Greetings

The Gist
Hello, my name is Samantha ... and this blog is my trading education diary.
The Genesis
I'm self-employed and have been since I was 25. I love many of the perks associated with being my own boss--varied wake-up times, the absence of office politics, no dress code, etc.--but I'd be lying if I said that certain responsibilities of being an independent worker didn't cause a few premature gray hairs to sprout now and again.
At the top of that list is job insecurity. I'm really no less at the whim of my boss(es) than any other worker. I could get a pink slip--in my case, a symbolic one--any time one of my employers decides to cut back on expenses and go with a cheaper (i.e., overseas) version of me. And unlike "regular" employees, I wouldn't have the safety net of unemployment checks. (Boing, another gray hair!)
I do my part to even the odds of losing my jobs. I try to produce, and mostly succeed in delivering, only high-quality, error-free, fast, reliable work. But let's face it, in this economy merit isn't exactly the reliable golden attribute it used to be. It's certainly no guarantee.
Add to all that my expenses (I live in a wonderful but terribly overpriced area of the United States, and California really) and you have my reason for wanting to learn and become proficient in stock market trading.
I'm not looking for "buying low and selling high" to become my new profession or really to make me a boat load of disposable cash. Overnight fortune has never been my thing. I'd merely like the option of turning to the stock market as a means to earn some supplemental dollars in the event that all three of my employers decide to chuck me. At the very least, the trickle of money would prolong my inevitable move back in with my parents (just kidding Mom and Dad, I'd get another job or try a different profession first).
The Goal
I've enjoyed managing my brokerage and IRA accounts these past few years, but I've had mixed succes in growing my assets. No doubt about it, I've applied myself half-heartedly to the endeavor (if you could even call it that). For at least two years now, I've intended to diligently study the art of trading, but my accounts look no less anorexic than they did when I first set them up at the ripe age of 25. (I'm now 29, in case you were wondering).
It is my goal to learn as much as I can about the stock market, and perhaps I will, but I fully understand that this is an intellectual oddysey of sorts and I could very well crap out after the first two posts (this one included). For that reason, I will work my way from what I consider the most interesting and intriguing aspects of trading (those pretty charts!) to the least (poring over financial statements and statistics ... yawn). Unlike "experts," whose books didn't circumvent the creation of this blog, I intend to be specific in the strategies I use and document my successful and unsuccessful trades. If anyone does follow me on this journey (please family and friends, don't laugh too hard at my expense--I could very well reel in a few readers), please do not blindly follow me into investments. In this self-education experiment of mine, I do expect to lose a few dollars here and there and I don't see the point in jeopardizing your financial future as well as mine. To do my part in rendering this a voyeuristic endeavor for you, I will not make suggestions or speak directly to you (the exception being these past few sentences).
Without further delay, here goes nothing...