*OFF TOPIC* Staying sane while waiting?

[TawnyardMember]

Hi, I just realised that I’ve wasted about three or four days straight, scouring the internet for bullishness. Searching for any glimmer of hope that we’ll escape these dreaded doldrums. I guess I’m not alone in that.

I’d like to hear what some of you do to stay sane. Maybe your hobbies or interests. Do you focus on family,  or your social life? Work? DIY? Prepping?

I used to read books. I loved the classics. Now I just read metals blogs and technical forecasts. : (

I go hiking a lot. I’ve got a mountain bike and a snowboard, but I don’t use them much. I enjoy camping. I take a 4 x 4 up into the mountains and disappear for a week at a time. I’m searching for my perfect bugout location. My dream homestead. I also get a kick out of multitools and maps. My latest craze is for torches. I love excessive candlepower.

Any other candlepower freaks out there?

[MaryBMember]

Buy and stack while the price is down, bargain hunt auctions etc.

[TawnyardMember]

@MaryB LOL! Okay. Whatever keeps you sane, I guess. : )  Erm…. do you hunt for anything not related to PMs?

[MaryBMember]

Astronomy, competitive BBQ twice a year, my annual 4th of July party takes 2 months to plan and execute, regular hunting, target shooting, working on my 130 year old house… did I mention I am disabled and a lot of this is very hard on me?

[Truth Over HypeMember]

Dude, what are all you stackers so down about?

 

How can you be down or in the doldrums or whatever when you “know” you will be rich soon.

WHY would you care?  Shouldn’t you see all this “down time” as extra chances to “stack?”

 

And, I’m serious.  Not kidding.

 

I mean, I thought stackers were in this to get as much “phyzzz” as possible at these “manipulated” prices. So, why arent you HAPPY?

 

Now, I admit that with all the promises, guarantees, and stories you’ve been told, you might think your s ship is DUE to come in ANY DAY NOW.

 

But, seriously, stop talking like a day trader, right?  Just enjoy all this extra stacking time and just give the doc some more money for his “phyzzz.”

 

And, no, I’m not kidding. I’m serious. I do NOT understand why ANY of you would be down.
Unless…

 

And, this is crazy, I know.

 

Unless, you really don’t BELIEVE that fiat you keep piling into silver is “worthless.”  You know, like if you really were hoping for that big “cha ching” moment when you could CASH out…

 

Nah, that’s crazy talk.

So, all things considered, I really don’t understand why any stacker would EVER be down.   I mean, if silver goes UP vs the “worthless fiat” dollar, that makes stacker HAPPY.  And, if it goes down, I’ve heard that stacker will just hold all the way to zero and just keep stacking more.

 

No joking.  No sarcasm.

 

Seems like true stackers should love every down day ahead.

 

Unless I don’t understand the mythos correctly.

[MaryBMember]

BTW my icon is a picture of the orion nebula that I took

 

[TawnyardMember]

@MaryB Wow. That photo is awesome! Thanks for posting it. Astronomy was a hobby of mine when I was a kid. I never got to use a powerful telescope like that. I applied to study Astrophysics in London, but ended up doing regular physics because I figured it was easier, and would lead to more job opportunities. I do love the stars, though. I hope to do some photography like Ben Canales when I can upgrade my camera body to a high ISO model. Check out his photography at TheStarTrail.com and his amazing photostream at 500px.com. It’s the sort of imagery that captures my imagination and fills me with optimism for the future.

I would love to know what competitive barbecuing is. 

[undeRGRoundMember]

@Truth Over Hype

I have 6 figures tied up in the stock/bond markets. Literally. Our union’s fund was tied up in Putnam and we were losing money while everyone else was riding up the slippery fiat slope, fueled by the housing bubble. I was PO’ed, making virtually nothing, and then the damn thing burst. Lost 33% of the entire thing. I did my homework, yeah, turned it in late, but I finally sat down and re-allocated my funds. You see, I had everything set the way I wanted it, then our “fearless leader” decided to switch us over to Putnam. Then those worthless ba$turds did their own automatic re-allocation, without permission… fortunately, Obama (through the SEC) forced the sale of Putnam.

He did at least 1 thing right LOLz!

But I had righted a sinking ship. Got ALL my fiat funds back in 6 months, and a small profit to boot. Pays to do your homework! The new fund manager has lots of great things we can do with our money, except… not in OUR Fund!

Someone needs to pay for that. I have access to the same fund that I made a 53% increase with, but it is flat now.

I cannot get out of this POS fund, unless I Die or get disabled… Or retire @ 55, and I’m too young!

