YouTube Tuesday: This is the Best Burrito I've Ever Eaten

Sticking to the Perry Gripp theme from last week's video (not posted on Tuesday, but you can figure it out) we're gonna highlight one of my favorite Parry Gripp tunes. Don't ask any questions about what his fascination is with small rodents, cute pets and burritos; I have no idea, he's just a weird guy that writes really fun, annoying tunes that you're simultaneously stoked and annoyed to get stuck in your head for the entire day.

All you really need to know about this tune is that it is ultra radtacular (I made that word up and have been saying it a lot in the hopes it catches on...do your part, people).

Enjoy!

BONUS VIDEO!!

Since you didn't get a YTT last week, I'm sharing a 2nd bonus video, which happens to be a classic from back in '08 (I assume that's long enough in the past to qualify as a classic...). This one needs no explanation...more Parry Gripp...best ringtone ever...

It's not a giant iPod Touch

So this past week Apple unveiled their newest creation the iPad. As with ALL newly unveiled Apple products there was much disappointment and bitching by the Apple haters of the world. Let's get to the crux of what the haters are standing on.

It's a giant iPod Touch.

That's it. People don't like it because they perceive it to just be a huge iPod Touch with a much bigger screen and price tag; nothing new, whatsoever. I won't argue that from an aesthetic and possibly even current functionality standpoint the iPad is anything more than an iPod Touch, but is that such a bad thing? I mean it's larger and allows the user to interact with, input and experience things on the device that they never could on an iPod Touch. You can edit photos on the Touch, create a symphony and draw out blueprints for your new house on the touch but would you? Why stop there. Did you know that you can compose a 500-page book on your Motorola RAZR flip-phone using the T9 text input method? I mean why do we need the iPad if these arcane, inferior devices can already do this stuff??

 

iBegToDiffer

Think about the iPod. That device was created 9 years ago. 9 years...and now it is the de facto portable music device, a name as ubiquitous as Kleenex or Xerox. The development of that device is staggering...yet people want to call the iPad a failure before it even hits the shelves? If there's 1 thing you ever learn from this blog, learn this: people always have and always will be DUMB.

 

Hi. We're the iPods. We're 9 years old and we rule the world.

People also complain about the features, or lack thereof. This boils down to a huge misconception over what the iPad was going to be and a difference between certain individual expectations and what was originally planned by the people that actually developed the product.See, the haters wanted the iPad to basically be an iMac or MacBook without a keyboard; a fully functional computer that could replace your current machine. In fact, the iPad is meant to augment your desktop and/or laptop computer by providing certain mobile functionality that the form factor of a laptop cannot provide, or more accurately, provide as well as the iPad can.

Bear in mind, it was all rumors and conjecture. Apple until the actual day of the unveiling event hadn't made 1 public statement about iPad; it was one of the closest held secrets in the history of computing and all the specs, functionality, release date and such were placed on the iPad by the public at large, not Apple. Hell, Apple even created a Delaware LLC to register certain trademarks prior to the launch. The name of that company? "IP Application Development, LLC." Get it? IPAD.

The final complaint is that Steve Jobs claims that this product is "revolutionary" and probably the most important product he's worked on, which when you think the thing is just a big iPod Touch makes sense. What people fail to recognize is that Rome wasn't built in a day; they view development like the alphabet and believe that anything less than "Z" is a failure. The iPad hit like a "K" and that's totally fine, maybe even expected.

 

Revolutionary

Think back to 1984 when Apple released the Macintosh. There were computers that were faster, had better monitors, more features, etc. That product was revolutionary and while you sort of understood that at the time it took years and years of further development to realize what the original Macintosh was: truly revolutionary. I believe in 10 years we will look back at the iPad and Steve Jobs and say "that sonuvabitch did it again." We don't realize that something is revolutionary until after the fact when it's been proven; look at the Macintosh. The potential of this device (whether you think it's a giant iPod Touch or not) is immense.

Imagine the applications in academia, where Apple decided to focus it's efforts 30+ years ago. Think about carrying around this device and having all your textbooks on it...from every semester you were in school. Furthermore, imagine the possibilities of multimedia textbooks. Chemistry students could be reading about various compounds and have a 3D, interactive display to learn from in the classroom or wherever they may be. Music students can compose directly on the tablet and collaborate in real time with other students in schools thousands of miles away, art students can have fully interactive versions of the worlds greatest works...I mean the possibilities in academia are endless. Fancy yourself a chef? How cool would it be to have a recipe with videos demonstrating various steps in the recipe like how to tie up a roast or the correct technique for folding egg whites into a souffle?

Can other devices (including laptops) do these things already? Sure. But can they do it as well as the iPad will? No way. I keep coming back to the original Macintosh and how similar this device is from a "revolutionary" standpoint. Apple's ability to innovate and lead the world from a technology perspective is absolute and anyone who thinks that the iPad is a failure, not revolutionary or that it's just a giant iPod Touch is a fool and I ask that you go back to Windows 95 or Windows ME where you belong.

Does it have shortcomings? You bet. Is it something I would buy right away? Probably not; I want to see how well it does out of the gate and where they focus development efforts and then hop on board. Bear in mind that I LOVE being on the bleeding edge of technology and have purchased the first generation of more technologies than I care to admit so maybe I will jump right in but I still think there are a few things I'd like to see Apple address and I'd also like to see if they decide to make the wireless capabilities available to other carriers besides AT&T as I fear that this is going to piss people off even more than they already are with the iPhone exclusivity. In the long run this will damper the 3rd party development efforts of this device, which is where the true potential lies.

