I have 2 halloween stories to share.

A) So I got home from work on Friday and forgot it was halloween. I mean, I knew, like somewhere in the back of my mind, but it had slipped my mind for the moment. I had pretty much just gotten home and was going to turn on the TV to relax for a bit when the front doorbell rang. It was the most adorable little kid dressed up like a pumpkin with her parent, and I didn't have any candy. I said I was sorry, but the look on the face of the kid was pretty unbearable. It was just, well, sincere disappointment. I don't think young kids are as good at hiding their emotions as us "conniving adults" learn to, but that's a topic for another day.

So, I was planning on leaving for the night anyways, but on the spur of the moment, and likely to escape the feeling of guilt, I quickly drive off to the store and buy 2 big bags of candy. Feeling like a superior individual almost immediately, feeling like I can hang my own head up high, I drive back through my neighborhood, and I notice all these packs of kids parading around, and I think to myself, gosh, in a few minutes they will be enjoying my candy, and I feel like such a good person.So I get home, I open up the bags, I save a handful for myself, since after all, who doesn't like candy, and because I need to shower and get ready to go, I sketch out a quick note saying happy halloween! and leave the bags in front of my door. I go upstairs to shower, which probably took me about 10-15 min, and then I go down to check up on the candy, and its all gone!!

I'll let the rest of the story be filled out by the imaginative.

B) So later on that night, I've left my place and I'm driving to meet some friends. I had an old friend from out of town visiting for a conference, so I was driving to get dinner in Little Italy. I took the 163 all the way downtown and was now heading west on Ash & 4th. At the stop light, for some reason, there was a bicycle chain/gang riding around in celebration of All Hallow's Eve. Some were dressed up, many were not, I'm estimating roughly 150-200 ppl riding bicycles. How did this happen? I don't know, perhaps its one of those things that is a tradition?? Maybe it organically started, as some people started riding bikes, and then ppl saw them, and said, hey, let's join this giant posse of bicycles. It appeared that they probably started someplace much farther north, say PB, or probably hillcrest.

Anyways, it was a bit interesting for a while, but when you're late, like I was, and you are stuck behind a traffic like, while this virtual infinite stream of ppl riding their bike, and ignoring the traffic light cycle, you get a bit frustrated.So after watching about 3-4x cycles of green lights change into red lights, I summon up enough courage or frustration to attempt to cross the intersection in my car. I'd like to also note for the record, that I had a green light. So I start moving into the intersection, and I'm honking my horn repeatedly as I didn't want to hit anyone. I only get as far as about the middle of the street, before I get swarmed by bicycles such that I can get any further without risking hitting someone. I didn't know this at the time, but many bicycles have headlights too. It is actually a disconcerting feeling to be stuck someplace and watch oncoming headlights stream towards. What happened, was a particularly ugly fellow, and he shall from this moment in the story simply be referred to as the ugly fellow, wearing a bright yellow shirt, and shorts and an ill-fitting helmet, rode right in front of my car, daring me to hit him. Once he knew that I wasn't, he got up right in front of my car, and stuck his hand out in a stopping motion and then waved everyone by.

At this time, everyone on the bike took at shot at cursing at me, and generally saying a lot of bad things. I felt really bad, I have no other way of explaining it.

"Yeah you f-cking a--hole," "Get the f-ck out of the street," "F-ck you and your B** too"

It was so fast, it was like a ride-by curse out, instead of a drive-by shooting. I could really feel the hate...

Afterwards what I remember, is there were some pedestrians standing at the crosswalk, watching the whole exchange. The ugly fellow yelled at them to "cross the street too." Like as a final umbrage.

Anyways, that's my other halloween story
[ esca | 8:26 PM | ]

 
There's a lot of strange stuff going on in the world right now, and not all of it good.

One thing that I thought was interesting, was during the Russian invasion of Georgia, russian hackers launched a series of DDOS and http flooding attacks at several government sites and various servers with .ge extension.

For the first time, modern warfare has included elements of cyberwarfare, whether one nation has deliberate launched cyber attacks as a means, and with the intent to harm the infrastructure of another nation.
[ esca | 10:28 PM | ]

 
I'm not catholic, but I've always been a fan of lent. The idea, that one ought to, every once in a while, give up that little bit of sin we have inside. Just a while though...
[ esca | 1:11 AM | ]

 
Random thought.

