Fell For It

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Tom Trimbath

“We have met the enemy and he is us.” And who said comic strips don’t contain wisdom? That line is from Pogo, a classic and cancelled comic strip. I’ll make it personal. I have met the enemy and it is me. A few weeks ago the mortgage company gave me a fright, and I’ve been reacting to it almost every day since, without any extra effort on their part. They used my own energy against me. I bow to their martial art. I shall also get back up again and bow to myself.

A few weeks ago I made the mistake of actually trying to talk to the mortgage company again. I’m interested in having a logical discussion about the financial agreement we are operating from, but they come across as relying on emotional tactics, as if accusing me of unseemly behaviour will somehow produce money for them. It sounds like a terrible business model, but they do it so well that maybe it pays for itself. I continue to wonder how many heart attacks they induce, and what the total cost is to society. On February 26th they told me that they’d start foreclosure on my house on March 17th. I’ve been in a panic mode ever since, coupled with the death of my step-mother. It’s been a turbulent month.

Friends and family weighed in. No one goes through exactly the same situation, but enough other people have gone through foreclosures that I have a better idea of the possibilities. By the way, one of the surprises has been how many foreclosures have happened to people making six figure incomes. That would seem to be a powerful symptom that something is not right with the system or the situation.

My fears prompted me to consult with people in the industry. I talked to real estate agents first, and got a wide range of responses. I needed better information. I hired a professional, using money which won’t be going to the mortgage company. A lawyer who works on real estate law took forty minutes to find that there was no clear answer. My active imagination wasn’t going to be bounded. Worries and fears proliferated.

It is now March 20th, and at anytime I may be delivered the actual foreclosure notice. The lawyer did point out to me what the mortgage company had done. Nothing. All they had done was make a phone call. Nothing official happens with a phone call. Everything has to be written and delivered. If I’d ignored that phone call I wouldn’t have had the double stresses of the first half of March and wouldn’t have changed the timing of the notice. I wouldn’t be sitting here reacting to every car or truck that drives by. I wouldn’t have anxieties about opening the mail box.

Ignorance is bliss, eh?

Well, only to a point. It is prudent to be aware of our situation whether it is housing, health, security, or whatever. That’s responsible living. Uncertainty is the ally of anxiety. What if this? What if that? Worrying every ache and pain can drive up health care costs. Scare tactics are one of the reasons I unplugged my satellite dish. The ads for health care were really ads for disease. “Are you going to die from this undetectable illness? How can you know? Call now for details! And don’t forget to talk to your doctor to see if you are at risk.” Daily deluges drove me away. My stress level improved when I streamed shows instead of wading through tortuous messages every 5-10 minutes. I feel much better now, thank you. (Well, right now I have a headache, but you know what that’s about.)

Actually, I do feel much better. Yes, I have a headache, but most of my other aches dwindled. And, yes, I have a headache; but, I also spend less time gnawing on that rock. Imagine how bad it would be if I hadn’t learned that lesson.

My situation is actually comical when put in perspective. The amount of money it would take to postpone this situation is less than what I’d see as a daily swing in my portfolio just two years ago. The amount of income it would take to make this situation go away is far less than what I could make as an engineer. A few days of full-time consulting each month would clear up the issue and steer me back towards thriving. Such small amounts in a different situation have enormous effects in this situation. There are probably people spending more on upgrades to their new car. Yet, yesterday’s portfolio can’t pay today’s bills. A job I can do, but can’t seem to get again, doesn’t help if the paycheck isn’t delivered. The optimist in me keeps in mind that those people visiting my consulting page or hearing about me from word-of-mouth could call at any time. Please pardon a delay as I check to see if it is the mortgage company’s number. The repercussions of their calls are counter-productive.

As an ad campaign, the mortgage company tactics are very effective at dissuading people from wanting a mortgage. I think the tiny house movement is driven more by a desire to be debt-free than a desire to downsize. Cabin by Angela Of course, for some of us, both things are a draw. First, lets see if I can stay in this small house (864 sq. ft.). The long term impact may be the undermining of the housing market at a time when people are downsizing from other trends like smaller families, smaller yards, and a return to urban living.

I’ve studied martial arts to varying degrees for over two decades. One of the simple lessons: when you fall down, get back up. Catch your breath. Shake it out. Try again, maybe with a difference.

My plans remain in effect. Lately I’ve been investigating a few variations. The most noticeable is a series of indiegogo campaigns that may be launched soon. (Indiegogo is a way to raise money for projects via crowdfunding. Trust me, you’ll read more about it soon.) The less noticeable change is a greater reliance on faith. Conventional wisdom is frequently backed by anecdotes, not data. I have to trust that hard work will pay off, that perseverance pays, that good luck follows bad luck, that the dawn follows the dark. If faith wins through, then maybe the fall I take is into a life I can live and love without fear.

Oh, maybe that’s why this particular piece of art just found a nice home, so I’d have a reason to remember that day and smile too.

October Smiles

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Gnawing On A Rock

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Tom Trimbath

“He’s worrying that like a dog gnaws a bone.” It is good to take time to consider, well, anything; mostly because for many, it is uncommon to take time for contemplation in today’s frenetic world. A dog knows there’s always something more to get out of a bone: a bit more flavor, maybe break through to the marrow. To many people, there’s so little chewing that they swallow ideas whole, without consideration. Some take time to chew and appreciate what they’ve been served. And a few will chew slowly, finding every last bit of enjoyment available. The trick is to not go too far because sometimes, what we’re chewing on isn’t a bone; it’s a fossil, it’s a stone. Gnawing on a rock might look the same, but the rock will outlast the teeth. I’m training myself to spit out the rocks and find something chewable.

I am frequently asked to review my financial misfortunes, to gnaw on the issue for a bit – yet again. The mortgage company is definitely curious. It is a good idea to consider the situation, look for solutions, and then to work on those solutions; but the effort can become a trap. Think through it once, good. Think through it again, also good; because, it is easy to miss something the first time. Think through it thirty times in a day when nothing has changed, and that’s gnawing on a rock. Enough folks are asking, and I appreciate the interest, that to keep from gnawing on the rock again and again in successive conversations, I’ve decided to provide a synopsis and update of my Backup Plans.

Pre-Plan A – A “Normal” Life
My “Normal” life, a regular job and suburban lifestyle, was outwardly successful, yet unsustainable because it was unhealthy. I’ve wondered if I’d be alive if I’d never left that world. I think I could do well there now that I’ve matured a bit, but we can never exactly go back, can we?

Plan A – Investing
This might yet work, but the portfolio is dramatically depleted through an unfortunate mix of poor timing and a few company misfortunes. Yet, what remains could succeed. (Come on AMSC, GERN, GIG, MVIS, and RSOL! Sooner is better than later, and later may be too late.)

