It was the best of times ... It was the worst of times

I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have two good reasons. First, Kim and I took a mini-vacation with some friends to the "Redneck Riviera" last weekend - Port Aransas. It was some great fun and I had a great time.

I really miss taking vacations. When I worked at the tech job, Kim and I would take about two each year .. mainly cruises. It was good to get away and relax for a week or so. However, when I knew I wanted to switch careers, we stopped going because I knew I had to save money. So, this was the first vacation we had taken in well over a year. Like I said, it was a lot of fun, and I wish it could have been for a little longer. Oh well, maybe one of these days when I start making the big bucks.

Also, last week, I had a scare, and actually, I am still waiting for results from the doctor. Without going into further detail, I will just say, I had to see a urologist on Thursday to have an ultrasound right before going on vacation. It was something I discovered on Tuesday and that has concerned me ever since. Intial prognosis by both the doctor and the woman giving the ultrasound are that it is nothing to worry about. However, I haven't heard anything back from the doctor, and am starting to get a little concerned. The nurse from the doctor's office said they will notify me by tomorrow, Wednesday. In the meantime, I have been saying my prayers and trying to live my life more freely. When something like this hits, you realize there are more important things than money and careers. Relationships and time, in general, become more treasurable. I hope I can maintain this attitude moving forward. Not to be self-centered, but please keep me in your thoughts and prayers in the coming days as I await the news.

The situation above really put a damper on things last week. I should have been on Cloud Nine. I was going on vacation and I felt as if I was beginning to turn the corner with my trading. I had the bad day on Monday that I blogged about. However, the other two days I traded, I ended up positive, and actually ended up positive for the week. (I spent the entire day at the doctor on Thursday and was in Port Aransas on Friday so I didn't get to trade). Yesterday, I was down a little, but today I had another pretty good day. I still attribute a lot of my success to the Amibroker application, but I am also starting to see things a little better. I know what I am looking for and if a stock doesn't meet my criteria, I move on. My entries are getting better and better, so now I need to work on my exits. My coach increased my default share size and trading capital, so I will see how much damage I can do now. All in all, I am happier with my progress. I still need to work hard in the evenings to refine my strategy, but I am feeling more and more confident that, if I remain disciplined, my strategy will work in the long run. Let me try it though with double the number of shares and get back to you.

So ... here is where I stand.
This month - Up $350
Total amount in the hole - $3500

As you can see, I still have a way to go to erase my debt. Tomorrow is another day ... sigh.