What do you think, Mr. Bill?

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:24:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

Another week has passed in sunny Florida, but our time here is done, and we're ready to begin the long trip north starting tomorrow. We plan to be back in Thunder Bay by next Saturday. We have enjoyed our holiday in Florida, seen all we wish to see at Disney World, and become more aware of other attractions in this part of the world. We will look forward to another visit some time.

This week was spent with Travis, Erin & Kristian. We were in a new location near downtown Orlando, and enjoyed good access to Disney World as well as several outlet malls! Unfortunately, we often found that the interstate through Orlando was a multi-lane parking lot. Today, we drove the crew down to Tampa as they attended the Penguins-Lightning hockey game this afternoon, and are preparing to fly north in the morning.

The final week of investing for the year was only three days, but things went well and I gained 0.4% to close the year at 4.9% for these final three months of the year.

And that's about it for this week.

Economics 102

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:19:00 +0000

Happy New Year everyone! The year 2009 has ended, and while that date is an artificial boundary, it gives a holiday (and a pause) to review, reconsider and plan. It was a momentous year for us financially as, with the completion of my latest assignment, we have decided that my work should be the management of our investments. So, while I do that, I am also blogging the details. In education (where every common thing has to have a special name!) we call this metacognition! Enjoy!

I am calling this Economics 102 because I took Economics 100 in my first year of university, and Economics 101 is a well-used metaphor already.

I started my investment training and practice on March 9th. My first buys were on March 10th. Those who follow the TSX closely recognize those dates. They marked the depths of the most recent market crash. Since then we have enjoyed one of the biggest market surges since the Great Depression. My instructors lamented over the experience of our group as being so far from reality that we might not really be learning as we should. It was hard not to make money during the part of the year from March 10th to December 31st as the TSX rose from 7,567 to 11,746. So, I have determined to assess my success in the light of the TSX surge.

The first decade of this century is being well-described as a lost decade economically. This is certainly true in the US (Thanks there, Dubya!), but not so much in Canada. In the US, the SP500 dropped 24.1% during the decade (Imagine the additional pain if not for Obama's 23.4% gain this year!) The TSX rose almost 40% during the decade, but 30.7% took place this year, and even with that, an annualized rate of about 4% ranks pretty poorly against the previous two decades. Both countries have now pulled out the Bush Recession, and both of our main market indices moved into official bull territory in June, however, there are plenty of worrisome and difficult economic clouds still roiling through. Our economic health is so tightly tied to the US, that their continuing economic malaise is a big concern. Thoughtful observers see the current recovery as artificially based on the Obama stimulus spending and worry over the future. While he has been able to turn the TARP funding into a profitable investment for the US taxpayers, I do not see any prospects of an early repayment of the stimulus investment.

With that in the background I turn to the micro-economic picture of my own finances. My first simulated trading experience ran until July 17th. During that time, I achieved a profit of 43.7% while the TSX gained about 37% (My professional advisers gained 12.6%). The second phase ran until September 24th where I gained 19.1%, and the TSX rose 8.8% (My professional advisers gained 1.4%). The final phase (where I was actually investing money) completed the year; I gained 4.9% while the TSX rose 4.1% (My professional advisers lost money, although I don't have the exact values yet as I await the final transfer of my remaining funds. I'll update this later.).

So, there's the assessment, now to consider the evaluation! The investment plan we are learning certainly allowed us to make great gains and surpass the markets (and some professional advisers) widely during the early trials, but not so much during the final phase. It is a concern that the final phase was when I was actually using my own money! Do I get too emotionally attached to the business? The final phase translates into an annual gain of about 20% which is certainly enough to support us, but not in line with the 30% we've been trained to expect. Therefore, while the effort will continue, I will also be reviewing my strategies and techniques as I try to improve. Travis has revised his working conditions so as to be more available to consult and support the investment program. We hope (and plan) for good economic results in 2010.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 03:40:00 +0000

Another warm and sunny week has passed in central Florida. We hear of storms across the central and northern states and also in Canada; we even hear of a white Christmas in Dallas! We're glad to miss those! We have enjoyed another week with all the family, but now Eric/A and the boys flew north today, so we're somewhat at a loss. Santa did not miss us in Orlando, even though he was told to skip us for this year as the trip was supposed to be the treat. We feel especially blessed by the gracious treatment!

Disney has continued to be much visited, but with the closing of schools for the holidays, the lineups have become very long! We're finding it necessary to go early and get Fastpasses. Still, there have been times when we couldn't get into the rides we wished for. We've also been spending time in the timeshare's mini-golf, pools and hot tubs. Kristian has gradually become pretty comfortable in the water. Eric and I got out golfing once at Disney; that was fun.

Poor internet service and business with Mickey have precluded much investment work. I only managed one transaction and that was for a small loss, but not enough to change my percentages. We'll see if I can get back into it in the coming week. Travis has tried to continue with his online courses in HTML, but that has also suffered due to poor internet service. We are moving to a new resort next week, so we hope for better internet there.

We have another week here with Erin, Kristian and Travis. Then, we'll start the long trip back.

And that's about it for this week.

Merry Christmas to all!

