet deal — 2005 Mustang CONVERTIBLE… with the special “Pony Package” which includes fancy upgrades like the Shaker 500 sound system, leather seats and steering, tinted windows, and more.  The car DID have 66,000 miles, which sure is a big jump for just that one additional year, but also, it was only selling for $9,800!  — and according to me, that $3200 “savings” with the additional “coolness” factor of a convertible, just threw it over the top.  Of course, I still did have my mechanic look at it first!

I’ve been taking my car(s) to Brad Updegraff who runs the Great Hills Shell station at 10940 Research Blvd for about 10 years now, and would never think about buying a car without his thumbs-up!  After a quick “buyers check” he gave me the run down…. it did have a few issues, as should be expected, but mostly just various fluids that needed flushing, and nothing at all very serious.  So that was that… Headed out to the bank that same afternoon, picked up the cash, and finished the deal…. I was even able to talk the sellers down to $9500 to help cover a few hundred dollars that it would cost to do some of the fluid flushing.

SO, about the car! — red/maroon 2005 Ford Mustang convertible; 4.0L V6 SFI SOHC engine; leather seats and steering, Shaker 500 sound system, tinted windows; powered windows and seats.  Here is a link to the CarFax info.

I’m already having some good fun taking some friends out for a spin with the top down.. Best Christmas / New Year present I’ve bought for myself in a long time =)~

David

– David

After taking several online versions:
http://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test.php
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/the-quick-amp-painless-enneagram-test
http://ancientpathspersonalgrowth.org/test/test.html
http://www.enneagram.net/tests/sampler/samplerlogin.aspx

I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I’m most likely a Type 5, but also very likely a Type 1 or possibly a Type 3!

Even after 2 days of intense reading and comparing Type descriptions (which Type would do that?) I am still not quite sure.

Some things I have read suggest that you really have to look beyond the “actions” of each Type and focus on the “motivation”.  One site (EnneagramInstitute) has some really good Type descriptions, and even several pages on how to identify Mistypes!

After reading up on how Type 1’s are commonly mistyped as 5’s… I found one main difference seems to be that 1’s are more likely extroverted while 5’s are more likely introverted, so I found an online test to “confirm” that too. My results?

Very Introverted

You prefer your own company or that of your partner’s. You don’t have many friends, but the ones you do are the kind that are loyal. You’re always misunderstood as being grumpy, but often it’s that you simply don’t care to talk. If people constantly question your mood, it can actually make you grumpy and you wish they’d stop asking if you’re okay. Ideally, you’d prefer to be in a vocation where you can work alone. A quiet night with a book, movie or computer is preferable to going out and battling with a crowd of people lined up at the popular nightspot in town. You’re a deep thinker and thrive on analysing life, current events and your own original views. You’re mature for your age. If financially viable, you’d rather live alone (or with significant other) and don’t like many visitors. Compared to an extrovert, you’re cooler and probably less neurotic. You can be trusted with a secret. Change is probably something that you don’t embrace a lot, as you prefer familiar and routine. You won’t have nearly as many jobs as an extrovert. They get bored easily. I like you.

Compared to other takers

• 81/100 You scored 76% on Introvertpints, higher than 81% of your peers.

… and although I can certainly accept I am most likely introverted, there are parts of my personality (and time periods in my life) which really point to an extrovert (running Actual Reality BBS, going to raves, I DO like working with a small group of people to help keep motivated and on task, share ideas, etc… I’ve really enjoy teaching for 12 years now, etc).

Along with that, “While Ones certainly do think, they are primarily people of action, and are only interested in ideas that lead to some practical result. Fives, however, are truly a mental type: they can ponder any proposition or idea and do not particularly care about its practical ramifications.”  .. and most often I find myself trying to think about how to get a result or deciding which action to take. “Ones are keenly interested in applying their principles to daily life.”

