In Memorium

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week. Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey", died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started.

What's Up With The CKMB??

Several times a week I log in to the CKMB (a scrapbook message board sponsored by Creating Keepsakes magazine). Seems like there's always some kind of drama with them. They (Primedia) are preparing to file bankruptcy, everyone is all atwittter (pun intended) over whether or not the magazine itself will go defunct, and wondering what will happen to the message boards. Seems they haven't been honoring their contracts (not paying readers for submissions), or employees who actually do the leg work. Last year there was a big hooplah about what was percieved as cheating by a lot of people who submitted layouts for the Scrapbooker of the Year award. Shortly after that, they revamped the web site, making it impossible to log in to the new site without a new user name. That wasn't a big deal to me, but there were a lot of ladies who got really tore up about it, because they had been members for a long time, and had post counts way up in the thousands. (Yours truly had fewer than 500 over the course of three or four years!) Message Boards are great- and can be very helpful. Before going into business for myself, I relied heavily on a professional MT board for information that was invaluable to me. That MB also likely saved the life of one of its members. True Story! There were two ladies who e-mailed and posted messages several times a day. One in upstate NY and the other on the coast in CA. Besides that, every Monday night, we had a private chat room where we visited and talked shop. The CA gal didn't show up for a couple of days, so the lady in NY e-mailed another MT who lived a couple hours away from the missing CA gal. She drove the two hours to her house, found the doors locked, but looked in the window and saw Judith lying on the floor. She had fallen and broken her hip, and had other injuries, and had been laying there for two or three days. So.. that particular group of ladies are real tight! Ahhh... there I go again... getting off the subject. Anyway- the CKMB hasn't been long changed its format, as mentioned above. Well daggum it, after I finished work today I decided to log on and see what's going on. My connection to the outside world, you know. Gotta catch up on the weekly LOST post, and see what's happening with my SB cyberfriends. Wouldn't you just know it-- as if CK doesn't have enough to worry about and enough to keep them busy-- they have changed the web site AGAIN! And the MB is "still being migrated" Told me to come back later. Uh Oh. I'll bet this is gonna float like a rock. I'm not happy about it, and I'm not even a die-hard CKMBer. I'll bet there will be some feathers flyin' off of a bunch of wet hens when the boards are up again!!!

Bumper Stickers

Let me preface this by saying: I respect the office, and I am doing my best to give Mr. O the benefit of the doubt, and see what he can do. However... these bumper stickers are great. They made me chuckle. (Then when I read them again, it just made me sad.)

Thanks, Kelly, for more great blogger material!!!

The Weekend That Was

(And still is, for some folks!) My weekends begin on Fridays, and last through church time on Sunday. Then begins the first day of my work week. I'm really enjoying having Fridays off. It gives me time to take care of business, or keep appointments, without having to take time off from work. And since I don't start work until Sunday afternoon, it seems like I have a little "extra" time thrown in there. I remember when I was negotiating my shift with Tammy, I asked her if I could just be on call and take my cell phone with me and go to church. Understandably, she wasn't able to do that, because if concessions are made for one, then they must be made for all. I really wanted the Sunday through Thursday shift, but was not willing to work every Sunday morning, so it looked like I would not be able to take the job. I feel like God honored that, and Tammy and I were ultimately able to negotiate a schedule that was a win-win for everyone. So that's how the "extra" time is added to my weekend. Granted, I'll work til 9:00 p.m. tonight, but that's fine by me. So anyway. Back to my weekend. I hope you read the last post that tells about the awesome new chair I have purchased. I'm excited! Furniture scouting wasn't my only activity this weekend- we had our annual ladies' conference at church. This consisted of dinner Friday night (a catered affair in which the marvelous menfolk of our church, most of them in black tie, served us... how great is THAT!), then our featured speaker, Terri Butcher, spoke to us about Hope In The Wilderness. She's one of my favorite speakers, and though I disagree with one particular issue (regarding the chemical-imbalance element of depression), it was a moving, enlightening, encouraging time together with the women of my church. Saturday morning we met for breakout sessions that dealt with other wilderness experiences (Finances, Loneliness and Depression, Aging and something, i don't remember). Our speakers were super, and so willing to give and share personal experiences with their journeys through the wilderness. In our closing session, we were encouraged to endure our times in the wilderness by studying and learning God's Word to enable us to come through on the other side- having learned the lessons we were meant to learn, and going forward from there. It distresses me at times that I am not nearly as faithful as I should be reading and studying my Bible. I find so much comfort, encouragement, instruction, and wisdom within those pages, yet often it seems like it's the last item on my list of things to do... when in fact it should be the first. Because we all know what happens to the last few things on our list... they usually get put off until tomorrow. Then tomorrow has a new list all its own, and the cycle repeats itself. Each time I attend one of these ladies' conferences, whether at my church or some other church, I always come away with (at least) one definite message... and this time is no different. It reminded me how important it is to continue to study and grow. Years ago I was in a Bible study, and part of our class was memorizing scripture. We memorized a couple of entire books (James, 1 John), scattered other chapters, etc. While some of it escapes my memory now, it is still comforting to know that I have retained some of it. Anyway, it was a great conference, and I thank my dear old Mom for my ticket. Thanks, Mom! You Rock!

