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Small Talk: Judge's Chambers


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My god, Teebax, but you've got a lot on your plate. All those issues are just overwhelming and I'm glad you've managed to remain sane. Just reading about it has my blood pressure rising, so I can imagine what it's like for you.

Hope you can find the time and energy to take care of YOU in all this.I'm sure we're all happy to listen to you vent, if you're so inclined.

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On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 0:37 AM, Trini said:

Teebax--I've been away for a while and have looked for your postings which are always interesting and informative.  Many, MANY hugs for you in your  nephew situation. I've dealt with a lot of kids in the system and not many of them have had a positive placement.  You are truly doing the work of angels.

Hope your new girlfriend continues to be a source of love as you go thru that journey with your nephew.

Now that school is done for the summer I look forward to more of your incisive and hilarious posts.

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I guess I missed out on something because I thought @teebax was planning her wedding not that long ago? What happened? (And yes, I feel a little abashed asking a stranger on a message board something so totally personal but then again, it's the small talk topic!) :)

In any event, happy to have you back, glad you have new love in your life, good luck with the family sitch, and you really are doing an amazing thing.  

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11 hours ago, bref said:

I guess I missed out on something because I thought @teebax was planning her wedding not that long ago? What happened? (And yes, I feel a little abashed asking a stranger on a message board something so totally personal but then again, it's the small talk topic!) :)

In any event, happy to have you back, glad you have new love in your life, good luck with the family sitch, and you really are doing an amazing thing.  

It's all good. I got dumped, by text, after I decided to move in my parents and switch careers. I guess it was too much change for her at once. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.

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TEEBAX!!! Welcome back to the lunacy of our happy little group. Missed you. Thank you for taking care of your nephew - I know the situation sucks (particularly financially) but you are truly stepping up (and stepping in it, lol). Prayers and positive thoughts for you and your nephew. One More Time is right - truly the work of angels. Getting yourself a big jewel or two on your tiara. 

27bored, your conversation made me cry with laughter. I think Teebax needs to print it out and read it every morning while she brushes her toofies so they don't get stank. I had an acquaintance a few years back and half her words had Fs on the end - Teef.  Toof. Bref. etc. I had an acquaintance a few years back and half her words had Fs on the end - Teef.  Toof. Bref. etc. 

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Gail your bref stank. Go brush your teeth.

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So good to hear from our beloved teebax! You know we are here for you. Hugs all around, for all of your family! Top tips:

Wine. (Berringer's White Merlot my current fave.)  Chocolate. All of it.   Cranium's "WhooNu" - best game ever, perfect for oldsters and youngsters alike.  Easy, and fun, and a great way to find out lots of cool stuff about your loved ones! And did I mention the wine?

Blessings to the whole 'bax family, and your new sweetie!

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23 hours ago, SandyToes said:

So good to hear from our beloved teebax! You know we are here for you. Hugs all around, for all of your family! Top tips:

Wine. (Berringer's White Merlot my current fave.)  Chocolate. All of it.   Cranium's "WhooNu" - best game ever, perfect for oldsters and youngsters alike.  Easy, and fun, and a great way to find out lots of cool stuff about your loved ones! And did I mention the wine?

Blessings to the whole 'bax family, and your new sweetie!

And just this week I've discovered the benefits of Watermelon Mojitos.  Two of them and you're positively giddy and see the worldthru rose colored glasses!  Or should I say watermelon colored glasses?

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5 hours ago, One More Time said:

And just this week I've discovered the benefits of Watermelon Mojitos.  Two of them and you're positively giddy and see the worldthru rose colored glasses!  Or should I say watermelon colored glasses?

I try not to Google new things because I ultimately end up down a rabbit hole for several hours I can't really spare right now*, but I am totally going to look into this watermelon mojito thing. I love mojitos, and I love watermelons. I've been on a grapefruit Moscow Mule kick this summer, but I'm looking forward to trying your suggestion very soon.

*Here's an example: I'm at a hotel on a business trip and need to prepare for a seminar tomorrow. Next weekend, my girlfriend and I are going to AZ wine country (don't knock it; we have some excellent wines here, and they call it Napa-Zona). Anyway, I was charged with finding us a hotel for our trip. It is three hours later, I still haven't chosen one but now could write a book about every damn hotel near Sonoita. Then I decided to revisit it later and get to work, but then I realized I haven't been on this site in a while, and now I'm down another hole. 

