the great 2005 roundup, #1 - Vermont!

until I leave for my trip on Fri, I'm going to blog about all the things I did in 2005 that I never got around to blogging about - or at least, the things that I have photos to remind me. (thank goodness for digital cameras and blogging, in no particular order. I have NO IDEA what I did in 2004.)

first up is my Vermont trip last August:

I went to visit my dad and stepmom, who've lived there for about 15 years now. one night, we had some old neighbors and their little kids over for dinner. with my dad and stepmom, my sister, her kids, and the dog, it was quite a crowd. after dinner, we had cake for one the nephew's "birthday."

d.a.d. wanted to barbeque more quickly, but he hadn't used chemical charcoal in so long, the fire jumped about 7 feet high! haha

the pergola d.a.d. built at the back of the house- great for a summer dinner...

while waiting for dinner, my littlest nephew entertained us by hamming it up for the camera. I let this little 6 year old girl take pix and she took about 150 pix. when he was a toddler, my nepphie didn't talk for a long time, but he always had such a great, subtle physical comedy... we thought he might be the next Harpo Marx.

the next day, we went canoeing on the Connecticut River...

a view.

d.a.d. canoeing

going under a bridge.

a great cloud we saw.

other highlights: seeing my gram (& eating her lasagna!), staying up late watching movies and trading music with my dad. we shared movie recommendations, and then I cracked my dad up with my reenactment of both characters in the scene in a fish called wanda where kevin kline eats michael palin's fish... my dad giggled like a little girl! "hee hee hee hee hee !"

bonus picture!

what the....?

UPDATE to the internet personals saga: a typical exchange.
(remember, I'm only sending messages to men who seem to
have some depth to their interests!)

me:
Hi there!
What kind of xxxxx and what kind of yoga?

him:
Do you have any other pictures?

(note that is a canned reponse so... bonus! he can be a pig without even going through the trouble of typing!!!!) I believe I'll be switching services when this contract runs out at the end of the month. apparently, other services have better features like a keyword search, and hopefully better guy members as well!


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men are weird

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super-hero weaknesses

d.a.d.'s comment about sandwich-craft brought to mind a superheroine I invented once. (but I don't have a name yet). she is super-sophisticated, always well put together. her weakness is if she ever gets even a speck of dirt on her, she becomes so engrossed with getting the dirt out, she forgets that she is fighting crime! so her enemies always carry around hotdogs piled with mustard and such-like!

anyway, d.a.d.'s super-hero weakness (if he was a super-hero) would be if he was missing even one utensil from his array, he would be rendered incapable of creating even the simplest peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

I had a roomie once who invented a super-hero whose superpower is to go forward in time... 5 seconds! ROFL! but seriously, I wonder what his weakness would be? daylight savings time?

johnny stecchino

yay! I have an excuse to see one of my top ten ever favorite movies again! I saw Pinocchio this weekend with my little neighbors and I found out that the mama neighbor has never seen Johnny Stecchino!!! I try to see it at least once every two or three years. I saw it the last time with my gramma and she was laughing at the cusses that they softened up on the translations... she kept going, "hee hee! that's not what he said!!! boy, my mom would have got me if I ever said that!! hee hee!"

the houseguest that wasn't

well, my houseguest never came - first she stayed with some other friends a couple extra nights, then she came down with a fever, so good riddance... anyways I realized on Sat that my Cali trip had snuck up on me & I'm leaving at the end of the week! somehow, I hadn't put it all together until then... so it's a good thing I had an almost-houseguest, cause now I'll be able to leave on vacation with a clean house.

yesterday, I started packing all my x-mas packages.... and I even finished binding off BFE's wedding blanket! I also neatened up the flowers during Veronica Mars, so I truly have just one more step to go: attaching the flowers!!!!

the other things I gotta do this week: pack (easy), arrange kitty-cat sitting (med), blog my end-of-year posts (med), and...... arrange for a guest blogger (difficult!). if you wish to apply, please proceed to the comments section of this post and write a paragraph about how great the lorider is and why you'd be honored to be my guest blogger. I open the field to all qualified bloggers (by qualified, I mean you can find my comments section).


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Happy Poinsettia Day!
in 4 more days, I'll be in the poinsettia capital of the US - Encinitas, CA!!!


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stocking stuffers

still haven't decided what you want to give the lorider for x-mas? may I suggest one of the following hit singles...?:


stay fly - three 6 mafia
gold digger - kanye west
hollaback girl - gwen stefani


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ai-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i......


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good doggie!

friday bonus: a pic of my dad's dog, Molly
(can you believe this was taken by a 6-year-old?!)

crochet confession

last night, I was sitting on the couch watching some TV. my eyes wandered during a commercial and fell upon my yarn basket. neatly folded on top is an almost-completed blanket. I remembered that in six months, my best friend ever (BFE) will be celebrating her 8th wedding anniversary. once again, I vaguely considered that I just might want to get her wedding gift out to her.

so I picked up the blanket and start weaving in the loose pieces. I only have to do that and sew on some crochet'd flowers I already made, and I'll be done! let's see, that's about.... 1.5 hours of work, so I estimate it should be done.... in February! or maybe March, at the latest.

boy, I bet her two children will love curling up on the sofa under it!!!


technorati tags: crochet, lazyness

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Happy I can't give up on Imagine Day
today, I imagine that I am going to have the sweetest time in cali!!!!! woo hoo!!!

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Wednesdays with Lord Chesterfield... #2

maybe I'll make this a regular feature.... until I run out of quotes.
(if you don't know what I'm talking about, go here.)
(errr... yes, I know it's thursday..... now)

Sex: the pleasure is momentary, the position ridiculous,
and the expense damnable.
Lord Chesterfield

drop it like it's hot, Lord C.

sammich !!!

