Why I Prefer To Take The Train
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
The Carnage Continues
I haven't posted in a while. Aside from all that goes with moving to a new agency I've been spending my free time keeping the back porch clean. It's a battleground and the cats are still winning.
Here's the latest tally:
As Hannah would say... "That's a lot of dead mickey's Dad!"
Here's the latest tally:
As Hannah would say... "That's a lot of dead mickey's Dad!"
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Murder By Numbers 1, 2...66
How much do the cats love us for rescuing them from the shelter? We have been counting the ways:
For the record, from February 1, 2007 - May 22, 2007, we have received the following gifts:
55 dead mice
5 dead bunnies
5 dead birds, and
1 dead chipmunk (haven't come up with an Alvin drawing yet)
Hard to believe it from looking at him, but this guy is on of the killers:
For the record, from February 1, 2007 - May 22, 2007, we have received the following gifts:
55 dead mice
5 dead bunnies
5 dead birds, and
1 dead chipmunk (haven't come up with an Alvin drawing yet)
Hard to believe it from looking at him, but this guy is on of the killers:
Friday, May 18, 2007
The Hidden Link
Some days I wonder if spending a year driving a Wienermobile somehow caused permanent brain damage. Perhaps the lack of A/C during the summer months caused a few brain cells to boil. Maybe it was the lack of heat during the winter months that froze a few too. Maybe, just maybe it was listening to 27 versions of the wiener jingle over the PA at all those store calls.
Sometimes I catch a glimpse of Hot Dog Red (the name of the paint color on the hot dog portion of the Wienermobile - though it looks more orange than red) out of the corner of my eye and think I see the dog. It usually happens when I'm driving. I've seen the color enough to know instantly if it really is the dog or if it's just something close in color. It usually happens when I'm not expecting it. Like it did today.
A few minutes ago I clicked on one of the links over there to the right as my jumping off point on a virtual trip through the web. What I like to do is to start with one of those blogs and then click on a link that that blogger recommends. I do this for a few blogs to see where it takes me. It's like a choose your own adventure book. You can always go back a blog and choose again if you do not like where you've ended up. Sometimes you can end up in the most unlikely places.
Here is the trail I followed today: I started by clicking on Interactive Architecture, which lead me to gravestmor.
Now, normally I would keep clicking on recommended links to get some distance between me and my own blog. I usually get about five or six links in before I start browsing around. Today, however, I started browsing right away at gravestmor. It only took me one post before I found myself clicking on the link it suggested to follow. That link took me to a post on Youtube where I found myself watching what a fellow reader of gravestmor described this way:
And what did I see in the video that caught my attention? I will tell you this... it wasn't Hot Dog Red, but the shape was unmistakable. Pay close attention and you'll see it.
Here is the clip:
I wonder how many other folks caught this? Kudos to the animators for injecting a little extra fun into their piece.
Sometimes I catch a glimpse of Hot Dog Red (the name of the paint color on the hot dog portion of the Wienermobile - though it looks more orange than red) out of the corner of my eye and think I see the dog. It usually happens when I'm driving. I've seen the color enough to know instantly if it really is the dog or if it's just something close in color. It usually happens when I'm not expecting it. Like it did today.
A few minutes ago I clicked on one of the links over there to the right as my jumping off point on a virtual trip through the web. What I like to do is to start with one of those blogs and then click on a link that that blogger recommends. I do this for a few blogs to see where it takes me. It's like a choose your own adventure book. You can always go back a blog and choose again if you do not like where you've ended up. Sometimes you can end up in the most unlikely places.
Here is the trail I followed today: I started by clicking on Interactive Architecture, which lead me to gravestmor.
