Let’s start this post off with some raw honesty, okay? 2015 was a year of failure. I failed at stocks. I failed to follow through on my planned property purchases. And I definitely failed in the dating department. That’s the truth. Having said that, there’s still a big smile on my face when I look back. A closer look into these failures will explain things a bit better.
Real Estate
I was supposed to buy one or two properties in 2015, and then pay off Property 3 by the end of the year. That didn’t happen. Seeing that I needed $31,000 for a $35,000 mortgage pissed me off, and I ended up not buying anything. I turned my attention to commercial properties, but then came the dinner with Damon that changed everything. Now I have a new way to buy property that can yield more money and allow me to retire faster than I would if I had followed through on my planned property purchases. I was going to try some new ventures like used car sales, but now I see what I've been missing was a better plan in real estate... not a plan in a different field. So yes, I didn’t follow through on my real estate plans for 2015. But it was all for the better.
The Stock Market
I lost over $4,200 in the stock market, and that shit hurt. Once I started sim trading again, I realized why I lost so much. It wasn’t due to a lack of experience or not knowing how to read financial statements. No, the main reason why I lost was due to a lack of patience. EA, SCTY, AAPL, JBLU, TTWO, MUX, AAPL, DIS, and NFLX are all stocks that I traded. In the last few months, I traded the same companies during simulation but held them longer. The result? ALL PROFITS! For example, I bought Apple at 121. It went all the way down to 112 and I was down over $1000 at that point. I knew that if I held on they would bounce back so I kept it for a little over a month. Sure enough, it went back up to 123 and I sold at a profit. Nino bought an option on the stock but is still holding it, so he’s probably down over $20,000 right now. But this example is proof of what my problem is. I felt the market. I picked the right stocks. But, when things went sour, I sold the stock instead of holding on to it. All of the stocks I traded (except for Groupon) would have made me money had I held instead of sold. Even WWE would have made me a boatload of money had I held out for the year. Next year, I have to show more patience when I trade.
Dating
I knew this was gonna be a disaster when I started, so it wasn’t a surprise when I got all those rejections. It was a good idea to switch my profile to NYC at the very end, because I know now that I can get the type of women I’m used to without the Smalltown bullshit.
So yes, they were all failures. But within each failure was a lesson that I can learn from. In order to "win at everything I do", I usually have to take a loss or two. They say that the best teacher was your last mistake, so I should be good as long as I learn from them. With the knowledge I've gained from my mistakes, 2016 should be a banner year. Now let's do a quick rundown of the other happenings in 2015.
Tenant Management
Getting rid of Chris in Property 2 was a very good thing, but I made the mistake of trusting him when I shouldn’t have. This taught me a great lesson that, even a tenant of 6 years can bullshit when they run into tough times. So when any of these tenants ask for me to wait for rent, I can tell them to fuck off. I stick to my deadline no matter what. If the rent isn’t paid by the end of the month, file an eviction immediately. Forming the Ahkenaten/Alfonso Property Management to handle Property X has been working out good so far, and I can finally focus on my own properties from here on out.
Food
2015 was the first year that I focused on making food from home. I spent an average of $201 a month on food, which is fucking awesome. I noticed that I have a tendency to eat outside food when I don’t have enough food at home, so I have to keep the refrigerator stocked. I also have to try of new foods, as a lack of variety will also lead to me eating outside foods. Right now, I make the following foods:
This is not nearly enough variety, so I really have to find new foods to make. It would also help if I could make foods that didn’t require bread or rice to complete it. I'm getting tired of the damned carbs already.
Entertainment
2015 was a magnificent year for entertainment. Battlestar Galactica, a Saved By The Bell reunion, BBC Earth, Sons of Anarchy, Parks and Rec, The Office, Forensic Files and some excellent movies really made life's troubles easier to handle. The big find was rap battles. I honestly didn’t expect to like them, but it makes sense that I do. It’s the perfect blend of poetry and violence, and few do it better than the URL. I also got to play Skyrim, which remains the best RPG. Towards the end of the year, however, I didn’t play as many games. The real estate game got real after October’s Dinner with Damon, and I won’t have as much time for games as I'm used to. That’s a very good thing. I'll probably end up watching The West Wing to brush up on political knowledge, but I doubt it'll be as fun as the other series' I have seen. I'm not sure anything can top 2015.
Physical Health
From 241 lbs to 196 lbs to 219 lbs. I’ve never looked this good. Going to the gym was a fantastic idea, and I’ve been killing it ever since. My plan is to keep membership at my gym until June or July, then switch to the YMCA. I’ve always wanted to learn how to box and how to swim, and the YMCA teaches both. I have to wait until the weather gets better since it’s a few blocks away from work, so I’ll wait until summer time.