So I found that everyone was buying Gold. Sounds great, says I, but it’s awfully expensive. ~$1300/Toz! OUCH!

Then I checked Silver… Wow! Mighty Cheap! I also knew that the old GSR was quite a ways out of line, so I researched that. I felt that the markets were just going to bleed us dry slowly and painfully, and PM’s were a safe haven. I bought $2500 in Silver. GSR was 70:1, and I pulled the trigger. Guess What? SILVER GOES DOWN!!!

Guess what I did? Bought about $2-3k MORE. Junk Silver. Even Better. Kept stacking, but mostly around $20-22

and while I bought my biggest share @ $16, my DCA was around 18-20. Then Silver peaked @ $48!  Not a day trader, I’m a stacker, but I think the highest I bought silver was $36… and I just got around $500 more here at $30.

 

 

@ Tawnyard

KEEPING SANE: Prepping, Buying Guns and Ammo (sorry Tawny…) and working on my renewable energy stuff. Cutting edge! I also work full time (OverTime, Actually!) and have a decent social life. I am not waiting for anything, I am still hopeful that things will happen to make this get better. Like even Rush Limbaugh said (in a commercial, or other quote, I do not listen to his show) He said this: “We are now beyond bailing ourselves out of this mess. We must now be saved by events, either natural or supernatural, but we are beyond the point of no return, under our own power.” I paraphrased that, but I AGREE that we are beyond our own ability to save our economy, short of biting the bullet and diving headlong into a deflationary spiral. Which would depose ALL politicians that are responsible, and maybe even those who are not.

I believe it is possible to profit from coming events, but to do so (without allowances to help our fellow man & woman) would be immoral. One thing I have started is getting extra items that I can hand out, like small LED “torches”, knives, tools, antibiotics, small packaged foods, and small survival items. Something that could be passed on to someone that just needs a helping hand.

 

Multi tools, Candlepower, Energy Storage,  :D

Some of my Favorite Things LOL! We are a lot alike in these areas, Tawny.

I have a 1,000,000 CP rechargeable 12V spotlight, got it for $7 at Pep Boys.

I want to take it apart and give it my Pulse Charge treatment, it is an off-shoot of my

Free Energy experiments, and batteries really LOVE IT! They last longer than new

fresh batteries, in overall life and discharge cycle times. Great Benefits! I have observed

125% capacity after 5-6 cycles. On new batteries. Great for Flashlights, or TORCHES

 

Chill @MaryB, I’m only claiming 125% capacity, not OverUnity, not here at least LOLz! Still working on that. Unrelated to batteries. Too many people cry FOUL if it involves batteries. I tend to agree. Clouds the issue. I know what works, what does not and what I can use to make my life better and simpler at the same time. I should get by pretty well on the stuff I have, if I add just a few more things. You have help me by showing us here @ SD how you do it! THANKS MARYB!

 

@ All:

Staying SANE is not the problem, I came to grips with that several years ago. Dr. and therapist basically said I had bi-polar tendencies, with a generous serving of narcissism on the side So I researched bi-polar, and found it was almost strictly an issue of not getting enough B-12, and that pretty much handles it. Also, refrain from too much caffeine or other stimulating items. Whew! Does that put me “in context”? lol

I hope we all find a way to stay in touch if the Big Reset knocks out the internet or something like that,

Shortwave, Anyone?

 

[AGXIIKMember]

Hi T and B.  You are really incredible ladies.  Self reliant and way smarter on the essentials than me.  Flashlights–copy that.  and anything else that lights up the world

Staying sane.  Assuming I’m sane–wife and family might disgree but then a little Hypomania goes a long way.   Running a business part time, reading and studying anything that interests me, particularly the new information that references what we discuss regularly, is a great way to keep my mind occupied.  There is a massive amount of material to cover.  That takes 6 hours plus a day.  Having a few other interests like community volunteer work, Rotary and LEO, is good activity.  Being involved with other people of like minded interests is a great way of having important touchstones in one’s/my life

My best to everyone fighting the good fight.  SD is good place to make those stones touch. 

Gloom and doom? Plenty of that. It’s pretty undeniable and this in coming from a very optimistic person (me)  Those are macroscopic subjects. 

Local and neighborhood matters are more bullish since our  friends don’t take the national and international problems quite so seriously.  We have some good fun and laughs.  That puts the nasty stuff in perspective. 

Gloom and doom is more like watching the weather report. It’s good to know what’s coming and make plans to deal with it.  But the weather is the weather. It doesn’t care what we think.   Obsessing over it won’t change it.  Being aware of it is a good idea, however.  All my best to you

[MammothMember]

Great posts all!  As to having a hobby (which is actually more than just a hobby) to keep sane – I have a garden with greenhouses & fruit trees.  This past 3-day weekend I found enough time between the Pacific NW rainfalls to plant Garlic.