(NOTE: this post is inspired by acw's post on cannog: just go read it - and scrooooooooolllll waaaaaayyyyyy doooooown)

last night, I got home after 8, but I had to go back out to run to the grocery store - I have a houseguest coming tomorrow, and I thought it would be a nice touch if I fed her.

so I ran out to the trusty 24-hour Farmer Jack. wouldn't you know, the deli counter is open there after 9 pm!!! I figured sandwich fixings was a safe choice for a houseguest (what are the kids eating these days? I got pop tarts to be on the safe side) and suddenly I had such a taste for a delicious sandwich!!

so I went kind of crazy and got about 2 and 1/2 pounds of assorted things. this is actually a family trait, the love of sandwiches, so I've learned not to fight it.

I remember visiting my Uncle Mark at his home one time, and he lays out this elaborate spread of rolled meats, breads, spreads, salads, etc, saying "this is such a nice excuse to make a really nice sandwich!!" at which point, his wife rolled her eyes and said, "Mark, you eat a sandwich every day for lunch, and you always make a production out of it!"

or there's my dad (Hi dad!). I always remember him cutting and arranging everything so that it fits nicely on the bread. (anyone else related to an engineer?) so I said to him one time, "Dad, I always remember you cutting the lettuce to fit the bread. it's just an image I have of you." to which he replied in horror (not fake horror, mind you, but real horror) "you can't cut lettuce, the metal of the knife or scissors will oxidize the (blah, blah... something I didn't listen to), you have to tear the lettuce !!!!!!!!" okay, take a pill. jeez.

yes, we take our sandwiches seriously in our clan. upon arriving home, I attempted to maintain the honor of our clan with the following concoction (may the sandwich gods continue to smile upon us):

toasted baguette
mayo and hearty german mustard
lots of hard salami
a middle amount of smoked turkey
a teensy amount of sharp cheddar

side of pickle (I went with kosher instead of polish... I'm still not sure if I made the right decision)

maybe one day, I will post an honor roll of my greatest sandwiches.... maybe.

if you're really good girls and boys.


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Happy Imagine Day!!!
today, I imagine that many delicious sandwiches await me in 2006!!

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yippeeeeee! california dreamin

yeah! I just finalized arrangements for my housing when I go out to cali this christmas! the people who own the house will be away so I'll have it to myself for $25 a night - way cheaper than any hotel and way nicer than most student hostels!!! and........

by the way, you will have internet, cable, and free U.S. long distance here. there's also a pool, tennis courts, and a hot tub in our complex (three houses away). they say the pool is heated, but unless you're really sturdy, you might not want to chance it. (I'm coming from Michigan, for chrissakes!) I think you will find that this is the perfect place for a retreat!

cripes, I don't even have cable at home. (I do have a little machine that hangs over the side of the tub and makes bubbles, though!) also it's walking distance to moonlight beach. I may just stay.....

you'll know for sure in Jan!

imagine all the people...... inviting me on dates

not to harp on about my job, but seriously, if it was a show, I'd watch it. it is definitely pure comedy over here. I think it would turn out to be an office version of "are you being served?"

hmmmmm.....
the characters over here could go up against any show:
*the uber-tyrant pres & CEO
*her children the COO and CFO
*her other children who always mooch around the office for favors
*the HR lady (boooo-hissss. she is the female version of the HR guy in the movie 'in good company.' I don't know how they did it.)
*the manly part of the cast - the pres' 2 drivers. one is rather avuncular, the other is like mr lucas, the junior in are u being served
and of course, your heroines - the secretarial/admin pool:
*the harried PA to the pres, a sweet lady who's growing grimmer as the months go by
*the lovely, warm, adorable PA to the COO (often visited by her tiny, angelic granddaughters in their ballet tutus)
*the ancient harridan/PA to the CFO - I've actually come across notes from her in the files going back to 87! and the worst part is, they are EXACTLY the same as her notes now!!!!
*the winning gals of member services
*and the asst to the PA to the pres - a goofy gal who gets a bit cranky before lunch, played by yours truly.


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early Happy Imagine Day! (Dec. 8) I think I'll celebrate this for several days..... today, I imagine that many hunky guys invite me on dates in 2006 (what, you thought I'd go for world peace?)

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the 'breast' christmas ever *sigh*

INTERNET DATING UPDATE: (guys: feel free to explain this behavior)

1. why would someone send a (canned) ice-breaker as a response to an actual e-mail that I sent, touching on answers to his "conversation starters" (canned questions like 'what is your ideal date?' snore) obviously, I replied with a canned message.

2. why would someone say "great, I think I'll be in town on xday. I'll call you that day to set something up!" 6 days later, I get an e-mail. "hey, how are you? anyway, I'm traveling for work, it sucks" a friend of mine says that this is typical guy behavior as demonstrated regularly by her boyfriend- they don't contact you if they don't have any news regardless if they said they would contact you on a specific day. BUT IT'S BOG! I sent back an e-mail days later: "I'm great!!"

I'm seriously starting to wonder if I wouldn't be better off just calling into the local radio station - they were setting up people last night live on the radio. hilarity ensued ~note: this sentence contains sarcasm~. (channel 95.5, in case you were wondering..... you know, the home of the "breast christmas ever" - no, they're not giving away a boob job, that would be dumb- they're giving away 2 boob jobs this year! *sigh*)

a teenager by any other name....