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Another week has passed in the middle of Florida, far from my hometown. The rest of the family has now joined us, as Travis, Erin & Kristian flew into Tampa on Wednesday. We have been enjoying visiting with Mickey Mouse and friends—sampling the rides, shows and other delights offered at DisneyWorld. We have also experienced getting lost in a variety of new ways, often while trying to get back to the condo from DisneyWorld, but also as we tried to get to the airport in Tampa! I think we have both issues figured out now. We have been introduced to a new "points-based" timeshare concept, so we will continue to investigate that as an alternative to the "weeks-based" timeshares we currently own. It's surely been great using the timeshare to accommodate the family together here in Florida for Christmas. The weather is very pleasant, although we had two days of thirty degree temperatures, and that was a bit much! Most days are in the low twenties and we are enjoying that very much.

I have continued to track my investments, but have had little time and sometimes poor access to do much. The TSX has continued mostly sideways during these last two weeks anyway, so I guess I haven't missed much. I did manage one sale this week, so my earnings now sit at 4.5% overall. Oil has gained some, and that helps the TSX.

It didn't take long for Kristian to figure out the DisneyWorld business. We brought along a stroller for him, but now, when I stop, he jumps out and looks for the entry to another ride! He also really enjoyed his first fireworks with full sound last night!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 04:19:00 +0000

Another week has passed and we have travelled from the shore of Lake Superior, my home town, to the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. It was quite a trip! We left on Monday, driving down to Minneapolis. I checked out various items from my wish list at the Apple store, and Wendy went upstairs to check out her wish list at the Lindt chocolate store.

Before leaving home, Wendy had complained about there always being a storm in Iowa, so she was disbelieving when I told her I had checked the weather and a storm was on the way! Once I convinced her that it was the truth, we determined to drive as far south as we could before it hit. We got as far as Des Moines (no less!). Then we checked into the motel and waited for the morning. By morning there was plenty of snow on the ground, but there seemed to be a lull in the storm so we set off for Lawrence KS. As per usual there were many vehicles in the ditches, but we had only one difficult section, and by the half-way mark the snow has turned to rain, and the highway gradually cleared off. We enjoyed our brief stay with Marti and Helen. We set off for Hernando MS on the frozen rain the next day. The highways had been salted into slush, so traction was fine. Still it was a long day, and it was after dark by the time we drove into Gary & Cheryl's place near Hernando. We enjoyed catching up with these long time friends from YK days. On Thursday, we set off for Stan & Pat's place in New Orleans. This was a shorter day, so it was good to get there during daylight hours. We enjoyed a visit and seafood feast with them. On Friday, we toured New Orleans and then headed east for Florida. Again it was late by the time we called it a halt and got a motel in Tallahassee. Finally on Saturday, we completed the drive down to Orlando, and booked into our villa. Eric/A and the boys arrived on the evening plane from MSP, so we're set for a enjoyable week of Disneyworld and other local attractions.

The TSX had a no good very bad week, so it was just as well to be on the road. I didn't buy or sell anything this week, although one stock came close to selling. So, I'm still stalled at 4.3%. Maybe next week will bring better results if the price of oil goes up.

It's the week of curling trials back home as they determine our national representatives for the Olympics. My favourite, Kevin Martin, is in the men's final Sunday afternoon. The women's representative was chosen tonight; Cheryl Bernard will represent us very well, I'm sure.

Erin & Kristian and Travis are holding down the fort at home. It's turned colder there with some fresh snow. Trav has had some difficulties keeping the truck running, and then the hot water heater quit! They plan to fly down here next week. We're enjoying 25+ temperatures down here.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:51:00 +0000

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. But it will take much longer than a week to get over the Grey Cup game. One saying in sports is that "you've got to play the full sixty minutes", and our Riders did that. Even after sixty minutes they were two points ahead, but there was a penalty, so, the game was extended one more play, and Montreal used that play to kick a field goal and win the game by one point! Oh, what a bitter pill that was! The Riders never trailed in the whole game–not once in sixty minutes–but it was not enough.

It has been a busy week as we prepare for departure on Monday. The snow has apparently been watching the calendar, and with the turn of the month, it arrived on Tuesday. Wendy has been busy ensuring all is in readiness with reservations and travel arrangements for the next month. We got sad news this week concerning the passing of a long-time family friend and great Christian man, Elford Bell, out in Gravelbourg. That is where I was born, and the Bell family is a great and valued influence on our family. Elford is missed.

I had two online training sessions for investments this week. I had a good week with my investments; I was up 0.5% as the first three days saw profitable markets before it turned red on Thursday and Friday. Thus I now stand at 4.3% gain after ten weeks of work. It will be difficult to continue the investing while we travel, but once we get to Florida, I expect to spend some time trying!

Erin and Kristian are doing fine, although Kristian has a bit of a cold. We look forward to when they will fly down to join us in Florida. Erin is quite busy with her new job, especially during the early training. However, she is enjoying it a great deal so far.

