c4countdown

As requested.

Full-time student. But I get paid so it feels like a job. I even do some work sometimes.

Retired, but still no time to get on Apterous I'm afraid.

Self employed. Start work after listening to 'Pop Master' on radio 2 at 10.30 a.m. Finish again for 'Countdown'. Quite a chilled lifestyle. No, that's unfair to myself - work any day of the week, and week ends, sometimes still at my drawing board at midnight, most of clients are in the Midlands but I live in Kent. Dammit - I work HARD!!

Self-employed entertainer. Not really work as I just play with toys and tell jokes but it keeps a roof over my head and beer in my belly.

I was a software developer for a major telecoms manufacturer for 20 years, then took voluntary redundancy in 2002 and have since been self-employed. Doing what you ask? Well, anything I can get paid for, essentially. My two biggest sources of income have been freelance typesetting and proofreading, but I've also done voiceover work, website design, and odd bits of writing and acting.

I never regretted giving up full-time employment until this year, but like everyone else I've found it tough going of late and am facing up to some grim financial realities, not least of which is that I'll probably have to get rid of my car before long. So, if anyone wants to hire me for anything (especially proofreading/copy editing, which I'm bloody good at) please get in touch.

Phil Reynolds wrote:So, if anyone wants to hire me for anything (especially proofreading/copy editing, which I'm bloody good at) please get in touch.

If I were to hire anyone for such a thing, it'd be you. Unfortunately I think it'll be a while before I'm earning enough to hire anyone for anything.

Fuck it. Can't miss a plugging opportunity. http://www.mattmorrison.co.uk if you need a website designed well and cheaply. I'm probably even more desperate for work than Phil right now.

Phil Reynolds wrote:I never regretted giving up full-time employment until this year, but like everyone else I've found it tough going of late

Ditto. More like self-unemployed for large parts of this year. I've been self-employed as a market researcher for almost 11 years and have never known things to be this tough.

Most of the work I do is business-to-business and medical-related. Probably the most interesting product I have researched (as far as most readers of this would be concerned) is one for genital warts! I went through a phase of doing a lot of 'below-the-belt' research which is how I came to know the word PRIAPIC which came in so handy in yesterday's duel.

Sue Sanders wrote:Self employed. Start work after listening to 'Pop Master' on radio 2 at 10.30 a.m. Finish again for 'Countdown'. Quite a chilled lifestyle. No, that's unfair to myself - work any day of the week, and week ends, sometimes still at my drawing board at midnight, most of clients are in the Midlands but I live in Kent. Dammit - I work HARD!!

Did you hear me win a digital radio last year?

Was recently in full time education with a lame part time job to help fund it - now I've just got a lame part time job. Finding it very hard to get a full time job at the minute.

Ah, stupid poll. I need two options! Full and part time.

Ian Volante wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:Self employed. Start work after listening to 'Pop Master' on radio 2 at 10.30 a.m. Finish again for 'Countdown'. Quite a chilled lifestyle. No, that's unfair to myself - work any day of the week, and week ends, sometimes still at my drawing board at midnight, most of clients are in the Midlands but I live in Kent. Dammit - I work HARD!!

Did you hear me win a digital radio last year?

I may well have done! Don't give me the answers you gave, but let me have a go at your '3 in 10'!

Sue Sanders wrote:

Ian Volante wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:Self employed. Start work after listening to 'Pop Master' on radio 2 at 10.30 a.m. Finish again for 'Countdown'. Quite a chilled lifestyle. No, that's unfair to myself - work any day of the week, and week ends, sometimes still at my drawing board at midnight, most of clients are in the Midlands but I live in Kent. Dammit - I work HARD!!

Did you hear me win a digital radio last year?

I may well have done! Don't give me the answers you gave, but let me have a go at your '3 in 10'!

Sheryl Crow! (took me about 9.7s...)

Ian Volante wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote: Did you hear me win a digital radio last year?

I may well have done! Don't give me the answers you gave, but let me have a go at your '3 in 10'!

