Weekend Blogging

Sat 9:20am: Not enough sleep, so awake.
Reading lots of hilarity about Queen's Homecoming wannabes. That was unbelievably fun shit. I am reading the news, as usual, and there is talk of climate change. My thoughts on it have been discussed here before. Sorry for the relapse. Anyways, the theme is still centered around cap and trade. I remember hearing an interview on CBC with one of these so called gurus. He was different though. He said one of two things would happen: Either humans would have to very soon start thinking about the carbon footprint of their every action and live extremely strategically, or it would start to become a very significant problem with real consequences, when an incredibly innovative solution (how to cool down the sun a bit, or at least block some of it's power, for example) would appropriately mitigate the disaster.

(I wish I could name the dude, I think it was on the program "Ideas," though.

Given humanity, I'm putting my money on the latter. Focus on science and not the misguided feeling to chain yourself to a Red Wood.


Sat 11:58pm: The Story of Buda & Pest.

Before reading the Eastern Europe Lonely Planet I had no idea Budapest was originally two cities, now separated by 9 Bridges. Being in Vienna yesterday and Hungary today reminded me that while B'lava has it's charm, it also still has a long way to go. I forgot, customer service is awesome.

I daydreamed most of the way there. A hilarious parking lot technology fail. We spent the day strolling the streets. Then grabbed lunch. The rest of the day unrolled amidst Saint Steven caliber, luxurious relaxation at a giant thermal bath and spa facility. Based on Sarp's frequent attendance at this particular place, and the 2 hour drive, it's not hard to fathom this might be one of his favourite places in Europe. I have a few inclinations as to why this might be. Namely the sheer awesome of the place. Not bad, for an impromptu foray.

Hopefully I can sleep!

Sun 9:27am:

Just drinking some tea, about to watch the new episode of The Office. Nothing to see here. Plans for the day include homemaker-esque activities to make the week ahead as simple as possible.

Sat 11:36am: About to Clean, but first...Full Disclosure:

XPH from 24.42 now @ 34.60 - Putting in a stop @32 to protect gains.
UEC from 1.66 now @ 2.66 - Sold 20% of original already at 3.11, holding for a while.
FTK from 1.83 now @ 2.07 - Sold 20% holding to 2.50 and 3 to sell more.
ENTR from 2.78 now @ 2.77 - Sold 40% around 2.94 hold until 3.50, stop @ 2.56
TGB from 2.46 now @ 2.47 - Hold, sell on a channel break with volume.
MOS from 51.12 now @ 49.21 Sold 30% at 53.45 and 30% at 54.14, remaining sell target @ 55.33
CAEI from 1.80 now @ 1.73 - Hold. Accumulate down to 1.50.
GLW from 15.64 now @14.84 - Looking to add, watching volume at current resistance.
GOOG from 496.08 now @ 296.08 -long term
SQM from 39.13 now @ 38.62- accumulating.

%5% CASH

I locked in some gains but deployed a little capital on long term holds like GOOG and SQM. The market sold off towards the end of the week. That's fine with me, it can't be green every day. We'll see what this week brings, hopefully some buying opportunities.

Mon 7:35am: I know it's not the weekend but...

Just trying to get stoked about work. I watched a movie last night called The Obama Deception. It was interesting, if not a little one-sided. It focused on the influence of a few uber-wealthy individuals and their plans for the world. Interesting, if nothing else. Time to get back to my oatmeal.

Get Ready Pollsters

It's time to vote!!

It looks like my little rant yesterday inspired a little poll over at my fave news site.

Greenovations, a $ustainable Future

Making Money off of Tree-Hugger Trends.

I'm sure this is a common thought train for a lot of people. Here's my rendition of it:

I was reading the Economist. The typical stories. Politicians espousing big green promises. The economy shits the bed.

The obvious is answer is that for green technology and a real fight against climate change, to gain any traction, it has to be financially stable. There must be a way to make renewable financially sustainable energy. It just hasn't been thought of, or developed enough yet. Science is the answer, I maintain.

I would add that there is a bonus, hidden in a convenient corollary of the above stated. While I believe it true that for a green energy source to be sustainable in the long term it must be financially viable, I also assert that if someone can solve this elaborate puzzle, the rewards will be bountiful. After all, politicians still have promises to uphold. While they rarely have expected to succeed in carrying out their word, they will be greedy to encourage your proliferation, as an energy provider in order to appear so godly.

