For me, daytrading has become an unending, unendurable nightmare. Only it happens in the daytime! At first, I thought I could handle the temptation. But pretty soon I found I was neglecting my work, my family, my friends, and even my beloved cat, who I named Mr. Anti-Buffett.
Pretty soon, all my waking hours were spent drinking in every word on the stock sites--even obscure ones, like Molybdenum Investor, Raging Platypus, and Stock Weasel. Due to low trading commissions (and even lower prices on the Bulletin Board stocks I favored), I discovered that I could accumulate a portfolio of hundreds of stocks (none of which I ever held for longer than 48 hours). Indeed, one bleary eyed morning, I counted investments in no fewer than 14 companies run by men named Garth from Vancouver (and these were different Garths!).
New terms came to dominate my vocabulary. Forever was I looking for "gappers", stocks that exhibited "momo", and "head of lettuce" patterns. And, because I had to react so speedily to stock moves, I found myself increasingly able to absorb vast amounts of information at superhuman speeds. One Sunday, as always, I sat down to watch "60 Minutes"--I was able to finish the show in only half an hour!!!!
As I was about to hit rock bottom, a miracle occurred. But I have no time to recount it now. Stay tuned for Part Two: "How an Offer to Work For the Hillary Clinton for Senate Campaign Snapped Me Back to Reality." |
