3305 days ago
The largest holding that Real Man has in its portfolio is Optibiotix (OPTI). At 34.5p we are, quite amazingly, looking at a 300% profit (plus warrants) on our initial investment. The size of the holding is, I admit, a trifle frightening as are the gains. But although we have advised readers to bank gains we are not doing that ourselves. Are we mad? I think not.
3462 days ago
Monday’s free pizza and booze seminar at Real Man is looking like a celebration day and so thanks to the sponsorship of Chapel Down, the producers of the absolutely fabulous English (better than your Froggy muck) champers there is a glass of fizz for each attendee as we raise a loyal toast to Rob Terry for providing us all with such entertainment.
I shall be talking about Quenron the End game – something that is moving closer at a rate of knots. But as a new bonus we now have as well as MX Oil, Interquest and Obtala Resources a presentation by Madagascar Oil – a stock I really like. To grab your seat – there are a few of 50 left - just email your name and address now to [email protected]
3562 days ago
The Real Man year-end is just five weeks away. We are a private company and so it makes not a blind bit of difference to us. Sure we have to fill in a few forms which we will do. But does it impact on our behaviour? Not in the slightest. How different life is at a PLC where what is termed "window dressing" takes place. What odd things it makes folks do.
3694 days ago
Long time readers will know that I face a perennial battle with my weight. My scales are broken and so I am reduced to monitoring the great fight by trouser size. At my fat bastard peak I was a 44 inch waist (19 stone six). Awful. My fighting weight sees me in 32 inch waist trousers and at just over 14 stone – that is easily a normal Body Mass Index.
Being a real man I loathe shopping for clothes but reluctantly agreed with the Mrs that a new pair of black jeans was needed last week. I ventured into Top Man and nervously wondered what size to try on. 32 inches was not an option, I am aware that I have put on a few pounds. Rather timidly I tried on a 36. And they seemed to fit so I quickly invested £30 and scuttled out as fast as I could.
Five days into my Spartan, in sympathy with my obese three legged cat Oakley, diet and off the sauce it strikes me that the situation is not as bad as first feared. My trousers are falling down. That is the first bit of good news. The second is that I am rather enjoying being off the sauce, I am more productive and feel less tired. I am also avoiding my other great weakness, cheese. Carrots are not that bad really.
The bad news is that I must again trot along to Top Man and splash out another £30 as I am clearly a 34. At this rate a 32 beckons by the time I have completed some April walking in Greece.
As for Oakley…do not ask. He is really not taking this seriously at all.
3979 days ago
This is all a bit embarrassing. I think I sacked the wrong person and did so five minutes into her career. But she had some funny views about women and washing up. Anyhow.
The one English bird who works at Real Man said that she was going on holiday and might not come back. Then she said she was. Before she could change her mind again I arrived at the conclusion that her English attitude to work was rather grating. I am with John Bercow on this one and she was toast. And so I set out to replace her and adverts went up.
As per usual, not one Brit applied but instead a raft of degree educated Spaniards, Italians and Eastern Europeans. Two were summonsed in for interview and they look rather similar. The Spanish one has poor English and has said that she will prove her worth, notwithstanding this, by working a week for free – she started yesterday. The Hungarian was set to start today.
At around 12 the latter turned up. I asked her to do a bit of washing up pro tem and she refused. “Washing up is men’s work” she insisted. I could see that we were not going to be soul mates. And as that was part of the job description as I had explained to her in full the day before I was a bit flummoxed. And so I fired her, convinced that I had just fired the Spanish bird and wondering what the Hungarian would be like.
A few minutes later a woman with a strong Spanish accent popped in…”remember me?” er…cripes. I appear to have fired someone not after 1 day (unpaid) but after 5 minutes (unpaid). A new record.
But I ask you dear reader, a woman who thinks that only men should do washing up?