Now, normally I would keep clicking on recommended links to get some distance between me and my own blog. I usually get about five or six links in before I start browsing around. Today, however, I started browsing right away at gravestmor. It only took me one post before I found myself clicking on the link it suggested to follow. That link took me to a post on Youtube where I found myself watching what a fellow reader of gravestmor described this way:
“I saw this a few weeks ago and thought it was one of the coolest all time animation presentations ever…
I mean, you’re taken on an emotional roller coaster…at first your like…jeez, who do these guys think they are, showing off their office like that…so pompous…and then you’re like…wtf…where did those bars come from…and then all of a sudden there’s an f@#$#@ing building growing, and the cameras all shaky and shit…and then boom….wireframe, and out of nowhere comes a frigging city where did that shit come from all of a sudden…and just when you think it can’t get any better…
THEY TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL…amazing…you’re in the building…you’re looking at it while driving down the street….you’re all over town…and when you think you can’t take anymore, it fades to black.and you’re like…thank god, i can’t take anymore…only to come back with a friggin 360 panorama…like…let me off…think i’m going to puke…feel bad for the people in the three cars behind me….i mean, what a RIDE!!!!
love it….love it.”
And what did I see in the video that caught my attention? I will tell you this... it wasn't Hot Dog Red, but the shape was unmistakable. Pay close attention and you'll see it.
Here is the clip:
I wonder how many other folks caught this? Kudos to the animators for injecting a little extra fun into their piece.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Ellen, It's Almost Finished!
I have an unfinished painting that I started a few years ago. At this point I'm not sure if it was three or four years ago. I only know that we had already moved into the new house and we only had two kids at the time.
I showed it to my sister once when she was in town for a family reunion... wait, that might let me know how long ago it was... hang on... checking iPhoto for dates and times of the reunion... which was in July of '03. Dang. At least three years ago. At the time of the reunion I had been working on it for a few months already - at a minimum.
I have worked on it sporadically, most often late at night after everyone is asleep and I have had too much caffeine still in my system. And that may just explain the delay in completing it since I gave up caffeine for about a year or so in there. Silly.
So, while the idea for the painting came in a flash, the actual painting has taken a long time to complete. It's not that I didn't do other things in the interim. I did. In fact, I've completed several other paintings since I started this one. It's just been on the back burner for a while because painting this one makes my hand hurt after about twenty minutes or so working the canvas.
When I showed it to Ellen she indicated she liked the painting and said something like "hey, let me know when you finish this. I like it (hint hint)." Little did she know (which if you've seen Stranger Than Fiction you know is a set up to something big... something big that she did not know) that as of May 2007 that painting would still be sitting up on the easel in my studio. Unfinished.
This past week I got some creative juices going again and spent a few ours attacking the canvas making huge strides in getting closer to a completed work of art. It's so close now. So close. I just need a night or two of Mary not being on call, the girls going to bed right on time and the babe sleeping through the night, no last minute runs needed to the grocery store for milk, diapers or cat litter, shut off the email and cell phone and I can get 'er done.
I feel so confident that I can do that this week, that I'm going to post a sneak peak. I'm sharing this for two reasons. First, so that Ellen can see that I am making progress and second as a personal motivation for finishing it now that I've made a public statement about it.
So here's a bit of the painting:
And here's another bit:
I'll share more as I get closer to finishing it up. Stay tuned.
I showed it to my sister once when she was in town for a family reunion... wait, that might let me know how long ago it was... hang on... checking iPhoto for dates and times of the reunion... which was in July of '03. Dang. At least three years ago. At the time of the reunion I had been working on it for a few months already - at a minimum.
I have worked on it sporadically, most often late at night after everyone is asleep and I have had too much caffeine still in my system. And that may just explain the delay in completing it since I gave up caffeine for about a year or so in there. Silly.
So, while the idea for the painting came in a flash, the actual painting has taken a long time to complete. It's not that I didn't do other things in the interim. I did. In fact, I've completed several other paintings since I started this one. It's just been on the back burner for a while because painting this one makes my hand hurt after about twenty minutes or so working the canvas.
When I showed it to Ellen she indicated she liked the painting and said something like "hey, let me know when you finish this. I like it (hint hint)." Little did she know (which if you've seen Stranger Than Fiction you know is a set up to something big... something big that she did not know) that as of May 2007 that painting would still be sitting up on the easel in my studio. Unfinished.
This past week I got some creative juices going again and spent a few ours attacking the canvas making huge strides in getting closer to a completed work of art. It's so close now. So close. I just need a night or two of Mary not being on call, the girls going to bed right on time and the babe sleeping through the night, no last minute runs needed to the grocery store for milk, diapers or cat litter, shut off the email and cell phone and I can get 'er done.
