Waiting For PicoP

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

I’ve been seduced – by technology. So goes the accusation, and I admit there is evidence that it’s true. This week, forced obsolescence and a failing memory meant that I had to get a new cell phone. The good news was that the failing memory wasn’t mine; it was my old cell phone’s SIM card. Even without that failure, my phone had become so old that the cell phone company called to tell me that they were dismantling the hardware that would listen for my calls. I had to get a new phone. I’ve waited this long because I was waiting for a particular phone I’ve heard about and seen, but that hasn’t been released yet. It’s a cell phone that includes a projection TV in basically the same package as a smartphone. I’ve waited for years, not seduced into thinking I needed one, but seduced by the prospect of the disruptive technology and the potential for my investment in the responsible company, MicroVision. Alas, their PicoP phone has yet to reach the market. Alas, MVIS has yet to get me out of debt.

Somewhere among these posts I’ve chronicled my history of anticipation with MicroVision and MVIS. Maybe I’ll remember which post by the time I upload this post. I’ve held MVIS stock since 2000, back when I first learned about this amazing technology that would eliminate the majority of monitors in the world. Put on a pair of glasses or look at your cell phone and the image would be painted directly on your retina, a true retinal display. Because the light didn’t have to fight past ambient sunshine the image was viewable in daylight, except for maybe in the Arabian Desert or on a glaring ice sheet. So, no, while I was seduced by the technology, I wasn’t blinded by science. I used a demo of the device and was impressed without any damage to my eye. No more need for bulky monitors, their toxic chemicals, chassis of plastic, enormous packing boxes, warehouses and shelves to store it all, and ships, trucks, and trains burning oil to transport them. I bought more.

The idea is simple. Resurrect the idea of old television sets. Take three light sources, red, green, and blue, turn them on and off rapidly, and then move the light in a pattern that covers the screen. Except, in MicroVision’s technology the light came from either LEDs or lasers, and the light was moved by oscillating a mirror on a chip. The entire device was about the size of my thumbnail. It was small enough to fit in almost any device, used very little power because the lights were only on when needed, and the laser version was always in focus. Prototypes of cell phones, camera viewfinders, automobile displays, and game controllers proliferated throughout the last several years.

All prototype and nothing for pay makes a company a fun place to play – and a lousy investment. But, Ta da!; rather than wait forever they produced a standalone projector in 2010: the ShowWX. It didn’t paint the image on my retina. They decided to skip that for a while and instead made a normal projector, but one that was only the size of an iPhone.  I put my money where my money was and bought one. My experience unwrapping it is chronicled in my old blog. For a while I used it to watch DVDs and as a side monitor for my laptop. It was handy. It had enough resolution to fully display DVDs, and was always in focus. I could watch a movie on a pleated curtain if I wanted.  A cell phone that would let me show my art portfolio to prospective galleries? Excellent! A camera with a daylight viewable display of what the camera’s chip saw? Marvelous. I’d seen both possibilities since before I bought my ShowWX. I’m patient. I’d replace my equipment with wonderful upgrades paid for by a profitable stock price.

But what I wanted was for the company to get past the prototype phase and into major production – which was going to happen any quarter. The investing community wanted that too. The problem was that the technology wasn’t ready. I’ll skip the technical details except to say that making enough affordable quantities of one component, the green laser, meant the ShowWX wasn’t profitable; which meant the company wouldn’t be profitable until the production issues were resolved. Allow me to restate a bit of that last sentence in the correct tense. The company won’t be profitable until the production issues are resolved. Sadly and unfortunately, the expected profitability of the company has been delayed so long that it has undergone massive dilution and an unsuccessful stock split.

The camera isn’t discussed anymore. The cell phone that was supposed to reach the market a couple of Christmases ago is at least a Christmas away. The standalone unit that was described as an introductory product that would be eclipsed by embedded products has been described as more practical than an all-in-one device. The primary claim to product fame is to be a Head Up Display (HUD) for cars, correctly on sale in Japan for thousands of dollars the last I checked. The stock continues to pop around Apple product announcements because there are many Apple patents that accommodate embedded projectors that have specs that only MicroVision’s technology could meet. Then it retreats when MicroVision isn’t included. My iPad has two cameras. My new cell phone has a camera. Neither has an embedded projector.

Disruptive technologies travel rough roads with many detours. Remember the Apple I? How about Windows 2.0? I actually have one of the earliest tablet PDAs: a Newton MessagePad. Nice idea. Immature tech. A few generations later iPads are marvels and ubiquitous.

Many miraculous lives include hard journeys through tortuous times. There’s a good chance that I’m on such a path. I think that’s true of our society as well. Maybe it is true of MicroVision. A friend and I were using facebook to trade quotes from Shakespeare’s Henry V.
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more . . .”
I’ll skip the exact quote about the English dead. Ick. But the message is that persistent prevails.
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
               For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
               Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile
               This day shall gentle his condition:
               And gentlemen in England, now a-bed
               Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,”
Whether King Henry ever said that or not, that day the English won at the Battle of Agincourt despite being outnumbered as much as three to one by the French. I suspect the play is correct enough in showing that there was so much confusion that the English didn’t know they’d won until the French told them so.
“I know not if the day be ours or no.”

I sit here, cell phone beside me, iPad resting in its dock, MVIS at $2.28 (effectively $0.285 pre-split). Over the last twelve years I’ve invested about three years living expenses in MVIS, and currently my holdings are worth about a month’s living expenses. My total portfolio is worth less than a few months living expenses, though I am stretching that by only making partial payments to my mortgage. But, supposedly within the next few months or a quarter or so the green laser production issues will be fully resolved and very large shipments will potentially make MicroVision a success, which is hopefully quickly reflected in the price of MVIS.  Despite MicroVision’s rough road, the potential persists. Once upon a time, there was an estimate of MVIS for about $128. That was before the split. Call it $125 and do the math to end up with a current price for MVIS of $1000. Skip the emotion. Look at the math. That’s a potential that would appease me and my mortgage company.

Some things sound too good to be true, and so far MicroVision has sounded good. But good things can come true. That’s the holiday spirit.

I’m not solely relying on MVIS to recover and attain those heights. My investment in MVIS is one part of one plan, and I have at least four major plans (investments, entrepreneurship, employment, real estate + collaborations.) Diversification is important, eh? Even if only half succeed half as well as they can my finances will be more than enough.

In the meantime, there is art to market, distribute, and sell. There are a couple of books to finish. There are clients to consult with. There are jobs to apply for. I work because I can’t just wait.

