What's Up Wednesday?

"South Park" TV show is hilariously moronic & fun. A "must Tivo". Thanks, Mern.

Got a new "Vista" computer (Dell) - so far, it's OK. The big screen (22") is interesting - at highest resolution, it's still readable at 4 feet when I swing my chair. I wonder if I can get rid of one or more of the three quad monitor setups I have now over time? Have to experiment.

AA had good earnings. I don't like that company - no position.

XLE in blue sky territory. XLE has broken up out of the ascending triangle. The weekly chart shows an uptrend channel. But I would NOT add to positions here. Those stocks correct violently. I manage my positions on energy & materials stocks using "buy dips, sell rips" tactics.

After viewing many charts over a few years, I think high volume is primarily a turning point indicator, and means little for trend confirmation. That's what Jesse Livermore thought, too. Stocks can move up in blue sky territory on light volume & it's still real buyers. Ditto for indices and ETFs.

FOMC minutes today at 2PM EDT. Those are important, as is the PPI on Friday.

PS: I checked the 3-2-1 crack spread & it's enormous, now at 24, vs. 11-13 base level. With the hole dug for gasoline inventories & demand increasing soon, I have a hard time seeing how they can catch up. I suspect the formula rules are creating havoc, and they make importing harder.

Homeowner Purgatory

I've been in homeowner purgatory for about ten weeks and expect to be there another month. That's what home remodeling is, sheer endless torments. Whether you own a house or a condo, when one remodels, everything is aggravation & stress. At least I have reliable people to do the work. For ten weeks, I've had people working here - that's tough for a natural recluse like me ;-) We've been repainting, putting up new wallpaper, installing new "window treatments" (ugh, what a term to denote $$$), refinishing cabinets, replacing old fixtures, rebuilding a sunroom, and the ultimate torture - the new kitchen countertop.

Arghhhhhhhh!!! Replacing a kitchen countertop is an endless burden, like that of Sisyphus in Hades. We're putting in a new granite countertop. First you pick out a new sink & faucet & granite type. Then you pay a large sum to a worthless middleman. Then you endure out-of stock conditions, etc. and delivery delays to mess up the timing of your project. Then drive miles to an industrial building to select your actual slab. Then you have your plumbing disconnected & old sink removed. Then you take off the old countertop. So now you have no workable kitchen. Then the granite people create a "template" of your countertop. You need to check this as you have a large sum riding on it. Then you get your new sink delivered and - arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh - it's not the advertised size. So you have to re-order. More delays and no kitchen. So the new sink arrives & you have to take it to the granite cutting building (an hour's drive each way) so they have its shape. There you approve the layout of the template so unfavorable occlusions are cut out. Then you beg for a nearby install date so you don't have to wait TWO MORE WEEKS with no kitchen. Next Wednesday for me is the date. So now I have to call the plumber & get him in as soon as possible thereafter to hook up the faucet & sink. After that, I still have the tile work to have done. Endless torment.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Mad Magazine

I admit it - I subscribe to Mad Magazine at age 52. It's great fun. I get cheap laughs and some exposure to popular culture. Uh, it requires reading, so I suppose the circulation is dropping ;-)

It's a little different than when I read it at age 12 (or less). The magazine is in color now & has some ads (well-disguised and they fit the style well).

This month's cover had Alfred E. Newman picking his nose with two middle fingers and some guy named Dane Cook flipping the reader off with two middle fingers. That must be some TV show thing.

Anyway, they still have Spy vs. Spy and the Mad Look at ______. This month's was a Mad Look at Insects. One panel that really made me "lol" has a guy in a control room in a uniform seeing a fly buzz around. He watches it & gets ready to hit it, and then smacks it on the desk. The last panel shows an ICBM launching. roflmao.

See how idiotic & just funny it can be. Try it.

The Cold February

This February might become the coldest since 1979 according to the private weather service I receive. I offered to wager Mrs. Bunkerman that within 30 days we hear a major news story blaming the cold on .... global warming and man. She declined the offer - she's too smart.

End of the World

I used to be an investment banker on "The Street", working mostly in corporate finance specializing in secured debt. Many moons ago one of the lawyers we relied on for excellent papers and fine advice gave me the following humorous language (based on language for a paragraph in a Deed of Trust for secured debt documents) -->>

"47. End of the World. Upon the occurrence of the End of the World before full payment of the Notes and all other indebtedness secured hereby, the Notes and all other indebtedness shall, at Beneficiary’s option, become immediately due and payable and Beneficiary shall have all of the rights and remedies provided by this Deed of Trust or as otherwise available under applicable law or other forms of justice. For the purposes of exercising such rights and remedies, Beneficiary shall be deemed to be aligned with the forces of light and Trustor shall be deemed to be aligned with the forces of darkness, regardless of Trustor’s and Beneficiary’s actual ultimate destinations, unless and until Beneficiary shall elect otherwise in writing. "

We always enjoyed this and marking it up to include certain parties with the "forces of light" or "forces of darkness". By the way, Beneficiary is the lender and Trustor is the borrower - you can see that our lawyer represented the lenders :-))