Saturday, May 31, 2008

Twas A Dark And Stormy Night

Well, twas....... seems to be over now though. Some nice lightening bolts flashing about to enjoy.

After scanning through my scant posts from this week and seeing the big blank spot from the week previous I was all prepared to write an apologetic entry here but..... hey! it's not like I'm being paid to appear here, is it?? and I shouldn't apologize for being particularly uninspired over a block of time, should I?? No, of course not.

I did notice a couple of my 'word-of-the-day' words crop up on blogs that I link to. Thwarted....... Cornucopia....... Coincidence?? I think not! Hah!!

As for being uninspired - (I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago) - I keep getting caught up in the news of the day and none of it seems to be very good. Even though I know from past experience that a steady diet of this stuff causes me anxiety I have a hard time tuning out; once a story breaks I like to follow it. So, whether its something relatively old (news-wise) like the limbo of election results in Zimbabwe or, more recently, the aftermath of the storm in Burma or, the quake and aftershocks in China or, national and local issues here; I want to know..... Added to that; food prices rising, oil and gas prices up ($1.30/liter), onset of the I & R cycle (Inflation and Recession) and on, and on.... It all takes up space in my head, jangles my emotions and rattles my remaining ability to think rationally, much to the detriment of my ability to write. My refuge this week has been music; that and silence and as much sleep as I can get. Ostrich; head in sand sort of stuff.

Lynda is having her workmates in for dinner and the evening later on today. She found herself short of cash and asked me for some money before I came to work tonight. I wasn't carrying much so I just gave her my bank card & that way she could get out, buy what she needs and start prepping the food. I just got online to check my balance and between groceries and booze she spent $250. Am I due for a night off work, ya think?? Hmmm, hen party... maybe not. One more night of work to go.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Light On Content....

Tonight I had my work out of the way in record time... so early, in fact, that I had way too much time freed up. Too much night to fill. I was quickly caught up on blog-mates offerings and tired for a change of the music playing on the radio. A couple of make work projects were behind me in a jiffy. Luckily I always carry a few movies, concert dvd's and cd's with me. I've just finished watching 'Unbreakable', starring Bruce Willis, Robin Wright Penn and Samuel L Jackson and enjoyed it. Beautifully photographed; well acted.

This is a rarity - watching movies at work - and it always leaves me feeling strange. I guess that's why I only do it about once a year.

It looks like there is another opportunity to slide into the regular daytime shift rotation filling in for a counsellor who is off on leave. That's one thing about this sort of work - periodically it seems to suck the life out of one or the other of the staff and leaves them struggling for a time with depression, stress or anxiety.... or a mixture thereof. I could do with a break from these screwy hours even if its for a short while. Wave me in Coach - I'll have word about that in a few days.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Slip Sliding Away

Away from complying with a-word-a-day so here we go... Wednesday's word is 'cornucopia' !!!!!; which is a noun meaning: the property of being extremely abundant

If I can't have a cornucopia I generally find that a plethora will do. (Woo! Bonus, Bonus!)

You're welcome.... no need to thank me.

Random Meanderings....

..... I'm slacking so far this week; maybe because I haven't anything pressing on my mind. So, it's another grab bag of odds & ends....

Tuesday was daughter Sarah's 'champagne' birthday - 27 on the 27th. Lynda tried calling her earlier & I just tried myself; both of us got her answering machine. She's out having a good time, I hope.

Living as I do in southern Ontario there aren't many instances where my attention is directed to specific places in America. Today, for the fourth time in the last few days Wichita, Kansas has cropped up. We have an invitation to a reunion there in July for the various branches of Lynda's mom's family. It was probably fairly common a hundred or so years ago to have immigrating members of the same family to straddle the border and have some settle in the States & some here in Canada. Being a prolific lot there are relations spread across the continent but mainly concentrated in the Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas corridor.

