Random Musings

What is reality? And what is not? It's been said that reality is what we percieve it to be. That is, our reality can be different than someone else's. Makes you wonder what reality really is, doesn't it. One man's truth is another man's fiction.

I intend to use this section of my site to just spout forth with whatever I feel like, that day. The Random Musings of someone who is at times quite mystified with life. And what it is that we're all doing here.

Do you have some Random Musing that you'd like to share? I'm thinking of adding a section for visitors' Random Musings. If you do, please send me an email.

September 17, 2002

Stock Market Gyrations

Another interesting quirk of the financial markets is these same financial pundit's explanations of why the Stock Market does what it does. Today, the stock market plunged 235 points. The explanation from the Wall Street Journal:

"Stocks plunged Thursday as fears about rising interest rates punished the bond market. Both stock and bond investors were rattled by economic data that indicated the economy had grown in the first quarter at a slower pace than expected."

Say what? Last weeks plunge was explained by saying that the economy was apparently growing faster than anticipated and that was causing fears of rising interest rates, which in turn hammered stock prices.

Why are they always trying to explain everything? Especially with explanations like these that are basically nonsensical. You can't have it both ways with the interest rates.

The fact of the matter is that stocks rise and fall due to reasons that none of us can truly fathom. The people buying and selling these stocks are just that: people. Each person's life based on their own perception of reality.

Can you imagine anyone sitting there and saying, "I'm going to sell X stock today because that government report said that the X factor grew 4% in April and we thought it was going to grow 4.5% and because of that the interest rates might be rising and I just have to get rid of this stock." I mean, who said the X factor was going to grow 4.5% to begin with? Some person. What do they know. What does anybody know, really.

Probably one person sold the stock because he/she got passed over for a promotion, and was depressed. And some other person got a "hot tip," and wanted to buy something else. And maybe the third person (me?) just needed the money.

But no, things like that can't be categorized. Instead, they just blame it on the "X factor," or the latest fad, of the day.

Collector Mania

I do wonder about this mania for collecting things. Why do people do it? I was in the Post Office, today, and they have all of these whacked out stamps. Ballet Dancers and Malcom X and some other really ugly woman that I don't even know she was/is. And Loony Toons. Why would I ever want to send a letter with Daffy Duck as the stamp?

But they do it because people collect these things. And the PO hopes that you'll buy these stamps and never use them to send letters, increasing their profits and reducing their work.

I've been there, at one time, I collected Star Wars Memorabilia. I was a junkie, in 1993, I paid $2K for this kids Star Wars collection. I've got it out there, in the garage. Probably not even worth close to that amount but it is boxes and boxes and boxes (18 in total) of stuff. An R2D2 lamp. (It does actually work). The Jawa playset. The this, the that, the other thing. Dozens and dozens of the original action figures. But very few MOC (Mint on Card). The mantra, of collectors.

And other things that I collected on my own. The original, from 1977 or so Han Solo Hamilton plate. Kids' lunch boxes, mint, from the original trilogy. A Darth Vader stand-up poster. Issues of Bantha Tracks, the Star Wars Fan Club newsletter, from the early '80s.

And Star Trek. I was also a collector of that stuff. I do have 4 of the 1st Hallmark Christmas ornaments, of the Starship Enterprise. Read somewhere, a few years ago, they're now worth $500, a shot. Maybe it's even up to $1K, by now.

Well, who knows. Money is getting tight, maybe I can sell those puppies and pay the mortgage.

Hey, anyone interested in a Deanna Troi in the Pink Outfit? The one where she was spilling out of the plastic, and so they recalled it. Very rare, MOC :-).