I don't know too much about how Oligarchies in Russia work but I think this might be a stepping stone on the path to a modern day equivalent.

Today, walking home form work, I saw three of the most beautiful females I've ever seen in my life. That happens to me every day.

Day 2 of the iPod sleep cycle app was equally excellent. Here's hopin' 3's a charm.

UPDATE Sept 23: MOS dipped to 50.12 so I took advantage of the Sale and doubled my position. It's back up to over 51 now so I am happy with the purchase. I also bought a small position of SQM @39.47 I will keep accumulating this. Finally I copped a small amount of GOOG @ 496.27, now @503ish. The GOOG is for the long term. I see great things in the future.

Tuesday is the Worst Day

Here's a medley of thoughts and ideas hopefully of at least a little insight.

Hands-Down, Tuesday is the worst day of the week, according to me. Who likes to be between 20 and 40% done anything? Please forward me your tricks for feeling motivated after the initial excitement has died down and the light at the end of the tunnel is still well beyond outstretched fingertips. Seriously, I would love them.

Over the weekend I was vacuuming and cooking at the same time. I was waiting for water to boil and needed to pass the Hoover. In second year Organic Chemistry, Professor David Zechel finally made the lesson stick "Always ask, 'what's the rate determining step?'" With that in mind, I took care of the living room in short order and added my pasta promptly thereafter.

I acquired the iPhone Sleep Cycle app. Based on your movements while you sleep it wakes you up at the lightest point of your snooze within a half-hour window. Today was good but I'll report back after a more legitimate number of sample wakes.

Unfortunately as I munched my fresh dish (while the pot soaked d'uh) my appetite was lost. Bear Grills Ultimate Survivor bug meals that were airing on the Discovery Channel quelled my desire to consume immediately. He mentioned though that bugs provided, pound for pound, by far the best source of protein. It got me thinking, there must be a way to eat bugs that are delicious and not gross. The closer to chicken in every way, the better. I think the biggest thing, for me, would be that they didn't look like bugs. I would want them prepared in burritos, spreads, dips, stir fry and curry.

Aside from upscale bug cuisine making a mockery of global food shortages and world hunger, I don't have too much to say. I mean, there is some really annoying construction that significantly perturbs my commute to work, but that shit is everywhere when you think about it.

I'm going to read a book.

Full Disclosure

In addition to whatever ramblings I've dreamt about this weekend past, I'll post at the bottom, my trading portfolio and my plans for each position. My trading has been successful lately and so naturally, I'm more interested in it. I'm much more invested in things at which I am succeeding, when compared to those at which I am pulling a "Special Jack". Anyways, this is more of an abstract and lame attempt at self-management. But maybe, if I do this now, it will save me some worrying during the week, is how my train of thought rolls. In an ideal world I might even see a meagre improvement in how productive I am, ha.

Sorry about my shoddy job of creative writing this week, by the way. I have approximately 92,461 half-written blog posts. Maybe I'll do some rapid-fire blogging at a later point. Pumping about blog post after blog post. I'm vividly reminded of a female friend in high school who "dated," like that. Much more likely though, they will turn stale on my dashboard.

I was walking around town looking for English books yesterday. Not very successful. I'm not sure what I'll do when I finish my book.

I have always hated milk, chocolate exempt. Obviously. With that in mind, there are three things I like about this country: Girls, liquor prices, and Acidko. Apparently it's "Acid Milk." I don't know what that means, so I call it too delicious to name. Well, allow me to try in vain anyways: It's a hybrd milk-yogurt with a proper twang, (I loathe the word twang). It comes in all kinds of flavours. Today I accidentally bought pineapple instead of vanilla. It's blowing my mind. Another slight positive of being here, is my confidence that the winter will be a relative delight, compared to Ontario. I'm such an optimist.

Sorry for wasting your time by not saying anything of value. Full Disclosure is in progress...

In addition, this week I sold SLW and HERO. Lightning up a little here.