Tomorrow – per my annual New Year’s Day tradition – I will start cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage & lettuce seeds in pots.  Once they sprout, these are grown under lights for 5 weeks and then trnsplanted out inside the greenhouses.

Other interests?  Raising a small child while imparting her what knowledge I have.  Stacking.  Prepping.  Working on becoming more self-sifficient; still have quite a ways to go…

 

Best to all here in 2013.

-Mammoth

[TawnyardMember]

Blimey, I never thought my thread would lead to so many frank admissions of near insanity. I must be in the right place!  #FeelsLikeComingHome

Tawny (beaming around the room)

[TawnyardMember]

I’ve often wondered if my avid interest in preparedness and all things gadgety could be anything to do with OCPD traits.
@undeRGRound I see you’ve replied to TOH. There was no need. The best thing you can do with a troll is pretend not to notice. Besides, he’s missed the point completely. Doldrums means becalmed, as in the days of sailing ships, when the winds died down. Even so, we have plenty of reason to worry, because we see the big picture. It’s not just about stacking. Are you sure you can’t get control of your pension? I’ve gotten control of mine, although I had to use a loophole.

@AGXIIK You flatter us. LOL! And I don’t believe for one moment that you’re not prepped up to the eyeballs and don’t know a P7 from a T6. It sounds like you’ve got your life up together, and that’s great.

@Mammoth You can grow stuff. I am JEALOUS. I’ve got a steep learning curve on that ahead of me. For now, I’m focusing on learning economics and investing. Skills come next…

[AGXIIKMember]

OCD and Bi Polar has run in our family for a couple of generations.  I got just a light touch of it–just enough to be a usable tool in business and mental focus, not so much as to make life difficult like those who suffer tremendously under these two maladies. I have heard there are many natural remedies to help reduce the symptoms.  Regretfully my family self medicated with alcohol and adult pharma.  Not a good solution.

It does seem to fade with time so that is helpful if other remedies don’t work.  One thing it does produce is a great deal of mental and physical energy that can be useful if channeled in productive fashions.

[TawnyardMember]

I was being tongue-in-cheek. However, I have noticed there’s a certain type of person. I conform. I like:

Preparedness and lists
Kits (Kits for the car, for the rucksack, for the tent, for the home, for emergencies, for real emergencies, for really big emergencies, etc…)
Rucksacks and holdalls
Medicine and first aid items
Torches and fire making equipment
Knives and multitools
Worrying (goes hand in hand with nagging)
Gadgets
Redundancy in everything. Can you have too many torches or GPS units or batteries?
Hoarding (did I mention hoarding?)
4×4 vehicles with kits…
Knowledge and books
Tents and sleeping bags
Tidiness.
Boxes for everything.
Clear plastic zip up pencil cases – oh thank you Walmart!!!!
Minimalism (to hide what’s on the inside and give an appearance of calm)

Oh dear. Having said that, I’d be surprised if few people here identify with me. I just try to keep it all in check, especially during times of stress. Useful hoarding. Sensible kits. Not too much talking about precious metals….

 

[AGXIIKMember]

Nothing wrong with that at all.

  My wife likes all those things, with backups to the back ups and lists, checked twice. I handle the hardware, she handles the soft ware (computers, food, cats etc)  We are mutual on the phyzz.

 This are qualities of our grandparents before super markets, Costco, Tesoro, Walmart.  40% of US population lived on farms in those days.  Self reliance was not something that seemed like a ‘good idea’  that we might get around to some day

 It was  a matter of whether you survived and thrived in normal or trying times.  People who prep are no more of less than people who value the old time values and necessities that help us past rough patches.  Unfortunately, most people have drifted far from those safer shores.  I consider the people who have the foresight and thoughtfulness to be aware and prepared as normal.  Those who don’t are the ones who are a little ‘tetched’

[TawnyardMember]

@AGXIIK LOL! You’re quite right.

My dad was raised on a farm, and my mum grew up in a rural cottage with few modern comforts. I guess that’s where it comes from. We’ve never been city folk. I feel peaceful when I’ve got the damp mountain turf under my feet, and my rucksack on my back. I’ll be on my own smallholding farm before this decade is over.

[MaryBMember]

I grew up in a poor family, big garden and food preservation was just something we did. Butchering a couple cattle a year at my grandparents farm for beef for the family of 7.  Fishing and hunting to add to the protein supply. It was just something we did to survive on not a lot of money. Doing that let my parents purchase their first home in the 70′s, build a new one in 1979, buy and remodel (gave me a job during the 80′s recession) 3 rentals 4 years later. Made me self sufficient as much as possible even now when I am disabled.