Back on the weekend I took Mom to my cousin's 60th birthday party at the family cottage north-east of here. We got there early so we had a good long visit with him before more family and his friends arrived. That's when things got a bit twisted.... Mom's 92 year old brother doesn't hear very well despite two hearing aids.... is blind in one eye and can't see very well with the other.... is having trouble with his memory..... and likes his wine. It was good to see him but communicating with him was frustrating. The twisted part was cuz's friends; the bunch of them (12) have made a point of staying close ever since they were in high school together 40+ years ago. They still work from and refine the same script as always - and they are the most antagonistic bunch I've ever seen. Honestly, I don't know how they refrain from coming to blows. I was glad that Mom and I had planned to leave at a specific time and stuck to the plan. After being exposed to this lot for a couple of hours I was ready to exit.

Lynda and I had a nice relaxing time between her arrival from work and my departure for work. We made dinner together, ate and then wandered the yard playing with the dogs and figuring what changes to make to the yard and gardens. Just before coming to work one of my (numerous) brothers-in-law dropped in for a visit - Scoot is a hoot; funny guy.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Clarity..

and gratitude.

In reference to a previous post - 'lots of short stuff' (which, btw, wasn't very aptly descriptive) - Mike provided more details about the classical arrangement for guitar of Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of The Moon'.

Copy down the information you find there, take it to your local music retailer and have them order you a copy of Mr. Monzerol's CD. I'm going to.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Place Keeper...

a wee marker that says, 'I stopped by; I was here.' Albeit, briefly.

I'm back at work (for a rest) after a busy weekend.... This is my 'get-organized-for-the-week' night and I blew it earlier by sitting, reading up on friend's blogs for almost 2 hours. Oooppps. Oh yeah, work first; goof off afterward.

There are a couple of fairly important emails I'd like to respond to tonight if I'm able to get my mind functioning. If not, ... soon. You know who you are.

Feeling funny tonight - thick-headed, woolly-minded - a little weary after driving to and from the cottage yesterday, and getting home in time to see l'il O before his bedtime.

I might have some observations later about reconnecting with some relations and old acquaintances that I haven't seen in 10, 20, 30 years. I'll see.... that's it for now though.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Way Behind....

on Word Of The Day!!!!!

Today it is a medical term for those random belly noises that rumble around inside your abdomen. I like this word because when you say it you can imagine that it resembles the sounds it describes.

Borborygmus.

Ha, ha... say that 10 times fast in your best Mr Bean voice. Borborygmus!!

Lots of Short Stuff

Thanks to CBC Radio 2 once again......

Pink Floyd was always one of my favourite bands and I continue to be a fan to their guitarist David Gilmour. Their album Dark Side of the Moon spent 400+ weeks in the Billboard top 100 albums. ( I saw them perform during their 1972 and 1994 tours in Toronto.)

Yesterday on CBCR2 they played an arrangement for classical guitar of the song Breathe - it came from a recent CD release by Quebec musician Danny Monzerol. Beautiful! I have been searching for more information about the release so I dont know if it is entirely Mr Monzerol or a compilation (I believe it is just him) but they cover all the tracks from the original Dark Side album. Gotta get me one.

** and of course if anyone can provide clarifying info please feel free to leave a comment....**

Doing What I Was Told.....

Honest, right from the get-go I was advised to recognize and celebrate all the little milestones along the way, so... tooot, toooot, to, toooot..... 10 complete weeks smoke free. I am supposed to buy or save toward something significant so I have put some money away toward a trip west to see my 2 grown kids. 1 in Calgary, 1 in Vancouver. That will be a sweet payoff.

Absence ......

...makes the heart grow fonder, I hope.

Wednesday already; incredible. Slept Sunday, it was a holiday Monday - we worked for a couple of hours and then found time to relax. Visited with sister Linda before she left for the airport - she is celebrating her 50th birthday in Ireland. Yesterday; a run around day. Shopping, haircut, lawn cutting - lord it seems to have grown larger somehow....takes forever.

The rest of the week will be busy - I had a call asking me to work the next couple of days so I wont be around. Mom, (maybe Lynda) and I are heading to a relatives birthday celebration on Saturday - that will involve several hours of driving. Then back to work Sunday night - another week shot all to hell.

Reasons to bitch - gas prices, cold weather, rain, inflation, recession..... lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Contraction Free Zone

No apostrophe to be found here so, it will be cant, wont, couldnt, etc.