Addendum

Ah ha! I found the chronology. I’ll repost it here.

A personal MVIS chronology – abridged

1/6/00
Bought shares of MVIS

2000 Attended Annual Stockholder’s Meeting (ASM)
Monochrome available. Color soon.
“I wonder if there aren’t some shareholders that are losing patience and are therefore anxious, but who also recognize potential and are therefore hanging in there with the company.” my commentary

2000 news article
Seattle Times Business section suggests that Microvision will attain profitability in 2003-2004

2002 ASM
Microdisplay should be packaged later this year with production in late 2003.
The goals are to be profitable in mid-2004.

2004 ASM
Some analysts have projected cash flow breakeven for 2H05.

2006 ASM
New CEO.
The PicoP – mini-projector was there.
The first high volume product (hundreds of thousands or more) will be available late 2008 or early 2009.

2007 ASM
The embedded devices will reach commercialization in early 2009, but sample may be available in early 2008.

2008 ASM
A customer survey largely confirmed price point of $300 for the standalone unit.

2009 February – First VIP Club communique
“The current shipping schedule is planned to begin with initial quantities in mid-2009.
As VIP Club Members, you’ll be among the first to get dibs at the commercial product when it becomes available.
For non-VIP Club Members well, those individuals might just have to wait in line.”

2009 ASM
Embedded in 6-9 months after standalone is more like, “probably in time for Christmas 2010.”
Competitors are selling at $300-$600. Microvision will sell at a premium and with better margins outside the US.
The VIP customers (8,000) are competing with large corporations that may be willing to buy the entire inventory. Details to come.
AAPL news? Be patient.
ShowWX officially Launched

2010
March 8 Show WX goes on sale – Limited Edition $999
March 22 Show WX goes on sale – VIP members $549
I order one ShowWX with dock. ~ $700
(Seven day delivery plus next day air)
March 24 Show WX goes on sale – general public $549
March 30 email
Your order has been shipped and your credit card has been charged.
March 31
Show WX delivered. See above.

2013
?

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Living On Debt

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

 

Tough choices must be made. Amidst the cloud of abstractions and advice wrapped around people in economic hard times, this post is about a bit of reality. Yesterday is the first time I’ve sent in a bare fraction of my mortgage payment. I’m sure the mortgage company won’t be pleased. I’m not either. But I made sure to send in something, and I made sure to put it in perspective. I’m going to let one large, slow peril snarl at me while I fend off a faster, nearer hazard. The mortgage may not be fully paid, but I do so to tear into credit card debt. Not an easy choice, and too common in America.

I’m an optimist. Optimism, and an appreciation for the present, keep me going. I like to base my optimism on the past. This worked before, so there’s a good chance it will work again, whatever “this” may be. That’s why I was reasonably confident about Plan A, my investing strategy that had succeeded for thirty years. But I had backup plans. Plan B was and is my business in consulting and teaching, as well as my writing and photography. The income is nice, but barely keeps the business alive. The compliments are much more numerous, but compliments don’t pay the bills. So, Plan C was initiated to go find a job. I’ve enjoyed engineering in the past, time to return and be well enough paid to carry me into the future. Not yet. I’m in month 15 of looking. Nice compliments, but overqualified still means no job. Welcome to Plan D, I’m optimistic someone will buy my home. The view alone is worth the price. I’m waiting.

My optimism is like the compliments. Neither pays my bills.

My optimism is also why I let the credit card debt accumulate for a while. As my stocks dropped, I knew the company fundamentals continued to provide enough value that the stocks would recover. That will probably be the case, but not yet. I thought it would only take a quarter or two, in which case the credit card debt could be eliminated within a year. My optimism also encouraged me to delay the end-of-month payments because my main stock, DNDN, moved with monthly earning announcements that came on in the first week of the month. I’d wait for the news, hope for a recovery, then sell no matter what because I had to raise the money for the mortgage and leave time for transfers. The 12th (credit card due date) and the 15th (end of the mortgage payment grace period) became prime dates in my monthly calendar. Until this month I never missed a payment, though one or two were a day late when I got the timing wrong.

My optimism continues, but reality isn’t as patient.

The credit card has an interesting feature. For basics like food and gas I can charge without interest as long as I pay off that food and gas total every month. But those interest payments on that large balance continue. I’m about halfway to my limit and that remaining half is my emergency cushion. I could maintain that balancing act, but if I slip, those interest charges ramp quickly and the cushion deflates.

My mortgage has a much lower interest rate and a much higher balance. I love this house, but the payments for it are much larger than the payments on my card. The risk with my home is that the property is the collateral for the loan. It is hard to put that at risk.

My credit card and my mortgage represent two basic needs for life: food and shelter. Ironically, and unfortunately, those are the two sources of my debt. Of course, many other things could be sources of debt, but I live so frugally that if I can’t afford them I don’t buy them. Effectively, I am living on credit.

Every ping of an email, every ring of a phone call, every hello on the street can be the moment when my business turns the corner to profitability, or someone is contacting me to offer me a marvelous job, or someone has offered to buy my house. My money problems can disappear in a moment, and that thought is kept fresh every hour. (Though I must admit that the mantra is becoming a bit rote.)

Those pings and rings and hellos aside, I had to make a choice, so I decided to start paying down my credit card debt, reducing those payments and reinflating that cushion. I don’t expect a Thank You from the credit card company. I do expect a string of phone calls and letters from my mortgage company. I sent along a letter apologizing for the dramatically reduced payment, not because I think it will make a difference, but because I continue to think the Golden Rule is a good idea. When someone delays payment on a session or some art I appreciate their effort at making the call. And everyone has eventually paid – I think.

My choice can sound like a numbers decision, logically initiated and acted upon; but, it wasn’t totally. There was a physical catch in my throat as I wrote the check and the letter, and as I sealed and mailed the envelope. I take my commitments seriously, and each bill represents an commitment for me to pay for the goods and services I’ve received. As long as we have a currency-based economy that act will include money. Emotionally, I am committed to repayment, but they want finances not accumulated good will.

There are synchronicities in life. The same day I mailed the check I also received a phone call from a neighbor. They saw my artwork months ago and couldn’t stop talking about it. They wanted to come by and buy. And they did. They spent the same amount on my art as I had sent in to the mortgage company. I wonder what they would’ve bought if I’d sent in the full amount.

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Fresh Idea Living Picnic Table

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

Fresh ideas, inventions that I pass along to the world. Maybe they’re useful. Maybe they’re fun.