XPH from 24.42 now @ 34.59 - Putting in a stop @32 to protect gains.
UEC from 1.66 now @ 2.94 - Sold 20% of original already at 3.11, holding for a while.
FTK from 1.83 now @ 2.12 - Sold 20% holding to 2.50 and 3 to sell more.
ENTR from 2.78 now @ 2.85 - Sold 40% around 2.94 hold until 3.50, stop @ 2.56
TGB from 2.46 now @ 2.72 - Hold, sell on a channel break with volume.
MOS from 51.44 now @ 54.25 Sold 30% at 53.45 and 30% at 54.14, remaining sell target @ 55.33
CAEI from 1.80 now @ 1.86 - Hold. Accumulate down to 1.50.

65% CASH

UPDATE Sept 23: MOS dipped to 50.12 so I took advantage of the Sale and doubled my position. It's back up to over 51 now so I am happy with the purchase. I also bought a small position of SQM @39.47 I will keep accumulating this. Finally I copped a small amount of GOOG @ 496.27, now @503ish. The GOOG is for the long term. I see great things in the future.

Credit is due to the "Godly Folks of iBC," obviously.

Engineering Victorry

Check the bottles.

I'm feeling a small tinge of nostalgia with my hangover, or maybe last night was almost "one of those nights" (I have no idea what that means). Either way, I'm too tired to list all of my recent exploits. I'd rather reflect on past hilarity. It's my blog, remember, I'll do what I please.

My experiences with Queen's Model Parliament (QMP) were lewd, yet distinguished. A bender peppered with appearances in the House of Commons. Drunk, at three in the afternoon giving a speech about proposed political "nonsensery." That's neither here, nor there. The QMP diaries could make a book of their own. I have a particular, beautifully orchestrated victory in mind.

This particular tale occurred in a giant dining room somewhere on the first floor of the Chateau Laurier. An extravagant banquet of a dinner, complete with a keystone speaker and ice bar. The only problem, the lack of moderation hallmarking my friend group was at odds with the outrageously priced drink list. To be expected at such a formal and classy affair. Luckily, we came prepared. We innovated.

Being the capstone event, after a dramatic and drawn-out week, there were of course people bringing presents. Erik mentioned how we could exploit that. QMP is the epitome of a chach festival. It is an aggregation of self-obsessed, narcissistic, clowns, from one of Canada's finest academic institutions, who pine for the time when they can stand in front of their equally proud, suit-clad peer group and announce their views. Of course there were gifts. What better way to help each other feel important.

I'd got my hands on some wine bottle gift bags, courtesy of my lovely mother. The next step was important, which wine would we choose? It needed to be white and screw top. As two criteria critical for selection by the underaged girl demographic, there was a plethora of variety from which to choose. We returned to our hotel room a few hours later and made short work of the carefully selected bottle. Leaning forward in my chair, I held the empty wine bottle in front of me. Someone passed me a fresh bottle of Finlandia vodka. My pour was artful, spilling not a drop. I rapidly twisted the cap back on before sliding it into the slim green bag.

A few drinks later we made the short jaunt to the Chateau Laurier. Security frisked us and smiled. Presumably at my thoughtful gift bag. I walked to the bar and immediately ordered a Sprite and a glass of Orange Juice. An unusual change from my normal juiced-up swagger. Heads turned. I saw a myriad of confused looks. Undeterred, I found our table and ordered a bottle of white, which was promptly delivered in an ice bucket. From under the table I grabbed my bottle and put it into the gleaming, silver, ice repository. I spiked my drinks and smiled. Victory.

Look at your surroundings and see where you can use them to your advantage. Or just smuggle liquor everywhere you go.

It's a national holiday here, that's why I'm able to do this on a Tuesday.

Ice-Beezy.

I just discovered Iceberg Slim. I'm going to read about him voraciously for the next hour. He has grabbed my attention with phrases such as:

"You can't learn con by memorizing words. Every mark and every play of any con game is different. You have to memorize the elements of con." A sucker wants formulas he can memorize and plug into situations. He has no flow because he is so rigid in his mind. The hustler has flow because he plays for the overall game, knows the elements, can improvise and make angles where no one else sees them.

All this inspired by a post over at the Robert Greene Blog.

Happy Birthday!

Which Picture?

I guess it's both. Sorry to ruin it for you.

I knew a guy, he was pretty successful. I once had the rare privilege of sharing a few beers in his company. A few turned into a few too many. As seems to be the theme lately. I don't recall what prompted it, but he said "I worry about the small things, and the big things sort of take care of themselves."

The cognitive dissonance I experienced was impressive, given the light buzz I had going on.

