Closed short

Closed my SH position from Friday with just a minor profit. I'm done with April, but can't complain about going 10-1-1 with my small trades. Didn't Buffett say the first rule about investing is, "Don't lose money".

All I want to know is ... is that boat still in the shop?

darn, it has been 3 weeks now and in the interim I've been relying "on the kindness of strangers". Actually, all my neighbors have boats, though no one went out this morning. What a narrow trading day and totally boring. I would much rather have been fishing. If I don't fish in the morning, I will keep my eye on VLO as they report before the bell. If they disappoint, I make take a long position if it goes way oversold in the early trading. On better news, I'll just pass.

I don't see why you can't do both. With modern technology, you can be trading anywhere. For instance, I was on the beach other day: 1) laptop 2) 3G enabled cell phone with tethering capability and unlimited data service 3) extended battery pack for the laptop Anywhere I get 3G service, which includes the beach and likely if you're on a boat somewhere near cell signal, I can get broadband speed connection to my brokers. Its a great setup. No need to be sitting inside, tho a multi monitor setup is nice if you trade lots of different items rather than just indices. Total cost of such a setup? AT&T has medianet for $20/month for unlimited data service. The laptop + 3G enabled phone will run you about $600 total. Extended battery pack that will let you power your laptop and phone for 8 hours is about $100. So you're talking $700. If you need more info, feel free to ask.

Obviously, you are unfamiliar with fishing the Texas flats. When we are not up on plane running from flat to flat, we are constantly chucking lures (thousands of casts a day). The other day, I guided my sister and brother-in-law out in their boat and besides the aforementioned tasks, we landed 6 redfish and 5 trout. If I wasn't throwing lures, I was netting and taking fish off the lures. Then there's the running back and the cleaning. Nice try, but no way could I do this with a laptop.

Well if I was fishing to actually catch fish to eat, then I'd agree with you. In the modern world, you can catch all the fresh fish you want right at the super market. And if you live near the coast, right at the harbor from the fishermen. By the way, unless you're a VERY active day trader, you sit idle for most of the time, making sure your position isn't being run over with a truck. And I wouldn't use a laptop either. The laptop I mentioned is really a tablet pc. You can get pretty good protective covers for them, and using a wacom pen, it can be hermetically sealed and you can still put inputs into it (mine also has tactile input via touch). My 3G phone is also a PDA, so I hit one button, and it gives me real time quotes for all my positions. I've actually programmed it where I can just talk to it, and it spits out the info. That way, your hands and eyes can be free.

Frank has his priorities straight... nothing is more important than fishing.