Upgraded

I finally got a new computer. I am elated, despite the shaky internet connection I am being forced to endure. I plan on figuring out WTF is up with that later tonight.

After 5 years of kicking the shit out of my computer for approximately 16 hours a day it gets to ease its way into retirement. Usage will be restricted to iTunes and an occasional browsing of the internets.

Tomorrow the wardrobe gets upgraded. New work clothes and shoes.

Unusually enough, my life is moving a little bit faster than I am comfortable with. Basically, I am about to get slapped in the face by the Slovak Republic.

Maybe a month of sitting at home practicing the language and researching more about culture would have been worth it.

Fuck that.

A fitting analogy would be when one is partaking in alpine sports. It's always a great time but sometimes you get going a little bit too fast and relinquish more control than you would like to admit, than is probably safe. You feel yourself leaning back on your board as it begins to take off beneath you. The wind starts to burn on your face a little bit more and you squint your eyes. Snow flies in the air with every carve you make, scarring the pristine hill in your wake. You breathe in and forget to breathe out.

Sometimes you need to dump some speed, turning the plank(s) to which you are strapped, perpendicular to the undoubtedly steep fall line. Most of the time however, you continue accelerating down the hill, because while it might be a little dangerous, it is exhilarating as shit. Even when you do fall, usually you just slide around for a bit and pop back up.

Falling hurts the most when you are standing still.

Comings and Goings

The last week or so has been extremely tumultuous.

Not because of exams, while school is stressful at times, it is manageable because you know what you need to do to get by. At least that's how I see it.

This is a different kind of angst that I have not felt for awhile, and I don't think ever this intensely.

The "Real World Kingston" has run its course. I am taking vindication in the notion that the difficulty I experienced in leaving, is a symptom of the great times I have had in the 1460 days or so prior.

So many cliche expressions apply, but I'll save their use for those less articulate than myself. Rather than attempt to rehash how I feel and describe the emotional turmoil through which I find myself currently wading, I will say thanks to those of you have taken the time to interact with me over the last four years, no matter how small. You have no idea how you have impacted me (I probably don't even have that much of an idea, self awareness is something I struggle to attain) and I would like to think I am a better person for having had the opportunity to meet you. I only hope I was able to provide you with some value in return.

I have been rather productive this morning setting up my home-base in Ottawa. The anxiety has not been quelled yet however, I have to spend this week streamlining my life and preparing to move to Slovakia!




ASIDE: I've been thinking about an idea a lot lately. Anxiety is a physical feeling. How you choose to perceive/frame the anxiety is up to you. When I find I am nervous, or when I find I am excited it is really the same physical sensation. When I am nervous I am just choosing to experience the anxiety through one particular frame, when I am excited, my attitude filters the sensation in a completely different way. Nervousness and excitement are part of the same spectrum. That being said, I'm learning that choosing to be excited is not always so easy.

The Important Issue of Houseplants

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2009/03/clean-fresh-air-with-these-three-common-houseplants-kamal-meattle/

I have been surprisingly busy lately, for having nothing to do. I got to spend some great time with family, which was really special. It's weird to think that I won't be seeing some of them for a pretty significant amount of time.

I am thinking a lot about work and the big move. I am getting excited but trying to focus on my last few days in Kingston. I keep telling myself that I am going to work very hard and be successful. I desperately want to, but I just keep asking myself "what if you can't do it?" I know that's bullshit. I'm going to run that show.

I am not actively trading right now, I picked up a few semiconductors on Thursday that have made me some money. I am going to read some news and do a little charting but most of my energy needs to be used spending time with my friends and appreciating the last four years.

I am stoked to work, when it is time to do that.

Some Thoughts About Some Things to Come

It's not really organized in any particular fashion:

I am getting more excited about moving. I practiced some Slovak today.

I like the idea of taking only the essentials. When my friends computer broke, he lost all his music. I have had some of this music for far too long. I think it acts a good barometer. Even cutting down on clothes will be great.

Reboot.

I think a lot about my upcoming job. I want to be good at it. I need to put that into practice so I can reap the rewards.

I am excited about having found a way to separate work and trading hours. I know I will be busy at first but that will give me time to keep learning when I can, and build up some capital.