Assuming you made it this far, you need to watch this awesome video by Parry Gripp from the band Nerf Herder. He makes all these super fun, catchy songs about the most random things and the iPad was his latest inspration. Listen to the lyrics. While they are really silly and comparing the iPad to nachos may seem ridiculous, the message is actually pretty spot on...

Online Anonymity

Ridiculous update:

Turns out if you sign up for an xbox Live account online you cannot merge that account with your local account easily or for free. Microsoft will let you merge the 2 accounts for 800 xbox points (about $10) and a completely confusing and unnecessary process. So, while I still have the cashbutter gamer profile I most likely will not be using it. I, instead, have come up with new account originated through the xbox (not the xbox website) which merged my old/local account information and will be using the accurate and appropriate gamer tag:

theREALbmills

I have login credentials at dozens and dozens of websites. They always ask you for a username and on every single site I am either:

bmills
or
bmills313 (if bmills isn't available)

For our 3-year anniversary, Katie got me a wireless adapter for XBOX and Modern Warfare 2 which I'm super stoked for. Part of the reason is that I'll get to play some MW2 and other games against Kuka back in Missouri, who will kick my ass but all in good fun.

Enter my online registration @ the XBOX Live website. I'm filling out the usual form entries and then it asks for a username. XBOX Live has been around for a long time so I believe that the chance of bmills being available is 0% (and I was right) so then I default to my bmills313, which is my birthday concatenated to bmills; it's never failed. Much to my astonishment:

Sorry, that username is unavailable. Please choose another.

Are you F'n kidding me?? Has Barney Mills born on March 13th been playing HALO for 3 years or Betty Mills who lives at 313 Elm Street beaten me to the punch??

[sidenote: I went and looked: bmills has no information on their profile. bmills313 looks like some fratboy who has his motto listed as "Big Daddy B." Ugh...he's ruining the bmills313 moniker.]

All of this got me to thinking: is it time for a change? Should I assume an online identity that offers no clues to my actual identity like millions of other people out there? I mean, how may people are really named "cutie girl" or Warhammer" or any of the millions of other completely anonymous usernames out there? If millions of other people can hide behind their "handle" and be complete A-holes and make themselves look like total douches, knowing there is absolutely no chance that anyone will know who you are and how to find you to make you say those nasty comments in person...then why can't I? Alter egos or 2nd identities are all the rage, I just never hopped on the bandwagon because I don't hop on bandwagons.

OK, so I'm not gonna be an A-hole and I won't shout bigoted and extremely hurtful comments over the headset while I pwn n00bs and become part of the fabric of online gamers, but the change should do me good, at least in online gameplay.

So what username did I go with? Well, let's evaluate who I am and we'll come to an appropriate alter ego. I am:

1. A fan of humor
2. A trader
3. Not afraid of ridicule
4. Inspirational; I'd love people to speak of me with great respect and envy
   

So with all that said, I give you my XBOX Live "Gamer Tag"

cashbutter

How about that?! OK, let me explain. When I first started learning about commodities trading I went through the CME's website and reviewed all the different commodity contracts out there and bar none, my favorite contract has to be "cash-settled butter" for obvious reasons (as noted above). Yes, you can trade butter; a lot of it, if you happen to be interested. In fact, here are the "udderly awesome" contract specifications from the CME's website (<-- get it, udderly...cuz it's butter and butter comes from...nevermind):

Contract Size	20,000 lbs. of Butter ( ˜9 metric tons)
Product Description	Grade AA Butter
Pricing Unit	Cents per pound
Tick Size (minimum fluctuation)	$0.00025 per pound (= $5.00 per contract)
Daily Price Limits	$0.05 per pound above or below the previous day's settlement price, with multiple expansions. No limits in the last 5 days of trading. See CME Rule: 5602.D

It's perfect. Seeing as I don't plan on playing a ton it should provide the occasional chuckle and maybe I'll even be mentioned in circles on the XBOX Live community as "The Butter Guy" or something else that accurately describes the awesomeness that is my gamer tag and the extreme envy that it conjures up in the minds of those late to the great GamerTag land-grab.

So, add me to your friends list on XBOX Live and prepare to be pwned by the uber-awesomeness that is cashbutter !!

YouTube Tuesday: Economics Rap

Ever wanted to know basic market theories created by the most famous 20th Century economists of all time but were afraid to ask because the subject is so daunting, boring and confusing? Do you like learning lessons and hearing tales spun by lyrical rap? If so, I think I've found the perfect video for you...



Learn more about the economic theories behind John Maynard Keynes and F.A Hayek at the Econstories website...

http://econstories.tv/home.html

California rains FTW

You win, California. Your aquatic display of fury from the heavens over the past 48 hours is by far the craziest, most absurd and impressive rain I have ever experienced. What's that? The worst has supposedly not arrived yet? BAD. ASS.

Sure, many people in Southern California are saying that right now but I'm different. Remember: for 25 years of my life I lived in either the Midwest (Minnesota and Kansas) or up in Seattle, neither a stranger to wet weather. This, folks, would make either locale blush.

This is in Huntington Harbor, just a couple miles from here. Yeah, this is California.

