Portfolio of the week - 2008

[stenzrob]

As posted earlier i overlooked Jiesen's true total and finish. he should be +.15 and +6.12%. this would put him in 2nd place and back up everone else one position, except for Stenzrob who is solidly entrenched in 1st place. sorry jiesen and everyone else. get your pen out jiesen. there are several stock groupies who collect signatures and are looking for yours. i understand it is going to become a collectable in time.
ray, got you covered buddy.

Louetta mailed me a bra from Nepal for signing.

[skiracer]

Louetta mailed me a bra from Nepal for signing.

now that's recognition and quite "uplifting". although peanuts will be despondent to hear that after her refusal to go to the phillipines and dashed his fantasies. a sherpa friend of mine, not part of their party, but privy to what's going on said their first base camp is at 20,000 ft. are you intending to sign both sides. stenz on the right and rob on the left?

[skiracer]

what a difference a day can make. a tie for 1st place between jiesen and peanuts. stenzrob now in 2nd had a whole box of felt tipped pens of assorted colors but not one strap in sight to sign. on the other hand here was peanuts boarding a plane for new delhi, india. throwing caution to the wind and leading with his heart he had to see her. to hell with the new job. all he could envision were those bare shoulders and the warmth and softness of those snow leopard skins and being cuddled up in a tent under the harshest conditions at 20,000 feet above sea level. as the plane lifted of the tarmac his chest was pounding. he was on his way and in first place to boot. Louetta had no idea he was coming and he had no idea of what was in store for him when he got there.
jiesen who for a moment thought Ski was dead, and had to wake him out of a deep alcohol induced stupor this morning to correct the scorecard, was also feeling pretty good with his position. tied for 1st place with peanuts LJPC was finally waking up. jeez it was in a deeper funk than Ski was this morning but finally was starting to show some life and maybe just maybe he could pull this off. there were still 3 days left and wouldn't that be a kick in the ass to start his month of keeping score with a 1st place finish. he would wait until tomorrow to even consider buying a new felt tipped pen much less signing any bra straps. steady and true was his mantra and he wasn't about to change anything in midstream. he still had a long way to go and wasn't quite sure of his footing.
stenzrob was having a hard time convincing himself this was happening. he was enjoying himself so much that he had lost sight of how fast the worm can turn. and turn it did. enough to shatter his dream and drop him out of 1st place and into 2nd. what a difference in the fickle mentallity of these groupies. he was still stenzrob but just not in 1st place. and they were only interested in the big kahuna, the top spot, the numero uno. he might as well been rolling around in doggie doo. they just weren't interested in 2nd place finishers. he'd show them once he was back in 1st place. just wait.
the drums were beating again for BOOM and ernie allowed himself the fantasy of dreaming of how close he was getting to that 16%. how many in a row would this make it. it had been awhile since the last one and many were questioning whether or not he still had it. well he was going to show them the "huge one" still had it as much as ever and maybe more. where's my brush. nothing soothed him more, in these moments, than brushing his back and he wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.
"there will be blood" was the thought on his mind as capn spike steered his sloop thru the night. he had caught a wind and was pushing the men as hard as any blood thirsty scoundrel ever could. he couldn't be content with 4th place and he would run every blessed one of them thru if they stood in his way to the top. it was always best to stay out of his way in these moments, especially with the sword in one hand and the bottle of rum in the other.
in 5th was the anti-thesis of capn spike. as pure and as true as the driven snow was sirtuck. a knight in shining armor on a white stallion galloping towards the finish intent on making his mark and taking the top spot for himself.
the rest of the pack was strewn out across the board with their own dreams and desires praying that they might catch the break they needed to make up the distance between them and immortality. the top spot.
as the wheels touched the ground in new delhi louetta was lying under the snow leopard skins au natural. spent from the days climb to the 1st base camp and almost oblivious to the howling wind and blizzard conditions outside the tent she lapsed off into a deep slumber and dreampt of how good it would feel to make the summit. she had no idea of what was going on outside of her world at 20,000 feet above sea level. peanuts was on his way and getting closer by the minute. this was going to be interesting to say the least.
another man, a sherpa named kafka, was lying huddled with the other equipment bearers outside in the driving blizzard without any protection from the elements. he was also dreaming. of that look she had given him earlier. he was not educated but he knew that look. and the blackness of the mountain and the night carried them all into their own fantasies. this was really going to be interesting.
and the scorecard please:

[jiesen]

Ski, you're amazing! How will I possibly live up to the standard you're setting?

I have just one thing to say about today's score:
I. Drink. Peanuts'. Milkshake. I drink it up!

[skiracer]

Ski, you're amazing! How will I possibly live up to the standard you're setting?

