Knitting. Yarn. Fiber artistry. More knitting. Nursing school. Hospice work. Death and the dying process. Phoenix Raven's. Knitting. Yarn. Oh, and Life As An Air Force Wife.
Published on December 26, 2007 By dharmagrl In Blogging

[YES ] Are you a good problem solver?
Yes.  I don't like to leave problems undone and will persevere until I find a solution for it; often using multiple resources and lots of time to do so.


[yes ] Can you concentrate for long periods of time?
Yeah!  Apparently, once I get stuck into something, I block out everything else and can stay that way for a long, long time.  One day I was home alone and got stuck into studying for finals and before I knew where I was it was 2pm and I had 4 missed calls on my caller ID.  I didn't even hear the phone ring.


[yes ] Are you a perfectionist?                    
Oh yeah!  I've ripped out days worth of knitting because there was a teeny tiny defect that you'd have to have a magnifying glass to see.  I just can't handle knowing that I screwed up and that the evidence of that is there for everyone to see.


[yes ] Do you persevere with your interests?
Yes.  When I get 'into' something I want to know everything I can about it.  I can't handle only knowing a little bit about it.


[yes ] Are you an avid reader?
Yes.  I have books on the go everywhere, even in the bathroom.  I'm always reading.  Right now I'm reading 'Stiff' and 'Spook', and I just got done reading 'Roots' and 'Special Effects of Calamity Physics'.


[yes ] Do you have a vivid imagination?
Yes, ever since I was a child.  When I was younger, I used to make 'books' at school; I'd write the story and illustrate it and would make copies for the class.  Now that I'm older I don't write as much, but I still have the ability to come up with a good story.


[yes ] Do you enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles?
Yes.  Jake and I always have a puzzle on the go.  We bought one of those inflatable puzzle rolls so that we can store it safely.


[eh ] Often connect seemingly unrelated ideas?
Sometimes.  Again, as I've aged my ability to do that has faded.


[yes ] Do you enjoy paradoxes?
I'm fascinated by them.  Ask my husband how many times I've tried to talk to him about stuff like that.  He says it boggles his mind and that I should find a more fun way to find my time.


[yes ] Do you set high standards for yourself?
Yes.  As I said, I'll rip out entire pieces of knitting to correct a miniscule mistake, and I can't handle scoring less than 96% on tests - I'm even unhappy with 98%'s.  If I score low on something, I go and re-study the subject and self-test until I get a perfect score.


[yes ] Do you have a good long-term memory?
Yes.  I can remember things from when I was 2 and 3 years old.


[yes ] Are you deeply compassionate?
Yes. It's obvious, I think.


[yes ] Do you have persistent curiosity?
Yes.  I love to know how things work, what makes them tick, why things are the way they are and how they got to be that way. 

[yes ] Do you have a good sense of humor?
Yes.


[yes ] Are you a keen observer?
Yes. I like to look over people's shoulders when they work so I can see how they do what they do.  If there's a demonstration going on, I'm there - whether it's about a new chopping device or delivering a baby without medication. 


[no ] Do you love mathematics?
Not really.  I mean, I don't do math problems for fun - I use it when I have to, but I don't do it for recreation.


[yes ] Do you need periods of contemplation?
Yes.  I find that having time to myself to just reflect on things and think about life in general makes me a much happier camper.


[yes ] Do you search for meaning in your life?
All.  The.  Time.  I'm constantly going off on spiritual 'quests' to see if they hold the answers I'm looking for.  So far, I'm shit out of luck.  I do, however, believe that the things that happen to us aren't random and that we're supposed to learn from everyone we meet and every situation we're put in.


[yes ] Are you aware of things that others are not?
Yes.  I can sense emotions and feelings in other people.


[yes ] Are you fascinated by words?
Yes.  I like to break words down and discover their root meanings; which language they originated from.


[yes ] Are you highly sensitive?
Yes.


[yes ] Do you have strong moral convictions?
Yes.


[yes ] Do you often feel out-of-sync with others?
Yes.  I often feel like nobody 'gets' me or understand where I'm coming from.


[yes ] Are you perceptive or insightful?
Yes.


[yes ] Do you often question rules or authority?
Yes.


