burrocrat's Account Talk

[burrocrat]

burros-ark housekeeping (5):

description is timely commentary based on market events, seasonality, group performance metrics, or even just my own personal humor which i know can be rather direct and come off wronger than i mean it sometimes.

this is another area i have considered doing away with and would like some feedback on. keep the weekly descriptions and just do some broad commentary? do descriptions monthly only. drop it all together?

the truth is that it is kind of hard to find something new to say every week 52 weeks per year without being stale or redundant. now i don't mind doing it, but no sense ruining a good thing.

also, i am pretty much down to cuss words and dirty limericks now unless i think really hard. that is not my strong suit.

(thinking is not strong suit. i am really good at cussing and limericks).

 

[burrocrat]

burros-ark housekeeping (6):

so that is pretty much it for now. i would welcome any suggestions. there is not another update due until next weekend so roster can still change, terms and conditions can still change, anything could change.

but for now it looks like for all the hints i said about changing, things are pretty much going to stay the same.

which might not be a bad thing either 'cause i kicked the market's ass for a good 9% this year, suck it c-fund! woot woot. wheeee!

 

[Scout333]

Thanks for your efforts sir!

 

[Dinicti]

Burro, earlier you wrote about early losses in your account: "cacti's tutorial early losses are difficult to make up"

I just want to add that any losses I am sure are difficult, but in a NY Times, see below, by pure dollar amount (versus %) late losses are a killer.

 

[burrocrat]

this article is on the surface about holiday travel, but there are 8 hidden life gems in here, nuggets of pure wisdom. i rarely post govexec.com articles because the links never work, but go there and check this one out sometime. if you follow these 8 rules you can get through anything in life that doesn't actually kill you. that may be very important on a day like today.

8 Ways to Stay Sane During Holiday Travel - Executive Coach - Management - GovExec.com

1. Let go of attachment to outcomes. The holidays are the ultimate opportunity to learn how to let go of what you can’t control... “If you want to be stressed in your life, if that’s your goal, be attached to the outcome.” You can’t control the traffic on I-95, the delayed plane, the cranky kids or the cranky in-laws. Let it go.

3. Embrace the suck... Yeah, things can suck. We can whine about it or deal with it. The choice seems kind of obvious when you frame it that way

 

[burrocrat]

ok whipsaw and ravensfan, your silver prizes for 2015 burros-ark performance are on the way, i'll pm you each tracking numbers so you can follow along but you should have them by the end of the week. (lion, get me your address so i can mail yours, don't make me come out there!)

i want to apologize as one of them has a small scratch/scuff on it but i wrapped them up and then shuffled them around before addressing the envelopes so i'm not sure which one of you is going to get that one.

i think it probably happened by the edge of one coin clinking off the other when i was playing with my shiny shiny silver. when i first got them i had like well over two pounds and i used to strip down to my manties and roll around in them and feel wealthy like scrooge mcduck (but don't worry i buffed them up after that and i don't do it anymore because now only have about 12 ounces left and it just makes me feel cheap and dirty like an old dancer that can only make it rain $1 bill instead of twenties).

were did all my silver go you ask? well, i chopped one into pieces to make sure it was real, they are. i paid a personal financial debt with some. i put one in my car for good luck but it fell down between the instrument cluster and the dash and when the car blew the engine a few months later i forgot all about it before the tow truck got there so it is in a salvage yard now. and then i've had so much fun giving them away i just can't stop. another couple will maybe get mailed out depending on who wins the presidential election.

and, if anyone wants a shot at an ounce, i am willing to bet on just about anything depending on how i gauge the odds. maybe we need to start another round of bulk silver purchase sign up before i run out for good.

 

[JTH]

Great job keeping track of the Arc, lot's of work involved, but I always look forward to reading it.

 

[Whipsaw]

Looking for that delivery, Clorox wipes at the ready!