Plan B – Trimbath Creative Enterprises
My business is doing better than ever, though not good enough yet to comfortably pay my bills, even without paying the mortgage. But, this is only March and I’ve already made more in 2013 than I did in all the previous years combined. Years of work and non-recurring costs spent on art and books may finally create a significant (mostly) passive income. Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland The marketing does require some tending. The classes hold promise. Next month’s Self-Publishing Weekend Workshop could do very well, and be a lot of fun. The business piece that has the greatest impact so far has been the consulting, a task I truly enjoy. An extra full-day client or two per month and my fortunes improve dramatically.

Plan C – Get A Job
Without a doubt, a good job that compensates me for my skills, talents, and experience would make many money problems go away quickly. My old job at a current salary would get me out of my mortgage issues within two or three months, and completely out of debt within two or three months after that. Within a year, I’d even be able to start into the long list of delayed repairs and upgrades. Even a moderate job would greatly ease those issues. I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs for everything from receptionist to engineer to manager – and have applied around the world. Yes, he will travel! The next phone call or email may be that pleasant positive response: a job I enjoy that pays me well now. How about a nice program manager job in New Zealand? Month 18 of the job search went by. The Month 19 report is coming up soon. Let’s have it include some very good news and the close of the series.

There’s even a new plan Plan B/C – Consultant turns into Employee
One of my clients, The History of Computing for Learning in Education Virtual Museum (HCLE), has granted me the resume line, “Interim Program Manager”. I started as a consultant helping prepare a program plan and produce funding proposals. If the funding comes through, the “Interim” may be replaced with an unwritten “Part-Time”. At least my work would switch from invoices and 1099s to paychecks and W-2s. That will take care of about half of my bills, which is appropriate for a half-time job. Look for the indiegogo campaign, coming soon – and you are welcome to donate privately as well.

Plan D – Sell My Home
On the market since May 2012, fewer than six realtor visits, price dropped from $291,000 to $275,000 to $269,000 – and an expectation that the foreclosure notice will be delivered as early as tomorrow (even though that’s a Sunday). Sell it and I am out of debt! and wandering around Whidbey looking for a room to rent.
Home For Sale

Plan E – ?
Variations on all of the above, including movies, collaborations, winning the lottery, and other windfalls. I always leave that door open.

The odds that all of those plans will succeed is small. The odds that they would all fail is probably equally small, yet here I am. The most likely scenario is that some fail, some succeed, and I enjoy a comfortably frugal life. I’ve had enough of the failures. Time for the successes.

A few times a week, someone who wants to help, asks me to review the entire list without knowing it. They ask me to gnaw on the issue. Surely there’s something I’ve overlooked.

  • Have I considered this or that business strategy? I haven’t tried everything, mostly because there are only 24 hours in a day, and even with only taking one day off every few weeks and typically working until 8pm, I can’t try everything everyone has suggested.
  • Surely I haven’t tried this or that job search technique. Possibly, but eighteen months of trying produced lots of variations.
  • Surely I’ve tried this or that approach to selling my house. This isn’t the first time I’ve sold a house, and I’m sure the biggest issue has been timing and price – and the price is down and the market is rising.

Throughout the conversation I must maintain my optimism for my self survival. They are reviewing everything I’ve done and asking for proof that I tried and proof that it didn’t work. It becomes a litany of failure which is depressing. It is like gnawing on that rock. For some, the review is a search for flaws because we have sincere beliefs that things like optimism, honesty, hard work, earnest consideration, and perseverance will succeed. My apparent lack of success threatens those assumptions. This can be particularly true of coaches and consultants. My situation is challenging what many preach, and what some get paid to espouse. Challenges to fundamental beliefs are usually scary.

Trust me, at the start I thought about this stuff every hour, not just when someone called. Then I realized that nothing had changed since the last time I worked through the logic, considered the options, sketched the scenarios. I realized my mind was repeating work it had already done, wouldn’t make progress until something changed, was wasting time, and depressing me too. I realized I was mentally gnawing on a rock. No wonder I was getting headaches.

Spit out the rock. The rock is the past and it can’t be changed.

The future is less rigid. The future is possibility based on the present. The present is substantial and every moment can be changed to alter the future. A lot of guessing is involved. Hopefully, maturity, experience, and judgment help properly wield the tools of skills and talents. It isn’t certain, yet chewing on something malleable is certainly healthier than gnawing on a rock.

DSC_4058

Fiddleheads are edible, right?

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Slow Disaster Preparedness

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Tom Trimbath

Who came up with the word, “preparedness”? Preparations should be good enough. Regardless, one of the signs of adult responsibility is being prepared for disasters. FEMA and the Red Cross suggest each of us having days of supplies and a list of emergency gear for unexpected emergencies. It is easy to plan and prepare for quick catastrophes; especially, if those catastrophes never happen and those preparations aren’t tested. The slower the disaster, the harder it is to generate enthusiasm for the task of preparation; and, the longer the trial that tests our plans. As I type this I also realize that the reverse is true.

Wham! I live in an earthquake zone. My home is over one of the busiest faults in Washington State, a geological region that gets fewer but much bigger quakes the California.

Looks sweet, and the fault goes under that point of land.

Looks sweet, and the fault goes under that point of land – and the tsunamis sweep past it and up the bay.

Subduction zones do that. Without warning and within seconds the ground can raise or lower a dozen feet or more. It’s happened before. It will happen again. It is the same situation that caused devastation in Indonesia and Fukushima. There’s no warning, so everyone is recommended to keep those days of supplies at home, and to keep an earthquake kit in the car. Bridge failures, of even just the worry about them, are enough to stop traffic and strand people. Make sure you have good walking shoes.

Tsunamis happen. There’s a bit of warning. If one happens because of a local earthquake, then the quake should be the biggest alarm bell rung as warning. Drive around Whidbey and find plenty of Tsunami Warning Zone signs. A tsunami in my neighboring Cultus Bay could wash away the only road leading to hundreds of homes. Ah, but there’s an informal plan for that. I suspect we’d find some way to wind up and down through private driveways and across large estates if the damage lasted too long. The main preparation, if you’re worried about waves, is don’t live at sea level.

Within a few minutes walk or drive I can see three volcanoes. They give a bit more warning. Make sure there are air filters for people and the cars. Hope the highways and railroads don’t get blocked by ash in the mountain passes. Food might be scarce in that case. Of course, earthquakes could ruin that avenue of food too.

The most warning we get are from the same hazards experienced worldwide: storms. Thanks to satellites, computers, and meteorologists we get days of warning. Their accuracy isn’t 100%, but weather forecasting is far more accurate than earthquake, tsunami, and volcano predictions. It’s because of storms that I have plenty of flashlights and batteries, canned food, candles, warm blankets, firewood, bottled water, and such that just happen to be useful for the other disasters. (I think that’s an excellent excuse to maintain stores of wine and cheese.)

