Qen's musings, speculations and gripes

Who called that bottom?

wonderplace — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:38:03 +0000

Well, my first foray into equity trading was not timed as well as it could have been. The beginning of January saw extreme losses, and as of today I am down ~11% overall. Here are my positions:

WMT

CAT

HPQ

LLY

EWZ

I have had one realized gain of about 25%, and one realized loss of 7%, and everything unrealized is red. The way I see it, this trial by fire clearance sale of stocks will be the best framework for me to learn the ups and downs; they’re so much bigger, I have no choice!

I am getting ready to do some swing trading outside of the defense portfolio I have outlined above, in addition to some Mechanical Investing in my Roth IRA.

Wish me fortune,

Gambling

wonderplace — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:03:37 +0000

I have enjoyed playing poker for the last ten years or so. I got most of education relatively cheaply online before moving to the local card room in Grass Valley (Gold Rush Casino, hosting poker for over 80 years). I like poker for its inherent odds, which can be calculated for most positions, and the human element which ultimately drives the game. I have seen many similarities between poker and the stock market. Both are driven by a combination of money, or greed, and human emotion. Neither is precisely predicatable, but both can be interpreted through the use of mathematics, specifically ratios.

And so, in the midst of the current economic chaos, I throw my hat into the ring of equity investing. I have been waiting for the market to be reasonably priced, and many would agree there are a lot of undervalued stocks available right now, and the potential capital gains which could be made when the human element recognizes the ‘hope’ most anticipate with the changing administrations are substantial.

So, this blog may contain more business philosphy and speculation in the coming months. As I cut my teeth, I hope to leave a record of my research and positions.

Current positions:

CIEN

The best politcal cartoon I’ve seen in a long time

wonderplace — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:07:53 +0000

Uncle Sam & 9/11

USCG Captains License

wonderplace — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:40:29 +0000

Captains license

50 tons

wonderplace — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:14:20 +0000

It is official. I am now a licensed captain. I can take six passengers for hire on an uninspected vessel up to 100 nautical miles off-shore. I can also pilot an inspected vessel on inland waters and engage in commercial assistance towing.

Anybody need to move a boat? I’m ready to make a career change.

How many tons?

wonderplace — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:52:06 +0000

For those who have not checked the Wing and Wing blog in the past month or so, we have returned from the British Virgin Islands after a spectacular ten days of sailing and scuba diving. We had wifi on the boat, so the blog was live, and updated almost daily. I have posted some basic low res video, and also published our film “Sailing the Sea of Cortez”, which is also viewable in our blog.

I found out that I have passed the Homeland Security background check required for my Coast Guard license, now I am in the final phase, where a Coast Guard evaluator determines how many tons my masters license will list. It’s a moot point, really. 50 tons or 100 tons will not change my plans. The BVI’s inspired me – so many boats for sale, with no taxes! I found a company that is soliciting captain/chef teams for one year contracts running charter cats out of Tortola, which seems like a great way to introduce Janis to living aboard, all the while earning some extra dough and shopping for our own boat!

Watch for updates on the license, and the job opportunities!

BVI-bound

wonderplace — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:08:36 +0000

This weekend is the annual “Go For The Gold” regatta on the lake, and Janis and I are volunteering for the yacht club. Under normal circumstances this would be somewhat stressful – however, this weekend is the last weekend before we set out for the British Virgin Islands! We fly out Tuesday, and should be aboard by Wednesday. So the chaos and stress are creating “the storm before the calm”.

Check out the Wing and Wing news for updates on the trip – we will be uploading stories and pictures as we go (we have wifi on the boat!).

Exciting stuff, to be sure. I am completing my open water scuba certification when we arrive, and we hope to dive on the HMS Rhone, a spectacular penetration wreck dive at 80-100 feet. Add to that the prospect of a local rum cocktail named the “Painkiller”, deep fried conch fritters and the opportunity to learn how to surf, and you’ve got one epic trip! Follow along here:

Mobile blogging enabled

wonderplace — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 05:27:49 +0000

My iPhone Arrived today! Expect more blogs in the future, as this wonderful technology enables me to access the blog from anywhere in the world I can find a cell signal or wifi hotspot. Isn’t technology cool?Q

Let it snow!

wonderplace — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 17:54:40 +0000

Looks like we’re in for some snow this evening. It will be the first snow of the season for me – not counting the barely perceptible flurry I saw through my office window yesterday afternoon.

