In the last several months people have been flooding the internet flaunting all they've accomplished while trapped in quarantine. Everyone seems to have either acquired a new hobby or become proficient in the one they had. And its always fascinating to find out how people fall into their time fillers. Heck, maybe we should all start something new and take notes, a ton of the people started with a small hobby to just steady their nerves and turned it into a million dollar business. Someone bring me some knitting needles.
Redditor u/lesothoqueen was fascinated by the ways everyone was inspired to fulfill their empty hours by asking aloud.... What got you interested in your hobby?Caliente...
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I started r/SalsaSnobs , which began from a trip to Mexico. I realized that most salsa in the USA is inferior. I was going to have to learn how to make my own.
Pretty much all the time the food is better at the source, the thing is making salsa isn't much of a regular or traditional thing in most western/English speaking nations. If you go to where it originated, its always better.
All the Buzzzz.....
I was teaching my daughter how to make jam from fresh fruits and was dismayed at how much sugar I was using. Did a little research and found out I can cut my sweetener in half by using honey.
Did a little more research into honey and realized keeping bees complimented by "mini homestead" and suddenly... I am a beekeeper!
Through the Music....
I was a weirdo through elementary and middle school and got treated like crap by all my classmates. Found punk rock in 7th grade and realized there were a bunch of other weirdos out there who found a home, so I started a band and discovered I didn't need anyone else's approval for who I was. That was 20 years ago and now I play in bands and write songs and don't suffer these insecurities of not being cool enough anymore.
Yeehaw!
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My bad knee. I love going fast and feeling the wind in my hair, however i could never run safely. So I started riding horses. Been doing it for over half my life now.
staying masculine....
My wife recently got into quilting. After watching her work, there's something extremely satisfying about making precise straight cuts and fitting pieces together to create something larger.
That said, I am far too macho to start quilting so instead I picked up leather craft. That way I can satisfy my need for creating something while also not jeopardizing my fragile masculinity.
A Whole New World.....
I started world building (writing a world and a story around it) after two small events.
First, I had this really cool dream where I was playing as this grey, horned character who held two enchanted swords fighting against people who looked like this man. Just a sea of grey horned soldiers fighting a war and attacking me.
Second I began to think about what my "ideal," Hell would be. I recalled the stories of Hell being a disorderly place and having seven princes that each ruled over a sin. Put two and two together and I'm thinking about people who are forced into kingdoms with unending wars for supreme power over all.
The Midnight Sky....
I went to the dark sky reserve in Idaho and was flabbergasted at the number of stars, the infinite depth, and the visibility for the Milky Way (I'm a city girl). When I got home, I started searching for pictures and was exposed to night sky photography. I couldn't believe how people were able to capture the majesty, and I knew I had to take those pictures myself. I just went back to Idaho this summer to take my first Milky Way photos!
the scroll....
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Scrolling through reddit, and posting random comments on random posts, so strangers can read them and go "well that was strange" and then move on with their day.
All the Colors....
I had a party at my house and some artists showed up with some supplies. During the party they sat outside and would occasionally corral guests into painting a few lines. At the end of the party I had an interesting bit of art, which I still have to this day. I thought that it would be relaxing to paint. Turns out I was right. Eight years later and I've developed an adult hobby that will hopefully improve with time... plus, I REALLY enjoy it.
Wish I knew who those people were so I could thank them.
Amazing....
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I liked the art on Magic: The Gathering cards as a kid and just kept collecting them. Then, in high school, I saw some people playing and I was like "I have some of those!" So I got them to teach me. Been playing ever since.
In Chalk
After being taught how to write properly my mother taught me how to draw but it wasn't until the show chalk zone that made me wanna expand my love for drawing and imagination.
Chalkzone was so great. I loved the creativity and imagination that went into it.
The Debate
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Researching and debating flat earthers led me to researching more and more about space, and so now I'm an avid astronomer, and I love learning about stars, nebula and planets.
Obsessed
Youtube videos. I had seen tons of downhill mountain bike videos and my friends were starting to get into mountain biking and wanted me to go, for months I declined and said I would go with them if they tried a downhill park. We went one time and that was it, I was hooked.
Hey Pops....
Me visiting my great grandpa, here would always be in his garage making gun barrels, ammo. He would always show me his guns and how to handle them. Now since he passed I inherited them and shooting is one of my main hobbies.
Hobbies
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Depends on the hobby. I got into blacksmithing because of videogames. I got into videogames cause I grew up in the 80's & 90's.
