So, I've officially passed all three of the exams I needed to take in order to keep my new job and actually start trading. Major pain in the ass, but it's done. I now can stick Series 7, 63, and 55 on my resume. I also, technically, am now a licensed stockbroker. No, I do not have any intention of actually acting on this, but I suppose it's kind of cool to knowthat I could if I wanted. Of course, the drawback is that until I leave the industry, all my financial information has to be sent to my employer on a regular basis so I can be observed and surveilled in case I might choose to trade on insider information. Basically, it's a minor inconvenience.
Finishing these tests also now gives me the time to start going back to the gym. I stepped foot inside the Cornell Club yesterday for the first time in over 4 weeks, and I definitely felt that workout today. I went back for more punishment this afternoon, and I plan on going at least twice more this week. After over a year of consistent exercising, I hit a big plateau not long ago. Hopefully, this month off will re-energize me.
I kept kosher for Passover for about 2.5 days this year, which is pretty impressive for me. I even went out last night and bought a whole bunch of food that I could cook so I could try and last the whole week. But, lunchtime rolled around today and I was way too hungry for a salad, and the entrees at the cafeteria looked dreadful. Sandwich it is. OK, perhaps the ham and cheese was pushing it a little, but it's not as bad as leaving a seder and going straight to Hot Truck, so I suppose it could have been worse. OK, maybe not by much.
Although the first seder was, as usual, hosted by my parents in NJ, I was invited down to Livingston for the second night at Lauren's parents' house. I was pretty worried it would be awkward - I hadn't seen them in around 4 years, and Lauren hasn't really said anything to them about us being together again. Surprisingly, everything went great. I felt like nothing had changed, and that I fit right back in as usual. The only difference was that their dog wasn't running around under the table. (Apparently, he died a few years ago.) More about Lauren another time, but I'll leave it at this - I'm really happy again.
I know this post was pretty crappy, but I'm tired and totally unfocused. I haven't had much energy to write recently, so I figure it's better to put something down on paper when I feel the urge, rather than wait for inspiration to strike and not write anything for another month,
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Oh Wait, I Have A Blog
Erm, uh, right. Hello. Yeah, so, I've been a little bit busy the past few weeks. I took a vacation, got a new job, took a huge test, and found myself a woman. Yup, things have been interesting.
So, as mentioned, I'm no longer working on the AMEX. According to my new employment agreement I am not permitted to mention the name of the firm on any personal websites, so if you really want to know where I'm working, you'll just have to ask me directly. I can say that it is a specialized research and trading firm, and I'm going to be a trader on our execution desk. I wrote "going to" because I can't actually do anything yet until I pass the Series 7, 63, and 55. But, I managed to pass the 7 this afternoon, so maybe they'll allow me to answer a phone or use a computer or some such thing. For the time being, all I can really do is watch. At least they're paying me at half-rate until I've passed the 3 exams.
Speaking of the Series 7, that is not an easy test. I studied for about 3 weeks, of which the last 5 days or so were pretty intense. I was getting 85% or so on the practice exams, so I felt pretty good going in. Once the test started though, I was in for a shock. Those questions were hard, confusing, and sometimes not even grammatically correct. After the first half, (it's a 2-part, 250 question test that's given over the course of 7+ hours,) I was pretty nervous. I calculated that, given all the questions I was unsure about, I was probably running about a 74%. Since 70% is passing, I was right on the edge. After my lunch break I went into the bathroom for a little pep-talk. Staring into the mirror I scowled at my reflection. "Just get in there and do it!" I instructed myself. Part 2, however, was even more iffy - 69% seemed like my likely score. I finished up, pressed the button to calculate my score, and began to sweat it out. My heart was literally pounding, and the 10 seconds it took to determine my results were agonizing. Finally, the numbers.
92%
Are you fucking kidding me? Here I was, sweating bullets, convinced that I was going to fail the test, get fired after 8 days on the job, and instead I have a 22% margin of error. That's just great. You know, if I'd come in at around 80% I'd have been thrilled. Instead, I'm irritated that I got myself worked up over nothing.
Seriously, I'm pretty happy, and I'm glad that the hardest of the 3 tests is now officially out of the way. And, if ever I need to switch jobs, at least now I'm officially registered with the NASD, which opens up a lot of doors.
In other news, I had an amusing time down in Florida visiting the extended family. Grandma did not recognize me and continues to be, essentially, senile. I am quite used to this now, seeing as she's been this way for the past 10 years or so, but it's still not too much fun to visit her. Instead, I spent most of my time entertaining my 5 year old cousin, who may be the most adorable child on Earth. She latched onto me instantly, and was constantly searching me out to play games, read books, show off her toys, and all the other things that 5-year-olds to when they suddenly find an older playmate. I hope I get a chance to go back down there again soon - she's too adorable to miss.
