Gushy Post on TDAmeritrade

Part of my visit to the financial advisor Irene was that she did a step-by-step blow by blow detailed account of how to proceed with my sloppy retirement accounts.
The first step was to open ROTH IRA's through Vanguard, TDAmeritrade, or wherever.
I liked Vanguards website, but she highly recommended TDA so I thought I would start with them and if I didn't like them, just switch out.
My first instruction from Irene was to open a non-deductible IRA account. That was #1 on the list "Open an IRA" .
I set up an account and funded it and then was sitting on some sort of stock buying page. Huh? Went back and saw that I had opened an individual investment account. I messed up my first instruction, the very first thing the website asks you is: what type of account do you want to open? My choices : individual, joint, or IRA. My instructions :open a damn IRA. My fingers and brain : opened an individual.
Dangit. So talked to automated TDA fellow Tom who told me to open another account and just transfer the funds. I did not want a fee assessed, so called the 800 number for a person to confirm since I seem to be a little "following instructions challenged" this evening.
A pleasant fellow answered the phone who gave his first and last name. He walked me through all sorts of things on the website, and we chatted of security password software, his wife, Trader Joe's, family and medical research. He clarified what I needed to do, and in what order. He is sending me something to sign, as I send him off other signatures.
This was the most amazing introduction into sending your money off into the internet ether. He was helpful, patient, and answered all of my repetitive sloth-like questions about what the heck I was doing.
If I just had someone calm and knowledgeable like that all the time about everything...
"OK, now I opened the leaking generator and fuel is shooting across the yard, what do I do now?"
"I just hit my truck with my minivan, is it better to pay out of pocket or tell insurance about this and file a claim?"
and it would all be taken care of with a signature and a pleasant conversation. My life would be so much easier. Who can I talk to about this?

PT or Port Townsend Fort Worden

We took a trip up to Fort Worden for a game of nerf wars. It was a moment of dry skies. Someone who is taking drivers education got to get behind the wheel for a bit while the boys climbed. Normally she drives with her eyes open and hands on the steering wheel.

Staying the course in chickenworld

This will be the first spring we bring no new chicks to the place. My girls are laying great guns, their fence and roof are both bad, so need to focus on that rather that cute little peepers. It will be so hard walking by the chicks at the feed store... especially if they get in russian orloffs or lakenwelders. I will be strong.
Pics: Five chicken butts are enough for me. 1 buff orpington (favorite breed to date, round, happy, friendly, quiet, crazy egg layer), 3 golden laced wyandottes (round, busy, friendly but not overly so, cautious, good flyers) and 1 welsummer (loud, slimmer more dainty chicken figure, narrates all your movements with a wary tone and warning-- as if saying "I don't know about that, I don't know if you should be doing that, Be careful there", humorous, good flyer)

Thinking of far off things

I have been in shock with the devastation of Japan. I actually watched the footage of the tsunami destruction and felt awful, and powerless, as nature has the ability to do to us wee humans. I did not watch the planes of 9/11, Haiti destruction, Indonesia tsunami, or bombings humans have done globally. That does not mean I did not read about it, or know about it, it means I don't want to get used to bearing witness to that violence. I want to maintain my horror that there are things that can go terribly wrong, and feel that horror. I don't want to sit in front of a monitor and watch this sort of thing unfold like I am watching an exciting movie. To me, it feels like I am knitting and watching the guillotine during the French Revolution. It is not entertainment. I know we have a grisly gene in us... the same one that causes us to slow at car crashes and look. I wish I could go back and not watch this. Somehow to me it is so wrong to be present and above watching that tsunami flow fast and deep over the coastal communities, knowing there were people in those cars that were trying to turn around in front of the oncoming water, and they did not know which way to go. But we, sitting at our computers, could see which road was clear and which way to go. And them making the wrong choice, or sitting while the water engulfed them. I imagine the helicopter pilots are in a world of mental crap seeing people, houses, animals, lives being engulfed while they float above with engine running, narrating. Or cursing, praying.
My temperament is to want to go in and fix things. That is not possible. My thoughts and prayers are being sent across the Pacific to Japan. I see why the ancient civilizations around the world all had a God of the Sea... that wall of water was otherworldly when rising off the ocean to tower over ground level. If we didn't have seismographs and underwater geology to explain what happened I would think this was one of those crazy gods really pissed off. Thank you, everyone, for science.
And I fully realize I am not the norm in terms of viewing our culture. It is just my skewed opinion... don't get your pants in a bunch if you watch all sorts of stuff that I can't stand. It is not a judgement, although when I reread it sounds like one. I am just trying to let go some of the wild sadness I have over this.
Image: Nasa Terra Satellite image of the east coast of Japan, with tsunami damage visible. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.