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Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?


Message added by Mod-Tigerkatze,

We all have been drawn into off-topic discussions, me included. There's little that's off-topic when it comes to Chit Chat, so the only ask is that you please remember that this is the Chit Chat topic and that there's a subforum for all things health and wellness here.

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1 hour ago, nokat said:

Well, I'm mostly packed and ready for things to be shipped to my new apartment. It is hard downsizing from a 3 bedroom, two story house to a small one bedroom apartment. Too many things hold sentimental value and I have had to pick and choose. 

I've been handling it well enough mentally, but I've had my moments where it is just too much. I also have mobility issues that require me to not do too much at once and my back is aching from all of the bending even though I'm careful.

I feel your pain it can get very emotional. I hope it gets better  for you. 
I had a nightmare towards morning where my son was telling me I had to move AGAIN because he was selling my condo and kept repeating to me “but you’ve made $50,000!!!! “.    I’ve only lived short of a year here and previous place a year.  I’m sick to my stomach this morning.  

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I've just finished (well almost anyway) going through all my parents stuff.  Some things are family mementos so got kept but a lot of stuff was just the collectibles that my mother gathered and no one now wants.  Souvenir spoons, bells, match books, post cards etc.  Realizing that no one wants this now certainly is making me rethink a lot of the stuff I've been accumulating that will have no value to anyone else.  I've got room for these kinds of things now but if we downsize I guess they will have to be among the first to go.

  • Like 6
33 minutes ago, Bethany said:

I've just finished (well almost anyway) going through all my parents stuff.  Some things are family mementos so got kept but a lot of stuff was just the collectibles that my mother gathered and no one now wants.  Souvenir spoons, bells, match books, post cards etc.  Realizing that no one wants this now certainly is making me rethink a lot of the stuff I've been accumulating that will have no value to anyone else.  I've got room for these kinds of things now but if we downsize I guess they will have to be among the first to go.

I think about that too. As I may have mentioned, my DH is a bit of a hoarder. He has over two hundred complete Lionel train sets, I don't know how many drum kits, cameras, lenses and accoutrements, camping and baseball memorabilia. This stuff fills our attic, crawl space, back yard shed, his mother's basement and two storage units. I'm screwed.

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Ugh...so the online grocery store I've been ordering from for the past three years (yep, since the pandemic began) recently merged with another digital organic store.  With the merger, a good portion of the inventory is gone.  Contacted customer support and was told that they're "reevaluating" what customers want.  The basics are there, but spatchcock (flattened) whole organic chicken is currently not available (was told that it was available only in-person at their butcher shop, which is difficult for me to get to without a car).  Some other items, including their house made popsicles (organic fruit, no sugar added) aren't available this season and produce selection seems low for this time of year.  They adopted the other store's name for their online business and are only using their old name for their house brand products.  Must be a contract thing (they acquired the other store).  I'm finding that I have to go to MORE stores to get what I need.

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3 hours ago, Bethany said:

I've just finished (well almost anyway) going through all my parents stuff.  Some things are family mementos so got kept but a lot of stuff was just the collectibles that my mother gathered and no one now wants.  Souvenir spoons, bells, match books, post cards etc.  Realizing that no one wants this now certainly is making me rethink a lot of the stuff I've been accumulating that will have no value to anyone else.  I've got room for these kinds of things now but if we downsize I guess they will have to be among the first to go.

I realize one day I'm going to have to do that once my father dies.  I've moved twice and left a bunch of stuff behind both times (via charitable donations), just cleaned out my bedroom closet and donated more of my stuff that I didn't realize I had.

 

I think when my dad goes, I am getting rid of everything. 

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For those casually following along with the Reddit situation, it's not over. Many communities are staying private or dark. From Mashable (it's a good article, I suggest you read it):
 

Quote

One of Reddit's most popular third-party apps, Apollo for Reddit, has already announced that it would have to shut down due to these changes as the solo developer running the app could not afford the newly-necessary $20 million per year in API costs.

 

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ISO: a store that sells faux flowery arrangements in pots that can sit out on a deck. I'm tired of schlepping out to water two flower arrangements. Bought some fake green plants, different heights, that look pretty good on the deck (& the occasional rain doesn't seem to ruin them). I've looked in At Home, Home Goods, and Home Sense, but anything flower-y is too delicate to be out in all kinds of weather. Maybe this type of fake arrangement doesn't exist, but I thought I'd ask here (source of all kinds of good tips 😊).

