Should I buy gold?

So lately I have been really interested in investing and economics in general. My eyes have shifted towards the stock market where people go who are looking for the best possible gains on their investments, but also risk having their worst loses. I have been learning more in depth what drives the stock market and that leads me to learn about what drives economies and dollars. It is all very interesting stuff to know. I would like to dabble in the market someday.

Like anything, I don't like to just dive in. I want to make sure I know exactly what I am doing (like Warren Buffet :) That is why I am doing a lot of research before I even think about making the leap.

The little I have learned brought my attention to gold. Gold is said to be a hedge when the markets are dropping. Investors buy gold when they foresee troubled waters in the economy. For example: the violent protests in Egypt could drive up the price of gold because investors fear the instability it could cause. Other extremists buy gold because they fear the end times and gold will be the only way they can buy food, water and shelter when the paper dollar has no value. I see gold as being an good option when one thinks the value of the US dollar will go down. I think with all of the spending the US government has done and continues to do it will be very hard for them to keep inflation down. When inflation rises here, it is difficult to keep the US dollar competative with foreign currencies (granted larger economies like China, Brazil, and most of Europe are struggling with inflation as well, and if they are inflating faster than the US the US dollar might stay strong even though the US economy is inflating) I see problems on the horizon with the price of corn, soybeans, and other major commodities so high, the price of gas rising and continuing to rise, it will be difficult for businesses to make money. They will pass on higher costs to the consumer who will not be able to consume as much because they don't have the money to do so with unemployment at about 9% (not including those who stopped looking for jobs). I guess what I am saying is that I think the value of the dollar will decrease a lot in this next year. (Then again, this will probably be true in many other nations as well) If there were an equation to buy gold, this would be it.

I am not blogging to talk about what drives gold. I am thinking about buying gold and I had a peculiar dream last night. I was walking through a meadow near dusk. As I was walking throught the tall grass, I saw 3 wolf cubs. I was frightened because I didn't want to meet their mother or the others in the pack. So I rounded my walk at a brisk pace. Luckily they did not see me and I felt safe. When I felt more safe I realized I was walking near a cornfield to my right. It was slowly getting darker. Then out of nowhere, the wolves came running past me only this time they were not cubs, but they were full grown, adult, hungry wolves. I stopped in fear. They ran past me into the first few rows of corn. Then they stopped and looked back at me and showed their teeth as their mouths salivated. They began walking toward me as I stood in the meadow frozen in fear. They slowly began circling me as I spun in a slow circle trying to defend myself from all angles. Then the first wolf jumped towards me. It tackled me to the ground and I desperately tried to defend myself as the wolf violently tried to kill me. Then I realized in my right hand I was holding a swiss army knife (I gave the groomsmen and ushers in my wedding swiss army knives as a gift). With this knife I stabbed it into the wolf's belly and ripped downward spewing out the internal organs of the wolf. It lay dead before me as I stood up and the other wolves ran off. I was pretty excited that I had just killed a wolf with a swiss army knife and wanted to tell everyone I knew. Then I was suddenly transported to an entirely different scene.

Here I was with a group of 4 other explorers. It must have been cold because we were all wearing large jackets with fur around the brim of the hood and fur gloves, but I did not feel cold. I think we were exploring a sunken wooden ship underwater, probably a pirate ship. I think we were underwater, but everything else was normal like we were on land. The ship was broken in half and the 2 halves were leaning inward like a V shape. Then one of the explorers in my group found a large bar of gold and raised it high into the air with her right hand. We did not know where she found it nor did we bother to see if there was more gold. Then I realized what we were exploring, it was a large circular hole in the middle of the ship. The hole was large and spread across the width of the ship. The explorer who found the gold took the gold and threw it into the hole. I wondered why she had done this so I looked into the hole and was amazed at what I saw. In this hole I saw water and it looked as though there were many levels of the ship that were underwater and the hole went on far beyond what I could see. In the many levels of ships were a mass amount of sharks! Some were large and some were small. There was one shark that was unimaginably massive, I couldn't help feeling like that is the shark we were looking for and many more like it. (This was the only extremely large shark I saw). Then I had this feeling that the woman who had thrown the gold into the hole was either looking to satisfy the hunger of the sharks or was trying to attract the sharks. I could not tell which one was true. Seeing all of these sharks, especially the large one frightened me greatly. I don't remember if the gold had a marking nor how much she threw into the hole. The number 75K does seem familiar though. This could be a weight or a value or a marking, I don't know. I do vaguely remember her throwing in more gold to the sharks as I looked down the hole and I watched the gold slowly sink down the hole as little air bubbles floated to the surface as the gold sank.

