January 21, 2006
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Bob said today the stock market was the worst it’s been in three years. I pushed back my chair this morning, after making sure I had enough to live on for a year. Thank God I moved some to cash before this came crashing down.
I stretched my legs and did something really silly with my mouth, like how horses blow air. I laughed so hard, having no idea where that came from. Then I tried it again because if felt so good. My dog went crazy. I’ve never made that noise in my whole life. I’ve never even heard of anyone making that noise. Really, you would have thought a horse was in the house. I must have been sitting here with pursed lips for a week and had to shake it off. You should try it and shake your head while you’re doing it.
I’m almost relieved it’s Friday and the market is a mess. I won’t have to think about it. It’s wacked and there’s nothing smart I can do at this point that will change anything. It’s a time out.
After I made like a horse I took a look around my house and decided the dishes could wait another day. I settled in with the bills. I have everything on autopay so there wasn’t much but I should have paid them weeks ago. I wrote something for the hospital that needed to be delivered because I forgot to put it in the mail.
It was kind of nice to get in my car and just drive. I thought about how much I’ve learned this week and how fortunate it was that I had things in place for the fall. Even if I stumbled in the process I was a whole lot better off than I would have been before Bob’s tutorials. You have NO IDEA how much time I have spent this last week reading and writing about the market. Poor Bob.
It’s like when I discovered bellydancing. I learned just about everything there was to know about it. It took me four years but even then I was still learning about the different rhythms of the various regions.
The thing I like about the market, well one of the things is that, like with the dance, you can make it your own. Everyone has their own instincts, their own theory, their own style. It’s interactive, too. You can see what everyone else is doing, trying to anticipate their next move. It’s been crazy for me because I don’t know what the hell’s been going on.
I’ve never looked at the market this closely and I’ve never had anyone I could question, like I do now. It never occurred to me to look at a stock I didn’t recognize. But now that I understand how to read the profiles I seriously spend half the day looking up symbols and reading about the companies, checking their profiles. I’ll go to the daily chart and just watch a stock, see how it moves. I will sit during Bloomberg or Mad Money and watch the ticker tape at the bottom of the screen. I have pages of stocks that I want to follow-up on. I am starting to memorize all their symbols.
I don’t think I’m gonna look for a job. I think I’m gonna learn how to do this and do it well enough to meet my expenses. I LOVE IT. I even like listening to the news now. ME! Life is so exciting. I feel more connected with the world when I know what’s going on. I could study four hours a day for four years and there’d probably still be stuff to learn. Loving IT. I can’t believe I’m this old and just now found something ELSE that I am nuts over. Really, you don’t know how good it feels to get your head inside this shit and stay there for hours and hours. I never even thought I liked numbers. Or money. I could look at charts all day long. I sound like I’m in love, huh.
Comments (20)
Yes, young, fresh puppy love. You do seem to have a passion for what you do. I really like how you described that sound you made for the first time. A writer with passion leads to a good read.
You are in love! But the burning question is: Did you keep your lunch date?
Oh, and why were you shocked by Gus?
i love seeing you like this- full of the joy of learning something new and being able to conquer it! it’s awesome and inspiring!
Yep, Prudence, RYC, I guess that DiamBiz isn’t the most fascinating guy on Xanga, and it makes me wonder about how we teach Shakespeare in our schools when you point out his tediousness. Maybe, Shylock, in “The Merchant of Venice”, when he says, “Do I not bleed as you bleed?” segwaves into the contemporary overworked and underpaid high school English teacher, who might very well address the restless class: “Do I not bore as you bore?” I don’t know what religion you are anyway, Prudence. High Episcopal? Methodist? Former Catholic, re-minted as Unitarian??? Not really any of my Biz Biz Biz. I think that I read somewhere, on a Black Sabbath tribute site maybe, that Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne are connoseurs of ancient stained glass, such as from churches in the English countryside. I think that the guys in Led Zeppelin also took a turn towards pan-cannabis mysticism, and as it so happens, I am listening to Jethro Tull’s “Benefit” at this moment, in which the overlay of the flute over the rock n’ roll guitar might be said to reflect the English medieval madrigal music upon the boogie-woogie of Chuck Berry et al., which restless English teenagers imported across the pond during the time of Camelot.
I guess that you are a few years older than me and might remember Beatlemania better than I do?
Randy
I like the connections between belly-dancing and the stock market. You’re crazy and wonderful, and I love reading you.
IF you were a fan of Art Bell, then you’d have a gold cushion
RYC…nothing like a little ER in the morning to JOLT your ass awake…better than coffee
Lordy Pru, this is riveting stuff. My heart is pounding thinking about all the rush of energy you are getting off this whole scene. Better you than me is all I can think….marilyn
I’m glad that you are so relieved. I’m glad you left those dishes. Sometimes, it seems your life has so much structure. It’s good to let things go ever so often, I think. That’s just me. One years salary….I would be so happy! Relax and play!
Your profile pic disappeared. Perhaps it will return soon.
You scare and delight me, lady. My faith is kind of rocky but fierce at the same time. I’ve thought about being a teacher or a social worker, both on the fringes of clergy-type work. Music for me is a religious experience. Mysticism is something I need to work at more. I haven’t yet applied to my school for a master’s degree in English, and I’m wondering if it’s because I should do theology instead. The seeds were sown a while ago, but you hoe them, water them, expose them to light and fresh soil. Playful curses!
The lust of learning is a strong one! I too love diving into something new that catches my attention and quickly becomes a passion, like when I wanted to learn fiddle. It was good I was living alone (well, except for the girls) because the eat-breathe-drink Scottish music period might have driven someone else mad. I love the belly-dance analogy, the creativity and individual rhythms that come from a “higher” rhythm.
hahaha…I like the horse thing! In various Native American readings, I’ve learned about ‘finding your song.’ I realized it could be verbal, nonverbal, physical…not even musical necessarily…but something uniquely yours.
I think you’ve found yours.
And, OMG, when something sparks my interest, I’m a crazy person learning all I can about it. Passion! Intensity! We all so need those things.
I am so excited for you! And I love you…GFW
I wish I could enjoy watching the market enough even to manage my 401k. It’s good to be passionate about something that can also be so lucrative.
RYC: Yes, it’s kind of lime green, but I haven’t left the house today.
I can’t think of any reason you could not become expert and skilled at managing your stocks…its a good idea…..ryc…I am delighted with our house guest…
ryc: I just don’t have anything to contribute to stock market talk. I never learned about it, it doesn’t interest me, thats all. I just wanted to let you know I’m still reading:)
With respect to your comment on bastetmax’s site: Without going into too much detail (and I probably won’t comment too often on this stuff)….
Yeah, we’ve got a chunk of Google, and we still have it. Despite the 8.4% drop on Friday, I’m not in any hurry to dump it. It could drop another $100 a share, and we’d still be up nicely. In the long term (see my previous comment), I think that 1) their commitment to privacy (theirs as well as their users) will pay off and 2) their move into radio advertising (last week) will be more significant than their reaction to a frivilous government action.
If I wanted to worry about something, I’d worry about the 1.4% drop in the Standard and Poor Deposit Receipts (SPDRs, ticker symbol: SPY). That’s a far bigger chunk of our portfolio, but I think I’d be crazy do day-trade on that….
Just my thoughts.
Take care,
brad
I just laughed out loud when I read the part about the horse sound.
I live in the land of trust companies and I’m gonna dine out on your analogy of the stock market and belly dancing
your age and passion – h double hockey sticks, prudy, may that or other passions stay with you always.
thanks for your comments, lots-