Horace's Bootstraps Diary

Horace

Hi evab

Sorry not looked at my diary for a while - I have now sorted myself out with a new POP3 server by signing up for a blueyonder account, I never bothered with one when I joined Telewest but as I needed the SMTP server to enable me to use my business email, I bit the bullet.

Today I finished Assignment 14 and submitted it - I am hoping for an A:rolleyes: Still got a few to go before I get my diploma. In fact as the assignment related to moneysaving in a big way, I did make reference to good old MSE.

I managed to set up a blog for my website on The White Wedding pages so fingers crossed that I start getting enquiries otherwise I will be pooped.

MrsPorridge

Sounds like all is going well Horace. Good luck with the assignment. Hoepfully you will get some enquiries from the website.

Horace

Hello folks

Not updated for a while.

I have had a busy day today, I had an eye hospital appointment so had to catch two buses to get there. It was great meeting up with my uveitis consultant again because I havent seen him for 12 months, he is very pleased with me because I don't have any grains of uveitis in my eyes:j Then we talked about my cataract, I told him that I was fed up of being operated on and didnt want it done because I didnt think that I would get much benefit from it (he agreed), however, it looks as though I may have to have it done for medical reasons as opposed to actual need by me. My pupil in my left eye (the one that needs the op) hasn't worked for years so its a pinprick basically because it is stuck to my lens. The medical need would be for the consultants to be able to see the back of my eye to see what else is going on so I can see it from their point of view but I don't particularly want it.

Now when I go next time I shall see both consultants, have a field vision test and an eye test because I need some reading glasses (I take my glasses off now when I want to read something):rolleyes:

I was a tad naughty too and visited the Farmers Market in town and came away with a minced beef and veg pie as well as some butterfly cakes (my favourite after jam tarts) but at least these were made on a local farm from local produce. I nipped into Waterstones to spend a £10 Leisure voucher but they wouldn't give me change so I ended up buying a book for work and a crime thriller for me.

On the way home, I nipped into the doctors and dropped off two prescriptions. Then, I wandered off to the couture shop but she was closed and then I espied a hairdressers (I hadn't noticed it before). Well, I went in basically because it is a seller of Redken shampoo but I haven't been able to afford any for 12 months because I pay around £10 a bottle for it:eek: Not only did I go in to enquire about the shampoo but I have booked myself in for a proper cut and colour (I need to cover the grey bits which are making feel old) - looking at the price list I shall probably be spending about £50:eek: :eek: I need a bloomin' good cut - the last cut was done by a trainee but I don't have hours and hours to spare (5hrs in the hairdressers for one cut and colour is more than long enough:eek: ).

I have been busy handing out my business cards (gave some out at the hospital today) and listing my web details on nearly every wedding site on Facebook. I need some free advertising - everyone wants me to pay loads for it, one place wanted £150 plus VAT, another wanted £200 plus VAT and a third wanted over £1000 plus VAT:eek: I think I will stick to free for the time being at least until I have a few customers under my belt.

Well I suppose that I had ought to write down everything that I have paid out (I have kept the receipts) so that when the time comes I can pay myself back.

The_Dragon

Sounds as though things are going well in Horace land! Ick about the potential eye op though *shudder*, I would love to see the web site when you have a spare few mins to PM it to me please

Horace

I am hopping mad. I submitted assignment 14 the other day and I received the mark a day or so later - not a good one in my opinion, my tutor gave me a B- plus she made comments that bore no relation whatsoever to the assignment that I had submitted. I mentioned it on Facebook but didnt give her name and then other students and ex students started contacting me asking if my tutor was this certain woman as if so they knew where I was coming from becasue she marked them down too. Each person was given at least one C mark which prevented them from getting a Diploma with Merit:mad: I am sure that the tutor does this because she doesnt like competition.

Well I rang the Institute yesterday and once again I had to send off my assignment and the comments. They have allowed me to change tutor but have told me that I cannot have any of my assignments re-marked:mad: I have looked through my old tutor's comments for every assignment that I have submitted and she is full of praise on one hand and the next she points out things that I have missed that are not relevant to the assignment at all and are totally unrelated then she marks me down:mad: I have only ever had two As from her - one for the first assignment which has nothing to do with weddings because it is all about my attributes and an A- for assignment 6 which is about people and their roles.