I have just one thing to say about today's score:
I. Drink. Peanuts'. Milkshake. I drink it up!

when i was in the army deep in the jungles of southeast asia my squad would sit around a sterno cup at night and they would beg me to tell a story. i would ask the guys to think of a topic and i would take it from there. strictly made up realtime from my imagination and it would just spew from my mouth non stop. i haven't got the slightest idea where it comes from. but when i'm writing this stuff it just flows out non stop. the best part about it is that i love to do it and i could go on forever slinging the bs.
i wouldn't try to live up to anything except your own level jiesen. just doing the job and keeping the scorecard correct and posted in a timely manner is a job in itself and if it weren't for you the potw would be in deep shit this coming month. i'm sure you will do good. besides storytelling isn't part of the job description.
i will say this. when someone like yourself mentions something to me like you did in your post it makes it all more than worthwhile. maybe once i get this licensing stuff out of the way there might be something for me in romance novels.

[Karel]

[...] besides storytelling isn't part of the job description.[...]

Quite right! Extras are extras and shouldn't really discourage anybody volunteering as keeper of POTW. I understand that jiessen is volunteering for one month only (is that correct?), so members in search for some very much appreciated involvement with this website, with POTW bookkeeping only, or with added praise or taunts or whatever you like as extras, are kindly invited to step forward.

Regards,

Karel

[skiracer]

Quite right! Extras are extras and shouldn't really discourage anybody volunteering as keeper of POTW. I understand that jiessen is volunteering for one month only (is that correct?), so members in search for some very much appreciated involvement with this website, with POTW bookkeeping only, or with added praise or taunts or whatever you like as extras, are kindly invited to step forward.

Regards,

Karel

karels absolutely right. i hope that my accompanying storytelling doesn't disuade anyone from stepping up and taking a turn at keeping score. the story telling is as much for my own gratification as it is meant for everyone elses but is not and shouldn't be thought of as a prerequisite to keeping score. the way this place is going with content we absolutely and unequivocally need anyone or anything to step up and fill in as needed just to insure that the potw remains viable and running. as busy as i am and will be i would still be available to help anyone who does step up to configure the scorecard and anything else to help insure the game continues.
perhaps once louetta completes her assault on k2 she will return and inspire someone to step up.

[stenzrob]

Take me out of COIN and into VLNC-long, please.

[skiracer]

Take me out of COIN and into VLNC-long, please.

done stenz.

[skiracer]

jiesen was thinking how many negative things had been said about his pick this week. well it had been more than a couple of weeks that he had been in LJPC but he had never lost confidence in this low priced stock. and besides he wasn't alone in sticking with one pick for weeks on end. there was Karel, from the low countries known as the netherlands, who had QMAR tattoed on his forehead he had been in it so long. he was going to have the last laugh now if he could only hold out for two more days. steady and true and without a negative thought in his mind was going to pay off for him. if he could only hold out for two more days. the young stock groupies struggling to get close to him, their blouses pulled off their bared shoulders begging for his signature didn't seem to interest him. he didn't even own a felt pen.
Stenzrob wanted the win just as badly as jiesen and had no qualms about discarding his ride in midstream. and that was just what he did. seeing that jiesen was getting more percentage for the money with his low priced stock, Stenzrob closed out the position in COIN and jumped aboard VLNC. he was less than a percentage point behind jiesen in 2nd place and making the change kept him easily within striking distance of the top spot. this was no time for sentimental feelings over stocks or stock groupies. although he noticed that he was getting more of the overflow from jiesens nonchalance and disinterest in the fine young things. well he did have a whole box of pens and why disappoint these supple young bodies.
the field and standings had changed over the course of the day. capn spike had run into the dulldrums and had lost his wind and half his crew to both his blade and the oars. those that couldn't stand up to the pace he set on the oars were run thru and thrown overboard. he was down to a skeleton crew and most of them were mere skeletons of men to start with. still he drove them mercelessly but to no avail as he fell farther and farther back. possibly out of contention.
Billyjoe had bought a box of multicolored felt tipped pens in anticipation of the chance he might end up in the top 3. his heart was pounding now that the realization had come true. he was in 3rd place. he showered, shaved, slicked back the full head of dark hair and stepped out to greet the overflow from jiesen and stenzrob. he had a natural charm about himself that woman found irrestible. besides that he was as glib and as smooth as silk. the way he carried himself with confidence and swagger, almost reminded one of skiracer gliding effortlessly down a slope. once billyjoe turned it on he was like a shark in a minnow pond. as he signed the first strap, her fragrance drifting up into and filling his nostrils, he thought that this was what he was built for. the night was young and he was eager and full of energy. the young things were in for a pleasant surprise as billyjoe fed off their exhuberance.
not everything had gone as expected for ernie and some of the other early leaders. BOOM had fallen off on what turned out to be less than a stellar up day for the markets. finishing off on a so so day had dropped him from 4th into 5th position. not out of the running but with only two days left the markets had left him in a precarious spot. 16% seemed to be drifting off into the sunset for the time being. he did have somewhat of a deadline to meet and there was still two days left but today was not what he was looking for after yesterday's finish. besides that, someone had taken his brush. the fine horsehair brush with the mother of pearl handle that he had owned since high school. he wanted the brush back more than the 16% and whoever had the nerve and gall to take it was going to pay dearly.
having moved up one position to 4th place sirtuck spent the night polishing his armor and brushing his noble white steed, stallworth, with the new mother of pearl brush someone had left hanging at the entrance to the horses stall. he had much to do and there would be no rest for him until everything was in place and in order. it was his nature to do this as he had been bred and trained to do since his birth into nobility. after all he was knighted and it was expected of him. he had no idea of where the brush came from and what was to come with it.
high in the mountains they assualt on K2 was progressing as louetta expected it would. her climbing party consisted of herself and three other men plus the dozen or so sherpas. being the only woman afforded her the opportunity to play off the men if she wanted to. she was an opportunist and no one played it better than she. her simplest request generated immediate reaction from all of them. but she neither cared nor wanted any of them. only the sherpa, kafka, was of interest and on her mind as she slid under the snow leopard skins and sipped her tonic water and lemon peel. they had climbed 2000 feet this day and she felt exhilarated yet spent. almost like great sex was the only comparison she could conjure up at the moment. she had no idea of what was in store as she drifted off into exhaustion and sleep.
peanuts had landed in new delhi and had boarded the twin engined beechcraft he had commissioned to fly him to katmandu. as the plane lifted off the ground peanuts was busy making the arrangements to get him to k2 and to the 2nd base camp high on the mountain at 22,000 feet. he also had no idea of what was in store for him. along with that he had no idea that he was now unemployed. it would not have mattered anyway.
much much later that night, in a driving blizzard, kafka awoke to the fragrant warm moist breathe on his cheek. deep into a dream he envisioned it was his dog shakta lapping at his cheek as he had done on so many occasions. the dog and kafka shared their bed out of necessity. but as his eyes opened and focused on the blonde hair he knew it was not shakta his dog. she beckoned him to follow without speaking as she moved away and back into her tent leaving the flap open. with hardly a stir and leaving the other sherpas sound asleep he rose and followed her into the tent.
peanuts plane was flying headlong into the mother of all blizzards it seemed and all he could think of was how much he wanted to be with her. for a single moment he thought and knew this was madness but he put the thought out of his mind. he was on his way and his anxiety was building.
and the scorecard please:

