For now, the WIN outweighs the FAIL. Score!
FAIL part 1: I just managed to dye one of my favorite tshirts a sort of blue-grey in the wash.
FAIL part 2: Three of my students just canceled because they can't afford tutoring right now. Two more canceled without giving a reason. Nobody can afford me. Income for October not looking good.
FAIL part 3: After watching all the closer-to-retirement, more-financially-stable people on my flist flail for the last week, I finally got the courage to check my statement. YTD returns? -21%. /o\
The problem with subscribing to the gospel of "super low-cost passively managed index funds" is that when the market tanks, you tank. No getting around it. The only silver lining is the fact that the actual NUMBER represented by that -21% is very small indeed.
WIN part 1: Back in March during the Bear Stearns business, I stopped contributing my $10 a month (or whatever token amount) to that savings account and instead started more or less stuffing it under my mattress. Heh. Go me! Yaay for having no faith.
WIN part 2: On the plus side, this mess makes for HILARIOUS politics, like McCain's ridiculous "super action hero parachuting into Washington" bit. And the recent House Republican revolt against the bailout (of which Rachel Maddow rather reasonably asked, "Who leads the Republican party right now? And why would Democrats bother negotiating with Republicans at all again on round two, when apparently the Republican's leaders... don't represent anyone?" I love that woman).
Also, the fantastic "We agreed to vote for it, then we voted against it because Nancy Pelosi hurt our feelings," which... I am trying to imagine being a politician and explaining that to my constituents without sounding utterly ridiculous. Also! Barney Frank's reaction to that:
"Give me those twelve people's names, and I will go talk uncharacteristically nicely to them, and tell them what wonderful people they are, and maybe they'll now care about the country." (NO. He SAID THIS. With perfect comic delivery, too. Rachel Maddow had the video last night. Why are you all not WATCHING her?)
"Talk uncharacteristically nicely to them..." HEEHEE. I love Barney Frank. Seriously, I love him SO MUCH I almost want to move to MA-4 just so I can vote for him. Kind of like back in 2006 I tried very hard to move to WA-7 just so I could vote for Jim McDermott. Does anybody else have a favorite Congresscritter to pimp at me? I love collecting the good ones. It keeps me from getting too cynical.
WIN part 3: The Daily Show last night really hit the Jew jokes hard, didn't they? Normally they keep those down to two or three a week, but last night... heh. Jon Stewart's little *facepalm* after the old Jewish grandmas of Florida bit was pretty much comic perfection. And!
Oh, my BOYS! *smishes them* You are almost enough to make me seek out punditslash, really you are.
WIN part 4: Okay, forget "almost." The Strange and Not Entirely Ineffective Courting of Jon Stewart by Stephen T. Colbert, over at yuletide. This is MADE OF WIN. Seriously, this might be just about the funniest thing I have EVER READ. Uh, PG and not actually slash, if that's what you were worried about. Just... READ IT. GO.
WIN part 5: Hell with my questionable October income, I just bought my plane ticket to Wincon! *dances* Anybody I don't already know about going to be there? Hit me up.
FAIL part 2: Three of my students just canceled because they can't afford tutoring right now. Two more canceled without giving a reason. Nobody can afford me. Income for October not looking good.
FAIL part 3: After watching all the closer-to-retirement, more-financially-stable people on my flist flail for the last week, I finally got the courage to check my statement. YTD returns? -21%. /o\
The problem with subscribing to the gospel of "super low-cost passively managed index funds" is that when the market tanks, you tank. No getting around it. The only silver lining is the fact that the actual NUMBER represented by that -21% is very small indeed.
WIN part 1: Back in March during the Bear Stearns business, I stopped contributing my $10 a month (or whatever token amount) to that savings account and instead started more or less stuffing it under my mattress. Heh. Go me! Yaay for having no faith.
WIN part 2: On the plus side, this mess makes for HILARIOUS politics, like McCain's ridiculous "super action hero parachuting into Washington" bit. And the recent House Republican revolt against the bailout (of which Rachel Maddow rather reasonably asked, "Who leads the Republican party right now? And why would Democrats bother negotiating with Republicans at all again on round two, when apparently the Republican's leaders... don't represent anyone?" I love that woman).
Also, the fantastic "We agreed to vote for it, then we voted against it because Nancy Pelosi hurt our feelings," which... I am trying to imagine being a politician and explaining that to my constituents without sounding utterly ridiculous. Also! Barney Frank's reaction to that:
"Give me those twelve people's names, and I will go talk uncharacteristically nicely to them, and tell them what wonderful people they are, and maybe they'll now care about the country." (NO. He SAID THIS. With perfect comic delivery, too. Rachel Maddow had the video last night. Why are you all not WATCHING her?)
"Talk uncharacteristically nicely to them..." HEEHEE. I love Barney Frank. Seriously, I love him SO MUCH I almost want to move to MA-4 just so I can vote for him. Kind of like back in 2006 I tried very hard to move to WA-7 just so I could vote for Jim McDermott. Does anybody else have a favorite Congresscritter to pimp at me? I love collecting the good ones. It keeps me from getting too cynical.
WIN part 3: The Daily Show last night really hit the Jew jokes hard, didn't they? Normally they keep those down to two or three a week, but last night... heh. Jon Stewart's little *facepalm* after the old Jewish grandmas of Florida bit was pretty much comic perfection. And!
Oh, my BOYS! *smishes them* You are almost enough to make me seek out punditslash, really you are.
WIN part 4: Okay, forget "almost." The Strange and Not Entirely Ineffective Courting of Jon Stewart by Stephen T. Colbert, over at yuletide. This is MADE OF WIN. Seriously, this might be just about the funniest thing I have EVER READ. Uh, PG and not actually slash, if that's what you were worried about. Just... READ IT. GO.
WIN part 5: Hell with my questionable October income, I just bought my plane ticket to Wincon! *dances* Anybody I don't already know about going to be there? Hit me up.