Experiences

So I have been wanting to post a new blog for a few days, but have been uncertain as to how to go about it, as every time I proofread it I just exit the window because it seems to be gibberish. Mrs. Stausing once told me that only I shall know the truth of my penning, but when I looked at them they seemed like lies, that I could not put my feelings down on the proverbial piece of paper. I have been having quite a few mixed emotions lately, as milestones come and pass, as memories resurrect themselves then fade away again, to float to the top of my mind yet once again in the future. Some of these memories are pleasing, others not so much. I have been reflecting upon the decisions I have made in life, giving up a full ride scholarship to the University of Oklahoma to take a deployment based upon the fact that I was probably going to fail out the semester, but also based upon a feeling of loyalty, that if I said that I did not want to go (which I had the option to do due to my scholarship) that I would never be able to look myself in the mirror again without feeling disdain, seeing the disgust in my eyes at myself for being, not necessarily afraid, but hesitant to do my duty, my part in this period of history. The experiences that I have had over the past sixteen or so months will be with me for the rest of my life, the good and bad, the memories of life and death, of times of happiness and times of sadness, of the feelings of loneliness and the feeling of being surrounded by those who love you, who would lay down their lives for you. I do not claim to be well acquainted with death, but we are friends of friends, as the names of the fallen continue to get longer, there are a few on that list that I knew. When I am in the airport or at home and in uniform and someone comes up to thank me, I feel embarrassed, as if I do not deserve their thanks, as I have done nothing, that the people they really should be thanking are in a box that once had a flag draped over it. That my sacrifices pale in comparison to theirs. My sacrifices involved parting with my loved ones for a year and a half. Their sacrifices are more permanent, the scars that they left are deep, and can never be healed. I can go home and start my life again, they can't. I do not feel as if there is anything else I can say that would have any impact on this post, so for now I shall leave it at this.

Stocks

So I recently put a little money into the stock market, and by little, I mean there are people who trade stock that would laugh at me if I told them the value of my portfolio. They may stop laughing after I told them how much I have made as to what I put in (I have had a 50% increase in value in month and a half...) I have been doing all of my own trades through my bank. There are three or four of us over here who trade actively, and we help each other out with picks. I currently own Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, TXCO Resources, AIG, and Sirius Radio. I also own 16,000 shares of a company that trades for less than a tenth of a cent, and am losing on (don't worry, I only have $12 invested into that stock...) But, allow me to rant for a few minutes here. I owned 20 shares of a company called Las Vegas Sands. They are a casino company that owns the Sands in Vegas among other casinos. They plan on opening two more casinos worldwide in a few years. I bought them at about $4 and sold at $4.50. My guys here that share stock tips all followed suit, as we saw it stuck in a rut. Since then, the stock has passed $11 and has no foreseeable roof. Analysts are predicting between $20-40... Does anyone else here feel like I killed some very nice profits? I am not too worried about it, but wish I had not sold. This is the largest bain of the investor, when to buy and when to sell. One can always wait for it to go higher, but the only way to assure your profit is to sell when you KNOW you have one. The market is a very volatile thing, and can drop and rise very quickly. If anyone wants the symbols for these stocks or my reasonings for buying them, drop me an email at loranh2000@gmail.com... Until next time, here is to hoping my stock continues to rise...