Of course, her father, my cousin David, has some issues he still needs to work out. As usual, he's hitting on everything female in sight, regardless of age, weight, or number of teeth. (They live in central Florida - the teeth thing is a big problem down there.) It's kind of embarassing to be around him when he gets into that mode. He was in a bad car accident when he was 17 or so, and got a little screwed up in the head because of it. He still has the mentality of a teenager even though he's probably 36 years old by now. The night before I left we decided to go hang out and hit some of the local bars - apparently he decided this meant going to a bunch of strip clubs. I have to tell you, I'm not a fan of the strip club thing - I get turned off by the falseness of it all, and I much prefer the real thing...
Speaking of, I suppose I should admit that there's once again a woman in my life. Again. I said I'd never go back, but it seems I'm once again dating someone who I went out with in the past. You know her. And you probably will be surprised unless you've been around my apartment the past few weeks. That should produce a little intrigue for you all out there. Looks like I'll have a date to all of those weddings after all.
So, as mentioned, I'm no longer working on the AMEX. According to my new employment agreement I am not permitted to mention the name of the firm on any personal websites, so if you really want to know where I'm working, you'll just have to ask me directly. I can say that it is a specialized research and trading firm, and I'm going to be a trader on our execution desk. I wrote "going to" because I can't actually do anything yet until I pass the Series 7, 63, and 55. But, I managed to pass the 7 this afternoon, so maybe they'll allow me to answer a phone or use a computer or some such thing. For the time being, all I can really do is watch. At least they're paying me at half-rate until I've passed the 3 exams.
Speaking of the Series 7, that is not an easy test. I studied for about 3 weeks, of which the last 5 days or so were pretty intense. I was getting 85% or so on the practice exams, so I felt pretty good going in. Once the test started though, I was in for a shock. Those questions were hard, confusing, and sometimes not even grammatically correct. After the first half, (it's a 2-part, 250 question test that's given over the course of 7+ hours,) I was pretty nervous. I calculated that, given all the questions I was unsure about, I was probably running about a 74%. Since 70% is passing, I was right on the edge. After my lunch break I went into the bathroom for a little pep-talk. Staring into the mirror I scowled at my reflection. "Just get in there and do it!" I instructed myself. Part 2, however, was even more iffy - 69% seemed like my likely score. I finished up, pressed the button to calculate my score, and began to sweat it out. My heart was literally pounding, and the 10 seconds it took to determine my results were agonizing. Finally, the numbers.
92%
Are you fucking kidding me? Here I was, sweating bullets, convinced that I was going to fail the test, get fired after 8 days on the job, and instead I have a 22% margin of error. That's just great. You know, if I'd come in at around 80% I'd have been thrilled. Instead, I'm irritated that I got myself worked up over nothing.
Seriously, I'm pretty happy, and I'm glad that the hardest of the 3 tests is now officially out of the way. And, if ever I need to switch jobs, at least now I'm officially registered with the NASD, which opens up a lot of doors.
In other news, I had an amusing time down in Florida visiting the extended family. Grandma did not recognize me and continues to be, essentially, senile. I am quite used to this now, seeing as she's been this way for the past 10 years or so, but it's still not too much fun to visit her. Instead, I spent most of my time entertaining my 5 year old cousin, who may be the most adorable child on Earth. She latched onto me instantly, and was constantly searching me out to play games, read books, show off her toys, and all the other things that 5-year-olds to when they suddenly find an older playmate. I hope I get a chance to go back down there again soon - she's too adorable to miss.
Of course, her father, my cousin David, has some issues he still needs to work out. As usual, he's hitting on everything female in sight, regardless of age, weight, or number of teeth. (They live in central Florida - the teeth thing is a big problem down there.) It's kind of embarassing to be around him when he gets into that mode. He was in a bad car accident when he was 17 or so, and got a little screwed up in the head because of it. He still has the mentality of a teenager even though he's probably 36 years old by now. The night before I left we decided to go hang out and hit some of the local bars - apparently he decided this meant going to a bunch of strip clubs. I have to tell you, I'm not a fan of the strip club thing - I get turned off by the falseness of it all, and I much prefer the real thing...
Speaking of, I suppose I should admit that there's once again a woman in my life. Again. I said I'd never go back, but it seems I'm once again dating someone who I went out with in the past. You know her. And you probably will be surprised unless you've been around my apartment the past few weeks. That should produce a little intrigue for you all out there. Looks like I'll have a date to all of those weddings after all.
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