I was talking to a friend over the weekend and she was trying to decide what to give her nephew for christmas. he is fourteen or fifteen, but he has developmental problems, so he's not really so much of a "teenager." last year, his team decided it was time to mainstream him and they put him in regular ed math and band - and of course, we wonder if he's going to be able to forge any friendships with the other kids - at best.

at first she thought about movie passes, but then decided he'd probably take the easy way out and take one of his parents. (I thought it was a super idea and said to give him passes next time and just tell his parents beforehand that they have to press him to find someone to take. I think he must have someone, whether from reg ed or special ed classes or from their church.) but anyway, she was already on to her next idea: to give him some popular music. I thought this was terrific - who is cooler than a kid who appreciates cool music? especially to band kids. I thought that would go a long way to give him some status.

anyway, I just thought it was kind of funny (but not haha funny) that, instead of the teenager rebelling and going all-out for their peer group, in this case, the family themselves have to push him to become a "teenager."

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I can't wait to see King Kong! WHOA!!! it's 3 hours long!?!!! never mind, I'll see it on video, when I can watch it in stages. there's very little that can hold my attention for 3 hours.

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I am the greatest chef in the world.....Chuck!

I have finally realized what I was in my last life.... no, not a mongol princess or Leonardo da Vinci, I was: an army chef.

or at least I surmise..... because whenever I cook, I make a humongous production out of it and produce enough food to feed... well, an army. I recently had a taste for pastel de choclo, which I've mentioned previously in this post (aside: mr big stuff, you are supposed to know so much about music and you couldn't even guess my fav song....? and the title is in the URL....!?!) so I decided to finally cook some. the reason I haven't made it in the eight years since I've lived in Chile is that it is a complicated dish that takes a lot of steps to make. well, I finally decided if I had to go through that much trouble, I might as well make a lot..... then I could freeze it and eat it all winter. it's both delicious cold-weather fare and it's easily frozen and re-heated, like most cassaroles.

cooling the hard boiled eggs - these are sliced and put with olives in the chicken layer. yes, it takes me two cookbooks to make one dish... so I couldn't remember how to boil eggs...so what!!!!






cooking the meat (I could only fit half in the skillet at a time) and the chicken is slowly cooking at the back.... and I'm taking pix to blog about later! I am the greatest! don't try this at home.... Chuck!





huge bowl of meat... and this is just the bottom layer!









Maria carefully monitors my progress.












I had lots of chicken juice and bones left to make a big pot of chicken soup! all I had to do was throw in the veggies and then add water! that thriftyness appeals to the army chef in me, not to mention my scottish DNA.






argghhhhh! I can't find the pic of them all cooking in the oven!!! suffice it to say, there were 13 2-portion size to go in the freezer and 1 big one to eat this week! I'll update the post later with the 'ta-dahhhh!' pic - for now, I'll post a previously promised pic: the lovely Japanese prints from Susan & Paul... up on the wall!! now my apartment looks and smells great!













I've also updated the kitty-cat diaries and I'm getting to work on my bloggie photo album next!

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grab your applebottoms and celebrate blue jeans day...you-know-who!


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happy dance

:-)

I just realized that.... not only is it Friday ie the beginning of two WHOLE days to do all errands and stuff (okay, yes I'm happy when I get things done. I'm a perfectionist remember?), but.... I don't even have anything planned tonight!!!!!

I can go home, eat KFC, and watch movies.... and that's it!!!!!

I got the interpreter and in good company. I know, they're not going to make me any smarter, but... I don't care! it's Friday.


lalalalalala

lan cheow cheebye !

I can't post my photos and I was planning to put up so many nice ones while my supervisor is out today!!!!!!! KNNBCCB!!!!

so now this post will be about the title of the post. okay singapore bloggers, I lurve you, you even started my beautiful dream that is now the reality of 1209 anarchists, but really..... you have me cussing like a dirty soljer times a sailor.

to all you americans and others, definitely do not go to talkingcock.com and find out what I cussed up above - it is terrible!!!! I don't think a girl should even say that!!!!!

but the flowing singlish prose continually draws me back to the nefarious blogs, even as they pollute my pure mind.

okay, they don't all pollute. mr brown wrote a great column, not only in singlish, but also about singlish that is very enlightening and entertaining and it is safe to put in the newspaper, so go read it. or WhiteOut recently gave a run-down of some singlish features. but, if you want to read someone who really 'has his way' shall we say with singlish, go to rockson.blogspot.com ---WAIT!!!!!!! NO!!! DON'T go there!!!!!!!! that is the polluter!!!!!!! stay away and be good girls and boys. I don't want to be reading about any naughty friday or saturday hijinks when I tune in on mon!!! (harhar... yes, I do!)


(I really do!)

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Hey, How About Just Happy FRIDAY! Yeah!


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me go Adelaide now !

I've been looking at zhuangzhuang's photos here of Adelaide. Wahhhhhh! I want to go!!!!

Susan of S&P e-mailed me this week, urging me to come visit in Feb or March of 06. Okay!

Now, I need some suggestions for high-yield and relatively risk-free crime. Anyone?

hhlllllllmmmmmbwwwwwwwwwwzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

remember that part in Legally Blonde where the American girl speaks fluent Korean just from getting her nails done all the time?

I want to be like her.

introducing my new hero.... Lord Chesterfield: Quote #1

for an old-school British rich white male, this guy is a riot! I guess he's the English equivalent of Benjamin Franklin. he has so many great quotes..... this seems like a good place to start:


I sometimes give myself admirable advice, but I am incapable of taking it.
Lord Chesterfield



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Happy St. Andrew's Day to my fellow Scots et al!