Sheryl Crow! (took me about 9.7s...)[/quote]

Everyday is a winding Road : If it makes you happy...................bollocks

Hard to make a stand

Edit ; Pants - last one was after the 10 seconds. I'd need it to be older stuff - Glam Rock probably best for me

Sue Sanders wrote:Hard to make a stand

Edit ; Pants - last one was after the 10 seconds. I'd need it to be older stuff - Glam Rock probably best for me

I got two quick as well, spent the next eight seconds trying to think of the obvious first hit, then remembered the Bond theme she did and guessed the correct one...

I think there could have been better for me, but she was a lot easier than I could have got. Most things from this decade would have knackered me!

Sue Sanders wrote:Self employed. Start work after listening to 'Pop Master' on radio 2 at 10.30 a.m. Finish again for 'Countdown'. Quite a chilled lifestyle. No, that's unfair to myself - work any day of the week, and week ends, sometimes still at my drawing board at midnight, most of clients are in the Midlands but I live in Kent. Dammit - I work HARD!!

haha Sue - I work from home and I always stop for 'Pop Master' and CD too, phone meetings permitting.

I am expecting to be made an offer I can't refuse by my Company, so hopefully I will be retiring early (at 56) next April.

Allan Harmer wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:Self employed. Start work after listening to 'Pop Master' on radio 2 at 10.30 a.m. Finish again for 'Countdown'. Quite a chilled lifestyle. No, that's unfair to myself - work any day of the week, and week ends, sometimes still at my drawing board at midnight, most of clients are in the Midlands but I live in Kent. Dammit - I work HARD!!

haha Sue - I work from home and I always stop for 'Pop Master' and CD too, phone meetings permitting.

I am expecting to be made an offer I can't refuse by my Company, so hopefully I will be retiring early (at 56) next April.

I shall be listening today - starts in 10 mins. If you are too, let's compare scores afterwards!

Sue Sanders wrote:

Allan Harmer wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:Self employed. Start work after listening to 'Pop Master' on radio 2 at 10.30 a.m. Finish again for 'Countdown'. Quite a chilled lifestyle. No, that's unfair to myself - work any day of the week, and week ends, sometimes still at my drawing board at midnight, most of clients are in the Midlands but I live in Kent. Dammit - I work HARD!!

haha Sue - I work from home and I always stop for 'Pop Master' and CD too, phone meetings permitting.

I am expecting to be made an offer I can't refuse by my Company, so hopefully I will be retiring early (at 56) next April.

I shall be listening today - starts in 10 mins. If you are too, let's compare scores afterwards!

OK Sue - I've got it on and ready to go!

Sue Sanders wrote:

Ian Volante wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote: Did you hear me win a digital radio last year?

I may well have done! Don't give me the answers you gave, but let me have a go at your '3 in 10'!

Sheryl Crow! (took me about 9.7s...)

Everyday is a winding Road : If it makes you happy...................bollocks[/quote]

I think I heard it too - The only one I would have got is. 'All I Wannna Do'

First set of questions - Kinks questions worked well for me as I got all 18 points from that. 24 in total that round though I think Ken would have given me one point for knowing Dawn singer's first name, so 25.

Sue Sanders wrote:First set of questions - Kinks questions worked well for me as I got all 18 points from that. 24 in total that round though I think Ken would have given me one point for knowing Dawn singer's first name, so 25.

Grrr - I dipped out - Only got 9 - Come Dancing and Tony Orlando

Total crap - I only got 6 on the second set after getting the first two right. Then only got one in 3 in 10 - '24 hrs from Tulsa' I bow to your superiority today Sue

Allan Harmer wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:First set of questions - Kinks questions worked well for me as I got all 18 points from that. 24 in total that round though I think Ken would have given me one point for knowing Dawn singer's first name, so 25.

Grrr - I dipped out - Only got 9 - Come Dancing and Tony Orlando

Ha - Only 9 for my 2nd round. I would definitely have chosen no1's from the 70's instead of 'Verses'. Couldn't get 'The Black Eyed Boys' into my head in time for Paper Lace song and chose wrong Eddie Grant hit.

