Lost My Wisdom

I'm in 7th heaven these days. Mainly due to all the strong painkillers I'm popping. See I got two of my last three wisdom teeth pulled the other day and that was an insight into pain I've never felt before. There is now two gaping holes in the back of my mouth which both dislikes any kind of hot and spicey food, icecream or alcohol. My only weapon is the white and orange tube with Vicodin tablets which I get to pop one every six hours (as needed). It says "May Cause Dizziness' on the instructions. But the only thing I'm feeling is a very relaxed state of mind, almost transcendental.

Not Everyday

This day didn't start that well. I woke up dehydrated at 3:30am this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. So I started to watch CNBC business news. That gave me several trading ideas so I logged on (like I would ever log off?!) and for the first time entered trades in the pre-market trading. No executions since I run a pretty tight game right now. Once the market opened I got a crappy entry on a play. All this before the first cup of coffee.

One thing leads to the other so when I went down to grab the WSJ I saw that I had gotten a parking ticket. Damn! The reason was that I had parked in the 'wrong direction'. When I got back up to our place the missus looked at me and said: How's your blood pressure? I guess I'm easy to read or the fumes coming out of my ears gave it away.

After a pretty fantastic omelett I started to think of the dentist visit later in the day. It was the visit I have dreaded for the past 12 months - the extraction of two of my last three wisdom teeth.

But since I'm known to be a bulldog (i.e. get really pissed off but never give up) I kept getting back into the game. Well, I missed another exit and another entry. Not really my day, ergh.

But as soon as I started to wind down and prepare my lunch I looked over at the monitor and saw my latest position start to shoot up. Looked like the play was going to pay off nicely. So I closed the position in the black, finished my lunch and headed for Starbucks to celebrate with a cold Frappuccino before the extraction.

Well, the extraction went well thanks to my super professional dentist and eventhough it was an uncomfortable experience it felt good to have another task done on the weekly todo-list. Furthermore, when I got home our maid was finished with cleaning our house which was in a fabulous state.

Today was a great reminder that even if things sometimes looks really dark there is almost always light around the corner. Life is, after all, really damn good!

Blogger Bro, Where Art Thou?

Well, between visits to the dentist, planning the new brave future and having Fern from London here on visit I've been pretty darn damn busy. My latest batch from Amazon have keeping me awake both during scheduled afternoon naps and late nights.

Folks, I've just entered a reading frenzy that I hope will last until spring. I'm chewing up 2-300 pages a day. Boy, does that feel good! Not so much from an anal-productive-perspective but more from a damn-dog-I'm-learning-shit-way.

Flow-How is the New Know-How

I was watching CSI when my mind started to wander. It's the usual perspective calibration that I've develop through lots of training and daydreaming. It's a great technique to avoid focusing to hard on details and avoid loosing the big picture. It works a little bit like a camera lens with a zoom. Once you think you know the answer, change perspective.

Anywho, the word that came to my kind was flow and how much I enjoy it. It's like being in the famous zone where everything is going great. It works when cooking, working out, writing et cetera. It's the perfect state of mind and body. It's when they becomes one and everything seems dead easy. The flow gets constantly challenge by reality and challenging problems but never bulges.

The thought was born when I saw the commercial for 'The Lords of Dogtown' - a must see movie for surfers, adrenaline junkies and true Californians. The way they challenged the status quo and started to surf dried out pools during the 70's droughts is just so inventive, so inspiring, so passionate. The motions are the true incarnation of the perfect state of mind. But the mind is never static or in one place, it's in the zone where the flow is perfect.

Inspiration & Passion

The other day I was contemplating about what makes greatness or what would get people to peak performance. Most people would probably argue the carrot and the stick. I, on the other hand, would argue passion and inspiration.

I need to be passionate, in general and in specific, to have the right energy in place. That energy needs to be inspired with a challenge important enough to satisfy the passion. It's like nitro and glycerin. Individually they are harmless but together explosive.

In a corporate world people are mostly passionate about money and titles. Not everyone but there is a strong correlation between corporate citizens and the importance of bragable rewards. I look for emotional passion, things that really MATTERS, that changes people's lives.

The Truth About Greed & Fear

The basic rule is to sell into greed and buy into fear. That's when you'll have a very liquid demand driven market on the greed side and a supply driven on the fear. It's quite different from bottom fishing or trying to nail the top. Remember, it's not about being right or wrong but about making money.

Cold, Cold City

The fog is thicker than ever and keeps rolling in over the heights without any rest in site. Yesterday was a +70 degree day with blue and sunny sky. Today the neighborhood is covered in cold everlasting fog and a wind that sips through into our house. It reminds of London in the winter time or Stockholm in the spring. I'm glad I got a lot of errands done yesterday - while the sun was out - cause today I ain't leaving the house.

