Monday, October 31, 2011

Day 685 - Halloween

We didn't do any Halloween pet pictures for Dalmatian Rescue this year. Last year, there was a tornado warning during our photo event and nobody came. The year before, we were at Unleashed Indoor Dog Park and I photographed a boatload of animals in costumes. I enjoy taking pictures of animals in costumes, but I'll be the first to admit that it's an acquired taste. A lot of people seem to think that dressing up a dog isn't "serious" photography. I tell these people to look at William Wegman. His whimsical portraits of his Weimaraners Man Ray and Fay Ray are hanging in some of the best museums in the country.

Without silly looking dogs to photograph, Halloween was just an ordinary day. I wrote another watch article and then tried to make sense of the 2012 enrollment documents I had to fill out before the end of the day to continue my health insurance plan. These enrollment documents are always confusing for me, since I am both the employer and the employee in my health insurance plan. Should I check the box that says "Employer will pay 100% of the cost and the employee pays nothing," or should I check the box that says "Employer pays nothing and the employee pays 100% of the cost? Actually, whatever box I check I end up paying exactly the same: way too much.

In September, my broker convinced me to buy some inverse positions to protect myself against a serious market downturn that he though was imminent. I sold those positions at a loss this week after one of the best bull runs this year. Go figure. I'm very discouraged by my results in the market this year. Basically, I still don't see many positive things about the economy in real life, so I'm easily swayed by bearish arguments. On the other hand, I know that traders are becoming increasingly sophisticated at gaming the system and turning bad news into a profit. I still believe in the old "buy low, sell high" adage, but when the lows and highs occur on the same day, it's real hard to keep up with things.

Until I figure out the intricacies of investing, I'll continue to plug away at copywriting and photography. I think the dogs have a much easier life.

Roxie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day