Sheets of rain pounded the area for hours, a tornado flipped over a car and damaged several buildings in Seal Beach / Sunset yesterday, Delaware Street in front of our place turned into the Delaware river (didn't Washington or some guy cross that?) with the raging water breaching the curbs that consider a lot of water to be a couple dudes washing their trucks on a Saturday afternoon. There was rampant flooding on giant streets you'd never imagine would flood and the building next door under major rennovation couldn't hire enough day labor to bail water from the newly poured concrete patios.

Hey Bro, I borrowed your car but I don't remember parking it so badly...that must be some good weed

All in all, it was killer. Maybe the best part is that I sat here all day, indoors sipping pot after pot of Gyokuro tea; I did not venture outside other than the occasional peek out the front door to make sure the potted plants weren't potted buoys.

 San Clemente Pier. That right looks killer...literally.

I did have to venture out yesterday to the office to pick up a package and was reminded what horrible drivers Californians are when it's not 72 and sunny. In heavy wind and rain I'm not sure that Beach Blvd. (the giant, arterial road here in HB) got above 30mph (normally people are pushing 55-60) and I didn't know that the windshield wipers on some of these cars could move that fast nor that people could press their face that close to the windshield and actually drive.

This photo pretty much exemplifies the typical SoCal driver. Nothing like taking a compact car through 3-feet of water on an off-ramp.

In any event, I loved the last 48 hours and look forward to more. If Southern California exhibited more crazy weather like this and we experienced a few days of panic and concern because it's not 72 and sunny I think it would do everyone good; I know I'd love it. Here's hoping this El Nino year delivers even more craziness...

 This, people of California, is a tornado

YouTube Tuesday: Food, Inc.

A month ago, I watched the following film. I read Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma a while back so I was very interested in Food, Inc. as my Generation Y desire for visual media yearned for something more than just pages on a Kindle.

I'm not going to go vegetarian or protest food companies but this film and Omnivore's Dilemma has really made me become far more active in choosing what I put in my body and what companies I endorse. This film (or preferably the book) should be very important to you, regardless of what you choose to eat. The information in this film is just as important and eye opening to vegetarians as it is to omnivores. There's a pretty f*cked up world that we are forced to be a part of whenever we seek nourishment that's controlled by a handful of companies and regulated by the people who used to run those companies. You truly have to wonder who is looking out for us, the consumer, and for those of you with children I implore you to do what you can to ensure that your children are nourished with the right calories and don't fall prey to cheap/empty calories that lead to things like diabetes and other illnesses as well as contributing to the overall obesity of this nation, which is a byproduct of the cheap, processed calories that our government has pushed on us our entire lives.

I realize that going to an all-natural diet and making many of the changes in this film is very expensive from a cost standpoint but you owe it to yourself to try. Try cutting out high-fructose corn syrup for a week and watch your weight and overall health improve. Eat fresh vegetables, plant a garden to eat in-season vegetables or at least fresh herbs (for those with limited space); every little thing helps. And while I disagree that you cannot put a cost on your health (it's just not feasible for 90% of the people in this world to eat as Food, Inc. would recommend) I do agree that every single one of us can make better decisions when it comes to nourishment.

If you want more information, check out the Food Inc. website http://www.foodincmovie.com/ or check out the book Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

Anyway, get you some Food, Inc...and start becoming more concerned about what you put in your body.

How to make a Michael Cera movie

I love the guy, but this is so true...

Don't be THAT guy: Eager Elevator Entry

OK, it's time for a new regular installment here at übersurf. You see, I'm an extremely level-headed, accommodating, understanding guy. I listen to and appreciate different points of view, cultures and social dynamics whether I agree with them or not.

However, I'm also an extremely critical guy with no tolerance whatsoever for stupidity, ignorance, unbelievably selfish acts and so forth. One of my favorite sayings is "don't be that guy" when speaking to people about the actions of another in social situations. You know the guy; we've probably all been THAT guy a couple times and felt badly for it. The thing is, these people don't give a damn or are clueless about what they're doing.

So, the first "don't be that guy" in our new series is the:

"Eager Elevator Entry" Guy

Here's the setup...

Your luck is running out when you hit the lobby, Leprechaun...

The elevator arrives (let's say in the lobby) and the bell rings alerting the waiting riders that their vertical chariot hath arrived. The people eager to get back to work (or wherever they're going) rush to the doors of the elevator, before they've opened, standing just a foot or two from the door. As the doors start to open, THAT guy starts walking into the elevator, completely oblivious to the fact that elevators are multi-taskers that transport people up AND down.

Any one of these guys could be THAT guy...

As THAT guy enters the elevator, he's met by the people that rode the elevator down (our leprechaun above) and he becomes a log-jam that prevents the people from leaving.

I love a good elevator stampede

The worst part is, THAT guy almost seems annoyed that he has to move and that these fools are freeloading on his elevator.

STEP...AWAY...FROM THE ELEVATOR DOORS...

So, people, don't be THAT guy. When the elevator bell rings, let the doors open and see if anyone comes out. Then, enter the elevator...and wait for THAT guy to greet you on whatever floor you're headed to.

YouTube Tuesday: Simmer down now...

When we were driving back from Seattle Katie plugged in her iPod and  had a big collection of SNL skits on there that had us LOL'ing the whole way home. One skit in particular has been making the rounds here at the house: Simmer down now.

So, without further adieu, simmer down now...

Oh yeah, it's a new decade PART 3

For the final installment, some final thoughts on the decade that was.

I guess the overall theme to the decade was "changes." Transitioning from college life to the working world, immature college kid to adult, moving intra and inter-state, several new careers and all sorts of stuff in between it was a decade of changes far more than any other time in my life.