[no ] Do you have organized collections?
Hell no!  My sock yarn collection consists of a laundry basket with balls stuffed willy-nilly in it!


[Yes ] Do you thrive on challenge?
I LOVE a challenge!  I've done some of my best work when I've been challenged. 


[eh ] Do you have extraordinary abilities and deficits?
I think that you'd have to define 'extraordinary'.  I can knit really, really well, and I have artistic abilities, but are they extrordinary?  Maybe.  I can't really say.

[yes ] Do you learn new things rapidly?
Yes. I pick up new concepts and ideas/things really quickly. I always have done.


[Yes ] Feel overwhelmed by many interests/abilities?
Yes.  I've got my fingers in a lot of pies - my 'room' in my house is a testament to that.  I have paints, pencils, canvas and sketchbooks, some roving and a spinning dolly, fabric, a sewing machine, tapestry, crosstitch and knitting projects in various stages of completion, beads and beading looms, jewelry making stuff, soap and candle making supplies, books about homesteading and container gardening lining the walls alongside containers that I've saved because I thought they'd be good for peppers or tomatoes, plastic bottles that can be cut down to water said peppers and tomatoes, seedling trays and seeds, gardening equipment and gadgets, yoga mats, blocks, straps and weights, Budokan equpment and DVD's, pedometers, biking stuff and Camelbaks for hiking....and that's just what I saw when I opened the door just now.  There's more stuff underneath all of that....


[no ] Do you have a great deal of energy?
Recently, no.  However, I think that a lot of that was to do with the medications I was taking.  Now that I'm pn new meds, my energy is starting to come back, and yeah, I have a lot more.


[yes ] Often take a stand against injustice?
All the time.  If I see something that I percieve to be 'wrong', I speak up and I don't shut up until someone notices and takes action.


[yes ] Do you feel driven by your creativity?
Yes.  Nothing gets me going more than the thought of creating something new, and I'm always motivated to knit.  Always.


[yes ] Love ideas and ardent discussion?
Oh yeah.  My husband gets upset with me because I'm constantly goading him into debating things with me.  He says we can't ever have a normal talk about what's for dinner or what we did during the day; I always want to turn things into a debate or talk about 'deep' things.


[yes ] Did you have developmentally advanced childhood?
Yes.  I learned to read when I was 3 1/2 and was admitted to first grade when I was 4 1/2 (most British kids are 5 years and some months when they start school).


[eh ] Have unusual ideas or perceptions?
Somewhat, but not remarkably so.


[eh ] Are you a complex person?
If you ask my husband, he'd say yes.  If you ask some of my friends, they'd say yes.  However, other people would say 'no', so.....

 

 

Ok, I have 5 no/eh's out of 36 questions.  That works out to be more than 75% 'yes' answers.  So, according to this, I'm gifted.

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, let's be serious for a minute:  I know that I'm smarter than some people, but gifted?  I don't know about that.  I think that the problem with this survey is that it requires people to answer questions about THEMSELVES.  Most people (whether they like it or not) view themselves in a more positive light than others do, and I think that's going to cause some folks to think that they're gifted when in reality they're simply self-serving and slightly egotistical.  I think that having someone close to you answer the questions would give a result that's closer to the truth.

But in the meantime, I'm going to bask in the light of glorious gifted-ness!!!!!!!!!

 


Comments
on Dec 26, 2007
I think that the problem with this survey is that it requires people to answer questions about THEMSELVES. Most people (whether they like it or not) view themselves in a more positive light than others do, and I think that's going to cause some folks to think that they're gifted when in reality they're simply self-serving and slightly egotistical. I think that having someone close to you answer the questions would give a result that's closer to the truth.




I agree. I think there's kind of a whole "spectrum" the answers can fall into too. Like the "avid reader" one. What really qualifies there? A book a week? two? ten? And ..."Can you concentrate for long periods of time?" Okay. Define a "long period of time?" A week? A month? A decade? Personally, I define it as "as long as it take to reach your desired objective." Anyway, I think your answers are as valid as any so...consider yourself gifted!!!
  
on Dec 26, 2007
I'm going to bask in the light of glorious gifted-ness


You bask away. I've always thought you were a particularly gifted, and compassionate person, Dharma.

