quick update

Im heading to Vegas in a few hours for a conference, and since im trying to make it into the office before I go, I dont have time to post about this past weekend, which was jammed packed with coolness. So, expect a long post when I get back. Sorry for the lameness, I will make it up to you. Viva Las Vegas!

Once Upon my Party

Go Here to check out a new business my long time camp friend, Holli has just started. I recently got a chance to talk to her about the business in length, and I am thrilled that she has decided to follow her passion and go for it. I know she will be extremely successfull. Any of you out there with kiddies, I would hire her for sure! I think she also does like any type of  party. So, maybe when Jordan passes the bar, we will have a Holli inspired law party at my house for him! She is one of the most creative and charismatic people i know! Congrats Holli mac!

Today in the markets

started normal, and so did my day. I arrived to work, checked emails, did work stuff. Went to Rotaract meeting during lunch and thoroughly enjoyed listening to Paul Finebaum speak to our group. la di da da. Arrive back at work, BAM, market down 300 pnts. Wow, this is not good. 30 sec walk to my office, pull up computer, market down 900. WHAT?!? System crashes, I cant even tell what the market's doing. not good at all. Frantic call to my business partner, no answer, He's already on the phone with clients. I finally get my market site working, only to realize we are now only down 450. Better, but still not good. I coincidently then have a meeting with my biggest clients, where we spend most of the time just sitting and watching this mess unfold. All of a sudden, its market close. Fancy men in suites ring the closing bell and clap. Today the clapping wasnt because they were big wigs making tons of money, it was thanking god no more trading could happen. Its days like this when I think i need blood pressure medication. Now, its 3:30, the market has been closed for 30 mins, and a news story erupts straight from Hollywood. Apparently, this sell off might have occurred because a trader at Citigroup typed a "b" for billion, instead of a "m" for million when selling shares of Proctor and Gamble stock. (otherwise known as the main plot from the movie Wall Street, see below) WHAT? A trader error caused the biggest sale off of the year, resulting in past 5 months of gains being lost in 15 minutes. How does that happen? I'm not sure it even did. I trade daily, and never do I make stock trades in alpha form. You trade using numerics. One billion shares= 1,000,000,000, not 1b. Unless their brokerage platform is just different than normal, i dont see that being the reason. Then what? Greece? Oil spill? Birmingham hitting 90 degrees? This time, I dont think anyone knows. Lets hope the market behaves itself tomorrow, it is Friday for goodness sake. Time to decompress. Enjoy Michael Douglas below, he did win an Oscar for this performance...

&

 WALL STREET 2: Money Never Sleeps

Wedding season begins

This Saturday kicked off the 2010 wedding season, and what a great starter. My sorority sister, Susan and Jordan's frat brother, Martin tied the knot at the Sonnett House in Leeds. As Tenn was being soaked, the rain held off here in Bham, resulting in a mild, beautiful evening, perfect for an outdoor wedding. Here are some pics:

Bridesmaids

groomsmen

the sun started shining right as they starting saying their vows, awwwwww

all done!

obligatory post wedding pics, hey nellie

and hey jordan

I also have a great video of the couple's first dance, which I cant, for the life of me, get to download. Looks like the file is too big. This is unfortunate. If someone can teach me how to do this, that would be helpful. Thanks.

Reflections on the Hudson landing

Ok, so I know the "landing in the Hudson" was so 2009, but I was in a meeting last week and learned some very interesting facts about this situation. The person who informed me almost took a job as a Delta airlines pilot 30 years ago, but instead went into banking because of a airline worker strike that was going on around that time. However, he is very informed about airline "stuff" so he walked me through this video and talked about what was going on between the different controllers. First, the famed Cpt Sulley wasnt even flying the plane when the birds his the engines. They were on the last leg of a three day trip, and on their way to Arizona (hence the nickname "Cactus" for the plane.). On each leg the captain and the co-captain (a younger pilot) took turns flying the plane. When the birds hit the engine, the more experienced Sulley took over. The crisis that ensued was duel engine failure. Now, lets backtrack a bit. Twice a year, pilots have to spend a week in intense training, where computer nerds with sick senses of humor simulate hundreds of different scenarios for these guys to maneuver. Apparently, duel engine failure is one of the most highly simulated scenarios. Capt Sulley would have been through this exercise hundreds of times. Hence his calm and ease when landing the plane. I really do not get tired of watching this. Jordan has been getting mad at me all night because ive been more interested in watching this video over and over in amazement than our nightly ritual of pawn stars. Also, notice the calm of the air traffic controllers as they try to find an alternate landing locations for the plane. Even as the plane is in the water, they are still trying to find a local landing strip.

When I am having a highly stressful day, or life just isnt treating me with the curiosity I think i deserve, I reflect on this video and the patience of those involved. If they can deal with stress, I can too. Enjoy.

Intervention Monday

I am currently watching an episode of Intervention on A&E (monday evening addiction..ha) And this kid on here is pissing me off to no end. He was a child genius turned degenerate gambler, and currently owes over $500k in bills from his addiction. His parents have been bailing him out for years, resulting in their financial ruin. He just harassed his mother because she wouldn't give him $5k to pay bills. She tried very hard to resist, but he threatened suicide if she wouldnt (he has already attempted it 4 times). He has never held a job and manipulates everyone he knows for money. He sternly believes that parents are contractually obligated to help their children their whole life, no matter the situation. 

That got me thinking, are they? Im not a parent, so I dont know what it feels to have a child in need. Does unconditional love = rescuing at all costs? Now, im not talking about a minor. This guy is a grown man who manipulates his parents daily, and thinks that just bc they brought him into this world, they are responsible for him. Are they? What if they are partially responsible for his mindset? According to this show, his parents never pushed him to get a real job, always bailed him out, so he became dependent. Does this mean since their parenting style failed him, they are responsible for his adult actions? Alright, enough devil's' advocate, this kid is mental. He spent three weeks in therapy, and then left and racked up another $10k in debt. They offered him a second chance for help, he declined. That was 2005. His parents still support him, and he still gambles. mind blowing. This is def a con check on the fictional list for having kids. Here is another con check:

A client sent me this pic in a forward last week. classic.

Party in your Pants

Yes, these exist.