NEW BOOK!! Yes, Another One! (Paper Trail)

     I'll start by saying "Paper Trail" will make you laugh. It will make you laugh because I'm writing it in a way that leaves you no choice. If I'm anything, and you must agree if you know me, I'm hilarious. I was a stand-up comedian for several years in Hollywood (and Oklahoma City when I came home for holidays and vacations); it was what I did, and it wasn't hard. I wasn't the class clown; I was too smart for that. I was the class smarty-pants. There is a difference. I used sarcasm, and it worked.

    Growing up poor helped; I had to fight for everything I ever wanted or thought I couldn't live without. Being funny and clever helped me achieve just about every goal I ever set. In a true Scorpio way, I often managed to have others do what I needed them to do and thanked them; I let them think it was their idea in the first place. I didn't have to take all the credit. I can share.

    The new new book "Paper Trail" is a murder thriller. It's not exactly a whodunit, but it's along those lines. It's more of a "I freakin' can't believe whodunit," and you'll understand once you start reading it. I'm writing it now, and believe me, I'm having a blast. I am literally pouring my personal stories from way way back into this one. I'm pouring my family history into it, and bringing up old bones that should have been buried and gone, but no, I'm dragging them right back to the surface in a very funny way, and no one will fault me for sharing my personal laundry -- I'm the one who lived it; I know it.

    The book is a pseudo-modern book. It takes place from New Year's Eve 1999 to about June the following year. A lot of quirky people do quirky things in a world that would or should be professional, but if you remember Y2K and how many pop-up ads would somehow show up on your computer without you asking for them, you'll understand. If you're too young, well -- it happened. We were all caught, and when I say with our pants down, I mean it.

    Think Agatha Christie meets Matlock (the original) and then throw in a little "I Love Lucy" for the hell of it. It's the one show I can safely compare my own life to and expect anyone to believe me or understand what happened. I really did drive 1500 miles in an air-cooled VW with a butcher knife for a weapon, no cell phone (1981), and less than $15. No credit cards, no bank cards, just me, the open road, and Western Union. (I never had to pay for a telegram or call; my dad was the Regional Wire Chief.) Things got lit.

    I found bones once that turned out to be Native bones, and the entire area was quarantined. That sort of thing doesn't happen to most people. A bank robber stopped me from going into a bank once; he had plans, and I was a distraction. He told me so. That doesn't happen, but it did. The book will be full of those sorts of things, and the kind of things I dig up about people in the library and on microfiche that they would never have imagined I could find -- I find them.

    It won't take me long to write. I'll have it out by Christmas, and I'm thinking it'll be thinner than my novels because it's a comedy murder book. It'll be about 275 pages, the same 5x8 size, and I'll put it on Amazon as soon as it's written. The Kindle will be three to four weeks later.  I set the price at $18.99 for print and $1.99 for Kindles, so if you can wait, that's best.  I wouldn't pay $18.99 for a book, especially one I wrote. Ha!

    The book takes place in 2000, mostly in Bethany and NW OKC. I lived it. I was there. I know it. I hope to bring back a few memories for friends, neighbors, students, and anyone else who remembers those times.  Murder isn't truly funny; I know that, but the way it gets solved can be! It just takes a little fairy dust, a lot of umph, and my own personal imaginational touch thingyboppy stuff that rattles and rumbles around in the fleshy tenants of my skull.  You're welcome.

Decisions. I Do Make Them.

     From time to time, and sometimes for no reason whatsoever, I make a decision. I do. I use my brainpower, willpower, and stubborn determination to come up with an idea I usually assume is original, and then I decide something. I often think that the decisions I make are good. I assume they are, and I will act on them. I'm not always correct. I have a history of making poor decisions, but I hope that as I get older and hopefully a little wiser, I can change most of the bad choices I've made. If I can't change them, I hope I can blot them out by making better choices that can override the past.

    Today, but this time for a reason, I decided not to buy a VW Beetle (Classic), and that may shock or surprise a few. I'm really sorry, Jeannie; I know it would have been so much fun, but I think the reasons I came up with for not buying one will be smart, wise, good, and/or otherwise the best choice.  I turn 65 in a few weeks, in exactly 22 days, actually. It's not too old to buy a Bug, but I don't want the headaches of keeping up with a car almost as old as I am. I did the math, which can always be painful. It's not worth it.

    The cost isn't that much, so the original math is fine. I can pay X for a 1968 VW Beetle that's been garaged, restored, rebuilt, etc., but what about the pans? The rust, the engine, the transmission, the fuel system, the 1000 small things that can cause an issue and even leave me stranded. I live in a great community, and I know I could call someone to save me, but that's not the point. I'm a member of AAA roadside, but that's not the point. If I bought a Bug, it would be for fun. I can't have too much fun if I'm waiting on the side of the road for someone to pick me up, or since I don't usually go too far from home, I can't have too much fun abandoning my car and hoofing it back home.

    No, I love the things. I do. I think the world of them, and maybe if I could find a unicorn, one that had a new undercarriage, new engine, new transmission, great interior, and no rust, I'd be OK, but the X I was willing to pay would shoot up to a few more 000s at the end, and again, it would not be worth it. The Bug had me in the 80s. I was smitten! I still love them, still Google them to see them, and I spot them on the road when I can, but I don't need one. I'm not even sure I actually want one. I think I just want to hang out with one now and again.

