It's That Time of Year Again

Happy HALLOWEEN

Help Mike Aitken!

A very little known fact about my family. I have a cousin, who's married to a man by the name of Mike Aitken. Mike is a world renownd BMX rider. I'll say it again, "World Renownd BMX Rider". He does it for a living. He's good, really good. He lives in a big house with a wife and his son, Owen. He's doing so well for himself, the worst thing that could happen would be an accident.

It happened, with nightmarish results.

As of this post, Mike is in the hospital after suffering an accident, causing a brain stem injury. Due to his line of work, he's uninsurable and the hospital bills are expected to be in the hundreds of thousands. Please, help.

Special Thanks to: 5050BMX and Athlete Recovery Fund for setting up the fund to help his recovery, Odyssey, Fit Bike Co. and FOX Racing for setting up support shows and VIP auctions to raise money for his fund. More thanks to Rockstar, Lotek and all his friends across the world.

You can keep up-to-date on his condition by visiting http://www.mikeaitken.com.

It's How The Big Boys Gamble

I'm going to try and buy Washington Mutual (WAMUQ) Stock for $0.06 per share. I'm going to try and buy 248 shares. Cost: $14.88 + fees. So, for just over $20.00 I'm going to own 248 shares of this stock.

Currently, Washington Mutual is in bankruptcy. There are "$32.9 billion in assets and $8 billion in debt" to be bought up, hopefully by the U.S. Government. If so, it could jump the price of the stock to and estimated $14.00 per share.

I spent just over $20. If I were in Las Vegas, this could be a single High Roller slot machine or a pretty large bet on Blackjack for a single game. But, my stock market odds are better. If the stock sells for even $10 per share, I'll have $2480 dollars for my $20 investment. Awesome! If it sells for $14, then $3472.00. But the gamble is dependent on the Feds. This is Big Boy gambling. If it looses, I'm out a mere, $20.

I've also bought a little in Deutsche Telekom (DT) which is the same company as T-Mobile. I bought some of their stock because in November, they'll be launching the new phone with the Google (GOOG) Android OS to compete with the iPhone. I was going to invest in Google itself, but didn't have enough. So, I bought DT at about $14.00 per share, it's now at $12.00 but I'm hopeful.

Finally, I bought a few shares of AT&T (T), because I believe in AT&T. I've been with them since before Cingular. I've got a loyalty to them. Plus, I have an iPhone.

I can't justify it.

As you've learned in the past, I'm currently studying to be an engineer, specifically Electronic. My college currently only provides APE's in Electrical. The difference between the two? Here's my version: Electrical Engineers are the engineers who can design huge substations and power grids for supporting large communities with electricity. They come up with new plans for generators, their possible outputs and maintenance. Electronic is much smaller. Like calculators, GPS tracking systems and electronic gadgets that fuel todays gadget addicted CIA, MI6 an KGB operatives. Fun stuff.

Why did I decide this? I don't know. I think I decided when a friend told me how much it's possible to make, or rather, his boss made doing this kind of stuff, but my friend himself isn't remotely close. Plus, it requires computers and a highly-detail oriented, inventive mind, which I have. So, why not?

Now, about 3 years into it and not even half way through a pre-engineering degree, I'm beginning to wonder if it's what I really want. Here's why:

I've been running out of stuff to do at work. So, in my moments of being idle, I've been dabbling with Photoshop. It might also be useful to know that I've always loved art: illustration, sculpture, painting ... you name it and I love it. Ever since I was 10 I've sketched, drawn, studied, watched and surrounded myself with all kinds of art. I've taken every possible art class offered in every possible school year I could and still maintain my minimum credits. All my electives have been art. So, when I'm idle, I naturally gravitate to it. It might also be of note to mention that my family has a history of artists.

So, I've been dabbling in photoshop and posted some stuff online, only about three pieces. But I see other stuff and think, wow ... I can do that. It's what I love, truely. In my heart of hearts, in the core of me, I find art. It beats with my life. But, I could never do it for a living. Because when you depend on it for survival, it no longer becomes fun. When you have to change yourself just so you can sell a piece and eat for a week, it changes everything. When someone pays you to do it, rather than pay you for what you've done, they become your art. You're freedom becomes bent, your vision becomes askew and it changes you. It's no longer your art.

I also think I would just be too afraid of starving to death.

So, I dabble. I make my own. But I'm tormented because I've always felt that, people create art as a form of expression. Like talking, to make others aware of you're presence. To incite emotion, the same emotion, you felt when you were making it, so that they could understand, and in doing so, relate to you, forming a connection. It's so breif and yet, so powerful, that they cannot help but fall in love with it, the connection. So, they buy the piece, and whenever they want to feel that again, all they have to do is open their eyes, and there it is.

I would surely starve.

But, I can't help but wonder, if being an Engineer is what I really want. If it's what I'm supposed to be doing to make my life complete.