This week our new editor Jamie Barrand (pronounced with a Bear sound) started working at the Banner. As always when one meets new people conversation starters are handy. This week Kevin (my compadre in the newsroom) and I discovered our new editor was a Gemini. Now Kevin is a Taurus while I am a Capricorn born on a Sagittarius cusp.

Jamie tagged our Assistant Editor Adam's sign right away just from having a few conversations with him. She got Kevin right too. I take it as a compliment that she had to ask me my sign. A girl should never be too easy to read. Of course, I blame it on the cusp thingie.

The best part of being a "cusper" is I can vacillate between being a Capricorn (stubborn, adventurous and preserving) to pursing the good life and believing anything is possible (Sagittarius).

I freely admit I fit my horoscope(s).

And, oddly enough I believe Kevin's horoscope describes him fairly well. Underneath their cool, calm and collected exterior, Taureans differ greatly from all other signs. While managing to stay apart from the crowd, even though they are socializers, only letting people get as close to them as they want them to. Seems like Kevin to me.

So naturally, seeing how closely Kevin and my horoscope mirror our personalities, I thought it might be nice to see if Jamie proves to be a true Gemini.

A key element for Gemini includes a description of their life pursuit "is to explore a little bit of everything."

In ancient Greek mythology, Gemini's ruler - Mercury, was the light-footed messenger of the gods who darted back and forth across the heavens delivering news - which might explain why those born under the sign of the 'Twins' are always on the move; thirsty for knowledge and new experiences. That's pretty typical of newspaper folk too. So I'm guessing it fits her personality as well.

Terminally curious and sometimes even mischievous, Gemini's are multi-faceted souls who enjoy knowing a little bit of everything but generally not too much about one particular subject. Another reporter/editor trait.

Gemini's also have a reputation for being incessant talkers. Those Twins that don't have the 'gift of the gab' are usually talented writers or have a special interest in foreign languages. The verdict is out on this one for us. We have attributed Jamie's talking to us as getting to know us better, not necessarily incessant chattiness. And, we know she can write.

Gemini's like it or not, people are usually "talking about them." Together with Scorpio and Virgos they are a sign that is often discussed and dissected by others. Well, it's pretty common for a newspaper editor to be talked about in lots of places from courthouses to clubhouses. That probably fits our new editor.

The one thing we Capricorn's always try to do is balance work with play; otherwise we can become too one-sided. Now, we do usually rise to the occasion when faced with a new task or deadline. And, I'm under a deadline to update my blog and writing this one is more like playing than working.

Although conservative and cautious, we goats are willing to try unusual approaches even while being responsible, practical and good organizers. (This is my attempt at doing so).

And, although many Capricorns are borderline workaholics, this doesn't necessarily make us dull or gloomy! We have an offbeat sense of humor, which seems to erupt at the most unexpected moments. (Sure hope Jamie has a sense of humor).

So, I guess in our newsroom you can expect a lot of humor, mostly offbeat, a willingness to try new things, a little knowledge about a lot of things, some mischievous behavior (that would be Jamie and Kevin as we Capricorns are more reserved) and a group of folks thirsty for knowledge.

After you meet Jamie, let us know if you believe her to be a Gemini. Oh, did I mention she is twin in real life!

Live, laugh, love!