Folks, I urge you to view this powerful video. It says more than I ever could about family and the holidays.
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Of all the stuff I read and have to read, I find that a good interview is amongst the most interesting, enjoyable and enlightening types of articles. I read interviews in things as diverse as Parade, business and trade journals, food and social journals and there’s always the gold standard of interviews – Playboy.
Now interviews can vary in terms of focus from a profiling, business centric, solution centric and may other ways that the author/interviewer is attempting to skew the direction of the article. The ones I enjoy the most are the ones that profile a person and tell me about them, their history, likes, dislikes, priorities, goals, etc. They can also make one think about their own directions, values, history, decisions, etc.
Now chances are, very few of us are ever going to be interviewed for a magazine article, but I was wondering what it would be like to interview my self and how I might answer the questions I see being asked others a lot. Frankly, I’m going to cheat a bit, I’m only going to ask the questions and let you answer the questions for yourself, as if you were being interviewed. If you like this idea and some of the questions, you may find this concept useful at a party or as an ice breaker for a social event.
So here goes and I hope you come up with the right answers:
How did you end up in the occupation or line of work that you’re doing?
What skill sets would you like to acquire or improve on?
What’s your favorite part of the day?
What is the largest lesson you’ve learned in your life?
The game I still play is?
The best gift I ever recieved was?
What one thing can you not live without?
Who has had the greatest impact(s) on your life and the decisions you’ve made?
What would you be doing if you weren’t in your current occupation? Why aren’t you doing it?
What would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
What trends are most impacting your life?
What is your most favorite word?
What is your least favorite word?
What is your favorite curse word?
What’s the first thing you do when you get home each day?
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
What profession would you not like to do?
What’s the first thing you do when you get to the office or work place each day?
What do you like to hear? What’s your favorite sound?
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Who are your favorite fictional heroes?
Who are your favorite characters in history?
Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Who are your favorite fictional heroines?
Who is your favorite painter?
Who is your favorite musician?
What quality do you most admire in a man?
What quality do you most admire in a woman?
What is your favorite virtue?
What is your favorite occupation?
Who would you have liked to be?
What’s the one thing that most people don’t know about you?
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? Did you follow it? Did it work?
If you had infinite money, what would you buy? Why?
Who’s your favorite composer or musical artist?
The last movie you saw was?
What was the Best movie you’ve ever seen?
What’s the best book you’ve ever read?
Where would you like to live?
What’s your guilty secret pleasure?
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
If you were stuck on a desert island, what three items would you want?
What’s the nerdiest thing you’ve ever done?
What do you value most in your friends?
The biggest trend affecting what I do is?
What are the biggest challenges that you are facing?
What accomplishment are you the most proud of?
Who are your favorite fictional heros?
What do you like to do in your spare time?
What natural gift would you most like to possess?
What’s your favorite part of the day? Why?
Where do you see your life going?
What will be your next “big thing”?
What historical figures do you most despise?
What event in military history do you most admire?
What was the best decision you ever made?
What was the worst decision you ever made?
What is your favorite color?
What is your favorite flower?
What is your favorite bird?
What decision in your past would you like to have a “do over” on?
What place would you like to visit and haven’t?
What do you like on your pizza?
Boxers or briefs?
Favorite ice cream? Least favorite ice cream?
What person in history would you like to have lunch with? Why?
How would you like to die?
How would you like to be thought of?
Where would you like to be buried?
What should they write on your gravestone?
Think of a few I missed? I’m sure there’s many. Add them to your list and see where the answers take you.
I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.
So, Let’s consider: The art of listening
“Can you hear me now?” We’ve all seen that annoying advert with the guy wondering around with a cell phone to his head, wanting to make sure that he’s being heard. Granted this video clip is pure propaganda for a cell phone vendor, but let’s think about this concept a bit further and deeper.
Everyone wants to be heard and understood. It’s not only part of good communication it’s also part of accepting and feeling accepted. And, with good mutual acceptance and communication comes trust and the development of many other good things not only in personal lives but in business as well.
So, let’s look at how we can develop our listening skills a bit.
Pay attention
Nobody likes to feel like they’re being ignored while they’re trying to say something they feel is important and relevant to someone else. So, if you find yourself in an environment filled with distractions, noises or anything else that takes your attention from someone trying to talk with you, simply move to a different room or a quieter place of the room you’re in. If it’s bad timing, simply state so and suggest a better time and place where you both can meet to give the speaker and the subject the attention it deserves.
