Chaos!

I am EXHAUSTED! Ben just left this morning and I already miss the guy. Since the time he's been here I haven't gotten to sleep before 2am I think and I am pretty much at my limit. I just want to relax. On the upside, my mom just made Christmas treats and we were surprised with an AWESOME brand new HDTV. It is breathtaking and I was absolutely blown away by the clarity. I get so excited just thinking about it actually.

I remember when my friends and I went on our road trip a while back and we had the chance to watch my grandpa's HDTV. The show I remembered most was the 'sunrise' show. They basically show a real-time sunrise from different places on earth and in HD it is just amazing. I found this show on our TV and was up early enough this morning to watch it.

Also, we played some XBox 360 on it and it left me drooling! We played Need For Speed, Call of Duty 4, and Assassin's Creed. The graphics were CRAZY! We didn't have those kind of graphics when I was growing up :). I can't wait to find even cooler shows or games in HD. It is like I have seen the light!

Umm... Some other stuff... I am going to be working back at Orange Julius again for just a couple weeks because I need some money and they aren't hiring at Office Depot right now. It might be awkward but at least I will get some breathing room as far as money is concerned. It has been extremely helpful to have a credit card. I have found that being able to consolidate everything into one payment is really helpful.

On Monday we had another world famous Zietzke barbecue that was amazing, as usual. It was fun to do a barbecue with Ben and Steven, not to mention the fact that it was the same night we were surprised with the TV.

Anyways, I can't think of much else to talk about and I think I'm going to take a nap now! *Sigh*

Later,
Daniel

It's For Sure

On Friday I went to Tacoma Community College to drop off the rest of those required documents. I had been shooting emails back and forth with the secretary of the EMT program there and, long story short, she told me that a person had already dropped the EMT class. Since I was #1 on the waiting list she said that I was in and that she would send me the confirmation code, etc. to be able to register on Monday. That made me so relieved and happy!

What's more, my best friend Ben just got here on Saturday and we got to go out for my brother's birthday to the Cheese Cake Factory which was great. The past couple days have turned out to be great and I can't wait to spend more time with Ben and Steven. Tomorrow I believe we are going to barbecue some steaks and a whole bunch of other stuff which will be awesome, as always.

Anyways... Gotta get to sleep because I'm exhausted, so you have a good night!

Later,
Daniel

Success?

If you don't already know... In the past couple weeks I have left Central in order to pursue my EMT-b certification at Tacoma Community College. This is bittersweet considering the hassle, but if all goes well I will actually be on schedule to get my EMT-b certification by the end of winter quarter (my original plan). Not to mention that it will cost less for me to live at home, etc. Plus, I can work while I'm going to school which is a big plus.

I found out today that I am #1 on the waiting list for the EMT-b class which means that I am fairly likely (or I should say hopeful) that I will be able to get in. From everything I've read, this should be doable. Honestly... I CAN'T WAIT! I am really excited to start learning how to save people lives!

As far as work goes... I have applied to the City of Kent to work as a "Temporary After-school Youth Leader" which sounds so awesome. Not only that, but even if I have to settle for a different job, which I am very reluctant to do, they are hiring firefighters as well. I fit the qualifications, but realistically I don't think the chances are very good. I will still apply, though and just the fact that I may be interviewed for a position like this means that I am making progress. I am this close to making $4000 a month and being able to do all the things I've wanted to do. Not to mention this much closer to getting my full EMT-P (paramedic) certification.

I keep telling myself all I need to do is get through the next couple weeks and I will be there, even though it seems like it never ends. Today is the first day that I have actually seen good signs in a while though and that makes me feel great. I have a few things baking away and the realization of progress is good.

Not much else to say for now... Will check back later.

Goodnight,
Daniel

Politics

In the past I have taken several political quizzes online out of pure curiosity. Here is what I got:




Another quiz that I took said that I was most aligned with Duncan Hunter as far as presidential candidates go. I don't know how truthful these online quizzes are, but they are pretty fun.

Later,
Daniel

Update On My Investments

So I have been happy with the progress I have made over the past couple days (which I know means nothing in the broad scheme of things). I have made about 2.8% off my investment of about $28k. This means I've made just under $800. In reality I have netted a profit of just over $500 after trade commissions. Check this out (HERE).

I expect them to take a dip next week just because I think they have to go down sometime. We'll see though. I have also started messing around with options which are especially lucrative. I lost about $200 in options today even though I only put about $4k into them. That's a pretty big dip, but in the end, I was able to stay up for the week because my stocks continued to rise. I definitely expect my options to rise as well, but who knows. I am at least thankful that my stocks haven't plummeted right away because that would have just been discouraging.

In the near future I want to try some options/stock trading strategies to see if I can get a solid return over a couple months. The strategies I'm considering mostly consist of 'covered calls' and 'conversion/reversal' (or 'reverse conversion') which sound promising although I still need to learn more.

We'll see how it goes.

Later,
Daniel

My Investing Game

So I have set myself up with an account on Investopedia. This is basically a virtual copy of the stock market where they give you a starting amount to invest with and you can practice and learn about investing in general. It is more tailored to specifically stock and options trading so there are no bonds, commodities, etc.

My first day ended and I made .46% on about $28k of varied stocks that I had purchased. This meant I made about $130! But of course I was down overall because it would cost me about $220 in brokerage commissions to trade it all back; each commission being $20. I know one day means practically nothing, but at least I didn't start off too poorly!

I decided to go with mostly big-name companies to begin with because I figured they would be more stable. I plan to maintain a patient and stable strategy throughout the majority of my portfolio, while leaving a small percentage specifically for more volatile and risky investments. These big-name companies included Boeing, Exxon Mobil, Amazon, Ebay, Citigroup, Adobe, Apple, and Home Depot. Although I do have reasons for choosing each one, I am unsure of what the outcome will be. That's why this is so fun! There is no risk and I will actually be learning something that I can use in the future. In fact... Here is a screen shot that will let you see exactly what I have (HERE).

Eventually, I hope to use what I learn to invest smartly with my own money in the near future. I don't want to 'get rich quick' but instead, maintain a steady 9-11% return on my investments. This may be a little too hopeful, but I think it can be done safely from everything I've read. I would also like to rollover some of the money I make into safer, more diversified options like bonds for example.

If you think I am nuts let me know. But regardless, it is fun to imagine the possibilities!

Goodnight,
Daniel