Totally venting here.  I can't really do it in a "public" forum like Facebook because this person is my husband's cousin, but he had a cousin we only met once, a couple years ago on a trip to New Zealand for less than an hour that asked if she could visit us here in Southern California and we said "sure!"

So, skip ahead a couple years.  She messaged and asked to "stay a few days."  no problem.  However, when the time came she announced she is actually planning on staying at our house over 7 weeks! (Which is a little more than a few days)  She offered to "help out." (I now know that her idea of helping out is just having me drive her everywhere and eating our food and going to the store and telling me what she wants to try, with her purchasing just a couple things for  herself.)  

I picked her up at the airport Friday, an hour drive in traffic to LAX.  She did not pay for the $2 parking ticket.  Oh well. No big deal.

We then offered to take her to Disneyland.  We have passes and she complained she did not have much money to go but really wanted to.  I offered to split the cost of a three day pass because I actually had some credit on my Disney Visa.  I gave her $120, because she said she had very little.

We have now been there a few days, getting up early, standing in lines, even putting up with her constant complaining that my pictures that I am taking with her camera of her and all (and I mean all) of the characters for her Facebook page are blurry and not good enough. (why a 30 year old women wants pictures with characters seems crazy to me but to each his own) Plus all the food I have been cooking is not exactly what she likes most of the time.  She hasn't offered to help with dishes.  All of that is annoying but today I am even more ticked.

She said she would pay for parking because we did not want to pay the $17 to park all day (we figured we could just go in the morning and park in Downtown Disney then return at night.  Save some money on parking, and I would even cook dinner for her at our house too.)  But she offered so we parked in the structure.  But then she did not get out her card or offer when it came time to pay.  Whatever.  Oh well.  Didn't make a big deal about it.  Then in the park she offered to treat us to lunch because we were staying there all day.  When it came time to pay I got out my Disney pass just to save her a few bucks off the meal and then the cashier said, "Is it together?"  My husband then looked at her and she said, "Separate checks please."  I was visibly upset.  She then proceeded to comment on how it wasn't that much for us to pay.  Later she bragged about all the stuff she was going to buy (she said she had no money to go to Disney but she has spent well over $300 there on pictures, pins, all kinds of crap!)

Sigh.  I am so frustrated.  Money is so incredibly tight for us right now.  We have a daughter about to start college, which we informed her about.  Of course Bitcoin is not doing well so most of our liquidity is tied up in it and I don't really want to sell.  We live very simply and to spend more money on food eating out, and even cooking and driving all over LA is a huge expense.  Plus I don't have as much time to work right now because I am showing her around, especially for 7 weeks.  I hate to be rude but I am almost tempted to just tell her that I can't be her personal chauffeur and take her to all the places she keeps talking about going.  I need to work right?  It just sucks that she said she would do a couple small and simple things and then weaseled out of those.  I don't even understand how a person could do that to someone else?   Is it OK for family members, even distant cousins that they only met once for an hour, to totally take advantage of them if given the opportunity?  Is this a New Zealand thing?  If so, they really need to learn that the rest of the world is not that way.

Most of you know that I am an unashamed Bitcoin bull and have been so for a while now, but I think we are on the verge of some exciting times.

This Bitstamp issue might actually be a huge blessing in disguise.  It comes on the cusp of some major advertising for Bitcoin with the widely viewed Bitcoin Bowl and a good presence at CES this week just to name a couple things.  Roger Ver is bringing some press on the main page of Yahoo today (and on Business Insider) indirectly for not being allowed in the US, but it is press nonetheless. And these are just a few small things on the top of my head.  With the price undervalued right now (which I believe firmly that it is) It won't take much for the price to rebound.

That said, I feel strongly it is "when" and not "if" Bitstamp resumes operations, the price will jump and it will surprise all these newbies on the sidelines.  When they see the price move as quickly as some of us know the Bitcoin price can move, they will decide to throw some money in because they don't want to miss out.  That is how these bubbles begin.  It will just build from there. People throw in a little money, they see how much they earn in a week and they throw in more and so it goes.  How high will the price reach this time? Well that is debatable of course, but easily back to the ATH we achieved before.

So I feel like I am watching a storm in the distance and waiting for it to approach.    Hopefully it is a tsunami and not just a few rain drops.

I read on another thread that Circle does not allow customers to withdraw coins to their own wallets.  Is this true?  If so, this is not good at all.  