I may need therapy.

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I try not to Google new things because I ultimately end up down a rabbit hole for several hours I can't really spare right now*,

Don't ever look at Tv Tropes. I don't even watch TV and I got lost there for hours!

I don't usually drink any hard liquor, wine being my drink of choice. However,  I do love margaritas of the original type, with a nice rim of salt around the glass. I seldom have them because I have a tendancy to guzzle them, resulting in a drunkeness that JJ would not approve of. In my defense, I don't drive when drunk on margaritas and I am a very happy drunk with no desire to smash anyone's windshield, throw their phone against a wall or whack them upside the head with a stick of firewood.

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1 hour ago, AngelaHunter said:

Don't ever look at Tv Tropes. I don't even watch TV and I got lost there for hours!

I don't usually drink any hard liquor, wine being my drink of choice. However,  I do love margaritas of the original type, with a nice rim of salt around the glass. I seldom have them because I have a tendancy to guzzle them, resulting in a drunkeness that JJ would not approve of. In my defense, I don't drive when drunk on margaritas and I am a very happy drunk with no desire to smash anyone's windshield, throw their phone against a wall or whack them upside the head with a stick of firewood.

Well, now you know what I have to do. I'll see you guys in a few hours. LOL.

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(edited)
5 hours ago, One More Time said:

What is TV Tropes and do I need to go there?

www.tvtropes.org

Here's what they say about themselves: 
     "Merriam-Webster defines trope as a "figure of speech." For creative writer types, tropes are more about conveying a concept to the audience without needing to spell out all the details.

The wiki is called "TV Tropes" because TV is where we started. Over the course of a few years, our scope has crept out to include other media. Tropes transcend television. They reflect life. Since a lot of art, especially the popular arts, does its best to reflect life, tropes are likely to show up everywhere."

A hilarious part of the site is the 'Evil Overlord' section: 
     "They usually lurk in an intimidating fortress in a near-uninhabitable landscape, plotting to Take Over the World (if they don't already rule it), with hordes upon hordes of beastlike warriors (who must be none too bright, otherwise they would've overthrown him) at their beck and call...." 

Then there is an exhaustive list of Evil Overlords found in film, TV, literature, comics, etc.  It's all very funny.

In this case, several Evil Overlord Lists have been spawned, all examples of what to do (and what NOT to do) in the event that you find yourself an Evil Overlord.

For example: 
     1.  My Legions of Terror will have helmets with clear plexiglass visors, not face-concealing ones.
     2.  My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.
     3.  My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.

An excellent search function will help you while away many hours catching up on the trope of your dreams.

Edited by Zahdii
Just trying to clean up the post a little...
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I think Wikipedia should just be renamed "Rabbit Hole." My personal nemesis.  I'll go looking for info on a specific thing, and hours later, have no idea what I originally came looking for. Glad teebax has found some down time! And a constructive way to use it! Ha!  Did tvtropes once, and do recall that it is easy to get lost in!

Loving the drink recipe ideas. Not a mojito fan, but the watermelon may be a welcome change.  If you are screwdriver fan, beware the raspberry vodka.   A whole new level of yum.  (Good thing Spec's is closed today!)

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3 hours ago, SandyToes said:

I think Wikipedia should just be renamed "Rabbit Hole." My personal nemesis.  I'll go looking for info on a specific thing, and hours later, have no idea what I originally came looking for. Glad teebax has found some down time! And a constructive way to use it! Ha!  Did tvtropes once, and do recall that it is easy to get lost in!

Loving the drink recipe ideas. Not a mojito fan, but the watermelon may be a welcome change.  If you are screwdriver fan, beware the raspberry vodka.   A whole new level of yum.  (Good thing Spec's is closed today!)

Oh, I did not find any time whatsoever; I just wasted a bunch of it. Now it's Sunday night, and I'm feverishly trying to finish up the work for my grad school class I'd intended to do last night. Ugh!

I looked into the Watermelon Mojito thing, and it requires me to muddle a watermelon. I'm not much for muddling things. When I want a drink, I want it right now, dammit! But I'm going to keep an eye out for one on the menu the next time I'm out at a decent restaurant.

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I recently discovered the joy of Bud Lite Lime-a-Rita. I bought it as a goof mostly -- the can was bigger than my head and I thought I could get a few laughs out of that with my friends. But I cracked it open and enjoyed all of its sugary, alcohol-y deliciousness. No muss, no fuss cocktail in a can that weighs about three pounds! (I mistakenly thought there was tequila in it as well -- turns out, I was wrong. It's just some sort of "alcohol.")

