[ISTP] Female ISTP's... how do you act?

[MikeeRussia]

I'm an ISTP female. I'm not a Tom boy. I hate sports. I have little interest in cars, motorcycles and aeroplanes. I like to be dressed well and look pretty with the smallest amount of effort I can. My skills lie more in the arts, as in literature, painting, drawing and poetry. I'm not greatly interested in animals or nature and I hate cute things. I show interest in topics to do with nature if it seems unusual or new and exciting, but usually only then.

I have a small group of friends and am a leader of sorts in my group. I am generally unapproachable and shy and will only befriend someone who I am able to "click" with but I treat everybody with equal amounts of kindness and aloofness. I believe that I should not have to talk unless I want to. I like to morph and change the opinons and interests of my friends whether it is over time or in a single debate. I try and listen to everybody in the group with equal amounts of attention and care so I am more than a little insulted if I am ignored or forgotten, I expect to be given the same treatment that I give others.

I like to be right and will do everything in my power to be right but will admit defeat when I am wrong. Others often find me too intense or think of my arguing as aggressive, insulting and unnerving, but the fact is I enjoy arguing because it is intellectually stimulating for me and gives me a chance to test my ability in words. It's all playful, to me and I hate it when people make it personal.

I have a pretty crap sense of humour and I don't find most things funny, though many find me funny. Most things aren't funny. Which reminds me, I really hate being surrounded by people laughing and having a good time when I am not part of their fun. It makes me feel left out and it makes me think they're idiots. Whatever, it's a really stupid way to be.

When in an argument I take into account both the emotional and logical points of the argument. I believe that compassion and feelings of a human being in any scenario must be taken into consideration to a certain extent to result in the best outcome. After all, if the nature of mankind is ignored the results can be less than satisfactory in which case the "logical" approach is no longer logical so much as it is impractical.

I like to share my opinions and feelings on just about everything and I do not find it difficult. I prefer to be allowed to write these thoughts and feelings down on paper, however, as I am able to gather my thoughts better in written form than in any other form. When it comes to emotional confrontation concerning someone closer to me I will often ignore my feelings until they become unbearable for me. If it comes to a confrontation with someone who I do not care about, however, I will openly confront, argue and cut down that person with aggression and without backing down.

I like confrontation with people I don't care about because it's thrilling. I do not like confrontation with people I love because it hurts and usually leaves things that I need in a mess.

I don't mind authority. It gives me a chance to relax because decisions are being made for me. I hate making decisions and am a very fickle person and will usually leave decision making till the last minute. In fact I have an Art History assignment I should be doing right now. I like authority because it means I am not completely responsible for things that may or may not go wrong. Unless I care about something I prefer not to have responsibilty over things.

I want to travel. Not because of discovering new things but because I desperately want to find a meaning and purpose behind my life. I feel empty and I feel like a lost cause and I feel pointless. I see little reason in living if it is pointless to me. All I want is to find reason because I am a girl of reason and I need one if I'm going to be happy.

 

[emv]

ISTP Female

Hello,
I just wanted to add my profile up here as an ISTP female.

I want to start out by saying that I only took the personality test once I entered high school. I feel that before this point, I was probably less firmly ISTP. My mom became sick with cancer my freshman year (she is fine now, thankfully) and I feel that being the oldest child, this pushed me much more into the IT characterization as I felt that I had to be 'strong' for my siblings and had to help take care of them while my parents were at the hospital. During this time, I also had a friend that was beginning a mental degeneration / entrance into depression that would continue for my entire high school experience. I could not help her with her problems, and didn't realize the full extent of them at the time. I feel like this may have pushed my more towards the ISTP range as well, because at times I had to tell her that I could not help her and focus on my own life. I would be interested to see how many female ISTPs have similar experiences or where they fall in their family order.