As for answering the questions myself, well, I'm inclined to agree with you and Roy. My answers are always going to be subjective but I don't think I'm particularly gifted anyway. My motto, as I've gotten older, has been 'keep things simple', not because I'm dense, but because life is not about fussing and flapping about but more about reflectiveness, observing, questioning and always seeking to learn. I've found if I worry or concern myself too much with unnecessary details, it has a way of turning my attention away from the things I like to think about and do.
on Dec 26, 2007

Gifted doesn't mean smart.

But it wouldn't surprise me to find that JUsers are more gifted than the general population.

on Dec 27, 2007

Anyway, I think your answers are as valid as any so...consider yourself gifted!!!

Haha!  Thank you!  I think I'm going to print this out, frame it and start a 'I Love Me' wall.  Nah, I'm not that vain.  And, I seriously doubt that I'm gifted.  I just know enough random, mostly useless information to give people the impression that I'm somewhat intelligent.  In reality, I'm as dumb as a box of rocks.

Like the "avid reader" one. What really qualifies there? A book a week? two? ten?

Yeah, that's what I want to know!  I always have three or four books on the go at once, and I usually finish one in a couple of days - a week if it's a really long one or I'm particularly busy with other stuff that week.  I buy new books at least once a month and have so many now that I don't have room on the bookshelves for them.  I need to buy another couple of book cases so I can get all my books out of the boxes in the garage!

 

on Dec 27, 2007

You bask away. I've always thought you were a particularly gifted, and compassionate person, Dharma

Thank you, but I just don't see it.  Now, if we're talking about the stuff I do for hospice, then I might be more inclined to agree with you.  I don't usually brag about stuff, but I'm good at helping people die and I know that it's not something everybody can do - so I guess that you could sort of call it a gift.  Intelligence-wise, though, I don't think I'm gifted at all. 

My answers are always going to be subjective but I don't think I'm particularly gifted anyway.

Oh, I think you are.  Look at what you can do musically - not everyone can do that, Maso.  You are very, very talented.

Gifted doesn't mean smart.

So, what are you trying to say?   That I'm smart, or gifted?! Hahah!

But it wouldn't surprise me to find that JUsers are more gifted than the general population.

I am constantly amazed at the intelligence of the people who blog here.  There are some very smart, talented, and yes, gifted bloggers here at JU, some of them frighteningly so (thinking of the Emperor of Ice Cream).  It seems that intelligence attracts intelligence, doesn't it?  People who are less than average in the smarts department never seem to last very long here.

on Dec 27, 2007
People who are less than average in the smarts department never seem to last very long here.


Good point.

Honestly, I think that's it. JU's kinda like a Mensa MySpace...lol!

OK, so maybe I'm exaggerating a LITTLE, but one of the reasons we butt heads so much on here is because most of us have spent a lot of time researching our primary subject matter.
on Dec 27, 2007

Honestly, I think that's it. JU's kinda like a Mensa MySpace...lol!

It IS.  I can't think of any of the regulars here who aren't of above average intelligence - most of them are waaay above average!

OK, so maybe I'm exaggerating a LITTLE, but one of the reasons we butt heads so much on here is because most of us have spent a lot of time researching our primary subject matter.

And I think that you've hit on the reason people who aren't intelligent don't last long here.  Their arguments and propositions get shot down in flames in pretty short order, and they don't like that - so they leave.  I can't say that I blame them, I wouldn't want to stay somewhere were folks who were smarter than me constantly reminded me of just how dumb I was.  I don't think that we do it our of a sense of meaness or spite, we just know our stuff and don't tolerate strawman or poorly researched arguments well.

Joe User: Blogs from the ABOVE average Joe!

on Dec 27, 2007
Intelligence-wise, though, I don't think I'm gifted at all.


Of course you don't. But I think others here would disagree, though.

I think that you've hit on the reason people who aren't intelligent don't last long here.


Another reason might be the dumb ones are smart enough not to argue. I certainly feel intimidated by the level of intelligence (or good research, whatever the case may be) of some of the folk here. Still, it IS a smart community, in my opinion and those who aren't or don't know when to shut up stick out like sore thumbs.
on Dec 30, 2007
You say gifted, I say well-endowed... semantics.
on Dec 30, 2007
You say gifted, I say well-endowed... semantics.