Engage the speaker and ask questions
Many times it’s a good idea to ask a few clarifying questions just to make sure you’re both thinking along the same lines. It also helps to show interest in the speaker and topic and aids in building rapport with the person(s) you’re talking with. And, when you may need a little time to think about what’s being presented and what your responses might be, it helps to buy you that time.
Let your body show you’re listening
Face the speaker directly and establish eye contact. Facing them and looking at them helps establish that you’re not just there physically, but also mentally. If you need to take a few notes, do so. Sometimes I find that writing notes on the back of their business card helps me not only remember what I was talking about, but where I may want to take the conversation at a later time, and it’s always nice to have the person’s contact info on the other side. Also, avoid looking around while you’re talking, this is not only distracting to them but discourteouse as well.
Listening is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. Yet, it’s an important building block in communication and business. People will really know and understand that what they say matters when you listen, and listening is a very worthwhile investment in the development and maintenance of any relationship.
So, now, go forth, and listen.
I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.
Great Mills, Maryland High School – A good gun taking out a bad gun and saving lives! Yes, it actually works that way!
OK folks, so here we go again. Someone in a school thinks that the way to solve their problems is through VIOLENCE, VIOLENT ACTS and, yes, once again they used a gun. However, as everyone with half a brain has been saying for a long time, to take out a bad guy with a gun, you need a good guy with a gun. Unlike recent events in Florida where the local sheriff’s department decided to go on coffee break during the shooting, the school safety officer at Great Mills actually decided to DO THEIR JOB and took out this murderous thug! At the same time probably saving many from injury and death! This guy deserves a hero’s welcome.
However, I kinda doubt this officer wants to be considered a hero. Every GOOD cop I know of sends up a prayer every time they strap on their sidearm that they won’t be faced with a situation where they would have to use it. That they won’t be faced with a situation where they would have to take another life to save themselves or others. That’s the sign of a good cop…and yes, there are a few of them out there!
Interestingly enough, I’ve yet to see CNN and their corp of crisis actors crowing about gun violence and how all guns need to be removed.
I’m really happy that I DON’T see the likes of idiots like David Hogg or his skin headed gal pal, running their mouths and claiming to be students here, there, and everywhere, and pushing CNN and the socialist media’s anti-gun agenda. What amazes me even more is that the likes of ilk like CNN’s gun carrying Anderson Cooper haven’t called it an “assault gun” yet….but to them, anything that doesn’t fit their socialist, anti-2nd amendment, anti-American view, is called an “assault weapon”. Makes you wonder if CNN didn’t have enough time to plan for this one(pardon the sarcasm!).
We still are no closer, thanks to the liberal lame stream media and all the socialist sycophants in congress, to finding out the root causes of all this recent violence of the past weeks, months and years… And, until we find out WHY THE VIOLENCE EXISTS, it will continue.
People think they can point to countries like Australia and the UK that banned guns…but they don’t tell you the rest of the picture that the major crimes, armed robberies, assaults, etc., ACTUALLY INCREASED DRAMATICALLY…until people bought guns on the black market and were actually able to defend themselves once again. The UK actually had a “turn in your knives” campaign for a while as violence with knives was so high! Yeah, it failed.
It’s interesting to realize that in a city like Kennessaw Georgia, where the local law is you MUST have a gun in your home, major crimes are substancially lower than in cities that ban guns…with I think only one murder…in like 6 years…Hmmm…wonder why?
The socialist lame stream media like to point to statistics of how guns are used in murders in the US and at a much higher rate than the rest of the civilized world…but if you remove just five cities (which also have the strongest gun laws) of DC, New Orleans, Detroit, Chicago and NYC, all cities that have been run by liberal management for a long time, the US finds itself at almost the BOTTOM of the same statistical report. Anyone wonder why?
Clearly the left wing lame stream media are more interested in pushing their socialist agenda, hyping up unfortunate events and in short, not giving a damn about anything but their own agenda.
So, it’s up to us to figure this out on our own…clearly CNN, The FBI, et al, are to busy attacking Trump to care….
I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.
School shootings – clearly CNN, et al, are to busy attacking Trump to care about a REAL solution!