My New Chair!

Since moving into my room, and realizing just how big it really is, I decided to purchase a sofa, loveseat or recliner of some sort, and have a little "sitting area", if you will. As such, I've been browsing around at different places, trying to find the perfect piece. You know the one... that just-right item that calls your name. You just know it when you see it (or hear it!). I had set a limit for how much I wanted to spend, but quickly learned that I would be cutting it awful close, as furniture has gotten a bit more expensive since my last purchase. I had heard about those "snuggle chairs", which is basically a wide-butt version of a recliner. (I can totally see me snuggling with the grandbabies, but two adults might be a pretty tight squeeze.) I believe the proper name for them is chair-and-a-half, or double recliner. Late in the week, after having perused most of the furniture stores in my area, I remembered one last store. I wandered about aimlessly for a bit, saw some "snuggle chairs" near the back of the store, but walked on by them, as I was pretty tired and ready to get off my feet. Then I thought... what better time to try out a comfy chair, than when I'm tired and ready to take a load off?? Let me just say: I wanted to stay in the chair forever. Honestly. This is the most comfy chair I've ever sat in. It lays back totally flat. And I can even curl up and lay down on my side without even reclining it. Still relatively early in my search, though, I thought I'd look around some more before making a decision. Friday morning, my mom and I had a lovely breakfast, ran some errands, and looked around a bit more. Nothing. Even cupping my hand around my ear, I just didn't hear anything calling my name. I couldn't get that big old fat comfy chair out of my mind, even though I knew I could buy a whole big sofa for a few dollars more. This afternoon, I decided to check around in Winder and go on to Buford to see if anything would call out to me. Imagine my surprise to find my big comfy chair at a store in Winder, for $50.00 less!! There was no denying it-- It was calling my name. Singing my name. Shouting my name. I bought it! They had to order the color I wanted, so I didn't get to bring it home with me today. It should be here in seven to ten days. I can't wait to get it! I may never leave my room again. Here's a picture I found on the internet. This is the color I'm getting. I think it will be a great addition to my room.

Doncha just wanna come over and sit in it??

Interior Design 101

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm happy to report that Leyland is feeling much better this morning, though it was another rough night for Whit and both children. Whitney is functioning with a serious sleep deficit, and will catch a few winks in the recliner when the children are sleeping or entertained by Barney & Friends. We have all those doorknob thingies, making it impossible for a toddler to open a door, and we are very careful about closing doors to the rooms that are not kid-proofed. I suppose in her sleep-deprived state, Whitney failed to adequately secure the bathroom door this morning. She just called me to come and see Leyland's newest creation, apparently constructed during one of Whit's quick snoozing moments. I'll be contacting the Interior Design magazines later today, as the tyke shows definite potential. Placed at ingeniously symmetrical interludes about the wall in my bathroom are numerous sticky-backed feminine products, as well as the sticky tape used to secure the little packet that encases them. Oh yes. She is feeling better today. And we are so thankful!

