It’s funny to realize after speaking with someone I haven’t seen since high school (Hi, Kedron!) that at times like this – when I describe my life – I realize it has been.. “colorful”.

The Air Force, traveling coast-to-coast across the country several times, surfing in San Diego, some nasty scrapes with the law, living in my car (briefly, yet more than once), starting several businesses (including one successful enough to buy my first home and live well), nearly go bankrupt, exploring the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for salvageable sailboats, nearly drowned in Florida (on three different occasions.. I really gotta stay out of the water), was impaled on a sea wall; bought a boat on land, learned how to sail and put it into the water and lived on it; shot in the chest by a .357 Magnum and survived (obviously), had the best years of my life attending Moravian College dropping acid and chasing girls, lost everything I owned and down to my last $300 a few months ago — and find myself once more crawling out of the dirt to do it all over again with a fresh start.

Basically, my life is like Indiana Jones.. but fatter and without the cool soundtrack.

I’ve been a fan of the Miami Dolphins since I was a kid and there have been some good and bad. OK, other than Dan Marino, mostly bad. And even with #13 we collapsed under bad drafts and big-game chokes more often than not.

I’d hoped this year would be different but adding another chapter to what is becoming a miserable month, my beloved Fins just gagged on a 21-point lead to the New Orleans Saints, showing once again that in Miami, nothing much ever changes.

Not bad for my first week, right?

Seems about, yep, about a month ago I thought I’d be updating this blog more often as I got my new venture underway. But progress has been slow learning (and practicing) forex trading. In fact, it has taken up all my time, so much so that I’m not socializing very much, including doing any gaming. Weird, I can’t recall the last time I spent as much of my time trying to learn something as complex and demanding as this.

There is still a good chance I will fail, of course. But at least I plan to start Live trading this week. I have at least one very good strategy to employ during overnight trading sessions and will also be practicing on small lots during the weekdays. If you’d like to learn more about what the hell I’m talking about, check this link for a quick, simple explanation of Forex Trading.

Also, I am Facebooking like a mother these past few weeks. I’d pretty much let that whole social-networking thing pass me by; always thought it was a huge waste of time. It probably still is, but damn near everyone I know is doing it so Yours Truly jumped aboard.

Click Here for my Profile on Facebook

I know this past month has been the longest time since I updated the blog with a new post, but I have been really trying to make my most recent business ventures work. Unfortunately, internet retail is in bad shape along with the rest of the economy.

However, I am going back to my trading classes and taking a fresh look at a new field: currency trading. I have been reading up on FOREX and hope to try my hand at trading a small account in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, the weather is nice, the Renaissance Faire is opening soon, and I hope to make new posts a more frequent occurrence at Merchantprince!

I’ve just spent the last half hour or so laughing my ass off and playing everything from Galaga, Asteroids, BurgerTime, Elevator Action, Joust, Missile Command and, of course, Pac Man. Some of these games may be harder (or easier) than many of us Gen Xers remember but most are every bit as fun.

95 Old School Games You Can Play Online

From Oak Ridge Associated Universities: “This was the most elaborate Atomic Energy educational set ever produced, but it was only only available from 1951 to 1952. Its relatively high price for the time ($50.00) and its sophistication were the explanation Gilbert gave for the set’s short lifespan. Today, it is so highly prized by collectors that a complete set can go for more than 100 times the original price.

The set came with four types of uranium ore, a beta-alpha source (Pb-210), a pure beta source (Ru-106), a gamma source (Zn-65?), a spinthariscope, a cloud chamber with its own short-lived alpha source (Po-210), an electroscope, a geiger counter, a manual, a comic book and a government manual ‘Prospecting for Uranium.’”

Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab [via Boing Boing]

Sports is just one of the instruments used by disillusioned mothers to make their children feel special. Whether it’s giving everyone a trophy at the end of a winless season or even not keeping score during games, children today are being isolated from true competition. The Minnesapolis Star-Tribune asks an obvious question — are America’s children spoiled little punks? At least today we get the right answer.

Dr. Ernie Swihart, an author and behavioral pediatrician at South Lake Pediatrics in Minnetonka, decried the self-esteem movement from its inception. Then, as now, he believed kids should be taught to be inwardly focused, self-sufficient creatures able to shift their own gears.

Real self-esteem — for all of us — comes from overcoming an obstacle-laden challenge, he believes, with hard work. Lavishing praise, he contends, is counterproductive and, if anything, makes kids needy and voracious for that other self-esteem-movement buzzword: validation.

“It’s had serious repercussions,” Swihart said. “These young adults who were raised in the ’80s, now in their 20s and in the workplace — those who received praise, rewards and prizes for everything they did without working very hard — often are very entitled and self-absorbed.

Crybaby children produce crybaby adults? Who could have seen that coming? Aside from everyone not insulating their children’s lives. And I realize many parents don’t do that, and I salute them. Whenever I see a child getting spanked in a grocery store, I just turn around and politely applaud. Usually, they let me take a swing at the little brat, and who’s gonna turn that down?

reprinted from With Leather♦