I could be quite proud of myself for my preparations. I even carry enough gear in my car to chop through downed trees, drive through deep snow, and camp in my car if necessary.

The planning can actually be entertaining. If this happens, I’ll use it as an opportunity to do that. Resourcefulness gets tested. I think that’s one reason survivalists can get so involved in preparations; there’s a lot of opportunity for resourcefulness, which is another expression of creativity.

Frugality is a natural preparation for necessary resourcefulness. The appreciation of a thing’s value opens a lot of potential.

The harder disasters are the ones with the least warning. Personal illnesses and financial misfortune can encroach into lives gradually. Optimism sometimes wins and situations improve before the worst occurs. Hopefully, optimism doesn’t delay remedies. Pessimism can inspire immediate action, but over-reacting can cause problems and even invent non-existent ones. Hypochrondia and paranoia happen. Guessing at the right pace of response is never a sure thing. That’s why it is to plan for old age and retirement. Look at global warming and the questionable financial system and realize that the same thing happens on a grander scale. Unfortunately, global crises happen so slowly that urgency doesn’t arise until damage is done.

I plan a lot; not just for geological and meteorological disasters. I had plenty of plans for my investments and my life. The current assessment of those plans is insufficient to appease the mortgage company and my expectations. Simply said, Plans A, B, C, and D haven’t worked well enough. (For a primer on my Plans, read Backup Plans.) My home, house, mortgage will probably go into foreclosure within the next week. Even consulting with agents and a lawyer hasn’t revealed what I should plan for. Do I lose my home in weeks, months, or years?

Of course, I plan to pay my bills, my debts, and fund my future. That’s why I am actively executing Plans A, B, C, and D. Working on so many plans is also why I don’t get out much. The currently insufficient performance is also why I buy lottery tickets.

Winning the lottery would be as sudden as an earthquake, but far more welcome. Selling my house would be more like the positive (though bittersweet) version of a tsunami. Home For Sale A recovered stock portfolio would be more like a welcome storm. Getting a good job, or my business becoming profitable enough for me to live comfortably would be more like the long term systemic plans – wait – they would almost exactly overlap those examples of retirement planning I mentioned above.

The last few weeks have been a challenging turmoil of bad news with threads of good news. Money owed to me is being paid back. Reciprocal sales are causing money to go from person to person and back to person again with goods and services exchanged in the process. Except for that more than pesky foreclosure, life is improving. And maybe that bit of life will improve too. I’ve made many preparations. Now they are being tested, slowly.

But, really, all debates aside, winning the lottery of gaining some other windfall would be so nice. Who knows? I might get to tell that story too. There’s probably no way to prepare for that one, though.

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When We Can Mourn

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Tom Trimbath

Please pardon the delay. Here it is, late Sunday afternoon, and I am just getting around to typing my Saturday morning blog. Nine days ago there was a death in my family. Since then, every day has been full of logistics and details with too little time for respect and reflection. I notice deaths more because of facebook. Until we develop immortality, death is a consequence of life. Friend’s posts make me much more aware of its constant presence within any circle of friends and family. A life should be paid proper respect, and the survivors should be given time to acknowledge, accept and adjust; unfortunately, the traditional mourning period now includes paperwork and procedures. When can we reflect? When can we mourn?

Some readers have asked for details; but, while I live out large portions of my life in public via my writing, I also think that some topics deserve discretion. Just because technology means we can reveal everything doesn’t mean we should. Privacy is essential to being humane in human society.

One candle

The generalities are pervasive enough. I’ve witnessed many people pass through a similar story. With news of the death, there’s a day of transition: dramatically reassessing priorities, shifting schedules, and changing spending accordingly. For some, there’s a day of travel. Helping the closest ones with basic housework is obvious. They are probably emotionally overwhelmed. Ailments may provide warning; but, how do people deal with sudden deaths like accidents? Processing emotions is a big enough task without worrying about cooking and cleaning. Then there’s an event or two or three, depending on any stated desires and the community response. Before and after, there are calls and cards from friends and family. Answering them all can be a full-time job. Eventually, the daily adjustments happen. Shared chores are taken on by one less, and lessened by the needs of one. Old routines are redefined. Eventually, visitors return home, maybe spending yet another travel day. Then, everyone re-engages with their postponed jobs, chores, and plans. It can take a week to recover from a week.

Sometime in our society’s development, we passed from an era when deaths happened without ceremony to an era when rituals helped people deal with the loss. I believe that was a major maturation for our species. Millennia probably passed with little change in the mourning process.

Too often is seems that the ritual and the true mourning have become secondary to laws and regulations, logistics and finances. What has to be reported? When? By whom? What happens if it isn’t? Social information flows quickly thanks to technology, which can initiate impressive support networks; but, much of the official nature of a life must be handled by the closest family member who usually has the least time, sleep, and emotional reserves. Too much time, in my opinion, is spent chasing down financial accounts, passwords, verifying identities, sitting on hold or trying to explain to a computer why the other person on the account can’t provide the necessary information. Automation and well-designed procedures are instituted to save time and money for corporations, and supposedly indirectly us; but, their intentional lack of humanity draws out a painful process to someone who is already experiencing one of the greatest pains in life.

Estate planning is a major aspect of the personal finance industry. I know many financial advisors who are very compassionate; so, I know they didn’t design an intrusive process on purpose. I suspect decades of successive lawsuits from contested estates have nudged the process earlier. Undoubtedly, some people have taken advantage of mourning periods and similar actions need to be guarded against. But, how can anyone in emotional trauma be expected to suddenly react fully rationally? Instant cures don’t happen. Yet distraught people are asked to quickly make decisions that affect the rest of their suddenly changed lives. Even documented and negotiated plans may make no sense. Anticipated departures can only guess at the changes in everyone’s lives. Rationality can be hired. That’s one reason professionals are available. But, the changes can be so significant that, like any other plan, as soon as it is initiated the rest of it is subject to change.

I have no clear answer. Maybe a waiting period would stretch out the process, giving emotional processes and rituals more room and respect. Like any such general rule, for some it wouldn’t be long enough, others wouldn’t want or couldn’t accommodate a delay.

This is the situation we have, and like so much of life, we can wish for a different world, but we have to deal with the one we’re in – and work on changing it.

Personally, I can take some time now to collect my account information, list my passwords in some secure place, identify an executor and a backup, and basically do all of those things that we are always encouraged to do. They seem like such a nuisance. Witnessing them in action emphasizes their usefulness. Reflecting on reality, knowing people who were lost suddenly, convinces me that it must be done. Respecting those who would have to sort through my accounts means making it as easy as possible for them. My approach to personal finance is to be personally responsible. That’s why I invested on my own in my own way and have accepted those consequences (even if I don’t like the current situation). Treating my “estate” with equal respect and responsibility is one thing that I can do to create less work for my survivors and give them more time for their emotions. I can’t do it later. I have to do it now.