Skip tablecloths and being careful with the tabletop. Make a picnic table that has a garden of groundcover for a top. Living roofs are used for houses and buildings. Why not for furniture? Check out Matthew Swett’s architectural portfolio (Clinton Beach) for an example of a living roof.

Most picnic tables are made so stout that they should be able to hold up a layer of dirt and groundcover, especially something like creeping thyme or moss. In wetter regions, like around Seattle, there’d be no need to water the plants. Spills might even help. The table wouldn’t have to be cleaned off to use. Scraps and crumbs are already in the right place for composting. And it would definitely be a conversation piece. Instead of shading some patch of plants, the table, which is rarely used, would be a home and a source of oxygen.

Just an idea. Just having fun. Tell me if you do it.

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Washingtons Gift Of Marijuana

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

Washington State has re-legalized marijuana. Prohibition retreats. It’s taken less than a hundred years since the re-legalization of alcohol. See? Society progresses. But progress doesn’t happen all at once, though it may seem that way in retrospect. Sitting here, typing this post from within the state where the voters have spoken, I still can’t indulge my curiosity, legally. I hear things have changed since my college days. What’s it like now? It will take some time to find out. A friend on facebook asked; “Are you considering a new business opportunity?” My response, “Always.“; mostly as a way to witness the subsequent trends.  And there are a lot of trends beginning.

The discussion about legalizing marijuana makes it sound as if it was illegal forever and we’re breaching ancient walls. Back when the country was started marijuana, alcohol, and even opium were legal. I wonder if, what, and how much the founding fathers imbibed. I guess we are returning to traditional values. (That’s a joke folks. There will be more.)

Of the three, marijuana, alcohol, and opium, marijuana is the most natural. Let’s put aside opium because I see no way that it will be legalized unless the nation becomes unanimously Libertarian. Alcohol requires significant processing. Marijuana is a natural plant. Fires happen. Smoke happens. People breath. It probably didn’t take much for people to discover the effects. It is far more accessible than coffee and chocolate.

But marijuana is not legally accessible in my neighborhood yet. My layman’s understanding is that the law doesn’t take effect until December 6th. On Pearl Harbor Day, December 7th, it will be legal for me to possess a small amount of marijuana because I am a Washington State resident more than 21 years old. From what I can discern, the legality ends there.

Possession of marijuana continues to be a Federal offense. But maybe the Feds are busy enough, and their incentives are small enough, that they won’t investigate, arrest, prosecute, charge, and incarcerate individual consumers. They’ve got enough to do.

It is also not legal yet to buy marijuana. The legal supplier will be the state government. It may take them a year or so to draft the proper regulations and set up the state-owned shops. This is ironic because we voters just privatized the state-owned liquor stores. If we’d left them in place, the state would have an existing infrastructure in place. But who expected the referendum to pass?

So, if it isn’t legal to buy it, is it legal to grow it? Nope. But it’s a naturally occurring plant. Like so many non-native species, maybe it just happened to take root and propagate some seeds. Nature happens. If it grows itself, is nature breaking the law?

Even if Washington State made every aspect legal, there’s a tricky situation with the money. The banks are federally controlled. Could non-Washington State banks legally accept deposits that were the proceeds of marijuana sales? Maybe this is an opportunity for local banks, currencies, and alternative economies.

The holidays approach, and those thoughts carried along some possibilities. Maybe marijuana isn’t legal to buy or sell or grow, but maybe it can be given as a gift. If it happens to grow naturally, and the plants become larger than the legal amount, is a landowner required to cut them back and distribute the excess? Happy Holidays! Imagine the wreaths, oh, but there’s a one ounce limit. That’s a tiny wreath.

Gardening businesses are probably already supplying the illegal growers, so maybe they won’t see much extra business. Though it would be fun to see pot sales go up. Buy a pot that just happens to have dirt and fertilizer and oh so sorry but it may have some non-native seeds in there. There may be a new set of gardening classes to tend your Pot In A Pot. (Maybe I should register that trademark and domain name. Rats. It’s taken.)

There will probably also be new sets of culinary classes. Brownies are iconic carriers, but I’ve seen marijuana added as an herb in omelets, cakes, and even tea. One of the few times I was surreptitiously seduced was by wonderful woman who served me an herbal tea that had amazingly relaxing properties. Pardon me as I take a sip of my very legal, personally blended, mint tea and reminisce.

Ah. Okay. What was I writing about? Oh yeah, trends, marijuana, and my neighborhood. Let’s get expansive.

The bigger trends are the ones that will have the greater, and equally welcome, effect. One of the reasons I’ve been in favor of marijuana legalization is that the cost and benefit of legalizing marijuana is much more compelling than criminalizing marijuana. Criminalize it and the prices go up, which draws in the dangerously illegal organizations, which requires more money spent on enforcement and less effort directed to more damaging crimes, while disenfranchising the citizenry. Abuse is possible. I’ve seen it. I’ve also seen people abuse alcohol. Neither should be driving, and those laws remain in effect. Given the choice between being around someone who used too much marijuana or too much alcohol, I know that it is the drinker that makes me worry. Whether it is from becoming an angry drunk or possible blood poisoning, alcohol is much more dangerous.

Whether it is new businesses to support the legal growth, distribution, or consumption of marijuana, or old illegal businesses becoming legal, Washington State can greatly benefit from this legalization of marijuana. Those same benefits can extend to the federal level. Before there was an income tax, and yes, there was such a time, a great portion of the nation’s revenues came from taxing alcohol. As a revenue generator and a cost reducer, marijuana is a marvelous growth industry (pardon the pun but wordsmithing around that would take too much time.)

Amidst all of those considerations, I asked myself that question my friend asked me on facebook, “Are you considering a new business opportunity?” The answer is still “Yes.“, but I realize that I’ve already established a business that works in that regard. I consult with creative individuals and small businesses. Now that marijuana is legal, my best contribution may be to help folks with that transition and expansion. I’d enjoy that.

“Quick! You grab the kayak. I’ll get the skis. We’re out of here!”
“Ah, dude, I think we might have a few problems with your plan.”

Another thought came to mind amidst all of the possibilities. As a landscaping feature, is marijuana deer tolerant? Will bunnies and slugs devour the plants? If not, great. If they do, will they get the munchies to such an extent that they’ll eat my lawn and save me time mowing? That would be a major benefit right there – and probably the source of a stream of YouTube videos.

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Help Find A Friend A Job – Jeff Kurtti

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

Resumes don’t tell the tale, especially now that resumes are read by bots. Networking still works and stories are powerful. Welcome to another installment of my interviews with friends seeking jobs . I provide an opportunity for their story to reach people who know of jobs for my friends.