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the perfect post

today's topic, boys and girls is.....perfectionism. have you ever had the desire to do something perfectly....? whether a hobby or task, when you were a kid, an adult, whatever? I sure have. (to forestall you, anonymous... no, you are not perfect.)

perfectionism may seem like an okay trait to have, if you're going to have a trait, but like any trait it has its good and bad points. I remember when I was a sweet, innocent young girl of 11.....
*insert wayne and garth effect here*

picture a cute (read: dorky) kid with a long blond pony tail, sitting at at her humble dining room table. she bends her head diligently (read: unwillingly) over her homework... a writing assignment. picture this going on for about 45 minutes...with no writing taking place. oh, the frustration of writing assignments!!!!! my mother would try to help me get going.... but to no avail. I was stuck. probably the youngest case of writer's block in history.

you see, I felt that whatever was written on that fragile piece of college-lined paper had to be perfectly WELL-CONCEIVED and INTERESTING and WELL-WRITTEN- immediately! I seemed to be unaware that....... ON THE OTHER END OF MY PENCIL, THERE WAS AN ERASER!

despite the years of frustrations and headaches, I can't really complain: perfectionism has given me lots of success in many venues. and yet, even as I enjoy the successes, I have to try to slay the dragon, bit by bit, as it rears its head on all fronts (hmmmm.... I think that's a pretty questionable metaphor. but I'm okay with that! I'm not a perfectionist anymore. or perhaps I could say I'm a recovering perfectionist. or.... oh damn, there I go again. never mind.)

yes, I work on accepting imperfection "in all its beautifully imperfect manifestations" (my new mantra). and it makes it easier, as I go along, if I can celebrate the battles I've already won: for example, nowadays, a mere two decades later, I'm writing everyday in my blog! I'm relaxed about writing, I enjoy it, and if my blog is craptastic, that's okay! after all, you're reading it anyway!

now please excuse me, I've got to go neaten up my sidebar.

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"have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it."
salvador dali

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LAZY!!!

boy, I hope this is weather-related or something, because I am feeling damn LAZY! and I don't feel any intention of getting un-lazy. I have been staying at home more and more, just sitting on the couch and even grabbing a smoke (on the plus side, that let me watch Unleashed last night - verdict: pretty f-in cool). anyway, I'm sitting in front of all this work on my desk, and I DON'T EVEN CARE. I don't even have a contingency plan in case someone asks me what I'm doing all afternoon. I'm worried about myself....

is this normal????

(americans, please answer me. germans, please don't)

resty-rest-rest-rested

hello, friends!

I had GREAT Thanksgiving and holiday weekend! I am refreshed, renewed, revitalized, and all the other great things that happen after giving yourself an at-home spa day and then shopping at Saks (gifts at clinique, don't you know!! I felt very rich walking out of Saks with a Saks handle-bag.... after spending the absolute minimum so that I could earn a gift harhar! but it was fun looking at the louis vuitton bags and saying "and how much is that one? hmmm....")

the other thing I did this weekend (besides, of course, travelling to Toronto -yay!- including: doing yoga -Yay!- and eating at fressen -YAY! - and getting a phone message from Susan & Paul down under - YAAAYYYY! I luv yous guyz *kisskiss*) was to begin the final phase in decorating my apartment..... the dreaded putting-up-of-artwork. it's awesome in the sense that it makes the place look so great, but it takes so000000000000000000000000000000 long to figure out how they should go up. I feel like I just finally have a sense of the space in the rooms and can begin to get things up on the walls..... and I moved in August 1st!

well, I decided to make the theme portraits, which as it turns out, is very in vogue. I actually decided to do it because I have a big art book of Japanese prints with lots of portraits. so it's a ready-made theme. I just cut all my favorite ones out and sorted them by color scheme. the living room will be blue, because the furniture is blue and yellow. the dining room/office will be green and yellow and browns, because I already have a great klimt poster in green and yellow that I want to use. and my bedroom will be in pinks cause I just got new pink sheets!

and Susan & Paul: the first to go up were your (real) Japanese prints! (thanks again for a great gift!!!! *hugzhugz*) I put them in the hallway, so every time I walk out of the bathroom, I'm looking right at them. it may seem like a weird choice, but I really do get to see them more! I'll post a pic of how they look up when I get the chance.

the lorider's vocab lesson: zeitgeist - the spirit of the times. can be used as an adjective:
"Faces and people as a genre are more zeitgeist than they were before and this has something to do with photographs, though celebrity culture such as Hello!" huh?

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dating 2005: update - as romance apparently only lasts one year, what other qualities of a relationship should I be on the lookout for? anyone?


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the lorider has left the building for 4 days........... Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

of course, I can't post any photos today! click here for a pic of Thanksgiving harmony.....

enjoy your turkey, everyone!!
(or your tofurky and tofutti......Chuck!)



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also, Happy Paranoia Day, to those of you who celebrate it....
and I know who you are!!!


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my job

well, as many bloggers get great blog-fodder from their jobs, I've begun thinking that I have never exploited a highly fertile field ...... and sooo.....

first off: I am a teacher. I got certified last year to teach K-5 all general subjects and Spanish and English/Language Arts K-8. I'm finishing my master's degree now, and currently looking for a teaching job. Last year, after I got certified, I decided that it would be fun to try and build my own business offering small-group Spanish classes to homeschool families. it was fun, but I didn't see it ever, say, covering health insurance costs, so I've started to send out resumes... and while I search and wait..............