You would think itd be under character mapping, n est pas.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Cool Uke Tune.....

That may seem an unlikely combination - 'cool' and 'ukulele' - together in the same sentence. You be the judge.

I heard this song played on the radio the other night - CBC Radio 2 - and tried to track down the Canuck artist who played it...without success. But I did find this talented young guy playing the same song. It happens to be one of my all time favourite pieces of music - written by the inimitable Jimi Hendrix.

Little Wing.

Wow! Good job!

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Furtherto.... or is it furthermore??

Yes, last night's post came to an abrupt end when my daughter Sarah called from Vancouver and we proceeded to spend way too long catching up on all the news. Unbeknownst (like that one?? I got more..) to me, her mom had flown into Van from Calgary to spend an extra long weekend with her. They were heading off Friday morning for the ferry ride across to Victoria; then busing across Vancouver Island to catch a boat trip for some whale watching. Tres cool - wish I was there myself. Sarah's man, D, is away on a 5 day fast and retreat. He's a better man than I (I say as I sit here wolfing down handfuls of cookies and talking aloud to myself, in tongues, through crumbs). Attaboy, D. Honest, I couldn't stomach it myself.

Most nights here I don't struggle to stay awake but once Sarah's call was over, I don't know why, but I fought to stay awake. The last couple of hours here were torture and I flew home at about double the speed limit, stereo pumping. Couldn't get beneath the sheets quick enough - 'Hi honey. Have a good day. G'Night! Zzzzzzzzz!!' Slam dunk, gone..... and didn't stir for 9 hours. BE-Ute-iFul!!!

Last night I followed a couple of links that I hadn't checked before and man-o-man did I laugh. There are some wonderfully twisted individuals on this planet who provide some great word play. Love it. Time to go root around for some more..... later.

W.O.T.D.

Mea Culpa - Sometimes I blow hot and cold on things I intend to be consistent with and so, just under the wire for today; THE WORD OF THE DAY !!!!

Mea Culpa II - I shouldn't use these without giving proper credit, should I??? Courtesy of dictionary.com and all the usual blather about if you would like this stricken from the blog - leave a comment, etc..... blah, blah, blahhhhh.

....and without any further ado.

subfusc \sub-FUHSK\, adjective:Dark or dull in color; drab, dusky.
Her inscrutable figure -- imposing in designer subfusc, slightly donnish, reminiscent of Vita Sackville-West, to whom she was distantly related -- baffled and intrigued some.-- Yvonne Whiteman, "Obituary: Frances Lincoln", Independent, March 6, 2001

The View From Here.....

After Lynda arrived home from work we were sitting talking and I was saying that since I quit smoking I have completely gotten away from observing the natural world..... I'm not popping out the door for a smoke every 30 to 60 minutes. As a result I've tended not to notice the moon phases or the constellations climbing the arc of the sky and falling in the west. One thing I haven't been able to ignore though when I get up in the afternoon or drive to work in the early evening is the fruit trees with their branches so heavily laden with blossoms. This seems to be an especially abundant year - or my eyes have been hungry for the sight of them. Toss up....

The weather gods have been teasing us in this part of the world; spring has firmly taken hold but..... we get a few mild fair days followed by yet another cold front and its accompanying rains. The cycles are seemingly a series of false starts - it reminds me of finding a smooth walking rhythm only to stub ones toe each time you start to clip along. All the usual spring flowers have made their appearance and have started shedding petals.

To and from work I pass one of this country's premier thoroughbred breeding (and boarding) operations and it is a joy passing field after fenced field full of glorious horse flesh. A lone stallion here, yearlings there, mares and foals, oooh a very pregnant mare over there - full term by the look of her, clusters of 2 and 3 year olds. I've angered other drivers more than once by dawdling along that route; almost wound up in the ditch a couple of times too, as I crane my neck around to check some detail. The fields and trees a singing vibrant green, acre upon acre of it.

Hmmmm.... maybe I'm noticing more of my surroundings than I thought.... cigarettes or no cigarettes.