With the boys....
I was 14 and my older brother had bought a CB 500 with a blown motor. He hadn't done anything with it in a year so my dad told me if I could get it running I could ride it.
Tore the entire thing apart and rebuilt it with some help from dad. Rode it for years. Sold it to buy a CBR 600 RR which I regret now but the places that CBR took me.
I also grew up in the garage with all my brothers and dad. I think we probably spent more time there than in the house.
the keys
8 years old:
Dadida, dadidadida, mashing piano keys... Oh what's that
12 years old
Wait, i can play (insert Favorite song) with this?!? I gotta try that.
14 years old
Hey, wait, i can actually play anything on this!!! Omg!!! I'll Start practicing!
6 years wasted, but i eventually did it.
Now i play anything from moonlight sonata to allstar.
Damn YouTube
For me its building scale models. A Model Building video popped up in my YouTube feed. I watched it, and the guy doing it was incredible. I immediately wanted to try it. Cut to a year later and I have a couple airbrushes and tons of paints and weathering products.
Free hand
I was watching someone draw at school in fourth grade, I wanted to free hand but sucked. So i traced, then started copying it but not tracing, then i decided to free hand. Im not the best but i can do some decent stuff.
I actually want to start drawing to express myself in a way. But my mind refuses it due to trying to achieve "Perfection". It's like avoiding drawing, as it won't be any good either way. Sounds stupid, I know...
BBQ Style
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I live in Texas but was raised on Memphis style BBQ. I could never find a pulled pork sandwich that was worth eating where I live. Halfway through quarantine lifestyle I finally bought a smoker so I can make BBQ the way I like it. It's been great spending time outside and learning different BBQ styles and techniques.
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But we should also be prepared and ready to ask the right questions to have a leg up on the competition.
"What is THE best question to ask on a job interview?"
A company's history or information about a past employee were suggested subjects appropriate for questioning.
Prior Knowledge
"When you were interviewing here, what would you have liked to know before you joined?"
"This worked for me. I asked my interviewer a question about how she had personally dealt with a company policy she had just explained. She bragged about her stellar adherence to the policy. I nodded my approval. I got the job."
A Previous Employee
"One that has always gone over well for me:"
"What were some qualities that the previous employee in this role brought to the job that you would like to see carried forward?"
"Another good thing to do is research the company you are interviewing with and you can ask things about what they may be involved in or you could drop that while reading about the company, you wondered this."
Hypothetical questions were suggested as helpful examples of inquiry.
Indicators Of How Companies Treat Employees
"A question that landed me a job once was: 'If I asked your direct reports about your management style, what do you think they'd tell me?' Stumped a hiring manager and he emailed me personally to tell me about it, no one ever asked him that question but got the job.
"In my current interviews I'm asking 'what did your company do for its employees during [the virus] to improve their day to day, work life balance, etc.' and I ask 'Is there anything your company adopted during [the virus] that they plan to keep post [the virus]?"
"These questions give a lot of insight into whether a company treated their employees well."
Past Performance & Adjustments
"If we were currently sitting in my 1 year review, what would I have done in this year for you to say I excelled in my role?"
"If I could snap my finger right now and change anything about your job or the company, what would it be and why?"
The following questions about a prospective company may not be answered from initial digging on their website.
Measure Of Success & Career Trajectories
"How is success measured in this role?"
"What are some possible career trajectories within the company that could stem from this position?"
Being A Solution
"Ask them what is the biggest problem you can solve for them in your first six months with the company. Similar to 'don't think of a purple hippo,' this forces them to imagine you succeeding in the position."
Simply The Best
"Who is your best employee and why is he/she the best?"
"You will then face 2 situations mostly:"
"panicking CEO who can't answer you 'Bob who works 17 hours a day for a slice of bread' so the fear in their faces must be a big nono for you"
"entusiast CEO who actually follow their business and can tell you who is an added value for the company and why."
– ThePiz91
My experiences with job interviews are different than others seeking work in office environments.
Having had a years-long career as a dancer, my "interview" was the dance audition, where hopefuls dance in small groups of people at a time after learning a routine and then awaiting their fate after the panel evaluates their performances.
The question I may or may not have asked in such a scenario earlier in my career was: "Did I make the cut?"
I did not make the cut. And I learned never to ask that again.
I remember the worst date I ever had. My biggest regret is that I stayed for the entire thing. I should've left as soon as I realized this was not going well, which was basically at hello. But he was paying so I drank, a lot. I'll keep names and dates to myself to protect the innocent.