2 years ago building my observatory kept me occupied for a year, can only do a couple hours work before my spine gives out and lands me in massive pain

 

 

 

 

[undeRGRoundMember]

BEAUTIFUL Observatory! Clamshell Roof, Sweeet!

Amazing

[undeRGRoundMember]

@AGXIIK: Herbal remedy that I find helps a lot, St. John’s Wort. If you know someone that could use it. Standardized works best.

One really cool side effect of being Bi-Polar and working on Radiant Energy experiments, is that I seemed to gain energy while doing these tests, and getting much less sleep! Just like Tesla wrote in his notes. I experienced these effects before I read of his sleep habits, he was so into the energy testing that he would sleep 2-3 hours a day and work 20+ for weeks. It is GREAT!

Not sure if it is totally due to the experiments, but it is exhilarating.

 

 

[AGXIIKMember]

RGR I sent you a mesage backchannel re your comments.  Working 20 hrs a day or a couple of days straight was commonplace in my day. One thing I found was it produced so much cortisol and without enough sleep, I found my weight for 30 years.   Sleep is a good thing to help remove stress.

[undeRGRoundMember]

@Tawnyard: I like the candlepower, have you seen the standard (incandescent)  torch that can fry an Egg?

It has a great parabolic reflector, and makes a very bright, noticeable Beam on video.

I like the 1 million candlepower. I like (and have had) several powerful automobiles. Not that I have to “compensate” for anything.  ;)  I now concentrate on fuel efficiency. That is a big and worthy challenge! Another of my prior hobbies (more like obsessions) was building and designing high performance automotive packages for an engine that had virtually NO AFTERMARKET. It was so much fun doing what had never been done! Now I like Efficiency. Took a big V8 Cadillac from 19 mpg to a solid repeatable 26 MPG. I actually got over 27 on a long road trip, but forgot to reset the computer that had a 24.3 semi-long trip already logged. It climbed to 26.0 on the interstate. So I figure 27+, maybe? Your European economy figures are weird. Liters per 100 km. So  smaller number is better, meaning less gas to go 62 miles LOL! I understand it, but it’s bass-ackwards to my normal thinking.

You asked how I keep sane, I guess it is engineering things that normal engineers will not / cannot do! LOL

I’m sure some of them have done better, but the oil oligarchy will not let massive gains be realized just yet.

When the Chevy Volt came out, GM’s first big announcement was  230 MPG! and now it is strictly down under 100. But the 230 is quite feasible, on an extended road trip with available technologies. Remember Raser Technology? Had that big roll-out in California? The Guvenator Arnold Schwarzenegger was all over that, and it just faded away… they had a BIG Full Size extended cab 4×4 that reportedly got 33 MPG on Gas over Electric.

That means Gas Engine generating Electric Power for an electric drive motor. Used a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder to drive a genny. Big media day and all that, but they killed it AFAIK. Big Oil is too BIG!  

[undeRGRoundMember]

Now you got me talking all crazy again   lol  ;)

[undeRGRoundMember]

PS: Thanks AGX!

 

I am not currently doing this, I think that maybe it was just a phase.

[undeRGRoundMember]

@ Tawnyard:

 

TRuth Over l-lype

The 2 L’s have a hyphen between. YES! I Broke the CODE!!!

[MammothMember]

@undeRGRound, thanks for sharing those notes about your projects.  A stream runs across my property, and ther are tw locations where it would be possible to put in a waterwheel-powered generator.  There is a book out there titled, “Microhydro;” will eventually get around to picking up a copy and moving forward on this.

 

BTW, back in the 70′s there was a “Mother Earth New” article written by a guy who converted a V8 to run on only four cylinders.  It was a Mopar 383, and he claimed to have increases his gas mileage by 40%.  Not sure if it would be possible to perform such a conversion on the newer fuel-injected, computer-controlled engines of today, though.

 
Just give me back my 1967 Pontiac LeMans convertible, which I paid $300 for and drove it for 13 years until some idiot smashed into it after it had racked up nearly 320,000 miles.  It was as reliable as any new car out there today, and it didn’t have all this electronic sh!t…computers, sensors that crap out and cost hundreds of $$$ to diagnose & replace.  Fvck computerized climate control, automatic windshield wipers and give me windows that crank open & closed, the floor-mounted headlight dimmer switch, and that knob next to your knee that you pull on to open the floor vent.  Oh and give us back those wing-windows on the front doors too.
 

Sorry…got carried away there…

[Author]

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