This winter I find myself on the fence with respect to skiing or snowboarding. I would rather spend my free time on the Bay! I have a meeting at Tradewinds on the 12th to discuss my teaching schedule for the upcoming year. I will also begin the process of becoming a US Coast Guard certified captain by taking the required first-aid course. Pretty exciting, really. I know it sounds like dry stuff, but getting this license is the first step to really becoming a professional sailor. The test is grueling, and from what I understand its closed-book nature is completely unrealistic, especially considering the quantity of navigation lights I will have to memorize. On a boat, in the dark, I would have references available to help me identify what ship might be displaying the arrangement of lights I see in the distance. In the test, I’ll have to rely on what I have memorized to get me through.

It reminds me of my second season in Kodiak, Alaska. Driving the boat at night was a duty that often fell to us deckhands, as the skipper needed to get good rest at some time; while travelling, at night, was realistically his best opportunity. He would set up the chart plotter with a rhumb line which we were to keep the boat on. Using this, and the radar, we were able to safely navigate many constricted straights and passes without incident. I remember one night when we had just left port, and I was first on watch. Just outside town there is a narrow straight between Kodiak Island and a smaller Island to the north. Ouzinkie pass, I believe it was called. It had a small, rocky island smack in the middle of the straight, creating a sort of median.

I had never been shown chart 1, the standard legend for nautical charts, much less a light list or even had any instruction concerning lights outside of “red is the port running light and green is the starboard, and any boat approaching from starboard has the right of way and is showing you a red light” (simple enough, eh?). So I was completely unprepared for the light show I saw coming the other way in Ouzinkie pass that night. In the distance it looked like a Christmas display, with a series of white lights stacked up on top of each other, with yellows and reds and greens all seemingly intertwined. I was astounded and afraid. I also knew well enough to stay the hell away from it! I could barely make out the outline of the tugboat as it passed, a couple of hundred yards of our port side, and then I saw the barge it was towing! Even though I came across this spectacle, ignorant of the signs it was displaying, in one of the narrowest sections of navigable water in Kodiak, we passed without any trouble.

So, with this knowledge in mind, I anticipate the Coast Guard test having some difficult problems, as I will not be able to see the outlines of any ships in the questions. But I think I’ll be OK. The most dangerous times (the ignorant ones) are fading into the past, and the knowledge I will gain as a result of studying for this exam can only facilitate a safe journey into the future.

Back to the grindstone

wonderplace — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:49:32 +0000

Back to work. Blah…These little forays into the cruising life tempt me to up and quit every time. In fact, since Vega’s health has begun to falter, I can see myself taking the plunge after she dies with very little hesitation. Janis and I looked at a Bristol 35 for sale in La Paz, and we almost had ourselves convinced to buy her. However, once we internalized the cost of getting her back to the bay we realised we will be better off buying locally, so we begrudgingly decided against it. But it was fun to think about for a day or so. I feel bad for the guy selling her – he probably will not have any other lookers whlie he is down there (he lives in Port Townsend), and selling a boat without being around to show her off is a difficult task.We will most likely have to sell Potential, our Ericson 26, because the local lake is instituting a new size restriction. So we’re in the market for a little boat (we’re going the wrong way size-wise) to keep on the lake. Too many boats is a bad thing,. as neglect becomes a reality for some as others are used (i.e. my whitewater kayaks which have not been wet in years). So, if anyone knows of a catalina 22 for sale in Northern Cali, let me know, eh??

On a more merry note, Christmas has passed, and my family is all well. Dave went back east with his girlfriend Kat, to visit her family, Dad is in SoCal with Gail’s family, Mom and Jen are in Tucson with Steve and Janis and I sup’d with the Johnsons last night. A mellow year, gift-wise. Lots of gift cards given and received.

I bought myself an iPhone today. Merry Christmas to me!

Fair sailing,