Again, you unfair tease! You never told us that your ex-wife was married. (p.s. still waiting for the pics)
I learned directly and indirectly from some of the people that started the modern futures and options industry. I think that to truly be successful in the business you need to apprentice with people of this caliber: there are lots of prop firms about and very few will truly give a someone new to the business the type of information, insight, and training that is necessary to succeed. There are some out there though: whats wrong with trying to find a better group ? Yes, you have to learn it yourself but a good group of professional traders that are willing to train you will cut down on the learning curve: Find one that has consistenly made money for several years and find a way to get in.