Christening of the Princen Bed

Into each life, a little rain must fall. Or in our case, make that vomit. Poor Leyland has been a sick little girl, and last night was sick all over herself, her mommy, and her Princen Bed. The Little Pumpkin had been running a fever all afternoon, and complaining that "it hurts" pretty much no matter where you touched her. I was afraid of flu, and concerned even more that she'd have to be admitted for IV fluids. And THAT, is a near-impossible feat even when she is not dehydrated. She had eaten little, and hardly drank anything at all, and fevers ranging between 101 and 103.8. Such a listless little ragdoll. I was at Wal Mart after midnight getting Pedialyte (which of course she refused. it is pretty nasty!) This morning Dr. Edwards has diagnosed strep throat (again!) and hand-foot-mouth disease, a nasty virus that causes ulcers in the mouth. We've been fortunate this past year with her, that her sickly spells have been fewer and farther between compared to her first year of life. Whitney told me she had just read in a magazine that by the time a toddler turns three, one should expect a true vomiting episode. With all her illnesses in the past, this is the first time this has happened, and it scared her to death.

It has been a strange weekend at the 409, for sure. I have been plagued with my mom's RLS/insomnia for the past two nights, and when I do go to sleep, there are strange dreams/nightmares, after which I wake up with a pounding headache/neckache. I guess it's a good thing we're not horses. I hear they shoot them when they get sickly. My laptop died, and I was terribly upset- because I have yet to back up all the photos I have uploaded, even though I purchased an external hard drive at Christmas. There has been a miraculous recovery, though- and yesterday when I tried it, after a Vista (boo hiss) update was downloaded, everything seems to be fine.

Other than these things, it's a lovely day in the neighborhood. Well, actually it's pretty nasty outside- cold and rainy, but we'll try to stay optimistic, and always remember to count our blessings. Please say prayers for Baby Leyland to get well soon, and for Baby Corey to stay well.

My New Bathroom

You may remember that I have been doing some construction at my house... Extreme Makeover- Carport Edition. Yesterday the bathroom was finally completed, with the installation of movie star-type light strips going down either side of my vanity mirror, thanks to my neighbor Alex. My office/bedroom is still awaiting some finishing touches, and will likely be an ongoing project for yet a while. I thought you might like to see a picture of my completed bathroom, so I have attached a photo. What do you think?

HAHA! Isn't that funny!!! Though not really my bathroom, sometimes it feels as though I am joined at the hip to my computer, so that might not be a bad setup after all. Thanks to DJ for passing along the photo!

Sleeping Beauty

The Princess has finally moved into her room! She's not so excited about the actual going-to-bed-to-sleep process, though, and bedtime has become a ritual I remember all too well when her mommy moved to a big-girl bed. It's the "mommy/grandma-lay-down-with-me" mantra, and getting her to finally give it up and go to sleep is quite an accomplishment. That aside, it has been a happy, magical time for her and she is totally loving the room. She'll go in there and play all by herself, and crawl up and down on the bed. Maybe she is "Practicing" for the time when she will go to bed like a really big girl, and go to sleep all by herself. Here are a few photos of her in her new Princess Room along with her special friends, Curious George, Elmo, Abby Cadaby, Barney, a blue hippo and a pink elephant. And she's probably wearing her high-heeled, boa-adorned Princess shoes under that Princess comforter.

Thanks for looking!!