Were they all good changes? Yes, or rather, they were all necessary. I realize there are a lot of changes to come and the changes in my life over the last decade have prepared me more so than any other time in my life.

If I had to give my overall satisfaction with the 2000's a grade I'd guess I'd go with B maybe B-. I don't have many regrets--regrets that are actually worth being regretful over-- and I feel I capitalized on a great deal of the opportunities presented to me over the last 10 years. You always wish you could have made more money, spent money wiser, visited this place or that place, ket in better shape and such but overall I have no complaints. I met some amazing people and save for the core group of KU people I met in years prior and a handful of people from other decades, pretty much everyone I call a friend now was introduced to me in the 2000's.

I didn't get involved in politics or religion whatsoever in the 2000's and I'm fine with that; maybe even better for it. I start to notice more of the impact politics and religion has on the world around me and it sort of scares me. I've always been somewhat naive to both topics and exposed to them on a very limited basis my entire life but now that I'm on my own and have my own things to worry about I'm realizing the importance of things such as politics and religion have on my life. I still have no aspirations of making either a very integral part of my life though I can see myself getting more involved in the political side of things, ensuring a better place for myself and my family, and becoming more spiritual (not religious) and looking inside myself for the strength and wisdom I know is there.

The last few years have taught me some important lessons regarding fiscal matters that were all but ignored for the majority of the 2000's. It's funny how you learn to save an spend more wisely when your income stream is limited and you live in the most expensive place in the US. I'm hopeful that the lessons I've learned as of late will translate to the years ahead, no matter how much money I may make...though I might ditch generic stuff for the name brands, given the opportunity. LOL

Love-wise, I'm set. I look forward to the future with Katie and learned some valuable lessons in the 2000's.

Career-wise, the 2000's were a really exciting ride. I start at a dot-com in KC and I end as a trader in my home-office in HB. I'm really glad I got to experience the workplace but even more glad that I got out. The bulk of the decade was taken up by Arcadia Capital and it was fun, though I realized pretty quickly into that endeavor it was not what I wanted to do. I spent the better half of the decade looking for new things to do and ways I could make a living, ultimately falling into the profession I believe I was made to do. I see trading as a vehicle to deliver me to the places I want to be and accomplish the goals I want to accomplish and not just from a dollars and cents perspective.

Going forward into the 2010's I look to be even more of an adult and begin to explore new worlds around me and capitalize on the opportunities already presented to me early in this decade. I have no doubt that I am positioned in such a way that I am mentally, physically, fiscally and spiritually ready to face the challenges and capitalize on opportunities the 2010's will present me so I'm very excited for what the new decade holds.

So, it was fun 2000's...but I've gotter bigger and better places to go and plenty of photos, knowledge, wisdom and memories of the times we spent together...and for that, I will be forever grateful.

bmills

Oh yeah, it's a new decade PART 2

Here are what I'd classify as the highs and lows of the 2000's in a free-form, off the top of my head as I think of them, no particular order sort of way.

HIGH's

 - Meeting Katie
 - Graduating from KU
 - KU winning the National Championship
 - Learning to surf
 - Surf trip to Indonesia
 - Visiting a Mentawai village
 - Skydiving (twice)
 - Buying a BMW, taking delivery in Europe
 - Doing that ^^^ a 2nd time
 - No Doubt concert in Irvine
 - The Strokes concert @ The Joint in Hard Rock Las Vegas
 - Leaving Kansas for Los Angeles
 - Leaving Los Angeles for Huntington Beach
 - Learning to trade
 - Meeting Bill Schamp
 - Learning to trade Bill Schamp's LOGIC
 - Brisbane the Pointer puppy
 - My sister's wedding
 - My Dad marrying Suzanne
 - Meeting Charlize Theron at a benefit in Los Angeles
 - Meeting Kelly Slater
 - Helping SurfAid International
 - My first barrel (in Indonesia, of all places)
 - My awesome quiver of surfboards
 - Night surfing @ San O with Mike...full moon and the craziest red tide I've ever seen; it's like we were in space
 - Every San O camping trip with Mike
 - Amit/Mitch's bachelor party in Vegas
 - Rishi's bachelor party in BFE
 - AOE & MTGO battles with Kuka
 - Jap balls and Golden Tee @ Tanners with Brian Brown more times than I care to count
 - My first "real" cuban cigar
 - Discovering green tea
 - 4th of July session with Ed
 - Chicago with Katie, meeting BenT and Greg
 - Sears Tower with the aforementioned gang

LOW's

 - Driving home from Jardine's in KC
 - Wrecking the Audi on the way home from Jardines
 - Spending a couple hours in jail for wrecking the Audi on suspicion of being drunk (case was dismissed for lack of evidence...not very proud of the whole situation at all)
 - Losing my grandmother
 - Losing Raymond to Seattle
 - Leaving Lawrence
 - Getting pulled over by CHP for driving with expired Kansas plates, 3 months after I got here
 - Having my car towed by CHP for ^^^ and being left to fend for myself with a business card telling me where my car would be
 - Not telling Charlize Theron how gorgeous she was (maybe we could have made out, ya know?)
 - My first REAL earthquake from the 20th story of my office/building in El Segundo
 - Buying land in Florida
 - Selling land in Florida
 - Continued litigation over the Florida deal
 - Buying the old Bronco
 - Selling some of my quiver to pay bills
 - The drive home from Seattle through the Siskyou's
 - The gash in my knee from the tail of a surfboard
 - The resulting infection that left the knee the size of a football
 - Passing out @ eScout and losing my sense of smell in the fall
 - Getting hammered @ Oktoberfest in Big Bear
 - Thinning hair


I'm sure there's more but this is the stuff that really matters. I guess what's most important is that there were more high's than low's and I really had to think hard for the list of low's...and I'd say that's an indicator of a successful decade of life.

