Month: October 2005

Not to be confused with GQ.

Back in 1996, I took this test to ascertain whether I was entrepreneurially inclined. Having worked in retail for 10 years oir better, I was pretty sure the answer was, “No.” But I was interested in seeing the results.

Now that we’re back in the church year, with choir on Thursday nights, YOU’RE going to see the results too, on an occasional basis, anyway.

Summary scales, presented on a percentile basis; the higher the score, the greater my “entrepreneurial potential”:

ADAPTABILITY – the ease with which I can reach outside my current areas of expertise and comfort to adjust to new or changed circumstances, new people and new life experiences.
Ideal score 66-100, my score 26
I have to say that I found this surprisingly low, as I feel that I’m ALWAYS adapting to new circumstances. I wonder how I’d gfare, post-Lydia?

MANAGERIAL TRAITS
Ideal score 71-100, my score 32

PERSONALITY TRAITS
Ideal score 70-100, my score 12

INDEX
Ideal score 70-100, my score 24

Subscales are presented on a percentage basis; the closer my score is to the ideal score, the greater my “Entrepreneurial potential”:

Under Managerial Traits

RISK TOLERANCE
Ideal score 85, my score 83
Actually, near the ideal score for taking calculated risks.

TIME MANAGEMENT- the ability to analyze, itemize, and sequence tasks in an orderly way
Ideal score 68, my score 38
“A Time Management course or seminar may be beneficial.”

CREATIVE vs. TRADITIONAL- thinking and operating in an innovative manner implementing and promoting new ideas, new products, new markets and new programs.
Ideal score 86%, my score 91% creative, 9% traditional
I work well with new ideas.

STRATEGIC vs. FUNCTIONAL – strategic takes into account the “big picture”; function managers operate on a more narrow focus
Ideal score is 85% strategic, my score is 69%, “considerably below the Ideal Score.”

PLANNING vs. REACTING -“Planning managers are very organized, they naturally operate with a well defined plan. Reacting managers prefer to handle situations in a more spontaneous manner, addressing details as they arise.”
Ideal score is 55% Planning, my score of 22% is “considerably below the ideal score.”

GOAL-ORIENTATION vs. ACTION-ORIENTATION “Goal-oriented managers are expediters- their goals drive the action on a daily basis. Action-oriented managers are process-oriented -they focus on that needs to be done to accomplish their goals>”
Ideal score is 47% goal-oriented, my score of 9% goal-orientated
MY “focus on day-to-day issues may interfere with” my “ability to meet long-term objectives.”
It’s true, I’m not a long-term planner, although with this blog, I’ve become more so.
More the next time I need an easy post.

Both Mark Evanier and Fred Hembeck (him, again?) have noted the passing of Nipsey Russell, The Poet Laureate of Television, who I knew best from his appearances on Match Game, where he’d say things like:

The kids are saying, ‘Make love, not war.’
And I’m beginning to think they’re right.
For war costs millions of dollars a day,
And love, just a few bucks a night!

(Check out Einstein’s 30 Minutes of Unmatched Fame for some of that Match Game wackiness.)

I found a reference to Nipsey as poetry editor of some online poetry thing, a gig about which he had this to say:
Of this job, I don’t think so highly,
But hey — it beats hangin’ out with
Charles Nelson Reilly.

But what really caught my interest is something in Mark’s posting:
they don’t seem to be noting all the decades he spent working dives and clubs, many in the so-called “Negro Circuit,” before joining the thin ranks of performers who broke out of that show business ghetto.

As I wrote to Mark, in all my life (and I’m 52, and black), I’d never heard the term “Negro circuit” used in the context that he had it. “Chitlin circuit,” yes. Here’s a definition of that term from Bartlesby–
NOUN: Informal. A circuit of nightclubs and theaters that feature African-American performers and cater especially to African-American audiences: “I was traveling up and down . . . with these little groups on what they call the chitlin’ circuit.”
(And if you don’t know what chitlins are, look here.)
Whereas, “Negro circuit” seemed to be tied primarily to sporting events, as Google suggests, such as the barnstorming baseball teams.

Hey, I’m a librarian. This kind of thing always catches my attention.
***
And speaking of same, Michael Wittenberg died last week. Who is that? Why, the (considerably younger) “husband of Broadway musical-theater star Bernadette Peters…in a helicopter crash in Montenegro [along with three other people]. He was 43.”