I met Jeff Kurtti at various art venues. There were definitely some lively conversations. He impressed me with his passion for his job. Watching him talk about the Disney Museum project was witnessing someone who didn’t just show up for work and a paycheck.

Here are his answers to a few questions.

> Who are you? No, really, not the job titles, but who are you?
A child of the 1960s, deeply ingrained with all of the attendant pop culture touchstones; a voracious reader who became a writer, a cinephile who became a filmmaker. Husband, father, thinker, doer. Efficient communicator and grateful teacher.

> What are your dreams? Not necessarily your dream job, but your dreams. Maybe someone will create a new position for you.
To wake up every day excited by the work that needs doing, to work in ego-free collaboration and mutual respect, to go home at night without the work as a ponderous baggage, and mostly to feed my family and my soul and the future of my children.

> How long have you been looking?
Since March, 2012.

> How are you getting by?
A fortunate chain of free-lance and temporary consulting jobs, and occasional project-based work.

> What title fits you that would never be picked up by a resume robot?
Practical dreamer.

> What job jazzed you the most?
The Walt Disney Family Museum, as it brought together all of my skills and taught some new ones in a venue in which I had never worked. Unfortunately encumbered by disrespect and politics which sullied the experience, but I am proud of the results and grateful to have been a guiding force.

There are lots of dreamers out there. But being a practical one is rarer, and therefore more valuable. That sounds like a great title to have on a business card. I hope he gets to live that life.

A note to my friends: If you’re having a tough time finding a job and want to participate, send me an email. You are welcome to nominate other people too.

A note to bloggers: You’re welcome to do the same thing on your blogs. Crowdsourcing works. Why not use it for finding jobs? Maybe using the same title, Help Find A Friend A Job or the hashtag #FAFAJ will help spread the idea. The more people hear the stories, the less likely they’ll see unemployment as a statistic or the unemployed as a stereotype. Decreased unemployment sounds like a reason to stop, except for those of us that are still unemployed. We might as well try. It would feel good to succeed.

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Changing Odds

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

All hail the secret ballot. All hail the power of We The People. We don’t know how a person voted, unless they let us peek, but we do know how the people voted. That’s the secret behind our nation. Watching the results was probably more fascinating than anything on TV. I wouldn’t know because I got rid of my TV, but some of my friends stayed up past midnight making sure the right people won. What fascinates me more are the breakthroughs and larger trends underlying the details of individual races. The nation is changing because the people are changing, and the changes are real, not academic. Within the next 30 years, the life of a typical mortgage, the way we live, deal with money, and interact will change. Our votes make that happen.

I’m an extreme independent moderate. Guessing which way I’ll vote is so hard I can’t remember which boxes I checked. I don’t need to dwell on irrevocable decisions. I vote for the best candidate, regardless of party, because that’s what I see is the job of a voter. Trying to pick the winner is more popular. Picking winners is the role of bookies, which is one reason why I regularly posted on facebook the odds from British bookie firm Ladbrokes. As I type this, the Democrats are 5 to 4 and the Republicans are 4 to 5 for winning the 2016 election. Yes, the race has already begun. The Independents are 25 to 1, and I’m glad they continue to try. Someday, someday, they will succeed. Bookies and pollsters have different incentives. Pollsters make money running polls. The closer the race, the more polls are conducted. Bookies make money by guessing the winner.

Every electoral race seemed to be accompanied by a map. Reds and Blues. Where are the Greens? We’ve become accustomed to the coasts being mostly Blue, except in the South; and the middle being mostly Red, except in the upper Midwest. There is a bifurcation in the nation. We’ve had it before. There’s an excellent Red and Blue political map produced by ace web comic xkcd that shows the ebb and flow since Washington. At one point the differences became so extreme that our nation temporarily became two, from at least one point of view. Will it happen again? Joel Garreau in the book, The Nine Nations of North America, drew boundaries based on economics and culture that roughly match the divide between red and blue. One scenario that could precipitate such a division would be for the Parti Québécois to successfully secede from the rest of Canada at the same time that some place like Texas secedes because it is tired of federal management of border issues. North America could rapidly become as divided as Europe. I haven’t found the odds on that.

My address provided me with a fractal view to the Blue/Red divide. The national map is familiar. Washington State divides along the Cascade Mountains. Whidbey Island divides north versus south. I’m not sure if this extends to my neighborhood or my street, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Hmm, take it one level internally and maybe that’s why I’m a moderate.

Washington State just passed two referenda: Yes to same sex marriage, and Yes to legalizing marijuana. Yep. The maps split along the same geographical lines. Regardless of the closeness of the vote, someone will now find a way to host a LGBT wedding and serve a powerfully mellow wedding cake. Let’s just make sure everyone is of age and no one has to drive. And the lovely couple may just be recent immigrants to the state. As some states become more open, they attract people who appreciate that. As other states become more protective of a different set of values, they too attract people who appreciate a different that. Bluer becomes bluer. Redder becomes redder.

The Constitution of the United States, something Barack Obama will swear an oath to soon, does an admirable job of giving the states the rights to be unique, while maintaining an overall structure. The strength of that document, those words, and those ideas will probably be enough to maintain the integrity of the nation – as long as we follow it instead of merely using it for an oath.

Thirty years is a reasonable time for a mortgage and probably my remaining life expectancy without a digital singularity sneaking in. Within those decades we will sort out marijuana legalization, same sex marriage, and a swarm of other political platform planks. We will either sort them out by making the decisions more general, or by allowing the divisions to become more distinct.

As a Washington resident, I am glad we made the choices we made. Simply based on economics and balancing risks, rewards, costs and benefits I believe Washington State’s economy will be healthier within a few years. The state will be making more and spending less. And the people on the west side of the mountains may be happier and mellower. Sounds good to me. As I type this I wonder what opportunities such changes make that help me lead a thriving life. I’m sure I’m not the only one pondering that issue.

As an American, I worry about our country. Even though it is doubtful that a dissolution would occur, we could effectively produce the same result. By the Constitution, contracts that are valid in one state are to be effectively respected by the other states. But ideologies aren’t protected. I think we already see a lack of unity that impacts our collective health. Radically different approaches to science education are enough to make me wonder if some states are going to become dependent on others for technology. I’m impressed with the Amish, but how would it affect the nation if a breadbasket state left behind evolution, genetics, and ecology?

Our economic crisis is becoming easier to accept. Jobs are increasing. Inflation remains low. Interest rates are ridiculously low. Yet our nation’s debt, deficits, and delayed repairs are unresolved. They don’t impact our daily lives, yet. I don’t see the trend that suggests that we’ll all agree to a set of solutions.