I was probably still ISTP before that though. I had a somewhat 'goth/emo' phase where I mainly adhered to the fashion aspect of the culture in order to protest the general stereotypes of 'smart' students and the political aspects of my school (I was aware that even through I was arguably the smartest student in 8th grade that I would not win the student of the year award with my fashion choices). Regarding fashion, I am very much interested in it. However, through I always try to look good and generally dress up a bit more than is required, I am not afraid to look bad and will wear very interesting things. I still sometimes attempt to go against the grain of the 'preppy' look that people would expect from and Ivy-league student, and typically enjoy somewhat 'hippie' looks, that have a masculin edge (like boots). This, however, is only what I wear when I want to actually get dressed and at other times, I just wear functional clothing. I, too, do not like to go out without my 5-min makeup routine, but do not generally do much more than that. Right now, my hair is mid-length because I cut it at the end of high school because everyone at my school had long hair, but am now growing it out again because everyone here has short hair.
I typically am very introspective. I am not afraid of calling myself out on odd logic or personality faults, and I would say that I know myself rather well. I tend to analyze the behavior of the people around me as well, and can characterize them rather quickly. However, I do not tend to be wrong. I spend a bunch of my time alone, and am introverted and focused on my own work and life. However, most friends probably do not realize this because when I am with friends I do become energized. In that way, I am extroverted, however, I can only hold my extroverted nature for a certain amount of time and have to be in the right mood for it. I had two very close friends in high school, who were friends before my mom got sick and everything and I became more ISTP. I am incredibly loyal to these two friends though, despite the fact that I have never been incredibly emotional with them. Perhaps something to say is that it took me a whole week to tell anyone that my mom had cancer because I felt that I had to compose myself and analyze how I felt about the situation first.
I also was an intense athlete in high school. I rowed for a crew team and was incredibly competitive, although I did not start out that way and it was more of something that I learned. My ISTP nature helped me become the unofficial team captain my senior year (we did not have official captains), because I was unafraid to set myself apart and tell my boat that practice that day sucked and we really have to be more focused. I was also able to pinpoint all the weaknesses in our stroke and point them out to the coxswain during the row, as well as asses everyone of my boat and make the line-up. I was also, obviously, extremely driven in my own athletic ability. However, I do not mean to make it sound that people perceive me as a bitch or as bossy or anything. My team all really liked my leadership because I was able to deliver things in a way that was not accusing or anything. I have at people that I am not close to say that I come across pretentious and not inviting looking.
That's another thing. I am completely fine with criticism like that because I feel that it is can be used as constructive criticism, so that I can improve in the way that I come off to people. I do, however, thrive in environments where I am close to the top, like on my crew team. I don't have problems with people smarter than me, and I enjoy that stimulation that they provide, but I feel most secure and able to focus on my own improvement when I am in a position to lead by example.
I do feel incredibly awkward in emotional situations and either end up trying to psychoanalyze the emotional person and 'treat' them, or nodding a long and not really encouraging them. I do tend to dislike emotional people, as well as dependent or unconfident people. I would say that I am incredibly confident.
The P/J characteristic is one that is a bit closer for me, though I identify with P characteristics. I do not generally like to make decisions, although when I do, I am comfortable with making them quickly, even if they are extremely big ones. For example, I was almost 100% certain that I would be going to college A, which had a student body that I knew that I would be comfortable in, a extracurricular that was guaranteed (I would continue rowing), and an incredibly strong engineering program. I applied early, was deferred and then accepted with the regular applicant pool. I wanted to send in my commitment right away, but I wanted to keep my options open, even though I was sure that I would choose this school. However, a week before admit weekend, I decided that I did not want to study engineering and would do pre-med. Three days before the admit weekend, I though that now that College A wasn't so superior in my major field, College B looked interesting even though socially it would be completely different and I wouldn't be able to row there. I decided to go to College B's admit weekend as well as College A's, and by the end of the week of admit days decided to go to College B. This was in large part because I wanted a new experience.
My emotional range is generally content. I do not generally get very excited, nor do I get very stressed. Instead of stress, I typically fall into quiet amusement about my situation. I also excel in memorization, but only if there is a purpose and there is some pattern to the facts. For example, I can memorize History events, trends, people, and sometimes dates, but I failed all my spelling tests when I was a kid. I've never studied enough to do wrote memorization and memorize things instead by putting facts in context with each other. I am good in the sciences as well, but mostly when the science that I am looking at is tangible and real-world.
Romantically, I do not like the idea of commitment, or the amount of time that it takes to cultivate a relationship. However, now that I am in college, I feel more open to the idea so that I can have more of a stable social setting that I can slip in and out of. I really like stable, defined social groups because I feel more secure of my place within them so that I can leave and re-enter them when I want.
I am also incredibly stubborn in my beliefs, and will sometimes ignore people or dismiss them as wrong if they do not agree. At the same time, I very much put myself in other people shoes not to emphasize, but to analyze the basis for their actions. Because of that, I am incredibly forgiving or people (though perhaps in a condescending way at times) because they did not have the environment or upbringing that fostered good values or maturity and such.
It is interesting that these profiles are all so complete. I have not read other personality types', but I've always felt that I self-analyze more than a lot of people that I know and that I am best in picking out my faults (which you may notice here, so don't hate me I'm just being honest and expressing things the best way I can).

