What a woeful week it's been for crypto. If I had a dollar for every Tweet these past few days that began with JUST IN! or BREAKING NEWS!! I would have made back everything that I’ve lost in this dip.
During times like these I always ask myself What lesson can I take away from this? The answer(s) to this question is one we’ve all heard a million times before but always forget in our complacency…never hold any of your coins on an exchange. Also, for the love of God and all things Holy, don’t trust the advice of any influencer (most of them are paid shills). Do your own research.
Will crypto recover? I think it will but SBF/FTX has, undoubtedly, pushed the goal post back considerably for the next bull market cycle. Was this a coordinated effort to crash crypto? The jury is still out on that. On a positive note this gives everyone more time to acquire coins on the cheap if they believe it prudent to do so. Millionaires are made in bear markets, afterall. My heart goes out to those who lost money in this FTX travesty. I’ve been through this kind of thing before and it can be soul-crushing.
If I were to guess I think we're probably around the denial phase of the chart right now. What phase do you think we're in?
I Finally Nailed It!
This was my sixth attempt at baking sourdough bread and I’m happy to say this loaf has exceeded my expectations. Thanks again to all of you (especially @fermentedphil) who’ve helped me along the way.
This loaf was a beauty. It was lighter, had a nice caramelized crust and is disappearing very quickly! I'll be putting my starter into hibernation today for a few weeks.
Our First EV Road Trip
As we’re making our snowbird plans to spend time down in Arizona this winter we’re seriously considering taking the Tesla on the trip. We’re thinking about it for a few reasons…1) It’s extremely freaking comfortable; and 2) and since we don’t have a home-charging solution we don’t want to leave it unplugged for 6 weeks.
As you can see there are quite a few charging stops along the route. Taking the Tesla instead of our Subaru Forester will add about five hours, or an entire extra day of driving, to our road trip from Minnesota to Sedona, Arizona.
However, I’ve heard from other Tesla owners that a road trip in a Tesla is much better because the frequent stops make for a more relaxed driving experience and you can get out and stretch more often. Will we take the plunge? Only time will tell.
Have you done a large road trip in an EV? If so what is your takeaway/advice?
A Special Anniversary
Yesterday marked the sixth anniversary of my presentation at the inaugural SteemFest in 2016. Can you believe it @roelandp? So much has changed since then I can hardly believe it. 2016 was magical for many of us and that magic has continued here on Hive. I will be forever grateful.
Truth Is Stranger
I'm thrilled to announce that I'm FINALLY working on the follow up to my debut novel in earnest! I’ve had this sequel to Alarm Clock Dawn about 80% completed for many years but the project got stalled because of another big project, years passed, and then the real world caught up to its Sci-Fi plot.
A few weeks ago I had an epiphany while listening to a Lex Fridman podcast that allows me to salvage some of that 80% and put a new, more futuristic, spin on the plot. I’m so excited to be working on this again and can't wait to share it with my readers! It feels so amazingly good to be working on fiction again.
All for now. Trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.
Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
Pick up a copy of Ephemera today on Amazon.
Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel.
These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, Mindful Moments, will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com.
Let’s Keep In Touch
Denial--> Panic--> Capitulation--> Anger
Too long a process to be a part of and absorb different phases of noise. But then again how the successful remain steadfast during this entire course.
The long-term investors, I don't think bothered by these things. But it instills a sense of fear, with events like FTX collapsing.
I think patience will be rewarded eventually. This is the longest sideways/bear market there's ever been since I've been in crypto (2016).
Yes. True. Patience is virtue. You joined in 2016, a seasoned player then.
Somewhere I read that the FTX entered into leveraged trades with the money of its users (without their knowledge and consent), and lost all of it. If this is true, then the owners of the FTX were just too greedy. The "not your keys, not your crypto" saying is really true. People should not store their cryptocurrencies on exchanges.
I've read that scenario too but there are also a bunch of the usual conspiracy theories swirling around too. We'll probably never know the whole story.
