What does a Personal Assistant do? I imagine they are a second-hand to whoever hires them. The job could be anything from picking up dry cleaning, making coffee to writing a speech and beyond. It seems like a never-ending job of running errands and performing personal services like walking the dog, grocery shopping and booking appointments.

There are times when I'd like a Personal Assistant but it's just not in the budget. Also, how would I explain everything I need done, exactly as I want it to be done? By the time I sorted out the details with someone else I could have done at least most of it myself. So, not practical for me in any case. But, what a neat career. I bet the pay is more than a department store cashier makes, with more time for coffee breaks. It may be they stand in line and have a lot of customer service to do, but they can do it with a coffee in hand.

Would you want to try the job of Personal Assistant for a day? Who would you choose to assist, assuming you get to choose of course? Likely it would be someone famous, after all those are busy/ wealthy people we know to choose from. But, a Personal Assistant could work for anyone overwhelmed with things to do willing/ able to hire someone to help them.

You would have to be bondable, very trustworthy and competent under pressure too.

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Dream Careers: Personal Assistant

As a personal assistant you have to be a good communicator, a “get things done” kind of person, and cool under pressure. Ask yourself how you handle challenges and crises in your own life. Do you fly off the handle, or do you normally take a step back and think before you react?

The best personal assistants have an ability to move comfortably in the world of wealth and fame. Your appearance, etiquette skills and even your fashion sense may factor in here. You should be persuasive, a good negotiator, and your listening skills should be above average. You should also be extremely organized, a skilled problem-solver, and understand instinctively what types of information need to be kept in confidence.

As kids, my sister used to watch horror, along with my brother. They’d get up late at night and turn the TV on with the volume low so my Mother wouldn’t wake up and catch them. My sister would have nightmares afterwards. As an adult, after she was nearly killed by a man who raped her and pounded her head into a concrete floor over and over again she changed her mind about watching horror. Now she is paranoid and even years later is afraid and has given that fear of home invasion, strangers and bad men to her son and daughters. Her children have nightmares along with her now.

I’ve been participating in a discussion about issues regarding censorship and the use of torture from the TV show, 24. How far should TV and movies be allowed to go before someone tells them to stop, they’ve taken it too far? A lot of people are against censorship, just because it restricts their rights, not because they actually want to watch all that stuff themselves. But, rights is a double edged deal. The rights of someone to see and create violence for entertainment infringes on my right to feel safe. It can be argued that TV and movies and such do not make me unsafe. However, having violence, rape, murder, torture and horror presented as entertainment every day and night, seven days a week, 365 days a year does change how they are perceived. If seeing someone brutally killed in front of you doesn’t bother you at all cause you see it every time you watch 24…. what does bother you? Where do you stop?

If someone breaks into a house, kills the family living there but gets it all on film and sells that film to be shown on TV would you watch it? If it’s on TV isn’t it entertainment? CNN showed a kid being shot in the streets (I forget where now). There was a lot of protest about them showing that. The kid really was shot, it was a real kid - it was reality. However, I’m sure that day on TV there were plenty of people shot, stabbed, raped, etc in the name of entertainment. Why isn’t it all entertainment? So what if it was a real kid? If watching people be killed is entertaining what difference does it make that one was fiction and the other was reality? All that matters is that you had fun watching, right?

What? She’s writing about dating again… Yes, she (I mean) I am. Not for any good or useful purpose. I’m not going to change the world though I humour myself and keep right on trying.

Today let’s talk about online dating etiquette. For one thing, spelling does count and punctuation does matter. I know a lot of guys (my own brother included) who write email that could have been typed by a four year old, or someone really lazy/ sloppy/ careless. Keeping in mind that this email is making your first impression, do you want to appear like a drooling idiot? I’ve come to a new conclusion actually. Men don’t care. They somehow feel dating is like flipping through a catalogue and women are just on order. This is why I’m pretty much finished with online dating but for entertainment purposes.

The other biggie in online dating etiquette is not ignoring people, deliberately. If someone sends you a reply but they don’t sound perfect enough don’t ignore them. That’s just so obnoxious. People who do this should be kept in cages with the other primates and not allowed to socialize at all. I don’t mind (too much) if someone isn’t interested in me due to my eye colour, odd hobbies or the plus sized aspect. But, have the humanity to say “thanks, but no thanks” in some nice way.

People who use no etiquette at all make dating a hell for all of us. Of course, it’s not just men who do this. (So I keep hearing men claim). Good luck. But, honestly, don’t look for the love of your life online. Join BookCrossing or something where real people meet in a group when it’s not about dating. You’re far more likely to find someone that way, when you and they least suspect it.

I know a group of useless men who will answer any question you email them. I like to come up with questions for them. Some real, some in fun but I would really like to find a question that just totally stops them in their tracks. That question that even the Useless Men and One Useful Gal finally just can’t dig up an answer for. It’s a challenge.

I’ve sent in relationship puzzles, current events and of course female questions. They handle them all, some better than others. What would you ask? Can you be the one to come up with the show stopping question to beat all questions? Give it a try, send them an email.

I don't know who originally came up with this and I doubt I have it exactly right, but here is a quote from "An American in Canada" a TV show on CBC TV.

The rich person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

I really like that.