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34 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

ISO: a store that sells faux flowery arrangements in pots that can sit out on a deck. I'm tired of schlepping out to water two flower arrangements. Bought some fake green plants, different heights, that look pretty good on the deck (& the occasional rain doesn't seem to ruin them). I've looked in At Home, Home Goods, and Home Sense, but anything flower-y is too delicate to be out in all kinds of weather. Maybe this type of fake arrangement doesn't exist, but I thought I'd ask here (source of all kinds of good tips 😊).

You can get plastic plants but eventually, the sun will fade them and they'll look kind of bad. But it's a quick fix and will look okay for a couple of years.

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On 6/13/2023 at 8:34 PM, BlueSkies said:

When you're not used to eating like that the sweet taste can be overpowering 

Same with salt.  I had to be really cautious about salt after a recent surgery and when I was able to eat more normally again I found things that were supposed to be lightly salted tasted over salted to me.  Not a bad thing really as it's made me appreciate less salt now which I thought would never happen.

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7 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

ISO: a store that sells faux flowery arrangements in pots that can sit out on a deck. I'm tired of schlepping out to water two flower arrangements. Bought some fake green plants, different heights, that look pretty good on the deck (& the occasional rain doesn't seem to ruin them). I've looked in At Home, Home Goods, and Home Sense, but anything flower-y is too delicate to be out in all kinds of weather. Maybe this type of fake arrangement doesn't exist, but I thought I'd ask here (source of all kinds of good tips 😊).

Would you want to make your own arrangements? Michaels and Joann both have sturdy plastic flowers and greens. One of our neighbors fills out her planters with fake flowers every season and that's where she gets them. And I used fake poinsettias and pine branches from Joann over the holiday season in one of ours last year and it withstood the weather just fine.

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My TV is packed and will be on a truck tomorrow. It is 32" and is perfectly sufficient for a smaller room like my loft and my soon to be smaller apartment. Well a kind friend is loaning me one until I fly to my new city and it is huge next to mine.

I'm not sure I like the big TV, especially in my smallish room. The actors in the shows I'm used to watching look different if that makes any sense. I might have to find a movie to stream to see if I like it for that. It also has streaming built in so you don't need a Roku.

My TV is dumb but has a great picture and good sound with the sound bar I bought. I don't feel the need to go bigger.

How about you all, do you like the huge screens?

  • Applause 2
37 minutes ago, nokat said:

How about you all, do you like the huge screens?

Depends on what I am watching. Since I am now on my own and mostly watch British people killing each other (politely 😸) my laptop on my dining room table  that has a larger than usual screen is just fine, and I have a great bluetooth enabled speaker to provide excellent sound. But if it is an action or sci fi or fantasy movie, I'll move to the living room couch and fire up my 12 year old big screen (I think it is 48 or 54 inches - not sure - its a Toshiba and works perfectly and my son bought me a Roku and sound bar for it). Its nice to have the choice!

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(edited)
5 hours ago, nokat said:

My TV is packed and will be on a truck tomorrow. It is 32" and is perfectly sufficient for a smaller room like my loft and my soon to be smaller apartment. Well a kind friend is loaning me one until I fly to my new city and it is huge next to mine.

I'm not sure I like the big TV, especially in my smallish room. The actors in the shows I'm used to watching look different if that makes any sense. I might have to find a movie to stream to see if I like it for that. It also has streaming built in so you don't need a Roku.

My TV is dumb but has a great picture and good sound with the sound bar I bought. I don't feel the need to go bigger.

How about you all, do you like the huge screens?

I also have a small tv (19" diameter).   In general I don't like big screens, unless the room is appropriately big and the seating works so everyone can see.

A couple of years ago, close friends got a huge TV and had it set to "soap opera" mode, which sounds like what the TV you're borrowing is set to.  I can't stand it as it makes everything hyper-realistic, which doesn't work for me in regular movies and TV dramas, etc.  (And means I no longer watch movies with my best friend, which I really miss.  😪 )

Here's an article I found about it that you might find interesting/useful.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/how-to-disable-the-annoying-soap-opera-effect-thats-ruining-your-tv/

Edited by Leeds
Add "like" for clarity
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I also dislike soap opera mode. It's like the difference between film and videotape.

3 hours ago, nokat said:

How about you all, do you like the huge screens?

No, I don't like them either. The one I watch is 42" and a few years old. It's fine for this room. The living room tv is about the same age and a little bigger, but it's still nothing like the mammoth sized televisions of today. A few years ago I did some late night, Black Friday sales and watched two different couples struggle to fit very large televisions in their cars and it wasn't happening. And again, that was before tvs were as massive as they are now.