Lynda was telling me about what an upsetting day it had been. There are just 8 of them in her department at the hospital and 2 of them got layoff notices today. While they all do similar work they are each responsible for different areas and how the remaining 6 will manage to make up the balance.... well, that remains to be seen. It seems a task not unlike Hercules and the Augean stables there on a good day.... nevermind this state of affairs.

The other day she and I slid quickly over to the townhouse for a check-in and to swap some possessions. I hadn't been there for a couple of weeks, well since I moved, and hadn't seen how stepson #3 had set things up. (pretty nice, not bad) So now, not only do I have all my original stuff still sitting in boxes but there is now another car load added to the pile. Sheesh! If I don't get at it soon it will all wind up at the curb, I'm sure. I haven't been taking a great many pictures but if I ever get the computer set up I'll post a few - this blog has definitely lacked colour lately.

Blog reads have been fascinating.....

Sarah is on the line - gotta go.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Honest! I Wouldn't Kid You.....

Harkening back to last night and the pledge to use our word power I searched for 'the word of the day' and came up with this:

titivate • \TIH-tuh-vayt\ • verb
: to make or become smart or spruce
Example Sentence:"Work could undoubtedly be done on the show to titivate it for Broadway -- but the score will remain a problem, if not a liability." (Clive Barnes, The New York Post, August 13, 2000)
Did you know?"Titivate," "spruce," "smarten," and "spiff" all mean "to make a person or thing neater or more attractive." "Titivate" often refers to making small additions or alterations in attire ("titivate the costume with sequins and other accessories") and can also be used figuratively, as in our example sentence. "Spruce up" is sometimes used for cosmetic changes or renovations that give the appearance of newness ("spruce up the house with new shutters and fresh paint before trying to sell it"). "Smarten up" and "spiff up" both mean to improve in appearance often by making more neat or stylish ("the tailor smartened up the suit with minor alterations"; "he needed some time to spiff himself up for the party"). The origins of "titivate" are uncertain, but it may have been formed from the English words "tidy" and "renovate."

So, once I get home, lay my head down and settle in for a sleep I'll ponder that issue and try to decide what it is that I might titivate upon arising.

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Just Because I Can '3'.......

..... and that's all there is to it. I can so I will......

If you just can't stand fantastic guitar playing you are in the wrong place. This may fool you though because I have to admit - I've been on a Jeff Beck kick for quite a long time now. It was time to change it up tonight and I found something that fit with this time of night....as in late. This isn't high energy or fast paced but it is beautiful and beautifully played.

It is David Gilmour playing 'Marooned' (from his 'On An Island' CD release) live at the Strat Pack Concert.

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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Work Life....

Like most people, I suppose, I go through cycles where I like my work and the people I work with and for. (Then there are times I don't, too.) For me this work has always been about our clients and seeing that their needs are met and exceeded. At the times where I feel burned out and used up I get angry with myself for falling short of my expectations. As a result some days (and weeks) can bear quite a lot of self induced pressure as I work primarily alone. The upside is that the times of gratification are many; times when you know you've managed to help someone through something, or understand, or change an attitude or perspective.

The other night I spent a tense hour on a crisis call with a former client helping to downgrade a period of despair he was working through. Sometimes you get off the line and wonder...... did I say everything he needed to hear? fully cover the issues? are things settled or will something set him off again? Tonight came the payoff when he called back to thank me for being here when he needed to talk to someone. Following our talk he had made some other calls which were positive steps toward resolution - good stuff. It had been a long time since I'd had a guy tell me he loved me. That's alright man - I love you too Jeff. Get on with getting yourself well.

There are times I love my job.

As I See It......

My blogging has been spotty at best lately. One reason for that is I've tried lately to catch up on blog friend's posts - there are getting to be a lot of you... and you write a lot.

I'm happy to see Robin at Bountiful Healing and Amuirin at Stop and Wander are both nominated for blogging awards. Kudos ladies! Well deserved recognition of your talents.

A couple of individual emails have eaten up some time and there are a few people I owe messages to as yet. Visits here are down but I see BJ stopped by, and Am, and Miss Music Nerd. MMN has quite a series of posts happening - check it out via my link.

