The "Real" Giant Pumpkin

I thought from some books and articles I've read I had an idea about growing giant pumpkins. I was wrong. You would be correct in saying there is not much published information about the sport, either in books or peer reviewed type articles but there is a lot of shared knowledge between growers. I learned growers track genetic heritage meticulously, go to great lengths to avoid soil compaction, add multiple truckloads of organic matter for each plot, and micromanage almost every conceivable aspect of the growth and development of the plant. Wow. I'm just happy to have something around 100 lbs. The monsters these folks are growing just go too far past the line of fun/hobby into the realm of work. I learned it's common to water 3 times daily with sprinklers under the leaf canopy to control soil moisture and reduce plant stress. Setting up sun shades to reduce the intensity of light hitting the plant is also common in our latitude. From what I've learned, I won't be attempting to grow a world record any time soon. I've got enough to worry about with my job that pays let alone a job that I have to pay to do!

Intellectual Property

I'm proud to live in a world where I can freely create something and it's mine. ALL MINE! For better or worse, I own the rights of whatever it is I write. (well unless I give them up, sell them...) Whenever I think an entity is just too over-the-top in protecting their rights, I remind myself, "why shouldn't they? They made it, they are profiting off it, it's theirs".
I do appreciate and value open source type media, but if you or anyone else made something, by darn, it should be yours unless you say otherwise!

The Interview!

Well I'm a day late and a dollar short! Or something to that effect. So this post is supposed to be about interviewing and what you should do in an interview but let me tell you, I've had the wonderful opportunity to interview probably around 40 people in the last 5 years. Nothing too serious, mainly I've found people for part time positions and pretty basic stuff... as in resume not required... fill out the application, type stuff. Here is the best horror story I've got. This kid (looked around 20 or so, but I can only ask if he is over 18) comes upstairs, looks at me and the other guy, coughs in his hand, LOOKS AT HIS HAND, wipes his hand on his pants, then SHAKES MY HAND! What does an interviewer do in that situation??? Awkward! On to the interview, I notice he discloses a felony conviction so I ask him what it was and he tells us it was of a sexual nature. We thanked him for his time, excused him, and I PROMPTLY washed my hands, up to the elbows!

Here is the take-home message:

• If you are being interviewed and you need to cough, cough into your arm, not your hands!
• If you have a felony conviction as previously mentioned, you probably won't get hired in a grocery store.

So for questions an interviewer may ask, they can't ask anything about race, religion, gender, age, and a host of other things but they can still ask off-the-wall questions and the usual mundane stuff. I like to ask, "how would your (last boss, reference, etc.) describe your work ethic" or something of that nature. That usually catches the kids off guard! Some of the other questions I've used are,

• Why do you want this job? 
• What will you be able to add to our company?
• How would you respond to...(x,y,z) situation?
• What animal would you be and why?

As far as other basic interviewing tips, dress NICE. Even if I just work in a grocery store, and am just looking for a meat cutter, I'm impressed with the person who takes the time to put on a suit and tie or dress. It shows me they really want to go the extra mile. Most of all, BE YOURSELF! If you are applying to a small time company, your (future) direct supervisor or even the company manager/owner will probably interview you and they want to know if you are a good fit. If you are not, you'll both be happier if you don't work there. If you are applying to a big company who has a HR person who interviews, they have probably seen hundreds or even thousands of people and have heard it all. Do them a favor and pass on the typical canned responses. Be yourself (the best side that is), be genuine, be relaxed. There is a good chance you won't get the job so don't stress about it. Maybe you will get it!