I was so incensed yesterday that I contacted ASET who accredit the course so now I have to write them a letter detailing everything and they will look into it. I am so angry because of the marks I have been given. Two assignments have particularly teed me off - numbers 15 and 16, I got Bs for both when I had submitted A standard work:mad: According to my tutor the only skills I need for setting up my own business are self confidence and assertiveness - I completed the assignment after several lengthy meetings at the chamber of commerce so everything that I needed to know was fresh in my mind. No. 16 was all about marketing again completed after lengthy meetings at the chamber and once again a B and praise for my work and ideas and was told to avoid expensive advertising which I had mentioned in the assignment so she then tells me that all I need to do is advertise in the Yellow Pages (the last I looked advertising there wasnt and isnt free):mad:

I have put a lot of hard work into my course and feel as though I have been defrauded because there is no way that I will get the Diploma with Merit or even a Diploma with Distinction (my guess is that these are never awarded).

Sorry for ranting - I am just hopping mad.

Effy

Hey Horace, re:your assignment dont give up fighting for the mark you deserve, my friend got marked poorly for his interior design meaning he would not get a distinction however he chased it up and chased it up and it was a palava but he managed to get his work remarked and was awarded the distinction he deserved. I think your very brave setting up your own business and you look to be so well organised .. can i call you Super Horace!
good luck with it all and i hope you manged to get your work remarked by someone without a chip on their shoulder. Aslo enjoy fab new haircut

Horace

Thanks Effy

I will have my hair cut on Tuesday - the grey will be banished (I have no idea why I have started to go grey around my hairline at the front, why can't I go grey where it can't be seen ).

I am busy researching potential suppliers with a view to another asssignment (I never to my assignments in the right order, I do them as I choose according to my mood). The one that I am working on is a no expense spared one in a fictitious country mansion, a December wedding. So I have spent the afternoon surfing the Net and I have found a company that makes fake snow, even better they are based in Stroud which isn't too far for me to travel either:D They provide snow for all sorts of movies - they show clips of various movies on their website so that you can see the sorts of snow that they have used. They showed Band of Brothers (I loved that when it was on TV) with tons of snow, I honestly throught it was real snow and had been filmed in winter:p It wasnt and snow basically is paper:eek:

I am having fun today.

I shall keep pushing with regards to the re-marking of all my assignments because the tutor doesnt seem to have a clue. She keeps pestering for photographs - if I wanted to do a picture book I would have done one as I don't think it is appropriate to pad out an assignment with lots of pictures.

Mind you it shows how incompetent she is, one of my friends did assignment 10 (the no expense spared wedding) and she went traditional in accordance with the clients deeply religious and traditional beliefs and got penalised for it as the tutor thought that a casino night was the best entertainment (both my friend and I think that a casino would be as welcome at a religious wedding as a pork chop would be at a jewish one:eek: ) No offence meant with the jewish reference either because I am also jewish:D

Oh what fun I am having.

MrsPorridge

Hi Horace,

I agree with Effy that you should keep pushing to try and get your assignments re-marked. It will be a real nuisance but will be worth while in the end. Meanwhile keep up your standard of work, don't let the B*****rds grind you down.:T

Horace

Yes, my business was officially set up today and all relevant papers have been signed including official forms for HMRC:j I was even given my paying in book:D

Well I had better get my receipts in order and start keeping some books although I haven't spent any business money yet as I haven't got any but will be reclaiming monies when I start earning.

I found today that it always pays to carry business cards around with you, I was walking through Paradise Forum today and was greeted with a beautiful sculpture of a mirrored dress - it was lovely and you could see people being visibly cheered by it. Well, the 'dress' was there to promote an events company who specialise in corporate and private parties so there was an exchange of business cards etc.

I have only just gotten in and found in my inbox an email asking me if I could do a mystery shop in Selfridges before 4pm today, however I don't particularly want to go back into town today so I shall give that one a miss:rolleyes: Mystery shopping is keeping me ticking over and now monies raised will be put towards a spa treat so that I can relax in a day spa all day:D

Now I wish that I could do mystery shops in John Lewis as that would be fab.

Well, I suppose I ought to go and get something to eat, sit and watch neighbours and think about doing some housework.

The_Dragon

Well done on going live Horace! I hope the work starts coming in (not quite in a flood but nice manageable chunks!)