This was the end of my dream and I woke up with a strange feeling that this dream was somewhat prophetic. Now, I do not know what it means, but I had an errie feeling about gold.

One Love,
Danger

Thunder and Lightning heart check

So last night there was a crazy thunderstorm! The thunder and lightning were ferocious! There was one strike that woke me up and a crash so loud I thought I was going to die. I am not kidding. I literally though the lightning was going to hit a tree and it was going to fall on me in my sleep. I was pretty scared. I began praying in the middle of the night that God would protect me.

The interesting part though, was my emotions when I thought the end was near. Part of me was like, "ok God, I am coming home." The other part was, "No, please don't take me now. I am not ready to go." I was a little surprised by the second part of my emotions. I always thought that when death is near, I would take it like a soldier and embrace the next part of my journey. I think the big reason I was hesitant to be taken was Laura. I immediately thought about Laura and how I would miss her and how I want to spend my life with her. I didn't want to be shorted out of that experience.

This is kinda a heart check. Are my priorities straight? For the most part I would say yes. I think this view of death, take me now, please don't take me, is healthy as bi-polar as that sounds. We should be prepared for death at any point in time because it can happen at any point in time and eventually it will happen. But I don't know if we should want to die. I know there are greater things to come, but there are good things here. God gave us life and we should live it, but we should not cling to this life. I remember reading the Psalms and David spoke about how we should enjoy this life and something about grandchildren are a good thing, no reference :)

I remember when I first came to Christ. There were several occasions when I told my parents seriously "I would rather die." Or I would say, "it is better to die." Not in a suicidal way, but in a "To die is gain" way. I neglegted the first part of that verse in Galatians "To live is Christ." I did not realize that life is beautiful and that we should want to live on this earth. It is godly to desire to live a long life.

I have reconciled death. I am comfortable with it, and I know that heaven will be awesome. Seeing God will be the pinnacle of any experience we can fathom. But at the same time, I want to live a long life here on earth and see my children, grandchildren, and Lord willing my great-grandchildren grow.

What I am trying to say is we should not take anything for granted, life or death.

Live like you will die, but also like you will live.

The problem with live like today is your last, is that we tend to make really stupid long term decisions if there will be no consequences for those decisions.

So I say "Live like today is your last, but also your first." For we don't know what the next day has in store.


One Love,
Danger

LeBron James

I am in serious doubt that LeBron will sign with Cleveland. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh said they were going to play in Miami. There was no agreement on the contract. This leads me to believe LeBron will sign with Miami too because usually they agree upon terms before they release that they are signing. The reason is, I think they are waiting for LeBron to declare who he will sign with. He is holding a live press conference at 8pm CST tonight. Wade and Bosh are respecting James by not coming out with their terms because that would let us know where James is signing and that would decrease the ratings for this one hour special on ESPN.

The three: Wade, Bosh, and James met in June regarding playing together and just to hang out because they are friends. I have a feeling they will be playing together and will win several championships together.

There is still a chance James will sign with Cleveland, but it looks less likely. As far as my prediction from the last post...we will see come 8pm tonight...

