If You Don’t Mind, It Doesn’t Matter
I can’t remember the exact date because it has been a very
long time. I’m commuting into Chicago
via the early express train and 99.99% of the time its smooth sailing. By the
time I get off the train and hit the trading floor it’s about 20 minutes to the
Swiss Franc futures open at 7:20 A.M.
Then suddenly one day the train slows down and stops about
half way into the city. Everybody on the train starts to look around wondering
what is happening and why we are stopping. The conductor comes into the train
car about 90 seconds later and explains that a bicyclist has been hit by the
train at a crossing and we are going to be delayed indefinitely until the body
has been cleared and the police give the train permission to leave the scene.
Suddenly, another trader sitting down the aisle jumps up and
screams something on the order of “I
gotta get on the floor man; the guys a f***ing idiot and dead already; run him
over, who gives a s**t, I gotta get on the floor”.
When it’s all over and we get moving in about 2 hours, I get
to the floor and the move for the day is over – nothing left but scalp city
until the close. I’m initially upset, but as another veteran trader tells me, “Relax man, opportunity is infinite”.
I will never, ever forget this incident; for
a half of a day I lost my humanity.
I couldn’t help but think of this over the last 100 hours or
so, as the tropical storm sweeping up from the Caribbean into the Southern U.S gulf states has played
havoc with airline schedules and caused cancellations and mind numbing delays
everywhere.
From my last speaking engagement for a while this past
weekend, my staff and I were supposed to be home by
Saturday night; it’s Monday morning and we are all still sitting in an airport
harboring nefarious thoughts.
-vegas Jr. looks particularly upset this morning, so I ask
him what’s up? “Aw man, I just hooked up
to the airport internet and checked crude, and ….. and …. [he looks off in the
distance as if pondering the what ifs] … man, it was a perfect move today and
the algo just nailed it … and … and … were just sitting here playing with
ourselves and the market is moving”.
Meanwhile, Chief of Staff Milton Waddums is wandering around
the airport looking for his red stapler and mumbling something about burning
the place down. After the Mrs. calmed him down a bit, he seems to have adopted
the following:
Whatever Works
I know how –vegas Jr. feels, yet he has to live through this
to learn one of life’s important lessons. I can talk all I want, and it will do
absolutely no good right now. Maybe when he reads this he will realize
something vital in about 10 years from now.
When we are young we can’t wait for the future; when we are older we
want the time back.
So, obviously I can’t start the week trading the Replitrader
account like I wanted. Hopefully I can make it home by tomorrow or Wednesday at
the latest. Sorry for the delay folks, we’ll be up and running as soon as I get
home.
The Mrs. meanwhile is using her time to look for a new house
on the internet and ask me every other 10 minutes if I like this place.
["Ummmm …. Honey? Does
it matter if I like it?"]
[“No dear, but I’m
just being nice”]
Lemons …… Chocolate ……. Lemons ……. Chocolate; time to get up
and go get a Hersey bar at the newsstand.
Have a great day everyone.
-vegas
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