Snoop Sisters Rock Wild Bill's

It has been a few days since I posted, so it's time to catch up. Saturday night was exceptional fun! Those present at Wild Bill's to hear Departure included yours truly The Big Sister, Linda, Diane, Sharon & Johnny, Mom & Dad, Peg & Billy, Joyce & Gene, Ricky and Sheree, Ryan and a group of his friends. Along with about a gazillion other folks! It was a great night, and the band was fabulous. Baby Brother made us proud!! It was so funny watching the Snoops and the BIBs. {Allow me to insert a glossary, for those of you not familiar with Dunahoo-Speak. Definition- Snoop Sister: a person of the female persuasion who sometimes clandestinely, sometimes blatantly, will go to no end to find out everything they possibly can about everything and everybody. In any given situation. I kid you not. Homeland Security's got nuthin' on these gals! The Charter Snoop Sisters are [in no particular order] My Mother. My Aunt Joyce. My Aunt Peggy. Aunt Carolyn was never inducted, because she simply wasn't nosey enough. Neither will my cousin Sharon ever enjoy the prestigious experience, because she lacks the Nosey DNA gene herself. I my ownself, did inherit a faint strain of the molecule, so they have pretty much grandfathered me in with only a small amount of effort on my part. Definition- BIB: Butt-In-Brothers. Persons of the male persuasion, also known as The Spouses of said Snoop Sisters. These would include the Head-Of-All-Butt-Ins, Uncle Gene, [Holder of the largest stink stirrer in the entire universe. If it can be stirred up, Uncle Gene can do it.] Uncle Billy, [who will in no uncertain terms let you know that 'that was the biggest nothing I've ever seen', even if you thought it was the best thing since sliced bread], and to a much lesser extent My Dear Old Dad. Now Dad isn't much on the buttin' in, or the stirrin' up of stink, but we didn't want to leave anybody out, so we let him be in the BIBs too. Now, are we clear on the Snoops and the BIBs?. Good. Now, back to Wild Bill's.} The band was a little late getting started, and the house music was pretty loud. Poor Dad was already rubbing his forehead, and I feared a headache was on the horizon. He assured me he had brought his Tylenol along just in case. I offered that he might want to go ahead and take some. Mom, who had never been to a place like that, was a bit unsure what to expect, I think, but she was delighted to be there to watch Michael. Finally, the band came on. They were smokin', and the crowd was gettin' into it! The elderlings had chosen tables all the way in the back, hoping to preserve their eardrums. This meant that the stage was very, very far away, and Michael (whose drums were elevated on a small stage of their own) was pretty much invisible from that vantage point. I decided the Snoops needed an up-close-and-personal view, so Sharon, Sheree and I escorted them all the way down to the base of the stage, where we were looking directly at the sneakers of the guys in the band. But we could also look up and see Michael, and lo and behold, he was able to see us too, and able to acknowledge to the Snoops that he saw them. I figured they would immediately turn and run back to the safety of the back tables, but to my surprise, we stood down there for two or three songs. You shoulda seen My Mom telling folks "that's my son!" I expected her to jump up on the stage and take Mark's microphone and point to Michael and tell everyone there- "that's my son!". It was really cute. I have some cute pictures, but she thinks she looks silly, and asked me not to post them. .........sigh......... At any rate, I hope you get the picture. It was a fabulous show, and everyone enjoyed it. It was so special to have the Snoops and BIBs along for the ride, and I know it meant a lot to Michael for them to venture outside their comfort zone and come watch him play. Diane and I met for dinner at Sweet Tomatoes... methinks me hath foundeth a new favorite place!!! can i just say yummy!!! ::burp::

I was so glad to have had a good night Saturday night, because things kinda went downhill after that. Well, Sunday morning church was fine, and I did have a delicious to-go plate of spaghetti from the mission-trip fundraiser after church. But the slippery slope started when I tried to work my Sunday shift. Ouch. Honestly I had to reboot like 15 times, retype the same report several times. This has been an ongoing problem, but for some reason maximized itself on Sunday and I ultimately had to go inhouse to work. I survived that, and got the work done. Monday morning comes along and DITTO. Same thing. Called the cable company to schedule a service call, just in case the problem is on my end. So, off I go to the hospital, computer (and personal keyboard) in hand. Work with IS off and on all afternoon. Work in Tammy's office. Work in the computer lab, emulating myself. The computer worked like a charm. .....sigh.... By process of elimination, we determined that there surely MUST be an issue with my Comspastic, er.. Comcast connection. Pack everything up, roll computer to ER on a cart, leave it there while I go to the parking deck to get my car. (If you've been to my hospital lately, you know that they have started charging for parking, and the attendants always go off duty about five minutes before I'm ready to leave, and the money-taker thingy never works.) Well, last night between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m. there wasn't a soul to be found. So naturally, the machine won't take my debit card. I never have cash, so there I was locked in the parking deck. I finally got the 50 ton pickup truck behind me to back up so I could go to the top level, and try my luck with my debit card up there. When I got there, of course I didn't have a ticket. I chose the "Lost Ticket" button. WARNING: Don't EVER press the "Lost Ticket" button. A message came up that said to pay $30.00. Let me repeat. PAY THIRTY DOLLARS. No, I don't think so. My cell phone was down to it's last few minutes of battery, but I called the hospital operator and told her I was locked in the PD and to please send security. By this time I had removed my name badge, because we are not supposed to park there. I waited and waited, and finally security came. They let me out free of charge, but told me I should have pushed the Cancel button before leaving the original ticket thingy. ....sigh... So then I park at the ER, pick up and load my computer back into my car. I go back into the hospital (not wearing my badge) to return the cart to my department. Did you know that after 8:30 they lock the place down like Alcatraz?? I'm going down hallways, trying to find an elevator, but no luck. All the doors are locked. To unlock, you must scan your badge. umm yeah. Finally the little guy in triage tells me to pick up the phone and the operator can buzz the door and let me through. I didn't think Madame Operator was going to let me through, but I finally convinced her that I work there and am simply trying to return a cart so that I might take myself home. Now my department door is locked and I'm almost laughing at the Murphiness of my plight. Finally Donna comes to the door and lets me in. As I am telling her of my Parking Deck Adventure she enlightens me greatly (though I was not amused at the moment). Employees who will be leaving after dark are indeed allowed to park in the PD. Not only that- an employee BADGE will OPEN the gate so that you don't have to PAY. It was a very educational day for me.

