Misty_Mountain_Rose
New member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2008
- Messages
- 1,123
- MBTI Type
- INTJ
- Enneagram
- 4w5
My husband is an ENTJ, and I am INTJ. We frequently drive the same route a few times a week, and one day my husband said "I wonder what that thing is over there... I see it every time we drive by and I can't figure it out."
My response: "... What thing?"
Husband proceeds to describe this circular "race track" that seems to be made out of concrete, but it's small, has slightly banked corners and is outside. He's baffled and hugely intrigued about what it could be.
My response: "Huh... I've never noticed it" (senso-tard, right?)
Every subsequent trip past this thing results in a conversation about it and what it could possibly be. He says he's seen people on it who were dressed up in speed skating type of gear and skate with one arm behind their back like speed skaters... but it doesn't make any sense because it has banked corners and it's outside.
I laugh and ask what's wrong with skating outside, and if they look like they're speed skating that means that's probably exactly what they're doing...
I couldn't understand all the excitement about it but I could tell that he was really bothered by this anomaly that didn't fit with anything that he knew about. It just didn't make sense. My suggestions that maybe they are training for the Olympics or perhaps they are just rich a-holes in the area who really like roller skating don't help the situation, or his frustration at the thing.
Finally, when it comes up again I pull out my phone to see if we can Google this anomaly that has him so worked up. He needs answers and I'm just riding in the passenger seat, so let's take care of this once and for all. On a whim, not knowing what I'm looking for, I type in "outdoor speed skating" and discover that this is, in fact, a real sport. I read to him all about it and it fits what we're seeing. He finally seems at ease with it, and I can see him mentally filing away this new and exciting information. I finally bust out laughing and say "You know, if I had typed in Outdoor Inline Speed Skating we would have nailed it's description... it's exactly what it appeared to be. Outdoor. In Line. Speed Skating."
He finally see's what I'm getting at and knows that what I'm really saying is "What was your first clue...?" I think he felt a little foolish about his need to understand this strange, new thing that he had no category for... while I simply saw it and accepted it for what it was.
After laughing pretty hard... and then reassuring him that he wasn't nuts for wanting to know, we realized that the order of our functions caused a vastly different outcome this time.
Te followed by Ni made him look at the track and compare it to every other sport he knew. Not finding anything that fit the description, he just knew it was something he hadn't encountered before and couldn't rest until he could categorize it and learn about it.
Ni followed by Te made me look at the track and think "this is obviously some kind of roller skating track and it must have been expensive so it was built for a purpose. Unless they're just ridiculously wealthy and wanted to try outside skating, this was built for a sport". I stuck it in a category for 'skating' and was content. Who cares what they're using it for? Better yet, can I come and skate on it?
His constant search for new knowledge suddenly made a LOT more sense to me. He is insatiable in his quest to hear about new things and knows so much "random" stuff it's insane. His Te is actively seeking out new things and categorizing up front and then Ni tells him what he should do with it or how to respond to it. My Ni accepts it as it comes and then the Te organizes it later and makes it 'do' something.
It was an interesting insight... and also pretty funny.
My response: "... What thing?"
Husband proceeds to describe this circular "race track" that seems to be made out of concrete, but it's small, has slightly banked corners and is outside. He's baffled and hugely intrigued about what it could be.
My response: "Huh... I've never noticed it" (senso-tard, right?)
Every subsequent trip past this thing results in a conversation about it and what it could possibly be. He says he's seen people on it who were dressed up in speed skating type of gear and skate with one arm behind their back like speed skaters... but it doesn't make any sense because it has banked corners and it's outside.
I laugh and ask what's wrong with skating outside, and if they look like they're speed skating that means that's probably exactly what they're doing...
I couldn't understand all the excitement about it but I could tell that he was really bothered by this anomaly that didn't fit with anything that he knew about. It just didn't make sense. My suggestions that maybe they are training for the Olympics or perhaps they are just rich a-holes in the area who really like roller skating don't help the situation, or his frustration at the thing.Finally, when it comes up again I pull out my phone to see if we can Google this anomaly that has him so worked up. He needs answers and I'm just riding in the passenger seat, so let's take care of this once and for all. On a whim, not knowing what I'm looking for, I type in "outdoor speed skating" and discover that this is, in fact, a real sport. I read to him all about it and it fits what we're seeing. He finally seems at ease with it, and I can see him mentally filing away this new and exciting information. I finally bust out laughing and say "You know, if I had typed in Outdoor Inline Speed Skating we would have nailed it's description... it's exactly what it appeared to be. Outdoor. In Line. Speed Skating."
He finally see's what I'm getting at and knows that what I'm really saying is "What was your first clue...?" I think he felt a little foolish about his need to understand this strange, new thing that he had no category for... while I simply saw it and accepted it for what it was.
After laughing pretty hard... and then reassuring him that he wasn't nuts for wanting to know, we realized that the order of our functions caused a vastly different outcome this time.
Te followed by Ni made him look at the track and compare it to every other sport he knew. Not finding anything that fit the description, he just knew it was something he hadn't encountered before and couldn't rest until he could categorize it and learn about it.
Ni followed by Te made me look at the track and think "this is obviously some kind of roller skating track and it must have been expensive so it was built for a purpose. Unless they're just ridiculously wealthy and wanted to try outside skating, this was built for a sport". I stuck it in a category for 'skating' and was content. Who cares what they're using it for? Better yet, can I come and skate on it?
His constant search for new knowledge suddenly made a LOT more sense to me. He is insatiable in his quest to hear about new things and knows so much "random" stuff it's insane. His Te is actively seeking out new things and categorizing up front and then Ni tells him what he should do with it or how to respond to it. My Ni accepts it as it comes and then the Te organizes it later and makes it 'do' something.
It was an interesting insight... and also pretty funny.
If I could be sure they'd stay on topic maybe I could be convinced, but they'd probably want to know things about us. 