I lit up a cigarr to stay warm but that didn't really do the trick. I'll have to try a hot bath and see what that could bring. If that doesn't work, I guess I've to take a long nap until the heaters starts agin later this afternoon. What a horror!

Let the Sunshine Out

The fog has been rolling in over the San Franciscan hills for more than a week now. This time of year the sun should greet our early morning minds but that hasn't happened - yet. So in waiting for the sun to come out and play we headed down to K&L wines for some casual pleasure. The friendly K&L fellas loaded up our trunk with a few cases and off we were to the new cheese store on Polk and Pacific. An Emmantaler, a Roquefort, a Brie, A Taleggio and some Parmesan Reggiano later we were off to cook lunch.

On today's menu we have a home made pesto sauce with fresh pasta and some newly grated parmesan drizzled lightly on top. Just something to wet our appetite for tonight's dinner. We are planning a cheese plate to get the taste buds going accompanied with some wine from the french region of St.Julien. Then a Swiss (not French) Onion Soup with Emmantaler cheese and home made croutons. On the side, we'll have a simple Bibb Salad sprinkled with Kosher salt, olive oil, peppar and Dijon mustard. Our choice of beverage would be a cab from Mendoza in Argentina. Ahh, forgot to mention the newly baked bread with garlic butter and basil.

I think the above should do the trick, i.e. get us into the pleasure dome where life is good and filled with love.

Things That Inspire Passion

The week is over and after a number of afternoon errands I headed back to our city retreat. The missus pinged me about tomorrow's dinner: we'll be six.

So I started to browse through our Les Halles Cookbook. One thing lead to the other so I poured myself a glass of Castelmavre from Corbières. It's nothing fancy but a very well made and priced red table wine.

Anthony Bourdain's Cookbook got me deeper into the fantastique Bouchon or Bistro food. He mentions how important the stock is. How am I to disagree!??

Our Saturday dinner guests are both great cooks and great guests so I feel the pressure. I want to make something new to them. Being the only one from Europe gives me an edge which I intend to use to the fullest.

Once you start to dive deep into the cookbook's there is no return. So now I'm cooking a Roasted Chicken with Swiss Rösti (like hash browns but better) and a side Bibb Salad. Still having that delish red table wine from France.

See what happens when you let passion ahead of everything else. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Mindful Living

Your life is where your mind is and mine has been far away for some time now. During my daydreaming I'm usually with the missus in our new 993, crusing across the Southwest with no care in the world. The trunk is backed for one week or ten - who cares when you are on an everlasting holiday.

It's the New Reality

I found it at $1.99 and been enjoying the ride since then. It has had a healthy fibonaccian pullback over the past 5 days. Now back on track, riding hard. My expectation is at least $10 in a year, maybe more. But it's going to be a bumpy ride. Let's clear $3 for sure and then never look back.

Alchemize Life

5.52am. Futures up. Money & Investing. Learned about Skype. Two Lattes. Washed car. Walked uphill. To-do list shrinks. Pasta lunch. Great close. Catena Malbec. Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Celebrity Poker. Nap.

Best 90's Album?

Tie between Dookie and Superunknown. The only two Albums that mattered.

Take Me Back to Grunge City

I've finally some time to smoke a cigarr and contemplate after a very busy, almost frentic, week in the accidental life of me. But I gotta hand it to this week - it has been damn good.

Anywho - I'm just going through my Grunge collection and read recently that it was only three bands that mattered from that era: Nirvana, Pearl Jam and my favorite Soundgarden. Maybe, it's just the music critics fascination with the magic number three or they don't know better. I, as you might think, do not concur. You have to add Alice in Chains (Dirt is just playing) and Stone Temple Pilots.

Grunge coincided with my college years and what a fortune that was. The darkness, the searching and the poetic lyrics was the perfect fit. Still is. Just look at Staind, Audioslave (w/ Chris Cornell), Foo Fighters (w/ David Grohl), Nickelback, Hoobastank, Velvet Revolver, Crossfade et cetera. That said, we know everything started with Led Zeppelin. Nothing happened before, some after. Who's Elvis?

Jack of All Trades, Master of None

I'm put dow the hammer to reach for my cell phone. There is an SMS asking for advice: FORD or XWG. Easy - FORD. But hold for under $27.50, I write.

Back with the hammer,putting up another painting that has been in the closet for too long. Then there is a buzz. My Duck Canard should be ready. I turn down Diana Krall to hear the Duck sizzle in it's own fat. Like an obese woman on a hot beach.

