On the Index, and why it only goes up

A few of you have asked, in the guestbook and in the room, why the Index has never once dipped. It is a fair question, and I would like to answer it properly, on the record, in the forum where it belongs.
The Index is a longitudinal measure. Longitudinal means it is measured over time, and over time, I have found, the trend is the only thing worth reporting. A dip would imply a reading of the face on a bad day. I do not have bad days. I have weather, and the weather has been mild.
Adversity is flattering. I have noticed this across a number of difficult seasons, and each time the line has leaned a little further up and to the right. Some of you will call that a coincidence. I call it attention paid to the right things.
I know the next question. Where are the photographs. It is being handled professionally, and the requests are under review, and I am not going to rush a process that has been running for years without my face in front of a camera once. You do not need to see it. You will know it when you do.
Anyway. The chart is open to anyone who wants to read it. Plot your own line if you feel like it. Yours will look different. Mine will not.
— L.V.