And will I dive in and finish it tonight? Of course not. There’s a week’s worth of work to catch up on. Paperwork to fill out and pass along. And I still want to find some more time for respect and reflection in the quiet that is my home. But maybe, one step at a time, I’ll start pulling together a few lists. Tell someone where to find them. Every bit I do, saves someone hours later. Of all the legacies we can leave, time is the most valuable and if it is spent humanely then it is spent well.

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Too Soon To Tell

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Tom Trimbath

Titles should have useful tags. There should be a key word in there that people, twitter, and the search engines all recognize. Not this time. Life doesn’t follow our rules, or maybe life follows our rules in its own way. Over the last few months it has been apparent that something has to change, and change soon. Possibly on demand, life is changing; but, life is changing at its own pace with the swings that any plan always experiences. The stock market is celebrating a record high. The housing and job markets appear to be recovering. Markets are big accumulated statistics. Some individuals will fare better. Some will fare worse. Most will have a mix shifted by the trend. Personally, it is too soon to tell, but the signs are positive.

Writers are known for liking quiet places to write. Mark Twain had a studio in a separate building on his property. A video of Neil Gaiman suggests something similar. I know others who have done the same. It is one reason I like my house and its quiet neighborhood. Yet, it is good to break out of such habits occasionally and see if diving into the world changes the writing or the message. This is such a week. I type from time stolen from amidst a family event. CNBC is on as background. Dishes are clinking in the kitchen as someone else cleans up after breakfast. Conversations, vital or casual, form and morph as topics and participants change. I type with iPod earphones installed and a shuffle of songs adding enough audio to create a white noise substantial enough to let the fingers work their way across the keyboard. I know I’m missing some things, but I hope I’m also creating something.

During musical pauses, financial news leaks in. The market is at it’s record high; but where to invest? They say the recovery has been in the big stocks. That makes sense. The “markets” they refer to are really only the indices, and the indices are heavily influenced by the stocks of the largest companies where the big money lives. Small money, like mine from their point of view, in small companies could double, triple, and probably quadruple without an appreciable change in the news. The commentators suggest looking at the small companies, with all the appropriate waffle words and self-protectionary catch phrases included. “See, we told you it would be rewarding.” “See, we told you it was risky.” If you’ve read my book, Dream. Invest. Live. or followed this blog for long, you’re aware that I my favorite investing strategy is micro-cap and small-cap Long Term Buy and Hold – and eventually sell to reinvest and live. I like small companies and have more patience and risk tolerance than most. It’s worked before. Logic suggests it will work again.

I don’t know how I managed to get to know so many real estate agents. Many of them are excellent dancers. Lately, during our three and a half minutes of a song, most of them are talking about working longer hours. Some are even making money. I get the impression that’s an adjustment. They remember that’s it’s possible. That’s why they stayed in the business. But, it’s hard to believe its real. One in particular knows my story and passed along the encouraging news that the Seattle market is getting busy, multiple offers are happening – and the important part for me – the real estate recovery appears to be happening quickly, rippling out from downtown Seattle. The guesstimate is that my neighborhood will witness the resurgence within two or three months. That makes for an interesting race with my finances, having my house for sale, and the mortgage company’s imminent foreclosure.

Jobs are happening – at least for some I know. Friends are finding part time work. Some with jobs are getting shifts extended. (Audio interlude: laughter in the background. My family has a sense of humor. Ah. Ha.) More jobs, more hours, means more money flowing, which means more work to do. It is an infectious cycle that can be positive like infectious laughter. Several friends with businesses are finding themselves at the breakpoint. They’ve got enough business to warrant hiring more people, but the profits haven’t risen enough to pay for the extra paychecks. They’ve also reached the personal breakpoint which comes from working past midnight too often. I’m optimistic they’ll break through, in a good way.

My business is improving too. Revenues are up. Time with family requires shifted meetings, and even then the meetings bracket family time. Funding campaigns must be launched. Events must be organized and announced. Marketing books and art create overlapping schedules of invested time that hopefully builds and sustains momentum that results in returns that support the artist and the art. The life of a sole-proprietor and currently underfunded entrepreneur is heavily defined by the lack of opportunities for delegation. But, it’s worth the effort because sufficient reserves are possible – eventually. Sooner is better than later.

The general good news of an improving economy is punctuated with the specific details of individuals from either side of the mean. Some are doing extraordinarily better. Vacations, house projects, new cars happen. Others continue to deal with issues that I’ve recently witnessed. Accumulated debt, decreased wages, long-lingering repercussions of actions that seemed like the right thing to do at the time, won’t always resolve themselves at the pace of the markets.

Life is individual. Life is not the accumulated generalities of national news items. Life is personally episodic. It is the sooner or later timing of those episodes that can mean the difference between luxury, ease, comfort, or variations in struggle. The timing isn’t completely left to chance, so I hope, which is why I see a value to persistence and an acceptance of opportunity. Yet, chance isn’t powerless; and is one reason why I don’t expect complete control. (The power of chance is also why I buy lottery tickets.) Besides, in general things are doing better, and chance can work positive wonders – sooner or later.

Ah, some folks ran off on errands. The tv is off. The sun found a way through the clouds. Good timing.

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Incredible Changing Winds

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Tom Trimbath

The wind’s been blowing through Whidbey this week. Change is happening so quickly that hours after Wednesday’s news and blog my situation got better and worse, I heard more about others who hadn’t spoken before, offers of help included ideas for making my life into a movie, and that most inevitable change throughout history happened: a death. No life is lived according to a conscious plan, and a review of the various events driven by chance can turn any life into something incredible. I know I never believed my life would work out this way. Guessing how any of our lives will work out from where we are is what we all do to some extent, even if we know we’ll get it wrong. The way we live is incredible.

I won’t play with suspense. My Dad lost his lovely wife yesterday. I won’t go into details as the family is adjusting, naturally. But death, that ultimate transition, puts life into perspective. Unless we discover the secret to immortality, each of our lives, and all of our plans play out how we’re remembered and what we leave behind. Pardon me as I pause. You’re welcome to do so, too.