Edit:  I guess they call it "Payment" instead of "Withdrawal"  but it seems like they really want people to leave their coins on their site, reguardless.

There are a few articles popping up.  I will post a few different links.

Could the unexplained price drop be a last ditch effort to snatch up some cheap coins before this information was released?  I often wonder anyways.

http://www.nasdaq.com/article/ebay-payment-subsidiary-braintree-in-talks-to-accept-bitcoin-20140814-01142

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/14/us-bitcoin-ebay-idUSKBN0GE2D420140814

http://newsbtc.com/2014/08/14/ebay-subsidiary-braintree-said-discussing-accepting-bitcoin-payments/

So in just 5 days we have the largest fund to date opening, the GABI or Global Advisors Bitcoin Investment fund

see: http://www.globaladvisors.co.uk/

Although similar to Second Market, this fund will be at an even larger scale.  They have been silent on where the coins are coming from and how many they may already have but I had read at one point that $200M was expected to be invested in the first 6 months.  (this was on a Newsweek article but that part appears to have been taken out now.)

I would think that since we are on the brink of this happening in a few days that some panic buying would already be taking place but instead we have some dumpers.  This seems crazy to me.  

Thoughts?

Edit:  I found where it is quoted that $200 Million will be invested again in this article: http://moneymorning.com/2014/07/24/bitcoin-hedge-funds-multiply-as-big-money-sees-opportunity/

It is our anniversary today.  BitchicksHusband LOVES the LA KINGS!  We tried to go to the game two years ago.  We got scammed by someone on Craigslist and were sold bad tickets.  We went ahead and purchased more tickets at a higher price then the Kings lost that game and we could not afford to go to game 7 when they actually won the cup.  It was an overall pretty depressing experience.

So here we are two years later.  We would have to sell at least 2 coins to go because the cheapest seats are over $700 right now.

What do you think?  I know coins are not "everything."  I just wish we were at the peak of another bubble. This decision would be much easier then.  This forum is full of mostly men so perhaps the opinions will be biased though. 

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.  People really don't like change so anything new does not seem important to them.  But I often feel like I telling so many people around me about Bitcoin and how they really should buy just a little or at least read about it and look into and and almost everyone ignores me.

Here is one example: Just this week I posted a comment on this article about the growing perils of a cashless society and my comment about how Bitcoin could solve some of these problems is now the "worst" comment with no thumbs up and all thumbs down!  Really!?  I don't know why that bothers me so much.  Sigh.  Oh well.  I guess I have to be thankful that I will be "up the hill" when the tsunami does hit.  

Here is the article BTW:


http://money.msn.com/personal-finance/the-growing-perils-of-a-cashless-society

It looks promising that integration will come at some point.  Here was a quote from the Q&A session: Carl Davis, Jr of the Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce asked Donahoe what he thought of Bitcoin in regards to global trade. The CEO called it a new, exciting and emerging technology. "We think Bitcoin will play a very important role in the future. Exactly how that plays out, and how we can best take advantage of it and enable it with PayPal, that's something we're actively considering. It's on our radar screen."

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y14/m05/i14/s01

For the germaphopes out there, Bitcoin might be a good choice.  

A recent study has identified 3,000 types of bacteria on dollar bills from a Manhattan bank.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/bacteria-live-money/story?id=23413718

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/16/us-china-bitcoin-idUSBREA3F0MK20140416

It is already up and running!

From the bottom of the article:

The physical ATM, located in a cafe at a mall in Shanghai's Zhangjiang technology park area, allows people to buy bitcoin directly from the exchange for yuan inserted into the machine. Users cannot withdraw cash.

The machine was lightly used during a visit by Reuters, with just one client appearing to use it, but cafe manager Cheng Mengyao said she had seen a steady stream of customers use the machine for small transactions since it was installed.

Watch out! Getting cash from Bitcoins may have just become a whole lot easier!  

I wonder if they had to work out a deal with Discover to do this?  I know my husband spoke with someone at customer service at Discover several months ago how they should set something Bitcoin related up.  Seriously, with Mastercard and Visa as the front runners this could move Discover to the top really fast.  This is really exciting news though!

http://gigaom.com/2014/04/07/new-bitcoin-debit-card-claims-to-work-with-90-percent-of-us-atms/

http://qz.com/193931/bitcoin-looks-like-the-worst-investment-in-the-world-this-year/

It is totally time to buy!!! 

