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ally_bally_3

nzmegs wrote: »

Ally bally - what do you do exactly. It sounds like a fab job. Are you a promoter of some sort?
I know travelling can be a drag, but it does sound exciting as I sit here in my windowless loft office. Mind you with my daughter wanting me to help with her homework (I have to be a life model for her drawing!) I guess I can't really be away as much as all that. Being a Mum makes it really hard to do those types of jobs.

Hi NZ megs, I am a music industry freelance PA (well this is the best way I can sum it up). This can mean I am at home doing traditional PA stuff, expenses, diary management, itinerary planning etc but as I specialise I can also be consulting, doing PR, organising shows and event/parties, tour managing (hence being on the road), promoting, stage managing etc. No two days are the same. I also go to clients and act as office manager/PA for a couple of music companies. Keeps me busy - found a niche and thanks to winning back over £7000 on my bank charges a couple of years ago gave me the guts to leave my cushy full time role!

itssnowtime - good luck with the interviews!

Horace - I agree re the BMI, all seems a little bit indoctrinated to me...

Hope everyone else is escaping the rain. Its bloody miserable today...
x

Horace

Ally - I admit that I am slightly envious of your job.

Well I haven't managed to dodge the grizzle that we have here - you can't call it drizzle:rolleyes: I don't have sat nav in my car and relied upon Streetmaps to get to a wedding venue this morning but I wasnt helped by them not answering their phone so I want up this bloomin' steep hill, managed to find somewhere to stop, rang up the venue - no response, then figured that I had made a wrong turn somewhere so it was back down the skanky hill 25mph all the way - pulled onto a pub carpark in Forcester and had a chat with a handy electricity man, the venue (they answered the phone this time) and asked the folks at the pub if I could use their loo:rolleyes: Had to turn back on my self and go up said skanky hill for the second time and take the road that I had turned around in and even then the venue gave me slightly wrong directions - I arrived a little late (about 10 mins) and got shown round but was I offered a drink? No I flippin' well wasnt!:mad: I hate it when you get invitations from venues to look around and then they don't have the courtesy to offer a visitor a drink. Came home a different way - via Tetbury and Cirencester through towards Warwick and the M40.

I am out and about again tomorrow.:rolleyes:

Have a good day all:D

nzmegs

Today i will tell you about the wonders of a new pen! I usually take notes longhand before I write my articles - it helps me get things straight in my mind befoe the typing starts. Well today I used a new roller ball type pen (5 for £1 in tesco!!) and it is so smooth and glides across the page effortlessly. I finsihed more quickly and enjoyed it so much more. Oh and it comes in pretty green and blue and yellow stripes.
Just my little thought for the day.
4 days to go at work. I have a bit of advice to ask. I have often complained about work but what do you think I should do regardling this? When i announced I was leaving - 4 weeks ago some people suggested I should organise a get together . So I arranged a dinner (we do this as an office several times a year anyway). I didn't really say it was as a goodbye just said it would be my final chance of a night out. Around 12 people agreed to come. Now people are pulling out left right and centre and we are down to around 7 or 8 and two of those are ex-employees I keep in touch with. (this is just 5 people out of an office of 25). I get the disticnt impression people just don't want to go...
I am on the verge of cancelling it but I want to do something to celebrate my last day and want to see the people I used to work with. Does it sound like I am being snubbed? I am really disappointed as previous nights out (not organised by me) have been 15-20 people...what have I done wrong?

TCM_3

Nzmegs, I wouldn't read too much into folk cancelling - when I left my previous job, we went out for lunch to the pub across the way rather than for an evening - it suited everyone much better and we still had a lovely time. Evenings can be a bit hit or miss with me I'm afraid, sometimes I'm just that wrecked I want to just stay in and vegitate! Failing that, take lots of cake into work and have a tea party for everyone to say cheerio.

Busy today and at the weekend. The OH has been in funny form - we sell various calming products for horses in the shop and I have thought about putting some onto his cornflakes! He's not in bad form, just funny. I am a bit worried still about the Jekell and Hyde situation but all I can do is make the most of it. On a positive note, the hair is now definately sedated and is not glowing anymore!

Horace, you've had a busy day - thanks for the receipe - I had a lovely day to myself in the kitchen yesterday and have made scrummy stuff for the next few days - Jamie Oliver's lasagne for tea tonight followed by Delia's pavlova then tomorrow is roast pork with all the trimmings followed by malteeser cheesecake.

Am glad your Olivia Newtron thingumy was good Ally! I think she's fab and looks great for her age.