Despite a clear electoral college victory, the legalization of marijuana, and the approval of same sex marriage we lack clear majorities. Each race was decided by a few percent. Even a clear win of 75% would mean 25% were on the other side. Imagine a dinner party of twelve where nine decided what the other three had to eat. Three people allergic to shellfish would more than mildly disapprove of nine people telling them to eat clams.

Thirty year mortgages assume the world doesn’t change within that time. I look at these trends, throw in the minorities such that there is no such thing as a majority, throw in a disaster or two, and I wonder. And I know that the best thing to do is plan for things to continue, and expect things and the plans to change.

Sunset on election night produced an amazing collection of colors. Red and blue swirled within contentious winds as another cycle sets. They produced purples. Maybe that should be a new color for our map.

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Balancing Frugality

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

“You shouldn’t tell people that!” “But, it’s the truth.” “Yes, but while telling them the sad truth you obscure the other more important truth.” Ain’t that the truth.
“I’m impressed with how you’re able to stay upbeat with everything you’re going through. How do you do it?” “What else can I do?” Really, being upbeat is as good an option as any.
Those are the paraphrased versions of a pair of conversations that happened after Wednesday’s post. They weren’t the only ones. I’m in the midst of a balancing act, and my friends help by pointing out my pessimisms and optimisms. I’m also in a balancing act because I’m chronicling my journey publicly via this blog, while also running a consultancy and applying for jobs. As if balancing a finances with a declining net worth wasn’t enough, I have to balance emotions and be aware of perceptions.

Wednesday’s blog was about how many folks are crossing their fingers, toes, arms, and legs (but not eyes and not while driving) for me as I pursue Plans A, B, C, D, et al. Friends and family are sweet. One friend even made that literal by buying some of my art and then tipping me with an entire flourless (gluten-free) chocolate (good anti-oxidants) cake (dessert!). It took me two weeks to finish it. Going through my financial turmoil would be much tougher without everyone’s help.

Many of my friends are coaches, counselors, consultants, advisors, or independently successful. Many of them are also active in social service charities supplying help to those who need food, shelter, health care, clothing, child care, or emotional support. And of course there is overlap.

Conventional wisdom is that to be successful I must act successful. One of favorite authors, Sun Tzu, in his book, The Art Of War says, “When you are small, appear large.” I believe a variation on that is “Fake it until you make it.” Success breeds success. If I am putting myself out there as a consultant who helps others towards success, then I should emphasize my successes. That makes a lot of sense. In terms of the nine-step program championed by New Road Map, and in the book Your Money Or Your Life, my financial turmoil is largely restricted to step nine. I understand all of the steps well enough to help others through them. (I was Board Secretary of New Road Map, am a case study in Your Money Or Your Life, and wrote my own book that is the basis of this blog, Dream. Invest. Live.) I sincerely think that my step nine hiccup is largely monstrous bad luck. To emphasize my success I should be writing about the earlier steps. I should also spend more time on this blog passing along the testimonials of this first wave of clients. I’ll work on that. It goes against upbringing, but I understand the power of public positivism.

My passion is for people and ideas. Writing, photography, teaching, speaking, and consulting are the tools for following my passion. I am also an extreme independent moderate because I enjoy being in the middle. It’s easier to see each extreme that way instead of just one. It also means I know many people who are apparently successful, and people who aren’t meeting basic needs. Despite grand programs and strategies, it is too easy to underestimate the power of luck. The successes become public anecdotes and can readily take credit for their situation. The unlucky become statistics and are more likely to withdraw from sight and sound.

From what I hear, it turns out that I am helping give voice to some of the unlucky. None are going through exactly what I am going through because none of us lead identical lives. That’s amazing considering 7,000,000,000 people. But many are glad I am providing at least one example. It is too easy for misfortune to convince someone that it’s their fault. They must have done something wrong with career, family, health, attitude, emotion, or even spirit in this or previous lives. If nothing is going right, then are they doing everything wrong? Others with the same job, family, diet, social skills, philosophy or religion are successful, so what did they do wrong? Mistakes do happen, and introspection and retrospection are worthwhile. Bad luck happens too. Someone who wins the lottery and writes a book about how they did it will sell copies. Someone who loses the lottery and writes a book about it better make the book a comedy.

I’ve chronicled my financial life by blogging for almost four years now (anniversary next November 5th). I’ve gone from a net worth that was rising dramatically with the possibility of rising further, which prompted the comment, “I didn’t want to read that you’ve made more money.” In the last eighteen months that net worth has declined over 95% from historically poor portfolio performance and attrition. Now I hear the opposite. Well, this blog is about balancing life and money, so money will be a topic. Being honest about the fall has been painful to read for some of my friends, both because they are empathic and because they feel it isn’t a good business tactic.

My life is a balancing act. Whose life isn’t? This blog is a balancing act. I can see why most writers stick to the “strong declarative statement”. An unequivocal declaration or emotional expression is easier to present and can be much more concise. It works for politicians and pundits and sound bites. Businesses and organizations use it for branding. I am more familiar with balancing. My job at Boeing was essentially understanding how to balance the forces acting on the airplane. My studies in karate require intuitive and continual awareness of balance. My financial lifestyle has been a continual effort to balance risk and reward. Yet, airplanes, bodies, and money can fall out of balance.

I live frugally. Frugality isn’t living cheap, though that may be a consequence. Frugality is living my life according to my values while respecting my resources. Money, time, energy, emotion, community, and the universe are all resources. I stay upbeat because I am frugal. I’ve been able to persist through an over 14 month job search because of my frugality. Frugality has meant that I live my life according to my values. I’ve done so for years. As the money tightened I’ve cut back on many things, but fundamentally every day is spent living a life similar to the one I led when I was a millionaire. Frugality is also why I believe I can re-attain a thriving, sustainable lifestyle yet again. It doesn’t take much money to dramatically improve my life. This weekend’s clients have had an enormous effect. (I particularly liked that two of my recent clients have insisted on paying more than I charged. I guess they like what I did for them.)


My frugality, my respect for people, including myself, is why I chronicle the good days and the bad days. We all have good times and bad times. From what I can tell, many who have had similar financial downdrafts like mine don’t tell anyone about the details until after they are successful again. It is hard to be honest when things are going poorly. I write throughout to guard against selective amnesia.

