Well, thanks to Gary, the Family Wonder Personality Test has been making the rounds of my workplace. I urge all of you social scientists out there to explain to us whatever kind of outdated personality models are being used to construct the entertaining little summations-of-character the test gives you when you're finished.

A few weeks ago, Theresa and I had a pretty lengthy argument over whether "personality" could be considered to exist at all. Outgunned completely in the knowing-what-I'm-talking-about department in this particular case, I tried to use the same strategy by which Dr. Johnson reportedly responded to Bish. Berkeley (the old kick-the-stone-to-emphasize-its-material-existence-despite-philosophical-wrangling-trick. My version was even more specious -- the word personality must mean, you know, something, or otherwise, like, maybe, um, it would be impossible to distinguish between strangers and loved ones.) And of course you can imagine what followed...I have come to the conclusion that there are actually only two personality types -- those who are happy to leap into arguments where they have absolutely no idea what they're talking about, and those who irritatingly refrain from arguing a point unless they have a reasonably good probability of being right.

Did anyone else see the Skywriting Art over Manhattan today? The wind was a little stiff -- by the time the shapes were done they were probably over Forest Hills. Still, I think I saw a horsie, and one that was either a mouse or a guy with very stubby hands giving everyone the finger.