Yeah I've had a few rookie mistakes, but as a poker player I like to think I have a knack for this sort of thing, so my losses weren't bad.
I actually started with $1000 and that went down to $478 quickly. That was about a month ago. At $478 I sat on the sideline to regroup and read "Reminiscence Of A Stock Operator." It helped me get back and up.
You remind me a bit of the character in that book, so I guess your DD and style is a natural fit.