Today I waited and waited, then I waited some more for Cable Guy. After 2:00 he shows up. Very, very nice guy, who helped me get a temporary fix for the problem. I won't bore you with the details except to say that my neighbor Alex will be running some serious cable wire throughout the walls of my house within the next day or two. Until then, the only working outlet is here in my office. That means no tv anywhere else but Here in My Room. AACCCKKKK!!!!!! They'll just hafta make do with Barney and Elmo videos. :-)

So, instead of finishing up at 5:30 today, it was much closer to bedtime. And I'll still be making up some time later in the week. However... I did have some time while waiting for Cable Guy this morning to do a few chores done in my room, so I'm a few hours closer to completion of that project.

I think I've had enough excitement and adventure for the past few days. I'm looking forward to some boring days at home working in my jammies, and continuing the "settling in" process. So wish me luck as I try to get in a full day of work on Wednesday! And dare I hope for a techno-problem-free day??

Girls' Night Out

Another GNO at the church for scrapbooking last night! As always, it was a very enjoyable day/evening, with lots of paper snipping, glueing, chirping (Cricut), and enjoying the memories captured on the photographs we work with. I guess maybe I am feeling my age a little bit these days- when we first started having our crops at the church, I could hold out till 2 a.m., but I just can't do that any more. When we go on our retreat to Highlands, I can stay up really late, but that's an entirely different atmosphere. Last night I was home by 11:30! I was pretty wound up, though, and not very sleepy. Everyone else was tucked in to bed, there was nobody to talk to, so I decided to sit down and work on some Sleep Studies, since I had planned to get up Saturday morning and do them anyway. After about three reports, though, my computer froze up. So I just gave it up and went on to bed. Up again this morning, and now the job is done. I don't normally work on Saturdays any more, but last Sunday during the snow "storm", my power kept flickering on and off, requiring multiple re-boots, so I only got in about three hours of work. In this business- no keystrokes- no pennies. So I felt like I needed to make up some time (money) to compensate for the pennies I earned on Sunday. Now that chore is complete and before me lies the wreckage that is my office/room. I'm about to try to get some of the chaos under control- get some things up into the attic, put some more things away, etc. Then tonight it's Party Time With Baby Brother! Tomorrow starts another work week, and life goes on!
Please remember to pray diligently for Delores.

Every Princen Needs A Castle

The Princen room is ready! All we need to do is get the bed out of the storage building and set it up, and she's ready to move in. As promised, I'm posting a few pictures of the castle. The first photo, the pink one, is the wall decal that I had originally bought to put on the wall. Whitney wanted a little more realistic look to it, so we painted it to look like granite or stone. When the castle was completed, I added some black sugar sparkly stuff so that there are tiny sparkles, just like real stone would be. That doesn't show up in the pictures, but like Whitney said, it keeps it from looking gloomy, since it's so dark. Anyway-- here it is! (And boy, am I glad to have this project finished!)