One Love,
Danger

NBA Free Agency

I don't know if you know what is going on in the NBA right now, but many say this is the deepest free agency since the current salary cap started in 1984. Some of the marquee names who can switch teams and sign a new contract are: Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, David Lee, Dirk Nowitzki (IDK if this is spelled right), Paul Pierce, and many other key players to their current teams. This summer has the potential to completely shake up the NBA. Powerhouses can become bottom feeders and bottom feeders can become contenders. There are many scenarios about what COULD happen, but what will happen might be quite different.

Amare already verbally agreed to join the Knicks, that means Lee is probably not going back to New York.

Rudy Gay, who the Timberwolves were targeting agreed to resign with the Grizzlies.

Dirk is back in Dallas.

Paul Pierce took a pay cut to return to Boston, I expect Ray Allen to return as well, he may move though.

Joe Johnson agreed to a max contract with Atlanta.

The big names: Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Boozer, and Lee have not agreed to go anywhere yet.

This is what I expect to happen:

Lebron will resign with the Cavs, Bosh will not play with Wade or Lebron, and Wade stay with Miami who will get Lee or Boozer.

Mark my words, Lebron will retire a Cav. He is not leaving Ohio. The summer of change will be the summer of resigning and there will be no power shift in the NBA the same way there will be no polar shift in the year 2012, but there will be a lot of speculation up until then.

Lebron will bring a championship to Cleveland, which has not won a championship in 40+ years. It is just a matter of time, maybe Hickson will be his second hand man when he matures a little. They will win the title though. These are strong predictions, but this is just what I think will happen.

One Love,
Danger

"No Greater Love"

I just finished reading "No Greater Love" by Mother Teresa. She was an amazing woman and had some amazing things to say. I found this quote in the section on love to be very powerful. Many people are looking to do the next big thing, like be the next Mother Teresa. This shows our pride in wanting to be famous. Mother Teresa became who she was by doing little things with love.

"Always be faithful in little things, for in them our strength lies. To God nothing is little. He cannot make anything small; they are infinite. Practice fidelity in the least things, not for their own sake, but for the sake of the great thing that is the will of God, and which I respect greatly.

Do not pursue spectacular deeds. We must deliberately renounce all desires to see the fruit of our labor, doing all we can as best we can, leaving the rest in the hands of God. What matters is the gift of your self, the degree of love that you put into each one of your actions.

Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best. Neither glory in your success, but refer all to God in deepest thankfulness.

If you are discouraged, it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about people's opinions. Be humble and you will never be disturbed. The Lord has willed me here where I am. He will offer a solotion."



This next quote has such power and motivation in it I cannot explain it, you just have to read it.



"We must keep His interests continually in our hearts and minds, carrying our Lord to places where He has not walked before, fearless in doing the things He did, courageously going through danger and death with Him and for Him; ready to accept joyously hte need to die daily if we want to bring souls to God, to pay the price He paid for souls -- ever ready to go to any part of the world and to respect and appreciate unfamiliar customs of other peoples, their living conditions and language, willing to adapt ourselves if and when necessary, happy to undertake any labor and toil, and glad to make any sacrifice involved in our missionary life.

This imposes a great responsibility on us to fight against our own ego and love of comfort that would lead us to choose a comfortable and insignificant mediocrity. We are called upon to make our lives a rivalry with Christ; we are called upon to be warriors in saris, for the church needs fighters today. Our war cry has to be 'Fight not flight.'

The church of God needs saints today. We shall go freely in the name of Jesus, to towns and villages all over the world, even amid squalid and dangerous surroundings, with Mary the Immaculate Mother of Jesus, seeking out the spiritually poorest of the poor with God's own tender affection and proclaiming to them the Good News of salvation and hope, singing with them His songs, bringing to them His love, peace, and joy. In spirit, to every part of the vast creation of God, from the furthest planet to the depths of the sea, from one abandoned convent chapel to another abandoned church, from an abortion clinic in one city to a prison cell in another, from the source of a river in one continent to a lonely mountain cave in another, and even into heaven and the gates of hell, praying with and for each of God's creation to save and sanctify each one for whom the blood of the Son of God has been shed."