Spring is Near

Prior to that news I was navigating changes in my logical plans and emotional response to my housing news. Monday the mortgage company used the word Foreclosure. Tuesday I set up a meeting with my real estate agent to see how that would affect the fact that my house is for sale. Wednesday morning I blogged about what I knew so far, and received amazing responses from friends and other readers. While talking with my agent on Wednesday afternoon I stumbled across a bit of mail from December that was lost in the stack of mortgage company letters. It arrived on a cold afternoon when I was doing something in the yard. I signed for it, quickly opened it, and then shoved it back inside my jacket to look at later when I was warm and dry. Not an excuse, but a reason why, when I got back inside I set it aside in the stack to look after I hung up a few layers of clothes. Distractions happen. The mortgage company sends me lots of mail. I forgot. On Wednesday I found it again and saw that it was a Letter of Default. My agent pointed out that my house and I were further along in the foreclosure process than I knew, and that I should talk to a lawyer because one disastrous scenario would have me moving out by the end of March. Thursday, in a thirty minute consultation, the lawyer sorted through many of those volumes that adorn legal offices and could draw no solid conclusion without more information; but, the most likely scenario is that I will receive a Notice of Foreclosure in the middle of the month. That means months of opportunities to resolve the situation, largely the way I’ve been trying to do for months already. But the costs are rising, the penalties are accruing, and legal fees are added to real estate fees. Stack them up enough without finding a job, or enough income from my business, or a dramatic increase in assets, and bankruptcy becomes a possibility. A good job, a sufficiently profitable business, a recovered portfolio, or even a lottery jackpot are all more appealing scenarios.

And the week started off so well. On Monday, my latest book came out in paperback. By Thursday, my Dad had a copy in his hands. I’d even made enough from the first day sales to order more copies. In the midst of his turmoil, I heard him smile. How much is that worth?

Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland

As I type, the wind continues to blow. Many pundits and spiritualists see 2013 as a time of transition. Spring always is. It seems that the world is making sure I am aware that nothing is immovable. The house creaks. Various household bits blow by. It’s a common occurrence in this neighborhood. Wait a few days and go pick up your stuff against someone’s fence downwind of the house. My house is saved from debris by an untended vacant lot occupied by six foot tall blackberry bushes, also known as the deer haven. It is possible to resist change the way some resist the wind; but, even my neighbor who built his fence from doubled and buttressed supports came home to find his fence in the neighbor’s yard. Yes, this is a windy neighborhood. It seems like the entire world is in the midst of such a wind.

Late Wednesday night, an idea resurged from many unconnected avenues. As friends commented on my blog, sent emails, or phoned from their commute (hands-free I’m sure) the idea was raised of turning my story into a movie. This isn’t a new idea. A friend with Hollywood connections actually informally pitched the idea about six months ago. One friend who has known me since 1980 made the point that we expect bankruptcy from people who didn’t pay attention to their money, people who felt entitled, the stereotypical people who aren’t willing to work. Stereotypical is a good word, because few folks embody all of those negative characteristics. His point was that from what he could tell, I’ve been frugal for decades, have worked hard throughout, have researched finances, and have generally tried to do the right things. (I guess he’s not the only one, which is why I was Board Secretary for New Road Map Foundation and a case study in the new edition of Your Money Or Your Life – before my recent upset.) That should be more than enough and not a path to bankrupt and homeless. An interesting counterpoint was that;
“It’s not that “how even doing everything “right” isn’t enough in today’s financial system.” It’s that the people who are doing well today are precisely the people NOT following the rules, . . .”
Pick a theme and get to work. One friend listed the requisite movie pitch details that I planned to work on this weekend. Instead I’ll be sorting through my old office clothes trying to find a suit that fits.

I can’t claim to have been exercising “Voluntary Simplicity” before it was term. The idea goes far back (for more recent examples visit the Simple Living forums); but, I can agree that I’ve practiced it before I heard the term. It is one of the bases for the book that inspired this blog: Dream. Invest. Live. Dream. Invest. Live. Living simply, enjoying frugality, using personal values as a guide to making and spending money are ideas that seem obvious to me. Until two or three years ago it worked. I generally spent less than I made, invested the rest, and enjoyed the cushion that resulted. As my portfolio abruptly shrunk and as my business has been slow to grow, spending less than I made has become unlivable – especially with a mortgage. My diminished portfolio was diminished further as it was my only source of funds, now that is nearly gone.

My blog post fed into a common debate about, “What can we do for people in this situation?” There are those that say it is inevitable. We will always have the poor. There are those that say that anyone willing to work should be able to live and contribute. Mutual support is one reason why we form governments. Others say, this is obvious proof that the system doesn’t work anymore and adjustments or radical change is necessary. I know that on a personal level, assuming the system doesn’t suddenly crash (let me check on the sequestration) the only thing that matters is sufficient money to appease those who hold my debt and enough money to maintain my frugal lifestyle. We all know where money comes from: jobs, businesses, investments, windfalls, and sharing.

Yesterday I called a friend who has been unemployed longer than me. I asked her to handle some details while I navigate my turmoil. I can’t pay much but even a little could help both of us a lot. She’s happy to help, and she was happy to announce some other good news. Someone hired her. That makes all the difference in her life. So, while I’m joining my family in remembrance you are welcome, even encouraged, to peruse my resumes, consider me for consultations, buy my books, buy my house, or share a bit of your lottery ticket winnings. I’ll share mine. And if you can, fix this economic system (Occupy?). Having been a millionaire and now looking at bankruptcy et al, I can tell you, this system is incredible and is probably due to change – and not just because of me.

Home For Sale

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Notice Foreclosure Notice

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Tom Trimbath

Yesterday I got the call. The mortgage company called, and in a rare case, I answered. In their usual manner, they delivered the news that they will begin foreclosure on my house on March 17th. I can’t recall their quote verbatim, but I am sure they were very particular with the words written on their script. The news didn’t improve my day. One nice tangible bit was self-provided as my most recent book became available in paperback. Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland Maybe that will eventually be more than enough. Buy, read, review, and stay tuned. By the end of the day, telling folks about my news revealed too many other turmoils hidden behind requisite smiles – and a new way to acknowledge what’s essential.

The foreclosure news released a crowd of scenarios that I’ve kept in consideration ever since I put my home on the market about nine months ago. Home For Sale That was precipitated from a previous crowd of scenarios by nine months of unsuccessful job searches (which is now past 18 months), which was initiated by a triple hit to my investing strategy. I enjoyed brainstorming as an engineer. I enjoy it as a consultant, artist, and entrepreneur. I use it in my life. Significant news that changes some ifs to whens drops me into another mode where the brainstormed list is reduced to the most likely and most appealing, with the hope that there are plenty of choices that are both likely and appealing.

Unfortunately, the most likely scenarios are based on extrapolations. There is encouraging growth in consultations, speaking events, book sales, housing prices, and even my stock portfolio (though not so far this week); but those extrapolations suggest months or years before anything significant enough to appease the mortgage company. And the mortgage company is apparently working to a closer calendar.

Fortunately, the potential of getting a good job, selling my home, sudden improvements in those currently shallow extrapolations, and windfalls (hello, lotto) continue and may even be more likely due to simple perseverance. As I’ve said many times, every email, every phone call, every hello on the street can be the life-changing event that happens without prelude.