Spottiness revisited: one downside of reading such a variety of other's material is I begin to compare their offerings to what I do here. I wind up the loser and ask myself why? Well,... preparation, research, thought, time, focus, write and rewrite. If you don't front load all these things, the end product ain't gonna be all that great, is it? Ah well, this was never intended to be a serious endeavor.

Thwart, Thwarted, Thwarting....

My boss John and I have a running email gag happening about his boss's use of the word 'thwart' in one of his missives to the troops. Let's face it. There are certain words and terms that become archaic and unused for a reason. Thwart is one of them, it qualifies.

The emails are pretty entertaining and I'd share them here if I was able to edit them for confidentiality concerns..... but that's a big 'if'. Between the two of us we manage a good shot of humour and a few 5 dollar words.

The exchange did get me thinking though about what percentage of our overall vocabulary gets regular usage. 25%?? I doubt very much if it were to approach 50. I know plenty of words but rarely use a great many of them.

Get out your thesaurus; dust off that dictionary..... trot out some verbiage that is in need of some airing.

loquaciousness,... gerrymandering,... vexations..... aahhh; much better now. Thanks.

Just Because I Can '2'.....

.....so there.

Some things you just don't tire of especially tried and true songs like this one, done a little differently. This one always engenders an emotional response in me.

I watched the various versions that came up in my search and while the video quality here is not good, the playing certainly is - he manages to nail pretty much every note.

At the end he shakes off his hand; it either cramped or he cut himself getting to a couple of those high notes.

Enjoy.

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Monday, May 12, 2008

Too Many Much T'ings......

......to do, to say, to comment on. Wow!

First off - Hey! All you Mothers out there! Yes, You! I hope you enjoyed a special day Sunday with those who are near and dear to you ... or at the very least had a phone call that touched you. I squeaked in what seemed a very short hour with my mom before driving to work tonight. She's a doll. I had thought of doing something special for daughter Sarah's first mother's day but on reflection decided to leave it in her man's hands to spoil her up some. I'll touch base with her later tonight.

No surprise but I didn't accomplish as much as I had hoped to last week on the homefront. My computer is still scattered about in pieces, poor thing. My attention was too divided; my good intentions were conquered. C'est la vie. (**and no, I haven't forgotten - there is some photo software I'm supposed to be downloading for a particular shot I wanted to work with.**)

Tonight I spent ages reading up all the posts I had missed out on in days past. Amazinggggg...... I continue to be knocked out by the quality talent out 'there'. One small suggestion though..... there are a few of you who could increase your font size a notch or two...... just saying. I've been reading, reading, reading and my eyes feel like they are bleeding, bleeding, bleeding. Glasses on, glasses off. The joys of being over 50.....

After posting those quit stats last week I started wondering exactly what had I done lately to maintain my sobriety. The answer didn't please me and there are all sorts of qualifiers I could resort to here but... bottom line... it has been mainly service work, outreach and running things at the front of the room. All of which need doing but that is primarily 'external' fixing. I need more step work and study with my sponsor and in turn, the guys I sponsor.

The hypnotherapist who so ably assisted me with this smoking quit wrote to thank me for a couple of referrals and to ask for a testimonial for her website. No probs. 9 weeks on Tuesday for me - awesome..... 1 of Lynda's coworkers is coming up on a month smoke free. The wife of one of my colleagues went to her a couple of weeks ago for weight management issues and is reportedly quite happy.

I was accused on-line recently of having 'cajones' so I was surprised on arriving at work tonight and having the same thing thrown at me by a coworker. He was in attendance at the staff meeting I ran Thursday morning where I light-heartedly gave our boss, the house manager, a hard time for not complying with some instructions I had given him in regard to treatment record reporting. I had done it before in private but to have done it in front of other staff was a different matter. He took it well, laughed it off and promised to comply but the other staff were all nudging one another and shaking their heads at my nerve. Sometimes being the low guy on the totem pole has its advantages - you can get away with more. I still have my job, managed to get my point across to him and let my coworkers know it wasn't the first time it had been brought up. Bonus!

Time is running short - later on, dudes & dudettes.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Spring Has Sprung.....