I'd always thought the opposite. That when the big picture is well-maintained the details fill themselves in. Hire good people; don't micromanage. If a girl is beautiful, funny and smart she's probably a catch.

And then I got to thinking about this guys behaviour. He consistently, consistent being the operative word, did the little things. He had a car and a sweet crib.

It's important, I guess, to always look at situation in a few ways. Being able to step back to see where things are going is important. A strategic plan, with direction and achievable goals is a must, to successfully negotiate one challenge after another. When it comes to executing plans and reaching those goals, technical perfection, patience and persistence are critical to each victory. More importantly, recovering from each loss. I'm digging the idea that failure is critical to success. That seems to be pretty blatantly laid out in sales.

Basically, I'm obsessed with this website.

If you don't know who Joe Wilson is, or what he did, you read less news than me. Consider yourself, benchmarked.

UPDATE: My fave Joe Wlson website got shut down, it seems. Too libelous I guess.

Get Konected!!

If you haven't already, check it out!!

It's a project a few of my friends, with the help of a government grant have done an incredible job promoting and putting together. I'm very interested to see what it becomes.

Ultimate thanks to my main man, the editor in chief, @matthewlombardi, himself an incredibly apt wordsmith, for soliciting me an article spot. With him at the helm it's hard to imagine things getting anything but better.

The theme of the publication is "Inspiration for an Enlightened Generation." I kept the theme in mind (feeling more hungover than inspired or enlightened during most of my writing) while actively reflecting upon the recent fairly drastic changes in my way of life.

The only creative scrawling I've ever done has been more or less confined to this blog. So this foray into the world of print and PDF is a daunting leap that I was very self-conscious about making.

I'll quit stalling so you can check it out, now!!

Concluding our Case Study

I'm out!

Incase you are incredibly lazy and didn't bother to read the above link: I exited the trade that I executed on the above mentioned blog post, dated August 25. With the long weekend, there have been 9 trading sessions since that play.

Aided along with a little patience/ignorance the sum result of my wild selection criteria produced a winner. All with minimal effort. The stock in question was PETS, which I started a small position in at a price of 18.10/share. When I say small, I mean 10% of the total amount of my portfolio I was willing to a lot. No more than 10% of my total portfolio is the limit I'm personally comfortable with and would have been willing to pursue. Unfortunately, because of a crazy schedule and distractions in general I left the position somewhat neglected. Had I been more vigilant I probably could have added to the position at a good price. I had a stop in place to buy 20% at 18.03 but it never hit that low after I bought the initial entry. More careful attention to the account would have allowed me to sell portions of the shares at a time, at a few prices, to try and maximize potential while protecting downside. On the other hand I certainly didn't stress about losing money!

Today I exited the trade at $19.10/share for a cool 5.5% gain. Again, if the position had been larger I could have sold a % today and let the rest ride. The good news is, my system gets a win. I use the term system quite loosely. I have some ideas to make things better but I'm happy with the outcome, especially for the amount of work I put in. Efficiency can be a lifestyle, you see.

More on position sizing from the best of the best.

KONEKT is coming tomorrow. Stay tuned for this incredibly exciting event!!

The Jworthy Photostream

Check it out!

I will add more as I find them. All of the pictures are stolen from my friends because I'm having some serious technical issues with the USB aspect of my memory card. Therefore my own photography skills remain privy only to me.

Serendipity Deconstructed

It's funny how things happen. I'm pretty weird in some ways. Self-conscious about strange things. People judging the food that I'm buying at the grocery store is one such thing. Probably because I'm pretty quick to check out what other people are consuming. And not always for culinary inspiration.

It happened today. A vehement exposure to the phobia. There was potential for disaster, but everything sort of worked out. It's not quite that simple though, I'm afraid.

The usual Saturday sees me clinging to the bed, couch, kitchen table or some combination of all three. Depending on the variable degree of debauchery that occurred in the 12 hours prior, my behaviour is undeniably affected. This morning I awoke in a haze; a little lighter of a fog than usual. To my surprise. I had no food in my house save a bag of almonds. They're smaller and more chewy than in Canada. If in this instance, my cupboards had been stocked, I likely would have gorged on the most substandard foods in my pantry (I don't really have a pantry). Alternatively, I would have limped and lugged myself to the grocery store, where I would have bought frozen foods and microwavable shit. Just another day in the life. These are the times when my fears really get amplified. When I'm a hypocrisy.