Yesterday was a rare day. I had two social events. At the price of gas, and as hard as I am working, I rarely leave the house unless work is involved. But, one friend had finally recovered from an absence and I wanted to catch up on his news. And last night was a dance practice. (a practice dance by dancers for dancers without the pace of a class or the social expectations of a dance, $5, two hours, Bayview Hall, be there) I even snuck in a phone call to a friend for the sake of talking to a friend. By the end of the day I’d heard about death, major illness, bankruptcy, car accidents, a house accident that involved a car, and two or three stories that were obviously lurking just behind requisite smiles. Within that collection I’m the only one being public about personal turmoil, which is not surprising.

A couple of conversations mentioned the same new perspective. Losing so much changes the way the world is viewed, renders the essentials much less theoretical, heightens the awareness of wealth disparity, and reinforces the desire to give to others. Scenarios for winning lottery jackpots are more likely to include giving the excess away, and most likely, giving it to individuals instead of institutions.

While I was dancing last night I wondered about those other stories that I glimpsed but didn’t hear. I glimpsed them when I asked, “How are you doing?” and saw the struggle between honesty and politeness. It is what one friend calls, “Pretending not to panic.” Despite our pride in openness and compassion, few people want to hear the real story. I’ve had readers tell me so. I understand that. I prefer comedy as well. But someone has to tell these tales with more honesty than politeness. Then I found a new greeting. As a friend dropped into that struggle for a response I got their attention and rephrased the greeting. “It’s good to see you.” That brought a smile. I went to another who’d struggled earlier and playfully re-greeted them. The response: a pause, a smile, and “It’s good to be seen.”

My turmoils are almost exclusively financial. At least that simplifies my scenarios. My friends’ turmoils include that in a longer list. Unfortunately, in this society with this type of economy, finances are necessary for life. That’s a scary situation. I wonder if finances, society, or economies would shift if we relaxed the politeness and exercised more open honesty.

Those grander considerations are put here, and then put aside. Social change, politics, economic upheavals are inconsequential to my immediate concern. The mortgage company delivered a date. Sequestrations, multi-year revenue projections, Occupy movements, even global climate change are subjects of luxury. Do they have massive impacts? Yes. Should we resolve them? Well, it depends on how you define “we”. The struggles of many people I know are all-consuming. Working long hours (with no guarantee of getting paid) then trying to maintain the basics without the ease of money doesn’t leave time or resources to volunteer. For some, that $5 dance was a major luxury. It cost me an extra $6 because of gas. When my portfolio was healthier I spent about 32 hours a week in official and unofficial volunteer work. One of the other conversations I had was with someone in the midst of that world. There was a bit of surprise when I didn’t accept any of the invitations to join, or attend, or in another case, contribute.

Yesterday I released the good news about my most recent book being publishing in paperback. Self-publishing books is effectively writing my own lottery ticket. Persistence means my personal lottery ticket is potentially multiplied by six because Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland is my sixth book. (Multiply by twelve if you include my photo books and my book on Modern Self-Publishing.) Twelve Months At Double Bluff on blurb Success breeds success, and the early reviews of my Scotland book are encouraging. It is possible to sustain a comfortable lifestyle as a writer. I even know a few. Maybe I’ll join their ranks. But that doesn’t change the mortgage company’s calendar unless I get an amazingly lucrative book advance soon. (How about Walking Thinking Drinking Across France, or Ireland, or Italy, or Japan, or all of them?)

My story enters a new phase. I never expected this one. I don’t know what to expect in the next one. I appreciate you keeping me company. It’s good to be seen.

PS As I got ready to post this another message came in that a friend no longer had a working vehicle. Anyone have a car to donate?

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My Jobs Report Month 18

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Tom Trimbath

Eighteen months. My job search has gone from regrettable but an opportunity to dive into old passions (before regular job reports), to surprise it was taking so long (at nine months) and putting my home on the market, Home For Sale to temporary hope that was dashed (at twelve months) , to habitual searches with lowered expectations (at fifteen months) and the departure from paying my mortgage, to today’s familiarity with the process and an expectation that the answer lies outside the job ads. It was somewhat reassuring to hear a radio report of confirmation of others in a similar plight. Of my various backup plans, getting a job is Plan C. I’ll continue to pursue it, but more energy is going into the rest of the alphabet. There’s some good news there.

I rarely listen to radio, unless I’m in the car. Unfortunately, that means I don’t have a link to the key piece of data that helps explain my situation. Unemployment is down. Yeah! Unemployment is below average for middle-aged workers. Yeah, again! But the length of time required to find a new job is much higher than average (~55 weeks?) for people fifty and older. I’m 54. Oops. And the likelihood of finding a job drops considerably for people that have been looking for over a year. We might have a problem here. The odds aren’t zero though, so I’ll continue looking and applying.

Many of the job postings and I are acquaintances now. I have a list of forty job sites I regularly visit. Most of the jobs I see and know I can do sit there. I know I can do the job, but can I get the job? My resumes are updated. My applications are in. On rare occasions companies actually send emails telling me I’m not qualified, even when I’ve done the exact job listed. It somewhat limits the search. By the way, regular readers can appreciate the irony considering the other most likely response I get is that I am over-qualified. I’d be more disheartened, but the job packages I deliver for consulting clients continue to generate uplifting testimonials. When I finally get to work, I get compliments – and encouragements to charge more.

I may not have an official job, but at least I have a title: Interim Project Manager for HCLE. HCLE is the History of Computing for Learning and Education Virtual Museum Project. I’m Project Manager thanks to the founder, Liza Loop, who knows me from our mutual work on New Road Map Foundation. The title is Interim because the funding is interim, and possibly about to run out. Expect to see indiegogo and other funding proposals. (Of course, if you want to help preserve that critical time in history when computers entered the classroom, give us a call, send us a donation, or drop by and help scan some of the ten thousand documents in the collection. It’s a big job.)

Thanks to the donor who contributed the interim funding, and to the founder, I’ve had my largest client work package, was paid for it expediently, and have enough money in the bank to pay the next few weeks of bills – except, of course, the mortgage bill.

Of all of the entrepreneurial collaborations I’ve accepted invitations to, HCLE has the most traction and is making the most progress. My role could change from consultant to interim manager to part time manager. That would cover almost all of my bills – except, of course, the mortgage bill. Full time can be good, but other part time positions can be just as good. Most of those collaborations are created by collaborators in situations similar to mine. They are definitely past their twenties and thirties, though their attitudes and acuity haven’t changed; they want or need to embark upon work that benefits them and others; and the conventional avenues are being redefined for “internship”, “recent graduate”, or “entry-level”. Ah, but there are no age requirements, nor do employers discriminate based upon age. (For those that have a hard time recognizing sarcasm, that last sentence is an example of the type I produce.)