Completely off topic -- but does anyone know if there's a 60 Minutes forum here? I searched and searched and couldn't find one. :(

2 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

I recently discovered the joy of Bud Lite Lime-a-Rita. I bought it as a goof mostly -- the can was bigger than my head and I thought I could get a few laughs out of that with my friends. But I cracked it open and enjoyed all of its sugary, alcohol-y deliciousness. No muss, no fuss cocktail in a can that weighs about three pounds! (I mistakenly thought there was tequila in it as well -- turns out, I was wrong. It's just some sort of "alcohol.")

Completely off topic -- but does anyone know if there's a 60 Minutes forum here? I searched and searched and couldn't find one. :(

There's a news category, but I don't know about 60 minutes specifically.

i enjoyed Bud Lite Lime in the summer, so I'm not all that surprised that their margarita is good. My girlfriend likes the chelada drink they make. It's Bud Lite and Clamato, I think. I can't imagine that would be good and won't even try it, but she likes it a lot.

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I recently discovered the joy of Bud Lite Lime-a-Rita.

I'm not a drinker at all, but a couple years ago my daughter and I went to an outdoor concert and she bought a Strawberry-A-Rita which was FROZEN in this gigantic guitar-shaped container. I was sucking that thing down like a crazy woman. I have no idea what it was, but that it was sweet and fruity and gave me a little buzz lol. I actually have a small can of it in my fridge door just in case of emergency. 

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The buzz I got from the several Lime-a-Ritas I enjoyed (because I wasn't driving) was really mellow -- like after taking a half tab of Valium or something. Strange -- but in a really good way.

Mine was similar to when I take a Xanax (which I hardly ever do). Just like my give-a-damn is busted in the most hilarious way. Or when I eat really spicy Mexican food and drink something cold and semi-drinky (like a Mike's Hard Lemonade, don't judge me, I said I'm a lightweight) and keep wanting to smack my lips very loudly. 

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11 hours ago, One More Time said:

No no no!  Visit your friendly liquor store and ask for a bottle of Pucker.  The bartender told me they  used Pucker and rum and some mint. I had to tell her to decrease the amount of mint but otherwise.. divine.

Thanks for the tip. I can commit to trying this again. We're staying at a casino tomorrow night. I think we'll give it a try!

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(edited)

Bud Light Lime buddy here, teebax!  Light and easy buzz.  

Otherwise, any wine on sale.  Whenever I watch Mike and Molly, the mom and sister are drinking giant glasses of wine, and I join them to be sociable.  Also, I'm in Colorado, so when the sister sparks up,  I feel the need to walk my dog,  so I stroll on over to my neighbor's garage for a contact high.  

Good thing I don't watch cooking shows! 

Edited by Tosia
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Teebax said:

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...I had a TV in my room growing up, although it only got 3 channels and the programming went off at a certain time...

Brattinella replied:

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I imagine there are some whipper-snappers here that don't remember this.  It was worse than it sounds!

When I was growing up, we had a big color TV in the living room and a small black & white in one of the kids' bedrooms.  The little TV got NBC, PBS, either ABC or CBS, and Channel 11.  Channel 11 introduced me to I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, Star Trek,  and other shows that weren't on the air anymore.  House rule was simple: No watching TV after bedtime, which was 8:00 (9:00 on Tuesday nights because of Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley).  Once we got into high school we could stay up until 11 if we could keep the lights off in the living room and keep the sound low enough to not wake anyone up.  I didn't find it bad at all.

I didn't see cable TV until I was in my teens.  I was visiting my father and back then the big draw for cable was 'commercial-free TV.'  I didn't get to watch it much until I went to live with my father after graduating high school.  By then cable had given up on the 'no commercials' thing. 

One summer day I was alone in the house and preparing to clean the family room.  I turned on the TV and switched through all the channels, there must have been at least a couple dozen of them at that time!  I came on a new channel; a woman (DJ) was seated on a stool in an empty studio and was explaining that this was the first day of Music Television, a channel devoted to playing music videos 24 hours a day.  Yep, I saw the first day of MTV, and I was hooked.  It didn't take long for MTV to realize that they didn't have enough videos to play nonstop without repeating them every couple hours, and then the DJ's started working in pairs so they could chat together between videos, report music gossip, etc.  Then interviews with the artists started to appear.  It was great fun back then.

