Reply to: Luckiest contractor

[AtW]

I like you as a tenant atw. Thanks for paying off my mortgage.

But I am not stupid to live in London

[sasguru]

Actually I have never met my landlord in person, despite living in the house for over 18 months and having signed contracts for another year...

I like you as a tenant atw. Thanks for paying off my mortgage.

[AtW]

Be honest AtW, the only person you know is your landlord. And I agree, give him the cheap carp!

Actually I have never met my landlord in person, despite living in the house for over 18 months and having signed contracts for another year...

[sasguru]

What other people?

The other tramps who feed squirrels in the park

[Pinto]

Your wife

Be honest AtW, the only person you know is your landlord. And I agree, give him the cheap carp!

[AtW]

What other people?

Your wife

[Pinto]

I bring those drinks as presents to other people, not to drink myself

What other people?

[AtW]

Why Bother? Why not just ask the pilot if you can siphon some Aviation Fuel into a bucket and take it home? It will probably taste nicer than the potato vodka you purchased in the Motherland, and no doubt be better for your renal system.

I bring those drinks as presents to other people, not to drink myself

[shaunbhoy]

Everytime I bring in more than 1 bottle of alchoholic drink from Russia

Why Bother? Why not just ask the pilot if you can siphon some Aviation Fuel into a bucket and take it home? It will probably taste nicer than the potato vodka you purchased in the Motherland, and no doubt be better for your renal system.

[AtW]

I hope you paid the import duty.

Good point actually. Everytime I bring in more than 1 bottle of alchoholic drink from Russia I duly go to the red corridor in Heathrow to find noone is there, so I have to call them on the phone to declare that I have more booze than allowed (from outside of EU), normally they let me through anyway, so honest pays, isn't it Denny?

[DimPrawn]

I hope you paid the import duty.

Of course she did! Who wouldn't!

[Moscow Mule]

..., including an expensive opal I had purchased, ....

I hope you paid the import duty.

[Denny]

I was lucky enough to become a mature student at just the time when full grants were still available and a mature student allowance paid. If I'd gone to uni' any later I would have had to take out and pay back a student loan and probably not get a mature student allowance either. In fact, with my temp work at the time I probably wouldn't have gone at all.

Got a lucky break getting into my current field, based on a fornight's assignment as a temp about 3-4 years previously at the just the same place the programme interviewer was working at the time. She remembered my work and me and I didn't even have to interview, as a result. So, instead of trying hard to get my first contract gig, as many do, I was quickly elevated from temp roles paying £12 an hour max, to a role paying £40 per hour. That's one heck of a 'payrise'.

Chance meeting with an ongoing private client based on a chance cold call to a consultancy to offer my services about 10 years ago. I left my card and didn't hear from them again and never really expected to. Then, out of the blue, a couple of years later, I got a call from an ex-consultant who'd now left the same company who was setting up on his own and he asked me to work on his first report and PR strategy to get his name in the marketplace. He has been a steady client ever since.

The best comes last though:

Last year I was going through Heathrow with a friend who was meeting me and looked down at my bag trolley and found, to my absolute horror, that my small rucksack was missing. I assumed it had been 'lifted'. I had just returned from a business trip and all my work (filming tapes that were irreplaceable) and my other valuables, including an expensive opal I had purchased, my documents and passport, my purse ....everything was in it.

I retraced my steps and a minute or so later, found the little bugger lying by the door. So it must have just fallen off. Luckily, for me, the amount of fear about terrorist threats and the added security ensured that no one was about to pick up an unattended bag in case it was a bomb.

It very nearly was for me, though. A bombshell, that is....

[tay]

Attractiveness and low self esteem, the ultimate combination!

That was probably it. She lacked a lot of confidence, but I have spent years building it up, which either means

a) she will ditch me now
b) she appreciates the positive reinforcement and it has bought us closer together.

So far its all b ..

[DimPrawn]

Silly boy, should've got her knocked up.

I know!