The Green Parrot, 2022: I just turned 55 and my trading education business was beginning to take off. I cannot attribute my market success in the previous year to luck. However, shadiness is my specialty. Just outside of JFK was the traders bar, aka The Green Parrot. I was following the advice of @Zodiac4u, "If you want something you have never had before, do something you have never done before." So on that particular night I hopped on Southwest and shared a cab with @vanzandt. Of course he paid for the cab, but more importantly he gave me some much needed advice, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." The bible I asked. He said he was quoting some dude named Bruce. Ahhh, what the hell, I might as well try that too. My main motivation for going to the traders bar was to hang around successful people - not to sponge as had been my pattern, but to find out what makes them successful. Then I overheard @lawrence-lugar, aka Larry Sugar, talking to @speedo. Larry made his money in options and I think Speedo was in a band or something. Damn, Larry is looking right at me! "Johnny, come here for a minute." Then Larry ordered me two shots and a sandwich. I tried to tell him I would pay for it, but Larry was pretty sure I couldn't afford it. The sandwich was called the big gulch! Oh shit! There is @Xela! "Hey, xela, I can't eat all of this, you want the other half? Everyone laughed. I'm still not sure why. That was a big sub, 12" long. Oh well, Larry was right, I was hungry - thus the trip. I put the other half in my backpack for later. "Johhny, I have a tip for you " Sitting at the same table was @comagnum. I don't normally take tips, but speedo, vanzandt, comagnum and Larry were already in. Comagnum tipped the table off regarding a tech company that would revolutionize America in the same way as cell phones did 25 years ago. I may not be able to pass college algebra, but I am not stupid. "I'm listening." "Hey, look over there, soes is crying." Speedo says he is always crying." Something about having lost his inside book two decades ago. I guess he was a specialist, or maybe he is just special. Dude sure has a crazy look in his eyes, but I don't feel sorry for him. He must be loaded to eat and drink at the Parrot. "Vanzadnt, why do they call this place the Green Parrot?" "Because that's how we tell which traders are 'green,' they PARROT each other, but don't know what the fuck they are talking about!" That was the evening that changes my life. I maxed out on LEAPS! That was not the shady part. I had brokerage statements to prove I made over $300,000 in one calendar year from the day I made the trade. I had been taking the writing gig pretty seriously, but had been to afraid to put myself out there, because I didn't want to risk failure. It sucks to be humiliated in front of people - even strangers in the internet! But you know what? As each week passed I watched my account grow. I hadn't seen anything like this since the bitcoin craze. Wow! It's still hard to believe Larry Sugar was so generous. In fact, I needed the food as bad as I needed the tip! So I decided to write a book, "How I made 300 large in the market!" I chose that title because my target market were gamblers. Those willing to take a chance. Those willing to pay for tips. Speedo tried to tell me about Karma, and I kept reminding him of the power of royalties! He made a good point about royalties - royalties belong to creators, not con men." Well, we all have to play the hand we are dealt! I followed the lead of Bo Yoder, and put on online classes at $750 a pop! Most of my students had read my books! The written word carries authority. My brokerage statements were the proof I needed. I had also sponsored the tax section of ET. That real estate was the cheapest, but more importantly, I knew where to find my MARKS. $200 for instant credibility where newbies were bound to show up asking questions. I never participated in those threads, but I would lurk there to find which traders lost a ton of money. Nobody admitted how much they lost, but if there was angst about wash sales for high volume traders, my guess was they didn't have an accountant. The class was set up in such a way as to show others how to take $7,500 and turn it into 300 grand. Not in one day of course. Over time, repeat business. I would call out real trades as I was making them. My account was just like theirs, 75 Hundo! The beauty was that 10 students give me a 100% return on my money. My preaching days taught me the power of asking for 10%, aka the tithe. We daytraded options that expired the following week. No one ever caught on to how I actually made my money. Well, that's not true! The guys at the table that night knew and I was the pariah of the PARROT! If there is one thing ETers don't like is a shady vendor. Oh well, thems the breaks! Oh yeah, I finally found out why the called the sandwich the Big Gulch, the 12 inches that few could handle. It was named after Larry Sugar's famous appendage. Now I know why everyone laughed when I said I couldn't handle it!
Out of shear boredom i find myself frequenting your journal. So i decided to read your journal from the very beginning. I see that you have a targeted goal of being live in maybe 1-2 years. I also see that you've gone bust 3x in the past. Have you documented all your behaviors during that trading period and leading up-to going bust? I'm only asking you this because over the 30+ years of being in these markets and trading alone, you tend to learn a lot about your self. And if you don't document your behaviors, moods and conditions you most likely will be that rubber band that repeats itself. Its not just documenting your own experiences but also documenting market conditions. Many times we just do it on the fly and wing it. In the world of business this is not what you do. If you are seriously going to do this, than you have to start logging everything down so you can review what you did later. This way you can identify market behavior patterns and or mistakes and keep them from happening again. The Goal is not the journey, it is the cash return, Its all about Business.