But, for 3 in 10, got 24 Hours from Tulsa and Something's Gotta Hold of My Heart, and if 'The Days of Pearly Spencer' is one, I got that!

Edit. Hmmm - just googled Days of PS. I thought Gene Pitney collaboratedcon that with Marc Almond, as he did for Something's Gotta Hold, but it seems not.

Think we better start a thread on Games and Quizzes before we get the backs of our knees slapped!
Maybe catch you tomorrow!

Sue Sanders wrote:

Allan Harmer wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:

But, for 3 in 10, got 24 Hours from Tulsa and Something's Gotta Hold of My Heart, and if 'The Days of Pearly Spencer' is one, I got that!

Yes I would def have picked 70's No 1's . I just looked it up and he did 'Somethings Gotta Hold of My Heart' with Marc Almond and not 'Pearly Spencer' - which I think is a classic song

Welll done, Sue

Ta. But as you can see in my different scores between rounds 1 & 2, I'm not confident in my ability so daren't try it on the radio! I'm still beating myself up for not getting a Souixie and the Banshees lyric on 'Punky Monkey' 4 years on Jonathan Ross's very light hearted quiz!

New thread set up in 'Games and Puzzles'.

I put 'other' rather than 'unemployed', since the latter sort of implies that you're looking for paid employment, which I'm not.
So the direct answer to "Who Butters Your Bread" is "the UK taxpayer", as I live on state benefits. I often put 'homemaker' on the 'occupation' part of official forms, as it seems to best fit, although it does sound a little twee IMHO. I am a carer for my disabled son, but putting 'carer' might seem to imply that you're paid to look after others, although I do get a small Carer's Allowance.

I'm a divorced single mum with 5 children, 3 of whom are still dependent on me, tho eldest 2 are adults, but still live at home with me.

While I was married, my then husband worked, and I occassionally had various lowly part time jobs to help make ends meet.

I'm a graduate (Maths - but decades ago!), and always intended starting a proper career once my youngest one started school. However, the special needs of my fourth child became apparent as his toddlerhood came to an end. He was diagnosed with ASD and SLD, and, at 14, he still requires a lot of looking after, so seeking employment is out of the question. I now teach him, and my youngest son, at home, but even when they were at school, I was often called in during the school day to take him home, so holding down a job would've been impossible.


I suppose I shouldn't feel the need to justify myself, but nobody likes to feel that others might regard them as a scrounger!
I do feel lucky to live in a country where not having paid employment (not 'not working', since I work extremely hard bringing up, caring for and educating my children) is a possibility for me. There are many things wrong with the UK government, but the benefits available, if you genuinely need to live off the state, are not bad. The disability allowances that I get for Robert, I partly give up in order to have a Motability car, which otherwise I could not afford, and his disability also means that I get higher rates of most of the other benefits that I claim. Still not a huge amount, but hardly subsistence either.

Since you rave about Home Ed Julie, what do you think you would do if your son didn't have a disability, and you weren't able to live off benefits as you do?

Jon Corby wrote:Since you rave about Home Ed Julie, what do you think you would do if your son didn't have a disability, and you weren't able to live off benefits as you do?

That's a bit 'Daily Mail', Jon.

Jon Corby wrote:Since you rave about Home Ed Julie, what do you think you would do if your son didn't have a disability, and you weren't able to live off benefits as you do?

A bloody good question, Jon! Honest answer, is "I'm not sure".

Although I have grown to love Home Ed, Robert's being unable to cope with school was one of the deciding factors in my decision to start. So, maybe, if he didn't have special needs, I wouldn't have ever started Home Ed and found out how great it is. Maybe I'd've had a career by then, and just tried another school for Philip, and hope he wasn't bullied there also. I'd like to think I would've made the sacrifice if things still hadn't worked out, though. Plenty of Home Edders are single parents living off ordinary benefits, although the govt are trying to encourage them into work, it's considerably more difficult.