For all of you who may wonder why I’ve come out against all the pavlovians touting their anti-gun BS in light of the recent unfortunate shootings in Florida, the answer is simple:
I’m looking at the bigger picture in terms of how many people are actually killed and how killing should be prevented in the first place. It’s NOT a knife or gun issue at all…It’s a violent mindset… Hell, our first murder in recorded history was done with a ROCK! It’s not the rocks, it’s the violent mindset…what is causing that (hint: liberal media doesn’t want to find out), how can it be removed, identified, dealt with? (Hint: liberal media won’t sell ads if there’s no major deaths they can create hype and hysteria over and it doesn’t fit into their overt liberal agenda – so again no interest)
Let’s also look at the 41000 people killed on the roads last year from drunk drivers…far more than the 17 in Florida but for their families as well, just as tragic….again, no liberal media coverage…
I’m looking at the bigger picture of preventable deaths and how prevention can be used and problems identified BEFORE they cause deaths…and clearly so are many others….but, again, the media doesn’t care since it doesn’t fit into their liberal agenda nor into their profitability plans…. Go figure…
So, it’s up to us to figure this out on our own…clearly CNN, et al, are to busy attacking Trump to care….
I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.
School shootings – more gun laws aren’t the answer and never will be!
OK Anti-gun liberals and the rest of your pansy liberal pals… – so, how are new laws going to fix anything???
The NRA has been around LONGER THAN YOU HAVE! and longer than you have been twisting the news to fit your biased liberal views… So have guns… I bought my first one when I was in high school at a K-Mart…18 round semi-auto…fired all of them in under 2 seconds…Gee, NO MASS SHOOTINGS ON CAMPUS! Uh, do you have an answer for that????
You and your pavlovian liberal pals need to wake up and realize IT’S NOT THE GUNS…IT’S NOT THE NRA… IT’S HOW SOCIETY HAS BEEN DESENSITIZED TO KILLING!!! The sources of this are plenty! Start with your local TV, Violent Movies that Hollywood makes $BILLION$ on agrandizing uber violence, then go to uber violent VIDEO GAMES….and work the list from there!
You’re SUPPOSED TO BE a smart guy, the path is OBVIOUS!
You probably studied physics at one time. You should remember that it’s a LAW OF PHYSICS that an object at rest WILL STAY AT REST UNTIL ACTED UPON BY AN EXTERNAL FORCE! Simply put for liberals, GUNS DON’T KILL UNLESS A HUMAN USES THEM TO KILL WITH!
So, let’s ask the obvious question you liberals want to avoid: WHY ARE HUMANS KILLING??? Oh, thinking about that means we have to come up with REAL answers to REAL problems…Hmmm…liberals don’t like that….
Add to this the break down of the home, society morals in general, the lack of respect or value for life….and the list grows…
Don’t blame guns for killing anyone any more than you should blame a car for vehicular homicide! …unless of course, you want to wake up and realize that there are THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS MORE
KILLINGS each and every year done by cars driven by drunk drivers…and no liberal seems to care about that! ….I wonder why….
This problem of horror we get faced with on a fairly regular basis isn’t going away and it isn’t going to go away with the outlawing of guns any more than drugs have with the outlawing of drugs. WTFU! This is going to take a MAJOR MINDSET CHANGE in the part of society. Back to respect for each other and for live and human values.
I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.
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Watching them as they go…
This week two friends of mine lost one of their parents. Another is going to lose her father in short order. It’s the time in life when we become parents to our parents and for many it’s a transition they’re not ready or prepared for…not that anyone could ever be.
It wasn’t long ago that we looked out and saw our parents and grandparents in the audience as we performed in school.
Then later as we looked out it was only our parents…and then too soon they weren’t there when we looked out…
Now our kids look out to us as the cycle of life continues its ever churning spirals of reality.
Watch them closely, while you still have them in sight.
I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.
Don’t Quit
I don’t usually go for sappy stuff like poetry, but I ran into this little parcel of writing this week after reading one too many postings from people that were clearly in need, one way or another. So, I pass it along. Perhaps you know someone you could or should pass it along to as well.
Don’t Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will;
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low and the debts are high;
And you want to smile but you have to sigh.
When all is pressing you down a bit –
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit!
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint on the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things go wrong that you must not quit.
– John Greenleaf Whittier
I’m Don Rima and that’s the way I see it, from where I stand.
Don Rima
Don Rima is an Information Systems consultant with over 30 years experience in Information Systems. His roles of responsibility have included programming, systems management and IT department management. He's also a technical editor and writer, does regular product reviews, is a very good cook, gardener and avid reader and writer. His sports interest include: the Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Orioles, Clemson Tigers and Chelsea Football teams. The articles on this site are written to be correct, informative, laconic, provoke progressive thought, informative and sometimes make you laugh. They're not designed to be the writing of just another politically correct drone.