Now that her room is ready, I'll be able to concentrate on getting my space in order. But for now, I'm off to get ready for scrapping at the church! HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Thought For The Day

This quote is attributed to the late Adrian Rogers, who offered the following observation several years ago. It bears poignant significance today:

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the rich out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply the wealth by dividing it."

Thanks, Kelly, for passing that along.

Mother Love

There is no love more fierce than a mother's love for her child(ren). No river too swift, no mountain too high to separate the love of a mother from those to whom she has given life. Every mother will attest to that. (Well, except for the ones you see on 20/20 who are horrible parents, but I'm talking about normal folks like you and me.) Mothers don't have to be famous, or "important" people to love their children. It is a bond that is not understood by the male persuasion, nor is it understood by our daughters... until they themselves give birth to their own. I have witnessed that up close and personal since Whitney has given birth to her children. It is an amazing thing. Being a mom often requires things of us that never before would we have considered. I remember a co-worker laughing hysterically at the necklace I wore to work one day... lovingly created by my daughter at Bible School out of beautiful macaroni noodles and glitter. I warned her to not laugh too loud.. her day would come. And sure enough, a few years later, the "artwork" of her children adorned the walls of her office, and I believe I might even have noticed some fine macaroni jewelry about her neck before it was all said and done. (I guess macaroni jewelry is a Bible School staple, huh?) We make crazy noises and faces when they are babies. We play in a most undignified manner outside with them as they grow. Our blood pressure rises when they come up to bat. We cry at their dance and piano recitals. We stay awake late at night waiting for them to come home from a date. We beam with pride when they graduate, go to college, and go out to conquer the world. We give them away to their spouse when they get married. We hold our breath when their babies are born. We go places we would never, ever consider going, to applaud their accomplishments. AHA..... Therein is the point of my post. My mother, who would rather have her leg amputated without anesthesia rather than go into a bar, is doing one of those motherhood things this weekend, and is going to see my brother's band perform!!! YAY!!!! Michael plays in a Journey Tribute band called Departure. (Remember Journey from the 80s?) They have done really well, and stay booked every week. The elderlings (parents, aunts, uncles) have wanted to hear him play- not because they are huge music fans, but because they love him, admire and respect his talent. This particular venue is better suited for the Codger Club because of its sheer size. (They can sit in the back where it isn't quite so loud). We are so excited! There are 14 of us (family) going to hear them this Saturday night. Unfortunately for my mom, it is a club (which has a bar). But I am so proud of her! It's one of those mom things- sometimes you go places you'd rather not go, but you do it anyway. She is excited about hearing the band. We're all excited about "going out" together. What a funny, unusual gathering this will be. But it's all because we love Michael and want to support him. And the band is really, really good- I'm a die-hard Journey fan for many years, so fortunately it is music that I already like. Anyway, I just had to tell you about my mom going to a bar, and explain why. Mom, if it will make you feel any better, I'll wear my macaroni necklace.

Snow Boots

Rare is the occasion when Snow Boots are needed in Georgia. Surprisingly, today was one of those days. I don't own Snow Boots, and my own personal feet stopped growing many years ago. We certainly wouldn't buy Snow Boots for the children, who grow out of their shoes every few weeks, it seems. So today found us with 6.5 inches of very wet snow on the ground, and Leyland excited to go outside and experience it for the first time. Wanting to ensure that her little piggies stayed dry, I suggested improvising by wrapping her feet in plastic Wal-Mart bags and putting a rubber band around her leg. Whitney just laughed and said she could see a blog entry come out of this. Of course! I take my material wherever I can get it!! So while I was getting the camera together, Whitney fixed a little waterproof Snow Boot for our little Princess. Worked like a charm, too, I might add!!!

She was so cute out in the snow. She would try to catch the flakes with her tongue and with her hands. (Bare little hands, I might add... the gremlins are at it again, and have absconded with her "kittens"-- Leylandspeak for mittens) I've posted some pictures below. I tried to post some videos, but for some reason, they won't upload. I'll try again later. Click any photo to enlarge.

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