Yes. I visit ET out of shear boredom myself. I have kept journals of my trading styles/setups, but believe that it is something within that is keeping me from success. But to your main point, I am trying to treat this as a business and I always have. Thus attempting certain strategies that fit my personality (trading personality). Each time I blew up it was a lesson learned. Some lessons had to be learned more than once, even if it never led to a blow up. What have I learned: My narcissism affords me the opportunity to take on huge risks Dummy trading showed me that there was opportunity that can be found while taking minimal risk Dummy trading also gave me the ability to show decent profits Dummy trading also gave me the ability to prove to myself that I could stick to a system if I knew it worked I am no longer attempting to make money every day (I treat the paper journal as if it was real and my body undergoes the same anxiety as a live trade, because I put myself out there on this forum) My particular disorder also allows for me to stand against the crowd, but when it comes to trading, I have made more money by following the crowd (not traders, but the money rush). My biggest losses were fighting trends. After starting this journal and recording my results (I always traded with real money and saw no value in paper trading before this go around) I can see that I have yet to find a definable edge (the 3bt is ready, though). I am hopeful with the 5' momo/pause play because it is a modified version of the dummy system. So, I am getting closer to a workable system than I am to getting out of debt. I may be 3 - 5 years away from building my trading account. I want zero debt before I do this and not attempt it on an account of less than 10 grand. Once I have confidence in the system - one that I would trade live - I will explain it in more detail. Although the DS relies on gaps that has not been helpful for trading futures, but the stops are very similar. There is a trigger bar and when it fires, the stop is on the other side. Playing momentum seems to mimic the part of the DS where you are looking for unusual movement/volume. So yeah, I have not taken anything more serious in my life! However, if I succeed I want a written record for traders who can't quit the market and keep lacing up for another round after they have had their ads handed to them!! And just in case I don't succeed I wanted something interesting (for some) to read and piss other people off while I attack sacred cows of modern day American mythology (police, military, trading education, and dicks on the internet). Thanks for stopping by.
Up above you wrote:Thus attempting certain strategies that fit my personality (trading personality). What does fit your trading personality mean? I might be thinking about something differently or not in the same way? But Markets are traded based on there behavior and not yours. If your uncomfortable about a certain way of trading than maybe it should be incorporated into your method? Don't know because the comment was vague.
Often times i find myself looking into what I know or what i think I know? But there's another one to look at and its, What should I know (I'm referring to: what i'm about to do)? To trade successfully, we need to reexamine our approaches when losses occur. Stop outs, account blow ups. Stop outs are easy to explain. But account blow ups are long and drawn out and this story tells a different tale. Its all about psychology and system mechanics.
The eyes have it: Talk radio has always been something that I have enjoyed. At one time, there was a golden age of talk by a left leaning, hippie who changed his name to Bob Lassiter. I can remember when he was attacking the sacred cow of the NFL. At that particular time players were not taking a knee protesting police brutality. Nobody had the balls to wear socks with pigs on them or wear a short celebrating Castro. I don't know that I would call myself a fan of Fidel's, but I have often wondered why Cubans in FL outperform not only native born Americans, but every other ethnic group when taken as a whole. Who knows for sure, but it may have something to do with the fact that the despicable dictator not only have his population free health care, but education as well. So, I decided to take my government up on an opportunity for a little free education myself. When the storm chasin outfit I worked for left CO and headed for Phoenix, I decided to stick around Colorado. No, it wasn't because weed is legal. It's always been legal for me. I make my own rules and if they coincide with those of the state that is great. When it doesn't, we bump heads. You quickly learn - no matter how hard headed you are - that the government had an even thicker skill. My first attempt at college was totally funded by me, not my parents and not the little g-men. This time around I really didn't have any direction, but my hope was to find something so that I could teach others. I guess it's because none of us are all good or all bad. For years I drove a bus and picked up inner city kids and brought them to church. Only because I thought it would help. I regret that decision now after getting to close to the inner workings of Without Walls International Church. I don't regret the money I have because I still believe in the principal of giving! As I watched the conman who is cuckoo for cuckold puffs - Pastor Randy White - steal a house from Ruth, an elderly woman, that bothered me. However, it was my own ability to follow the rules laid out for leaders in the church, a life beyond reproach. When Jodie's baby's daddy, with the help of Pastor Hector, summoned Jodie to a meeting to tell her about my misdeeds I was not worried. She was a willing participant! "Jodie, Johnny takes advantage of vulnerable women." I can't say he was wrong. A truer statement was never uttered in that church! But I own it! Unlike the cuckold who must be cuckoo. Either that or he cannot believe in the God he proclaims. By my business, but I can certainly say that I do not. Do I believe in Vid? Surely! I just don't believe in a patriarchal God who would discount any gender, punish someone for sexual preferences they were born with. I can remember praying the gay away from two of my friends - Ron and Rick. I do regret the turmoil they must have felt being part of those movements. Ron was a frequent guest on a Christian