The Disgruntled Investor Learns How To Use The Link Tool

I'm planning on "live-blogging" on my drunkenness/gambling from Vegas starting this Saturday...assuming Harrah's has free in-room wireless internet access. After that, I'll probably be posting more frequently here, as March is going to be pretty crazy busy on the housing front. I dropped by the place I'm selling last night to accomplish two things:

1.) Remind the grown adults who live there that they need to take the trash out rather than let it lie around for weeks;

2.) Give them their 30-day notices due to the impending April listing of the house for sale. I told them that actually they are free to stay there (and pay rent) during the sales period, but that they'd have to be willing to put up with major renovations, immaculate cleanliness, and random people trampling through the place at a moment's notice. We'll see what happens, but I did get their March rent checks, so that, at least, assuaged my fears of a "That's it, I'm moving out today!" moment.

So, the plan is to replace the carpet, replace/update the hardware throughout the house, replace the faucets, paint a little, and maybe do the granite countertop thing - though I'm still not sold on the necessity for that. I was kind of on the fence about the whole selling it now thing, but a house in the neighborhood where I live, which is comparable to the one I'm selling and only 5 minutes away, sold in about 5 days recently. Their open house occurred during a major snowstorm. That's a pretty decent sign. Also, this article is about as close to cautiously optimistic as the media will ever be on the subject. Anyway, who knows, I really just want to get rid of the thing. Stupid house.

By the way, I'm not entirely sure if I explained the necessity of cleanliness to the dominant or submissive personality of the guy in the 2nd bedroom. Seemed pretty submissive to me.

On a different note, here's an interesting article related to HAHNus Wagner and the whole tobacco card phenomenom.

And finally, AL GORE FOR PRESIDENT!! Jim Treacher at The Daily Gut said it best: "What the hell is he doing in there? Is he a Terminator from the future and needs constant recharging?"

Late Edition Update: Uh...damn, looks like it's a good thing I sold off my stocks last week.

I ended up selling Cisco for 27.60 a share (a gain of about 30 cents a share from when I bought it), and Knot for 25.10 a share (a loss of 2.23 a share).

Today, at market close:
CSCO - 25.71
KNOT - 23.20

Boy, China's a real jerk, huh?