26 November 2007
No internet at home for nearly a week. What a disaster! Who would have thunk that one was so dependent on the internet.
I have temp work at the moment which is a relief. The company I'm working for provides free food. Hurrah! I couldn't be happier. And it's only 5 mins from the gym, so I can work off those excess calories.
My accountant is threatening to cut me off because I haven't sent him my receipts for my income tax return yet. I hate this time of year. It's so tedious and a little depressing working out how much money I've not earned this year. Ah well, needs must, and I must get my tax done.
I tried signing on for the first time in my life, as the Insolvency Service said I wouldn't get my Late Notice of Dismissal money if I didn't. It took so long and was so long-winded that I found work before the claim was complete. This is why I've never bothered to sign on before.
We've had new doubleglazing put in. The house is now toasty warm. This is a good thing as the boiler is now playing up and all our electrics are giving up the ghost, bit by bit. I think the house is determined to eat up all our cash this year. Sigh...
I have temp work at the moment which is a relief. The company I'm working for provides free food. Hurrah! I couldn't be happier. And it's only 5 mins from the gym, so I can work off those excess calories.
My accountant is threatening to cut me off because I haven't sent him my receipts for my income tax return yet. I hate this time of year. It's so tedious and a little depressing working out how much money I've not earned this year. Ah well, needs must, and I must get my tax done.
I tried signing on for the first time in my life, as the Insolvency Service said I wouldn't get my Late Notice of Dismissal money if I didn't. It took so long and was so long-winded that I found work before the claim was complete. This is why I've never bothered to sign on before.
We've had new doubleglazing put in. The house is now toasty warm. This is a good thing as the boiler is now playing up and all our electrics are giving up the ghost, bit by bit. I think the house is determined to eat up all our cash this year. Sigh...
10 November 2007
A whole new shop has sprung up in East Dulwich without my even noticing it - a clothes shop called Sugar, which I wouldn't have known about if it wasn't for the trusty denizens of the East Dulwich forum.
It stocks some pretty nice and affordable stuff. Had a quick browse, but as I'm mainly in the market for work clothes, and they have mainly non-work related type clothes, was not persuaded to part with my hard earned cash.
Had a quick look in Mrs Robinson's new boutique also. Some great stuff there too, but not tempted - mainly because I prefer to be working before I spend great wads of cash.
It stocks some pretty nice and affordable stuff. Had a quick browse, but as I'm mainly in the market for work clothes, and they have mainly non-work related type clothes, was not persuaded to part with my hard earned cash.
Had a quick look in Mrs Robinson's new boutique also. Some great stuff there too, but not tempted - mainly because I prefer to be working before I spend great wads of cash.
On Wednesday, when the news leaked out that the company wasn't to go ahead, there was great unrest in the office. The phone rang constantly - people from the office, people stranded on business trips, people trying to confirm appointments that were no longer needed but I couldn't tell them why. L, my assistant, and I, just kept our heads down and started packing and throwing things away. It's funny how suddenly piles of paper become irrelevant.
The sales director went off and came back with his car, packed it up and drove off - all in a couple of hours, while the rest of us were still wondering if it was true. He left a big metal map of the world in the hall because it wouldn't fit in his car. He left his security pass on my desk - I guess he didn't know what else to do with it.
We stayed until the end of the day, while my boss spoke to everyone individually. It was all very sad.
I had to get a cab for all the junk I had accumulated over the year. All in a rush, madly trying to finish off last minute things, changing flights for the stranded people in China and booking hotels, rushing the boxes out to the taxi and hurried goodbyes. Then, ran to the cab and, then, quiet.
My driver was a strange kettle of fish. He sounded American - possibly Californian, but wouldn't say much about himself. He just kept saying cryptic things like, 'I'll tell you what I do for a living when I drop you off', 'I've only been with this company for three weeks', 'Please do tell me how I do, as I'm just winging it' and yet he knew all the back routes and road names immaculately. He talked a lot about the government, British society and how it's changed, City Hall, Westminster Council and the best hotels to stay in and how to get a good deal on them.
Anyway, he was very courteous, undercharged me, helped me with all my boxes and took a very good route home. His card, which he gave me at the end, was not very revealing - Tour Organiser, Life Coach, Personal Security Agent and other such vague job titles. Intrigued, we Googled his name and phone number. The results were a comment on an Irish University website and a number for a chauffeur company in South London. The world is full of interesting people.