Trav keeps busy as usual. His hockey team is doing well this week, and his work seems to keep him busy. He, also, is scheduled to fly down and spend time with us in Florida.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:57:00 +0000

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. While the temperatures have declined, the weather has continued to be quite nice. We had showers on a couple of days, so it wasn't so nice to get out for walks, but, hey, it's not snow! As the week started, we rejoiced in the Rider victory in the western final over Calgary. Tomorrow is the Grey Cup game, and the Riders are big underdogs against Montreal, but, they still have to play the game! So, we'll wait and hope and cheer! Today we watched the university championship game won by Queen's University. It was pretty good football, although we found ourselves cheering for the losing team on this occasion—hopefully that'll change tomorrow!

The markets had another week of decline (must be following the temperature), so it was hard to make the decision to buy in, and hard to make money. I did manage another 0.1%, so I stand at 3.8% for nine weeks of work. I also did a bit of work for one of my old schools, but really, it was a pretty quiet week. I've been working on a couple of pamphlets in my own desktop publishing activity. Both are nearly ready for print.

Wendy has kept busier with taxi service and medical appointments and preparation for Trav's birthday this weekend. Eric/A and boys drove down Friday evening, so we celebrated the birthday with them as well. It is always special having the whole family under one roof.

Erin is busy in her new job. Kristian has a whirl-wind of Christmas celebrations at school and day care, so that's kept mom and grandma scrambling as well.

Aside from turning twenty-eight, Trav has occupied himself with the usual in coaching, work and contracts. He finished another production today, and got that sent away.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:39:00 +0000

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful and we've enjoyed getting out for our walks. It was nice to walk the fairways of the golf course (no little white ball to spoil it!), although there were many geese there as well, and they've left behind more than their tracks. The greens are covered now, but the fairways make for nice walking. The markets have continued to be difficult, although we did get back up to the levels (briefly) that we had enjoyed back in September. I managed only 0.1% gain, so I'm at 3.7% gain for eight weeks, and I've fallen behind expectations! I managed a little bit of consulting work this week as well, and the renovations have continued at church, but my part of that is pretty well complete. This is a big weekend for the Riders. They play the western final tomorrow to see if they can advance to the Grey Cup game the following week. Go Riders Go!

Wendy has continued to consult her various doctors, and I think we're now started on a diet. We hope this will calm her blood-chemistry levels. She has also taken on some of the driving for Kristian as Erin transitions into her new job. That will need to be resolved soon, as we're planning to head south in a couple of weeks.

Erin has begun work at Budget Rentals, but has also been called back to do more at her old job! In fact, she's at work there today, putting in some extra hours since they didn't need her any more! Go figure.

Trav continues with his work, and is off on a trip to Winnipeg this weekend. He's finding it difficult to set aside enough time for the investment work, and I miss that collaboration. I will keep working to refine the investment strategy, hoping it will require less time to practise.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:27:00 +0000

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, and we've been enjoying that. We've been kept a little busy at church with the removal of the pews and the refinishing of the floor. Wendy has been scouting, researching and negotiating for the purchase of chairs. The markets have continued troublesome, and, at least to me, unpredictable! However, I have managed to make a few sales and gained 0.3%, so I'm at 3.6% after seven weeks, which is just slightly above expectations. I've been able to do a bit of helpdesk work for two of my old schools. One has even assured me they will pay me for it! What a concept! During the end of this week I've been enjoying watching the pre-Olympic trials in curling. The eight teams for both the men's and women's trials are now set. Of course my favourite, Kevin Martin, is among the group. I now look forward to the Olympic trials curling in early December.

Wendy has continued with her medical work-ups. It has been confirmed that she is diabetic, but they're hoping to control it with diet and exercise (I hope to benefit from that program as well!) for now. She is also getting an upgrade on her thyroid medication, so we hope that helps.

Erin finally got laid off from the job she quit at the beginning of the summer, but she has now been hired for another full-time job, so I'm still not clear when schooling will take place. Not only that, but even this week as the date of her lay-off passed, her old job was still asking her why she wasn't at work!! Kristian is doing very well with his schooling, his language development and his tormenting of the new puppy! Sadie has learned several locations that can serve as at least a temporary sanctuary from him.

Travis has had a busy week with many hockey games, and his team is in a tournament this weekend, so he's getting his fill of that. Still, he seems to be well-engaged in coaching, and doing a good job with it. From time to time, we have a bit of discussion about that as well as our investments.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:37:00 +0000

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, so we've been enjoying that. I have continued my investments training with two webinars, and have also been working on some refinements to my technical strategy. The markets have continued to be difficult, so I only managed one sale this week. Some of the others are nearing sale area, so maybe next week! Still I'm up another 0.1% for 3.3% total gain. We concluded the week watching the battle for first place between the Riders and Calgary. It was a great (Riders Won!) game, so the Riders will host the Western Final in two weeks! Go Riders!

Wendy has been busy cooking up the pumpkins and making loaves and pies, mmmm, good! She's also been working on the selection of new chairs for church. We'll have a busy week next week as we remove the pews and work on the floor. We don't expect the new chairs to arrive in time, but we'll get by with some other chairs we already have. Wendy has not received any further news on her diabetes, but has been dedicating greater effort to diet and exercise in the meantime.