Knowing my own limitations of how much responsibility I can cope with, I think that working (even part time or from home) on top of Home Ed would be out of the question. Still, often we don't know what we can cope with until we have to. If someone told me 15 years ago, what I'd managed to cope with over the past few years, I'd've said they were nuts! We sometimes manage to find a way to do stuff if we want to enough.

Sue Sanders wrote:

Jon Corby wrote:Since you rave about Home Ed Julie, what do you think you would do if your son didn't have a disability, and you weren't able to live off benefits as you do?

That's a bit 'Daily Mail', Jon.

Thanks for that Sue!
I did think it was a fair point, though.

Sue Sanders wrote:

Jon Corby wrote:Since you rave about Home Ed Julie, what do you think you would do if your son didn't have a disability, and you weren't able to live off benefits as you do?

That's a bit 'Daily Mail', Jon.

Really? It wasn't loaded or anything - it was a genuine question. If Home Ed is fantastic (I have no opinion either way really) it occurred to me that it probably isn't even an option for many families. I wondered if Julie agreed with that, which it seems she kinda does (thanks for your reply Julie)

Jon Corby wrote:Really? It wasn't loaded or anything - it was a genuine question. If Home Ed is fantastic (I have no opinion either way really) it occurred to me that it probably isn't even an option for many families. I wondered if Julie agreed with that, which it seems she kinda does (thanks for your reply Julie)

I think you overlooked the fact that Sue is the champion of the people, which means defending people who don't need defending and agreeing with people who have no point, just as long as they're not members of the In Crowd.

From other threads, some of you will have gathered that I worked for Bradford Council for 32 years before leaving on a redundancy / managed early retirement package last November.

A rest and several unsuccessful job applications later, I started full time with West Yorks Fire & Rescue Service in early August.

Jon Corby wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:

Jon Corby wrote:Since you rave about Home Ed Julie, what do you think you would do if your son didn't have a disability, and you weren't able to live off benefits as you do?

That's a bit 'Daily Mail', Jon.

Really? It wasn't loaded or anything - it was a genuine question. If Home Ed is fantastic (I have no opinion either way really) it occurred to me that it probably isn't even an option for many families. I wondered if Julie agreed with that, which it seems she kinda does (thanks for your reply Julie)

Well, that's cool then.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Jon Corby wrote:Really? It wasn't loaded or anything - it was a genuine question. If Home Ed is fantastic (I have no opinion either way really) it occurred to me that it probably isn't even an option for many families. I wondered if Julie agreed with that, which it seems she kinda does (thanks for your reply Julie)

I think you overlooked the fact that Sue is the champion of the people, which means defending people who don't need defending and agreeing with people who have no point, just as long as they're not members of the In Crowd.

Fractious.

Sue Sanders wrote:Well, that's cool then.

Yes.

Cool.

That's what it is.

Cool calhoun calhoun.

Looking for a job at the mo. I literally have no money so I've been rationing what's left in my cupboard and having two meals a day, excluding leftovers that my housemates put in the 'Ben Bowl (TM)'. It's not as depressing as it sounds, though it will be if it goes on for ages.

Ben Hunter wrote:Looking for a job at the mo. I literally have no money so I've been rationing what's left in my cupboard and having two meals a day, excluding leftovers that my housemates put in the 'Ben Bowl (TM)'. It's not as depressing as it sounds, though it will be if it goes on for ages.

You should go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem mate, I hear that's basically free.

After watching that episode of Derren Brown the other day, has anyone considered taking up begging full time?

I am both in full-time education and part-time employment, and have been for two years. Student by day, general Waitrose lackey by evening. Stop sponging off us honest tax payers.

(I should point out I don't earn enough to pay tax, woot!)

Full-time for me, 36.25 hours per week. Though when my Grandma was 12, she went part-time in the mill, which was 36 hours. The year later, she went full-time, 60 hours. 1909-10, that was. (PS - they had very strict rules on the use of the Internet in works time, as well.)