Yet another buzz from the cell. It's now a phone call: Blanco or Reposado? For what? Margaritas! Always, Reposado. I hang up.

Feeling like Ask Jeeves. Heading over to the wine fridge. All these choices.

Picking up my electric guitar and disrupt the soothing jazz with a rock riff that could sooth the most savage beast. Am a I multi-tasking Renaissance Man, I ask myself. Oh no, one thing at a time.

Boeing's former Chairman died today, only 64 years old. I bet he wish he learned how to fly. Life is just to short. Keep hammering away on that resume. It could make a nice tomb stone one day.

Basmati or Jasmine

Yet another Friday. The weather is gloomy and cold. No need to leave the safe and warm premises of our urban house. I’d rather enjoy a tasty lunch accompanied with some sweet tunes from Argentina. Like Tanghetto.

It feels like a winter Sunday. The TV is thankfully off and the music on. I’m copying my favorite hundred CD’s to the new Mini Mac. It will take hours but what a great pleasure it is. I find albums and songs I didn’t know I had. I get ideas about new artists or genres I’d like to try.

Life is just so god damn enjoyable right now. Music, movies, literature, food and wine – all at my digital door step.

My biggest current challenge is to decide which I like the best – Basmati or Jasmine rice. Basmati is lighter and fluffier while Jasmine sticks together better. I’ve also found that Basmati is easier to cook. But I prefer Jasmine to Thai… Oh, man – what a quandary!

I'm Reconverted

I'm truly blown-away by finally being in the possession of a Mac again. It is just so much fun! Yesterday I installed all kinds of software and got our WiFi network extended.

This morning (Yeah, headed up at 3am PDT) I've been diving into how to stream videos across the house, as easily as we do with music. My next project is to edit all the latest images from different travels. Then I'm going to dive into the world of movie making. And I'm also going to buy some AAPL...

Current Wishlist:
LaCie Mini Hard Drive (250GB)
EyeTV and Connect
Samsung SyncMaster 730B
Sony Handycam DCR-HC21

2,500 Days Later

I gave up my iMac for a Windows PC more than half a decennium ago. Setting up our new Mac Mini reminded me of how fun computers are, or at least could be if they are made in the right way. About 2 hours after the first start-up we now have music streaming through our stereo, a number of new software programs and a new life. My dream of having one home server that can run our multimedia experience is soon reality. We only lack the ability to stream movies across the house but that will soon be sorted. Imagine accessing our movie library from the bathroom while smoking a cigar in the early morning delight. Youza!

The Antidote

"Looking back it all becomes so clear. How could I be the only one that didn't see clear. Never meant to be so cold.

Rushing through the latest hits of The Killers, Crossfade, Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver et cetera I get reminded of when it all started.

I can hear the waves and see the city lights. I tried the corporate walk but it wasn't me. It takes a fool, doesn't it.

I've kept me right here waiting and for the wrong reasons. I've always found the the wrong reasons for the wrong way. Now I'll walk the right way without any waiting."

Chapter V

Staind. Released August 9, 2005. Buy it!

Back to Where it Started

I paid my way in college by writing puts on the major indices a few days before October 19, 1987. That might not mean a lot to a lot of ya'll. But for the 'in-the-know' it means beating the pied piper at his own game. That game has always been my backup plan, knowing I got the gift or the guts to to take enough risk at the right time to win.

I love risk cause that's where most people are flushed out; where CAPM nerds are booted and 'corporate finance' students are not allowed. How many times have I heard: "Well, all the finance I learned in business school tells me that you have to do x, y and z!". No, shit!

Belivers in the Random Walk Theory or the Efficeint Market Theory are getting their butts kicked these days. And unfortunately that's the only thing they teach CFO wannabies. It's sad and quite encouraging; it means that I have an edge and most don't. Hit me baby, but just one more time!

[Food & Wine] The Tadich Grill

Today I was introduced to the 156-year old gourmet tradition at The Tadich Grill in San Francisco. It was the first business in California at the time of the goldrush, several years before the state became part of the US. Quite a historic landmark.

Their speciality is seafood and they offer charbroiled, pan-seared, sauted and cooked fish. For starters there is the famous clam chowder either Boston style (white) or Coney Island style (red). They have an extensive menu and even offer some meat dishes. Their wine list is good.

The interior dates far back with the classic bar serving but also separate tables for 2-4 persons and the classic booths. The booths creates a fantastic privacy and are spacious enough for a maximum of 5 people. The waiters are all dressed in white and excellent - great service without being in your face!

I've a feeling that Tadich will become a family tradition from now on. Hopefully where we can go for Friday lunches to celebrate successful weeks.