The sales director went off and came back with his car, packed it up and drove off - all in a couple of hours, while the rest of us were still wondering if it was true. He left a big metal map of the world in the hall because it wouldn't fit in his car. He left his security pass on my desk - I guess he didn't know what else to do with it.
We stayed until the end of the day, while my boss spoke to everyone individually. It was all very sad.
I had to get a cab for all the junk I had accumulated over the year. All in a rush, madly trying to finish off last minute things, changing flights for the stranded people in China and booking hotels, rushing the boxes out to the taxi and hurried goodbyes. Then, ran to the cab and, then, quiet.
My driver was a strange kettle of fish. He sounded American - possibly Californian, but wouldn't say much about himself. He just kept saying cryptic things like, 'I'll tell you what I do for a living when I drop you off', 'I've only been with this company for three weeks', 'Please do tell me how I do, as I'm just winging it' and yet he knew all the back routes and road names immaculately. He talked a lot about the government, British society and how it's changed, City Hall, Westminster Council and the best hotels to stay in and how to get a good deal on them.
Anyway, he was very courteous, undercharged me, helped me with all my boxes and took a very good route home. His card, which he gave me at the end, was not very revealing - Tour Organiser, Life Coach, Personal Security Agent and other such vague job titles. Intrigued, we Googled his name and phone number. The results were a comment on an Irish University website and a number for a chauffeur company in South London. The world is full of interesting people.
9 November 2007
So, I find myself out of work for the second time in two weeks. The whole new company venture has gone down the pan and I'm registering with recruitment agencies and hoping someone will take me on as their PA extraordinaire.
So far I applied to work with Google, but got fed up after the 3rd interview, when they called me back to interview for a different, more menial position for the 4th time. Now I am waiting to hear from a hedge fund CEO who needs someone to start a London office from scratch and a key industry figure who needs someone to travel, run projects and attend impromptu engagements. Strangely, I haven't heard anything from the role for the luxury brand, which I thought I would have been particularly suited to.
It's nice to have a couple of days off nonetheless in which I can please my accountant by doing my tax return and please BB by tidying up the bedroom. Mostly, I've just been playing Scrabble on the computer.
So far I applied to work with Google, but got fed up after the 3rd interview, when they called me back to interview for a different, more menial position for the 4th time. Now I am waiting to hear from a hedge fund CEO who needs someone to start a London office from scratch and a key industry figure who needs someone to travel, run projects and attend impromptu engagements. Strangely, I haven't heard anything from the role for the luxury brand, which I thought I would have been particularly suited to.
It's nice to have a couple of days off nonetheless in which I can please my accountant by doing my tax return and please BB by tidying up the bedroom. Mostly, I've just been playing Scrabble on the computer.
6 November 2007
I had an almost perfect brunch on Sunday. Potted shrimps with crunchy brown toast and a lightly cress salad, with cream of celeriac soup. It was very tasty and leisurely. It would have been perfect if I had followed it by treacle tart and Jersey cream, but I got bored waiting for the waiter to take my order, so I got my bill instead.
The sun was shining and I was reading my book and all was right with the world.
The sun was shining and I was reading my book and all was right with the world.
3 November 2007
At the East Dulwich post collection office on Silvester Road the other day, this woman came in and asked them what she should do about a DHL parcel she was expecting that hadn't arrived. The postman told her to contact DHL.
She said, 'But will the parcel be with them?'. He said, 'You should give them a call'.
'They didn't leave a card. Where is their depot?', says she. 'I haven't a clue', said he. At this point she left.
I thought he showed great forbearance. If it were me, I would have thrown something at her. The worst of it is that she's probably the kind of person who would go off and complain about how unhelpful he was for not being able to give her more information about a company that he doesn't have anything to do with.
She also probably is the kind of person who holds everyone up at flight check-in because she's either late and missed her plane, holds a ticket for another airline, has too much luggage or is just plain stupid.
She said, 'But will the parcel be with them?'. He said, 'You should give them a call'.
'They didn't leave a card. Where is their depot?', says she. 'I haven't a clue', said he. At this point she left.
I thought he showed great forbearance. If it were me, I would have thrown something at her. The worst of it is that she's probably the kind of person who would go off and complain about how unhelpful he was for not being able to give her more information about a company that he doesn't have anything to do with.
She also probably is the kind of person who holds everyone up at flight check-in because she's either late and missed her plane, holds a ticket for another airline, has too much luggage or is just plain stupid.
