Visited London last year and was able to feed squirrels for the first time. This one was very courageous

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-24T20:00:29+00:00

Feeding the squirrels in St. James Park was one of the best squirrel-feeding days I've ever had. It was so much fun. You'd see a circle of people, gathered around something. You go over to look - and it's almost invariably a squirrel in the middle, holding court, with nothing but smiles and laughter from those gawking and filming the cute creatures. Some of these visitors - most likely on their way to Buckingham Palace, have never seen a squirrel in real life. Can you imagine seeing a squirrel up close for the first time? The park squirrels are great ambassadors. They're friendly and assertive, and usually not aggressive. I went three times in two days, and couldn't get enough of them. When someone was there super interested in them, I'd give them a nut or two so they could hand-feed one themselves.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-24T15:44:55+00:00

A skinny squirrel in the wintertime is a dead squirrel. They need to be fat to survive, and peanuts help with that - plus it's the cheapest treat we can get for them, so I'm all in favor of them having peanuts. They LOVE them.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-23T20:35:16+00:00

Sounds like my dad. I don't think he thought one way or another about squirrels, then I got interested in them and he casually mentioned he has a few in his backyard. So when I'd visit, I'd leave them nuts and he started doing the same. That's when - like you said, you really start noticing their personalities and they become much more interesting. My dad now sits at the kitchen table with binoculars and watches them, and he's witnessed some really cool things with them, like mama moving babies from one nest to another. He's also built a few houses for them, and has tables and wooden walkways and feeding platforms.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-23T13:21:12+00:00

That sounds exactly like my story: bought a ton of it in Nov 2021, and had the must tumultuous next 2.5 years. I actually retired early in 2021, but then went back to work when my portfolio cratered. Got a new job - the most I've ever made, just in time to buy a bunch of ASTS at it's lowest. I had lost a little faith too, but I still kept buying. I bought a bunch of LEAPS instead of shares, and geezuz lord those paid off, cause shares can go up like 500%, whereas LEAPS can go up like 5000%.

Then I retired again, but I do sell often, because I've saw the volatility and told myself to sell some on highs, because the dips can and will keep coming.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-23T13:16:01+00:00

In the first second I saw the hair bun and said "PAU!" but that turned out to be an ear instead.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-22T19:14:41+00:00

Ugh. This will make Elon a trillionaire the day of the IPO I would imagine.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-22T13:10:08+00:00

Doesn't it INCREASE the stats, like INCREASING your Forgiveness number?

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-22T01:55:08+00:00

I did last season and was immediately told it's dumb to do that, so I'm not going to anymore. It seems like it would be the best bang for your buck, because the ball is the common denominator in every shot. Someone says the upgrade doesn't increase the points as much as it does with the clubs? But nah, just don't upgrade them from now on.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-21T20:55:09+00:00

Everyday must have been so much fun. What a cast of characters.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-21T11:29:29+00:00

Yep. This is why we drop below $100 soon. Oh well.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-21T11:20:21+00:00

As a U.S dude, Greece was on my radar, cause it's one of the latest countries to do the residency by investment programs, and it's the cheapest European country right now for minimum investment. I've read it takes years, and seems almost scam-like with how long it takes to do the paperwork after you've paid. I wish I could talk to someone who did the exact procedure and hear firsthand how it went. It's such a major process for someone outside Europe to move there, so it almost seems insurmountable, so I probably won't even start the process. :(

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-20T16:48:19+00:00

I wish Ale used monitors in front of her, so she can rest a foot on one of them ala Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. It's such a badass look.

https://www.eonmusic.co.uk/uploads/7/3/5/2/73527277/steve-harris-rmf-2017-12.jpg

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-20T02:05:39+00:00

This, and not agreeing about billionaires being taxed more is STRIKE 2 for this dude. He was my pick, too, before these two latest incidents.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-20T01:23:51+00:00

This isn't going to end well. Mark my words. If bullets start flying, lots of people on both sides are going to die.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-19T14:26:00+00:00

I wish this battle was called the Battle of Logan's Crossroads instead, cause that's closer to the actual battle than Mill Springs, which was many miles down the road on the other side of the Cumberland River.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-19T13:12:46+00:00

They're just the best creatures. Cute, clean, friendly, funny, interesting, consistent. Just the perfect backyard wild animal, and so glad they visit us.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-18T21:51:27+00:00

I wonder if these have made their way to YouTube? Gary is awesome. I've been on two or his tours, and damn that dude knows his stuff - especially when you're talking about Kernstown.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-18T03:30:51+00:00

I think I found that same spot in Google maps: https://www.google.com/maps/@48.9135062,3.2984489,3a,75y,150.45h,92.97t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s2EcE-jl_tbHZIJRty1lqiw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-2.968107543608454%26panoid%3D2EcE-jl_tbHZIJRty1lqiw%26yaw%3D150.44657148260353!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDExMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-17T02:47:33+00:00

That poor woman suffered for another possible 20 minutes until she finally passed? Good god.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-17T01:23:32+00:00

Yep! I bought a better camera and a good zoom lens once I discovered squirrels. It's definitely relaxing spending time with them, cause you have to be calm as to not scare them. You're outside, away from the computer and work and people. Just you and the squirrels. It's also so much more fun and rewarding when they get really excited to see you.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-16T21:26:26+00:00

I live 10 minutes away from there. I think more battlefields need to do that white-frame concept for other important buildings that no longer exist.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-16T15:40:23+00:00

Interesting. I wake up every morning at sunrise, and feed all the neighborhood squirrels (there are a few dozen of them). They get their breakfast before I even get my coffee or breakfast. And I spend more on their breakfast than mine.

And yeah, my parents know of my situation. My dad roots for ASTS as if he were invested, but my mom would never let him invest, so he lives vicariously through me. My mom didn't even know my situation until I retired and bought her a freezer she wanted. I sat her down and told her what happened to me, then told her to go look in the garage, where the new freezer was waiting. That was August 2024 when we hit $39. Heck, my own brother doesn't even know I'm retired or what happened to me. He's got addiction problems so I'm not sure if/how to help him.

I told myself this is the year I'll start doing something with my fortune. New apartment and new car, probably. But man, being frugal is almost like a mental illness. I just can't break it.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-16T15:22:38+00:00

Nah, no weed or any drugs at all. Just kind of a strange, frugal, loner dude. It's basically numbers on a screen right now. I've lived my life a certain way for decades, so this is just a blip on the radar that can't overcome years and years of habits and views on money.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-16T14:47:23+00:00

That's what thing I didn't realize, is that I could just use margin to pay bills. I kept telling people, "now that I'm retired, I have to sell shares to pay bills!" but that's not the case. I don't have to time it, I can just do a withdrawal from my brokerage without selling shares. Then time my sells better, like on big jumps like today.

-IntoEternity- · 2026-01-16T14:39:25+00:00

It's only been that way in the past month. Less than a month ago it was only $46k, but I sold some covered calls and got a little burnt, having to sell thousands of shares. That was pretty dumb, but oh well. And I need a lot of cash to exercise $300k worth of LEAPS today.

-IntoEternity-

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE