Saturday, October 11, 2008

How the stock market really works.

This idea could have been originally formulated in Zimbabwe:

Once upon a time, in a village near Bulawayo, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each. The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out into the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands of monkeys at $10 and, as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort.
The man then further announced that he would now buy at $20 for a monkey.
This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their villages.
The man increased the price to $25 per monkey, and the supply of monkeys became so small that it was an effort to even find a monkey, let alone catch it!The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50!
However, since he had to go back to Baltimore on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him. In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers:
"Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected.
I will sell them to you at $35 and, when the man returns from Baltimore, you can then sell them to him for $50 each." The villagers rounded up all their earnings, dipped into their savings, paid the assistant, and bought all the monkeys at $35 each.
They never saw the man, nor his assistant, again … only monkeys everywhere!

Now you have a better understanding of how the stock market works. I thought this was so appropriate to what is happening currently in the global stock market meltdown.

Carpe Diem.

Action in the hood


Nothing like the police ringing your doorbell at 7 am. Apparently someone at our neighbors house (directly across the road) called in a "shots fired" to the police. It seemed like half the Baltimore police department showed up, tactical (SWAT) teams and all. In the end no one was hurt. So much for a safe, quiet and peaceful neighborhood. But in all honesty, our hood still has all these attributes.
Carpe Diem.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Rob's home

Rob came home for the weekend. Cool to have her home. She had a tough week at school as one of her professor decided to give an exam on Yom Kippur day. A tad unfair.

Lots going on today. Every year now I am required (strongly recommended) that I get a flu shot and a pneumonia shot. I had never heard of a pneumonia shot before, but non the less, I got one. No big deal. My flu shot is next week.

A noon massage and an afternoon haircut and I now look and feel maaaavelous. Just my opinion.

Oh yea. We have a well water problem. In a nut shell, our well water had become slightly contaminated because of a hole in the well cap casing. So after having the hole repaired we had to chlorinate the well. It will probably be a few days till the water is back to normal. This chlorination process gives a whole new meaning to bleaching your laundry!!!

Carpe Diem.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Yom Kippur day

The fast went relatively easy for me. Simply because I was not required to fast. When you are ill you have "special dispensation" requiring you not to fast. One of the "benefits" of lung cancer. Just like free hospital parking. What a person has to do to get this???.

Diana and I spent a couple of hours in shul and we both stayed for Yizkor. Yizkor being a special part of the service for anyone who has lost a family member. My Dad having passed away over six years ago and Diana's Mom who recently passed away less than a year ago. Quite somber.

We all broke the fast at our friends (the Levy's) home.

Carpe Diem.

An explanation

Firstly, let me say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all of you out there who attempt to keep up with my blog on a daily basis. I really do appreciate the interest, love and support you have all shown me. I also appreciate those that check the blog occasionally. It all means the world to me. To those that have never seen, checked or heard of my blog..............who cares! Just kidding.

Now for the explanation. Sometimes you may notice that I place "explanations" in parenthesis e.g. shul (synagogue). This is for the benefit of my many non-Jewish friends to help them understand what the hell I'm talking about. I suppose, like anything. you could just "google" the word. But out of consideration and respect I do this. Hey, who knows? This may even help my Jewish friends.

MH, you are a champ. Yoda, thanks for the cartoons.

Carpe Diem.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

How weird!

This is like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie!

Last night as I was walking into Shul (Synagogue) for Yom Kippur evening services the person entering directly behind me was Dr. Jacobs. Yes, Dr. Jacobs the pulmonologist. My pulmonologist. The very same person who told me that I had lung cancer. I don't know why, but I could not bring myself to greet him. I guess some kind of deep seated resentment even though he was just the messenger.

Also, when I sat down, I instinctively placed my index finger somewhere in the prayer book. When the rabbi announced the next page for prayers it was page 401. Guess where my finger was? Page 401.

Carpe Diem.

Catch up

Hi all. Sorry about the delay in posting to the blog but really not much going on of interest the past few days. Just the mundane chores and shopping of home life in Baltimore. No, it's not that boring. But Vegas it ain't! I am getting a lot of stuff done though.

We will not be going away to New York for Yom Kippur (day of atonement). Diana, Mike and I will be at home here in Baltimore for Wednesday night pre fast dinner and then Thursday night we will break the fast at one of our friends' home. Rob will be at school and will only make it home this weekend. Oh well!

The Prednisone seems to finally be kicking in. The breathing is still not back to normal (whatever the hell that was). Taking deep breathes still makes me cough. Also, sometimes a lot of talking makes me cough. Yea, I know. Stop talking and don't take deep breathes. My weight is steady or could even be increasing. My appetite is great. When this breathing issue gets better I will start light workouts again. Right now, I get winded quite easily. Who would have thought that?

I wish all my Jewish friends and my family an easy fast.

Carpe Diem.