Here it becomes a little unclear to me: “Ones judge situations from idealistic standards based on what they think should be the case. Fives are constantly investigating and questioning assumptions, not to mention standards and principles.” — I usually do have a strong gut-feeling about how I think something SHOULD be, but at the same time I am constantly trying to research all sides, and question everything just to be sure I’ve got the correct answer.

Another point: “Ones are deductive, operating from principles to specific applications; Fives are inductive, operating from given data to form more sweeping theories.” — For this I actually spent about 30 minutes to research the difference between deductive and inductive and feel that I use BOTH methods to come to my conclusions. I suppose if I have experience with something I’ll use data from that, but if not I’ll probably have general principles to work from.  In either case, when I’m coming to my own conclusion I generally like to gather as much data from all sides as I can — so, inconclusive?

Another: “Both are philosophical, and love knowledge: Ones as a means of perfecting the world, Fives as a way of discovering more about the world.” — I’m not sure I ALWAYS try to perfect the entire world, but it could often be that I see a flaw in something and am trying to fix that, or make others aware of better alternatives. (or is that a Type 3?)  I suppose at some level, I am less interested in making things “perfect” and more interested in just discovering the “right” answer… either for myself (Type 5?), or more likely to apply in some way (Type 1?).

And finally: “Ones tend to be teachers and moralists, not inventors and iconoclasts like Fives.” — 13 years ago I never thought I’d be a teacher, and in fact, even as I started in the profession I was EXTREMELY anxious about being up in front of class. However, after doing it for even just a couple months I felt very comfortable with it, and now see myself teaching for (possibly) MANY more years.  I think I fall in to the “moralists” category as well and don’t feel I fit in with iconoclasts.

Anyway, the distinctions between Type 1 and Type 5 still remain aloof for me.

This brings on a later interesting twist with Type 3!  “Average Threes, by contrast, are efficient pragmatists, not idealists. Threes are driven more by their goals than by standards–they care more about getting the job done than about the particulars of how it gets done. Ones tend to be attached to particular methods or procedures (“This is the best way to do this.”) Threes are more adaptable, and will change tactics quickly if they feel they are not getting the desired result.”  — Which perhaps even seems to fit me better.  I am usually all for IMPROVING a way something is done, and again, it’s more about getting to a result (quicker/better).  When doing most tasks I seem to always be thinking of ways to improve it.  I don’t feel I am stuck in a the rigidity of always doing something the “right way” (Type 1) when there is a better/easier/faster way to do the same thing (Type 3).  I certainly don’t mind (or fear) adapting.

Another aspect: “Threes are more able to mask whatever is bothering them. On the surface, they rarely appear emotionally disturbed for long by anything. Ones are far less able to conceal their irritations and disappointments.” — Which I  can certainly see for myself.  I am quick to let things appear to slide off my back.  And with Threes “the impression of aloofness and of emotional coolness comes more from a detachment from their feelings rather than a suppression of them.”– This is tough, as I am not really sure if I am more detached from my feelings or suppressing them.

However, “Threes tend to present whatever emotion seems appropriate at the time. If seriousness is called for, they tend to project seriousness. If levity is required, they will ‘do levity,’ smiling and being chatty, even if inside they are feeling frightened, overwhelmed, or even sad. For better or worse, Threes are more skilled at projecting charm and ‘personality’ than Ones. However, we can discern the underlying detachment from deeper feelings when Threes are ‘performing’ by the abruptness and ease with which they can adjust their affect from situation to situation and from person to person.” — and this really seems to lock in a Three for me, since I do seem to have an ease at adjusting according to situation and/or person(s).

And finally: “Both types have in mind some sort of goal that they want to achieve. The difference is that Ones attempt to discover which objective means will best lead to the desired ideal, whereas Threes are pragmatists who work backward to find the most efficient means to achieve their goal.”  — I am definitely GOAL oriented in my thinking (as opposed to Fives?), but it’s hard to say if I use an “objective means” as opposed to “pragmatic”.  However, if the words “the desired ideal” as opposed to “their goal” really are vitally important to the concept, then I might have to say I care less about some “desired ideal” that others might see, and generally am more concerned with meeting MY goals… if they match up with some global ideal that’s even better, but not required.  That’s not to say I try to massage the data to fit what I want, but rather I try to find the answers for myself and not overly concerned with what might be a more widely desire/accepted answer.