2 hours ago, isalicat said:

Depends on what I am watching. Since I am now on my own and mostly watch British people killing each other (politely 😸) my laptop on my dining room table  that has a larger than usual screen is just fine

Ha ha! That's what I spend a lot of time watching, too. I've really been enjoying Pie in the Sky (an older show) and Harry Wild (a new mystery series with Jane Seymour set in Ireland).

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15 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

My friend, it's the old story, you have a case of Grandma Purse  

I really do! I have my makeup bag, wallet, cell phone, sunglasses, almonds, gum, badge for work, etc. I've been meaning to take less stuff with me. One thing on my shopping list is a smaller wallet so I can carry little bags. My wallet is huge. 

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On 6/13/2023 at 7:00 PM, jennifer6973 said:

I realize one day I'm going to have to do that once my father dies.  I've moved twice and left a bunch of stuff behind both times (via charitable donations), just cleaned out my bedroom closet and donated more of my stuff that I didn't realize I had.

 

I think when my dad goes, I am getting rid of everything. 

I don't have much, and my dad cleared out a lot, when my mum died. I've been thinking that I need to go through what I do have, and see what I want to keep. I have no kids, nobody to pass anything on to. 

That reminds me: when grandma died, each of the daughters got a ring that my grandad made for them (he was a jeweler out of his garage, among other things that he did to try to look after his family). Mum got her ruby ring, and a wedding ring. I didn't want to be combing through her stuff, I was just in shock for months, so I didn't realize that my dad got rid of most of her stuff, right away. I think my sister took her ruby ring, which should have been my mine, as the eldest. I have the wedding ring, and my aunt asked for it back, a few years ago. She wanted it back in the family, in England. On the one hand, I can understand why, but on the other, it belonged to my mum. It just made me feel totally insignificant to the family, and as a person. I was annoyed, and said "no" at first. I later relented, but I don't know if dad sent it back yet. 

I suppose this belongs more in the family thread. 

Re: reddit. I mentioned this site to some people, if they talked about shows on reddit, and needed a new place. I don't know if anyone came over here. Some people were talking about a site called Lemmy, or an app. I don't know. I didn't have a chance to check anything out on Monday, because my power went out, just after I showered. A large branch fell off our big tree in the front, and knocked down the wire that gave us power. I called the electric company, and they weren't going to listen to me at first, because I'm not the account holder, and they had my mum's name on file, not my dad's. the old landline, too. But she was nice, and finally put in the request for help. I didn't like having to tell yet another person, that my mum was dead, so she shouldn't be the one on the account. 

On the good side: I had just showered, so I was clean and comfortable, just antsy being alone in the quiet. We have a gas stove, so I could make my tea, and also cook other things like soup, or pasta. Mashed potatoes. I had the number stored in my phone, and they had it fixed an hour earlier than expected. I was awake, in order to make the call, instead of trying to fix my schedule. The ipad was fully charged, so I could listen to podcasts, and I'm going to download something every so often, to watch, and save it just in case, whenever storms are expected. Dad has been working six days a week, but took yesterday off, because Tuesday is his slowest day, and he needed to clean up the branch, and get a few other things done. 

- - - - -

I thought I posted this, but I didn't, and I'm leaving it, because I've just found out that my English uncle died. :( I only have my aunt left, and the handful of cousins and their kids. 

  • Hugs 7
(edited)
9 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

Anyone else have mint boxes open and spill in their purse? It's happened repeatedly, and the inside of a purse isn't the cleanest. I buy Tic Tacs, but I guess I might need to switch it up. 

It's better, since I've used a backpack, and just thrown my smaller bag into that, when I leave the house. I try to keep things in plastic bags, if I think they'll spill, but my last one got bad.

13 hours ago, nokat said:

 

How about you all, do you like the huge screens?

I would love one of those bigger ones, with the beautiful graphics. We've had this one since a Thanksgiving 2011 sale.  Large flatscreen, Vizio. Whenever we go into Best Buy, or another store that sells them, I will find dad looking at the TVs.

I had a secondhand macbook, that I should have told my dad to send back. He paid around $500 for it, six years ago (Christmas, ebay), and the battery wouldn't stay charged, it was already old. I liked the picture, and figured I could use it plugged in. 

I have been watching more on my iPad, but I prefer it for when I'm going to be out of the house, and still spending time alone. When my mum was in the hospital, I would go to the cafeteria, and watch things with my headphones. Same, when we went to get my sister from Canada, and I would be waiting in the bookstore, for at least four hours. Or when I'm baking late at night, or cooking during the day. If I'm going to really sit down and watch something, I prefer the TV. 

