How did we get here?

1) I got a ~$5,000 tax refund this year (YAY! homeownership).

2) I want to take a more hands on approach to investing.

3) I did a lot of reading (for me) on item #2.

4) I discovered $5,000 isn't very much when it comes to hands-on investing. With the exception of the infamous and nefarious stock market.

5) More reading on item #4 as well as the futures market (not enough money again).

6) Jenny started her finance centered blog.

7) I recalled that when I was dipping my toes into online poker I ran across several blogs that reviewed the authors progress. Often complete with thoughts at the time, after the fact analysis, etc.

8) Dusted off my geocities and blogspot accounts, et voila!

So with the stated mission of turning $5,000 into $25,000 (lofty goal? of course), let's begin.