CheetahhhhhhhBlog Mark III

So, I love my iPad and think it’s one of the greatest things ever invented. And I am not generally given to excessively hyperbolic speech. I’ve been doing experiments on how much I my iPad can replace my computer. Right now for example I have the iPad resting on my lap in landscape view and I’m typing away just as I normally would at a computer, and just as fast, which is surprising, but it really works. It is certainly better for a number of things such as reading. Today I went through my normal reading schedule of the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Pragmatic Capitalism, Lifehacker, Uncrate, Swiss-Miss, and the New York Times. So much more pleasant on an iPad. There are only a few limitations. There is no Flash, Apple has some dispute going on with Adobe or something, not sure what the jig is and don’t care, but there is no Flash, which is a limitation. Also it is rather difficult to work with spreadsheets on the iPad, and since I use spreadsheets for class records and for various aspects of my financial operations, this is a big deal. Also I can’t fully use trading software on the iPad. While thinkorswim has a great iPad app, it can’t do complex options analysis. So I still need a laptop.

As far as personal news, there is not a lot going on. Everything is pretty quiet here. We are basically counting the days until we go back to Bangkok in August. Seven weeks to go. I suppose when we come back for the fall semester, we will start a countdown for the Christmas break, when we will go to Madison.

This blog has 8 daily readers but it had a spike to 17 when I added Vanessa’s bikini pic to the right sidebar.

So it’s the weekend and I can concentrate on the lifestyle sections of the Financial Times. Apparently in London, forest green is the new black, and Devon is the cool place to go for a weekend getaway. Here in Never-Never Land I walk around in a South African bush jacket so the fashion… eh, not useful info out here… now Devon has always seemed appealing to me, I’m a bit of an Anglophile.

I must say, reading newspapers and magazines on an iPad is so much more pleasant than on a computer. I’m a bit of a cheapskate at heart (I always think, “this money could be invested”) but my iPad was totally worth the money. I’m going to get one for Vanessa in August in Bangkok so we match.

Tomorrow is Father’s Day and Vanessa asked me what present I want. There is nothing I want in Kabul. (There’s no shopping mall here or anything like that.) I said save it for Bangkok in August. We are however going out for a little lunch at the Flower Street Cafe today (tomorrow is a work day).

Not a lot going on since I’m working the summer. Damn,working the summer sucks. Got to focus on the prize. There’s big money in this or I wouldn’t be here. Got to stay focused on the prize or my morale will drop.

Vanessa’s sexy henna tattoo on the small of her back is starting to fade, which is sad. You can see pictures of it in our photo blog (link on the right sidebar). She has also weaned Tristan finally. This has her very excited because she can now go back to eating like a supermodel (fruit).

Tristan is starting to talk. The nonsense words he comes up with are very amusing.

I like my schedule and my students. Afghan students are the best I’ve ever had; it’s one of the primary reasons I put up with all this B.S. around here (war, restricted movement, etc). I work from 430 to 8 and only have 20 students total in 2 classes, which is a very easy and manageable schedule. I’m counting the days though. I have 8 weeks and 3 days, including today, to go.

We need to go back to Bangkok in August to finish Bug’s dental work and get some dental work for Vanessa. Can’t be done here in Kabul. The Bangkok Nursing Home Hospital is excellent, modern, and very professional. Anyway I’m done the 11th I think, supposed to be on campus the 24th. I think maybe I can stretch this out a few more days because classes don’t actually start until Sept 4 and, well, everybody knows I’m doing a double shift in the summer session and will really need a little down time.

We’re back at Tango 1 in Kabul. Nice to be home. Not really. Kabul is a bit of a let-down after Thailand. Start work tomorrow. This is worth so much money, we stopped our vacation in mid-stride and came back. But that doesn’t mean I’m excited. I’ll get the job done with my usual pith and panache. 2nd week in August we have to head back to Bangkok, dental work for both the Bug and Vanessa. Their teeth cost me a fortune incidentally. I said anybody who doesn’t brush is in trouble from now on.

So anyway I just want to say that Indian Air and the Delhi airport are irritating. I appreciate good security, but being searched five times is a bit much, especially when x-ray machines are involved. The employees of the Delhi airport could do with some lessons in courtesy.

My other blog, the company blog@ http://www.teggatz.com/trade/ is starting to get well over a hundred individual hits a day and is only two weeks old. Is this because I’m a financial genius? Sarcasm, though the Company has been doing really incredibly well recently, as in we’ve turned something like a 500% profit this year. Just wish I had more capital actually invested in the first place, I’d be retiring to Carmel. As it is I reinvested most of it, and we traveled 5-star in Bangkok, for example the hotel BMW to the airport.

We’re back at the Anantara hotel in Bangkok which we have decided is our home away from home in Thailand. There are various factors behind this, like they always upgrade us to a suite, the pool is gorgeous and has a jacuzzi, the staff are ridiculously eager to please, etc… love this place. It is also nice to be off the island and not have sand or mosquitoes on me for the first time in a week.

OK this is a big last minute surprise to us. A summer session position became available and the money is way too good to refuse (as in, almost half a year’s salary in 10 weeks). We are a bit depressed about the curtailed vacation, but this will really do wonders for our bank account, so off we go. We’re going to be in Bangkok for a day or two more for a few errands. Bug needs to see a dentist, Van is going to get a fancy Thai-style nail job and she needs a vaccination. We need to do some quick shopping too, like some X-box games, school clothes for Bug, etc. All this can be accomplished quickly. Then we’re off, I will buy the ticket tonight. We were still on the island last night and we talked about it over several Bacardi Breezers and while the whole thing is depressing, we decided that the blunt fact is we’re in this for quick money, and this is about as quick as it comes, so we had to think about our future. We’ll be done the first week in Aug and might take a vacation then, haven’t even thought that far in advance. Yeah, I don’t believe this shit either but there it is.

We’re on Ko Samet. This is the 4th time I’ve been here. Previously I was too poor to stay at the Samet Villa. I stayed in the budget nipa huts. Now we’re in the fancy hotel since I’m making such big bucks (sarcasm). As for me, I’m burnt to a crisp despite hiding from the sun. The Bug and Tristan are having a ball because there are tidal pools to explore and other kids to play with. Bug got a dragon henna tattoo, and Van got one of those sexy small-of-you-back henna tattoos. She’s posting it on our Photo Blog, the address of which you can find on the right sidebar.

The Company’s trade journal gets rather high traffic. I’m working to get it’s count into the hundreds so I can add it to my resume.

I’m typing this on my iPad and surprisingly enough I can actually type at the same speed as with a notebook. I must say, I am a total iPad convert. Love this thing.

Knock on wood, the Company is doing very well. You can find the Company’s trade journal on the right sidebar. Part of the secret to our success is I suppose that I work constantly, further I have started taking a more macro approach, for example I read the reports of the Fed (they have a good blog incidentally).

We will return to Bangkok in a few days and then take a day trip north to the monkey temple in a city which I’m not even going to try to spell. Then heading home to Manila. It will be nice to be home for 3 months.