Saying goodbye to November on a Monday....

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Good Morning Friends,

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today is Monday November 30, 2009

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Vancouver, B.C. Webcams

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.On the job today friends for the last day of the month. Maybe it will busy and then again, maybe it won't. Who knows for sure anyway? Not me, I can tell you that much. It doesn't matter anyway because I have no control over these kinds of things.

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It is supposed to be sunny out starting tomorrow and then again on Wednesday. That will be fun, for the beginning of December, I mean. Sunny weather, like I said just the other day, makes everybody happy around here and that is not a bad thing at all.

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Well, it looks like I have one friend left in the world and that is also a good thing. Got a Christmas card in the mail from one of my last remaining friends. Yes, these things still exist for me so all is not lost. I wonder how many people still send out cards for the Holidays?

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Had a dream this morning and it was related to a real life incident. Nothing sexual so don't get excited. It was about an administrative mistake that snowballed into a greater problem. I am not going to tell you about the event, only the fact that is related to a real and current problem that I am dealing with. Funny how dreams can pick up on something like that and bring them to life for you. And, here I thought all of the time that dreams were just the stuff of fantasy. Well, not so. But, the dream did manage to add a bit of creativity to the whole thing of course, just to make it a little more dramatic. So, that was a nice touch indeed. Thank you dream gods.

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Like I said friends I have no idea whatsoever what the day will bring for me. It is a Monday and these, traditionally, are not my favourite days at all. But, it is the end of the month as I say, so maybe that will act as a catalyst for some excitement. We shall see what we shall see.

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Are you happy or sad?....

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Good Morning Friends,

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today is Sunday November 29, 2009

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Take a look at my squash friends. Is that a face that you could love or only one that a mother could love? Well, this is my face friends and it is the only one that I have got. So, that means, that at the very least, I am the one who should be loving that face.

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What is in a face anyway? Before I answer that question for you, I should let my virgin readers ( first time readers ) know that I do quite a few personal things on these pages. This is a personal blog after all and I do many introspective things. I examine myself because I want to know who I am and I also want my readers to know who I am. In fact, I think we should all be doing that. It is healthy to know who you are and what you are. Knowing about yourself is one of the best things that a person can know. So, what has a picture of a face got to do with anything anyway? Well, take a look at my face and tell me what you see. That is what I am going to do right now. Now, I am a little prejudiced of course because I know a little bit more about me than the average person. I have an unfair advantage so to speak. But, do I really? Do you think that even the owner of a face knows more about it just because he owns it? Think about that for a minute. I own my face. Me and nobody else. I can do what I want with it. I can change it and put things on it to make it different if I am not happy with it, you know, things like makeup. So, that means that I can try to make myself look pretty or sad or ugly. I can do whatever I want with my face. And, I can do that because it is mine.

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But, what is my face telling you? What do you see? Do you see a happy or a sad person in that picture? Well, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. I know that I can easily say a thousand words about my squash, but can you? I will bet that you can and it would be very easy to do. Why just get into a train of thought and start writing and see what happens. Just like I am doing right now. Why, I bet you that I am well on my way to composing a thousand words about myself. And, if I did that do you think I would be thinking too much of myself if I did? Would I be egotistical if I did that? Maybe and maybe not.

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I think I look quite sad in the picture actually. I am eighteen years old in this picture you know and that is back in the year 1967. I cannot remember at all what I was thinking about at the time. Not one iota can I recall at this moment. Nothing. So, that means that we really do have to rely on what the picture is telling us. So, as you can see I know as much as the next person who is looking at my picture. We are equal in these terms. So, that means, whatever you are thinking about me is as valid as what I am thinking about me. For neither one of knows just what it is that I was thinking about at that moment back in 1967.

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I think I look sad and I do not know what my future will bring. That is what I see in that picture. I am not smiling that is for sure. Well then, you might say that most grade twelve students getting their picture are not smiling. And, how would we prove that anyway? Where is the proof? Well, since you asked I can provide that proof for you. Here is a link to the other people in my graduating class. Take a look for yourself and see how many are smiling and how many look just like me. Serious looking or sad, that is. Why, I bet you that there are many serious looking individuals in there, just like me. Take a look for yourself:

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My 1967 High School Classmates Here

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Anyway, now that you have had a chance to look at the photos what do you think? I know that there are some smiling faces in there, but there are also quite a few with expressions just like mine. So, that means that I might just be like a bunch of the other kids. That means that there is nothing really wrong then with my sad expression because there are other sad teenagers as well. I am not alone. Don't forget that being a teenager means that we can feel lots of things and our expressions can mean different things to different people.