 

[Randomnity]

welcome to the forum, emv. :hi:

btw, I'm an eldest child too (of 4 girls). I think there's some noticeable overlap between istp traits and "eldest child" traits, though by no means complete overlap.

 

[Sunny Ghost]

Every ISTP I can think of is male... and the personality type tends to skew more towards classic male stereotypes. I know I have met female ISTP's, but I wouldn't be able to pick them out in a crowd.

How to female ISTP's behave?

**My best guess would be that they would tend to play down their true character due to the stereotypical male characteristics. If they don't, they would come off to be somewhat tomboyish.

Also, I'd guess you'd find them playing sports and interested in more technical areas like practical science and computers. What do you guys think? Any good female ISTP descriptions, or dead giveaways that have influenced you to believe the girl is an ISTP?

i used to have a hard time picking out T females. but the more the familiar i've become with mbti and with typing people i know, the more i realize there are quite a few T females out there. however, because of the fact they grew up female, they don't always realize it in their own selves. emotions will play out more strangely with thinking women than with emotional woman.

with the ISTP females i know in real life, they don't necessarily lean towards sports and mechanical things like the males. though some do.

with one ISTP female in particular, due to SP, she's quite stylish. and because she grew up female, will attempt to be more empathetic than the male counterpart. when she was younger, she was quite the mean girl, however. but as she got older, she's become much nicer. she loves to knit, which she learned from her mother. also, she's very into doing a lot of other very cool hobbies. she joined a drumming circle class, learned to make granola's with her mom, is into photography, art, music. but unlike the ISFP, she's got a badass-ness to her. she's certainly not as vulnerable. and she's incredibly smart. definitely a Ti user, no doubt.

with another ISTP female i know, there's also a feminine quality to her, but not in the soft feeler sort of way. there's also a badass-ness to her. she certainly can hold her own. with both of these females, there's a lot of confidence in their self. and she's on of the top of her class and many of her teachers favorite in the science department at school. same with the first girl, she has interesting SP hobbies, like knitting and etc.

i think the biggest trait i've noticed amongst ISTP females is undeniable confidence. think angelina jolie. and because they are SP's, they are stylish as well. and due to Ti, they are very smart and succeed in school. the ones i know in real life aren't into computers and mechanical jobs like the males, but have other SP hobbies that can be found amongst any of the other SP's. because they are introverts, they are independent and won't steal the spotlight by being loud and talkative. there's definitely a cool-ness to them. some ISTP females can be mean girls... and i've crossed paths with that type as well, but many are very nice and sincere people, too.

 

[Orangey]

welcome to the forum, emv. :hi:

btw, I'm an eldest child too (of 4 girls). I think there's some noticeable overlap between istp traits and "eldest child" traits, though by no means complete overlap.

Weird, I'm the eldest in my family as well.

 

[ChocolateMoose123]

I'm the middle child of two brothers. As a kid I was always better at sports than my brothers. Better eye hand co-ordination, shooting b.b. guns I could always out shoot my brothers. I once shot a squirrel sitting on a fence 30 feet away right through the ear. (It was a dare and I cried after). I was into gymnastics and cheerleading. I loved the tumbling aspect of both but stopped when high school came around and it became a popularity contest.