    When the settlement I'm expecting comes in, I'll do a few things for myself because I think that's best. I think I deserve to be a bit spoiled after all I've been through, but I won't buy myself a VW Beetle. Instead, I'll pay off Stephen (my 2018 Versa), and I'll have him completely detailed, too. I know I could trade him in and, for the same amount I would have spent on a Bug, get a really nice modern car, but I won't.  Stephen has 55,000 miles on him. For an 8-year-old car, that's really good. He's been a great companion, and I think I can stand to live with him a little longer. Why trade something in when it's just getting broken in?

    Instead, I'll use the same amount of money I would have spent on the Bug to promote my books! That's a good decision. I'll let the professionals take a bit of my money, promote the books properly, and see if I can get the authorship off the ground to the point where I can say I'm a paid author, not just a prolific one. Yep, money talks! I will have another profession, of course; I trade now. I'm back into Forex trading, and though it's on a demo account today, I practice my trades every single day. I've hit a 70% average when I am predicting trades, which is amazing. 

    Here's where the math is easy. If I risk $500 to win $650 and do it 100 times and hit my 70% average, I'm bringing in 70 wins at $650, so that's $45,500, and I lose 30 trades at $500 because that's what I risk, that's $15,000, and when you do the math -- I'm up $30,500.  I'll take that every day. I do 20-25 trades a week, and on average I win $650 a day. If that means I'm bringing in $14,300 at the end of the month (because I don't actually lose during trades; if I do, I keep trading until I break even or win), I'll take it.

    I'll have to explain my strategy to you, but I make decisions when I trade. I don't trade and wait to see what happens. If I see it going south and don't believe it will pull back, I get out. I'm not stupid. If I think one will go to the moon, I don't place my target at the top either - I let it go up enough to cover my goal, and I get out. I call it a day. I may go a little higher, but I'm a pragmatic trader, not a greedy one.  Decisions. They help. They not only help, but they also rule. If you don't know yourself, you're lost.

    So, there you have it. I'm over here anticipating a settlement soon. When it comes in, I'll do what I think is best. I'll trade, I'll write, I'll promote, and I'll find someone in the state that will let me drive their VW Bug every now and again on their property. I may pay them to let me drive it around the parking lots. I don't really need to own one to love one.  I will say this: I can't take myself to a city animal shelter just to pet a dog. That would never happen. If you ever hear that I did that, you'll see posts about who I picked up and what I named him or her.  Bugs are different. I can pet one and walk away. I think.

Photo Credit: Streetsideclassics.com 

The Trust - More Than Half Way There.

     I planned to have "The Trust" out by Halloween, but I was terminated, and because of the aftermath, my book was put on hold. I am happy to announce, however, that I am more than halfway finished, and I've shifted the book's central thread to put more emphasis on corporate fraud and deep-rooted corruption than planned. I think I'm making headway on the main events now. I'll find out once it's sold and the reviews return. I'm pretty darn sure it will be a hit. Too many folks like me have uncovered things they maybe should have left buried, but then again, why own a shovel if you're not going to dig something up? I own a few garden tools, but my keyboard does most of the heavy lifting.

    I am halfway through the book; I've incorporated the names of a few old favorites from my other Nick Posh books. Josh Davis returns; the bounty hunter from Stratford. Colonel Kolby Dickerson returns, and very sternly. It's too bad I couldn't bring back a few others I truly trusted before, but I have since realized that my gracious act of including them in my art was met with sad, disruptive behavior. No, I won't go into it, but it makes me sad to think they could have been included from now until the Rapture - but no. Not now. Only friends will be mentioned. Traitors will be dealt with at the Bema. 

    I am halfway through, and maybe a little more. I have 47,000 words written, so if I usually stop around 83,000, I am somewhere around the 56% mark, if I did my math correctly.  Believe me when I tell you that Math is not my best subject. Writing is by far my strength. I've adopted Gemini to help me with the more colorful parts; I can't take credit, and I won't. I always give whomever or whatever needs to be credited their due. I write a chapter, upload it to Gemini, and ask it to rewrite it with flair and color, or maybe I'll say, "make it pop," and let the machine do its best.

    Sometimes I'm happy with what it writes, and other times I scrap it and write it out myself. I like writing; it's fun and therapeutic. I can do anything I want to someone I despise, and if I don't want them to blame me for being mean, nasty, vindictive, or cruel, I change their name. I change the city, the time period, whatever, but I have at least gotten out of my head and spirit what I want to say. I find it refreshing to know I can erase, rewrite, destroy, rebuild, and redo anything I damn well need to, over and over, if I damn well feel like it. 

    I'm retired, I think. I'm not sure. I may go back to work, but right now I'm focused on the legal actions I'm taking, and the writing I'm producing. Both have been eye-opening, rewarding, and informative. I'm learning more about things I never knew, and it gives me fodder to write about. I can research a matter and have Nick Posh or Ralph Ferguson root it out in the book. I can stumble into a situation and ask Chief Ian Moore to arrest someone, or have him lock up the bastard overnight without light, food, or a blanket. Moore owes me. I saved his life in another book.