Edited by Anela
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20 hours ago, nokat said:

How about you all, do you like the huge screens?

Definitely; my eyes need all the help they can get, so even with glasses I like a really big TV.  I do still have one old one that's only 32 inches or something, but I don't ever sit down and properly watch TV in that room; it's just on as background noise while I'm doing something. 

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2 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Definitely; my eyes need all the help they can get, so even with glasses I like a really big TV.  I do still have one old one that's only 32 inches or something, but I don't ever sit down and properly watch TV in that room; it's just on as background noise while I'm doing something. 

My husband loves big screens and got a 60" for our family/living space.  I mostly watch streaming shows on my laptop, phone or tablet, so it's really HIM that uses it.  Though my son has started to watch TV with his dad.  He has a dinosaur obsession (seems like a "thing" for the 3-5 range, especially boys) and they watch Lego Jurassic World (is that what the show is called?) together.  He's allowed half an hour a day on weekends.  

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5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

We have a 32" in the living room and a 24" in the bedroom. Our house is tiny so I think a bigger TV would be kind of like we're living in it's house instead of vice versa, if that makes sense.

I get that.  I have a small house as well.  The house across the street has a giant picture window in the front, and the people who lived there a few years ago had such a large TV that I could see it clearly from my front window.

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19 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I get that.  I have a small house as well.  The house across the street has a giant picture window in the front, and the people who lived there a few years ago had such a large TV that I could see it clearly from my front window.

I know that feeling. Once I was driving home from work and traffic was backed up for miles. There was a mini van in front of me and I got to see most of The Phantom Menace on their screen the kids were watching.

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Well, well, well. I'm sitting here watching Maine Cabin Masters & one of the ads is for Starbucks, showing cars in gridlock. Familiar music is playing and I realize it's Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder. I guess he finally caved. I think I posted here a while back that he refused NBC's request to use this song during the London Olympics (that just blew my mind & I never forgot it). Maybe Starbucks made him an offer he couldn't refuse 😸.

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On 6/17/2023 at 12:43 AM, RealHousewife said:

I really do! I have my makeup bag, wallet, cell phone, sunglasses, almonds, gum, badge for work, etc. I've been meaning to take less stuff with me. One thing on my shopping list is a smaller wallet so I can carry little bags. My wallet is huge. 

Out of all my bags, I love my Vera Bradley hipster crossbody the best.  I don’t need a wallet, as the bags have slots for credit cards, bills, lots of zippers for compartments.  For a little bag, it holds lots of stuff.  I have a few, and don’t know what I’m going to do with all my other heavy big bags.  The Coach rage is over.  Too heavy.  For a little bag, you’d be surprised what this sucker can hold, and hands free.

 

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34 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

Out of all my bags, I love my Vera Bradley hipster crossbody the best.  I don’t need a wallet, as the bags have slots for credit cards, bills, lots of zippers for compartments.  For a little bag, it holds lots of stuff.  I have a few, and don’t know what I’m going to do with all my other heavy big bags.  The Coach rage is over.  Too heavy.  For a little bag, you’d be surprised what this sucker can hold, and hands free.

 

I have a medium sized tote/cross body from a local designer that I call my “Mom Bag.”  I use it for everything, from holding extra snacks and water for my son to going to the gym (I don’t change there since my gym is close by) to errands.  

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We like to tease one of my friends about her "Mom Bag" because she's not a mom (other than to pets, and there's nothing for them in the bag), yet she has big purses because she carries around so much stuff.  It's really easy for me to switch from one purse to the next (I have a lot of them, so I like to take one that works as an accent color with whatever I'm wearing -- so if I'm just going to the grocery store in my lounge pants, I don't bother, and just take whichever one I used last) because all I put in them are my wallet, cell phone, Chapstick, keys, and tampons if needed.  My sunglasses are in the car.

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On 6/13/2023 at 7:34 PM, BlueSkies said:

When you're not used to eating like that the sweet taste can be overpowering

That's like me and soft drinks.  I don't keep them in the house (except for the occasional six pack of little bottles of ginger ale if I'm sick), so when I have a soft drink (usually a Coke about every couple of months) it's almost like drinking alcohol.  It's so strong and burns all the way down!  It tastes great, though.  I'm just not used to the carbonation and the sugar.