I was big into running. I loved running. It was such an escape for me because it was mind over body. You had to push through pain. It was a good feeling to do that and finish your run. Got injured and now am into cycling.

I didn't play any sports in high school. Never had to study. Got good grades. I knew a lot of people in high school but was never a part of any clique. I ate lunch alone but wasn't a weirdo. I could jump into different crowds easily but generally wanted to be left alone. Was and still am tomboyish but can still wear a dress and high heels and own it. Not much on make-up or hair unless I'm going out.

Always been attracted to motorcycles (it was one of my first words as a baby) and mechanics but was very intimidated. Thought I couldn't do it. That it was a "man's job" and so I went into Psychology. I was really good at it but it wasn't challenging for me. I've got 12 credits left? IDK. I'll get back to that later. I'm now at a Tech school for mechanics.

My mother says I was a somewhat rebellious kid. When I broke rules I did it "in your face but sneakily" whatever that meant. She also said she could leave me alone for hours at a time and I would play on my own.

I've worked as a bartender and server for 10 years. It was good money and taught me how to deal and interact with people. Saying that, I don't like people anymore than I did to start. lol. The older I get the less I like them but the better I am at tolerating them.

I would describe myself as quiet and observant initially. Once I feel comfortable in my surroundings I like to joke around and laugh a lot. I don't take much seriously but at the same time I know what to take seriously and people who don't know that stuff (or use common sense) bug the crap out of me! I'm silently judgmental of people (I size them up very fast) but always up to change that if I read someone wrong. The things that bug most people don't bother me at all and the things that bug me don't bother most other people. So I can look impatient with people over small things and at the same time really laid back or understanding about a lot of other things most people freak out about. I've noticed that surprises people.

One of my ex's described me as a "sensation addict" that was an interesting description that I couldn't identify with when he said it but in hindsight it makes sense. I did some really crazy sh*t. I think all of us at some point have self-recognized descriptions we've told ourselves about ourselves before MBTI. I remember thinking that I always had to find the edge of something. Always had to walk along it. Once I did, then I was happy and I didn't need to ever walk that edge again. I enjoy putting myself in that spot in whatever I do even if I'm uncomfortable.

But all this is my take on me. The best description could probably be given by friends of ISTP's. I think we come off differently to others than how we see ourselves.

 

[kitsunegari]

It's late night and I'm reading this thread instead of sleeping. It has been really interesting reading about all of you female ISTP's differ and most importantly, don't differ, from me. I recogize so much of myself in your descriptions. I will add upp some facts about myself to fill in some gaps. So here goes:

I am ISTP, definitely, first time I read the full description I actually laguhed - so far no one has been able to decribe me so spot on as that text did...

Funny enough, I'm a production designer, an artistic profession which is often claimed not to be a 'natural' or 'good' choice for an ISTP. (But I did see another ISTP PD here around I think? Feel free to send me a message if you read this!)

I do think that my profession meet the ISTP need perfectly - I work mostly alone but I'm part of a group (the rest of the film team), there are direct problems to solve (the profession includes both logistics and design), and there are the directors need/expectations to meet, though I'm not at all CONTROLLED by her or him.

I like to think of me "constructing" my production designs rather than "go with it until it feels right" them (as an ISFP colleuage of mine says he does), much of it based on facts from architectural and arts history. I don't really look for inspiration but sources I can rely on. I want my designs to make sense, and be smart, in relation to the script, rather than only beautiful. I think this makes me a bit different from most of my colleauges, who are more feeling-orientated.

I am not at all outdoorsy - in fact, I hate all kinds of sports and excercise, it bores the hell out of me since I don't see the end of it, there is no direct goal to aim at, you just need to work out to "keep you fit".