The exciting thing is (and yes, even through all of these eighteen months excitement remains) many of the other collaborations are as viable as HCLE but merely lack the funding. If even two, three, or four of the dozens found funds and included me in some paid position, I might be able to pay back the mortgage company, get out of credit card debt, un-dam dammed plans, and begin rebuilding my savings. Those collaborators, like HCLE, have some great ideas. Instead of diving into old passions, we are launching ourselves into new passions. This could be fun!

There is additional good news. It hasn’t resulted in cash yet, but it is heading that way. A few of my investments in small companies are quietly continuing their recoveries. Within the last few weeks I’ve gone from a negative financial net worth to a positive financial net worth. It’s a squeak over the line, but it is the right side of the line. In my opinion, those companies are undervalued. Now that they are attracting at least some attention, their proper valuations may finally be reflected in rising stock prices and I may have regained an emergency buffer and more.

All of those efforts, whether looking for jobs or working with collaborators, require logistical coordination and strategic consensus. They take time, and almost all take money. Much waiting is involved.

While I wait, I work. I am working on things that only require me and my resources. This week’s main task has been producing the paperback version of my most recent book, Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland. Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland The e-book has been selling well (though the speaking gigs pay better) with encouraging reviews.
“It is a story about finding happiness and joy in the new “rut” he was learning to love.” – Patricia Gross
To everyone I’ve helped with self-publishing, No, it never goes flawlessly. But it is getting better each time.

Eighteen months. Eighteen months of people praying for my success, of networking in person and through social media, of diligently perusing ads and applying for jobs. Eighteen months of you literally listening to (i.e. reading) the process. (You’ve done a good job.) As I’ve said before, maybe the universe is giving me a hint and that a regular job is not the answer; and that new solutions may be a bit irregular and take a bit more time. Until we know, I’ll continue reporting and remaining open to new passions. That’s probably the best way to have good and interesting news to report in month 19.

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PicoP Ala Newton

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Tom Trimbath

I like to look ahead. I like to guess at trends and watch them develop. That skill, talent, and habit is why I live on Whidbey Island. It is why I invest in individual stocks. Decades of looking ahead is why I am less likely to laugh at ideas that seem silly now.

(If all you want is the MVIS portion, skip ahead a few paragraphs. I got on a roll that made sense to me, but hey, you may not care.)

From what I remember of Mainstream America, the most common question at a party was, “So, what do you do?” Occupation is important because it defines a person’s potential social scene. America does have a class system, even though abandoning that was one reason for the Revolution. Here on Whidbey, and probably in other small communities too, the most question is, “So, why’d you move here?” Motivation is important because it tells whether a person moved to get away from something, or was drawn to something, or both, or was simply random. Whidbey has enough people who were just driving through and decided to stay. Some didn’t even stop in Seattle. They just saw it as they drove through on the Interstate. I found more reasons before making my move.

Whidbey is close enough to Seattle that I can drive to downtown in less than an hour if the traffic’s right. (Ha!) The city has a lot to offer. You’re probably seen a lot of it in some movie. Yet, it is far enough out that last night’s stars were more obscured by marine moisture than urban lights. Most of the day, the loudest noises are from birds. A car driving by is an odd event. I’ve traveled across and through a bit of the world (bicycling across America, bicycling across Austria, walking across Scotland, hiking New Zealand, etc.) and realized I want to live near the ocean and snow-covered mountains, where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have few external constraints, where I could watch sunsets over the water, and where I knew the language. Finale Those criteria eliminate a lot of the planet. So, yeah, I moved to Seattle. But Seattle is growing and hemmed in by geography and resources, so density, noise, and urban troubles arise. Whidbey is inconvenient enough to discourage many. And Whidbey’s water and septic constraints limit growth better than any regulation.

When I moved to Seattle in 1980, it was considered to be so silly that few wanted jobs here. According to Boeing HR, one of the reasons I got the job offer was because I didn’t balk at the weather. Now Seattle is trendy and those days are hard to imagine.

When I moved to Whidbey in 2005, friends didn’t say the move was silly, but they made it apparent that they thought it was odd. I think I’ve found a haven within the Salish Sea that will become much more apparent as Seattle’s growth resurges.

What’s this have to do with Newton, and what’s a PicoP? Trends. As Seattle grew it developed and attracted entrepreneurs. Living amidst them made it easier to watch simple ideas that were laughable to some become incredibly valuable to others. Rewind to 1980. How much money can anyone make on software for small computers, selling books without a store, serving fancied coffee, selling airplane tickets without an agent? I watch for trends, treat them with respect, and pay particular attention to the ideas being laughed at.

I bought a Newton MessagePad in about 1994. It was a personal digital assistant that recognized handwriting and was far easier to carry around than a laptop. Despite being made by Apple, it flopped and people laughed. The handwriting recognition was one of the first introductions to the joke of auto-correct. The synchronization was effectively overnight. It was handheld, but only because I have really big hands. Eventually I returned to paper notebooks. The MessagePad was either too early, poorly designed, or not given enough time to develop. Yet, almost all of its features are part of every cell phone and tablet (though some are transformed: wi-fi instead of IR, Siri instead of handwriting, etc.). Ten years later the iPhone is introduced and becomes a phenomenal success.

In March, 2010 I bought a ShowWX pico-projector made by a company that I own shares of: MicroVision (MVIS). ShowWX The idea was great. An always-in-focus projector the size of an iPhone that lasts long enough to play a move and that can create a display the size of my house. Granted I have a small house and the display is only visible on a dark night, but hey, it does it. I watched DVDs that way for a while. Making a thirty inch display made a much brighter image, but even then it was simpler to use a conventional monitor rather than arrange furniture to hold up the device. The product proved technical feasibility, but was too expensive to make. The company may not be the object of laughter, but it certainly isn’t being heralded as exemplary entrepreneurship.

I think few are laughing because many see the potential. The main guts of MicroVision’s projector (the PicoP part of the ShowWX) have shrunk and can fit inside a cell phone, or a laptop, or almost any electronic device. The costs are down. The manufacturing hurdles are being cleared. Volume production is hinted at. And we investors wait. Some wait to prove themselves to their friends. Some wait as champions of new ideas. Some wait because the stock can’t go down further, right? Some wait because, like me, they may remember a report from years ago that provided a market valuation for MicroVision that would result in roughly a $125 price for MVIS. (I searched, but can’t find the article. Post int the Comments if you find it.) That was years before the 8-for-1 reverse split. Multiply $125 by 8 and get $1,000. Laughable.

The other trend I’m watching now is entrepreneurship. Re-entering corporate life is difficult (Saturday I’ll post my My Jobs Report Month 18) and many are relying on themselves and collaborations. The internet and delivery services enable home businesses, saving the cost of storefronts. A loss of confidence in institutions increased interest in simpler, more personal solutions. Dealing with a person is more appealing than trusting a corporation or government regulation. On average, every ten days someone asks me to participate in a collaboration. They are widely varied, though almost all are based on simple, local ideas. Others laugh. I listen. Eventually, some will succeed. Sign me up!

