Does Letterman still have that segment? It's been years since I watched him. Or was it Leno that had them?
Anyway. I don't really have a stupid human trick, but I've discovered something really weird.
I'm good at taking minutes. And I actually kinda enjoy it.
I was an administrative assistant for two years, part-time, and that was part of my mandate for one of those years. I took minutes at executive council meeting, joint council meetings and the occasional official meeting between the student staff and the professional staff. Holy crap, did I take minutes. Some of those meetings lasted from 5 p.m. until, like, midnight or later. And when my laptop failed, as it did on a couple of occasions, I had to take those minutes by hand. But I thought I'd given all that up when that particular job ended.
Ha! Because I enjoy it, I volunteered to do it again. The York Colleges Guild of Bell Ringers needs a new constitution, and they had the first planning meeting tonight after practice. It was pretty obvious that no one else was thinking of writing down much about what was said, so I stole a pad of paper, I stole a pen (ok, well, actually I had my own pen) and I went to work.
What a ridiculously stupid rush! It was a bit frustrating because I was at least used to a rather more organized and ordered meeting (has to be when you've got 50 people sitting around a table rather than just 11) and people tended to talk over one another, and there was no real agenda, but I think I came out of it with a set of really good, really readable minutes.
I'm doing a Master's degree in Early Modern History, which I definitely enjoy, but it's not exactly useful, is it? My one USEFUL talent is taking minutes at a ridiculously rapid pace (even more rapid when typing and ordered - I can almost get things down verbatim although the spelling is shit).
Why am I not some rich (and hot) guy's secretary?
I Am Reading
Academically: The Second Volume of the Ecclesiasticall Historie; Containing the Acts and Monuments of Martyrs, with a generall discourse of these later Persecutions, horrible troubles and tumults, stirred up by Romish Prelats in the Church… (John Foxe... and that's only the SHORT title).
For Fun: Nothing at the mo, unless you count my notes from this evening.
Anyway. I don't really have a stupid human trick, but I've discovered something really weird.
I'm good at taking minutes. And I actually kinda enjoy it.
I was an administrative assistant for two years, part-time, and that was part of my mandate for one of those years. I took minutes at executive council meeting, joint council meetings and the occasional official meeting between the student staff and the professional staff. Holy crap, did I take minutes. Some of those meetings lasted from 5 p.m. until, like, midnight or later. And when my laptop failed, as it did on a couple of occasions, I had to take those minutes by hand. But I thought I'd given all that up when that particular job ended.
Ha! Because I enjoy it, I volunteered to do it again. The York Colleges Guild of Bell Ringers needs a new constitution, and they had the first planning meeting tonight after practice. It was pretty obvious that no one else was thinking of writing down much about what was said, so I stole a pad of paper, I stole a pen (ok, well, actually I had my own pen) and I went to work.
What a ridiculously stupid rush! It was a bit frustrating because I was at least used to a rather more organized and ordered meeting (has to be when you've got 50 people sitting around a table rather than just 11) and people tended to talk over one another, and there was no real agenda, but I think I came out of it with a set of really good, really readable minutes.
I'm doing a Master's degree in Early Modern History, which I definitely enjoy, but it's not exactly useful, is it? My one USEFUL talent is taking minutes at a ridiculously rapid pace (even more rapid when typing and ordered - I can almost get things down verbatim although the spelling is shit).
Why am I not some rich (and hot) guy's secretary?
I Am Reading
Academically: The Second Volume of the Ecclesiasticall Historie; Containing the Acts and Monuments of Martyrs, with a generall discourse of these later Persecutions, horrible troubles and tumults, stirred up by Romish Prelats in the Church… (John Foxe... and that's only the SHORT title).
For Fun: Nothing at the mo, unless you count my notes from this evening.
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I think you need to have more than typing skills to be a hot rich man's secretary I'm afraid. And though I'm not saying you don't possess skills that may benefit you more in that position, i'm just not aquanted with that side of you.:)
And about stopping by, I most definitley will. When are you going to be in the UK until?
Ok kate... I hate to say it... but you're just weird.
That said... I have something for yoooouuuu! Are you excited yet? Are ya?
Ok... so I don't actually have it in my hot little hands yet... but they've redirected trafic and assure me it's on the air plane.
Or so they say... we'll just have to see about that...
How exciting. I bet you'd make a great cute guy's secretary!
Coming from a debate nerd, this makes perfect sense to me. If you are good at rapid note-taking, you would be perfect for debate! We flow 13 speeches where people are talking faster than the micro machines dude from the 80s. We call it flowing and I have always prided myself on my flows...Sometime I will post one to the blog just to let you see...
I am proud of you, this means if it doesn't work out with the rich guy, give me a call. I have your second career already lined up!