I was about to head to the store to fill a cart with caloric garbage. I say cart because baskets are difficult to come by. I remembered about a bag of oatmeal. At this pivotal point, I decided that because I felt relatively well, I would eat the oatmeal instead of running for pre-packaged sandwiches. I'm glad I did. I threw in a mammoth glass of tea for good measure. I decided to go to the "supermarket" anyways. I was in the mood. Furthermore, the prospect of lunch and Sunday loomed.

A moment of fear. I didn't have the right coin to get a cart. By divine intervention, I managed to snipe one of the only baskets in the place. My ability to carry goods, and my trip itself, would have been crippled had I not found this conveniently placed plastic rectangular food-hold. Examining my list, I navigated from the bananas, -To the milk, to the chicken breasts and frozen vegetables. All with ruthless efficiency. A rapidly diminishing hangover, and original healthy choices catalyzed a zest about me that helped spawn further healthy choices. My basket brimming of foodstuffs was closer to that of an athlete than a couch potato. I think that's the way I should try and appear, regardless of what's the truth.

I found a short line. Then rested my basket of low-carb options, on the ground. As I admiringly and narcissistically placed my soon-to-be purchases on the conveyor belt, someone was asking me a question. I spun around. A supermodel pointed at my basket. She said a string of words I couldn't interpret. I understood the gist of what she was saying though. I told her I didn't understand and offered her the coveted-basket. She spoke English. We chatted briefly about how lucky I was to have the only basket in the store.

I looked at my food and smiled. I don't care if she saw it; the principle provides me an odd vindication. Because of one positive choice an experience seemingly completely unrelated went much better than it originally might have. The implications are everywhere. Or maybe I'm overanalyzing mundane stuff to fish for theories. I guess that's the scientific method though.

Anyways, just another piece of fodder in the war of attrition that is this blogging game. Nothing to see here. Just trying to wrack up my 10,00 hours. Thanks for enduring.

The Unfamiliar Potraviny

This post is about critically and quickly exploring your ideas and random thoughts.

I was on a walk, you see. I made a left turn onto the bumpy sidewalk of a main thoroughfare. In my experience, Slovak pavement work has a long way to go. Anyways, it's a street I've walked many times, always in one direction. It was weird when I saw a Potraviny that looked unfamiliar. It was petty big too. It's good to know where these things are in your neighborhood.

I thought about it, why hadn't I seen this before? I've been here a thousand times? What's different?

Then it clicked, today was the first time I walked the street in the opposite direction. I always get off the tram at this stop. Since I don't buy tickets for the tram, I always peer out one window, watching vigilantly for ticket inspectors. It gives me something to do. And distracts me from the paranoia of people looking at you and speaking in a foreign language.

The end result is that I only look out one side of the tram, studying only one side of the street. But wait, I go to and from work so I look out both windows equally. Except, this Potraviny is nearby my final tram stop. I disembark the tram, take a right turn off the bumpy sidewalk, and I'm on my way. In the morning, I go to the next stop on the line. It's a few minutes further but not much. A slightly obtuse triangle can be drawn between my house and the two stops. The reason for the foray, is because an additional tram swings by my penultimate stop. And in the morning, I'm always paranoid of being late for work so the more chances to hook a street-car the better.

I finally discovered that ignored patch of city, an obscure manifestation of my habits.

Oh yeah, Potraviny is the Depenneur of Slovakia.

Asinine argument or mildly interesting case study? You decide.

The Betty Story

I was having trouble with a personal assistant (PA). In America, they don't mess around. It was this girl named Betty, alright? The gatekeeper. The line between me and a hot lead, and Euros. With Betty manning the receiver I was banging my head on a wall of "I can offer you her voicemail." Which Betty repeated with metronomic consistency in the most robotic, least engaging tone I've ever heard. No matter what I could think to say. Enter Raoul.

After 3 minutes Betty was apologizing to him.

I'm exposing myself much more than I'm comfortable with, when I bestow praise on this guy. As the only other person in the office sharing a Canadian passport we had a mutual and natural affinity, maybe because of our tolerance of extreme climate following life in Ontario, or more likely our proximate arrival dates. The near-constant exposure, has resulted in my becoming somewhat inured, or desensitized, to the numbers he puts up and perpetual trash he talks. All that said, he pulled out some Jedi mind tricks shit.