I look forward to reinvigorated finances for the obvious reasons. The writer in me looks forward to writing about the upside that follows the downside. There’s a lot of good material there. And as another friend put it (paraphrased of course),
“The best person to ask about relationships is someone that’s had heartbreaks and found love. The best person to ask about recovering health is someone who got sick and got well. Maybe the best person to listen to about money is someone who’s lost a lot and got it back. The priest, the perpetually fit, and the heir may have useful things to say but they can only talk about half of life. Someone who’s seen more can also talk about more of life. Maybe you’ll be that person.”

Balance is hard to achieve from only one side or from out at an extreme. Frugality taught me that. Money isn’t everything, but it also isn’t nothing. Time is everything, but it can’t be spent only doing one thing. Every day my life exercises that balance. Stay tuned. It’s the only way to know if I’ve balanced it well enough.

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Twisted Fingers

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

A friend asked me to cross my fingers and arms and legs and toes if possible. She had a surprise job interview. If she got the job she’d go from struggling single mom to single mom making just shy of six figures within days. Having friends in the right places helps. Readers and friends have said that they are doing the same for me. They’re crossing whatever they have available as they hope something good happens to me and my finances. It’s been over a year now. Some of them must be getting cramped appendages. Each morning I wake and remind myself of the positive possibilities. Something grand is bound to happen, if for no other reason than so all those fingers can relax again.

My fingers and toes aren’t crossed. It is hard to type with crossed fingers. I’m on the move so much that I’d trip if I crossed my toes. Internally there are a lot of tangles though. Long before I started looking for a job I started fishing for opportunities. A recent comment from a friend with their own set of lines and active appendages helped me reframe those lines as backup plans. I am more organized than I knew. Some of those plans have been going on for months, others for years. One of my strengths if perseverance. It is how I bicycled across America, completed a three year narrative of nature in Washington’s Cascades, completed a five year photo essay of Whidbey Island, and walked across Scotland.


Unfortunately, so far, that hasn’t been enough. My apparent net worth continues to shrink. The rate has decreased because of my frugal lifestyle and my consulting, teaching, and art endeavours. They may all combine to counter the slide and lead back to a thriving life. Consulting alone can provide such an income, and be that job that I enjoy so much that I’d do it even if I wasn’t paid. Teaching and speaking can do that too, but it involves finding people and places off the island. Feel free to pass along suggestions. Art can create wonders; and my books and digital photography can provide more than enough passive income if word of mouth spreads the word and creates a wave of sales.

(Writers can appreciate what just happened. I hadn’t intended to list all of those positive possibilities, but they just flowed out; probably because I practice thinking of them every morning. )

There’s a similarly long mantra of collaborations. Every job application carries the same hopes. So does every lottery ticket. And I’m aware that serendipity happens in unexpected ways. I know of a few folks with imminent windfalls.

My boosterism is necessary, especially as I am reminded of the wealth around me, and my financial obligations. Ads have become laughable. Really, will buying that new car or using a moisturizer really be the thing that makes my life better? Gee, I thought it would be making a mortgage payment on time, or getting the septic system pumped. I feel a pang when I see remodeling in the neighborhood, review the plans I had to renovate my home, and realize that I’ve decided not to afford the lumber to fix a window frame.

My life has always been frugal, and now I have an even finer appreciation for what is important to me. My morning mediations are done under the covers. I recalled a friend who said they wake every day in fear. I’d come to understand that, and feel that. Then I realized that where I was was warm, safe, and comfortable. My body was more relaxed than it had been the night before. The twitches and back spasms always subsided in the night. For those few minutes before my work ethic got me out of bed, I was in an environment that couldn’t be improved with money. Companionship, yes. Money, no. (Pity those two are somewhat related.)

I now carry that realization throughout the day. As I type this, more money would change the bills that are waiting to be paid, because they’d be paid; the house would be in better shape, because I’d paid for the work; and well, there’s undoubtedly more, but they don’t come to mind. The house is warm enough. I’m dressed comfortably enough. I enjoyed my breakfast. The computer and the internet connection would be the same. I like this desk and am fine with this chair. My neighborhood is quiet and I expect to meet a friend for a rare lunch after I ride into Langley on the free bus. With a few hundred thousand dollars more life would be the nearly the same. I know. That’s the life I led two years ago.

Society makes me aware of what I lack. I remind myself of what I have. Advertisers, pundits, and politicians won’t do that. I must do that for myself.

Some interesting synchronicities have arisen in the last few weeks. I thank the universe for serendipities even if they don’t seem to make sense in this world. They may all be building to something wonderful and grand that I can’t imagine. Strange things happen every day.

Ping. The email sings. Pardon me as hope rises and I step away from typing to check what arrived.

Oh nothing. It’s an email from a fascinating company. I applied for a job there, got turned down, and ended up on their email newsletter. Great work folks. Wish I was there to help you.

I thank everyone who is crossing fingers, toes, and limbs as they hope I find a solution to my financial situation. It is touching, and I realize you may feel frustration too because you see the most you can do is to cross your fingers. The thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

Like I said, my fingers and toes are too busy to keep crossed. After my fingers type this I’ll use my toes to walk the 1.6 miles to the bus. And maybe that walk will help me unknit my furrowed brow and unclench my jaw. My finger and toe muscles may not be knotted but other muscles seem to be taking their place. Fortunately, it’s a pleasant walk through a forest and along the bay. It’s fall. The rain has stopped. (We’re supposed to get an inch or two.) The wind has calmed. (It wasn’t a hurricane but it was windy enough to shred the leaves from the trees.) The colored leaves are scattered making sure every view has a pointilist’s attention to detail.

I’m heading to lunch to check in on a friend and our collaboration. Who knows what will happen? Well, you will – if you stay tuned. Cross your fingers.

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Minimalism Meets A Carport Sale

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

 

Wind, rain, a few degrees within fifty degrees, and I’m having a carport sale. Not the best timing, but finances suggest I should do this. (Almost Everything Must Go) I’m certainly not doing this because I want to do this. Yet, there’s a good feeling of release as I put out things that I haven’t used in years. I’m a minimalist though, so there isn’t much. It will be an interesting day. I will chronicle it like I did with the Open Studio Tour because it is Saturday and I blog on Saturday. Welcome along on the ride.

7am
Breakfast first. Glad I took a shower last night. Now it is time to walk around the neighborhood putting up cardboard signs in the rain. Ah, Western Washington in October.

What a messy day. Signs deployed. One broke and I didn’t have a backup, so that effort got scaled back. The sign got reassigned closer to home because I don’t have the time, or another person helping out, to get it to where I originally intended. Being six miles from the highway has it’s drawbacks. (Geographically Desirable Or Not)

Time to add the more delicate items to the collection of hardier goods that mostly survived outside in the carport last night.

