Ray of Light

It was a long few weeks that followed my visit to watch Albert trade.

During that time, my job as a Sales Assistant went from bad to just downright awful. I basically spent my days in meetings with unorganized salespeople who treated me like crap but then expected me to help them. No matter how hard I worked for them they were always unhappy. I had already been turned down once when I asked for a meager raise.

One day my mom called my office. She was calling from the hospital where she was laid up with a broken leg. (Parking lot. Ice.) Was she okay? Yes, but she would need a ride home. She and my father were divorced, and my two older siblings both lived in California. I had no choice but to go. I went into my boss's office and told him that I had a family emergency and that I needed to leave early. He said, "Do what you have to do. But I don't have to be happy about it." Even though I had only $600 in savings and over $30,000 in student loans, I quit then and there. I drove down to Collingswood and spent the next week taking care of my mom. I also decided that I was going to take a shot at trading. But with no income or savings, how was I going to live? Albert told me that I shouldn't expect to make money for at least 6 months and even that wasn't guaranteed.

As it turns out the timing for this particular problem was perfect. My girlfriend (future wife) Judy and I had been talking about moving in together; the lease on my apartment was up at the end of the month. I could not wait to leave this particular apartment because all of my neighbors were crazy. I lived next door to a couple who fought all the time. When they weren't fighting, they were listening to the Madonna song "Ray of Light" and having sex. Upstairs, lived a woman who worked in the sex-trade and downstairs, lived 3 guys who played video games all the time. When they weren't playing video games, they were busy visiting the woman who lived upstairs.

Anyway, Judy had a nice stable job working as an administrative assistant for the CEO of a large publishing company. She said her salary could support us both until I was profitable. In a week, we had found a house to rent on Staten Island and I was preparing for my second visit downtown to become more immersed in the world of trading. This time, I wouldn't wear a suit.