    "The Trust" is about a land grab organization that turns ugly. It grows out of itself and into something uncontrollable. The monster is bigger than its maker, a Frankenstein of sorts, and like the early twentieth-century monster we remember, The Trust must be stopped before it destroys more in its path of lies and deception.  One of the book's key themes is simple: the good guys win. They go through hell to do it, but they do win.  The ride is the fun part to write. It's never that much fun to live, and I know it. I've been through it.

    The book was going to be about the twisted roller coaster ride I went through trying to buy my house in the country, but it's organically turned itself into that and more. I have now added corporate connections, conflicts of interest, fraud, murder, and a seemingly endless swarm of miscreants whose greed and power struggles leave everyone in their wake injured. It's up to me, the author, to create a stronger force to stand up to their evil, and I have done just that. I like this book. I'm enjoying every bit of it. 

    I think it will be finished by the end of the week. I'll read through it this weekend, and maybe send it up for publishing next week. I'll come back to it in 10 days, go through it again for final proofs, and who knows, maybe by my birthday, it will be published, November 22. A good day to fight your enemies with the strongest weapons on the planet - words.

Photo Credit: Me. 

My Spirit Animal - The Dachshund.

     Before you start laughing, please understand that the standard German-bred Dachshund has been around a few blocks and has many survival stories to prove it. If you've ever had the pleasure of owning a Dachshund, you'll understand exactly what I'm about to tell you, but first, let me say this isn't the first time I've taken an online test about such matters, and the answer was overwhelmingly "The Dachshund." The only difference this time is that it wasn't a test to determine what dog breed I was, no...I was answering questions regarding who or what my spirit animal was or is.

    As a Christian, I don't necessarily believe in that kind of folklore, but I thought it would be fun to answer the questions anyway and see what it said. To be honest, I fully expected the dang thing to spit out either the elephant or the eagle. When it comes to bird breeds, I'm usually a bird of prey; it makes sense. The elephant shows up because it takes a bit to push me to the point of utterly destroying someone or something through my will or might, but it can happen. I don't forget. I never forget. I may forgive, but I will not forget.

    Today, however, the computer AI's choice, then and now, was spot on. It was so close, so intimate, so exact, that I had to laugh. I even copied down some of the more important traits to share with you. If you know me, you'll agree - you'll likely still laugh, but then again, the Dachshund is usually considered a clown, right? (Or is that just a clever cover?)

• Fierce and Fearless: Dachshunds were bred in Germany to fight badgers, incredibly ferocious and territorial predators. They are not intimidated by the size or status of others.
• Never Backs Down: When hunting underground, a Dachshund goes face-to-face with its target in a dark tunnel with no room to retreat; the word dogmatic could have been created for this breed.
• Relentlessly Stubborn: They have an independent will and extreme tunnel vision, so once they set their mind to a task, they refuse to be managed or swayed by outside forces.
• Digs Deep for Truth: "Dachshund" literally translates to "Badger Dog"—their paddle-shaped paws are engineered to excavate deep into the earth to find what is hidden; they will dig as deep as they need to reach their target. Nothing stops them.
• Honest and Loyal: They are fully transparent about their boundaries and don't fake affection; they are exactly who they say they are, and they accept you for who you are.

    The Dachshund is a no-nonsense breed, except for being a constant source of nonsense that makes anyone around them feel happier, healthier, and at ease. They are large lap dogs who double as foot warmers, choose their human immediately, and never change their minds. Once a Dachshund locks on to something, it belongs to the dog, whether someone else claimed it first or not. I'm not quite as bad, but if I want something and believe I need it in my life, it will happen. I won't take it from anyone, but I sure as heck will find a way to make it happen.

    

    There's something else about the dog that, again, if you know me, you'll understand. The Dachshund can change his/her personality to suit whatever situation he/she finds himself/herself in.  They adapt; they fit in immediately, then take over. That's me. I do that. In private, I operate as a fierce one-person shadow, switching easily and seamlessly to a bold center of attention when necessary.   At home, I'm nearly a shut-in. I rarely leave the house unless I need to, but at work - I am the top dog nearly every damn time because being second place was never that much fun.

    Dachshunds pick and choose. They decide who they will love. They decide who they will spend time with. They decide who they will remain loyal to, and if you ever cross one of these dogs, they don't forget you - ever. Their intense loyalty is absolute, but the fierceness doesn't stop with love; it extends to exacting revenge too. I'm not saying I'm looking to bury anything or anyone, but this badass hound and I share a few traits: we both have rather round bellies, and we're both very capable of giving someone the notorious side-eye.

    They are a natural-born entertainer, for sure. You can't stop looking at them. They figure out pretty quickly what makes a person smile; I do that. I want you on my side. I need to decide whether you deserve to be with me. Because they, well, we lack the gene for fear; we don't hide under the couch when a storm hits suddenly. We're looking out the windows and up at the sky, staring into it for more information. They, we, strut into a room, expecting others to notice and acknowledge us. We typically do it to get a reaction.

    So there you have it - the German-bred Standard Dachshund. I can't say I'd be miniature; not my style. I'm a big gal. I stand my ground, I demand things, I'm stubborn, in your face, and sometimes I don't apologize for it, but I'm also the one you want if things go bad, I think. I have plans. My plans have plans. If you are mine, you know it. If you are mine, I will die for you. It's just that simple. I think the AI made the best choice - it was that or the unicorn, but how cliché is that?  I can honestly say I have been drawn to the breed since I was a baby. We had a dog that was mostly a Dachshund; he had a bit of Beagle in him, too.  It could have a lot to do with how I turned out the way I did - he was with me for the first 15 years of my life.