Well, I finally faced up to the fact that I'm just not physically able to mow my own yard any more.  I can still pull weeds, edge, and trim.  I just can't push that mower in the summer heat (I can probably mow when it gets cool again this fall--the steps are good for me, but not right now when it's 94 degrees outside with a heat index of 103).  I was going to check on my local community 'residents of...'  FB page to find someone to come mow the front yard (the back yard doesn't have enough grass to warrant mowing), but when I heard a mower at my neighbor's house, I went outside and caught him between tasks and asked if he wanted another yard to mow today. It was fairly cheap (since it was just mowing a small yard) and took him about 5 minutes with his riding mower.  That's a big load off my mind.  

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3 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

Well, I finally faced up to the fact that I'm just not physically able to mow my own yard any more. 

We had to do that this summer.  First time we haven't done our own mowing.  But between injuries, work and family commitments hiring someone to mow the lawn made sense.  We were motivated by having a local teenager drop a flyer at the door.  He started his own lawn care company (it's him and his sister) to make money for college.  So far so good and we feel like we're doing a good deed so win win 😃.

  • Like 10
1 minute ago, Laura Holt said:

We had to do that this summer.  First time we haven't done our own mowing.  But between injuries, work and family commitments hiring someone to mow the lawn made sense.  We were motivated by having a local teenager drop a flyer at the door.  He started his own lawn care company (it's him and his sister) to make money for college.  So far so good and we feel like we're doing a good deed so win win 😃.

Yes, this is the first time I've hired someone to do it.  When I first moved into my house (over 22 years ago! Wow!) my dad would bring his mower over occasionally to mow (usually if he was coming over for some other reason, it was easy to load up his riding mower and bring it), and I've had a neighbor or two help me out when they would see me mowing in the summer (with my frequent breaks).  I'm hoping that when I get my flower beds all cleaned out (which I actually don't mind doing even in heat--I do try to time it with the little shade I have in the yard) and the borders defined, I'll probably hire either this guy or someone else to do the 'works'--mowing, trimming and edging.  There were a couple of grandmas who posted on the residents FB page about their grandson visiting for the summer and who were trying to make a few dollars by mowing.  I was going to contact one of them, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get someone to take care of it while I was there and wouldn't have to schedule a day/time. (As soon as I heard the mower start up next door, my ears perked up! :) )

  • Like 2

Does anyone have a recommendation for noise canceling headphones? Due to asshole neighbors, I really need headphones that cancel other peoples' bass noise. I'll still be able to feel it, but it would be great not to actually have my head throbbing. Aside from being free from bass, comfort when worn with glasses, bluetooth connectivity, and a microphone would be swell. I have read so many reviews but no one gives priority to eliminating bass noise and no one addresses the problem of comfortable wear with glasses.

(edited)
50 minutes ago, ABay said:

Does anyone have a recommendation for noise canceling headphones? Due to asshole neighbors, I really need headphones that cancel other peoples' bass noise. I'll still be able to feel it, but it would be great not to actually have my head throbbing. Aside from being free from bass, comfort when worn with glasses, bluetooth connectivity, and a microphone would be swell. I have read so many reviews but no one gives priority to eliminating bass noise and no one addresses the problem of comfortable wear with glasses.

If you don't want to spend money on Bose, Beats, or Sonos I recommend these.  I wear them when I fly and I can't hear the engine noise. Pre-COVID I wore glasses* when I flew and don't recall being uncomfortable.

*My vision didn't get better, I just switched to contacts to prevent my glasses from fogging when wearing a mask.

Edited by theredhead77
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55 minutes ago, ABay said:

Does anyone have a recommendation for noise canceling headphones? Due to asshole neighbors, I really need headphones that cancel other peoples' bass noise. I'll still be able to feel it, but it would be great not to actually have my head throbbing. Aside from being free from bass, comfort when worn with glasses, bluetooth connectivity, and a microphone would be swell. I have read so many reviews but no one gives priority to eliminating bass noise and no one addresses the problem of comfortable wear with glasses.

I was just shopping for these, but nothing stood out to me. I figured they'd be nice now that I'll be in an apartment, both for blocking other's noise, and possibly mine if I'm watching TV at 2 a.m.

  • Like 1

I'm sitting here grinning to myself.  My brother just phoned and was telling me that he and his wife had left several plastic totes on their front porch filled with coffee grounds.  Apparently someone from the community garden was going to pick them up.  In the meantime though it seems that porch pirates decided to help themselves instead.  I am grinning thinking of the looks on their faces when they opened those totes 😃.

  • LOL 17
Message added by Mod-Tigerkatze,

We all have been drawn into off-topic discussions, me included. There's little that's off-topic when it comes to Chit Chat, so the only ask is that you please remember that this is the Chit Chat topic and that there's a subforum for all things health and wellness here.

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