Used to play a lot of music but lost interest for it. Did write a lot, but lost interest. Was obsessed with movies, but lost interest (you see a pattern?). Love clothes, especially watching old tv-shows, such as Beverly Hills 90210, to pick out different outfits and copy them. I pay quite a lot of attention to what I am wearing - I am very aware of what other people think of me. (That's not very ISTP though, is it?) But I hardly wear make up at all, mostly because I often have a hard time getting up at morning. And oh, of course, I am very often late.

I am also quite often told that I am insensitive and rough - when I myself just think I'm being funny. Obviously I tend to make quite harsh jokes... That would make me kinda "male" I guess, I have a really rough jargon with my friends and it seems like I can't really understand when it's suitable to use more... polite language.

I am awfully messy. I don't clean/wash/make the dishes until it's absolutely necessary, I kinda feel that those activities are always interrupting something important that I'm doing, it's just an obstacle along my way to accomplish whatever task I'm at for the moment being. I feel the same way about cooking, I mostly eat yoghurt or salads: ready made food.

I totally hated school, although I was always good in most classes, except the ones in natural science - maths, chemistry, biology never interested me at all. I was SO BORED because no one could ever tell me what to use this shit load of crap information for - if a single teacher ever could have managed, I would have won the Nobel prize, since I'm actually really into learning, or shall we say collecting facts.

I tend to obsess with things, such as different tv-shows, books, films, persons and clothes - to the level that I stay up all night just watching/thinking about/making. I can easily watch the same movie four times a week if I like it. This is something that I'm quite ashamed of, though, I have actually never told nobody - I think I consider it TOO weird.

I also, as many other has described, tend to get really stiff, weird and uncomfortable around people expressing strong feelings - having to take care of a crying friend is almost a nightmare...

I also love computers, to draw - when there is a purpose for the drawing, such as making an illustration to an article -, tv-games, and PROJECTS. I definitely love going all in in a challenging project, that's when I'm at my absolute best.

Well that's me.

(One funny thing I have noticed in this thread is that we all tend to tell what we HATE and LOVE, no one is really using more modest words as dislike, haha. Weird enough for a bunch of people dead scared of feelings!)

 

[Windigo]

I taught an ISTP girl both in middle and high school. She is very quiet in class but always gets her work done. She always had long hair to her waist but tended to wear jeans and flannels or tee shirts when she was in middle school. She is VERY into racing her sail boat.

She hangs out with the science geeks. She is logical and enjoys scientific pursuits, she was on the lego robotics team. She began dating an ENFp/j in 8th grade and they're still together 3 years later. She drives him crazy with her independence. She also enjoys fantasy movies and role playing games.

She surprised everyone by first joining the cheer leading squad as a freshman . . . and then surprised everyone (including her boyfriend) even more when this lanky red head put on a fancy dress and heels with some make up and turned out to be movie star gorgeous.

 

[Bamboo]

Man, wish you guys were around posting on the forum more. So many in here with just a few posts and some just in this thread.

Interesting bios regardless of gender.

 

[kitsunegari]

Man, wish you guys were around posting on the forum more. So many in here with just a few posts and some just in this thread.

Interesting bios regardless of gender.

I'm just getting started here, I found out about this MBTI thing like last week and I havn't really gotten into it that well yet, though I am recently obsessing with it and reading everything that the internet can provide, haha. I will return with further posts as soon as I get a good grip of ISTP!

 

[kitsunegari]

Man, wish you guys were around posting on the forum more. So many in here with just a few posts and some just in this thread.

Interesting bios regardless of gender.

I'm just getting started here, I found out about this MBTI thing like last week and I havn't really gotten into it that well yet, though I am recently obsessing with it and reading everything that the internet can provide, haha. I will return with further posts as soon as I get a good grip of ISTP!

 

[Bamboo]

I'm just getting started here, I found out about this MBTI thing like last week and I havn't really gotten into it that well yet, though I am recently obsessing with it and reading everything that the internet can provide, haha. I will return with further posts as soon as I get a good grip of ISTP!

That's classic ISTP information gathering, btw.



Just another note on some things I saw here: I can really relate to the whole "eldest child" mentality despite being an only.

 

[Randomnity]

yeah, I think only children are a strange combination of eldest child traits with a healthy heaping of youngest child traits. Almost like an exaggeration of both.