I know she’s the big Broadway star and he was “an investment adviser.” But the fourth paragraph in every story was all about HER. “Peters most recently appeared on Broadway in the 2003 revival of ‘Gypsy.’ Her other Broadway shows include ‘Sunday in the Park With George’ and ‘Into the Woods.’ She won Tonys for her performances in ‘Song & Dance’ and the 1999 revival of ‘Annie Get Your Gun.'” Looks like they took the info for HIS obituary from HER probably pre-written obit.

You still have until 11:59 p.m. tomorrow to ask me questions about ANYTHING that I promise to answer. But given that baseball’s post-season (or “second season”, as FOX likes to put it) starts tonight, I feel compelled to answer one of the questions now:

Our first contestant is a scooting gentleman named Scott: Who do you think is going to win the World Series this year? I have no idea, except that it won’t be the San Diego Padres. Next question.

Actually, I’ve been working on a Goldilocks theory, in terms of peaking teams. Too early and the team has a chance of being flat in the post-season. Too late and the team will have used up all of its energy just to get to the post-season. Just right teams have been tested, but have a chance to put their pitching in order.

American League:

EAST: New York Yankees- used a lot of energy just to win the division in Game 161
CENTRAL: Chicago White Sox- limped to their division title, more as a result of Cleveland’s collapse than anything. They almost blew the 15-game lead they had on August 1.
WEST: Anaheim Angels (yeah, I know what they’re really called)- seems just right. A good competitive race with Oakland, but resolved before the last week of the season.
WILD CARD: Boston, clinches on the final day. At least they don’t have to do a playoff game against Cleveland.

NYY vs. the LAA: Yankee pitching too inconsistent. Pick: the Angels.
CWS vs. Bosox: as beat up as Boston is, I think Chicago is going down. Pick: the Red Sox.
LAA vs. BoSox: This is a rerun of the 1986 series that went VERY badly for the Angels, after being within a few outs of the World Series. Redemption, finally. Pick the Angels.

National League:

EAST: Atlanta Braves- had a terrible beginning of the season but surged into first place. Peaked a little early, but to their credit continued to play solid baseball.
CENTRAL: St. Louis Cardinals- WAY too big a lead early, cruised home.
WEST: San Diego Padres – they’re a .500 team, fer cryin’ out loud.
WILD CARD: Houston staves off Philadelphia.

ATL vs. Astros: Probably the best matchup of the four in the first round. I thought Houston would do better in the season because of their pitching, and in a short series, the pitching’s even more important. But the Braves have pitching, too, and they’re more rested. Pick the Braves.
Cards vs. Padres: St. Louis is flat, but not so flat that they can’t beat the Fathers. Pick: the Cards.
ATL vs. STL: As much as I would prefer St. Louis, I feel that it will be the superior depth of the other team. Pick: Atlanta.

World Series:
Atlanta beats the Angels in 6 or 7. Atlanta wins a WS in a year ending in 5 again.

Note that this isn’t what I WANT to happen, this is what I think WILL happen. I really don’t like the Braves. I think it’s that “America’s Team” schtick they have because they’re broadcast on TBS. That and the Tomahawk chop.

And while I’m talkin’ baseball: I have no pick for the AL MVP- A-Rod, Papi, they both have decent credentials. But for the NL MVP, my pick is the pride of Curacao, the favorite player of every Little Leaguer from the island this year, Andruw Jones of the aforementioned Atlanta. He carried the team when Chipper and others were hurt. I was watching the game many years ago when Bobby Cox pulled Andruw Jones IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INNING for his failure to hustle. The man has definitely grown up.

What are YOUR World Series picks?

(Aside to Fred, No, you can’t pick the Mets.)

(There should be an emphasis on the second syllable for the first word, and an emphasis on the first syllable in the second word.)

Playwright August Wilson, author of a ten-play cycle outlining black life in America in the 20th Century has died at the age of 60 from liver cancer. This saddens me greatly, as I felt he had a lot more to offer.

I’ve seen two of his plays (Ma Rainey, Fences) on stage, and one (The Piano Lesson) on television. It was announced last month that Broadway’s Virginia Theatre will be renamed for Wilson two weeks from today. If you haven’t done so already, check out an August Wilson play.

There is news about ABC (and the other network’s TV) entertainment and ABC News. I suspected that Charlie Gibson was too valuable to GMA to let him go to World News Tonight permanently.

A question: if ABC passes over Gibson in favor of Woodruff/Vargas, is that ageism?