TV show whose host had her black hair and was in her 70s. Unlike Hollywood, the lower rungs of Christian TV get some terrible plastic surgery, but the due jobs are the worst. I can remember the first time Pastor Paula strutted around with her double D's. Small B to a double D?! That's a miracle I can get behind. Now some dude from Journey is getting behind that, maybe even our precocious Pres. Nothing wrong with that! However, if Jesus was real - and I believe Jesus and Krishna were the same dude if you really want to know - he seemed to have a hard on for the church, he hung out with prostitutes and he formed a gang. My kind of dude! I also believe he was a revolutionary figure who was murdered because he was inciting revolution! Definitely my kind of dude. So when I finally made it back to college I had to start over and I am glad I did. We often hear about the liberal haven of the college campus. Piles Peak Community College is not Berkley. At one of the campuses sits the police shooting range. Every campus is filled with vets, wannabe police and future prison guards. I only day wannabe police because most of these kids will end up as prison guards, not police officers. So we would get into the standard debates, but I knew when it came time to do a presentation I had the skills to shine. That's when I took it to them. Nobody could see it coming, but I preached for years. Whatever image you have of a preacher would not fit me. I figured if He called me then I should be myself and develop my own style. I no longer believe called me. However, it was that process that have me the ability to stand before others and inspire them, challenge them, but most of all give them something that would help them make their life better. I would use peer reviewed research to do it. With that in mind I will give you a Machiavellian manipulation technique(s) that will change your life. Why? Because I read these threads. It's not my gray hairs that cause 20 year old women to hit on me. It's not my financial instability that causes 50 year old women to put me up in a nice area of town. It's not my ability to make women laugh. It's not my high cheekbones, average size dick or my broad shoulders. What is it? It's the ability to look someone in the eye! It's something I learned as a teenager! "Johnny, black women love it when you look them in the eye!" Just so happens I like big butts! As it turns out, everyone does! I am not going to suggest that any woman you make eye contact will bang you. That's where the flowing locks, high cheekbones and broad shoulders are a bonus. But let me tell you what else women are attracted to: power, success, the arts (musicians don't need me telling them that, but maybe the lonely writer does) and confidence. I had always assumed it was because of the confidence they assumed you had when you look them in the eye. Even though I dropped out of school, let me tell you what the research shows. According to a study at the University of Tokyo, eye contact will cause people to seem you more trustworthy, likable, honest and capable. It was only after reading that study that I realized why people would sign contracts with me when I knew nothing about roofing. That is why Him Cassel partnered with me. I would sign the client and Jim knew roofing. My apologies if Him built your roof. We cut some corners and certainly beat the hell out of insurance companies. But, what the hell, that's the system that is in place. Besides, why let the insurance companies keep the money. So by the time I made it back to college I had a lifetime of experience that I could not explain. Until now. Why am I posting this? Larry Sugar once said what a trader looked like. I am sure he is right, for the most part. They probably look a lot like Ephraim, Jodie's baby daddy. Not fat. Not particularly muscular either. Just very average looking with two Masters degrees; one in engineering. I am posting this for those guys who are successful, but are afraid of gold diggers - all the while they have their check list of what they want in a woman. There is nothing wrong with that. So how do they know you have money? Probably because of your face. You don't have the scars of worry that financial insecurity brings. You probably have a relaxed demeanor that women find intoxicating. But what does a woman experience when you look her in the eye? Her heart rate rises; this is biological If she likes you, and her heart rate rises, this is like a fairy tale come true If she is not attracted to you, her heart rate still will rise, but the creep factor sets in So, look that woman in the eye! Until then, maybe do some pushups, because the ladies are a fan of muscles too! However, the most intoxicating attribute you have is authenticity. For that, I am thankful for Pastor Randy White. He celebrated my authentic speaking style. Enjoy ET, my dogs need a break.
Yes, but my behavior needs to match the current market behavior. Since I cannot successfully do that my attempt is to trade when the market is behaving a certain way. I know you are trying to help, but I am extracting myself from any further explanation. I have been around a long time too and explaining myself to someone's satisfaction is not an endeavor that I find worthwhile. Post links. Post charts. Post something concrete whether I agree or not. Post your trades after the fact. This is not a challenge. It is a request. Not only may I find it helpful, but so may the next guy.
Your comment: Yes, but my behavior needs to match the current market behavior. Since I cannot successfully do that my attempt is to trade when the market is behaving a certain way. my answer: Yes, and yes.
Than i will post trades during, attempt to provide additional comments that may help, as well as links. My days are short and i find there is no need to be in the markets after certain time. For good reason, markets tend to take back what you've earned earlier. Many traders get screen coma or develop a bias after a certain amount of time. This is your brains fault and you do have some control over this. I will reveal another time with a video link. So best to treat like a job and take a break.
Per yesterday's plan: Market was selling off 12th bar, expansion bar to new daily low 13th bar, narrow range contraction bar (one bar pause) Easy, Peazy! One caveat though. The market did not gap down but did break the loss on the first 30' bar.