Wanted to give y'all an update.
So I bought back in on Mt.Gox, at $1146/btc. Thankfully, it looks like I had the good fortune to buy in at the bottom of the lull. In doing so, I went from 30.2 btc originally to 23.5 btc currently.
This harrowing experience taught me a few things I'd like to share:
-When you're a bitcoin believer, trading your seat on the BTC rocketship for USD is akin to selling your first born child. It hurts, it's nerve raking, and you only want it back as soon as it's gone
-Don't day trade with a commodity constantly rising in value, the more time that passes, the farther you'll be left behind
-Don't sell your whole stash, the pain just ain't worth the gain
I might never seen those darn 7 btc again, but this lesson might just be worth it. I sure won't be forgetting it.
As for the status of bitcoin being pumped or not, I am not certain, but I do have a fair degree of confidence that it was during the rise. If past experience is any indicator, I suspect pumpers capitalize on real world events to trigger their inflation. I recall the similar bitcoin price behavior during the last U.S. Gov Shutdown, and the more recent U.S. Senate Hearings. Thanks for the kind words from the rest of you, I was in such a tormented state without my bitcoin, reading your responses helped.