The Adventures of Dysfunctional Dan

This week I discovered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Not my catchiest opening sentence I'll admit but I promise you this is more interesting than it initially appears. MBTI is a self-report questionnaire which when completed classifies you as one of sixteen personality types. It was created by Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers using the work of eminent psychologist Carl Jung. You can do a test online here which is based on MBTI. I was skeptical about it but I went through the short questionnaire and answered the questions honestly. It calculated what my personality type is and I started to read through the information about it. This was the revelatory moment. I suddenly realised I was reading a scarily accurate description of my personality. This brief moment of curiosity had turned into something altogether more revealing. I am apparently of the "INFJ" personality type, also known as 'the advocate' or 'the counselor...

As you know, today sees the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I don't really care. I actually quite like the concept of the royal family what with its long history. They are a part of our culture, something that sets the UK apart in a world where everyone is increasingly becoming more alike. I have a lot of respect for the Queen who still works hard despite being in her nineties and Prince William and Harry have done so much good for charity. The marriage is of less interest though. Prince Harry is now sixth in line to the throne so he's actually become a fairly minor royal. We are not witnessing a future king get married. At the moment he's basically just a bloke with a famous nan. Some people just get excited about any wedding. I've never understood an excitement for stranger's happiness. If you know someone well, a close friend or family member, then sure- it's fantastic to see them begin a new life with someone they've fallen in love w...

The last alcoholic drink I had was a glass of bucks fizz on Christmas Day. For many people this low alcohol consumption seems impossibly low. I also refuse to give any money for people doing 'Dry January' on the basis that if I'm doing it without even trying, it can't really be that hard. Of course, I used to drink. It's part of life when you are growing up when you are in your teens and early twenties. You want to hear some of my drunken antics? OK, I'll indulge you. 2010, my university halls.  We'd all been out somewhere, probably the student union or the nearby pub. Either way, much alcohol had been consumed, particularly by yours truly. Naturally someone had put some music on and when Shania Twain's classic Don't Impress Me Much  came on I gave an impromptu song and dance performance of the song. I can't sing or dance that well at the best of times but given the amount of alcohol that was involved it was quite the spectacle. The rea...

I'm an avid reader and get through around a hundred books a year. I thought it would be interesting to share some of the best books I've been reading a few times a year. Of Mice and Me n by John Steinbeck This is a modern classic that many people had to read for their GCSEs- I did  Lord of the Flies instead. There isn't really much plot here but that's fine. It's all about the two characters. Lennie is such a warm-hearted man but his disability sees him shunned from society- these days he'd be given a lot of support from the state. George does his best to look after him but with limited funds the inevitable happens and we are left with a heartbreaking ending. Generally, the story is quite warm and fun until the very end when it becomes really upsetting. Steinbeck's writing is really beautiful. It flows poetically and there are some lovely descriptive scenes. He's also superb at writing dialogue with each conversation being deep yet feeling r...

I first bought a Fitbit two years ago and it changed my life. For anyone who doesn't know, Fitbit's are one of the many fitness trackers around. Mine looks like a watch and sits naturally in the watch position on my wrist. I've upgraded from a "Charge" to a "Charge 2" and have replaced the strap quite a few times but for two years there's always been one on my wrist. Fitbit sets a standard target of walking 10,000 steps a day which is something I've stuck with stubbornly. Every single day from 27th April 2016 right through to 27th April 2018 I've achieved at least 10,000 steps a day. It feels both ridiculous and pleasing that I've not failed on a single day. My job is a fairly active one and I tend to do around 7-8,000 steps a day at work. That though still requires a reasonable walk in the evening which is not something that's much fun during the winter. Working in a school also means I only work full-time 40 weeks a year...

This week a thing was going around Twitter where people shared the four films which defined them so that's what this post is going to be. These aren't necessarily my favourite films but ones which are important to me. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Future generations will not grow up in a Potter-obsessed environment like I did. Indeed, the films mostly grew up with me- Harry, Ron and Hermione were eleven in this film and I was only a few months behind them. The Wizarding World is like a second life for me and this film was the start of much of my tastes too. It got me into fantasy and even the idea of live-action films was fairly new to me at that age.  Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World This is such a cult film now where Scott Pilgrim has to fight Ramona Flowers' seven evil exes in order to secure their relationship. It was probably the first film I'd really engaged with that was about relationships and it taught me a lot about them at the time. I...

It feels like there’s more pressure to be a vegetarian in 2018 than ever before. I try to live ethically and do as much as I can to protect the environment and make the world better. The next logical step is to become a vegetarian but it’s not something I’m going to do. In principle I am against killing things. There has been talk on bringing back the fox hunting ban recently and grouse shooting still happens every year. How can killing an animals ever be fun? It’s not sport unless the animal you are trying to kill has an equal chance of killing you. Ruthless murder is not a hobby. Sometimes it’s argued that foxes are pests, as are many other animals. The usual answer is to kill them (it’s still perfectly legal to shoot foxes). I have some sympathy here but culling should be a last resort if an animal is genuinely having an adverse effect. It’s society’s fault that animals are causing us problems, not the animals. Deterrent and relocation has got to be a better method than killi...