If you’re familiar with the Sentiment Cycle, you might find these ETFs of interest.

None of these are as perfect as I would like them to be, but I was trying to find Aversion in fairly shorter time frames. Seems that VIVO is the shortest time frame, but looks early to me. CCXI looks like maybe a triple Aversion..? LOL!! And EGLE’s aversion seems a little deep.

Just posting my thoughts on RMBS at the moment.

Since being introduced to the Sentiment Cycle by the Option Addict, I’ve become somewhat obsessed about the concept. I find myself looking for similarities in every chart I come across. My friend @StockCats posted a chart of RMBS on his blog last weekend, and I’ve become smitten with where this stock sits.

In the chart below, looking at the last 3 months, it seems that RMBS is sitting within the depths of ‘Aversion’.

Here’s a look at the last 3 years – a nice rounding bottom, and RMBS seems to be on the tail end of an even larger period ‘Aversion’.

Now, have a look at the volume profile and the overhead vacancy:

I’m looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.

The photo at the top of this post shows the maiden voyage of a DIY cold smoke generator that I’ve been wanting to build for a while. I enjoy smoked mozzarella on my pizza wanted to see for myself how different woods effect the flavor and final outcome.

The sources that I obtained my information from will be posted below, but I want to add some of my discoveries that may be of help to you if this is something that interests you.

1. A regular decorative tin (think holiday cookies or nuts) will work just fine. A stainless steel vessel is really difficult to drill, and a much more difficult path.
2. When making the larger penetration in whatever container you choose, consider a “step drill bit”. They are the least expensive option, and will work just fine for this application. Harbor Freight and Amazon are two sources, but you’re likely to find a friend or relative with one you can borrow for the short time you’ll need it.
3. The aquarium pump is critical, and too small of one will not create the venturi effect that you need to keep your charcoal glowing. The Jebo 9908 is used in the first video below. It’s adjustable, the price is modest, and shipping ran me $5 at the time this post was written.
4. I found all of my components at a specialized plumbing supply store. ACE hardware came close to having everything, and Home Depot and Lowe’s were limited in their offerings.
5. TAKE A PIECE OF AQUARIUM TUBING WITH YOU TO THE STORE! It will take a little trial and error in making sure everything matches up. My greatest difficulty was finding 1/4 in tubing that fit the copper 1/2 in to 1/4 in reducer. ACE hardware had the most variety of the smaller tubing, and sells their tubing by the foot.
6. Don’t stress over the quality of your soldering joints if they turn out ugly. There is no need for things to be air or water tight, the fittings just need to be held in place.

The following Instructables includes many unnecessary steps ( and involves drilling into stainless), but has a good parts list of the fittings for the venturi tube you’ll be building.

Cold Smoker From A Cocktail Shaker

Many viewed today’s report of 165,000 jobs created in April as “green shoots”.

Whether you agree or not, it’s a great excuse to listen to one of the greatest guitar players to emerge from the “British Blues” movement of the 1960’s. You can read a little about Peter Green (including his founding of Fleetwood Mac) by clicking here. What I would like you to pay attention to, is how much of his style was copied by Carlos Santana, including the actual song “Black Magic Woman”. Mr. Santana owes a lot to this man. I hope you enjoy the tunes.

Johnny Fortune was an talented surf guitarist of the 60’s, that many have forgotten or never knew about. If you would like to read a little more about the man, click here.

I hope you enjoy the tunes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rACBIru6tJg

As you cruise through the liquor store gathering Irish themed libations this weekend, please know that those isle end displays of Harp Lager, and Guinness Extra Stout are fake Irish beer. I hate being lied to, and desire real Irish beer, so I gathered some info & photographed a few labels for you.

The fake Irish beer list consists of:

Guinness Extra Stout – Canadian

Harp Lager  – Canadian

Murphy’s Irish Stout – England at Heineken’s Tadcaster plant

Murphy’s Red Ale – Netherlands

Wexford Irish Cream Ale – England

The real Irish beer list includes:

Guinness “Draught“(in bottles) and all kegs are brewed in Ireland

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout – Ireland

Guinness Black Lager – Ireland

O’Hara’s Irish Stout – Ireland

O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale – Ireland

Smithwick’s Irish Ale – Ireland

These are the big names, I’m sure there are a few smaller breweries that aren’t distributed widely. Please name one of your favorites if you like, or comment on what you usually choose to celebrate National ‘Spud Muncher’ Day. The label pics follow the video.

This morning, like every morning, I dashed out the door to begin the humiliating pilgrimage that every ‘ham & egger’ knows well. But while pulling out of the driveway, an odd feeling came over me that something in the yard was out of place. It didn’t take long to realize what was wrong. Amongst a collection of potted tree aloes I’ve been displaying along the front of the house, it was quite apparent that my prized Aloe Ramosissima was gone. A picture of this plant taken last Fall can be seen below.

The experience of discovering its absence was quite surreal. Surely it was a comical sight as I wandered around the yard, peering about – as if someone were just playing a prank on me. This was no joke. A plant I had spent the past six years nurturing had evaporated into the night. When boastfully posting the above photo on Instagram last September, it was stated that I intended to enter this plant into a “cactus & succulent show”. That show is taking place this May, and I was serious.

Still in shock, I began my commute, which had turned from a ‘pilgrimage’ to ‘the trail of tears’. Shock, anger and hatred were all experienced, but it didn’t take long for me to feel like an incredible fool. If I thought this plant was worthy of showing off to the world, did I not think someone else might also? And is it not human nature to steal? If I treasured this plant so much, why had I left it vulnerable to any passerby with a back strong enough to lift 25 pounds?

I had let my guard down. It seems that the past few years have been a dream-like haze of hummingbirds, craft beer, rare sneakers and internet shenanigans. Somewhere along the line, I had lost my watchful self. What a great wake-up call, and inexpensive lesson. What started off as a day of misery, pity and victimization, has turned into one of self reflection and a renewed sense of watchfulness that I’m now looking to apply everywhere.

The Panama Pacific International Exposition was the 10 month-long Worlds Fair of 1915.  Held in San Francisco, its theme was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, and to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Spanish conquistador Nunez de Balboa discovering the Pacific Ocean. It was at this fair that Hawaiian steel guitar music was first introduced to main-land Americans. The style and sound was quite exotic for its time, and immediately became popular for many decades, being embraced and incorporated into both Western and Jazz genres of the day.

One of the greats to come from this early era of Hawaiian steel guitarists was Sol Hoopii. His career spanned across the period before and after the invention of electric amplified guitars. Many purists prefer his acoustic recordings, but I enjoy his electric material and have chosen a few instrumentals for you to enjoy, so please do.