Full-time undergraduate at UCL. Part-time flyer-hander-outer and part-time library assistant. The latter is far more enjoyable.

I am a full time student and a semi-professional poker player

Jack Morgan's a professional gambler and he also dabbles in the stock market.

Ben Hunter wrote:Looking for a job at the mo. I literally have no money so I've been rationing what's left in my cupboard and having two meals a day, excluding leftovers that my housemates put in the 'Ben Bowl (TM)'. It's not as depressing as it sounds, though it will be if it goes on for ages.

Just had a thought, Ben. If you're looking for any job, to earn a bit of money, rather than a career, have you talked to Dinos about whether there are any vacancies at the cinema where he has a part-time job? IIRC you both live in Sheffield, or am I on the wrong track?

I hope things have improved for you, anyway.

Read Biological and Medicinal Chemistry, designed operating system architecture for mainframes for 7 years during which I had an emergency liver transplant (at 25) and reassessed my life a bit, read Human Biology, had a baby and now run a B&B. I'm planning to do a PhD in immunology though when he starts school in two years. With reference to the above home ed bit, a B&B's a great way to be at home with small kids and still make money.

Self-employed then but like many have ticked most of the above boxes at some point.

Andrew Hulme wrote:I am a full time student and a semi-professional poker player

Cool. Do you ever think you'll ever try turning pro?

Lesley Hines wrote:Read Biological and Medicinal Chemistry, designed operating system architecture for mainframes for 7 years during which I had an emergency liver transplant (at 25) and reassessed my life a bit, read Human Biology, had a baby and now run a B&B. I'm planning to do a PhD in immunology though when he starts school in two years. With reference to the above home ed bit, a B&B's a great way to be at home with small kids and still make money.

Self-employed then but like many have ticked most of the above boxes at some point.

Good luck with the PhD, Lesley!

Thanks for the idea of the B&B, but, with 5 kids, I could do with more bedrooms, rather than renting any out!
I've also been recommended the idea of childminding, but, there again, I really have enough to cope with. Plus, as my 14 year old is severely autistic as well as learning disabled, although I love him to bits, I doubt that it'd be easy to find parents happy to leave their kids with us. Lodgers, if that were an option anyway, would find him difficult to live with. Rather a disruption for Robert to have strangers in the house, also.

I'm more or less resigned to living on benefits for the foreseeable future anyway, so not looking for work at all.


Edit: Just realised that you may have been talking in general terms about possible careers for Home Edders, not me in particular! Thought you were referring to me, since I'd mentioned it in this thread as well as elsewhere. Yup, many do B&B or childminding, or other self-employed work they can do from home and fit in around their day, as and when possible.

Jimmy Gough wrote:

Andrew Hulme wrote:I am a full time student and a semi-professional poker player

Cool. Do you ever think you'll ever try turning pro?

Ditto with the cool. A guy, who used to play a weekly cash game with me, turned pro a few years back and seems to be doing alright (http://www.pocketfives.com/profiles/allinstevie). I think Jon Stitcher is a professional player too.

Jimmy Gough wrote:

Andrew Hulme wrote:I am a full time student and a semi-professional poker player

Cool. Do you ever think you'll ever try turning pro?

Well, to be honest, I basically am now. Only said semi cos I go to uni at the same time.

C4C poker night anyone?

Matt Morrison wrote:C4C poker night anyone?

I'm waiting for Charlie to add it as a variant.

Julie, my money from the jam-roll finally came through so things aren't as tight now thankfully.

Michael Wallace wrote:

Matt Morrison wrote:C4C poker night anyone?

I'm waiting for Charlie to add it as a variant.

We were talking about Texas Hold 'Em goatdown a bit back, it sounded cool.

Ben Hunter wrote:Julie, my money from the jam-roll finally came through so things aren't as tight now thankfully.

Good news! Thanks for letting us know.

Jimmy Gough wrote:

Andrew Hulme wrote:I am a full time student and a semi-professional poker player

Cool. Do you ever think you'll ever try turning pro?

So you're basically saying this.