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But, I mean, can you tell from my picture just what kind of a person I really am though? Would you even venture to guess just by looking at a picture that is? Like I said above, I have no idea what I was feeling on that day at all. I just remember being connected to my peers that is all. And, I think that is the big message about being a teenager. We were all in the same boat as it were and that was our common experience. Our whole world was in front of us and nobody had a clue what the future would bring for them. So, in that sense, I think it might make a little more sense to be sad rather than happy. Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing essentially wrong with being happy. I am only suggesting for what it is worth to you that it might make more sense to be sad looking rather than happy, simply because it is a more realistic approach to reality. Now, the other side of the coin, however, is that the happy people might be coming across as more self-confident and that kind of thing. So, if you want to test this hypothesis then just take a look at your own grad pictures and see who the happy people were. Are they successful now in your opinion? Perhaps even more successful than you? Wouldn't that mean that they were right to be happy when they were getting their pictures taken then? Or, maybe they were just happy personalities anyway so it doesn't really matter what kinds of expressions they had in their pictures anyway. Just some food for thought for you while you are looking at these teenage pictures.

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Anyway, now that I think about it, I look rather serious in that picture above. Perhaps even more serious than the average grad picture. I do actually consider myself to be a very serious personality now that I think about it. I mean, here I am at sixty and I really do spend a lot of time thinking. I cannot remember if I was a serious type or not as an older teenager though. I guess I must of been though because that is what my picture is trying to tell me. I guess the question now becomes, is it a good thing to be a serious person when all of the happy people seem to be be pretty successful at life and getting the things that they want out of it. But, then we really do not know for sure if that is the case across the board. We just don't know if all of the happy people in 1967 are actually successful and still happy. How would we know unless we could track them down and find out how they are making out and if they are happy or not? That is a pretty tough assignment I think you would have to agree. So, why don't we just stick to something which we know a little more about and that is the picture of me above.

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Like I said I looked serious then and I can look pretty serious now if you were able to look at me that is. But, I do have have some happy pictures of me as well. I don't actually look very sad in my most recent snaps at all. If you cruise through my blog you will notice that I am generally a happy person and content with my station in life at this point in the game. So, what does that mean anyway? Does it mean that the picture above is lying to us? Does it mean perhaps that all of the sad looking teenagers back in 1967 are actually all happy and does it mean that all of the happy looking people are now sad? Is that possible? Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn't. All I know is that I looked quite forlorn in the picture above and that in real life in 2009 I can be quite a happy person. And, I have my recent snaps to prove it.

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So, maybe then it is better to be sad looking and realistic about one's future prospects. Maybe that is how one should deal with this business of life and what it is going to do for you. Like, maybe don't come across as overly ambitious or happy because that might do you wrong in the future. I mean, why tempt life by saying that you are happy and that you are going to be successful when you have no idea whether or not you will be successful and happy in the future? How can you predict those kinds of things anyway? Well, you cannot. Anyway, I guess the only thing that you can do is to take a look at your own grad photo and those of your friends and acquaintances and determine for yourself whether it was a good thing for them to look sad as opposed to being happy. Who was right and who was wrong to be looking the way they did when they were seventeen or eighteen years old?

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Just in case you are interested friends the word count in the above piece is exactly 1600 words. So, you can see how easy it is to construct something that is one thousand words. A university essay is in the order of between 1200 and 1500 words. Composing an essay of that length will easily get you through most topics, if you are being succint and focused that is. This composition that I just did was a rambling affair and was not meant to be coherent and well structured. I simply rambled and I got through. So, I am just giving you an idea of what a thousand words looks like once you start putting ideas down on paper.

Why public auto insurance companies are better....