I will build up capital by being great at my job.

I need to be awesome at sales.

I am excited for 6 Euro liters of vodka.

I like the idea of improving my blog.

In my immediate future, I need to sleep.

A New Tale

I need to focus. This blog is lame, exceptionally third tier, if I do say so myself. Given my upcoming drastic change in living situation (1 week of undergrad left, then moving to Bratislava Slovakia shortly thereafter), I feel a new purpose might be in order.

It sounds uber-weak to say that I am about to start a new chapter of my life, but it's true, and I don't want to waste time looking for a better way to say it. I have a lot to learn and I am sure that I will find myself in predicaments that at present, remain unfathomable. I am going to blog about those experiences.

I am going to keep "Stacking Bills" or "Counting Scrilla'" as a permanent theme, and I think it will only become more relevant as I find myself the recipient of a very incentive-laden contract that will reward good work.

I think documenting what I do with this money is really important to my financial wellbeing, accountability is clutch. I am afraid however, that this blog might get bogged down with financial nonsensery. It will of course then remain contingent on how active I am in the management of my funds. At this point I find myself extremely apprehensive about trying to forecast my short term future.

For my friends and family who want to know what I am up to, hopefully this will more than suffice. If you come visit me then we can share stories.

I want to do a lot of Live-Blogging. I think it is kind of my style, very attention-deficit disorder. Especially if I am traveling a lot, which is something I want to do.

It is a means of communication. Give me feedback. Let me know if you are going to be in my neighborhood.





















I'm joining the 31 days to a better blog, with my buddy @problogger. Pretty sweet. Task one is setting a mission for this blog. My marketing professor said you always needed to serve somebody. So I tried to figure that out. That's what prompted this post, by the way.

Takin' a Study Break

I'm ignoring the markets, and going to slowly liquidate the majority of my positions. It's exam season! Can't be stressin' about the markets.

That does not mean I'm going to stop blogging, or reading. Speaking of reading, just finished the behemoth that was Atlas Shrugged. Good book.

Slackin' Hard - Bear Gets Bitch Slapped

Forgive my absence, loyal reader. It's the last week of classes and I'm finding myself spending a lot of time focusing on stuff that is not blogging. I had to hammer out a few assignments and I've been putting in a lot of work on Atlas Shrugged, almost finished. I have been ignoring Twitter and my portfolio, I am having trouble caring. The exposure is small. I am going to take the weekend, and examine what I think is going to happen and either average down in my shorts or cut some losses or look for some big time longs, if we are in fact in something of a bull run.

Video Fun

I'm watching stock market video analysis and folding laundry.

Alphatrends and tickerville, check out the blogroll.

Long ATHR

I put in a limit order to buy at $15.38

The market is "melting up" whatever that means, and I am predominantly short. Rather than sell of my shorts, I'm going to try my hand at hedging. The idea is to buy longs to offset the loss in shorts. Sell the longs when things turns around and watch the shorts go green again.

I'm now using bestfreecharts.com and it is awesome.

Here's why I picked ATHR and why I picked 15.38 as a price:

I wanted a stock that would go up in this melt up/short squeeze. ATHR has over 10% of it's float as short. That's significant. It is also a high beta stock so it should be a little more volatile. It has been gaining momentum and the sector is relatively strong. The recent PPT upgrade is the final nail.

With regards to technicals, I looked at it over various time frames. The long term charts look good and it looks like it's coming off a bottom with an upward moving 5MA that just busted through the 20MA. After the run up this morning I wanted to wait for it to come back to the VWAP before getting long again. This should save me 40 cents from when I originally wanted to buy the stock. The order I put in is just below/on the VWAP.

This is the first time I have used a 5 minute chart to really time an entry based on a lot of indicators. It sounds stupid but I feel really good about this and hopefully things continue to run up, if not I'll cut the stock at 15.28

300*(0.10)=30 as maximum loss. I think this could really run up to 19 or so on a sustained run so I might even dip in a little extra early incase my order is too low. I don't usually use limit orders.

UPDATE: I'm going to cancel the order if the S&P fails to hold 804.

UPDATE II: Didn't dip low enough, missed my entry. Oh well, plenty of other opportunities.