Well, to be honest, I don’t really want to be here. I am a respectable, older guy with a passion for learning … no, a yearning to understand things that interest me. And a lot of things interest me. A little over a decade or so ago, my teenage son started talking about this thing he found known as bitcoin. Being curious, I looked at it and thought that there might be something there, but it had a long way to go.

A few years later he was still talking about it, so i looked at it again and bought a little – just before the 2017 run up. Sold what little I had for a tidy little profit and completely divested as it plummeted. But I continue to watch…. and sure enough, it started moving again. So I started buying again. I watched and bought all the way up … and down – sold a little at a profit, lost a little too, but kept some this time. No complete divestment. And I decided that I needed to understand this better.

So I took a whole weekend and immersed myself in it to determine if it still had legs or was going to disappear like the Dodo. My wife wasn’t happy that I ignored her for the computer and was lost in thought all weekend, but by Monday I was convinced that there was definitely something to this. So I kept buying, this time by dollar cost averaging. And that is where I was until just recently.

The whirlwind of the past few days.

Swan, my platform of choice for buying BTC, had to change its custodian because Prime Trust was going bankrupt – never a good sign. Almost all of my BTC was off Swan or Prime Trust and in my control, so I wasn’t worried. But Swan suspended withdrawals and recurring buys during the transition. So I went looking for alternatives just to see what else was out there. That brought me to River Financial, which is like Swan with better customer service (at least so far). I opened an account there too, just to try it out. Well, they do have one service that Swan doesn’t have…. mining. I knew very little about mining but decided to check it out. I read everything I could over the last few days, and that eventually had me listening to mining podcasts. A few were boring, but one was a little over the top and entertaining at least – POD 256. I commute to my fiat mining job and listen to a lot of podcasts. It is a great way to learn and immerse yourself in something you know nothing about. And I did. And all I learned is that there is a lot to learn. It was the infamous Bitcoin Rabbit Hole. And I was standing on its edge.

Time to take the plunge

Because I am lubber, not a fighter (or a rabbit), I prefer the whirlpool analogy over the rabbit hole one. So here I am. Started with my toes in the water, then got out. Next time got in to my chest, but backed off to my waist. Now I am back up to my chest and just past the break I see a whirlpool churning. Where will it take me? Should I abandon the shore and take the plunge? So I shake the Magic Eight Ball and see what destiny advises.

The Answer is “Yes.”

I want to learn it all. I want to mine. I want to set up a node (or nodes) to support these communities. I want to do it all and do it now, just like the girl in Willy Wonka. Hopefully I won’t get carried off by a bunch of Umpa Lumpas….

So here it goes. I set up a twitter account to learn, socialize, and interact. And set up this website to track my journey and steps. So if you are interested, check back often or subscribe below. Or not. I don’t really care. i am not in it to get followers, entertain people, or build an audience. I am in it for Me. Just like Ricky Bobby.

Now, after setting up a full twitter identity and account, buying a domain, and creating a basic website, I’z tired. So I am going to rest and watch The Highlander – the best movie ever made.

See you soon

LB