 

[Whipsaw]

ok whipsaw and ravensfan, your silver prizes for 2015 burros-ark performance are on the way, i'll pm you each tracking numbers so you can follow along but you should have them by the end of the week. (lion, get me your address so i can mail yours, don't make me come out there!)

i want to apologize as one of them has a small scratch/scuff on it but i wrapped them up and then shuffled them around before addressing the envelopes so i'm not sure which one of you is going to get that one.

i think it probably happened by the edge of one coin clinking off the other when i was playing with my shiny shiny silver. when i first got them i had like well over two pounds and i used to strip down to my manties and roll around in them and feel wealthy like scrooge mcduck (but don't worry i buffed them up after that and i don't do it anymore because now only have about 12 ounces left and it just makes me feel cheap and dirty like an old dancer that can only make it rain $1 bill instead of twenties).

were did all my silver go you ask? well, i chopped one into pieces to make sure it was real, they are. i paid a personal financial debt with some. i put one in my car for good luck but it fell down between the instrument cluster and the dash and when the car blew the engine a few months later i forgot all about it before the tow truck got there so it is in a salvage yard now. and then i've had so much fun giving them away i just can't stop. another couple will maybe get mailed out depending on who wins the presidential election.

and, if anyone wants a shot at an ounce, i am willing to bet on just about anything depending on how i gauge the odds. maybe we need to start another round of bulk silver purchase sign up before i run out for good.

Just left Fargo, on track for Friday

 

[jpcavin]

Great job keeping track of the Arc, lot's of work involved, but I always look forward to reading it.

If you really want to show your appreciation, you should start a fund drive to buy donkey some new manties.

 

[ravensfan]

Just left Fargo, on track for Friday

Your in for an eye opener when you get home. Woke up this morning to 9 degree temps...brrr...that's even cold by Fargo standards.

 

[burrocrat]

Your in for an eye opener when you get home. Woke up this morning to 9 degree temps...brrr...that's even cold by Fargo standards.

it's not so bad, you get used to it, things will warm up again sometime around april. no prob. but if folks do take up an underwear collection for me, maybe get long johns and not manties, i already have enough of those.

 

[jpcavin]

it's not so bad, you get used to it, things will warm up again sometime around april. no prob. but if folks do take up an underwear collection for me, maybe get long johns and not manties, i already have enough of those.

Long johns it is! I figured the silver would ruin the delicate fabric of your manties and I didn't want the neighbors to catch you prancing around in your birthday suit. :nuts:

 

[nnuut]

Long johns with the flap in the back or button Back, of course!:laugh:

 

[TSP-roulette]

What?, Flap in the back??, button back??......Nahhhh, time to upgrade.

 

[burrocrat]

Long johns with the flap in the back or button Back, of course!:laugh:

huh, flap in the back? i thought that was just a generous roomy fly. no wonder folks look at me strange when i ask for help buttoning the back of my suit! they are almost impossible to put on that way on your own, but the old-timers swear by them so i just trusted them.

View attachment 36568

 

[nnuut]

You always have to think about the front also it's a dual system!

 

[burrocrat]

wax! if you survived the monday 1st trading day of 2016 patch-ripping at least you got a little pause and tickle on tuesday. then the market came back for any stray short hairs it missed yesterday, waxed again! and today it looks like it is going to bare the longs to their knees. ouch.

but don't worry, it helps you swim faster. and besides you still got some hair left around your calves and up the happy trail, it'll be back for those tomorrow.

if the futures hold then this is a -5% drop in four days, but strangely i don't feel even the least bit eager to jump in this market. i'd prefer to keep my armpit hair and the stragglers around the nipples. at least until next week.

there may be something big afoot here, and i want no part of it. yet.

 

[burrocrat]

buh rue tall. 1 week, 7 days (only 4 trading days) into a new year and the investment devastation is freakin brutal.

of the public autotracker:

23% have positive returns above zero
74% have lost one percent or more
63% have lost three percent or more
41% have lost five percent or more.

yep. massive down draft, minus -6%. how many make positive +6% in a year? how many can dig out of this hole and break even in the remaining 51 weeks left in the year? i don't think folks realize how heavy this hit means. and about half just lost their appetite for equities. it is hard to be a big swinging dick (official wall street term) when you just got your balls cut off. buh rue tall.

 

[burrocrat]

ok lion, silver is on the way and tracking # sent by pm. thanks for the analysis and humor and for getting me to think about that cagr thing way back, it finally sunk in and maybe i learned something. i hope you have room in your already full treasure chest, clink clink.