I'm working as an assistant to an executive in a large family-owned business here in SE Michigan. I'm actually a junior assistant; this lady has two full-time assistants, as well as four full-time housekeepers (at different houses - duh!) and two full-time drivers. being the junior assistant means .... I do the work the senior assistant can't get to:

office-related tasks:
answering the phone
answering her correspondance
sending out invitations for dinner parties related to her board-work
moving old files and materials to storage downstairs

non-office-related tasks:
buying her grandkids birthday presents
buying her close friends birthday presents (pls note - I do not know these people. this is almost impossible; she gives me vague directives like "get something 'hot.' spend $50-60" now picture me driving back and forth to the store several times. luckily, I'm a great shopper! she sometimes gets a little green at the bargains I can find :)
keeping track of birthdays of around 120 people and sending cards
ordering and wrapping her hannukah gifts for her (large) family
sending out bar and bat mitzvah cards and gifts to her many acquaintances' kids and grandkids
sending out invitations to family parties at her house
not telling people in her family who else is invited because I'll get fired
keeping track of the RSVPs for those parties as people change their minds about attending
buying care-package gifts for her grandkids when they are at camp
signing her cards to her grandkids and mailing out the care-packs
calling her three grandkids who are in college once a week and patching them through to her
ordering her underwear
ordering her bras
ordering her clothes from New York
" from Italy
" from Vienna
" from LA
ordering her fanny packs from Florida
ordering her radio walkman with the exact type of headset
ordering her cosmetics from every high-end department store in SE Michigan and beyond
I could go on, but......why?

a friend of mine tells me that I have to read "the devil wears prada," that it is about a PA and it is just like what I tell her.... but.....why?

I live it every day, people.


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well, I feel like I got a lot off my chest.
hmmm..... not much left. *sigh*


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Eddie is the spaz

do you have cats... or have friends who have cats?

have you ever noticed that whenever there are two cats in one house, one is kind of the favorite, and the other is kind of a spaz.....?

hola, bonjour, ало

not too much news, kiddies.... I pretty much just chilled this weekend and went to a couple of movies with buddies. (shoutout: yo, buddies!!)

1. Jarhead - we weren't going to be able to get good tix for Harry Potter, so we went to this instead - LUCKILY! this is the best movie I've seen in years. I can't wait to see it again in the theater, buy the dvd, hopefully get a bunch of clothing that says "Jarhead" etc.
update: & get the book and the soundtrack for x-mas (HINT!)....

2. Harry Potter - we got good tix on Saturday. it was really good, the effects were awesome, yes, the kids were a bit gangly, but that's to be expected, isn't it? I thoroughly enjoyed it... and yet, I must admit there was a tiny part of me (okay, a big part of me) that wished I was in the theater down the street watching Jarhead again.

mentioning clothing reminds me that on Sunday, I finally happened to be near Plato's Closet with some time on my hands and stopped in... it's a teenager resale shop. I needed some jeans so I went to the jeans rack and found a pair of Apple Bottoms (that fit me like a freakin glove!) and a pair of J-Lo ... and both pairs were only $17.00 each!!!!!! hells yea, I'll be going back! I also got a puffy ralph lauren trench in black for only $25.00. I could not believe it!! I am going to be so cute this fall!

in the weather forecast, prepare to read about a trail of broken hearts in SE Michigan this winter!!! lols, I am the greatest ;)

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Happy World Hello Day!


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oysmutshen

whew - the excitement of celebrating my very first independence day has tired me greatly...... today's post will be a simple news roundup of the week's top stories - later taters!

item 1: I always hate it when I lose my royal status.

"To prepare for her dramatic change of lifestyle, Princess Sayako has reportedly been taking driving lessons and practising shopping at the supermarket." - BBC

that happened to me about 3 weeks ago. it was rough!

item 2: first bird flu death in china! :(
(I know the numbers make it unlikely, but I'm a teensy bit glad that my buddies Susan & Paul moved back to australia with their kiddies....)

item 3: new tv show - I hope there's going to be a bare-fist competition

item 4: hey, mr. big stuff, check this out! I know you're always looking for a 'better position!' (yikes! look at that pic - I can't believe I'm distantly related to her...true story!)

item 5: news flash - holy shite!

I AM THE WINNER - THE LORIDER RULES FOR ETERNITY!!!!!!!!!!

noticed anything different about my blog lately?

it's quiet, isn't it.......

I AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT I, THE LORIDER (WHO LIVES IN ETERNITY AS THE GREATEST BLOGGER EVER), HAS DEFEATED anonymous, the stinky, soulless wanna-be blogger!!!! HURRAY!!!!!!!!!

NOVEMBER 18 forever shall be known as:
INDEPENDENCE DAY for THE REPUBLIC OF 1209 ANARCHISTS!!!!!!!!!


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Happy Teddy Bear Day.... Chuck!


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date

alright folks-es, you have waited patiently and your patience shall now be rewarded......


presenting.......... (drumroll)

my date last night with George an unnamed fellow to protect his privacy

predate: (skip this if you only care about the date! I won't blame you)
first, I read up on Bulgaria on wikipedia.org so I wouldn't seem like a total American ignoramus (did you know that Bulgaria has 28 regions, including Plovdiv, Smolyan and..... Montana ?). on my way out the door from work, I stopped to pass the time with Colleen, our cleaning lady. I told her I was headed on this date and she said she recently joined this same internet service. she is of a slightly older generation than me and was a little concerned about the whole digital thing. I told her I'd let her know what happened: "don't worry Colleen, it didn't hurt a bit!" (wink, nudge-geddit? har)

I went home and changed and gussied up a bit, then jetted over to Sweetwaters Cafe to meet him. as I was late, luckily, so was he! (don't worry, Chuck, he called to explain and apologize) I filled the time by flirting with the guy at the next table and one of the baristas- just practicing, you know!

the actual date:

George the unnamed fellow showed up and he was way cuter than his photo, and also, a lot more lively! I took this as a good sign! we trotted off to a Japanese restaurant called Tokyo Sushi that I have mentioned before in these, my memoirs... (cue cheesy violin music.... -and cut)

macho move #1: (explanatory disclaimer: before all you retroantinouveaupostapocalyptic feminists or antifeminists reach for the comments button: I like a certain amount of macho in a guy, and no matter how much you beg me to, I will not apologize about it. so shut it.)