Is a silhouette of a nude girl dancing, artistic or pornographic? Hmmmm.
[ esca | 10:51 PM | ]

 
Maybe I will hold off on overhauling the site, as a general a lack of time, and mostly inability.

So what's been going on in my life? I've since started getting my Masters and am going part-time to business school. It's great. I feel like a fish in water. Although on one hand I am really busy, but on the other hand hand, I feel like my cup of life is full. I guess school is just where I'm meant to be, in short stretches, with long breaks mixed in between, of course. I sorta feel like I was the high school badmington star, went through a period of long dillusionment, as I realized that ESPN wouldn't offer any of their primetime coverage. But now in my later life, I've rediscovered the YMCA, and am now mercilessly beating the pulp out of the competition to my delight. This is actually, an uncannily "descriptive" analogy. Haha.

But yes, I'm in school, and I've also come to the conclusion, that personality traits, much like beauty and grace, are determined in the eyes of the beholder. What is annoying to some(anal retentiveness, awkward affinity for numbers, OCD traits), is worth its weight in gold to others(balance sheets, financial projections, statistical analysis). I am too cool… for business school! Da-da-dum!

Some quick tidbits of learned wisdom that I would like to share:

1) Free-Trade is bad! Reminder back in the 90's, when America signed a bunch of free trade agreements like NAFTA? Well it is a double edge sword, because it is provides low-cost goods to consumers, but also submarines the cost of wages for low end labor and manufactoring.

2) China is not the economic-super power the media makes it out to be! China is strong, however, current European GDP growth projections are much more impressive for the next 3-5 yr window. News generators IMHO, like to worry about the yellow nation, because they just seem different, look different, and is thus interesting. China and Japan, however, do hold non-trivial amounts of US treasury bills, so that does concern me. In other words, they are financing much of US Bugdet. Which is why our government is very pro-China of late.

3) America's problems are institutional, not financial! Mortgage issues are because people broke the rules and got greedy, not because our economy is broken. Unfortunately, as a result of such action, the economy may suffer.

4) Bernake is an idiot, I have a pet monkey who is more capable than him! Ok I was joking. I don't really have a pet monkey.

5) In a couple of months, we will have our first conglomerate-minority President. Long live Barrack Hussein Obama! You heard it here first. Go vote if you don't want this to be true.

In addition to those glorious words of wisdom, I offer you my hot list of good companies(not necessarily based on stock prices)

1) Proctor and Gamble - look in your kitchen, probably 75% of products are from P&G
2) SAS Institute - Largest most successful privately owned SW company in america. In the late nineties, many large tech companies went the IPO route and gobbled up tons of money, and also played a role in one of the most egregious financial bubbles of my life time. Housing is the second one, and Oil will be the third. But SAS stayed private, stayed solvent, stayed profitable. And a lot of software that your company uses is probably from SAS!
3) Google - I like this company, because it is very innovative in its HR policies. Offers benefits that really make a difference for people, such as on-site day care centers, on-site walk in clinic staffed with full-time MDs, on-site laundry and concierge services. I mean, these just aren't luxuries, but innovative. Think about how much the seemingly ubiquitious dual-income families spend on health-care and montiseouries. I care about efficiency, and I care about the entire thread.
4) Vizio - A privately owned American TV maker. Emphasis on American. Buy American. Also endorsed by LaDanian Tomlison, as the TV of his choice!
5) Walgreens - Innovative, and offers clinics that provide general practice health care outside of hospitals. By the end of 2009, half of every dollar spent on health care in the world, will be spent in this country. Let's try to reverse the trend.
5) a) Chrysler - I want to give this company points, because I believe its management is doing the right approach, and I feel we will see results in the near future. Going private and getting around the over-bearing Sarbanes-Oxley, maybe the way to go. Look at their products, and cars, it just feel different. Unlike other American car companies, which look like they are just waiting to die off, and spend most of their energy pointing at their own problems, instead of trying something, Chrysler is really trying.

And I will conclude finally with my hot stock tips, ETFs or Companies that will go up. I will buy you lunch if you lose money.

1) FXI
2) USO
3) MON
4) EWG
5) WAG
[ esca | 9:59 PM | ]