MBTI

I wasn’t overly satisfied about an earlier test showing I was introverted, although I wasn’t stubbornly opposed to it. Today I took two separate  Myers-Briggs personality tests with these results:

ISTJ   and   INTJ

I guess I should just accept that I’m introverted, but with some very extroverted-like exceptions in various aspects of my life.  The second test also came with these “strength indicators”

Introverted     Intuitive       Thinking        Judging
89                50                  88                  67
I took those tests to help get a better feel for my enneagram type.  There are several pages I’ve seen that elude to some correlation, and in fact this page has a good chart to match up types.  On that chart it shows all Type 5s to be Introverts, while all Type 3s are Extroverts, and Type 1s can be ISTJ or ESTJ.  I still feel reluctant to rule out Type 3.

Well, it’s getting late, and I’m sure I’ll be at this more tomorrow.

twittervision:
I have talked about the twittermap.com site before, but actually I think my page on twittervision.com is more cool.  (Yes, both sites are from Dave Troy).  Not only does it show where I am at on the google map, but also shows SEVERAL of my last posts, in case you missed one or two.  Id REALLY like to embed the twittervision map and log to my rock808.com front page some how.  I looked at the API page a little, and found a cool way to update just my location from the Linux command line, but nothing about embeding the map and log…. yet.

facebook:
I have also decided to do more on facebook rather than MySpace.  I think they are providing more interesting things for people to do, and do together, and the fact that facebook has a mobile app for my BlackBerry, as well as a tool for using twittervision has just really boosted my desire to make the switch.  Facebook also seems to have a way for directly accepting my uploaded images.  I’ll have to see if I even need my ITookThisOnMyPhone account any more….. I’m really not happy about having to use all these various external websites for mobile social networking.  I know we are REALLY headed in that direction fast, but I’m technologically impatient.

More on all this later.  I’m pretty worn out from a couple days of long hours, so heading to bed.
Be sure to check out the map to see where I’m at and what I’m doing !

David

Work:
Very stressful Monday morning, trying to get set up for the class I’m suppose to teach in just a couple hours, and not having complete documentation as to how to do some things, and also not having a few needed files! Some of it I could have (should have) avoided by grabbing the files and shooting an email to a couple folks last week, but even last week was busy. Still, not really an excuse. In the end the class got set up, and from that point on everything fell in to place perfectly! Back in my element…. and by just Tuesday, I was feeling happy and alive again. Teaching really does do it for me. :)
Had a cute girl in class this week!   Cute girls and Linux are a rare combination.  Some how those classes always just seem a little more fun.  However, I must also say I’ve never taken it beyond a light flirt, hardly enough to be noticeable, as to not single anyone out or disrupt class.  There has only been one time in 10 years I met up with someone who had been in class, and it was she who contacted me afterward.  We tried to date for a few months, but the distance was an issue.  Anyway, class ended a bit after lunch on Friday (as usual). Made it to the airport, caught my flights back home, and nothing extremely exciting to report.

House:
Nothing really new on the house front. I am getting a daily report of various property on the market, and have looked over a couple, but need to spend more time doing that. Thanks to my mother’s help, my current house has still made a little progress toward being ready to rent out, even with me gone last week. Hopefully I can find extra time to put in to it this weekend.

Wrap-up:
Well, looks like it’s about time for my 2 miles today! I’m looking forward to getting the job route back up to three miles, but that will take a couple more weeks at this point! Whenever I get out of it for a while, and back in, I always feel like such a big fatty…. not because I think I’m fat, but just because some muscles have loosened up and everything seems to jiggle around a lot more… hmmm… at least it won’t be too much longer and THAT will stop.. heh (EDIT: 1st mile in 10 min flat.  2nd mile… oops.. still having to walk a quarter to half of that… hmmm)

Lots of other things I want to do today (shopping for travel items, lunch with family, re-pot some pepper plants, pack up things in house, etc), so I’m off!

