----------------------------------- richpuer Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:46 pm ----------------------------------- Hello. Today, i was fortunate enough to be one of the lucky ones chosen to demo the trading room. Thank you Al, and all you hardworking admins for that! I felt that today was indeed very educational and insightful. Al's comments were just as i expected and feel that by participating, i definitely gained new insight and reinforcement of the concepts in the book. To be more helpful, i will list some of my likes and dislikes about the experience today. In all fairness to Al, I am only going based off of one session, today's, so i apologize in advance if i state something that isn't entirely representative of the aggregate experience. LIKES: I like the way Al mentions if he did or did not take a certain trade and the reasons behind it. There were great justifications and definitely saved me money during today's trading. I like how Al points out certain setups and where stops should ideally be placed. There were also several times Al would repeat key ideas for the day's trading...like "we're in a range from here to here...." It was good to have the repetition because sometimes you have to use the restroom or tend to something else and it acts as a good reinforcement and reminder of day and what to focus on (Call me crazy, but I actually called my house phone with my cell and put the comp speaker next to the phone mic when i had to go outside for a break, for fear of missing a comment...). I like how there were individuals who were able to ask questions during the session. I would like this as well, but again, limited to 1-2 per day OR maybe set aside more time during the lunch-hr middle third of the day chop? A specific comment made by Al in the first hr compelled me to take the trade and go long...caught 3 points on that one bar right after his comment. DISLIKES/FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS: The quality of sound may need some tweaking for more clarity..When the admin came on, his voice was much more clear....Now, I believe i heard the Admin say that Al was under the weather, so maybe that was it? Its just that, at times, the questions asked sounded more clear to me than what al was saying...there were times when his voice was muffled and i had to turn the volume up really high just to make out his comments...But again, this is my first time in the session so maybe its not always the case.. Second, in regards to today's trading, specifically, Al was saying that he wouldnt take any trades in the mid-range and would wait until the mid-range stops were ran before putting on a trade...He definitely called this one and it sure saved me from trading and losing...BUT, when the stops were ran, I dont beleive i heard a comment to follow up on that...I didnt leave my comp during that time but i just watched and was waiting for a comment and just kept watching the mkt fall apart....So, im not sure if its me or something i missed, but if i didnt miss anything, i think it would have been great to have a comment in the later half of today, like...oh the scenario's changed..and go short...or something like that....am i asking for too much specifics? I understand how specifics may lead to trouble, as i do work in the brokerage industry..but if Al could be just slightly more specific, that would be great...I just felt like he wanted to take a trade today (trade less of course), but at the end of the day, when it looked like the setup we all waited for happened, there wasnt a follow thru comment at that point....sorry for all the jabbering but i hope it makes sense...and again, this is only my first impression so maybe its NOT ALWAYS the case. Thank you for today!