Photo Credit: BuzzSharer.com

Confusion and Chaos!

     I'll start by saying God is so good. He just is. I have been through the wringer lately, and He's been so wonderful. A verse in the Bible, Exodus 14:14, sums it up: "He will fight for you; be still."  This is so good. I know I have an advocate; that advocate is King, and He is not only King, but He is also God! It just doesn't get any better than God. 

    All that being said, I was trading today, as I do every day, on my Oanda demo account. I have been training, losing, and winning a few, and I'm a bit overwhelmed, but it's nothing I can't handle. I have been in the deep end before. I have been in places I had no clue where I was or who might come out of the woodwork to find me. In every case, I have taken God with me, and when I am finally still and trusting Him, He can and will provide for me. He did it again today.

    In Oanda and TradingView, I took a trade I flat-out knew would be great, but it wasn't, and I lost. OK, I get it. So I entered a 2nd trade to break even, not to win the day, but to reset my funds to where they were. I saw on the chart that I won. I was happy about it, then I looked at the order and realized I'd actually lost. How could that happen? I saw the chart! The green candles went right through the helpful little drawing that keeps you informed, and I won! Why would the computer say otherwise, and why would my account suddenly drop when it should have replaced what I had lost earlier? It made no sense.

    Speaking to Chat (Gemini) I found out that the Paper Trading function of TradingView, not the live version, but the demo version, will sometimes glitch like that. Oh, OK! No, it's not OK; I wanted my money back! I found out how to reset the fields, and I did. Instead of just replacing the money I had lost, I decided to reset it completely and start over tomorrow with my new edge: the knowledge I gained today. I feel so much better.  Trading is not relaxing. It is stressful, and it takes a lot of mental work -- 90% mental, and the rest is price! 

    So, here I am...learning. In the trading industry, the saying goes: you never lose; you either earn or learn. It's expensive, but it's true: every time you lose a trade, you should find out why and learn from the mistakes, or from the path price decided to take. You simply cannot predict it. I like to put little drawing boxes on every possible pair to see whether my thoughts or predictions would have panned out. I take only one trade a day unless I lose; then I try to make that trade up, but I don't try a 3rd trade that day. I walk away. Today, I predicted 10 pairs without trading on them and was right 7 out of 10 times. That's amazing.

    The drawing boxes can be green on top and red on the bottom for a long trade (buy), or they can be reversed for a short trade (sell).  You drag little dots to where you want the target to take profit and where you want the stop loss to stop you if you were wrong about the trade. That way, you don't lose everything; it is controlled.  I drew the box out and opened a ticket. I opened a Market ticket, which activates the trade the nanosecond that you hit the buy or sell button. You have time to set up the trade when you open it. I have mine set up so that when I drag the little dots around, it automatically registers inside the trade order box.

    Today, I did exactly that. I opened the trade order, I set it for 1% risk. That means I'm risking 1% of my entire account. I set the stop and take profit levels, in that order, and double-checked everything to make sure it was correct. There are a few other little things you need to do, but I did them. The blog is about the system screwing me over.  Then, after running the trade as a demo with the same data used in the live trades, I won when the candlesticks peaked through the top of my green box! I won! Except the system showed my trade had been canceled.

    I couldn't find where it stopped, even though the system said it did. I opened the trade order and saw that it had somehow entered a % of price for the perimeter of the field instead of price. I had not touched it. It had an internal glitch. I was furious! But Chat says it only happens in demo mode and won't happen to me in live mode. It couldn't. Can you imagine the chaos it would cause worldwide? OMG, you talk about wars! More than $9T (with a T) runs through Forex daily. If the systems failed -- damn!

    I am fine now. I have made back the money I lost this morning on an early trade. I am now trading very early to catch the transition trade trends from when the London Market is running and the New York Market is opening. Lots of trading, lots of back and forth, and if you know what to look for, you can win -- or lose. You can't really control it, but if I'd sat and watched instead of taking a 15-20 minute break like I did, I would have at least closed out with my $400 a day goal. Instead, I let it ride and had a stop-loss in place. I only lost $820, and I made that up immediately by entering another trade on a lower time frame and winning. It's riskier -- yes, but I worked out.

    Since I could start the game over, I did. I will wake up early tomorrow, trade and wait, but I will watch it and not take the break I did. I can wait 30-45 minutes. It just takes me a good slap to figure things out, but thankfully, I did. Let the games continue. I took off the red star and replaced it with a silver star in my calendar, as today was definitely a break-even day. I'll explain.

    I have little foil stars that I put on my calendar each day for when I win, lose, tie, or can't trade for some reason. Green is good, but Gold is better. Gold means I entered one trade and won.  Green means I entered trades and won overall. Red, of course, means I lost, and blue means there was no trade to be had. Silver is a break-even star. Today was a break-even day.   My goal is to win 55-60% of the trades I make, and I can't know my ratio until I do at least 100 or more. It will happen, and I will get better and better, I'm sure. I just have to decide I can do this and, of course, take God with me when I do.