I think what I’ll do is try to keep this blog for some of the more general things going on.  And perhaps use my Twitter account () to give up to the minute happenings (if it’s worth reporting – which is relative… AND current-mood sensitive)

So, what’s been going on the last couple days?

RHCX – work
I’ve taken the Red Hat RHCX certification class, and passed the live hands-on test!   One thing I REALLY like about Red Hat certifications, is there is never any multiple guess.  Almost makes the cert meaningless.  In stead, Red Hat asks that candidates sit in front of a live machine, and preform tasks X, Y and Z in a certain amount of time.  If you can do it (without notes) according to the test guidelines, then you pass.  Otherwise,  you don’t pass.  If you do a search on http://redhat.com for things like “RHCE passing rate” you’ll find reference to an ‘Official Pass Rate’ hovering around 45% and others like 12,000 tests taken and 6,000 certs handed out (rounded numbers), which I think is interesting, because many people take it multiple times, which means the pass-rate for First Time Takers is probably a decent amount lower than 50%.

Exercise:
On the fitness front, I’ve started my jogging regiment, yet again.  Fairly proud of myself for doing my 2 mile track the first day back after almost a year.  Although I will admit I only jogged about 1.5 miles of it, with the first mile done in 10 min as usual!  However, I was VERY winded afterward, and legs TOTALLY sore the next day… so much so that I couldn’t jog again for a couple more days. I guess about 4 days later I did the 2 miles again.  This time took 11 min for the first mile, but breathing was amazingly improved, and I felt good enough to go again the next day…. I’ll certainly keep the ‘exercise’ progress on ongoing updates as in the past.

 House:
I’ve finally made the FIRM decision to rent out the house I’ve been living in (originally MEANT as a rent house 4 years ago!)  I’ll be selling off a bunch of old stuff I just don’t use on a regular basis.  Probably more than 50% of the things I own… and some things I have owned for over 20 years.  I just feel this need right now to ‘live lite’… and perhaps the feeling of wiping away the old and starting with a clean slate. I also plan on taking pictures of a bunch of items I’ve just been hanging on to as memorabilia, when I don’t really look at them much.  I think it might be more cool to have a picture (taking less space) which I could have online in an album for other to see and comment on, as well as evening hanging on my full hall of pics.  As I rent this one out I’m thinking of buying my permanent house just outside of Austin… probably on 4-6 acres of land in the hill country.  Hopefully with some running water, but at least sloped/hilly land, tons of trees, and probably a log cabin-ish looking house.  I’m sure you’ll find out just after I do. :)

Guess that’s enough for now.   LOTS to do!

A little troubling too, that no one wrote to make sure I was still alive or not…. and no, it doesn’t matter that my friends and family had OTHER ways they were keeping in touch.

Anyway, I should be “at work” now, so I guess I’ll only mention that I’ve got a new job as a Linux Instructor at Red Hat !! Even though that is VERY cool, I hate mixing business and personal so I’ll probably not mention it again on this blog.

I’ve also decided to (probably) sell my house and buy a few acres just outside of Austin. Some of you might have guessed by various pictures, that I’ve been letting my yard go wild. I really do like the all natural look and feel and to feel tucked away in nature, and not so close to other houses. More on the new plan later… but for now… I’m spending time getting it fixed up… either as a rental property, or just to sell.

The final big, change has been a recent break up with my GF, Debbie… of the last year. I won’t go in to details, but yes, it’s a very sad time, so all the more reason to dive in to work and other large projects like the house to keep myself preoccupied.

I’m sure all of this also means more time on this blog, keeping up with twitter (and map), and catching this blog up on other interesting things I missed over the last year.

David