I hope you stick around, too. The istp-female population is pretty sparse around here!

 

[Riva]

I had a fling with a ISTP female a long time ago. Was very short and meaningless . I think that's when I realized I should get a F typed girl .

 

[Sunny Ghost]

I had a fling with a ISTP female a long time ago. Was very short and meaningless . I think that's when I realized I should get a F typed girl .

awe, riva needs someone to help coax out his emotions.

jk.

 

[Orangey]

I think a good test to see if a girl is ISTP would be to grab her ass in a public place. If she responds either by wordlessly carrying out physical violence to your person, or cooly threatening to do so, then you can be pretty confident that she's ISTP. If, however, she responds either by inviting you to drinks/lunch/dinner, reciprocally grabbing YOUR ass, or screaming and cursing at you, then she's either ESTP or ESFP. If she responds by screaming in general (i.e., not directed at anyone in particular), then she's probably an ExFx. And finally, if she responds by turning red in the face and walking away as quickly as possible, then she's probably an IxFx. Oh yeah, and if she glares at you and then runs to the nearest police officer/security guard, then she's probably an xSxJ.

Ah what the hell, I'm on a roll...if she responds by looking at you blankly or quizzically, then she's probably an INTP.

 

[Windigo]

i used to have a hard time picking out T females. but the more the familiar i've become with mbti and with typing people i know, the more i realize there are quite a few T females out there. however, because of the fact they grew up female, they don't always realize it in their own selves. emotions will play out more strangely with thinking women than with emotional woman.

with the ISTP females i know in real life, they don't necessarily lean towards sports and mechanical things like the males. though some do.

with one ISTP female in particular, due to SP, she's quite stylish. and because she grew up female, will attempt to be more empathetic than the male counterpart. when she was younger, she was quite the mean girl, however. but as she got older, she's become much nicer. she loves to knit, which she learned from her mother. also, she's very into doing a lot of other very cool hobbies. she joined a drumming circle class, learned to make granola's with her mom, is into photography, art, music. but unlike the ISFP, she's got a badass-ness to her. she's certainly not as vulnerable. and she's incredibly smart. definitely a Ti user, no doubt.

with another ISTP female i know, there's also a feminine quality to her, but not in the soft feeler sort of way. there's also a badass-ness to her. she certainly can hold her own. with both of these females, there's a lot of confidence in their self. and she's on of the top of her class and many of her teachers favorite in the science department at school. same with the first girl, she has interesting SP hobbies, like knitting and etc.

i think the biggest trait i've noticed amongst ISTP females is undeniable confidence. think angelina jolie. and because they are SP's, they are stylish as well. and due to Ti, they are very smart and succeed in school. the ones i know in real life aren't into computers and mechanical jobs like the males, but have other SP hobbies that can be found amongst any of the other SP's. because they are introverts, they are independent and won't steal the spotlight by being loud and talkative. there's definitely a cool-ness to them. some ISTP females can be mean girls... and i've crossed paths with that type as well, but many are very nice and sincere people, too.

Thanks, this quote is making me rethink my ISFJ daughter . . . she can be a real mean girl . . . is becoming quite independent and enjoys the power she has over young men. She appears to be obedient at times and then does what she wants anyway. I'm beginning to think I've mistyped her.

 

[jixmixfix]

I think a good test to see if a girl is ISTP would be to grab her ass in a public place. If she responds either by wordlessly carrying out physical violence to your person, or cooly threatening to do so, then you can be pretty confident that she's ISTP. If, however, she responds either by inviting you to drinks/lunch/dinner, reciprocally grabbing YOUR ass, or screaming and cursing at you, then she's either ESTP or ESFP. If she responds by screaming in general (i.e., not directed at anyone in particular), then she's probably an ExFx. And finally, if she responds by turning red in the face and walking away as quickly as possible, then she's probably an IxFx. Oh yeah, and if she glares at you and then runs to the nearest police officer/security guard, then she's probably an xSxJ.

Ah what the hell, I'm on a roll...if she responds by looking at you blankly or quizzically, then she's probably an INTP.