    

Photo Credit: Goodwill Commodities

Faith Walks - Revamp

     I decided after 15 years to revamp the book that needed to be revamped the most. I mean, don't get me wrong, all of my books need, and will go through an entire revamp using AI to correct grammar, spacing, spelling, etc., but there are a couple of my books that I could not redo or get access to because I couldn't find the correct files. That was the case with Faith Walks, about 10 years ago when I wanted to fix it. I couldn't expect the original publisher (Xlibris) to help. They wouldn't send me the file back, and even if they did, I realized it was most likely in PDF format, and I already had that.

    I wasn't aware (either out of technological ignorance or just not thinking it through) that I could change the PDF format back into a Word document. I hadn't saved it as a Word document back then. I thought that was it after I published it. I must have deleted it - and there you go - gone.  In 2023, I was able to force Xlibris to give me the file when I formally closed my account with them, but it was, as I suspected, a PDF file -- I didn't know I could change it until this week. 

    So today, I uploaded the PDF, used Word to convert it back into a Word document, and used AI to make changes. Boy howdy! Let me just say that literally every single page needed to be redone. I didn't have as many mistakes as I thought, but the way I said things and the lack of punctuation were just amazing. I used "like" instead of "as" about a million times. I didn't hyphenate correctly on just about any word combination, like second-grade or well-deserved. I just didn't. So if you're lucky enough to have one of the old books, and you buy the new one, you'll see that I took out the Memorial page and added an Author's Note page. (two pages)

    The book doesn't have space between paragraphs, which is how I write, but because it was originally set up that way, I didn't change that. I did remove two lower-quality photos. I added one, plus a short blurb about Faith's passing and an update for our family. It's been 15 years!! Copeland was literally a baby when the book was published. He'll get his driver's license in about 5 months! Wow...just wow!!

    I've uploaded it, and it will be approved tomorrow and back on sale on Amazon after that. I've not changed the Kindle yet. I still don't know whether I will need to pay for that service. I thought I would have to pay to change the books, but the last two books I've changed or revamped have gone up without me being asked to pay their $25 fee. I'm not arguing with it. If they don't want to charge me, I won't volunteer.  I just hope it goes off without a hitch.

    This book is up, and Murder Book has been revamped. I'll do one or two this week, and keep up the process until they're all redone. I'm starting with the ones someone else edited, then I'll get to my own. Most of the books will be the ones I edited, and I've already regretted doing it without AI's help. I need AI. I mean, you just can't find your own mistakes, but AI can! Let me say that out loud! AI can find things I never realized I said. I can read it three or four times and not catch it, then see it when I apply the corrector -- damn.

    So, there you go - things are getting redone, and that makes me happy. If someone is spending money to read one of my books, they don't need a bunch of misspellings, bad punctuation, or wordy sentences that could be reworded to meet standard novel-writing standards. Sometimes I disagree with the AI, but not as often as I agree with it. I'm amazed at how many small points I missed. I'll give you one more example: I said "so" when the word "still" would have been better. It could be a Southern thing, but the more acceptable thing was to start the sentence off with "Still".

    Even now, you'll never see how many issues AI helped me fix just inside this one blog!

Photo Credit:  Google Play

Explaining the Trade

     OK, fine, I'll explain the trade and why I decided to take a Bearish short SELL rather than a Bullish long Buy position. First, you can make money in the market in an upward trend and in a downward trend. You have three market moves to watch: the upward trend, the downward trend, and trend consolidation. Most of the time, the market isn't moving up or down; it's battling between buyers and sellers out there in the ether, where you can't see them doing their thing. You only see the results after a candlestick prints.

    Candlesticks are either green (bullish) or red (bearish); green ones show the market (or price of something) is going up, and red ones indicate it's going down. When the sticks are shorter and they tend to hover around the same spot, that's consolidation. It's a very general overview, of course, but for explaining this trade, it makes sense.

    I use two "indicators" when I trade. I also "box" out my trade before I trade each day, and I only trade when the dots connect, the conditions are right, and the indicators confirm whether a trade is worth entering. I'll try to explain, but again, you can't learn the entire game in one session. I can't tell you how many times my big cousin Gene smashed me at Chess before I finally figured it out, but by my 12th birthday, we could play and I could come close to winning. By my 16th birthday, he had an opponent!  Things take time.

    Look at the chart. There is an obvious DOWNWARD trend in the EUR/GBP (Euro vs. the British Pound). I boxed the trade, meaning at 8:00 a.m. I turned on the computer, opened TradingView and Oanda, made sure I was on the DEMO account (not a live account), and set my time frame to 15 M. I drew a big purple box around everything the market did from 3:00 a.m. until then. I raised the top of the box to the top of the tallest candle, and the bottom to the bottom of the lowest candle. That is the box. That shows me where the market was and has been for 5 hours. This is the time when the New York Market opens, and the London Market is about midday. They've all but stopped, but the NY market is just getting started.

    If price moves out of that box on the next 2 or 3 candles while I'm watching the 15-minute time frame, above or below it, I watch the next candle to see where it goes, whether it strengthens or weakens the trade, and I keep watching. Now, however, I switch my gaze to the indicators I use. I use the RSI at the bottom to show me where the market is being pulled; the numbers vary, and it would take a while to explain, but if they're between 30 and 50, I'm ready to strike. They have to be closer to 40 before I pull the trigger on a sell (Bear), and closer to 48-52 before I buy (Bull).