Erin and Kristian are doing fine. Kristian was ill for a couple of days, so he missed school on Tuesday, but he's back in fine fettle once again! Erin is making a few more moves towards her schooling, but she has also applied for a new job!

Trav continues with work, coaching and extra contracts. The website is developing fine; he's looking forward to learning the flash part of it whenever that comes up.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:42:00 +0000

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been damp, but mild, and we've enjoyed that. I've noted the golfers on the course as I drive by, and contemplated another round, but my usual partner has been busy, and I've decided not to bother on my own—must be getting old! This afternoon, I suffered the indignity of watching my Riders put in a poor effort in Hamilton. The loss leaves them in a must-win situation in their final game of the season next week if they wish to claim first place and home field advantage in the playoffs.

It's been another bad week in the markets, to close off a bad month. The TSX lost 4% in October, so it's been tough to make money. I only managed one buy & sell this week, but it was a good one, so I've picked up another 0.4% to finish the month up 3.2%. I also have some other buys that are not ready to sell yet, so I need the markets to return to the positive so the investments can flourish. Trav has continued in an advisory role as he continues to paper-trade. Hopefully, by the time he decides to get in, the markets will have turned upward again.

Kristian and I have been busy with Hallowe'en preparations. We went pumpkin hunting and got two nice ones. I've field-dressed them, and we've cut in faces for them. Each day as he gets home from school, he wants them lit up! This evening is the end of them, and now we look forward to their next incarnation in pie or pumpkin loaf! He enjoyed trick-n-treating dressed as the pit crew for Lightning McQueen!

Wendy has been working through some medical tests this week, as her doctor is thinking she may be suffering with mild diabetes. So, she's been going through the necessary blood work to confirm the diagnosis. And she also got her H1N1 shot—sore shoulder with that! Then, she's been helping me install a new garage door last night and today. This little project started out as getting the old door reset for winter, and noticing that one torsion spring was broken. As one thing led to another, I was soon into replacing the whole door! Anyway the new one surely looks better and it's insulated as well.

Erin has continued with a bit of the work she's been quitting since last spring! This week, she had some helpful news—she's being laid off! I think she may finally get to quit! Then, she can get into her classwork in earnest. She's also been enjoying getting Kristian ready for Hallowe'en.

Trav has continued with his work. He's recently picked up a contract to do some flash (whatever that involves!) work on a website, so he's learning how to do that as he does the project. And he's enjoying watching his Penguins reel off win after win in the young hockey season.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:27:00 +0000

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been fairly nice, and I contemplated going golfing on Monday, but I couldn't find a partner! As the week closed, we watched the Riders battle the Lions to stay in first place. For the second game in a row, they went to overtime, but this time the defense came up big with an interception, so we won. Now, it appears it will come down to one final confrontation with Calgary in two weeks. One item I neglected to mention last week (For which I've been severely castigated!) was the arrival of Erin's new puppy. Her name is Sadie, she's twelve weeks old, a nice little Shitzu-Bichon.

We had special news in the congregation as we've trying to sell our pews and move into chairs, and this week, we finally managed to sell the pews! We expect they will actually be taken out in about three weeks, so now we're busily engaged in deciding on what specific chair design to select for the replacements. Fortunately, I'm not on that committee. We checked the removal process on Friday. We took out two pews, just to see how difficult it would be, and what kind of a mess would remain on the floor afterward. The removal plan went well; we zipped those out in about two minutes flat! The floor cleaning will be a process!

It was another difficult week on the TSX as the markets declined 1.1%, however, I managed some good sales early in the week, and made 1% profit, so my total for the first four weeks is 2.8%, or somewhat above expectations. Now if we could just get the markets to behave smoothly...

Wendy has spent the week catching up on things around home: paperwork, vacuuming, Scrabulous... She is also working on the chair selection committee so she's begun research on that.

Erin seems to continue with pretty much full time work, but I don't see any school work getting done! Kristian is enjoying school, enjoying his new puppy, and glad to have his grandparents home. And we're glad to be home with him, too!

Travis continues with work. He donated his old car to Youth Challenge, so that's cleared out of the yard. We enjoyed going to one of the hockey games of the team he coaches.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:39:00 +0000

Another week has passed and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. We spent most of the week up in Kenora at Eric/A's completing the renovation project. It turned out looking pretty good, in my opinion! Now, they just need to get the electrician in to install the permanent heating. We enjoyed out time up there. We drove home here on Friday. This afternoon we enjoyed watching the Rider-Calgary game for first place. It was a great game, but even after overtime, it ended in a tie! So, they remain tied for first place as well! Wendy was very involved in the redecoration aspects of the work in Kenora; now, she wants to get into the renovations here!

It was a difficult week in the markets, so, while I managed to get some more buys, I didn't get to sell anything, so, I can't claim any gains. Thus, the status remains quo. Maybe next week...

Erin and Kristian have been taking care of things around home. That has gone well. I managed another conversation with Kristian on the phone from Kenora. He seemed to put together a sentence of his own for the first time. That was great!