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Good Morning Friends,

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today is Saturday November 28, 2009

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Well, good morning and happy Saturday friends. Yesterday was quite a pleasant day and surprisingly sunny. That was a nice switch from all of the rain earlier on in the week. I took quite a few snaps on Thursday and you can view them in Friday's post here on Dear Courier Diary. I only took one picture yesterday and that is the photo above. It is a hand dryer called the " XLERATOR ". The significance of this device is explained below.

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If you live in a jurisdiction that does not have public automobile insurance then you really do not know what you are missing. Now, this public auto insurance thing was a creation of the so-called ' socialists ' or ' socialist hordes ' as the former Premier W.A.C. Bennett used to call them. These socialists were actually the political party known as the New Democratic Party or N.D. P. They rose to power back in the early 1970's here in British Columbia. I remember the period well since I supported and voted for the socialist hordes. These were my university and rebellious youth days. The NDP had been trying to achieve power for a long time and finally they made it. I was very happy that they came to power and I felt like I had done my part in creating change in our Province.

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And the NDP introduced some great changes which are still with us today. One of them was the Agricultural Land Reserve, something to protect farmland and another one was the introduction of public automobile insurance. Once the legislation was established to create this entity the government spent the social capital and constructed ICBC centres all over the province.

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To my mind, this is a very well run public enterprise and I, personally, am very happy with our public system. It is a no fault system and it works extremely well. They try to maintain costs as best they can and naturally this involves controlling the prices that are paid out to the repair shops and monies paid out for injury claims. The controlling of costs feature is the same idea as found in our public health system as well. If you did not make an effort to control costs then where would you be? Well, that is the essence of the public system and the controlling of costs is one of the things that makes public systems work so well. You cannot let the private system run amuck as it were and get greedy and ruin the whole system for everyone. Now, rates are going up all of the time, but that is a function of price inflation generally so everyone understands and appreciates this aspect of the business.

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Furthermore, I have never had a problem with ICBC as regards to claims or receiving money for injuries and the like. As a courier I get rear ended all of the time. And, my repairs are fixed in a timely and efficient manner. And, even if you have a broken windshield that needs repair you do not even have to report to a claim centre. You can just drive into any repair shop and they will fix it and charge ICBC.

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Also, as a courier I visit ICBC claims centres frequently, picking up and dropping off deliveries for our customers. I have always found the staff courteous and very efficient at what they do. And, when you do have an accident you simply report your claim over the phone and arrangements are made for you to visit a claim centre for further processing of your accident. And, you can take your vehicle in for inspection to the centre of your choice. Kind of like our public health system. You pick the place in which you want to do business.

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So, as you can see the public automobile system here in British Columbia is a very good thing. Most of us really like this organization. There are the detractors of course but you will find that in any jurisdiction. I mean, that is what insurance companies do generally; they try and control the costs. And, besides if you are not satisfied with decisions or the potential outcome of things you can always get legal help and seek remedies in the courts as well. I am just trying to say that as an idea and as a functioning entity the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia is a respected institution and it is accepted by the population for what it is. In fact, when the current Liberal government came into power they floated the idea of privatizing this entity. The people rejected this notion so the government did not act on their ideas about privatization. I think, generally, people do not trust the private sector when it comes to the business of insurance. Profits are what drive the owners of insurance companies and the people know this well.

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But, here is the finale and real reason for my piece this morning friends. And, it is just an example of how people friendly ICBC is and what public institutions are capable of. And, it concerns their bathrooms and the experience the customer receives from this part of their operation. Friends, I am talking about hand dryers here. Now, if you have ever been to a McDonald's restaurant, for example, and used their hand dryers then you will know what I am talking about. The McDonald's hand dryers are totally second rate affairs compared to those found in our public automobile insurance outlets. McDonald's restaurants dryers found in this part of the world are tedious and ineffective. You stand in front of the thing for an eternity and nothing seems to happen; you simply get to experience the thrill of cold air running all over your hands. How exciting is that? But, inside the restroom of an ICBC claim centre you are in for the experience of your life. Just place your hands under one of their dryers and you will be amazed at just how fast and effectively the job of drying your hands is accomplished. Take a look at the XLERATOR shown above. Their machines are totally state of the art and they are meant to keep you the customer happy and smiling. Warm air comes gushing out these things and before you know it you are a new person again. No more waiting and no more suffering. Totally awesome and satisfying results pour out of these machines and they make your life come alive. You become a new person in literally, seconds. And, you immediately come to know that your public automobile insurance company is interested in bringing you back to cleanliness and happiness in the shortest time possible. I believe that is the real message of these fascinating machines. Now, unfortunately, I suppose, you have to have some sort of accident to be able to appreciate these devices. The cost of doing business? Is it worth it? Well, you decide for yourself. Anyhow, rest assured that the next time you have an accident and get to visit one of the ICBC restrooms you will not be disappointed. Just ask to use the restroom and take a visit. And, be prepared for the thrill of your life. Public companies really do have the best interest of the public in mind. I guess that is why they call them public companies. Talk to you later.