    The EMA is the exponential moving average; it tells you what the last 50 candlesticks have done. You can lower it if you like, or raise it, but I keep mine at 50. The line is a ribbon that drapes over, at, and under the price, and where it is matters before you buy or sell. If the line is above price, you can sell. If it is below price, you can buy. If it is stationary at price, you need to wait - it gets tricky, but this is a general rule. Of course, there are exceptions. There are always exceptions when the market changes literally every nanosecond of the day.

    I saw the market trending down and staying in that trend. I watched the RSI and saw that it was hovering in the 30-50 range. I also saw the EMA above the candlesticks, and it kept bouncing off them, so I had to wait for buyers and sellers to show who was in control. Then, just before I hit the drawing tool to set up my trade, before I hit the SELL button to secure it, there was one more thing to consider: SPREAD.  The ask price and bid price differ; that difference matters. It can make you lose more than you want immediately, putting your trade at risk even if all the other conditions seem favorable. Check the damn spread.

    The spread between the ask and bid shouldn't be more than 20-22 pips, and yes, we'll have to go over pips soon too. You're not actually trading right now, so trust me when I say you'll need to make sure the ASK and BID bars on the right side of the screen are only about 20-22 digits apart. When they are closer than 22, HIT THE TRADE BUTTON!  I hit the sell button and made sure my risk was in the right place. Again, it's another lesson on what risk-to-reward is and how much of your account you should risk. I only risk 1% of my account on each trade. I'm not trying to become a millionaire, and I'm not loose or crazy; I'm being practical and frugal. I treat this as if it really is my actual job.

    When the risk of the trade is 1% of your account, and my account is $92,000 (fake money) I am literally putting $920 on the line hoping that my calculations are correct, and that the market is going to do what I want it to do. I set the drawing tool at 1:1.4, meaning that if I do win, I win more than I lose. I will win $1288 if price shoots outside my target range, and I will only lose $920 if it shoots out the other side. HOWEVER...I watch my trades, and the moment I see it going south, losing me too much before it pops back into the green, I am likely to stop the trade and call it quits. If the lower time frames show the market is reversing, I will stop the trade.

    That being said, I won't stop it immediately. I give it a few candlesticks on the lower time frames to see whether momentum is truly moving away or will spring back in my favor. You trade at a higher time frame, then use the lower ones to gauge the market and its tendency to flex. It can go either way. There is no set pattern. There is no forgiveness. The market is a live, flowing river of pushing and pulling, and there will be no single second of security, only trend. If it is trending and seemingly holding that trend, you have a good shot at making the trade work in your favor.

    That's what happened with this trade. I saw it. I took screenshots with my snippit tool and showed ChatGPT what I wanted and my goals. ChatGPT came back and warned me about getting in too soon, explained why, said what the RSI and EMA were likely to do, and literally saved me from entering too soon about 11 times. Finally, when the numbers matched what could be a good chance, I entered. I watched, I waited, and I won -- but if I had left it alone and gone to lunch or something, I would have lost!  When the lower time frames started to say it was reversing, I got out.

    As it turned out, the market did reverse, then it came back to trail down a bit more, but since I was up $675.00 out of the $1,288 I could have won, I closed it. I closed it and walked away. My goal each day is $400, so after losing $117 earlier in the day and winning a $3.00 trade because I didn't use the right risk-to-reward, I decided ending at $675.00 was the best move. I am happy, and I get to put a big gold star on my calendar. It was a good green day in the world of Trading with Jude!

Photo Credit: TradingView

Back to Coffee -- Well, Half Back.

     Today, and honestly, I think I should say, I started drinking coffee again yesterday. It has been one solid year since I was a "coffee drinker". I sold my fancy espresso machine, and I gave away my little drip machine as well. I wasn't drinking coffee, so I didn't need it. I gave away the 1/2-pound bag of Peet's and about 40 or 50 pods because if I wasn't going to drink it, someone else could at least enjoy them. That was my thought process.

    Around this time last year, I discovered drinking mushroom coffee, and after trying about four different brands, I chose Yege because it didn't have chaga mushroom in it. I know I'm not an expert, but I did some research, and chaga has properties that can cause or worsen kidney issues. I mean, there have to be underlying issues, I believe, but I didn't want to risk it. No chance at all, whatsoever, none. I have had kidney stones, and I do not like them. No!

    Well, there were three reasons I decided to go without coffee, and the first is one everyone already knows: it has caffeine. I had already dropped from full caffeine to half caffeine, then even tried full decaf, and it just never stuck. I did try it, and Green Mountain was the best I had found, but it wasn't tasty, try as I may, and I did try.  

    The second reason was the cost. For some reason, I thought I might be spending more on coffee than on mushroom coffee, and, honestly, it was too close to call. I paid about $17.50 a bag for Yege and got 24 cups of coffee out of it, or I could pay $17.50 for 24 pods of coffee and get about the same. Now, if I'm buying ground coffee, then coffee wins every time, and there was no challenging that - it was a fact.