Friends and Family
At the beginning of 2015, I would have never guessed that I would get rid of Nino. Never. But my mind saw something that I couldn’t see and, as always, it was right. With Nino gone, that leaves Brooklyn Mike as my only friend. He should be moving into his very own apartment by the end of this month. Sam has family moving to Smalltown, so that’ll probably make us hang out a little bit more. I’m glad I didn’t cut Sam and his wife off just yet, as they still provide me with value real estate lessons through their dealings. I was also very inspired to see Sonya open her own clothing store and watch it succeed. Inspiration is a good thing to have.
My father Alan had two strokes, and my mother Anita had a car accident. 2015 showed me that these guys are winding down, and I have to be prepared. Anita seems to have her life set up, but Alan is still in bad shape. He still has no money except for what he gets through SS and pension. Once he gets well enough, he has to sell that house, take the profits, and go to Nigeria where he can be around people who have the time to take care of him. My sister Ana was her usual self in 2015, going from temp job to temp job and getting evicted from her apartment. She now lives with Anita and, somehow, they seem to co-exist well. Hopefully she'll get her shit together in 2016, but I wouldn't bet on it. My brother Alex and I talked to each other a lot more in 2015, and I'm really enjoying our conversations. I think the reason why we get along so well is because I don't know him. As kids, we always had that Wayne Arnold/Kevin Arnold dynamic, so I only knew him as my bullying big brother. Now things are different, and I value the advice he gives. I definitely made the right choice of him as the guy who takes over my business instead of Nino. In 2016, I expect us to continue strengthening our family ties, and I may take a trip to Seattle sometime this year to see him and his wife Pam.
Mental Health
Finding out that I unknowingly talk to myself didn’t feel good. Then August 11th happened. Then I left the house naked and try to break into my own car without knowing it. 2015 saw the biggest decline in my mental health, and I’m not sure what’s gonna happen in 2016. But at least I’ve made the arrangements so that, in case I don’t make it, my business goes to the right people.
And that was 2015 in a nutshell. I’m glad it’s gone, so bring on a new year of successes and failures…
P.S.: This year, I won September's Ass Crack game in the coolest way:
Sam and I were both tied in points at the end of the month, but I won at the last minute by getting this picture of him working on his carpet shampooer. Best win ever! Life still has its moments...
Real Estate
I was supposed to buy one or two properties in 2015, and then pay off Property 3 by the end of the year. That didn’t happen. Seeing that I needed $31,000 for a $35,000 mortgage pissed me off, and I ended up not buying anything. I turned my attention to commercial properties, but then came the dinner with Damon that changed everything. Now I have a new way to buy property that can yield more money and allow me to retire faster than I would if I had followed through on my planned property purchases. I was going to try some new ventures like used car sales, but now I see what I've been missing was a better plan in real estate... not a plan in a different field. So yes, I didn’t follow through on my real estate plans for 2015. But it was all for the better.
The Stock Market
I lost over $4,200 in the stock market, and that shit hurt. Once I started sim trading again, I realized why I lost so much. It wasn’t due to a lack of experience or not knowing how to read financial statements. No, the main reason why I lost was due to a lack of patience. EA, SCTY, AAPL, JBLU, TTWO, MUX, AAPL, DIS, and NFLX are all stocks that I traded. In the last few months, I traded the same companies during simulation but held them longer. The result? ALL PROFITS! For example, I bought Apple at 121. It went all the way down to 112 and I was down over $1000 at that point. I knew that if I held on they would bounce back so I kept it for a little over a month. Sure enough, it went back up to 123 and I sold at a profit. Nino bought an option on the stock but is still holding it, so he’s probably down over $20,000 right now. But this example is proof of what my problem is. I felt the market. I picked the right stocks. But, when things went sour, I sold the stock instead of holding on to it. All of the stocks I traded (except for Groupon) would have made me money had I held instead of sold. Even WWE would have made me a boatload of money had I held out for the year. Next year, I have to show more patience when I trade.
Dating
I knew this was gonna be a disaster when I started, so it wasn’t a surprise when I got all those rejections. It was a good idea to switch my profile to NYC at the very end, because I know now that I can get the type of women I’m used to without the Smalltown bullshit.
So yes, they were all failures. But within each failure was a lesson that I can learn from. In order to "win at everything I do", I usually have to take a loss or two. They say that the best teacher was your last mistake, so I should be good as long as I learn from them. With the knowledge I've gained from my mistakes, 2016 should be a banner year. Now let's do a quick rundown of the other happenings in 2015.