Wow how many asses do you grab in a week?

 

[Bev]

I think a good test to see if a girl is ISTP would be to grab her ass in a public place. If she responds either by wordlessly carrying out physical violence to your person, or cooly threatening to do so, then you can be pretty confident that she's ISTP.

As soon as I read the 1st bit I pictured it and me kicking someones ass so I'd say this is a pretty accurate test bit risky though haha

 

[jnel302]

Another ISTP Female

So I read MC's self-description and just had to sign up and comment on how ridiculously similar we sound.
For the record, I'm 26.

MC: I've always thought of myself as very logical.
I can suppress feelings like no one else. They really tend to get in the way of life. They also lead to pain, which I try to avoid at all costs.
I know I come off as a robot to plenty of people, but they don't know me very well and quite honestly I don't care to know them if they don't give me the benefit of the doubt (of having human feelings/emotions).

jnel: Oh. My. God. Yes. I'm also extremely logical. I don't think human emotions should be included in operational decisions. Though I work at a University and supervise student employees, which has definitely made me focus on how a decision might affect people who rely more on their emotions. I try to use that newfound skill to make a transition easier & engaging.l I have a friend who is an ESFJ; being my complete opposite, if I were to say something that he found personally insulting, he would tell it to me so that helped open my eyes. But it's still something I need to actively seek to include into my decision process.

In regards to pain, I respond to physical and emotional very differently. I almost welcome physical, because it makes me feel (did I just say feel?) connected to my body and the world. But emotional gets me all sorts of confused; I don't know how to control or channel most feelings, so I just try to turn them off.

MC comes off as a robot? One of my nicknames is "Cyborg", because I'm part human and part machine.

MC: I don't talk if I don't have anything to say. Many times I think I know too little about a topic to have any decent input, so I keep quiet. If I'm not informed I stfu.

jnel: Ditto. I don't speak up in meetings very often, because I'm usually absorbing, but also because I don't want to be a parrot and just repeat what someone else said.

MC: I'm nice to everyone until they annoy the shit out of me or I lose respect for them. After that I play nice until I don't have to anymore. And if they're on my bad side and ask for my opinion on something, I'll be so brutally honest...

jnel: If I don't sense a connection or level of respect with someone within a decent amount of time, I sort of dis-count them from my "list" of people I want to interact with (whether business or sports, etc). I'll be courteous to them but have trouble making eye contact with them, because I think they'll be able to see the death lasers I'm shooting them from my eyes.

MC: When I clash with superiors (so far just teachers in high school and college, no work bosses as of yet) - I tend to argue with them as peacefully as I can and try to force them to see my view, they end up hating me when I'm right. Here's an example...

jnel: I have some issues with confrontation due to some childhood family stuff (TMI, I know), so in the past I've shied away from it. I'm getting better at noticing and addressing the frustration I have with a comment or person. For example, our office is losing an amazing student employee who helped with the daily schedule of 3 dozen other student employees. Her responsibilities needed a new home. My boss suggested that it would be no problem for the person working under me to take them on. When my employee and I talked and determined taking all of these new responsibilities on would be detrimental rather than beneficial, we shared this with my boss, who basically accused my employee of not being a team player. It took almost all I had to not blow up in her face. Internally it felt like I would just blow hot air at her, I don't know what I would actually say.

MC: I'm not very athletic, although my coordination and balance are pretty good.

jnel: Ok, we differ here. I have bionic reflexes, excellent coordination & balance. I pick up the basics of sports and activities very quickly. I love getting bruises; they're my own 'battle scars' and I actually like it if they're visible.

MC: I like computer stuff - I worked at a help desk for 4.5 years and I'm a programmer now.

I majored in Math/Stats - hated most of the theory, loved the stats part with real life examples.

jnel: I built my own computer sophomore year of college, but when it comes to the software I get a bit more confused. Same thing with anatomy & physiology; I've been studying anatomy & prevention/care of injuries since I was like 8 years old. Taking those classes in college weren't "work". They were completely unrelated to my major (German, for some reason), and they were just so freaking fun and interesting.