Trav has contnued with his work, including a lovely advertising brochure he put togther for one of his private clients. He continues to enjoy coaching hockey, and his team is enjoying success recently as well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:24:00 +0000

This week's end finds us on the shore of the Winnipeg River, in Kenora. We are finally here to do the renovation on the suite for Eric/A. And we get the bonus of spending time with them and the boys, although, it turns out, they're seldom home! What busy lives! At long last, we've managed to get everything together for the work, so we drove up here on Tuesday. We took the long way around through Fort Frances, enjoying the fall colours a great deal. This morning, we woke to another of nature's surprises—snow! So, we enjoyed sitting in the warmth and watching the Riders play Toronto this evening. Their victory moved them back into a first place tie.

We've been completing the installation of a spiral staircase, correction of the main beam, and completion of all that remained outstanding on this project initiated by an earlier owner of their place, and never completed to a habitable condition. We hope to complete our part in the next few days and head back to TBay on Wednesday.

While this is going on, I've also continued with my investments via internet, and had a good week with a 1% gain. I also took another webinar to continue with my investment education. Trav and I are able to spend time together via chat as we consider the markets and make our decisions.

Wendy has been assisting with the construction work, and has now begun working on decorations and trim. I still have some drywalling to complete in the bedroom, then she'll also get going on the painting down there.

Erin & Kristian have been taking care of the place in TBay, and continuing with work and school. Last night when I called, Kristian picked up the phone and said, "Hello." When I responded, he continued, "It's papa! Hi, papa." What a thrill to hear him communicate. I think it's probably the first time I've actually had a chat with him on the phone.

Along with work, Travis and the Elks have now begun their hockey season. They've played a couple of games and Travis allows that he's really liking it.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Fall has arrived on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We had a good frosting this week. I had the tomatoes covered, so they survived, but my squash vines are finished! I managed to harvest another thirty-seven spaghetti squash and three butternut squash. We hope they'll keep for awhile as we try to eat as many as possible. We are failing to keep ahead of the tomatoes, but they're surely delicious anyway! Last night, the Riders fell (with five seconds left on the clock) to BC.

The markets suffered another bad week; the TSX dropped 2.3%, and I, unfortunately, participated in part of that, so I'm down 0.8% this week. It seems to be a pretty shaky time in the market, so we're trying to be careful. Trav was more careful than I, so he's up for the week! (Smart alec!) I got a small contract with one of the School Boards; it amounts to about a week of work, but every bit helps.

The weather has been cool and rainy most of the week, so we've realized the seasonal change. I got two new tires on the truck. We plan to take it to Kenora next week.

Kristian is doing well in school. Erin continues to work almost full-time although classes have supposedly started. We don't see how this is going to work!

Trav is delighting in the start of another hockey season. He's working with the hockey team he coaches, and following the success of the Penguins as well. Then, of course, there's also work, and he's completed (read: got paid) for another contract as well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 03:33:00 +0000

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. Quite a week it has been, too! Contrary to expectations, Wendy did not return on Monday evening, but she did get back on Tuesday. She reports having a good time in southern Ontario, and enjoying the scenic drive there and back. She enjoyed a good weekend with the ladies who gathered near Owen Sound for a retreat! She enjoyed the trip with Linda, and that Bob joined them to help with the driving on the return portion.

On Wednesday, Tom & Mariette arrived and stayed until Friday, as they were on their way to southern Ontario themselves. (What is it with southern Ontario that makes it so attractive?!) They brought a batch of tomatoes from their garden–delicious! Tom & I got out golfing on Thursday with my usual partner, John, and his son Brian. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun. I estimate it was probably my best driving experience of the season.

Also on Wednesday, our cousin (of some number), Nathan, and his band (Trip Meter) of five guys arrived from Saskatchewan. They had an engagement (Do they still call them Gigs?) here in town that night, and then slept through the next morning in our basement. Then they continued on to Marathon on Thursday. It was good to see them, and we're thankful for the ring they left with us (We only got $45 for it, but it was all profit!). Actually, we got that mailed on to Quebec on Friday, so hopefully they'll catch up with it.

Our pension funds are mostly transferred over now to iTrade, so I began trading in real money this week. It was a no good, very bad week on the TSX (-2%), but we managed to have one very good day, so I completed the week with a gain of 1.7%.

Kristian is now fairly well established in his school routine. The taxi picks him up each morning, and also takes him from school to day care at the end of the day. Kristian appears to enjoy school very much and is making progress. Erin continues to work nearly everyday, and we're concerned over how she will manage nearly full-time work in addition to her courses! This was not the plan!

Travis continues with his work and his contracting. He's been very busy this week with the start of hockey season as they had many evenings of scouting the hundreds of players and then drafting their team for the season. He's enjoying that very much so far. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the games.

The week ends in front of the TV as we watch the Riders battle the Edmonton Eskimos for the second time this week. Edmonton had a heart-wrenching last minute victory on Sunday, so it was delightful to see the Riders return the favour in Edmonton this evening. As a result the Riders move into a first place tie with Calgary.

And that's about enough for this week!

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:30:00 +0000

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. We started the week with a full-house as Eric/A and the boys were here along with Dad and Dave. That was fun! We celebrated Kristian's fourth birthday several times, and he appeared to enjoy them all! We enjoyed watching the Riders knock off Winnipeg for a second straight game as the Riders moved into a first place tie in the West. Eric/A and the boys left on Sunday. Dad and Dave left on Tuesday. Wendy left on Thursday. This weekend the house is much less busy!