Hey, I liked how you ended the post: take risks, invest in yourself and believe in our instists. Your post was very varied, but at the same time connected. It certainly was a horror week for those of us who work with cryptocurrencies. The bad taste of all this FTX stuff can serve as a lesson for us. Likewise, for bad times, good times, good face and what better way than investing time in pleasant things, like making that bread that looks delicious. Also, that picture of you and your wife is beautiful, how much time has passed and how many things we have lived!!!! I entered this journey in 2018. A journey that has been, at times, like a roller coaster or like traveling in that TESLA: relaxed. Congratulations on the beginning of the novel and successes to you at this stage. A big hug and take care, Eric.
Thank you, Nancy! Those were the best bits of advice I could think of. It was James Altucher's book Choose Yourself that really set me on the path I'm on now. His entire philosophy was about investing in yourself. I credit that book for making me step off the traditional publishing treadmill and trying self-publishing. The crypto journey has been wild, hasn't it? If you came in in 2018 you've experienced a mix of everything so far. I hope you enjoy your week! We already have snow on the ground here. Winter came very early for us.
Imagine you, here it is still raining, but the sun appears from time to time. Any season is good, Eric, if we have the best company. And I know you have a beautiful family. Have a great week yourself, my friend.
That my friend is the finest looking of loaves!!! Now, of course, you will be pursuing that perfection forever more 😀
I was explaining the whole FTX thing to someone in work today and I laughed when I heard the words coming out of my mouth. The first rule is you don't hold your funds on an exchange -how come so many just don't know or think everything will be ok if I park my bitcoins here? Madness!
Thank you! I could hardly believe my eyes when I lifted the lid of the dutch oven and saw it. It sure was a long process to get to that point but well worth it. You're so right, this will be a lifelong pursuit of trying to make it 0.01% better each time.
Oh man, it's such a simple rule but one often forgotten. I was staking some ETH on FTX (not much) because of their high rate of return. I got it off there just days before this all happened. My BS detector was tripped from a few tweets I was seeing in the days leading up to that point. The media plays a huge roll in making people so trusting/complacent. FTX was being touted everywhere as the safest place you could park your crypto. They won't get me again.
You are lucky. They often close it down before people can start the run on the funds.
I am so annoyed that they ruined my crypto tracking app Blockfolio because they bought it over and now have gone under and it doesn't work. Grr, Small price to pay compared to some.
The bread really does look the bizzo. I remember when I did my first loaf that looked super professional and although they have been great since and in many cases better it is hilarious because you start to judge yourself really harshly when it doesn't work out as well and question everything you did! But usually once you have the knack its all good!
I did get lucky (for once)! I was sad to have to delete Blockfolio/FTX too. I mainly used it just for portfolio tracking. I've checked out a few competitors since deleting FTX and have decide to use CoinStats. The UI is busier but gets the job done. I manually add the coins though, I'd never connect a wallet to it considering the current level of f*ckery in crypto.
Thanks! Part of me would just like to quit now because I feel like I could never top this and may not ever equal it but I'll keep going. I'm going to put the starter into hibernation until the week after Thanksgiving and give myself a break.
Yeah that is what I used it for too and there was now way I would ever link a wallet. I was horrified by that option. Thats cool. I saw that in the app store when I was searching for alternatives and was thinking of giving it a whirl but now I definitely will!
Just wait, they will get better and better and you will be the bread man!
It is really nice to see the improvement in the bread which looks really yummy to eat.
Thank you! I'm very happy with it. : )
The crumb of your sourdough looks perfect to me!!!!!!
Enjoy!!!!
Thank you! High praise from a baker such as yourself! I'm not going to get overly confident though because I know one small mistake in the process can spell disaster. I am enjoying this win though. : )
That's the real fun/frustration of SourDough. Every time you think you are the Master of Loaf .... after your next bake, you find out you need to go back to the drawing board.
You are so right. I think of my starter as the master. Baking sourdough is such a great metaphor for life in general.
If you get a chance to read this novel, I highly recommend it. And yes, the starter is the master.
https://www.amazon.com/Sourdough-Novel-Robin-Sloan-ebook/dp/B06XC41K6G
Thanks! I'll add this to my reading list.
We dont even see a signal of revertion on the market yet... it is still going down.
the first signal we saw was 2 weeks ago and them FTX sploded and we went down again
Yep, I don't think the bottom is in yet.
Love that title - it actually drew me in.
I've been buying since June. It feels really good to be in the game.
Glad you had that epiphany! I'd love to know more about that podcast.