Now that I'm in a work environment with a BA in German (which apparently makes me qualified for everything), I've gotten to tinker with some software and data (I love data BTW, I can spew random facts for days), I wish I'd taken some stats classes to better sift through all the info I have at work.

MC:Everything needs to have an ultimate goal and it must be clear. This is why I fail at girl-logic and manipulation, imo.

jnel: What's girl-logic? How is it different from regular logic?
I suck at manipulation; it feels dirty and wrong. If I think something needs to be done and the person doesn't understand why, I explain my opinion on it and why it needs to be done. That usually does the trick.

MC: I'm really ok with routine. It helps me get things done. If I don't have deadlines, I'm horrible at doing anything.

jnel: I definitely need deadlines, otherwise I'll try and wring out every miscalculation and quirk in a program or process, and it'll never get done.

MC: I hardly stress out. I don't care about most things.

MC: I feel like many people put themselves in their own circumstances and they victimize themselves all too often.

jnel: Yep. Don't whine that you don't have enough money. Either look at your budget or get a 2nd job to get on track or plan for the future. Own up to your actions, good and bad.

MC: I don't really have a problem moving away from people or having them move away from me. I'm so unattached... It makes me pretty bad at networking, but it's made it easy to move to a new city after graduating from college. I feel kinda mean saying it, but I don't miss most of the friends I made. I didn't miss my friends from high school much either after I moved.

jnel: I agree mostly with this, however I have a core friend that moved from Minneapolis to Seattle. It was very hard for me; it felt like she'd died because we couldn't be in contact or hang out in person.

MC: I get along much better with men than I do with women. We just have more in common most of the time.

jnel: Yup. I just...I don't know, *get* guys that are in the same activities that I am. I'm still in contact with people I played pickup soccer with in college, but not my 3 of my 4 roommates from that same time. To me, guys seem to have that sense of adventure that I seek in my life. I signed up to do the Warrior Dash, and none of my girl friends, even the one that did the Insanity workout program, would sign up to do it.

MC: I have no religious attachment, I was brought up atheist surrounded by Catholics - and boy did they manage to piss me off a bunch of times by telling me I *HAD* to believe in something. (I don't HAVE to do anything, thanks!)

jnel: I tried soooo hard when I was younger to feel what my fellow youth seemed to feel about God and faith and trust at church. But I just didn't, and couldn't fake it anymore. My dad is still a bit down about it, but I've told him I don't want to feel like a fraud going.

MC: I like learning while I work. Once I reach a plateau - it becomes so freaking boring.

jnel: Yep. To the point where I'll just pick something random up and work on it.

MC: I have a really dry sense of humor and I don't really think it's particularly funny most of the time. I don't think it's very funny when other people crack dry jokes either.

jnel: Ditto.

MC: When you piss me off, it's best to leave me alone. For a long time. I'll get over it eventually.

jnel: Yup.

MC: When I was little I always wanted Hot Wheels, but they were meant for boys, so I never asked for them.

jnel: I had some barbies, but they were always on missions fighting dinosaurs.

MC: Sometimes I'm a thrill seeker. Skydiving, some travel adventure, going under LSU in the blocked off tunnels in the middle of the summer with friends...um, sometimes it's just a night of heavy drinking, which I don't do very often.

After I've spent time with a lot of people I take time afterwards to "recover" and be alone. Honestly, I could spend a lot more time by myself at my apartment, but then people might think I'm weirder than I am... Yes, I care about what other people think about me. I definitely have a superficial streak.

jnel: Yep, yep and yep. About spending time with other people vs. alone in my apartment, I've got to say I don't usually get lonely by myself. I usually find ways to entertain myself, and can sometimes feel more alone at a party than when it's just me and my laptop.

MC: In the past I was all about the functionality of clothes, but since I've had to get a real job and stuff, I've put a little more effort into dressing nicely. I'm all for comfort, although I have some stiletto heels now

jnel: The only way I shop is by looking at the mannequins and trying those items on. Othewise nothing will match. I absolutely hate shopping for clothes.

Anyone else want to chime in??