Wendy is off for the weekend in southern Ontario, near Owen Sound, to a ladies' retreat. She's called back a couple of times, so we're assured she had a safe trip and she is enjoying herself. We expect her back on Monday evening.

Kristian is enjoying school a great deal. They have been making adjustments to get his hearing aids working with their FM broadcasting system in the classroom. Erin also has had some extra training and orientation times this week to assist with his learning. We're expecting great growth in his vocabulary in the next months. Erin has also continued to work most days despite being 'on leave'—I don't think that company understands the term! They were even pressuring her to come in and work today!

Trav continues with his work. He is also coaching hockey this year and has been involved with the entire coaching staff in scouting prospects in preparation for the draft of hockey players for the coming season. We continue to work on the investment training; we had another great week with gains of nearly 4%—that's two months' work!

The weather has been great, and I got out for a morning of golf on Friday. That was more encouraging after recent sessions that saw me playing pretty poorly.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:11:00 +0000

We've had a busy week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Company has arrived and Kristian has started school! Wendy's brother, Dave, and her father drove down from Regina this week, arriving here on Tuesday. We are enjoying having their company. Eric/A and the boys arrived on Friday night, so we have a full house this weekend. We celebrated Kristian's birthday tonight, although the actual date is the 16th. It is good to have cousins, uncles, aunties, grandparents and great grandfather here for the occasion.

Wendy has, of course, been kept very busy feeding us all and staying up verrrry late to visit with our company! Travis and I have continued with our investment training and have this week been established in a group of investors to further refine our strategies. It's been a good week for our investments and I've increased my gain to 13.6% with some good buys. Our accounts have now been opened in Scotia iTrade, so reality is staring us in the face! We're blinking!!

Kristian's first day in Junior Kindergarten went well, and Erin also survived it. The school situation seems to be very well suited to him, and Erin very much likes his Principal, Teacher and Educational Assistant. They have facility there for FM broadcast of instructions, and his hearing aides are adaptable for this as well. I am expecting rapid advancement with his full-time EA and well-planned program.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:32:00 +0000

A quiet week rolls by on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather is beautiful, and I manage one golf game—a poor game, but a game, nonetheless. The garden continues to produce, except for the strawberries. It seems that I made a mistake there; I let the strawberries spread a bit via runners to get some additional plants, and now I get no flowers, and no fruit. The vines have been spreading through the border region and are producing something! We don't know which vines even came up, let alone which are which! It appears we have some kinds of zucchini or squash. I think I would recognize any pumpkins.

Wendy has been on an office-cleaning binge. My office—my stuff—being interfered with! Can you imagine! The results are a clean and tidy office in which I can find virtually nothing! And the mind numbs at the thought of what has been disposed of!! She continues to wait to hear about her job application at the university. We suppose we'll find out some time this month.

Erin and Kristian have continued their preparations for school. The taxi showed up at Day Care one day to pick up Kristian, but apparently he has started his school career by playing hooky! Perhaps he heard the Prime Minister was going to address the students to encourage them to work hard and stay in school! Yeesh! Erin has also continued with almost full-time work.

My work has officially ended, and I turned my equipment back in on Monday. On Wednesday, I was asked to come back and pick it up again! Apparently, at least one of the District School Boards who took over our School Authorities wants some help within my purview. So, I may be working again! This particular assignment appears to be about a month's worth of work, but probably spread out over much of the year. My other work/training has continued. It was a difficult week for us in the investment game, but I managed to gain 0.5% for the week, so that's good! I have also sent off my retirement accounts to Scotia iShare, so we'll see how long that transfer takes. September is supposedly a bad month for investments, so I guess there's no rush! I didn't get over the school bus people; maybe I'll manage it next week.

Travis has continued with his work, and has also been taking a hockey coaching course as he'll be serving as assistant coach with a midget-age team here in TBay.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:31:00 +0000

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. I did some fruitless investigations of my Employment Insurance situation. It's amazing to come to understand just why I don't qualify while others do! I guess I need to go back and spend more time learning how to game the system before I get to this advanced age. If I had used a more acceptable address, and reported my income in a more acceptable way, I would have been accepted for more insurance and a longer time! Who knew? Well, actually some people do know, but I did not. I managed to get out for a couple of golf games, but results were unspectacular.

I applied for a job with an online-supported First Nations high school. That was successful, but after we considered the option of moving to Pickle Lake so I could drive daily out to Osnaburgh, we determined that this was too much of an adventure for us! So, I'm still wondering what to do now that I'm almost grown up! I plan to check out school-bus driving next week. That seems a good fit with what is planned to be my main occupation—investment manager. Trav and I continued our practice this week. It was a very good week despite the (perhaps because of the) fluctuating markets. I made over 3% and now stand at 10.5% for six weeks of work. Our tutors keep reminding us that it will be much more difficult in reality, so we are tempering our enthusiasm.

