Hey Nostradamus! By Douglas Coupland (P.147-189)

In the first half of the 3rd chapter in this fictional novel "Hey Nostradamus!" we are now being narrated by a new character, Heather. Heather is 7 years older than Jason and works as a steinographer in a court room. They were in a relationship in the year 2002, when Jason was in his early 30's. We learn early on in this chapter that they met eachother when shopping for Toys at the same shop, and right at the start they hit it off. They were together for a few months and one day Jason just disappears. There is significant happening that could relate to the disappearence of Jason. One evening Jason and Heather were walking in a park and Jason spots a man with a prosthetic leg that looked strikingly similair to Yorgo. Since this happening, Jason never acted the same until the day his disappearence. We also learn that Chris, Cheryl's brother is now married with Barb, and that Chris works at a government agency that works with the identification database of criminals in america. As the first half of the chapter unfolds Reg's character changes in terms of being more sympathetic and not believing strictly in all that he use to believe in. He isn't so proud and rigid anymore but rather soft, depressed, and to an extent even regretful. As the chapter progresses a psychic by the name of Allison contacts Heather through a voicemail. After conversing with Allison, Heather learns Allison is a phony, however she is going through some sort spiritual miracle and can label various inside jokes between Heather and Jason. The factual evidence provided by Allison includes inside jokes that only Jason and Heather share. Therefore much credit of belief is given to Allison by the desperate Heather. In additon to proof of truthfulness, Allison doesn't seek payment of any sort but rather an understanding of what is going on with herself and why.

As I reflect on this chapter I realize how people have a tendency to cling on to lost things. Heather becomes consumed by emotions when she learns that Allison has some sort of spiritual contact with Jason. I think people fail to understand that dieing is part of living, and the last stage of growing. Basically I think that we never stop growing until we actually stop growing. Over time alot of people and things I have been attached to have come and gone and each time it would continue to hurt more and more until I reached a conclusion and a better understanding of death and development as a whole. The understanding I reached, seemed to have liberated me from the pains of loss to a somewhat comforting extent. I learned that when people die they explode in both terms of material and character. When one dies they become part of the earth, the same way the earth had become part of them throughout their lives. They decompose and enter the cycle of life. So to explain the explosion of the character is to first understand individuality. Everybody feels emotions and contains complex thought. Its when some people feel certain things more than others and express them in certain ways that individuality is expressed. When one does this, they influence others in one way or another while at the same time being influenced by the other individuals that surround. These influences of an individual are transfered and traded with others throughout the people that they interact with. This is how peoples perceptions, actions, and other influences live on through other people. Its all a matter of noticing and comparing.