as we stepped off the curb, (5 min into our date) he put his hand at the small of my back (because he wants to grab me!!! yeah!!!) (this was repeated several times, so I'll just say that now)

macho move #2: as we sat down in the restaurant, he noticed that I was shivering and turned to the waitress bringing the menus and said "I think I will presume... please bring us two hot teas." how sweet!

it turned out we have several things in common, like being huge fans of hot tea, like being educated and interested in the world, like being able to discuss politics and economics (shout out to my family - thanks!), and like I used to be a gymnast and his dad was one of those kick-ass soviet block gymnasts who later became a coach. we ate fried octopus, salmon teriyaki and don katsu (fried pork-chop) and talked a lot of cock about ourselves..... (cue romantic music....)

macho move #3: he paid for dinner (but we split dessert..... he said that the first one was free, but now, the meter's running hahahaha)

macho move #4: he fed my parking meter

next, we went for cannoli and after-dinner ports at andiamo osteria.

macho move #5: he selected the port

there was live music on, but we didn't really notice... too busy gazing into each others' eyes. or at least he attempted to do some eye-gazing, but I gazed shyly at my hands, folded demurely in the prayer position..... (hahahahaha! this is good! I should write some fiction!)

I will leave the evening there, you may imagine the rest.....

overall date score: (out of 10)

octopus-10

cannoli-8.5

macho moves- 9.9

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Happy Coping With Uncertainty Day!


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KSA, yo!

okay, what is up with people?!?!? let's have a little quiz:

what do all these dishes have in common....?
sausage and peppers
steak n' eggs
roast chicken
turkey and stuffing
roast lamb
fried chicken....

that's right, 1. they all have meat in them, and 2. I eat them all! because.... (concentrate, now)..... I AM A MEAT-EATER!

I know that I practice yoga all the time, and apparently look like I practice yoga all the time, and that I have a hippy-dippy name thanks to my mom.... I do understand that all of these things seem to add up in people's minds that .... "THE LORIDER IS A VEGETARIAN." but to constantly repeat "it's okay, I eat meat," and to still constantly be asked: "should I order one veg pizza?" "will you find something to eat on this menu?" "will it gross you out if I order a big, bloody steak?"
NO!!! YES!!! NO!!! I WILL JUST GET HUNGRY FOR A STEAK!!!!!

don't get me wrong, I think about the issue of eating animals, and I do love vegetables, whole grains and all that but... I just love to have some meat in there as well.... or do I....? let's explore further....

even people who absolutely don't know me ask me if I'm a vegetarian: waiters warn me of dairy and eggs.... drunk guys on bar stools say (okay, I love bar food, too... what of it?) "oh yeah, you ordered the grilled cheese, because you're a vegetarian!" NO!!! BECAUSE I WANTED TO EAT A GRILLED CHEESE!!! DANG!!

so I started thinking.... what is the logic behind this all.....? help me out philosophy majors, because I never took a logic course. I'm starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe.... they are all right, and I am wrong. after all, I assumed that I know more about myself because, well... I am myself, but let's look at the numbers: many, many people (let's say about 125 people), who know me and do not know me, think I am a vegetarian and I (1 person) think I am not.

it's food for thought, if you'll excuse the pun. (har!) at least I can comfort myself with the knowledge that, if I continue eating meat, there will be a support group for me to join:

















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Happy Birth of the Blues Day!


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the ides of blog - Nov: (very) short stories

welcome to November's ides of blog. this month, I present a selection of truly short stories for your surfing pleasure... enjoy :)

1. TRYING TO TRANSLATE WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND IS SAYING IN SWEDISH WHILE SHE'S ON THE PHONE TO HER MOTHER
by Dan Kennedy

2. Zapped!: Love Amongst the Photocopier Machines
mr brown guest blogs on miyagi.sg

3. "the sleep-less-est night......"
by some hot chick


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Happy Shichigosan, littlest neighbor!


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success!....?..!..?

UPDATE: well, I am happy to report that I will have at least one date thanks to this personals-ad-thing:

"Wednesday it is. Royal Oak is fine. I used to go there Friday/Saturday evenings. It was either there or Birmingham.

My cell is xxx-xxx-xxxx. What's the best way to get a hold of you?" -some guy whose code name is yet to be determined

I will certainly report back to you on that... tune in Thurs for all the (hopefully mushy!) details.

meanwhile, in my ongoing quest to determine my best match, I have undergone some research into my own personality... (sorry to post a cheesy blog-quiz, but I have added my own comments to make it 'rider-ific'TM.) be aware that they determined all of this by asking me questions about different animals..... perhaps accuracy is not 100%..... I will leave it up to you, dear readers, to judge. and so I give you.....

The Keys to Your My Heart

You are attracted to good manners and elegance. (BOOYA!) In love, you feel the most alive when everything is uncertain, one moment heaven... the next moment hell. (what? cripes.) You'd like to your lover to think you are optimistic and happy. (actually, I'd like everyone to believe that, but plenty of people are not suckers) You would be forced to break up with someone who was ruthless, cold-blooded, and sarcastic. (already taken care of) Your ideal relationship is comforting. You crave a relationship where you always feel warmth and love. (true) Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. (true) You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. (good to know) In this moment, you think of love as something you don't need. You just feel like flirting around and playing right now. (TRUE!)

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

now, how could they figure all that out just from my predilection for snakes.....?