Over the years, I've gone from having multiple channels because of having cable or satellite, to whatever we can get over the air.  Really, most people adjust to what's available and find other things to do if there's nothing on TV.

SRTouch said:

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Remember when TV remotes first came out.

We always had TV remotes.  The earliest ones were voice activated.  My dad would say "Turn to channel 2" and we kids would run over to do that.  After I had a running battle with my brother to be the first to reach the big console TV and I ended up taking a header into the corner of the TV (still got the scar on my forehead if you look closely), my dad learned to assign a kid to be the official channel changer for the evening.  When the battery operated remotes came out, Dad held control of it until he fell asleep in his recliner, then Mom would be in charge.  Because of that, I didn't know how to change channels when I started babysitting a family whose TV could only be operated by remote.  I ended up watching channel 11 or 13 for several nights until their 5 year old showed me how to put a zero in front of the two, or the five, etc.  (She'd been sneaking up and hiding behind the couch to watch TV after bedtime and got tired of watching the same channel every night.  She eventually marched out in a huff, grabbed the remote, and informed me that if you want to watch a channel with only one number you have to press on the 'circle' first.  You are the first people I have admitted that to, so please be kind.

 

I got in somewhat early on the home computer thing, too.  I even worked for a time for Adobe.  I'll never forget the time I was informed by a gentleman that he didn't want to hear anything about which of their programs could be used on the internet.  He told me in a very snide way "The internet is a stupid 'flash in the pan' and no one will even remember it in 10 years".  That was in the year 2000.  I wish I'd kept his name and number so I could call him and ask him if the internet has died yet.

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 SR Touch I lived in Kodiak, Alaska about 28-30 years ago. I remember watching all the shows on the Alaska Television Network one right after another starting at about 3 PM. And I also remember when we first got cable TV and how excited we were!

Zahdii I also remember when MTV launched. I was OBSESSED with it. I used to drive home during my lunch hour and watch videos nonstop. Even now if I hear certain songs I can see those videos in my mind. 

I remember my parents finally getting a COLOR TV (!) back in the day for the 1972 Olympics. I still had to change the channels for them but it was one of those massive floor models. Years later one of my friends gutted her dead floor model TV after the tube blew and turned it into a fish tank. 

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On July 22, 2016 at 9:53 AM, ItsHelloPattiagain said:

 

Zahdii I also remember when MTV launched. I was OBSESSED with it. I used to drive home during my lunch hour and watch videos nonstop. Even now if I hear certain songs I can see those videos in my mind. 

 

Oh, this brings back memories. When MTV launched I was too poor to afford cable (I didn't have a car, either) but I had a boyfriend who had cable with all the channels. He was a loser and I stayed with him far longer than I should have (he dealt cocaine, for starters) but to heck with the drugs. As Dire Straits so succinctly put it: "I want my MTV!"

I miss those early music videos, and would happily tune into an "oldies" MTV -- Michael Jackson, Van Halen, Cyndi Lauper, Boy George, Sting, U2, Dire Straits, Pat Benatar, etc.   

Do today's "artists" even make videos? 

I still remember my first look at a color TV, at a friend's house, Mr. Magoo -- he was green.  Color adjustment was a constant effort.

My first TV memory is of an atom bomb test.  I don't remember if it was "live" or not.  I think I was six or seven years old.  And I remember when full-length movies came to TV, and the first mini-series.  Roots and Rich Man Poor Man were appointment TV, in the days before VCR's. 

I'd rush home from school to catch the Mickey Mouse Club and American Bandstand. 

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When I was growing up, we had a big color TV in the living room and a small black & white in one of the kids' bedrooms

Does anyone remember when it was easy and simple -- in fact, just plain possible -- to move a TV across a room?  All one had to do was unplug it and then carry it or roll it to wherever one wanted to put it. This was usually done at Christmas, when one had to put up the tree.  Such a strange ritual!

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I do! I do!  And the wheels on the cart would stick on the carpet, threatening to topple the little black and white Zenith over.

First color memory?  Mr. Moose's antlers turning yellow on Captain Kangaroo.  I'm really, really old. But I was really, really, young then...

And baby sister's pull toy that would change the channels when she pulled it across the room and the little bell would tinkle.