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A sunny day but what about the stock market?....

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Good Morning Friends,

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today is Friday November 27, 2009

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Another good day at work and the weather was not too bad either. But, unfortunately, everything was not one hundred percent. I suppose the lesson is that you have to take the good with the bad. But, that just applies to business doesn't it? Well, I suspect it applies to life generally because not everything can be perfect all of the time. Anyway, it was a decent day at work, but the stock market was tumbling while all of the good stuff at work was happening. But, that was to be expected now right? I mean, especially when I shifted some cash into some some of my stocks. I mean, I wouldn't have expected anything else anyway. That is just the way the world works; it tries to keep you on your toes and thinking all of the time. Or, maybe the lesson of the stock market is not to do any thinking at all.

Anyhow, I took a bunch of shots with my Blackberrry pager again as the sunshine was inspiring me to do so. So, here a number of photographs for you. I have taken some similar shots before, particularly the buildings with the Canadian flags on them. They are all dressed up for the Olympics and these buildings on located on West Georgia Street.

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The bridge scenes farther down are the Port Mann Bridge crossing the Fraser River and going from Surrey to Coquitlam. Notice the numerous cranes involved in widening the bridge. And, the SkyTrain pictures were taken in the Burnaby area right around Willingdon and Lougheed Highway. Remember that post I did about Juneau and Alaska over on the main part of my blog? Well, those streets are right near this intersection, just a touch to the south.

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The scene at the very bottom is me entering the Freeway from Grandview Highway. I am heading east and this is my final run of the day. I am heading to Cloverdale and then White Rock. I will finish up in that area right around 17:00 hrs. It starts to get rather darkish out around 16:00 hrs and it is quite hard to see at 17:00 hrs and very difficult to maneuver if it is raining out. But, it was not raining out last night, just dark.

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El Nino and the Dreaded Pineapple....

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Good Morning Friends,
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today is Thursday November 26, 2009

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Vancouver, B.C. Webcams

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Back on the job yesterday. It was mostly heavy rain and wind all day long. But, the rain was the big story. You can see the rain in the pictures below that I took yesterday while on the job. You may recall that I mentioned a while back that the Olympics might be in a bit of trouble as regards the weather, that is. Well, maybe they will and maybe they won't. The problem is related to this thing called El Nino. That is when there is a warm patch in the Pacific Ocean out west and that affects the weather patterns during the winter months. Simply put, what happens is that we are exposed to mild and rain laden weather systems all winter long. Cold patterns do not get a chance to form and we get above average temperatures and more rain than snow. I don't know how high those mountains are up in Whistler, but when it is mild and windy weather here in the Lower Mainland Region, well, that has an effect on the snow level in the local mountains.

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And, we also get these things known locally as Pineapple Expresses too. These are low pressure systems sweeping up from the south, originating in the Hawaiian area of the Pacific. These systems are packed with moisture and heavy rains. And, we did indeed have heavy rains all day yesterday. Now, as I said before these are the conditions that cause flooding also. It seems like the people in Washington State just below us are always getting these flooding conditions in their low lying areas. And, it also seems to happen right around their Thanksgiving time as well. Anyhow, this is the time of year when these rains happen and they are definitely happening let me tell you. What alerted me to the potential problem was a story I heard in the media a few weeks ago and they were predicting colder than normal temperatures for the East Coast region. So, that told me that we might have a mild winter here on the West Coast as a result. And, when we have these mild conditions we have these Pineapple Expresses and also the El Nino pattern may be set up as well. That means that we are basically protected from the Arctic air masses that come sliding down the coast. Well, the El Nino pattern does not allow the cold air to get here and it is deflected eastwards.