8am
The carport is filling, but it simultaneously looks full and yet not as filled as most garage sales.

Lighter items try to skitter out of the carport on the wind. Whoa!

Pricing. I’ll put a sign for $40 at the front of the carport, and $1 at the back and stage things based on price, which will be negotiated anyway. I rarely go to garage sales so I have very little experience with this.

Oh yeah, and put more flyers in the For Sale sign. You know my house is for sale, right? (Home For Sale Alas)

Each event, every post is advertising and possible revenues. That’s true of life. Every moment, each person we encounter, every choice we make tells the world a bit about us, and gives the world the opportunity to compensate, recompense, give us value for how we’ve lived.

My head went there because I was thinking of how much I could make, and how little some garage sales bring in. If I sold nothing that I placed in the carport, but someone bought the house, the carport sale was worth the effort. If I meet someone that hires me for my services, either as a consultant or an employee, then the carport sale was worth it. If I sell a lot of stuff that I wasn’t using anyway, and that can find other more productive uses, then the carport sale was worth it. If I sell enough to pay the mortgage, well then, the carport sale was definitely worth it. Who knows? Stay tuned. Oh yeah, you’re reading this after the sale is over and I’ve posted this. You can skip ahead. I can’t.

9am-ish
Of course the early birds sweep in a few minutes before opening. I’m here. I’ll sell you something. The coveted bike stand ($40) went first. Then a handful of items. One person came in just because she saw the signs. So, that effort was useful.

Fifteen minutes later they’re all gone.

What and why am I selling? That question is asked with every piece. Everything arrives for a reason: need, want, gift, dreams, history. I just sold a bunch of bicycle tools that I can’t identify. Surely they’d be useful for maintaining my bicycle, but I’ve had them for over seven years without a single use. I won’t sell heirlooms or career momentos – yet. But last night I did find some shirts that I’d put aside for sentimental reasons, and decided that those memories weren’t as powerful anymore. The logos on those polo shirts probably don’t mean anything to anyone else. They just came out of the box and are in the closet, or will be after I wash them.

Metric: It took a day or two to set this up, and will probably take about a day to take down, unless everything sells. Each day’s living expenses are about $100 – $150. Sound like a lot? Take your yearly expenses. Divide by 365. What do you get? If your household income is $73,000 before taxes, and you don’t manage to save or increase your debt, then you living expenses are about $200 per day. That’s a nice hotel room. So, for every $100 I basically earn one day’s expenses. Years of accumulation, metered out.

Well, I’m not going to type continuously while no one’s here; at least not in this blog. I’ve got a book to work on. Hmm, this weather. Scotland. This might be a very appropriate time to work on that book.

Bags. Gotta remember to have bags, and change. Nothing less than a dollar though. Have you seen someone drop nickels and dimes into the “Leave a penny.” cup? Dollars are the new quarters regardless of standard measures of inflation.

10am
Drumming rain and no one since the first crowd. At least I’m getting work done on the book.

Internet data bit: Over 160 people read Almost Everything Must Go. So far 10 people have shopped. That’s better than my usual click-through rate. My blog and web sites get lots of traffic, but the click through rate is less than 1% and the buy rate is necessarily less than that. Of course, indirect sales may make up the difference. Like I said on one of my posters; “The past and the future are ideals. The present is real, and messy.” (Available as cards, mugs, and tote bags over on smugmug. Can you tell I am in a selling mood today?)

Well, this is quiet enough I might as well bake cookies. (Gluten-free oatmeal raisin)

11am
No one has interrupted my baking session.

Cookies in the oven. Time to clean the beaters.

11:28 is someone actually showing up? Yes, but they sped up as they drove past.

Cool. Got a call for the camping hammock. What am I asking again? Gotta come up with a number.

Hmm, cookies.

Noon
– and no one since 9:30-ish.

If something doesn’t sell, does that mean the universe wants me to keep it? Follow that logic. If I can’t get a job, does that mean the universe thinks I don’t need one? If the house doesn’t sell, does that mean I don’t have to move? Taken far enough, this creates an interesting, and appealing, scenario. Maybe I get to live here, don’t need a job, and don’t have to sell my stuff. Throw in an appealing way to sustain, maintain, or even thrive, and this can be very nice.

As I type this a great blue heron is hunting in the vacant lot across the street. They do little but sit and wait, and they don’t always wait where we expect them to. They primarily eat fish, but on stormy days they retreat to the fields and eat rodents. (A neighbor watched one spear a rat, fling it into the air, and then swallow it as it came back down. It wasn’t elegant, but it was effective.) They are patient and adaptable and willing to be unconventional. Okay. I can take a hint.

1pm
Pardon me as I whistle. There’s nothing going on. The weather abated awhile ago, but evidently that isn’t enough. Maybe they’ll show after their lunch. I ate mine an hour ago.

Another car drove up and kept going. Maybe I need a bigger sign, or more people, or more stuff. But I’m a minimalist, so more stuff isn’t going to happen. More people, well, that would probably be the case before Labor Day.

2pm
Yay, a sale! They drove by first, then while they turned around I made a new sign. It turns out that she has one of my books on her night stand (Twelve Months at Merritt Lake) and she was buying a piece of camping equipment I used and wrote about in Twelve Months at Lake Valhalla. A nice sale, and visit, and introduction. Her son got creative with some of the pieces and created a laughing, grim, alien reaper costume. Awesome.

A congenial lookie-loo in a Cadillac. No sale but a gentlemanly smile.

Time for more tea.

3pm
A fellow writer dropped by with her husband. They left with a laundry rack, and left me with a few dollars, homemade applesauce, and encouragement. He found a job after years of searching, and it was by luck and networking. It can happen any time.

Two drivebys, including one around, but neither stopped.

4pm
The final hour. Cue dramatic music.

Another driveby.

This feels a lot like the Open Studio Tour, though not as intense. Publicity was involved. And there’s also a public element too. Here’s my life. During the Tour, “Here’s what I have created.” During a carport sale, “Here’s what I’ve accumulated.” The day isn’t over yet, but the profit per day is about the same. That’s not exactly an incentive to create.

With selling art, things that are worth very little are turned into something that has greater value, artistically and financially. The markups are nice, but there’s a lot of sunk costs in unsold inventory.
With selling stuff, things that cost a lot are sold for very little, and there’s a lot of unsold inventory. The markdowns are unfortunate, and while the release feels good, subtraction has a limit.
I’d rather make money by selling my art than by selling my stuff, especially if they are equally profitable.

