About me

Okay, so I'm not a software product.... :-)

History

Born back when dinosaurs roamed the earth...either that or in 1959 in Illinois (not Chicago!).
Graduated from high school in 1977, junior college (A.A.S. in Data Processing Technology) in 1979, and a real college (with a B.A. in geography) in 1989, after a 7-year break from formal education. I've also briefly attended San Jose State University in California for extra meteorology credit.
Spent four years (1980-1984) in the [gasp!] Air Force. I doubt I'd have survived the other branches!
Worked in private industry in central California in the mid-1980s...as a computer programmer (FORTRAN & COBOL - eeeyooo!).
Worked as a meteorologist of some sort since 1989 - in Illinois, northern(!) Michigan, and central Oklahoma. People who know me, and how I constantly gripe about the cold, usually don't understand how I managed to actually like Michigan. Well, it certainly wasn't the temperatures that I liked! Think "trees." :-)
Other stuff. (Too specific?)

The real me

Now that we have the "résumé" out of the way, we can try to figure out what I'm really like, as opposed to my academic and work histories. We can also look at some of the things that I find interesting, besides what's on the front page....

"I'm cold...."

I really like warm weather (as was mentioned above). When it's warm, you might find me out hiking on nature trails, or out shopping with friends, or traveling around Oklahoma to some park or scenic site - or stuck at work in that deep-freeze they call an office. When it's cold, however, I'm usually shivering somewhere, trying to find the nearest heat source. Keep in mind that I consider 50°F (10°C) to be cold, even if it's sunny and calm. One bad thing is that I really like snow. That doesn't work too well since snow doesn't often fall when it's warm. :-) On the other hand, I also love palm trees. Now that works! Too bad palms don't usually survive more than a few months in Oklahoma, though. I guess that's what southern Texas is for.

:-) !

Comics and cartoons have been favorite reading/viewing material for my whole life, I think. I've really enjoyed the Warner Bros. cartoons, especially Daffy, the Roadrunner, Foghorn Leghorn, and Pépé Le Pew. You'll often hear me quoting from their cartoons, whenever the urge strikes. As for comics, I really hated to see the demise of "Bloom County," "The Far Side," and "Calvin and Hobbs." Now, I make do with "Dilbert," "Cathy," "Baby Blues," "Luann," "Mother Goose and Grimm," "For Better or for Worse," and whatever else I happen to find humorous.

ENFP

According to the Myers-Briggs personality type tests I've taken (several - and all agree whole-heartedly), I am an "ENFP" type. One Web site with an excellent description of this type is http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html. Another site mentions that Sandra Bullock's character in "Speed" and "While You Were Sleeping" was an ENFP type as well, which explains why she is my current favorite actress. It's sort of like watching me up there on the screen. :-) ...Not that I ever plan to drive a booby-trapped bus, or fall in love with the brother of someone in a coma.... Most of the many sites that describe us ENFPs mention that friends (including family) are what life is all about for us. How true!

ENFP :-)

The tendency for ENFPs to be easily distracted is summed up nicely in a "prayer" posted at several humor sites: "Lord, help me to keep my mind on one th-Look! A bird!-ing at a time." Another interesting insight comes from the "half-full/half-empty" water glass question. Rather than saying it is either half-full or half-empty, we simply say, "Whooeee!! Water fight!" Okay, we're weird. :-)

Geography is where it's at!

Even though it's listed on the front page, I have to mention that I love all things geographic! 'Nuf said? :-)

Bored yet?

There's certainly a lot more to talk about here, but I've probably bored you enough by now. :-) It's probably time to go check out something else on the Web, don't you think? Thanks for taking a quick step into my world.

Cheryl Marie Sharpe, December 1, 2000