The outdoors have been occupying my time. We have had enough milder weather that the lawns needed cutting - that took most of yesterday. Today has been devoted to inside cleaning, sorting and some unpacking. Lots and lots left to do; on the run again.......

Dinner is marinating and the grill needs cleaning. AaahhhH, bbq tonight!!!!

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Anybody Out There??....

Wow!! Watch those traffic stats drop when you get too busy to post!!

My plan for a quiet week went completely out the window when I had a call Monday morning asking me to come in to work. I had to beg off for the Monday shift but agreed to a day shift yesterday and a 26 hour sleepover shift today. Once I run an early morning staff meeting I'm off again to see if I can accomplish anything on the homefront. Most of my stuff is still in boxes. (Sigh)

This has been a nice hour long break checking in on blog friends posts but it is time to get back to work.

Peace, love and groovyness to the peeps.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Look Ahead.......

Right off the bat I'm looking forward to wrapping up my work week in an hour or two. One thing about working here is you never know what the night will hold; sometimes, between my duties, the in-house clients and those calling in on the phone lines it's a very full shift. Other nights it's dead quiet all round. Mostly it falls somewhere in between and I need to be ready for anything.

It'll be straight home to bed for a quick sleep. I'm helping Lynda with some work after noon time.

Generally this week I have to continue unpacking and arranging my stuff. As it gets stowed I'll be able to bring MORE over by car. Specifically I want to get my computer set up so I can start posting pictures again. Sarah sent a few new ones of Zeph and he's getting handsomer (sp?) by the day. He's 9 months old today. Sarah's b'day is coming up late in the month - she'll be 27. We spent an hour on the phone the other night - father / daughter stuff.

Monday night I've been asked to chair our meeting by the guy who is receiving his 1 year medallion - PJ. This is our groups third medallion celebration in as many weeks; pretty good for such a small group. It's a blip.

Mom and I arranged earlier today to attend a relation's 60th b'day party; it's an out-of-town 'do' but we can do it in a day. His b'day and Sarah's fall on the same day. One of his sons was born on my b'day. Tit for tat. Lord, lots of birthdays - sister Linda turns 50 this month; stepson #3 has one too.

I'm rambling now & running out of whatever steam I had left. Ciao fer now.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Keeping Score

5,003 days drug free

1,370 days alcohol free

51 days tobacco free

one day at a time

Soundly Sleeping....

It was an insomniac's dreamscape - 6 solid hours of deep divng-down slumbers. Awesome!! This cycle is more than 2 months old now since things really kicked up into overdrive. Man, I think I was due.

I have vague recollections around midday when our dogwalker accidently let Milo downstairs and he was jumping around on my head, licking my face and neck. My hand made ineffectual 'swatting-at-flies' motions for a minute before he was removed. I was quickly back under the ether again diving for the depths.

There came an awareness of increased bouyancy, a lightness, a rising, of time passing...... then, what time is it? Slipsliding up through kelpy, wispery water plants,... shedding layers of felt blankets and getting an awareness of position and place. Slow to wake enjoying the sensations of dulled senses. Pasty with thirst. Insistent bladder.... best move now .... up for the day. Crack an eyelid, hmmm... 2 p.m. alright!

Renewed energy, relief of tension, ease in muscles, more patience, better frame of mind. Feels like more-some.

I bought some melatonin last week and took 2 or 3 doses on consecutive days but didn't like how it made me feel. But perhaps it managed to boot me out of this cycle (??) Anyway, thanks Kel for the reminder about it. I had used it years ago back when I had to bring it in from the States and it hadn't occurred to me to try it again until you mentioned it.

LSD-25 Discoverer......

Dr. Albert Hoffman has died at the age of 102. I caught a good 5 minute bio / obit on the news tonight - it brought back a lot of good memories. Flashbacks if you will.... to a very different time and place. Thanks Dr Hoffman for some of the most memorable times of my life; hundreds of them.

Here's an article that gives an overview of the subject, its cultural context and some insight into the good Dr.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/trip-of-a-lifetime-how-lsd-rocked-the-world-818714.html

Disclaimer: I don't advocate the use of illegal drugs (but if you're going to try just one before you die, make it this one.) Damn, did I say that out loud?

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