Full Disclosure

For starters, allow me to make full disclosure.

On Monday I sold puts on shares of Groupon as a reflection of a short term bullish sentiment on its shares.

Unless you've been living in a cave or have been on an South Pole expedition you know that Groupon is that beleaguered daily deal space leader that has had a rough time of things.

If either of those are the case, you probably also still own shares of Research in Motion.

Sometimes you are your own worst enemy and there are no better recent examples of that adage than Groupon and Research in Motion.

From its IPO, including pre-IPO and post-IPO behaviors its been an embarrassment every way you can imagine. Embarrassment is one thing, but for those that purchased IPO day traded shares at $26, the drop below $15 is more meaningful.

In the past, I've been critical of Groupon and its juvenile leadership and arrogance. If you really care. take a look.

If you're really without a reason for living, I suppose that you could check through the Twitter archives and read other miscellaneous comments that I'd made over the months, especially about CEO Andrew Mason, although he certainly wasn't the only culprit.

During that time, I'd never own shares, nor had any interest, long or short in the shares of this company.

On Monday, I finally decided to take a position, by selling those April 2012 puts.

I did so following Groupon's press release regarding yet another accounting issue.

In the past, I've done very well selling puts on companies after they've taken big hits, but not being terribly speculative or risk taking by nature, those positions have always been small.

In this case, if I am assigned shares, I'll be on the hook for about 0.28% of my portfolio.

Since Monday, other than mentioning the fact that I had taken the position, I've made no comments, derogatory or laudatory, regarding Groupon.

Not as if I actually would influence anyone by doing so.

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We are All Sinners

I have no business giving advice to anyone or making predictions. My track record is pretty abysmal.

I'm also a sinner.

Years ago, when running for the Presidency, Jimmy Carter, the Governor of Georgia, a gentleman peanut farmer, Naval Academy graduate and nuclear engineer (there's a combination you don't hear often) showed the good judgment to submit to a Playboy interview.

Probably the most memorable part of the article, beside the full frontal view of the future president in a man thong, was his admission that he had  lusted in his heart and "commited adultery in my heart many times."

If you're unaware, the adultery thing is big. Big enough to have made it into the Top Ten Sins list.

Just imagine that if coveting your neighbor's wife made the list, just how badly adultery must trump coveting.

To this day, no other Presidential wannabe has submitted to a Playboy interview, not even Bill Clinton, of "boxers versus briefs" fame and other things..

The point of this is that in 10 presidential election cycles, I've only correctly picked the ultimate winner just 3 times. So you really don't want to follow my path.

I'm completely agnostic as to political party when it comes to national elections and have always voted along a "who has the best chance of losing?" platform.

I've even been known to vote for a third party candicate if it meant preserving my voting record.

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