Thanks! I believe those buying now won't be sorry. It's so difficult to call the bottom that I don' even try anymore but dollar cost averaging in during points of the cycle like this is very wise. This FTX debacle has only delayed the inevitable.
Lex Fridman has become one of my favorite podcasters! I can't recommend him enough. You can find him on Spotify. He gets a bit techy in his interviews but that really sparks the gray matter!
That's awesome news about your book. Best of luck with that. I am looking forward to learning more. Have you ever heard of the 2/2/2 rule or the 3/3/3 rule of travel? If you haven't they basically say never drive more than 200 miles in a day, stop every 2 hours, and stay at least 2 nights wherever you stop. Of course you can adjust it as you see fit, but it kind of fits into what you said about more frequent stops making for a better travel experience. This market is definitely crazy. All we can do is keep pressing forward.
Thanks my friend. I appreciate it. I've never heard of that travel rule but it makes good sense. I used to drive straight through to Ohio from here and it was 15 or so hours. There's no way on God's green earth I'd attempt that at my age now. The most we're on the road now is about six hours and we stop every 2 or 3 hours. A fifty year old bladder gives you no choice. : ) We only stop for one night each segment on the way to Sedona. Yes, in terms of crypto I think it boils down to wether you believe in it or not. If you do, then you double down during times like this. If you don't, you exit the market at low points and likely buy in when it's higher. Lol.
I'm not quite to the 50 year mark yet, but I take a blood pressure pill that pretty much does the same thing. I have to stop far more often than I used to when I am traveling now. My wife and I were talking about the drive to Nashville and how we might need to start making it a two day thing in the future. It's just a long haul all at once.
Do you get frustrated stopping so frequently? I enjoy shorter drive days so much more. We also try to find hotels with gyms so we can work out after sitting all day. That really helps us.
Yeah, I actually do. I just want to get there. So if I have to power through, I'd rather drive the 9 hours. It does fatigue me more than it used to, so I am likely going to have to start listening to my body more.
Sounds like a super eventful time in your life! Happy anniversary, and congrats on the breakthrough! Can't wait to read about that road trip if you guys do decide to take it :)
As for the bread...it is unfair to share pictures of food looking that good. Also, there's flaxseed in it? Does it affect the taste?
Thank you! Yes, it's been busy but a good kind of busy. There is a lot more pre-planning when it comes to road tripping with an EV. I'm sure it'll get a little less nerve wracking after this first time. In true Walton-fashion we're considering a 1,577 mile trip for our first one in the Model 3. : )
I'm sorry! There's just something about bread, isn't there? We would send a fresh loaf your way if it wouldn't be a crouton by the time it got there. I put chia seeds in this loaf but not flaxseed, those were just on the counter (my wife uses them for her for smoothies).
You are now master of round bread now my friend! I think you should try daisy bread next time :)
Thanks but I think I still have a lot to learn. What is daisy bread?
We call this daisy bread.
That bread is so tempting & makes me so jealous, I'm not surprised it disappeared quickly! Funny seeing the flax seeds. Just this morning, I discovered flax seeds I had ground for my Mom to have on her cereal or add to bread in the deepest recesses of the old chest freezer & it still is perfect, so have added that to my homemade...not sourdough...bread ;)
Enjoy your trip, I'm sure having to stop to recharge, will also be a good way to see more of the country along the way, and recharge both of you at the same time!
I was thrilled after the couple of failures I had before! I bet the ground flaxseed is really good in regular bread. I love the nutty flavor of it! Thank you! It'll be interesting to experience what this first EV trip will be like. I can imagine myself getting frustrated with the additional stops when I was younger but I think it'll be perfect for people our age (50's+). I don't think an extra five hours is too bad in the grand scheme of things. We can watch Netflix while we're charging too. : )
This week have been woeful definitely for the Crypto space and I begin to imagine whether we will recover from the Crypto bleed soon
I think we'll recover but I think it will take quite a while. More companies that were heavily invested in FTX will fall.
Everything suggests that you need to switch to Tesla, there are more pluses than minuses. It still needs to be done sometime.
I bought one in August and am loving it! I just haven't taken it on a long road trip yet.
The recent crypto crash has seen my assets in my wallet shrink sharply. I am so unhappy thinking about it. I think seeing your delicious bread is more fun for me for now than talking about crypto. have a nice day, Eric