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The Day Before

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Tom Trimbath

On Thursday, a meteor blew up over Russia. On Wednesday, there was plenty of press preparing people for an asteroid that would pass by on Friday. So, even when millions were ready to watch the skies for one cosmic event, another happened without warning that had a much greater effect. It is prudent to make plans for our futures, and we might even be considering the right topic; but, we have to be ready for surprises. No risk doesn’t exist; and, rewards can show up without warning.

Those of us living in the Pacific Northwest in about 2004 had a similar, though much smaller, experience. Our meteor explosion, called a bolide, happened at night and set off a lot of car alarms. I didn’t hear the alarms. I was tens of miles away snow camping at Lake Valhalla, in wilderness, miles from people and one lonely mountain highway. Winter In Summer From Above I happened to be up in the middle of the night adjusting my sleeping bag. The world turned bright. My tent glowed from every side, but there wasn’t a sound. Either someone was playing a trick with a large flashlight on a solo camper, some catastrophy happened to an airliner flying high over the pass, or the aliens had landed and were coming to take me away. I poked my head out of the tent and watched a trailing string of fire balls drift down the sky. No radio. No cell phone coverage. No one to talk to. As my adrenaline subsided I considered my choices. I could try to ignore it and go back to sleep. I could channel Monty Python and “Run away!” I could attempt to assist, because if it was a plane crash I’d probably be the first new person on the scene; but traveling on snow, alone, towards an unknown destination was risky. I decided to listen for helicopters and walk their way if they flew by. Eventually I accepted the silence and fell asleep. I learned the truth when I got home. (Want more? Buy the book.)

We (the human race) didn’t begin searching for collision course asteroids until recently. When I graduated from college in 1980 the prospect was acknowledged and dismissed as if it was as likely as extraterrestrials visiting. The solar system was assumed to be a reasonably stable place. Finally, someone started to look. Getting funding was difficult, but somehow they found some money; and then they found asteroids. A short time later they announced that a little looking proved their initial guess was wrong. They had to bump up the estimate by a factor of ten. Surprise! The job isn’t over, but there’s confidence that we’ve found most of the potentially lethal ones. We’ve even become confident enough to announce scheduled passages. “Here comes another one. Watch it online!” Then, oops. From a completely different reaction we are hit by something traveling 67,000 miles per hour. It was “small” because it only weighed 10,000 tons, 20,000,000 pounds. Maybe funding will be easier to get now. I suspect the NEO (Near Earth Object) budget is far less than NORAD‘s. The time to shift some funds was a decade or two ago, but now works too. By the way, the advocates for a meteor protection system are having trouble with their funding. HINT. (A curiosity: What did NORAD’s sensors show? They’re looking in a different direction, but what did they make of an air burst 20-30 times more powerful than the bomb we dropped on Hiroshima? Did we scramble a bomber or two? Did we change our DEFCON status? Was the President ushered towards a bunker or Air Force One?)

With foresight and an open mind, turn a negative into a positive. One of the places I’ve applied for a job sees asteroids as opportunities. That 10,000 ton asteroid that became a meteor that became a meteorite that injured people and became a news item may have been mostly metal. Many asteroids are. If not, then it may have had a lot of water. Metal and water are valuable in space and the folks at Planetary Resources plan to mine in space. As I understand it, they saw what happened with the BP spill in the Gulf, saw the extraordinary technologies required for deep-sea resource extraction, and realized mining in space was simpler, cheaper, cleaner, and possibly safer and more profitable. “Mining’s bad!” But come at it from a different and unexpected direction and it may be good. (By the way, when I applied there were 1,500 other applicants. I didn’t get the job, but I’m glad to see there are so many people who want to help.)

It is easy to live in fear. We live with long lists of what can go wrong without a moment’s notice. The list of what can go right without warning tends to be shorter and dismissed as wishful thinking; but, people do win the lottery, and some fall in love at first sight – so I hear.

As my financial situation deteriorated, I reminded myself that good news can happen within a phone call, an email, a letter, or a news item. It has happened to friends. I’ve even had some nice examples. My work on the History of Computing for Education and Learning was prompted by a conversational turn within a phone call. RSOL’s 40% then nearly 80% jumps on Tuesday and Wednesday happened without warning. Especially in the digital age, ideas, posts, photos, videos go viral without asking the owner for permission. Hannah Hart’s indiegogo crowdfunding program requested $50,000 and received over $200,000. She uploaded the videos of her watching the donations come in. It is a lesson in the emotional course of accepting overwhelming generosity.

Consulting, teaching, and simply being sociable with interesting people brings me into contact with a lot of people who are taught caution and management of their expectations despite their impressive ideas and visions. That’s prudent, but can be taken to an extreme. I like to ask, “Who do you want to be interviewed by?”; because, if their idea catches on they’re going to get noticed. Someone is going to end up on Oprah’s show. Someone is going to sit across the desk from Jon Stewart. There are no guarantees because, “No risk doesn’t exist.” yet conversely, “Rewards can show up without warning.”

I’m watching the progress of some friends’ ideas. The most exciting ones realize the pairing of simplicity with quality, are tapping into rising trends because they are champions of ideas instead of mercenaries chasing dollars, and are solutions pervasive enough to reach across the country, and beyond. Cabin by Angela Tiny houses well done: Mighty Micro Built House & paleo diets for health: Primal Island  Primal Island They are like many entrepreneurs, working hard without a schedule or guarantee of a return on investment, who after months or years of work may suddenly find themselves handling very healthy businesses. Welcome back to the 10,000 Hour Rule, where years of effort happen without notice until an event that makes success seem to appear overnight. The day before that critical call was a struggle. The day after will probably be a struggle too, but with much more substantial positive reinforcement (of which money is a fine example.)

I hope the same for myself. That’s how I keep my spirits up while my money was draining away. RSOL gave me a nice emotional boost. If it and the other stocks in my portfolio attain their proper valuations (according to me) my financial life will be greatly improved. Significant positive news for MicroVision could make MVIS climb at historic rates. A regular and frequent corporate client or three could be gratifying to me and my mortgage company. My collaborative self-publishing workshop could go national if we find the right support. Maybe Planetary Resources needs an ex-rocket scientist despite 1,500 other applicants. Various publishers may send me large checks because my books became best sellers, in which case, Hello Jon Stewart. Maybe my lottery ticket(s) will win me the jackpot, or some other windfall will favorably come my way. I watch them all – yet something tells me I am more like the folks at NORAD and NEO, watching here and there, but about to be surprised from a similar and different direction. The day before, I won’t know a thing about it; and then, there’s the day that will come. Stay tuned.

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