Tenant Management
Getting rid of Chris in Property 2 was a very good thing, but I made the mistake of trusting him when I shouldn’t have. This taught me a great lesson that, even a tenant of 6 years can bullshit when they run into tough times. So when any of these tenants ask for me to wait for rent, I can tell them to fuck off. I stick to my deadline no matter what. If the rent isn’t paid by the end of the month, file an eviction immediately. Forming the Ahkenaten/Alfonso Property Management to handle Property X has been working out good so far, and I can finally focus on my own properties from here on out.
Food
2015 was the first year that I focused on making food from home. I spent an average of $201 a month on food, which is fucking awesome. I noticed that I have a tendency to eat outside food when I don’t have enough food at home, so I have to keep the refrigerator stocked. I also have to try of new foods, as a lack of variety will also lead to me eating outside foods. Right now, I make the following foods:
- Cereal
- Rice and Chicken
- Rice and Salmon
- Ground Chicken Tacos
- Turkey Burgers
- Turkey Sandwiches
- Eggs on a Bagel
- French Fries
This is not nearly enough variety, so I really have to find new foods to make. It would also help if I could make foods that didn’t require bread or rice to complete it. I'm getting tired of the damned carbs already.
Entertainment
2015 was a magnificent year for entertainment. Battlestar Galactica, a Saved By The Bell reunion, BBC Earth, Sons of Anarchy, Parks and Rec, The Office, Forensic Files and some excellent movies really made life's troubles easier to handle. The big find was rap battles. I honestly didn’t expect to like them, but it makes sense that I do. It’s the perfect blend of poetry and violence, and few do it better than the URL. I also got to play Skyrim, which remains the best RPG. Towards the end of the year, however, I didn’t play as many games. The real estate game got real after October’s Dinner with Damon, and I won’t have as much time for games as I'm used to. That’s a very good thing. I'll probably end up watching The West Wing to brush up on political knowledge, but I doubt it'll be as fun as the other series' I have seen. I'm not sure anything can top 2015.
Physical Health
From 241 lbs to 196 lbs to 219 lbs. I’ve never looked this good. Going to the gym was a fantastic idea, and I’ve been killing it ever since. My plan is to keep membership at my gym until June or July, then switch to the YMCA. I’ve always wanted to learn how to box and how to swim, and the YMCA teaches both. I have to wait until the weather gets better since it’s a few blocks away from work, so I’ll wait until summer time.
Friends and Family
At the beginning of 2015, I would have never guessed that I would get rid of Nino. Never. But my mind saw something that I couldn’t see and, as always, it was right. With Nino gone, that leaves Brooklyn Mike as my only friend. He should be moving into his very own apartment by the end of this month. Sam has family moving to Smalltown, so that’ll probably make us hang out a little bit more. I’m glad I didn’t cut Sam and his wife off just yet, as they still provide me with value real estate lessons through their dealings. I was also very inspired to see Sonya open her own clothing store and watch it succeed. Inspiration is a good thing to have.
My father Alan had two strokes, and my mother Anita had a car accident. 2015 showed me that these guys are winding down, and I have to be prepared. Anita seems to have her life set up, but Alan is still in bad shape. He still has no money except for what he gets through SS and pension. Once he gets well enough, he has to sell that house, take the profits, and go to Nigeria where he can be around people who have the time to take care of him. My sister Ana was her usual self in 2015, going from temp job to temp job and getting evicted from her apartment. She now lives with Anita and, somehow, they seem to co-exist well. Hopefully she'll get her shit together in 2016, but I wouldn't bet on it. My brother Alex and I talked to each other a lot more in 2015, and I'm really enjoying our conversations. I think the reason why we get along so well is because I don't know him. As kids, we always had that Wayne Arnold/Kevin Arnold dynamic, so I only knew him as my bullying big brother. Now things are different, and I value the advice he gives. I definitely made the right choice of him as the guy who takes over my business instead of Nino. In 2016, I expect us to continue strengthening our family ties, and I may take a trip to Seattle sometime this year to see him and his wife Pam.
Mental Health
Finding out that I unknowingly talk to myself didn’t feel good. Then August 11th happened. Then I left the house naked and try to break into my own car without knowing it. 2015 saw the biggest decline in my mental health, and I’m not sure what’s gonna happen in 2016. But at least I’ve made the arrangements so that, in case I don’t make it, my business goes to the right people.
And that was 2015 in a nutshell. I’m glad it’s gone, so bring on a new year of successes and failures…
P.S.: This year, I won September's Ass Crack game in the coolest way:
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| Sam at Sonya's store |
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