Wendy has applied on a job as an administrative assistant at the University. I think she's the ideal candidate as the job requirements seem to match not just her skills but her penchant. It will be some weeks yet before she finds out the results of her application.

Erin has continued her non-working work. She has also completed her registration for college with coursework starting in September. She's off to Winnipeg this weekend to enjoy a weekend with a friend, Jolie, who lives there. We have Kristian with us, so it's a busy weekend.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. We started the week with the joy of watching a Rider victory, and last evening suffered through a Rider defeat! However, both games provided some encouragement over the development of the team. Tuesday provided the surprising news that my Employment Insurance had ended. Having not been a user of the same, I didn't understand how it worked! I thought when they said I was eligible until November 2009, that I would be getting money until then—silly me! I have a couple weeks of work helping schools finish their reports to the Ministry, and then I'll reapply, but in reality, I expect it means that I need to push forward even more quickly on the investments program. I am working on my iTrade application this weekend–the final step to getting my pension money into my own hands! Scares me! I had a difficult (albeit successful) week on the markets and now stand at 6.9% gain for five weeks of investing.

The weather has been mixed—a few sunny days mixed between a several rainy days! We enjoyed a evening with the church leadership team out at our friends' place on the lakeshore, and also came home with a load of raspberries—they surely combined well with our rhubarb to make a fine batch of pies!

Wendy has a lead on a good job, so we hope that works out. She has spent a lot of time this week getting a winter trip to Florida arranged, and that looks ready for December. We expect our children and grandchildren to join us for parts of the time there, so we're looking forward to that!

Erin has continued her unemployed working! She seems to be working almost full-time even though she's trying to quit. She has also been setting up her courses that begin in September, and that appears to be coming together well. And, she celebrated her birthday this week; her request was filet at the local stcak house! Kristian got his new ear-pieces this week. These fit well, and have eliminated the annoying whistling the old ones were producing. At least we found it annoying; he never expressed much concern.

Trav has continued with his work and the investment program with me. Both are going well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:21:00 +0000

This weekend finds us back on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown! We drove down from Kenora on Sunday afternoon, and began the process of catching up on the lawns and garden. Erin has been watering and keeping up with the peas and beans, but the rhubarb has overgrown its patch! Then, there are the weeds! So, I have done lots of pulling and hoeing weeds this week. I also picked about half of the rhubarb and got it cut up for freezing. It took some preliminary cuts, but the lawns are about down to regular height now. We've had rain, so they've been really growing.

Of course, Tuesday's featured colonoscopy was a big event, if not exactly a highlight! I started on my purge pills on Sunday evening, and then added Pico-Salax Monday and Tuesday morning. Why would someone give himself diarrhea?! Tuesday afternoon was my appointment at the hospital. I remarked over part of my instructions—"Bring your health card. Do not bring any money or jewelry." I laughed as I shared this with my American-resident brother. He assured me their instructions would be,"Bring your credit card and scrape together whatever money you can!" The nurse installed a needle in the back of my hand in anticipation of the drugs to be administered later, and soon I was wheeled to the operating theatre. I thought they were putting me out, but that didn't happen, so I got to watch their explorations of my nether regions on r large monitor–delightful! The doctor told me he only found a small untoward 'skin-tag' which he excised. I'll have an appointment later to go over the results. The only difficulty coming out of the operation was the air they injected into me to open up passageways; that caused a lot of cramping afterwards. The nurse told me just to go the washroom and let 'er rip! That helped!

We enjoyed our reunion with Travis, Erin & Kristian. It's been a good week as Kristian stayed home with us on two days. Trav and I have continued our investment practice, and also had another Advanced class on Monday evening. I have begun recovery from my disastrous last week; I gained 1.2% and am now at 5.8% gain in four weeks. This was particularly satisfying as the market lost money this week. It also compares well to the expected 0.5% per week; I'm feeling satisfied with our progress. We have also continued to refine our strategy, so we'll see how that goes.

We have received news from Zambia. It is good to hear of events there, even if it isn't all good news. We continue to be very concerned for their well-being, so we always like to be caught up on how things are going. Thanks: BK, Jack, Marti!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:10:00 +0000

Another week has passed, and we have begun the journey back to the shore of Lake Superior and my home town. It has been good to spend the time with the family in Regina. There have been frequent gatherings of various family and friends around the table. I got to try out two salmon planking recipes—both good, but I preferred the ginger-brown sugar one! On Friday, we headed east and are currently in Kenora at Eric/A's—thanks guys! We arrived in time for a lovely supper and then settled in to watch the Riders win in BC; unfortunately, the Lions had other plans and we had to suffer through the ignominy of defeat. Ouch!

Monday was a holiday, so we took the van in Tuesday to continue the repair regulations. It is now set to be repaired next week. I got to practise golf on Thursday for a couple of hours in preparation for the game in Kenora today with Eric. The front nine was quite an enjoyable layout while the back nine was less well thought-out. We enjoyed the game until rain forced us to quit after 14 holes.

The holiday-shortened week led to unusual activity in the markets, but we persisted in trying. Thursday was a very bad day for me, and I ended the week down 1.1% but still up 4.6% for the three weeks that we've been on this latest program. Trav did better and turned a profit without my adventurous influence! I enjoyed getting some feedback and advice from Uncle Bernard while in Regina.

