Reluctant Extroverts

As a business major in college, I took a slew of personality tests. It was for my Management class - we were always trying to figure out what type of worker we were and how to work on teams with different people and such. Besides the fact that me and one other girl were outliers from the rest of the class on every single test (should have told me something about going into business, duh), not much I learned was entirely surprising. I remember being an ENTJ on the Myers Briggs - and the capital E is for Extrovert. None of my friends would question that I'm an extrovert. I'm pretty much the group clown in my circle of sorority friends and always one of the louder people at a gathering. Or maybe that's the wine.

What's strange though, is how hard it is for me to get over the hump and leave the house to actually DO something or see people. Also, meeting new people is super not fun for me, although I force myself through it. I remember practically having a panic attack at a business mixer when I was in sales. I guess anyone could argue that business mixers really suck but a lot of times I don't even want to do fun things like go out to dinner. That 311 song "Don't Stay Home" always comes to mind...

Life could slip away in absent minded numbness
I'm only sayin this 'cuz I wish for the best
when you always stay in self-incarceration
I think it's such a shame

Don't stay home this time, no don't stay home, oh
if he don't have to he don't want to
don't stay home this time no don't say no

Profound, I know.

That song plays in the back of my head a lot, even though it's been YEARS since I've rocked out to 311.  Don't lie, you know you listened to them too. I even adapted the lyrics for "All Mixed Up" to a song about sorority rush my sophomore year. The rest of the house wasn't as enthusiastic about my work but not to worry, I made a huge door size poster of it to decorate our room. Ha ha ha. Remember posters? Lord we had a poster for everything those days. My favorite one is kind of unmentionable but my close second favorite was one that said "We Love Oreo Cheesecake" to celebrate our awesome recurring dessert. Wow, I'm really digressing here. Okay.

So anyway, if it were up to the majority of me (as opposed to the teeny part of me that knows it's best to get out and live life), I would never get dressed and subsequently turn into a complete hermit. So of course, Anna exhibits these same tendencies but with the intensity of a VERY STRONG WILLED 2 YEAR OLD. See yesterday's post about how the child will not go to Disneyland. This morning I had a great idea that we would become members of the LA Zoo! She was cool with going to the zoo in theory, but as soon as I was finished getting dressed, she was back to her stack of books and really not wanting to leave the house. I had to bribe her with gummy worms to get her into the car. (Yes I resort to bribing with candy, sue me.)

Of course, once we actually got to the zoo it was all kinds of fun except for the traumatic howler monkeys. But man, getting her out somewhere? Tough. I can understand.

having a great time at the world of birds show

this one is for unemployed lawyer mom - I get the look too