Friday, August 26, 2005

Opposites attract. And drive each other nuts.

Do you know your personality type? I'm an ESFJ. Hubby is INTP. You'll notice we have no matching letters. That's because we are about as opposite as two people can get. Sometimes, this can make things tense.
These are things I do that I know make him crazy:
1. I clean. Everything. If he puts a cup down, I wash it. If he piles stuff in a corner, I put it away. I nag at him to clean, as well.
2. I insist on using drawers and closets for clothes, both mine and his.
3. When I am sleeping, everyone should be sleeping. When I am awake, we should all be awake.
4. I feel the need to go, go, go. I hate down time. I want him to go, go, go with me.
5. I expect him to know what I would do, in any situation, and do it.
6. I write lists. If it's not on the list, I don't do it/buy it/remember it.
7. I have a schedule. For every moment of every day. If you ask, I can tell you where you fit into it. If you don't ask, I'll just tell you your plan for today.

I'm sure there's more, but it's my blog, so let's move onto Things he does to make me crazy:
1. He stacks things. Piles clothes. Refuses to put them away, because someday they will be needed.
2. Forgets everything I say as soon as I am out of sight. It's because he's not really listening, he's just nodding until I shut up.
3. Refuses to be social. The man would be a hermit if I let him. I took him to a country bar when we were dating. He refused to take off his coat, and sat at a table alone playing with a deck of cards all night.
4. He gets obsessive. Each new interest is pursued to death for a time, and then dropped like a hot potato. All the resulting materials, clutter, etc is saved and valued forever though. Thus, I have in my house many boxes of roleplaying books, tools and materials for making chainmail, family tree information flowing out of boxes, the computer, and the desk, swords and armour in unlikely corners, and reams of papers discussing the various personality tests and results. Some of these interests are revisited from time to time. Others simply languish, waiting for the right mood to strike him.
5. He refuses to change. I pointed out a bizarre routine he has the other day, and he just laughed. No thoughts at all of improving the routine: Every morning, he puts on his pants, does the button up, pulls up the fly, and puts on a shirt. Then he undoes the pants, pulls down the fly, tucks in the shirt, and does it all up again. THEN he walks upstairs, UNDOES the tucking, buttoning, and zipping for the bathroom. Which happens at the same precise time every day.
He also has a routine for making his evening drink. A certain numbers of ice cubes, a certain amount of ice tea powder, add the water, and stir. I've pointed out that less noise would be made (while I am putting baby to sleep) if he added the ice cubes to the glass after the stirring. No luck. That would be change, and the man hates change.
6. There's more. Lot's more. Go check out the INTP personality page if you need details. Trust me, there's a reason that INTP is the least common personality. The rest of us have quietly murdered them in their sleep!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Guess I am a bit like both of you lol I am an infj. I have taken that test before and always get the same infj. There is a couples test at
http://www.humanmetrics.com/infomate/infomatepass.asp
I am going to test my marriage you should put in yours and see what you get. We are total opposites as well.

mama said...

Hey, I took the test (couldn't resist!) I'm an ESTP. I would love to see what Chris is - wouldn't surprise me if we were complete opposites also! I think its a great idea to get together for lunch sometime - let me know when you are going to town next.

OldHorsetailSnake said...

I believe that buying something for hubby for Christmas is eminently easy: Something he doesn't already have but will use for two months before putting it in storage. Examples: table saw, bow and arrow set, glass blowing manual.

Ella said...

I first did this test when I was a teenager and it made me realise why my father and I never got on, because we were complete opposites. Then I married someone just like my father and I find it amazing that we get on!

Sleeping Mommy said...

I am so going to go make my husband take that test now. I recently took it again and I am a INFJ...it would be interesting to see what he is.