    The third reason was that mushroom coffee makers were swearing up and down that drinking mushroom coffee would be better for my waistline and my mental state. This was a big draw for me, but again, as with most things, that too was a myth!  I didn't lose a single pound, and I was no more focused with mushroom coffee than with regular coffee. Both have all the antioxidants I need and want. Both have the polyphenols that I want and need -- so it's a wash!

    About a month ago, I bought a little coffee maker for about $20 on Amazon. It makes one cup at a time, and that's all I need. I can empty a pod or scoop in ground coffee; I have pods now, so that's the route I'm taking. It's been two days, just two, and I already know I'm going to stick with the coffee and do the mushroom coffee occasionally; both have 40-50 mg of caffeine, so neither will be drunk after 11:00 a.m.  Fully decaffeinated coffee has about 4 mg of caffeine, much less, and I'm OK with the half-caff. (Again, Green Mountain tastes great and is a really good value.)

    So, there you have it -- another time-tested experiment, and this time I can honestly and genuinely say I stuck with it; I gave it a year. I put all the research, time, effort, and money into it, but in the end it was just a wash; nothing changed, nothing stood out, and it wasn't worth the effort, but at least now I fully know, and can verify, that I put in the time. I waited ONE full year, and I think I discovered that organic this or that doesn't work for me either. I tried an organic decaf blend about a month ago. I tried two brands - both bad. Nope, I'm going for the cheaper one, but I tried Green Mountain again, and I'm giving it a thumbs-up.

    Maybe in a month or so, or maybe, I don't know, for my birthday, I'll buy a better coffee pot. I don't need it, but some things just find their way into my house, like the two feral kittens that happened to find their way in two weeks ago, and no, they haven't left. One is older than the other, but I bet they're related. Laura has her hands full with them; I'm just trying to live my life as peacefully as possible, and I think settling the whole should I drink coffee again issue is done!

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com

Beetle Mania...I Have It.

     Back in the day, way, way back, sometime around the first day of Kindergarten, which for me was in 1967 (I was 5, almost 6), I fell in love with the Volkswagen Beetle, and no one would ever, and no one has ever, come between me and my car. I have owned a number of them on paper. I would buy them, register them, have them fixed, and I'd drive them out to California to sell because I knew I could literally get 3x as much for them as I could in Oklahoma. This was me, several years past my Kindergarten years, but I knew then, and I continue to believe, that the Volkswagen Beetle is God's gift to the automobile world.

    I sold 11 cars that way - one wasn't a Beetle at all; it was a 1968 Kharman Ghia, and that in and of itself is a story worth an entire blog. I not only sold it for 4x what I could have gotten in Oklahoma, but it wasn't really running that well when I sold it. My parents had to send my brother out to Arizona to save me when I broke down for the 4th time along the way. When I did sell it, my parents put it on the back of their flatbed and drove it out for me so Mom could see the ocean!

    I'd buy a Bug for around $1000, have it fixed for around the same, and end up selling it for $6000, sometimes as much as $7500. It took 2 days to drive out to L.A. from Oklahoma City, and I could catch a red-eye back for literally $99. When in L.A., I had several places to stay, including a mansion in Beverly Hills that I occasionally watched. I'd let them know I was coming out, and off I went - never once worrying too much about too much.

    There's a really wild and crazy story to tell about that Ghia, but it's not the time for it. This blog is about my new car! That's right, I'm planning to buy myself a Bug, and this time, unlike 10 out of the 11 other times, I'm keeping it. I did keep one of my Bugs: Sir Gub Elteeb, a 1968 white 12-volt, 1600 cc Bug with rusted floors, no seat belts, and a rattling noise I could never pin down. He was awesome!!

    I'm at the point in my life where I think I deserve, and know I want, another VW Bug. This time, unlike all the other times, it's me who will be spending way, way too much on it, but there's a good, solid, realistic reason. I'm going to get one that is not only street-worthy, but has been run through a fine-toothed mechanical comb, and it will have as few issues as possible for a 55- to 60-year-old car.

    If I could customize it, I'd make sure it was another 1968, white, 1600 cc, 12-volt air-cooled Bug, but there are so many really good ones out there that are already painted, and I can't see myself spending $3000 for a new paint job if I don't need to. I could; that's not the issue, but if I don't need to, I won't. Still, my heart is stuck on my old memories, and Gub was, in fact, my dream car. I'm chasing a dream from 1986 when I had to let him go.

    Lately, I've been looking on Hagerty, Streetside Cars, eBay, and a few other well-known sites to find the right car. I'm looking at this stage, I won't buy for another minute or two. I am waiting for the right time. It's coming, but it's not here just yet. I'm going over every inch of the cars I like and taking notes on what I like about this one or that one, and if the one I find doesn't have that feature, I'll see whether adding it would be too much. If not, I'll add it. For instance, I love the wide painted wheels and rims—I want a pool ball for a shifter knob, but I don't know whether I want a red glittery ball or an 8-ball.

    I know I like the lined cages that go over the headlights, but I don't like the eyelids or the crazy "flower power" accents some of the Bugs have.  I like standard mirrors, not the swan-necked mirrors. I like the wider chrome bumpers in front and back.  I like the taller seats in front with good padding, and I'll have to customize the accelerator pedal to be about 1" shorter than the standard - they're too long and get stuck. (not fun)

    I could get a project car and spend $10,000 fixing it, but I think I want one that is already done. I want one that has already gone through the mill and come out the other side smelling like the rosebud it is. I don't want issues. I want a very classic ride that I can enjoy driving around town and listening to the putter-putter splat of the engine. I swear, that sound could rock me to sleep. I need to see if I can record it and play it on loop at night instead of the ocean waves I listen to.