I guess this brings some awareness to Bitcoin.  I can't say it is the funniest thing I have ever seen (I generally don't think Conan is that funny) but it has moments:

http://teamcoco.com/video/79157/bitcoins-coo-explains-what-bitcoin-is

The article was very bullish.  It might be an entire untapped demographic here which is great.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20140217/BUSINESS04/302170061?nclick_check=1

Here is the link to listen to the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEQ2nPSL5-0

Lyrics:

   
“Ode To Satoshi”
Well Satoshi Nakamoto that's a name I love to say
And we don't know much about him, but he came to save the day
When he wrote about the way things are
and the way things ought to be
He gave us all a protocol this world had never seen
Oh Bitcoin as you're going into the old Blockchain
Oh Bitcoin I know you're going to reign, gonna reign
Till everybody knows, everybody knows,
till everybody knows your name
Down the road it will be told about the Death of Old MtGox
About traitors trading alter coins and minors mining blocks
But them good old boys back in Illinois
and on down through Tennessee
See they don't care to be a millionaire,
they're just wanting to be free
Oh Bitcoin as you're going into the old Blockchain
Oh Bitcoin I know you're going to reign, gonna reign
Till everybody knows, everybody knows,
till everybody knows your name
From the ghettos of Calcutta to the halls of Parliament
While the bankers count Our money out for every government
Old Bitcoin flies on through the skies of Virtuality
A promise to deliver us from age old Tyranny
Oh Bitcoin as you're going into the old Blockchain
Oh Bitcoin I know you're going to reign, gonna reign
Till everybody knows, everybody knows,
till everybody knows your name
Till everybody knows, everybody knows,
till everybody knows your
"Give me some Exposure"
Everybody knows your name
Oh Lord pass me some more
Oh Lord before I have to go
Oh Lord pass me some more
Oh Lord . . . before I have to . . .go . . .

Another great article in the midst of the chaos today: Meet Patrick Byrne: Bitcoin Messiah, CEO of Overstock, Scourge of Wall Street

I understand his passion for Bitcoin much more after reading this! 

http://www.wired.com/business/2014/02/rise-fall-rise-patrick-byrne/

Ah.  A refreshing news article in the midst of all the chaos!  This was a great read, especially needed today!

The last paragraph sums it up nicely:

The real reason that Bitcoin has been hitting the headlines so often is not because it’s weak. Rather, it’s because Bitcoin has never been stronger, supported by a growing community of users scattered all over the world, on the cusp of being legitimized by the US government, with it’s use becoming more widespread by the day. With so many people staking so much in Bitcoin, it’s little wonder that any snippet of information – good or bad – makes the headlines. The “bad news” just confirms the “good news” that Bitcoin is getting stronger by the day.

http://siliconangle.com/blog/2014/02/10/bad-news-is-good-news-for-bitcoin/

The news is not all negative today!  At least someone out there sees the Gox problems as a great opportunity for new investors to get some "cheaper" coins.  I think the author is correct in this of course! 

Bitcoin Buyer's Market? Price Drop Brings Opportunity To New Investors

http://www.ibtimes.com/bitcoin-buyers-market-price-drop-brings-opportunity-new-investors-1554418

In the midst of the negative press this little gem showed up today.    At least Bitcoin is on the radar.


http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2014/02/10/bitcoin-western-union-zipzap/

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article44324.html

Perhaps this article is a bit redundant but I had not seen this exact quote in the artcle anywhere else yet: 

Just this week, the lawyer who drafted the proposal for the Bitcoin ETF, Kathleen H. Moriarty, a partner at Chicago-based law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, told Bloomberg News that the process is "progressing nicely and [approval] might occur at the end of 2014."

Thought this might cheer us up with the drop in price this week.    If we can hold on until the end of 2014 all will be well.

Nothing is happening with Bitcoin.

So let's consider other important topics.  In a few minutes Bill Nye will be Debating Ken Ham with the topic being "Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern, scientific era?"  We can watch it live here:

http://debatelive.org/?utm_source=aig-homepage&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=bill-nye-ken-ham-debate-campaign

I have my opinions on the subject matter of course. I have a feeling that those opinions will be the minority here but we are all entitled to them are we not?

This should be interesting at least.