I would say everyone should read "No Greater Love" by Mother Teresa because it can strengthen your faith, change your views, confront your sin, and bring love to the corners of your life. If you do what Mother Teresa says, this book will bring you closer to the heart of God; hence salvation. For God's sake (and yours) do it!

One Love,
Danger

Bob Marley quotes

I was reading some Bob Marley quotes today and some of them made me reflect and think about my own life. He had some really interesting things to say.

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

"Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect -and I don't live to be- but before you start pointing fingers... make sure you hands are clean!"

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds."

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life."

"The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for."

"You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She's not perfect - you aren't either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break - her heart. So don't hurt her, don't change her, don't analyze and don't expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she's not there." (I really liked this one)

"Wake up and live "

"The good times of today are the sad thoughts of tomorrow."

"The people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?"

"You have to be someone."

"Live for yourself and you will live in vain; Live for others, and you will live again."

"I don't stand for black mans side, I don't stand for white mans side, I stand for gods side."

"If you get down and you quarrel everyday, you're saying praises to the devil, I say."



I followed reading these quotes with listening to his music on Pandora.com Lets just say I am in a good mood.

One Love,
Danger

Time of Reflection and Random

One year ago today I closed on my first home. Since I have been doing a lot of work on it, I think I will review what I have all done over this past year.

-painted several rooms from sin stained white to pretty and soothing
-completely remodeled bathroom
-tore down old ugly chimeny and patched the roof
-replaced a couple windows and front door
-new siding and painted siding (added 1 inch foamboard insulation to old part of house)
-painted trim
-insulation added to attic
-evicted squirrel
-cleaned up squirrel mess (removed chewed wires, tore off basement ceiling and swept up pine cones and nuts stored within, ripped up sub-floor only to realize I need to tear out the basement ceiling, replaced sub-floor, many air freshner absorbers to remove stinky little pest piss smell)
-tore out secondary furnace (only to realize I will put it back because plans changed on layout)
-removed overgrown bushes, trimmed trees, and cast them into the fires of sheol
-installed stone surround gas fireplace (beautiful)
-began wiring new addition (to be completed August/September-October)
-ordered cabinets for kitchen remodel (to be installed July/August)
-began knocking out kitchen wall (to be demoed late June/early July)

I would say I have accomplished a lot this last year, but so much more needs to be done. Here is a small list of the big projects to be done in the future:

-kitchen (late summer)
-complete wiring (hopefully by October)
-new floor in new addition (possibly September, may wait until November with less humidity for hardwood floors)
-patio (September/October or May/June 2011)
-deck (May/June 2011)
-expand master bedroom (November/December)
-install secondary furnace and ductwork (September)
-basement new addition (winter)
-basement old part (fall-winter 2011)
-decorate and furnish (fall 2010-winter 2011 and beyond)
-enjoy all work accomplished (winter 2011-sale date TBD [interested?])

Good thing I enjoy being task focused otherwise I would be really stressed with all of the work I need to do on the house, planning the wedding, and preparing for my future life with an amazing woman. Hahaha, I am fine, no stress, hmmmhmmm, oh man....ok, I am fine now. Life is good, God is great, and people are crazy. Enough said. I don't really like country even though I referrenced a country song.

Random thought of the day: I don't like the name of my blog because it is too descriptive and not very fun. I think it is pretty common to not like the name of your blog unless of coarse it is super creative like "Z" or "Zz" or "Megatron destroy" or ":)" not sure if you can do the last one. Blog names are also good if they are all encompassing while not being too descriptive such as "updates from planet earth" or "The everything blog" or "Z" or "Zz" Can I change the name of my blog without destroying it? Hmmm...I will check.

One Love,
Danger