(edited)
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a woman (DJ) was seated on a stool in an empty studio and was explaining that this was the first day of Music Television, a channel devoted to playing music videos 24 hours a day.  Yep, I saw the first day of MTV, and I was hooked.  It didn't take long for MTV to realize that they didn't have enough videos to play nonstop without repeating them every couple hours

MTV changed my life. Oh my god, I had a 13-inch color TV in my room and begged to get cable so I could watch it. We didn't have cable in the house because my mother thought it was "going to ruin the picture tube" (don't ask) but she relented and I got cable in my room only -- that came with a set-top box with which to change the channels.

There was one Pat Benatar video it seemed like they played every hour -- along with Aldo Nova's "Fantasy" a song I can't even listen to nostalgically because I got so sick of back in '82. I recall a lot of Police videos, Red Ryder's Lunatic Fringe, and this great song by The Angels (who I swear were called Angel City back in 1982) called, "Fashion and Fame." *SIGH* While my life wasn't great back then, MTV sure did help me escape a lot of my problems.

I also loved USA's Night Flight and all of its glorious weirdness. I really wish cable's early anything-goes days. Today everything seems so manufactured and no fun. /OLD

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Does anyone remember when it was easy and simple -- in fact, just plain possible -- to move a TV across a room?  All one had to do was unplug it and then carry it or roll it to wherever one wanted to put it.

Ours was encased in a built-in cabinet, custom made to house the Admiral TV, a liquor storage area (go figure) and a stereo in individual units. It sounds fancy and expensive but it was built by a relative who, I think, used a hacksaw and various pieces of Formica to construct it.

Edited by Guest

So I've relocated to Charlotte, NC.  I must say it start with a bang(?).  As I have stated before, I am a fluffy old lady, so I only fly when I travel with family or friends (who won't complain if I infringe upon their seat space).   Anyhow took the train from MI to NC on Sunday night/Monday morn (12:45 a.m.), arrived in Charlotte at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday.  Trip was uneventful until my arrival in Charlotte. I took a spill off an unstable step, fell and ended up partially under said train.  Three Amtrak employees helped get me from under the train. Scrapes, bumps and bruises galore, so after completing an incident report, off to the ER I go.  After entertaining the ER staff with story and having several x-rays taken it was discovered I fractured the baby finger on my right hand and sprained my right wrist (fortunately, I'm left handed).  So three and half hours after arriving, I finally got to see my new home.  I'm sore all over and was told to expect to be sore for a few days.  Despite the adventure, I sure I made a good decision.  The house is lovely and near loads of shopping and restaurants.  I off now to ice or heat, can't remember which one I did last.

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We had two tvs, each in a console. Stacked on top of each other. One had picture, the other sound. No on or off or channel changing dials left, we had pliers that we had to use to change the channel or turn it on or off. Then we had to synchronize the picture with the sound. Many times we got a little electrical shock from the pliers, but the day after dad got himself a good jolt, we had a nice brand new color TV. 

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(edited)
2 hours ago, momtoall said:

 I'm sore all over and was told to expect to be sore for a few days.  Despite the adventure, I sure I made a good decision.  The house is lovely and near loads of shopping and restaurants.  I off now to ice or heat, can't remember which one I did last.

The most shocking thing for me as I entered old ladyhood was how l-o-n-g it takes to recover from stuff that I would bounce back from in 48 hours when I was younger.  On the other hand, I haven't had a cold in like 6 years...I guess you build up antibodies or whatever.

Feel better mom, and don't feel guilty about babying yourself!

Edited by Albino
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9 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

can't you find someone to blame it on and sue them? Don't forget to include the "emotional distress."

You joke, but while I waited for the cart ride to the station a fellow traveler was searching in her bag for a card of an attorney she knew.  Her husband said "She doesn't want him, his practice is in New Orleans.  She needs someone local".  smh.

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(edited)
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MTV changed my life.

I don't remember getting it till the spring of 1983, possibly because our then-local, mom-&-pop cable company didn't offer it until then.  So I missed a lot of the early weird stuff.  By then, it was being dominated by Michael Jackson and Duran Duran and Greg Kihn's "Jeopardy" and Golden Earring's "Twilight Zone" and Falco's "Kommissar."  Red Rockers' "China" and the Fleshtones' "Right Side of a Good Thing." And by golly, Night Flight was weird, but beautiful at times, too. 

Edited by Sarcastico
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