It didn't go well at first. Betty came out hard with her usual battery of "I can offer you her voicemail." I smiled sadistically to myself -But then, a fast flurry of questions were exchanged. Each posed with increasing intolerance for inefficiency. After what I thought was a losing battle, our friend Raoul had the PA unroll a red carpet on his way to the office of the decision maker. It took him five or six pointed questions in a query fueled quarrel that lasted a full few minutes. I expect to take heat, for such blatant praise. It's a testament to how legit the performance was, I guess.

Next time he offers his immediate assistance, or need to prove self-worth, I'll remember to tape it.

I guess the lesson is persistence prevails at every encounter, no matter how small. I would also probably be well-served to remain more astute

A Wikipedia Tour of Rural Slovakia

Due to some technical beef between my memory card and USB ports I am going to have to chill on the pictures for now. Unlucky for you, really. It's a lot of boring scenery mixed in with some drunken hilarity.

As an overall trip, the whole thing worked out perfectly. It was a near 10/10 with regards to logistical perfection and exceeding expectations. Caveat: I generally have low expectations these days. Seriously, when Jozef picked us up at the Poprad train station, somewhere around Friday midnight it all just felt right. He threw open his trunk to reveal an idle machete. Quickly, he brushed it aside. Then obscured it under our backpacks and duffel bags. We saw bear cubs on the way to the cottage. Thoughts of which would haunt me on hikes to follow. Our Slovak fluent friend Erika, lined-up a sweet crib in the small mountain town of Zdiar. Truth be told, homeboy Jozef was an ideal host and the perfect personification of my experiences in the 2 days that followed. Without a native Slovak though we would have been knee deep in shit creek, no doubt. Paddle-less, of course.

The trip changed my perceptions of Slovakia, seriously. A rural mountain village nestled adjacent the Polish border contrasts, much more than it compares with Bratislava. Upon arriving, it was immediately apparent the place we rented was awesome. Outside, the milky way glimmered above. At 896m elevation the big dipper shone directly ahead on the horizon. I had sort of forgotten what stars looked like, or maybe more accurately what stars feel like.

The next days Vancouver-esque climate deflated our motivation to hike. We found a cool cave to explore, which, by nature, was out of the rain. The 70 minute tour was eerie and alien. A cool experience no doubt. The 866 steps would prove as a mere warm-up for the hiking to come. A night around a kitchen table without music or a screen is a great way to explore the lost art of conversation. A fat bottle of Hruska is a helpful story-telling lubricant to have around. Convenient that it is ubiquitous in these parts.

The following day had us adventuring around Zakopone in search of a mysterious lake. The detour into town though was astonishing. Being from uber-expansive Canada it's odd to stroll across a pedestrian bridge and land in another country, complete with it's own currency and public transportation system. A bungee jump mishap -in which the girl tried to grab onto the platform too late after jumping- kept us entertained. I've never seen so many intricately decorated pieces of cheese.

Again, the scenery was absolutely astounding, epitomized when we finally arrived to Morskie Oko. Incredibly pristine.

Jozef picked us up somewhere around the border a few hours later. It didn't take us long to grab a crateful of beers and bag of sausages, and head to the fire pit. It was nice to get out of the city. The air was not nearly as refreshing as the people. That's saying a lot. The night flew by.

As close as I've come in awhile to a grueling climb, ensued the following day. 2 hours, about a third of which is best described as: scrambling up a 45 degree cliff face. Getting up the mountain was exhausting; getting down was mentally taxing. The view at the top was awe-inspiring. The peak altitude was just around 1825m. Meaning, we climbed a vertical kilometer in just over an hour. Not bad, given the hangovers and sleep-deprivation. I have lots of pictures, maybe they'll make it to the internet one of these days. I just need a technological epiphany.

On the train home it didn't take us long to find the dining car. A handful of hours later the only person with a higher bar tab than us was an old, heavily moustached, 9 fingered man, from the Kosice area. He yelled for vodka shots. Stood up with a fist in the air declaring the glory of Russia. Swore and shoved our shoulders when we laughed, before being told to sit down. One of the funnier things I've seen.

Developing...

I traveled over the course of the long weekend. Since then I've been "busy as hell," with a variety of things. I'll blog about what I've been up to, as soon as I get a chance. Check back in a day or two. Thanks for your patience.