If you really are using CAPS for emphasis and not 
for fun (like I was), then you're obviously 
getting too emotional over this.  And when folks 
are too worked up like this, they tend to be 
pretty stubborn in their mindset.

So I see that there's really nothing I can say 
(or have said) to even budge your narrow point of 
view in the slightest.  So I'm not going to try 
that hard.  There's no point in you reading on 
unless you can keep an open mind.

I think if you (eventually) calm down and re-read 
my posts (all of them) you will realize that I 
tried my darndest to see things from everyone's 
point of view, including yours.  I have agreed 
with you on many points and at the same time I 
have tried to see where the other side was coming 
from.  You obviously have not been willing to 
give anyone a single break and that's why this 
conversation doesn't seem to go anywhere.

In the end, I believe that successful cel 
collecting is a combination of effort, luck, AND 
opportunity (time).  I have agreed on all those 
points and I never ignored the importance of each 
of those factors.  And I never wanted to argue 
the importance of one factor over another, since 
that was never the issue (no matter how much you 
wanted to make it so).

The original topic was focused really on just the 
issue of opportunity, which is why I concentrated 
on that alone.  Yet you have been really going 
out of your way to totally ignore that factor 
from the equation.  Maybe you can rationalize 
that to yourself somehow but I don't believe most 
people would.  And that's the only reason why I 
have been keeping up this fun little debate with 
you.

But if you're are getting so fired up and keep 
insisting that only you are right without really--
and I mean really--trying to see why that other 
side was so upset in the first place, then you're 
just making the situation even more negative than 
it was before.

Japester: who really cares if there is an actual 
solution or not for this person's grievances?

If you could just at least find it in your heart 
to really listen to what they have to say, try to 
see things from their vantage point, and maybe 
lead them towards a compromise with your views 
and the views of others... that would be so much 
more worthwhile than trying to prove how right 
you are or not.

AH, but I'm so much better on the other side of 
the bar instead of the bartender's side.  If you 
want to fight with this other person so much, 
I'll just sit back and down some beers while I 
watch you guys go at it.  It doesn't hurt me any 
who manages to go out on top.