[peanuts]

oh my! Ski, you've got me laughing so hard that my head hurts.... but it seems like it might be my heart that will really feel the pain. I'm on the edge of my seat to find out how this ends... or will it ever?

[jiesen]

Quite right! Extras are extras and shouldn't really discourage anybody volunteering as keeper of POTW. I understand that jiessen is volunteering for one month only (is that correct?), so members in search for some very much appreciated involvement with this website, with POTW bookkeeping only, or with added praise or taunts or whatever you like as extras, are kindly invited to step forward.

Regards,

Karel

Yes, that's right Karel. I can only do it for one month this time- I wish I had the time to do it longer, but for now that's all I can promise. As my schedule permits, I will definitely consider volunteering again, but I'll have to see how this month goes first, before I can say when I'll be able to do it again.

[skiracer]

oh my! Ski, you've got me laughing so hard that my head hurts.... but it seems like it might be my heart that will really feel the pain. I'm on the edge of my seat to find out how this ends... or will it ever?

you're a good sport peanuts and thanks for going along with all of this. i have the ending mostly thought out and no one in the potw will end up looking bad or foolish in any way. i wonder if louetta is reading any of this and wondering if i'm nuts.
hopefully after my scorekeeping duties are finished i will have the time to inject a continuing yarn occassionally. i enjoy spinning them as much as anyone reading them. the bullshit just flows out of me not stop. i should be writing romance novels. maybe i missed my real calling. anyway you'll be surprised and have a good laugh with the turn or events and the end of the story this week.
i've been married for 30 years, since i was 33, and travelled around alot from the time i got out of the army at 21 until i got married. i loved it and have many adventures and did alot of exciting things. i love my wife and life but when i see how your life is going with the new job and the travelling i must say that it brings back so many memories and i am envious. enjoy and savor these years as much as you can they do fly by very quickly and will be memories before you know it. good luck and glad that you are enjoying the yarn.
i'll tell you this much. i am rooting for you to win this week as the storyline could go a couple of different ways depending on your finish but your plane does land safely in katmandu.

[stenzrob]

Hi Ed, and greetings from the Philippines! Good luck on your new venture in life. Maybe I'll have to throw some money at you... but you'll have to promise one thing... stay off the pole

Way to go winners! All the greenies deserve a pat on the head, too.

I think I'll stick with my pick from last week. Give me CTRP long, please.

Thanks, and have a great week!

ps. I wish Louetta would have come with me. I'm sure she would love it here.

Congrats on the CTRP results, peanuts. Looks like you're going to breeze into the gold medal spot this week!

[skiracer]

louetta doesn't realize it yet but she just may be ecstatic over this turn of events. and could love come to a nicer guy?