My cleaner came on Friday and the house was spotless - I was like a lost sheep as I did not know what to do - and she's coming again tomorrow.

Hope everyone has had a good day
T

Ps, Mabel, I am one of the £29.99 brigade! Sounds cheaper than £30!

Horace

I shouldnt fret Megs..although why you should have to organise your own leaving do is beyond me:rolleyes: I can remember when I left my last job - I was made redundant and was allowed to clear my desk (into the back of my mate's car as it was parked adjacent to the building where we worked as mine was parked a mile away) and I was virtually escorted off the premises by security as though I was a flippin' criminal:mad: I never had a leaving do - in fact I haven't set foot in that building since although I have walked past it a few times cursing it under my breath:rotfl:

One of the nicest leaving dos I had was when I left the LPC course to move to Psychology and I had arranged to go out to the pub with one of the secretaries that I worked with, so I went into her office (I worked part time so I had driven in from home) and told her to get a shift on as we would be late..she kept dillying and dallying and taking calls from people and then she announced that she was ready but first could I help her move a table in the next room - like a dumb twit I said yes and then walked into the room where all my colleagues were waiting for me - they had clubbed together and bought me a gold locket:cool: There was me thinking that I could go quietly without fuss:rolleyes:

I will try and send those magazines to you this week TCM - must remember to include the recipe for the Avalanche Homestead Coconut & Passionfruit Tart (a lovely delight that I was served at the Avalanche Homestead near Canberra).

With your OH can you put some lavender under his pillow or something - it might help to calm him down a bit:rolleyes:

Well done megs on your new pens:D

moneymabel

Thanks TCM :-)
Megs- I saw those pens in Tescos the other day and nearly bought them but reigned in my stationery addiction just in time- wish I'd bought them now!

learning_to_drive

Oh and it comes in pretty green and blue and yellow stripes.

Those Tesco pens are brilliant, really really good writers!

Horace

Another busy day for me - I visited two venues today and fell in love with one and got another business contact from it:j

The first venue I visited used to belong to Rover Group and was used for conferences - it is now a Best Western Hotel. It's not 4 star but still a pleasant place with some quirky rooms. I broached the subject of hosting wedding fairs and although they have hosted them before they don't like the work involved in organising them..so I have been asked to put a proposal together for me to organise them and what I want from the hotel - basically I want them to showcase the hotel and pay for the advertising and I will act as the booking agent for the exhibitors.:j They are also keen on the corporate business I can bring in as well as the hotel is quite secluded and really is a stunning building.

I stopped at the day spa basically to use the loo and have a coffee and slice of cake (my lunch) before heading off to Redhouse Barns - I am in love..the place is absolutely stunning and they have built a replica worcestershire barn (half timbered) and they have converted an old granary barn. The whole place has been finished to an exceptionally high standard and they can even hire you a vintage rolls royce. The timbered barn is modern inside with really posh toilets that wouldnt be out of place in a top london hotel and they have a bose sound and lighting system and staging - even the dance floor lights up and I admit to feeling as though I was on the dancefloor from Saturday Night Fever:j I came away from there with a contact - a superb caterer who is used by all the local farmers (he used to work at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London).

Tomorrow I am off to see Brad Sugars at Worcester Warriors and my lovely accountant (I hope she doesnt shout when she sees my books and my receipts:eek:).

I am busy all week:D

Hope you are all having a fab day despite the rain (its wet and warm here).

Amatheya81

Hello Thought I'd introduce myself.

I've just set up as a freelance illustrator It's a bit scary to be honest, I went to art school but then my life kinda whent screwy and I ended up in all this debt stuff
I'm really excited about what I'm doing now though and even thought I'm still going to have to do my day job for a long time yet I atleast feel as if I'm accomplishing something with my life and with any luck soon the commuissions will start rolling in.

Are there any other freelance illustrators on this thread?

BTW if you'd like to see some of my work my website is (Have removed website adress as advise but it is on my profile) still under constructions but some of my more populare characters are on there.

Horace

Hi and welcome amatheya - best remove your link from the page and put your website on your profile as your homepage and we can view it from there. Its against the forum rules to post links for personal gain. You don't want to be banned by MSE for posting personal links.

All self employment is scary - I often have days when I wonder if I am doing the right thing and then I think of the alternatives..stuck in a boring office with equally boring people working the hours they want me to work and not the hours that I want to work.

There's all sorts of folks on here although I am not sure if we have any more illustrators - I would love to be able to draw but I can only do the back end of an elephant or a stick man and that's my lot these days although if I put my mind to it I could probably draw a galleon in full sail and can copy medical diagrams.