Wow! I was starting to get very pissed at myself for wasting so much time reading this thread. In the process, I icqd someone here that I didn't know before and now we arranged a generous traffic deal. Thanks Brad!
It's nice to see Peaches and Ron making amends and I learned a couple things about investing. I love the Samsonite story too. I had no idea.
Creating your own luck... It's funny because me and my family were in a deep discussion about this very subject last night. I used to be such a pussy about everything and I hated taking risks. The more I accepted that I simply had bad luck, the more I would lose. I know now the worst thing that can happen is that I lose everything I own. I've done this several times and now it's not so scary. It's not that difficult to build back up if your goals are high to begin with.
I wanted to be a real estate when I was 18 and my parents strongly discouraged me from doing it. They said no one would ever take me seriously. My family was also appalled by what I do on the internet, but now they say very little since I make more money than my Dad who has broken his back at the same job for over 30 years. I think I have a better start than most who make 10 times what I do because I have not one single bill.
I hope to learn the "correct" way of building several nest eggs for myself by investing but I honestly have no clue as to where to begin. Anyway, enough rambling, I've enjoyed this thread.