Part 3 is all that's left. You get it this weekend...

Oh yeah, it's a new decade PART 1

It dawned on me as I read through a couple blogs and articles here and there that we've entered a new decade. Well, at least it's a new decade if you don't buy into the year 0 thing...but let's assume it's a new decade unlike the fanatics who swear by year 0 and think 1/1/11 is the real start of the next decade.

So what have I/we learned this decade? Where am I now 10 years after everyone was freaking out about a stupid Y2K bug? We're gonna do this in several parts. Part 1 will be a time-line from then until now, part 2 the highs/lows of the decade that was and Part 3 the "what I learned" portion.

Midnight January 1, 2000

I was home alone this night ringing in the new year in my apartment in Lawrence, alone. Don't feel sad for me; it's how I wanted it. I remember having a bottle of champagne all to myself and was watching whatever TV coverage looked most interesting; NBC for the poignant, very real look at what was to come as we start a new millennium, MTV for the hot chicks making out in the TRL studio overlooking Times Square. What? You want the truth, you got it...

I didn't think too much of the new millennium at the time; it was just another year. I was graduating from KU in the spring, I'd lined up a job working at a dot-bomb in KC and I was single with a whole world out there just begging me to leave the sheltered confines of college.

Summer 2000

I moved into an apartment in Lawrence with one of my best friends Ben. I'd begun working at eScout and although the drive to KC was a bitch, it was at least a straight shot on I-70 to the office in downtown KC. This was a great living situation. Ben and I decided we needed a table but that an air hockey table was a far more practical use of the space in our dining area so we did it. I wish we'd had more time to live together as I'm confident that we would have needed another table and could have rationalized getting a foosball table instead.

Fall 2000

eScout moves to Lee's Summit, MO which adds I think 30-miles R/T to my already long commute; thanks, assholes. Whilst at eScout, I passed out in the bathroom and cracked my skull on the concrete floor of the bathroom. Literally. This was the accident that left me senseless. Literally. The fall had severed my olfactory nerve, leaving me without my sense of smell and although I've gained a small portion of it back, I'm still unable to smell anything of note; let's give it a # of say, 95% inability to smell. In retrospect, I wish I'd sued eScout. 2 doctors told me that the fall was due to stress and I was working my ass off at a dot-com startup for a maniac...my being laid off less than 6 months later would have had ambulance chasing lawyers foaming at the mouth and in-house council sounding the damage control bell. Missed opportunities...

A budding friendship developed with someone I can point to as the source of a great deal of people I call friends these days, one Rishi Parekh. I think of my post-college days in KC, this is/was the reason I stuck around and was supposed to be there; we were meant to meet one another, in some strange way. We had tons of fun, listened to jazz, drank scotch and wine and established a lifelong relationship with one another that continues on today.

Spring 2001

eScout laid me off. Thanks, assholes. I'd just moved to KC by myself and at the time the 2 weeks severance pay seemed awesome, especially when coupled with unemployment pay from Missouri. The cost of living was such that I could afford to watch TV and mess around all day and look for jobs in the evening and have money leftover to get wasted at night, every night. My neighbor Brian Brown provided many a night of fun and craziness as we stumbled home from the bar that backed up to our building. Good guy, would love to reconnect with him...

Summer/Fall 2001

No jobs in KC; giving up hope. It's at this time that my partner Raymond called me and pitched the idea of starting a mortgage company together here in SoCal where he lived. What did I have to lose?

9/11 happened and I remember being woken up by Raymond telling me to turn on the TV. It was pretty surreal and the days that followed were filled with a lot of hate, fear and uncertainty. A month later, Raymond and I packed up the car, sold everything that wouldn't fit, I said my goodbye's to KC and before the gravity of the situation hit me I was halfway to Southern California.

Winter 2001

We had started Arcadia Capital, LLC and were struggling to find business. It was very slow going and it wasn't until Spring 2002 that we actually closed a deal. Southern California was incredibly foreign to a Kansas boy and I was feeling homesick as I called friends back in KS looking for something to keep me going as the fast pace, abundant a-hole residents of SoCal, pollution and all the other fun stuff around here was anything but inviting, or at least, too great to be offset by the great weather (as so many people here continue to lean on as THE reason people want to be here).

I began surfing shortly after I got here, which I honestly think was what kept me around. Had I not begun surfing there's an excellent chance I would have ended up back in KC or Seattle.

Spring 2002 - Fall 2006

Arcadia was moving along, though Raymond had left me by myself as he and his wife left for Washington state to live in the sticks and start a family. I was pissed. Here I'd uprooted my entire life to move to SoCal, knowing nobody here other than Raymond and he leaves me less than a year after I get here. This still sort of hurts and I believe the failure of Arcadia (more on that in a bit) is due solely to his leaving. I'm happy he is where he is but I think that the impact of the situation has never been fully appreciated by all involved which leaves some feelings of resentment when things are rough, as they have been several times since.

I'd moved into an apartment in Brentwood, which I loved for it's location and size, and had begun dating a girl named Nicole. She was young, a wild soul that was very different from me but I liked it. It was almost as if I started dating her because I normally wouldn't date someone like her. She was this hot California blond, outgoing and naive to a lot of things in life and I just enjoyed being with her. It was easy and I didn't have to work hard at the relationship, which ultimately destroyed our relationship.

In November 2004 I moved to Huntington as I was sick of LA and it was closer to Nicole who lived in Belmont Shore. My apartment was awesome. 2 blocks from the beach, newly renovated, an outdoor shower to rinse off after a surf, right in the middle of downtown; it was awesome. HB was this magical land or surf, sun and isolation and I loved every second of it.

After almost 4 years dating I ended it with Nicole. We were too different and I didn't put forth any effort as subconsciously I knew I wasn't really seeing any future with her. It was tough but it had to happen.

October 2006

Indonesia! I went on a surf trip as a way to sort of clear my mind and soul just a month or 2 after ending the relationship and had a blast. It was Bryan-time and I was thousands of miles and dozens of hours by plane from life back home. I want to go back and will someday, though Indo seems really far from where I am right now both physically and metaphorically.

November 2006

Now it gets interesting. I met this girl named Katie who lived at the other end of the building, one thing led to another and now we live together with a dog and a lot of good times. I also met some other friends that are big parts of my life now; this was a really happy time in my life. There was probably 6 months of pure perfection. I have Katie, some really fun friends, I'm making great money pimping loans; life was just easy, fun and prosperous and I would give anything for that feeling again.

Winter 2007

Katie and I move in together and get Brisbane the wonder-pup. The house was a disaster from a legal/rental standpoint as the landlord wasn't paying the mortgage and pocketing every penny of rent (money orders only) and was all but a ghost as the property manager couldn't even verfiy that he existed.

Spring 2008

This began the beginning of the end of Arcadia Capital. The once profitable and successful venture was struggling and I saw enough in the real estate market to know when to get the hell out, and I did. I began looking into other businesses and ultimately decided to become a trader, which I am doing full-time now.

Fall 2008

Eviction notices posted on the door of Hartford verified what we already suspected: the landlord was a crook. After hunting down the doofus of the operation (the property manager) and getting our deposit back, we moved out and found another place in HB.

Fall 2009 - present

Life as usual. I struggle to learn the art of trading and watch life savings dwindle to nothing as I try to stay afloat paying for rent, debt, you name it. I'm not trading all that much and view the time as a sort of "going back to school" but instead of coming out with my masters or a nursing degree I hope to emerge with knowledge that can open any and all doors when used properly. It's rough. For the first time in my adult life I'm not making any money, and that means no unemployment either. But I view it as a necessary step in my progression forward and realize that without the rainy days you can't appreciate the sunny days quite as much.

Midnight January 1, 2010

Katie and I complete a 1000 piece puzzle in less than 4 hours with a couple Jersey Shore breaks thrown in for good measure. I spent the last day of the decade with the woman I love and the puppy that we love and welcome in a new decade and surely a new chapter of our lives together.

It's a fitting way to end the decade don't you think? I start the decade by myself and after 10 years, countless friends and acquaintances, a move cross country and starting from scratch at least twice I end it with just 1 more person. I guess what counts, though, is the quality of that company. Who needs raging parties with teary-eyed drunks and horny guys looking for the first BJ of the year from a stranger when you can be with the ones you love and quietly celebrate the passing of another year and ring in the new year in peace?

Part 2 coming up later this week...

2010 Blogsolutions

As we're now into 2010, I feel it necessary to give you some new year "blogsolutions." It's the popular thing to do and since this blog doesn't need to lose weight and can't plan a budget or eat healthier, here's what you can expect for the upcoming year...

1. More posts
I can't promise you every day but I can sure tell you every day now at the beginning of the year, try my best, come up short and then link back to this statement at the end of the year to prove that I never promised you a thing.

2. More interactivity
YOU need to be involved in this blog! Maybe through polls, suggestions, guest bloggers, whatever. Come hell or high water I'm going to get you involved here this year and look forward to the ensuing train wreck.

3. More controversy
Yeah, I said it: more controversy. I don't have enough time to gently meander around political correctness and side-step discussing many of the issues that I would like to but have previously avoided for lack of pissing people off or having labels attached to me. Not that anything is really that bad, but I think you might learn a bit more about me if I weren't pushing all my toughts and content through the Brita water filatration of blog-editing.

4. Brisbane
He has his own blog that hasn't been posted to in a while and with his schedule and mine starting to settle in nicely, we should be able to get him on the keyboard and start posting either here or at his own blog.

So, let's light this candle and have a very fun and entertaining 2010 here at übersurf...

Not on strike, just busy...

I've not forgotten about you, dear Blog and readers of the Blog. It's the holiday season and I'm in the middle of an exceptionally busy trading week and trying to wrap things up here at the end of the year.

On top of that, next week, Katie, Brisbane and I are packing up the family truckster and driving to Seattle to spend the holiday with my family. 19 hours, per Google Maps estimation, which is a long haul. So, we've got XMAS stuff to do here, last minute gift and craft projects we're knee deep in and everything else that comes with preparing to drive North for 2 days.

So, hang tight, there will be plenty of good stuff coming up as I make time for new entries...

YouTube Tuesday: Ho x 3

The Dan Band. If you don't know Dan Finnerty and the Dan Band, chances are you do you just don't know it. If Dan Band are ever near you, you owe it to yourself to see the most fun and most original live show you will ever see. Anyway...

This is one of the few original tracks Dan has recorded and it's pure genius. I mean prostitutes need some Christmas joy and the song has such a happy story; what's not to love? Who better to sing Ho Ho Ho than Dan Finnerty and The Dan Band? Nobody, that's who.

While I love everything about the Dan Band I must admit that the backup singers are probably the best part. You want proof? Pay attention from 0:59 through the chorus and tell me you didn't LOL yourself or start rockin out to their backup singer stylings or emulate their smooth moves.

So long, friends...thanks for the memories

Whoa! Don't freak out, y'all! If I was gonna do something brash I would use a far more eloquent and cryptic title...

No, this post is about saying goodbye to...surfboards. You see, since I started surfing I've only sold a single board to a stranger and that board I sold had some bad juju in it so I was happy to get rid of it.

But with the current economic climate in the United States of Bryan and a lack of TARP relief funds to pay off stupid debts, ridiculously high living expenses in SoCal and endeavoring to start a new life as a trader...I find myself in a situation where I need to raise capital. Looking in the garage at my own surfshop amassed over the last 8 years I made the difficult decision to sell off some old friends.

The first board I sold a couple weeks ago was a custom single fin made by Surf Rx here in HB. I remember when I bought that board being tempted to never surf it in favor of hanging it on the wall as abstract art. That, of course, never happened and I can remember several memorable rides like they happened last week when they were in fact rides from years ago.

The second board I sold just earlier this week was the only used board I've ever bought. Since I bought it for so cheap and sold it at a reasonable price I think that board only cost me $40 to own/surf for a little over 2 years. Not really gonna miss that one; it wasn't my bag and I just held onto it because my friend Mike told me a long time ago to just hold onto all my boards instead of selling them...a practice that's nostalgic when times are good though not very rational when times are tight.

This weekend I'm selling a 3rd board which is an almost identical replica (in terms of dimensions, not appearance) of another custom board I own. I bought this one with removable fins in the belief/hope that I would be traveling a bunch...you see how that's panned out. I love the design of this board and it's a brilliant shape by arguably the best shaper of this type of board anywhere on Earth.

The final board I'm selling is a 5-fin Bonzer, handshaped by Malcom Campbell (who invented the Bonzer over 30 years ago). I got it about 3.5 years ago now and it's awesome. I don't like it as much as the other 3 Bonzers I own but it's still a cracker of a board. This one will be tough to see go. I'm selling it at a price that I believe is lower than what it's worth because surfers are the cheapest, greediest bastards out there when it comes to buying anything used but what can ya do...

All in all, it's sad selling these boards for a few reasons. Obviously, it's sad selling off boards that were all custom made for me and letting someone else enjoy them for the rest of their days; I become attached to every board the second I pick it up. But, it's also sad having to sell them to raise capital to pay off pesky debts, etc. It's one thing to sell a board because it doesn't work for you or you want to get money to pay for another board but it's another to sell a board to pay for something other than surfing.

But, it had to happen and I'm fine with it now. They're going to good homes, I'm getting the money I need and I have no doubt that I'll be filling their places in the board rack sooner rather than later.

So long old friends...thanks for the waves and the memories...

YouTube Tuesday: His light show is better than your light show

Do you remember this house from a few years back? This is the original bad-ass Christmas light show house syncronized to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This display consists of over 25,000 lights and took 2 months to set up. People can drive by and tune their radios to a certain frequency and listen to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra while watchting the show in perfect synchronization. Miller Lite used this house in a commercial the following Christmas season so with luck the guy got compensated for his fun Christmas light project in addition to bragging rights for best neighborhood light show.

It's pretty epic and while there may be others out there that are bigger or better, this is the one that started it all and that's still worth something in my book.

So, here ya go. Get yourself in the holiday mood!

Trading wrap-up

This wraps up our week-long trading post extravaganza.

What did we learn this week?

 - We learned what futures contracts are, where they're traded and that they're the only instrument I would ever trade.
 - We saw what open outcry is and (hopefully) gained an appreciation for the way trading used to be handled and the characters that make floor trading so great
 - You saw what a day in the life of this trader is like, however boring that may be
 - You hopefully learned that no matter how you slice it, trading is always better than investing and becoming very active in your investments is a very good thing

 - We learned that while trading may be gambling,  I'm the Casino

If you ever want to learn more about what I do or about trading in general don't hesitate to ask. It's difficult for me to offer you investment advice as I'm anything but an investor. As a trader, I'm only concerned with the ride, not the destination, and that may be different than your desired investment goals. But, if you're getting active in handling your investments I can probably offer a bit of advice from time to time.

If you read through the entire week of posts, I congratulate and thank you. If you picked up just a couple posts, that's cool too. If you've only read this, then you must feel like an idiot and I concur; go back and read the posts starting on Monday and your sins will be forgiven.

What is a trader and why do I trade?

The function of trading in various markets on a macro scale is for what's called price discovery. Price discovery is the act of, well, discovering what prices a market will bear. The traders will test various price levels which force other traders and investors to show their hands and act/react accordingly. This provides liquidity, which basically means that traders are providing the movement necessary for other traders and investors to enter/exit the market at the prices they want. Without traders, the market does not know what prices will be accepted or rejected. If you own Apple stock and you want to sell it, how do you know what price you can sell it for? You look at the prices that traders have fought over and established.

It's for this reason I liken the trading/investing universe to a battlefield. On the front lines are the traders; the ones that will take the biggest gains/losses, relative to their positions, and find out where the enemy is, what their weaknesses are and what offense schemes to run. Battle lines are drawn in the sand so people on the bull side of the market (the buyers or people wanting price to go up) know where they stand and the bear side of the market (the sellers, or people that want price to go down) know where they stand and they do battle with one another. The traders are relentless and the line in the sand (the price of an instrument) changes constantly.

The investors then follow behind in the path the traders have made and establish their positions in a safer environment, though still not the safest of positions. Finally, bringing up the rear, are the hedgers who are investors that are trying to protect other trades/investments they have established. These are typically the safest positions because with a hedge the hedger is not looking for a profit but simply trying to protect a price they have established in a related instrument. Farmers are classic hedgers. They have a certain amount of crops they will deliver at harvest so they hedge their positions by locking in prices well before the harvest so they can deliver their crops at prices that will most likely bring them a higher price than the rest of the market will be able to get.

Personally, I trade because I love it. I'm fascinated by the movements in any given market and feel that I am part of a living, breathing organism. That may sound trippy, but I assure you that a market is indeed an organism that acts and reacts to stimuli, requires nourishment, shows signs of distress, joy, elation, depression; you name it a market will do it. If you were to sit with me for a week and watch price develop and see the way that prices react at areas of support and resistance you'd see what I'm talking about and understand that a market is indeed a living organism.

I started trading full-time this past summer after spending a year or more learning about trading, experimenting with various strategies and gathering the courage to do it full-time. It's not easy, folks; not at all. I completely underestimated the psychological/emotional aspect of trading, thinking it was more important to learn HOW to trade rather than learn how to manage emotions such as greed and fear. Anyone can learn HOW to trade but very few people can learn how to have an emotional detachment from trading and treat it as a business, bounce back from losses and reign in the high of winning before it clouds your judgment. I try to focus not on making money but on my execution. I know that if I execute properly and focus on being more efficient in my entries and exits the byproduct of my success will translate to a higher win percentage and more money in my account. By not worrying on making a certain amount of money it lets me trade more freely and just enjoy what I'm doing, though it's still really hard to see losses and keep going once I've banked a nice profit. It's something I will always be working on and maybe the best thing about trading is what it's teaching me about myself and how to take control of my emotions and learn discipline and processes that are important not only to trading but so many things in my life. It truly is an amazing thing, trading, and I'm really stoked to be a part of this living, breathing organism each and every day.

I'm the Casino, Part II

OK, so you had to wade through that 1st part to get to the payoff: why I'm the casino.

Where I differ from the gamblers and other traders is through the system I trade. Without divulging everything about what I do, all you really need to know is that my system does not rely on luck or winning streaks as I'm the casino. I'm on the side of the market that dictates the direction price moves, either up or down. I have a quantifiable edge that I employ in every trade I make. I don't run into winning or losing streaks, I simply follow what the market tells me and take what I'm given. I don't press, I don't have to adjust my system based on market conditions or how I've done over the last few trades, I just trade.

The casino doesn't earn all of it's profit over a couple days, it earns the profit slowly. I'm the exact same way. I don't look to make a single HUGE trade that makes a month's worth of profit or one that erases a series of losses from a losing streak like so many other traders out there. I prefer to make many trades and take just a little each time and let the profit compound over time. I don't know if you've been to Vegas recently, but they're still building hotels and casinos and the skyline is cluttered with giant money-making skyscrapers so making money slowly but surely is pretty damn effective for casinos and it's no different for this trader, though I've yet to build a skyscraper. HA!

Casinos and I also share a similar business/growth plan: leverage. Rather than trying to make more on each bet, casinos have figured out that you just have more ways to generate more outcomes. Bryan/Casino comparison time!!!

Let's say a casino has a daily goal to make $100,000 though Craps. Rather than trying to get that entire amount from a single craps table, what does a casino do? Yup: they just put out more tables...let's say 10 cuz I don't want to do the hard math. So now, instead of trying to get $100,000 from a single table, they just need each table to pull in $10,000. While getting $100K from one table may have been possible it was a much more difficult task than simply aiming for $10,000 per table.

Trading is no different.

Let's say I have a daily goal of $1,000 (easy math) by trading the eMini S&P or ES as is it's commonly called. If I'm trading 1 ES contract, that means I need to make 20-points on that one contract. It can be done, but it's VERY difficult and depending on the daily volume it can be pretty much impossible. So what do I do? I start trading more contracts; let's say 10. Now, I just need to make 2-points which is multiplied by the # of contracts I'm trading and my 20-point goal is met. 2 points is a much easier goal and much less stressful as you're not trying to swing for the fences but just need to hit a nice single to be successful.

Are other traders the casino? Yeah there are plenty of traders that operate as if they were the casino, though we're the exception to the rule. I believe to be a successful trader you MUST be the casino, otherwise you're destined to be a failure; a gambler that operates at the mercy of probabilities and luck and must know when to walk away and when to run.

Am I going to change the way that the majority of people view my profession as anything but a different form of gambling? No, and that's fine. I'm hopeful that maybe this enlightens some of you and helps you understand that while this may be gambling, I'm the casino and my business is simply to take advantage of a quantifiable edge on each and every trade and slowly amass profits while watching other traders go up and down on the roller-coaster that other traders/casinos and myself force them to ride.