On Wednesday, we drove over to Moose Jaw to celebrate Aunty's 96th birthday. Thank you, Grace & Elvin for hosting us and providing an excellent meal topped off by Saskatoon pie! We also took opportunity to see the famous Chicago Tunnels while we were in Moose Jaw.

We intend to complete the trip home tomorrow. We're looking forward to that, to reuniting with family there and sleeping in our own bed.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 02:57:00 +0000

Another week has passed, spent far from the shore of Lake Superior, my hometown. We began the week in Dauphin where we enjoyed the hospitality of our friends and family there. Bern, Alicia and Logan were also there, so we met briefly with them before they headed to Saskatoon and we headed to Regina on Monday. We thank David & Marilyn for hosting us in Dauphin. As we headed west, we drove by Binscarth where I taught my first year. We enjoyed visiting old friends there. Once in Regina, we moved in at 55 Laird and enjoyed the remainder of the week there, visiting with Rich & Sue, Dave and other relatives and friends. Thanks for hosting us, Dad!

On Wednesday, we drove down to Ogema to visit relatives there, and to check out the recently acknowledged Century Farm, and the Taylor farm (home to Wendy's grandparents and mother) was historically recognized. We enjoyed Uncle Art's wonderful gardens and returned with plenty of vegetables and fruit from his labours. Another notable (lamentable?) incident involved my backing Dad's van into a power pole at the farm! This caused some damage to the left-rear corner of the van and to my sensibilities! At any rate, we enjoyed the visit, the remembrances and the search for other special sites in the K family history.

Bern, Alicia & Logan rejoined us late Thursday night. As a result, we've been able to continue the catch up on their Mexican adventure. We plan to make a few more day trips next week before turning our vehicle back to the east.

Trav and I have continued our investment training and practice. We got back the results on our research project 84.5% and continued our purchases. After two weeks on this simulation, I stand at 5.6% profit. This program just continues to amaze me.

Erin & Kristian have skyped with us a few times. It's good to see them, even if only via video. There are taking care of yard and garden while we're away. Thanks, guys.

We close the week in front of the TV as we enjoy watching the Riders win in Calgary 24-23 as they move into a first place tie. And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Ulrich) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 02:11:00 +0000

It has been quite a week for us as we've travelled from the shore of Lake Superior out to Dauphin. On Sunday, I lamented as Tom Watson bogied the final hole and proceeded to lose the Open in a playoff. Today, I lamented as the Riders lost to Edmonton after enjoying a 22-0 lead! It's a sad life that way sometimes!

On Monday morning, we hosted an Investors Club meeting at our house. The markets rose and we couldn't make our usual buys, but we tried some other options that ended up losing us some money! The investments in the rest of the week went well, and I've ended the first week of the new investments model with a 2.5% gain. So, that was much above expectations! We also had an online investment class in the evening.

We left home on Tuesday and drove up to Kenora to Eric/A's place. We stayed overnight with them, and completed our trip to Dauphin on Wednesday, where we moved in with David & Marilyn—thanks guys! On Thursday, we played a practice round of golf with many of our friends from there, in preparation for a weekend golfing extravaganza. Since we were planning to play 36 holes a day for the next two days, this was certainly over-kill.

Friday was the first day of the Pryder Cup. It was not coming off as planned. There were supposed to be ten Canadians and ten Americans battling for golfing supremacy, but, the Americans could not put up a full team. They only showed up with four players, so we supplemented them with three non-Manitoba players to make it two teams of seven. It became Manitoba against the World. The morning round was two-man scramble. We did commendably and ended up with two of the possible three points. The afternoon we played better ball, and the Manitobans launched their comeback! They earned three of four points and took a lead that they never relinquished! Saturday morning matches resulted in a complete whitewash as we fell behind 8-3, and we only managed a split of Saturday afternoon's matches, so the final score was 12-7.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun, but ninety holes of golf in three days is too much for me! I do remember that in years gone by we often did this sort of foolishness, and even of times when Dick and I would walk and carry our bags for most of five rounds of golf in a weekend—but those days are gone! I have extracted a promise of single-round days of golf in the future Pryder Cups for we senior members! Another good thing that happened provided some relief for my aching right elbow. Kent supplied me a special strap that wraps tightly around my elbow and relieves the tendinitis. It is not so comfortable to wear, but it certainly does provide relief—thanks, Kent! My golfing was not great, but it never is, and I enjoy it anyway! I scored an 84 and an 85 the first two days, but today I was just worn out and only could manage a couple of 94's. Maybe now that I have this elbow strap, I'll manage more than one round a week.

Erin, Kristian and Travis are taking care of things at home. Erin has to work some of the time, and of course Travis works full-time. We miss them while we're away. Travis had a special event last week where he volunteered for the Easter Seals promotion which allowed him to participate in a skating event with the NHL players who are from Thunder Bay. I guess the three Staal brothers are the more famous members of the group, but there are quite a few, so Trav enjoyed meeting them and getting autographs as well as helping with the many children who gathered to skate with their hockey heroes.

And that's the kind of week it's been.