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I was busy all day yesterday and that was a nice change indeed. But, like I said, I was making dough in the heavy rains. So, I guess you just have to take the bad with the good as the say. I am sure these rains will die down eventually and we will get the odd sunny day as well. I know that will cheer everybody up when it happens, since it always does. Good to look forward to December though which is coming up next week. That is always a fun time to work in the courier business as everyone is in a good mood around Christmas time especially. Would be nice to get some cold sunny days, however, as these kinds of days seem to bring out the best in people around here. Talk to you all tomorrow.

Enjoying the puddles and the rain....

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Good Morning Friends,

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today is Wednesday November 25, 2009

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Finally back to work friends after my traditional four days off. I didn't actually get much done during these four days, but I am certainly feeling better that is for sure. Got out yesterday and did that administrative task that I told you about and also got some shopping done as well. And, that was the extent of my accomplishments such as they are.

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I am showing you this picture above because this is the place where I grew up as a child. This is the village of Steveston which is located south of Vancouver in the Municipality of Richmond. It is a small fishing community, except I don't think they are doing much fishing anymore because there doesn't seem to be any more salmon around. But, that is another story of course.

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I want to portray to you the calmness of this scene. My youth was a pleasurable one actually, my very early youth, that is. I was a child who learned about freedom at a very early age, and it is something that I never forgot or stopped liking. I was free to go fishing down at the docks every day or just explore the tidal marshlands and the fields that surrounded me. I was part of nature and I really enjoyed it. So, this is where my appreciation for nature comes from as well as my liking for peace and harmony.

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But, you know what I was thinking about today? I was thinking about the times when I walked along the dykes in a gentle rain and watched the ducks swimming in the big ditches which adjoined them and of the rafts that I encountered in the ditches as well. Some other kid would get to explore these ditches via a raft and I thought that was a very neat thing. You could be even closer to nature if you could get on that raft and move yourself about in the ditch by pushing a pole. I got to do that sometimes too. When I got older that is. So, at the very earliest of ages friends I was I was in love with nature and the animals and birds that were part of it. This is where and how I learned to love life.

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I was also thinking about puddles today too. You know, puddles that you encountered in the rain in the middle of the road while you are walking, those kinds of puddles. Now, these bodies of water make me think of gentle things. And, they also make me feel about how lucky that I am to be alive and to just think about these puddles that make me feel good. So, isn't it truly amazing how wonderful a puddle can be if it can make you think of those kinds of things?

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I guess the real reason that I am bringing all of these things to your attention is because I actually feel good about the stock market at this particular moment in time. And, that is after reading a rather devastating assessment of the market just yesterday. And, you can read that article by going to yesterday's post in the Dear Courier Diary section of my blog. It is not a pretty picture at all let me tell you. But, even after I read that article I shifted some of my assets into stocks. I bought some Emerging Market stocks and I also bought Canadian stocks as well. And, I did not feel like I was taking on any great risk at all. I suppose that is because I have enough protection in my portfolio to protect me if things actually do turn south in a hurry. But, for the moment I feel good about my decision. Just like I feel good about that puddle that I am telling you about above. I am thinking of the soft rains that are splattering about on the road and making that puddle in the first place. And, then I am thinking about my well being because the stocks for me are supplying that sense of well being, in spite of the fact that they could turn against me at any time and cause me to feel poorly about everything. But, for the moment they do not have that capacity. I think the reason they do not have that capacity is because there are forces working to keep things going in my direction. Now, you can call these things will or you can just call them conditions. But, I just like to think of them as things that are causing conditions to be as they are. And, what if these conditions were to move against me, then what would I do? You could think of it as wearing a raincoat in the pouring rain if you like if that would make you feel any better about the matter. For that is what I would be thinking anyway. So, let it rain and let it pour if it must. If you have your raincoat on and are enjoying the weather what does it matter anyway?.

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Talk to you all later.

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