Random Thoughts After Another Crappy Work Week

I had an interesting week of work. It was generally slow, but the customers still had some "interesting" questions. This was an actual conversation I had with an account holder...

"What is your account number?"
"I don't have it."
"I'm sorry, but I cannot change your address without your account number."
"I have the account number. Why didn't you just say that?"

Are you fucking kidding me? And that was one of the mellower conversations. I guess it takes all kinds. But why do I have to get the crazy ones?...

I was annoyed that the Brewers game was rained out tonight. I was hoping to catch the last few innings. It is a BIG series against the Cardinals this weekend. I know it's early, but first place is on the line. I still get to watch Saturday and Sunday though, if the rain stays away...

I was surprised that the Brewers brought up Mat Gamel already. Was it necessary to dump Brad Nelson? Yes, especially after starting 0-21 at the plate with 9 strikeouts. He seemed like a nice guy and I wish him the best. However, all the "experts" said that the reason Nelson, McGehee, and Duffy struggled as pinch hitters was because they're young and need consistent at bats. So how will sporadic playing time affect Gamel? General Manger Doug Melvin is usually right, but I question this move. Maybe Gamel is just keeping the bench warm until Catalanotto is ready. One can hope...

Question: What do you get when you cross X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the Marcus Theaters gift card that is burning a hole in my pocket? Answer: Sunday...

Awhile back, I wrote a post about my investment in AIG. My wish almost came true. AIG hit $2.00, but I did not have the balls to pull the trigger and sell. If I would have sold at $2 and bought back in at $1.65 three days later, I could have pocketed an extra $644. Now that AIG has climbed back up, I'd either have that $644 in my pocket or 390 more shares. FUCK! The stock market is a malicious bitch, isn't it?...

Well, that's all folks. Time to watch the season finale of Numb3rs.

Passion! Where? What?

On my lunch today, I was just sitting back trying to recapture a little glory. I seem to have lost all passion in most aspects of my life. The three places I still have it are at work (or making money in general,) playing my 360, and sports. Where is the passion elsewhere? It's dead. Dead as the Dodo bird. Dead as Michael Jackson's career. Dead.

One aspect I still exhibit passion for is online gaming. When I game, especially Battlefield: Bad Company, I am passionate. And I mean PASSIONATE! If somebody gets off a lucky shot from a shotgun at 50 feet, I'm screaming, "That's fucking ridiculous! The shotguns are way overpowered! What a bunch of fucking bullshit." When one my teammates does something stupid like team kill with a mortar strike or run over a teammate with a tank or worse, snipe while attacking, I'm shouting "Why the fuck are you sniping? You can't take objectives when you're two bases behind the rest of the team. Get in the fucking game, jackass!" It's comical. When I go downstairs to smoke after matches, my dad tells me to take it easy or my mom will come upstairs and shut my door because she cannot hear the television. If you do not believe me, ask any one my friends who has played with me. They will tell you I'm crazy on the Battlefield. I take my online gaming serious. That's passion!

I'm also passionate when it comes to money - earning it, saving it, and shamefully, spending it. Since September 2008, I've worked in Sheboygan at HSA Bank (a division of Webster Bank.) I've worked in a call center before and I really enjoyed it. I love dealing with people...just not face-to-face. The only thing I did not accomplish there was meeting new people. It was a vagabond bunch of characters that did not mesh well with me. I tried, but I do not have a single friend from there. At this job, my coworkers share the same interests...for the most part. Oops, I seem to swaying off topic so back to the subject at hand.

I do not know if is my job or the sinking economy, but I'm starting to save money...for once. I've started an eTrade account to day trade stocks. I'm using my eTrade account to maximize my savings through shroud investments. With the earnings, I'm planning on paying down my credit card debt. I'm up a few hundred bucks already. (Come on, AIG!) Through work, I've opened a HSA. (Wow. Who would have thought that HSA Bank offers HSAs? Weird, right? If you do not know what a HSA is, it's a tax-free savings account to supplement a High Deductible Health Plan.) HSA Bank also allows account holders to open up a TDAmeritrade account so I can invest my savings. The best part is that all interest and earnings in a HSA is also tax-free. Whoot! Whoot! Also, through work, I started my first 401k savings plan. Right now I can only contribute 10% of my paycheck, but Webster is nice enough to match 5%. It was 6% when I started, but the economic conditions forced them to lower it. I'm hoping they increase it once the economy turns around. Every little bit helps. Once I get my credit card debt under control and pay back my parents, I hope to increase my contribution to 20%. I am finally passionate about saving money. Thank god. And not a moment too soon. I have only 36 years left before the standard retirement age of 65. It seems like a lot, but it's not considering I have almost nothing in savings from my 12 years in the workforce and I'm not able to put much into my savings from my current job...yet.

I also love sports, mainly the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers.

So those are the 3 things I have passion for. Everything else is just blah to me. But maybe being passionate about 3 things is okay.

Baby steps, right?

AIG

I won't confess to knowing much about the stock market. I know enough to be dangerous - to my retirement savings that is. But I recently have opened an eTrade account to play with. I bought some Citigroup stock and made a modest profit. I then decided to roll the dice and bought some AIG. I know that the government has sunk billions of dollars into the company, but come on. Will the government really let this company fail? I bet not. So I want to see $2.00 in the near future for this company. Then I can sell and take a profit. Hopefully, it then drops back down near $1.25 so I can buy back in. Poppa needs some profits! Also, bought some AIG in my TDAmeritrade account, but that's my HSA retirement funds so I'm long on AIG there. Can't worry on day-to-day activity in a portfolio that I want to support me in 30 years.