0/10
Big Brother Reaction GIF by Big Brother After DarkGiphy"Went to brewery, date said I had hairy arms and that meant I was horny, said "you look really awful in this light" and then tried to dig out of that hole by saying in his native language that was a term of endearment long term couples said to each other. 0/10 did not date again."
Lucky 13?
"My wife wanted to plan our 13th wedding anniversary. I was excited because usually, I plan it. She bought us some new disc golf discs and after a quick supper, we went to play. We hadn't played in forever. We were laughing and I had a great time. She served me with divorce papers and told me that the date was a test to see if she still had feelings for me. I also learned that she was having an affair that started well before our anniversary."
- rmorlock
Two Hours from Home
"Not necessarily a date but a person I was dating invited me to his parent's house for the afternoon. He wanted to introduce me to them and show me the house he grew up in. I thought it was super sweet and had no problems going. He was also in the middle of moving and needed to pick up a few things, so it really didn't seem that unusual."
"Yeah, we got there and it was awful. His entire family was there. They traveled from hours away too. This was not just meeting the parents, it was meeting the ENTIRE family. Even worse? At some point, this idiot told his parents that he had proposed. We had been dating TWO months. I spent the entire afternoon dumbfounded and just playing along."
"We were two hours from home and I had no cell service, no way to leave at all. We ended up spending the afternoon brainstorming wedding ideas and planning an Alaskan honeymoon that his parents planned to gift us. His brother even called to say congratulations! We drove back to his apartment in silence. When we got there, I got in my car and left, didn't even bother grabbing my stuff. Weirdest experience ever. I have no idea how he broke it to his parents that we weren't getting married."
You're Cut Off!
"Got set up on a blind date once between mutual friends. She shows up to the restaurant already a little tipsy, orders multiple appetizers and only takes like one or two bites from each one. Then she proceeds to order 3 or 4 more drinks and is visibly drunk at this point. She gets up and says she's going to the bathroom and staggers off. About 15-20 minutes go by so I try to call her several times but no answer."
"Finally I decide to pay the check and just leave. About 2 hours later I'm sitting at home and I get a call from an unknown number. It's the police department. She was picked up on a DUI on her way home after she ditched me and gave the cops my number to see if I could go bail her out!"
- mox44ah
Sorry?
Bbc Three Idk GIF by BBCGiphy"Well, I gave this answer on a different topic, but it ties in with this. We were out on a date, we had been seeing each other for a while, close to a year maybe. She gets a phone call. Suddenly she looks destroyed. Her fiancé had just died in a motorcycle accident."
What in the world? I mean how can we ever expect to pair off with the dating pool being inundated with liars and nut jobs? I'm going to delete my apps.
Girl, Bye.
Sassy Beyonce GIFGiphy"Had a girl openly flirt with the bartender in front of me. She says she wasn't. But handing him her own phone and asking for his contact info in front of her date seems like it to me."
Crazy!
"Came out from a movie, late at night, and date's Camaro was stolen. Apparently, he called his WIFE (that I did not know he had) and let her know where he was and what happened. She showed up and realized he was on a date! She started chasing ME around the parking lot telling me she was going to kill me. Saved by the cops who showed up just in time to take the auto theft report."
Hey Mom
"Met a girl at a country bar one night in my 20s. We were both pretty drunk but hit it off pretty good. Ended up getting her number and we agreed we'd go on a real date. Fast forward to the date, she gets in my vehicle and... she looks almost identical to my mom. I was mortified. I was polite and we went for lunch where I found out she also had a boyfriend she "wasn't sure if she was into". Never talked to her again."
- SgtGo
Liars...
"When I was in college many years ago, before the advancement of cell phones and social media, I was chatting with a girl I met on a BBS who lived on Long Island, NY. I was 18 at the time, but lied and said I was 22 because she said she was 25. We spent a few weeks emailing each other, as well as calling each other."
"We even exchanged pics. When we finally met up, things blew up. Turns out we both lied about our ages: She was really 33, and lied because she thought she looked younger. She admitted she sent a college photo to me. We still had dinner together, but it was awkward as hell. We never spoke again."
Doubles
Kill Me Now Season 1 GIF by FriendsGiphy"It was a double date. She was more interested talking to the other girl throughout the whole thing. Found out later from the other guy that his girl cheated on him with my date."
Ummm... I think I'm just going to stay single. That is a handful of crazy. Why can't people just be honest? I swear the search for love warps people's brains. Be careful out there people.
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