Quick, a spot of meditation while things are quiet enough to hear a car pull up.

Already sorting what comes back into the house and what goes into the car. There will be a trip to the donation station early next week. The spiders may be pleased to get some of their former lodgings returned.

Hey, a car drove up at five minutes before the hour! They stopped! They got out! And then they picked up a flyer for the house. Well, that sale can eclipse whatever I have going on in the carport. Buy the carport and the house too.

One step in the Nine-Step Program championed by New Road Map Foundation and Your Money Or Your Life is to estimate your net worth, including the value of everything you own. I’ve done that, and used garage sale estimates, but that assumed that everything sold. I’ve witnessed a sobering caveat. Not everything sells.

Chicken soup is simmering on the stove. I’ll want comfort food after I get back from pulling in the signs.

5pm
That’s it. Like I said above, maybe the universe doesn’t want me to get rid of my worldly possessions. Glad to have you back. And glad to send the other pieces off into the world, some for a fee and some for free.

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My Jobs Report Month 14

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

Fourteen. What an anniversary. Fourteen months of applying, hoping, re-evaluating, trying other venues, updating resumes, trying to remember passwords for dozens of job sites, and following leads with a blend of enthusiasm and restraint. What’s an aerospace engineer, consultant, entrepreneur, and volunteer to do?
“Do… or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back
Let’s check what I’ve done and see what I should do.

What I’ve done is partly that long list in the opening paragraph’s longest sentence. The details are in the previous months’ job reports. (See links below.) Looking for jobs isn’t simply filling out forms and waiting for offers. Job sites make job searches sound methodical. Companies, insert your requirements here. Applicants, insert your qualifications here. Stand back while we sort through millions of database records and match up jobs with people. Maybe it works that way somewhere, but everyone I know that’s found a job got help by gaming the system or getting help from a person. Job searches rely far less on fancy stationery and interview suits, but they continue to rely on conforming, networking, perseverance, and luck. Hey, I’m flexible, have a broad community of friends, and am known for persistence; am I only lacking luck? Of course, maybe the luck I had was bad and life will improve as the good luck arrives.

When you keep trying the same thing and it doesn’t have the desired effect, do something different. So, I rewrote my resume (Links below.) starting with a blank file and suggestions from friends, commenters on the blog, and the reddit community. One friend was nice enough to post My Jobs Report Month 13 on reddit, which spiked my traffic to record levels, and produced a very public review of my resume. Two things were apparent. One, I have an impressive career history. Two, readers had to sort through a lot to make sense of it. Now my resume headlines my three main careers: aerospace engineer, consultant, and entrepreneur; and adds a slice of my volunteer work. Maybe they’re right. Maybe shifting the words around the page will somehow make a difference to the resume bots or the Personnel people. Maybe simply making my plight and resume public will produce results.

The main thing that hasn’t happened has been getting positive responses from companies. That’s one step before getting a phone interview, which is one step before getting an onsite interview, which is possibly many steps before getting a job offer and a paycheck. In fourteen months I’ve only had one interview for a full time job. I was called in because they were impressed with my resume and wanted to meet someone like me. They were pretty sure I couldn’t do the specific job they wanted to talk about, but they thought it would be interesting to meet me. Thanks for the compliment? At least I got in the door that time.

All of the other interviews have been for part-time work, none of which included benefits or would pay enough to keep my house and pay my bills. I live frugally and, until I voluntarily resigned to spend more time looking for a paying job, was Board Secretary for a non-profit personal finance foundation (New Road Map, aka FinancialIntegrity.org). I know money, can get by on very little, and marvel at how anyone can be expected to live comfortably in America at entry wages. Some of the jobs I’m looking at now pay about the same as I made as a part-time general laborer in a steel mill outside Pittsburgh in 1977. Last time I checked we went through a bit of inflation in the last 35 years.

Political commentaries talk jobs and economy. I’ve had people on both sides try to convince me to vote their way because of what their party can do for me. What they can do for me is nothing. Any jobs legislation, stimulus package, or financial support is probably a year away if the parties decide to act mature. Extrapolating my declining net worth crosses the axis long before that, possibly right around the Inauguration. People in crisis don’t need legislation. Legislation during this crisis aids people in the next crisis. The only relief I’ve witnessed was the comic relief of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

Conventional wisdom was that a person should have six months of living expenses saved in case they lost their means of making money and had to find a job. Until August 2011, I considered myself semi-retired because I had about eight or ten years of living expenses, and had reason to believe that I’d soon have enough to consider myself retired. Frugal living and long term investing have their benefits. But bad luck happens, and again, and again, and again. In August 2011 I watched my net worth drop 50%. After that it dropped again and again, while I also had to sell stock to pay bills. Six stocks in my portfolio are down 80%-90% and attrition from paying bills means my portfolio is down over 95%. It’s hard for a portfolio to recover from such a drop, but I’m an optimist. Granted, that optimism has been tested and my expectations diminished, but some optimism remains.

Imagine how many people didn’t have such reserves and encountered bad luck. My bad luck was financial. Others have had accidents, foreclosures, medical emergencies, all the injustices of life. They’re probably not waiting on election results either.

I continue to apply for jobs, and I also continue to pursue other plans. I think I listed about a half-dozen in a previous post. (Links below.) One plan shows up as two elements in my resume: consultant and entrepreneur. My passion for people and ideas may become that “job that I’d be willing to do for free if I didn’t need the money.” The same can be said for aerospace, fostering innovation, facilitating major projects, or getting to work with fun people; but, it may turn out that the job that hires me is the job that I create. So far it hasn’t succeeded in making a mortgage payment, but it could. So far applying for jobs hasn’t succeeded either. So far I’ve had savings and a credit card to help me get through. But so far can only go on so long.

For now, the sun is shining. The room is warming without burning propane. After I post this I’ll start cooking a chicken soup from a chicken broth I made last night. In an odd quirk of frugality, rather than buy box wine I’m opening the bottles that I bought years ago for special events. Last night I opened a Trimbach Pinot Gris from 2002. I’ve always wondered if there’s a family connection. Maybe a long lost rich relative needs to hire a consultant for a few weeks. The winery is in Alsace in France. I could do that.

Stay tuned.

Here’s the collected links. I decided to group them here in case anyone wants to pass along the main text without hyperlinks. It’s worth a try.

Resume
My Jobs Report Month 9
My Jobs Report Month 11
My Jobs Report Month 12
My Jobs Report Month 13
Backup Plans
New Road Map
Reddit
Trimbach Winery

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