In the green corner... BRITEW

Liliana is coming tonight to make a deposit on the room!!!!! it looks like the Epic Roommate Search of 2005 is finally over!!!!!! *cross fingers* and.......yee-haw!

now I can finally begin to bring closure to one of my most emotionally traumatic experiences of 2005 (after being terrorized by a somewhat largish and fluffy cat) .... that is, the loss of BRITEW. (aka the Best Roommate In The Entire World)

what can I say about BRITEW? she is a gorgeous red-head with a heart of gold.....

at first, I didn't know her as BRITEW, and I wasn't even certain of her continued Roommate Status. Haha, ex-roomie, remember the time we had a Halloween party and you got sooooooooo drunk?! it was only like a month after you moved in, and I seriously wondered if I should be worried about you..... but then it turned out that you weren't a total boozer!!! yay!!! (no more captain morgans for you!) shhh, that's a secret!

in time, I learned that BRITEW was indeed the perfect roomie for me. thoughtful, smart, funny and sweet. a yoga soul with a wicked mind (and I mean wicked). actually, I found out that she's a BestFriendEverITEW, too!

and then.......... in an episode that shall go down in history for its infamy and injustice, her evil and ugly boyfriend, the evil and ugly Bed-Head, found out what a great roommie she is, too, and swiped her from me!!! dammit, I forgot to call dibs!!! oh well, I suppose this might have been important to them.....

whatever.


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yeah, I ate at fressen Saturday.... you wish you were me.......


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Mixmaster, cut faster!!!

well, the show last night was very awesome. sorry to those of you who could not be there....

we started off the night at the Traffic Jam, the original brew-pub in Detroit with the most amazing food.

then we headed over to the Majestic. it was some kind of bad-ass skiing and snowboarding movie called The Tangerine Dream followed by an "after-party" with Mixmaster Mike. I don't know if it was really a party, but it was after the movie. and a bunch of little breakdancers commandeered a circle in front of the stage and did their thang, so it was fun.

and yes, Mixmaster Mike can cut faster and sweeter than you could believe. I learned, or at least was reminded (you know what they say, you don't have to teach a master anything, just remind him/her) how much I love a nasty, nasty bass.

and now, I'd bet you want to see an awesome pic from the show..................




....................



......................




well, forget you! this show is travelling all over - go see him for yourself.

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I like a nasty, nasty bass.


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EXTRA: ANONYMOUS EXPOSED!

not that I want to make this into a political blog... I just have to say that I was kind of sad when I saw this news article today. I know that Turkey is very progressive and has made so many positive strides in creating a secular society. but..... I don't know, my mom wears hijab, and in knowing her and her friends, I know how personally meaningful wearing hijab is to them.... it just makes me sad to think that people would not have the freedom to express themselves religiously..... as I said, I don't want to turn this into some big heavy political blog... so...........

in other breaking news.......


ANONYMOUS EXPOSED!!!










Not that he needs much help exposing himself. Er.
Da-dum-dum.

boyz 2 men

POST UPDATED, please scroll down

well... as I have been thinking about boys men boyfriends friends who are men ??? lately, I have been avidly reading posts that will give me advice on how to proceed in the dating world. unfortunately, all the advice given is for the males.......... hmmmmmmmmmmm.................... I WONDER WHY??????????

here are one and two posts I came across recently that sagely advise men on how to succeed with the ladies. no... wait..... at the end of the second post is one paragraph for the ladies:

"There’s no perfect man. There are many imperfect men, when rolled up together, form the perfect man. So don’t waste your time looking for a perfect man, but look for different imperfect men, each fulfilling you in different ways and…. DATE ALL OF THEM."
- Finicky Feline

okay then! I have developed my new dating strategy... now I will just have to quit my side-jobs, say good-bye to my friends, stop exercising in the evenings or traveling on the weekends..... because I'M GOING TO BE DATING THE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!

UPDATE: some freak seems to have gotten ahold of the password of my personals account and applied his decoder ring to the profiles of the guys I thought were interesting. my response: "how do I tell who the normal guys are?" and "get a blog already, freak!"

"Ad 1 - This ad is boring and nondescript. I read it twice since it is only 5 short sentences, and still feel like I know nothing about him. At least he posted 4 pictures.
Looks - 6
Ad Content - 4
Summary: "I work, and I also play. I'm nice. I'm funny. Movies are cool. So is running. If you are looking for someone who is identical to everyone else, holla at ya boy"

Ad 2 - Slightly better than the last in terms of content, but unfortunately I would guess that he likes to torture and kill small animals in between rounds of Dungeons and Dragons or Magic - The Gathering.
Looks - 4
Ad Content - 5
Summary: "I like to be the Elf in D&D. How 'bout you? Looking for a hotchick like Lieutenant Uhura from Star Trek. We can chill in my mom's basement and do some programming in the legacy languages like FORTRAN and Cobol. "

Ad 3 - This guy looks like he shares a wardrobe with my Dad. I'm also afraid that if you date him, he will arrest me.
Looks - 5
Ad Content: 8 - good effort
Summary: "I'm a Federal Agent who enjoys smashing the heads of minor drug offenders, deep conversation over coffee, locking people in cages for life, moonlit walks on the beach, electrocuting illegal immigrants with my new stun gun, and soccer. Looking for good clean wholesome fun with a woman who respects local, state, and federal laws"

sigh
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Semper Fi!


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ONE, the movie

I can't believe it's Wednesday and I'm just finally posting about ONE, the movie! I saw it this weekend with BRITEW and Bed-Head, BRITEW's ugly boyfriend, and it was cool!!

if you like that kind of thing, and I do. it's all about how different well-known spiritual leaders and unknown lay people view "THE MEANING OF LIFE." as investigated by non-spiritual-leader non-filmmakers (from Michigan-yeah!). considering these guys very obviously had no idea what they were doing or what they had gotten themselves in for, I think it was a really terrific documentary. we saw it at the detroit docs festival, and one of the producers spoke at the end of the screening. she was so life-affirming and wonderful and, really, so was the movie.

