Investing in the stock market

When Celestica, Inc. closed their electronics manufacturing plant in Chippewa Falls, I lost a good paying job. Now a year later, it still feels like Celestica is giving me the shaft. I decided to hold onto the shares I had purchased through the employee stock purchase plan. Over three years that turned into a nice little lump of change. But recently the stock price has hit a record low. Wasn't closing all the factories in the US and moving the work to Asia supposed to make the stock price go up? You mean the cheap Asian labor hasn't fixed everything? Wow, that's amazing. Maybe the CEO needs to be downsized. Luckily, I don't need to sell the stock. I will ride it down to zero before I sell for a loss. The stock market is not for the weak hearted. I have made my share of mistakes and got lucky once or twice. I wrote an article on investing, which is on my web site. But I think most of my advice is too conservative for most people. I have read a lot of books on investing, but so far, only the most conservative approach has worked for me.

Online auction panic attack

I wrote an article recently on how I was ripped off on Ebay. But just like everyone else who is on a budget, I'm always looking for a good deal. About a year ago I discovered that the local tech school holds a monthly online auction. Knowing the seller gave me confidence to place bids. The main items I look for at this auction are office furniture and used computers. I was able to get a P3 450 mhz pc with monitor, keyboard, and mouse for $75 bucks. Not bad if you don't need the latest technology. On a more recent auction, I had my sights set on a P4 1.7 ghz pc. The price was $150 for about a week and didn't change. During the last half hour of the auction I placed a bid for $175. Someone quickly placed a higher bid so I went up to $195. I didn't want to go over two hundred because I knew I would need a bigger hard drive, better sound, and graphics card which would add at least three hundred to the price. As I way typing in my next bid I started to panic because I knew that time was running out and someone else was bidding against me. I didn't know how much time I had to work with because the auction site doesn't have a timer like Ebay. I entered my bid and I saw a message that said that someone had already out bid me and of course, by then, it was too late to place another bid. I was disappointed to say the least. Hopefully they will have similar systems for sale next month and I will have better luck.

Business is booming... not

I had my first business email inquiry for BHP this week. Following that, I received a phone call from somebody in Toronto who wanted to sell me web design services... huh? Yeah that was a weird conversation. Like two salesmen trying to sell each other the same thing. Meanwhile, the web design class is moving forward again. I've picked up some good Dreamweaver tips and hope to start designing my client web site soon. At work we are in the middle of our busy season. I had a call from New York at 7 am. Someone was not sure how to use the digital recorder. Almost every piece of AV equipment we have is out, so I expect to get lots of calls next week. I'm also working on a 6 hour video from one of the seminars. Two cameras were used. One was on DVC tape and the other was on VHS. It's a pain transfering VHS to digital. I have the clips for the first segment transfered and now I'm cutting them into the timeline in Adobe Premiere. Stay tuned for more exciting media technician updates.

Distance Learning Help Wanted

I noticed that CVTC has posted a help wanted ad for two distance learning assistants. That still doesn't excuse the teacher from not telling us what's going on. I shouldn't have to read the help wanted ads to determine why the teacher is no longer showing up for my class. I thought of applying for one of the positions, but my schedule is tight too. The pay is about the same as what I make as a media tech. That didn't make me feel too good, knowing that I make as much as a part time assistant teacher :( Anyway, they did post some new assignments, so I need to keep working on them, even though it feels like the school isn't concerned about me.

Teacher skips out on web class

The teacher for my web design class has failed to post any homework for week 5. Last week I had to send her an email after she was 3 days late posting the homework. Now she is 6 days late! By my count, three students have already dropped out. The teacher replied that she has ten other classes this semester. I'm not sure what to do. I think a full refund is in order, if the TEACHER doesn't show up for class. But the way these things go, I'm sure I will be the one who gets the short end of the stick. I tempted to offer to help her teach the class. I really want to finish this class, but at this point it doesn't look like it's going to happen. This is exactly how my girlfriend got stuck with a bogus student loan. The school closed and she was unable to complete her education. They now expect her to pay tens of thousands of dollars on a thousand dollar loan. The US Department of Education is the most corrupt, uncaring, abusive, dishonest, rude, underhanded, inhumane, deceptive, organization I have ever dealt with.