The Whole Wide World

Every other week on Wednesdays, we have trivia night at Gallagher’s, the station pub. This is something I look forward to and enjoy, though I am not always the best contributor. That said, our team is pretty dang good and there has only been one evening when we did not leave with the trophy. The trophy is a rather large DIY welded contraption of a cup/goblet and when in our team’s possession it resides on display in the store.

As I took my seat at our team’s table last night, someone from another team approached asking why I hadn’t brought the trophy along with me. I was quick to let them know that bringing it with me would be bad juju. I maintain a winner’s attitude. Why bring the trophy only to carry it back with me after we win again? Which we did.

I had another lethargic day off today. I surfaced to get food and I ventured outside very briefly to restock the booze at Gallagher’s. I did laundry and I had a nice chat on the phone with my Dad while I drank my coffee this morning. I haven’t spoken to him in almost a month, so it was really nice to hear his voice. Other than that, I spent the day scrolling on the internet, reading about people’s experiences with various seasonal jobs, looking at overseas positions on various government contracting websites and watching cats be cats on Instagram reels. When I went through the galley to get dinner I moaned about how gross it feels being so unproductive. I was reminded that there isn’t really anything for me to be doing and that in doing nothing I was doing exactly what I was meant to be doing, resting. Still feels gross sometimes.

Oh, that reminds me, while swimming about in the depths of the internet today I took an Enneagram test. I’d discussed the Enneagram matrix with my friend Ethan back in March very briefly, he is familiar with the test and as we were having a conversation one evening he chuckled and said he bet he knew which Enneagram I am. He left on the March flight, so I wrote to him today to see if his guess was correct. I took the test blindly and came in as Type One. After receiving my number, I read all nine Enneagram summaries and concluded the result is accurate, I identified as a Type One, though there were pieces of a Type Three that rang true as well.

The Enneagram system uses different personality types to help people better understand themselves and what motivates them. According to the system, there are nine personality types and everyone fits one of those. Each type has “an associated fear, basic desire and predictable pattern of behavior in times of stress and security,” according to the American Journal of Psychiatry. Type One is known as the Perfectionist. Accurate. This next blip is an excerpt from Forbes Health on Type Ones:

Type Ones focus on following the rules and doing things the right way. They are motivated by their desire to live the “right” way and to always avoid fault and blame. They are so intent on being perfect that it can backfire, and they can often be too hard on themselves and on others.

• Strengths: Ethical, dedicated, reliable, strives to help themselves and others be the best they can be
• Faults: Very critical, especially to themselves; tends to see things in black and white
• Basic fear: To be bad or corrupt
• Basic desire: To be good or have integrity

This evening I will watch a bit of Yellowstone, mainly to see the scenery and then read for a bit before trying to get an early night in. Many are over at our Kiwi neighbor’s Scott Base tonight for American night, but it is so exhausting doing nothing all day that I simply couldn’t muster the energy to get presentable enough for all that. That’s the Type One in me. Perfecting a lazy day of rest.