I hope you get to see it. I'm not going to say it'll change your life or anything (that tag-line is what kept me from seeing Amelie for 3 years - verdict: cute, but not life-changing.) but if you think about things like "the meaning of life," I think you'll enjoy it.

I forgot to say that some organization is so excited about the movie, they are going to make it the first one to be translated into 100 languages... that's so cool!

Edi is now....... Eddie!

I am pleased to report that Edi the cat has been doing some light chores around the house (licking, purring, stalking) and can now afford the final letters for his name!

CONGRATS, EDDIE!!!!


(read more about Eddie and his partner-
in-crime Maria in the kitty-cat diaries)
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what? I'm not wearing that.


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photos, get your red-hot photos

here's some links to updated posts:

-Marie and me at the symphony (it rhymes, yo)
-kitty-cat pix
-my flickr set! I'm adding them as you read this, so keep checking back for more! yech! do NOT go here unless you want to see a messy work-in-progress.



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Happy 3-month anniversary to my blog!


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it's all about me

I had sooooooo much fun this weekend! I went out, I had friends over, I went to The Bookstore, I got a manicure!!! woohoo! and the fun doesn't stop there! I'm going to see Mixmaster Mike at the Majestic on Thursday and back to Toronto on Friday!!!!!

in other news, my friends helped me to take a picture for my profile. (but of course, I'm having trouble loading it.) I decided that being totally anonymous is boring. so here's my photo:











hugz n' kisses to my creative team!!!!!!!!!!!
from right to left: Marie, art director
Chuck, photographer
Liza, short pers writer












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Happy Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day!


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S&P.... No, not salt & pepper, it's my friends Susan and Paul with Helaine and (new!) Sandy!!! G'day, mate!

#$*&&(&%** finally! w00t

hells, yeah! I finally got at least one of my photos to publish!!!! you can see it here, it's of the guys in the kitchen at my beloved fressen.....

more photos to come!!!!!

blogger image search meme

anonymous coworker started oops, participated in a fun google image search meme. you find out what images pop up when you type in your name, your gramma's name, etc..........

so here's my pictures:

an image that popped up for the city I grew up in: Philadelphia. this is 30th Street Station, one of two main train stations. this is the famous train station where the lil' Amish kid is traumatized in the movie Witness. I always have a reaction like the kid in the movie (before he's traumatized), it is rather beautiful and impressive to be in, even if you're not Amish. something about being in a big space, I guess. there's a flower stand in one corner that has really reasonably priced bouquets, and it makes that whole side of the station smell great. plus, the food court has three awesome buffets. 4 stars to 30th Street Station.

I live in "fashionable Royal Oak, MI." this pic is pretty representative because Royal Oak is known mainly for its restaurants and nightlife (and its many city parks - I used to live within 1.5 blocks of 3 parks!) from what I hear, Royal Oak used to be relatively tame, and then the punks decided to make it their hangout. soon after, all the yuppies decided that it was "cool" in Royal Oak and tried to take over the scene. Mongolian Barbeque soon followed. all of which may explain this:

can you read this? it shows that the most common age of residents is 29 for women and 30 for men. so I'm right on target.

haha how my name comes up............... well, I am white.









how my gramma's name comes up - awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!










best dish ever - pastel de choclo con pino de carne. this is a cassarole, the closest thing I can compare it to is shepard's pie, but 1,000 times better.... the bottom layer is the "pino de carne." it's ground beef cooked with raisins and cinnamon. then on top is pieces of chicken (or rabbit - it's originally a country dish) and on top of that, a creamed corn. put sugar on the top and bake!!!!! absolutely supremely delicious! when I lived in Chile, I would get a frozen one, because it's very time consuming to make. but after writing all this, I think I will figure out how to make one!


well, I never tried this brand, but wishniak black cherry soda is da bomb. we used to drink a brand called Franks that has a lot of fruit flavors - all really delicious.








fav smell. oh god, yes. sausage and peppers.













and finally.... my favorite song - can you guess what it is?









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Happy Sandwich Day..... to me!


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never say never - really!

I know most religious traditions put an emphasis on what you say, how you say it, etc, but in these "modern times," it seems like that has gone out of vogue.

but then things happen, and it really does kind of make you (me) wonder.

I have caught myself a few times over the last years, saying "I'll never do this..." or "I'm not interested in that...", and as times goes by and I get to reflect, I've started to notice that whenever I strongly say I will not do something, I wind up doing exactly that shortly thereafter.

for example, I used to substitute teach and when teachers would ask me if I was getting certified, I'd say "oh, NO. this is just a great temporary job for me, for right now. I'm NOT INTERESTED in becoming a teacher." Hmmm..... guess what I do now. etc.

but I'm learning. I've been looking for a roommate for about 3 months, and everyone good seemed to have a cat. well, I have a cat, and I kept telling myself, "two cats is too many. I cannot live with two cats!" well, a stray cat showed up and he was really cute and I started thinking "maybe Maria would like a buddy..., but then NO ONE will want to move in here with two cats!" just then, I noticed that I had been thinking in terms of never and so forth, so I quickly brought the little stray in, to see if my luck would change. sure enough, one short week later, Liliana showed up at my door to check out the apartment. I said to her, "do you know I have a cat?" she said "great!" I said, "I'm even taking care of a second cat... and it might stay....." She said................


.................


..................


"great! I love cats!" then she spent most of our interview petting the cats. then when she left, she said "I really like this place and I want to move in"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


wow. ain't that something?

;)

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Happy Bra Day......... Chuck!

oops.

double oops.

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