I had a great time at the Expo getting together with the thread people, and I want to thank everyone for making it extremely enjoyable. Thank you for organizing this, Eric. It would not have been the same had we all just decided to try to "find" each other.
The chance to meet and hang with the people from this thread and the "MTrader Mafia" is really the reason I went. I had gone to NY and gotten my fill of pitches and hype from the floor and seen that most tutorials are rehashes of published material. The expense is only worth it to me if I get to see what makes people tick and ping their brains, including the speakers after their sessions.
I was floored by Alan. He's pretty much the only person I have met who can talk more/faster than me and still be interesting (and Palo Alto is the only one I have met who can talk slower than anyone and still be interesting -- he has you hanging on every sentence, just waiting for the inevitable punch line!)
This was also the first time I met Tony Oz -- he was hilarious. After having been to his tutorial in NY and reading all of his books, I had no idea what a truly funny guy he is. All the war stories make talking to Tony worth its weight in gold. If he tires of trading, he can always book a stand-up gig at Caroline's in Times Square.
I chat with Brandon and Toni every day, but I certainly get a lot more out of it when I don't have to type to talk. Brandon is a lightning bolt and never fails to tell it exactly like it is (when he's making a point with his hands, put your safety goggles on or you may lose an eyeball) -- "You want the truth? You can't HANDLE the truth!" Toni will kind of sneak up behind you with commentary that takes a second to get -- but when it finally hits you, you're rolling on the floor! Together, they make quite an awesome team.
I got sick Saturday night and was feeling rotten Sunday, too. I think it was the Nachos Grande in the bar. (Alan, you are lucky you passed...) I spent the night in my room, and was truly upset that I could not join in Jay's event -- which was happening in the pavillion 20 feet outside my sliding glass patio door. I could tell from the laughs and hoots that you all had a good time there! But I'm kind of amazed no one threw anyone in the pool. :-)
Best Tutorial - Rogan LaBier (if he and Brandon got together there would be some sort of nuclear explosion...)
Worst Tutorial - Tom Busby (old school Deep South former-military-numbers-guy-turned-broker mostly pitching his school)
Scariest Moment - When the Pristine guys reached in their Armani coats for business cards and I thought they were going for the 9mm...
Most Disappointing Moment - When I found out Threei was not going to be there to have a vodka-drinking contest with us.
I can't wait to spend even more money in NY to blow off the exhibits and sleep through the tutorials. It will be well worth twice the expense just to hook up with you guys again.
Dave |