    I found a red Bug that had all the bells and whistles I wanted, and the owner was funny; in her description, she said the car had a slight oil leak, but it could be fixed with bubble gum. You have to know to know—I laughed. I really wish I had the money to put out today for the Bug because her friend would become mine.  It won't be much longer—hopefully before Christmas, but if not, I'm patient. I can wait.  (I mean, I've waited since 1986, right?)

    In High School, everyone wanted a muscle car. I graduated in 1979, and nearly every girl wanted a Cutlass Supreme, and every boy wanted a 442, Camaro, Mustang, or GTO. I wanted a Bug. I just wanted my little Bug. My first car wasn't one; it was, in fact, a 1977 Chevy Monza, because my dad didn't share my passion for German engineering. Eventually, not too long after I graduated, I bought the first one - then the next, then the next, then the next - and off I went off into the sunset, selling bugs, not drugs, and making good money.

    But now - that life is not for me. I will buy one, keep it, love it, and garage it. I will spoil it and give it the best life possible. Who knows, maybe we can grow old together. We both have a pretty good start.

Photo Credit: Streetsideclassics.com 

    

I May Have Retired. (Not Sure)

     I learned today that I may have retired. I say that with my tongue against my cheek, but at the same time, it may be true. I worked for an undisclosed company for over two and a half years as a remote employee. I worked from home, meaning I wore my pajamas most days, but I was nice enough (and professional enough) to wear a decent T-shirt in case we were asked to be on camera.  I was happy about the arrangement even if I wasn't completely thrilled about waking up earlier than I prefer. I'm not really a grouch, but sleeping in has its benefits and its comforts.

    Well, I was terminated from my job, as I mentioned in my last blog. I was literally let go for reasons that would baffle the mind(s) of anyone with a moral compass. I won't go into it because I don't want anything I say online to hurt my chances of regaining what is truly mine through the impending legal action that is imminent. I was wronged, and instead of being really mean, nasty, or loud about it, I'll let the lawyers do what they do. I did what I did for years, and they can do what they do without my interference.

    Today, I went through my bank accounts and did the math on my immediate, near, and future-future. I'll be OK. I will likely announce an official retirement in the future, maybe after the first of the year, but I think I may have stumbled quite unexpectedly into my personal retirement from working in Corporate America. It may not be true; I may be persuaded to go back if the conditions are favorable, but I think it may have happened - and I'm not upset about it.

    Obviously, when someone steps away from employment at the end of their working years, they've either set themselves up for success, or they've stored away a bit of cash or assets to make their golden years more comfortable. I'm one of those who made significant plans long ago, and while I may not be on the same tier as others, I feel confident in moving forward with the cards I have been dealt. Any financial gain from the company will be nice; it will add to the mix.

    Beginning next week, after I rest a few days, I'll start Forex up again, but this time with a more serious tone. I'll need to retune myself and practice for a month or so on the demo account until I'm back up to the 55% win ratio I enjoyed before I went back to work, but I think this could be it. I have the books, of course, and I'll keep priming the pump to promote them. They are a smaller source of income, but one that has been steady enough. Maybe with a bit more promotion, or maybe a really juicy book about corporate corruption, I can hit a new high in sales!

    When the world hands you lemons, remember who made those delicious treats in the first place: Jesus!  If it weren't for Him, I would be so far out in left field, even the Savannah Bananas couldn't find me. Jesus is so very good. He is so very good - and He is so very good to me.  I know all about heartbreak, heartache, heartburn, and heartfelt thoughts. I've had them all. He has been with me the entire time, and He's led me to an understanding that I don't have to seek revenge; that's for Him. I only have to be still and let Him do what He does best.

    "Be still and know that I am God"  (Psalms 46:10) is so much deeper than most think.  The very essence of the first word, "be," is eternal. You must exist to be. You can't be on your own, or by your own doing. We are all being literally every second of every moment. We are; therefore, we "be".  The next word, "still", that's the hard one. I can be all day, but to remain still and do nothing - that's the challenge. The next part is the promise: if I am still, I can then KNOW that HE is God. He is God not because I believe; He is God because He is God.

    So, if I go back to work, or if I write, I am being. If I work, I can still do Forex, and I am being. While I am being, I will rest in Him. I will pray and ask Him for His guidance, His mercy, and His way, because I suck at ways. I suck really bad at ways. I found myself so relaxed yesterday after realizing it had come to a close, and nothing tied me to that company except good memories of some of the wonderful people I worked with and met through my employment. But being unconnected doesn't mean I won't continue to pursue what is rightfully mine - because I am... 100%.

    I've not woken up to an alarm clock in a week now. I like that. I've rested, I've calmed down. No one is complaining to me about anything, really. I don't feel the need to fix this or that for anyone who may or may not owe the company money. It's the company that now owes me. I did my part. I'll sit back and practice being still. It's the least I can do, and it comes with the most benefits; strange, but true.

Photo Credit: USA Today