I feel so confident that I can do that this week, that I'm going to post a sneak peak. I'm sharing this for two reasons. First, so that Ellen can see that I am making progress and second as a personal motivation for finishing it now that I've made a public statement about it.
So here's a bit of the painting:
And here's another bit:
I'll share more as I get closer to finishing it up. Stay tuned.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Please Read This & Pass It On
Two days after learning of her son's suicide my sister-in-law put the following thoughts to paper. It was her wish that this be shared with as many people as possible.
John Kleine 3/5/1986 – 4/30/2007
Most people who knew John never knew that he had struggled with depression since his adolescence. Professionals told us that the hormonal imbalances of adolescence had probably triggered the chemical imbalances in his brain, and as he grew up it should get better. Fortunately, there have been great strides made in developing medications that can battle the depression with very few side effects. And so John had some very good years through the use of antidepressants.
John showed only his good side to the world. He loved to entertain people with his quick wit, impressions, and jokes. He loved to hang out with friends. And John especially loved sports. He played them, he watched them on TV, and he read about them in Sports Illustrated. He organized a CYO basketball team at Bishop Miege, and they played all four years. John worked really hard at playing high school football, and was extremely proud of being a starter his senior year. His varsity letter jacket still hangs in his closet.
But John also hated the idea of having a weakness that required the use of medication. And so after his freshman year at KU his doctor took him off the medication, and he did pretty well for a while. But ultimately, the depression returned, and his strong will was not enough to battle it. He refused to stay on medication, and in his despair he ended his life.
John is with God now, and is at peace. And we try to find some small comfort in knowing that. We will always miss him. It is our fervent prayer that the stigma that society attaches to mental illness will someday disappear, being replaced by compassion and understanding. Science and medicine will continue to study the workings of the brain, and will continue to develop new and better treatments. And when mental illness is considered to be a medical condition like any other disease, those who suffer from it will be able to receive treatment and help without shame.
We truly thank all of you for the overwhelming outpouring of love, prayers and support that we have received.
Bill & Maggie Kleine
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Breaking News From The Snack Cake Aisle
As the former Marketing Manager for Dolly Madison I am saddened by this shelf talker I spotted at Price Chopper. As a kid who grew up a fan of the Vanilla Zinger and learned later that it is not Vanilla or Chocolate, but the Raspberry Zinger which is purchased most often, I am saddened.
Another brand bites the dust. More thoughts on this to come.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
A Request
I didn't think I had anything to say about what happened this week at Virginia Tech. I was wrong. I really don't want to add to the din of reports and comments about what happened and why. Rather I'm writing this to make a request from everyone. Reporters, politicians, civilians. All of us.
I first heard about the incident while listening to Jim Rome while in the car. He, very carefully, relayed that there was a report of a shooting at the campus of Virginia Tech. He relayed the initial report that there were over twenty dead. It was clear that he was shaken by this information coming across the news wires and he very politely spoke for a few moments about how this report had rattled him and that he was not ready to do his job of being a sports commentator and radio show host. He took a break and went to commercial to gather himself. I did not get to hear the rest of his show as I had reached my destination, but I commend him on how he handled himself.
I heard a few more "breaking news" reports later on in the day. I purposefully did not seek out any information but heard about it nonetheless. It was all over the television. So I turned it off. It was all over the radio, so I turned it off too. It came via email. It came via rss feeds. So I turned them all off. I unplugged.
Why?
Because I know what the air feels like on a day like that. I know what silence sounds like on a day like that. I know because almost twenty years ago I was locked into my high school and ushered into the cafeteria as my classmates and I learned of a shooting at a neighboring elementary school.
I was there as people asked questions. I was there when people frantically called home to check in with loved ones. I was there when they said a woman walked into the elementary school, announced she was giving a lesson about hand guns and proceeded to shoot six kids. I was there when we learned she shot the brother of a classmate. I was there when we learned she killed herself in that classmates house. I was there when we learned she was an alum of our high school.
And though the high school was not supposed to let students go home without a ride as an effort to ensure everyone would get home safe, I walked home alone one and a half miles to my house. I have never experienced quiet like I did on that walk. No one was out. I did not see a single car driving down the street on the way home. No neighbors in the yard. No one. Just silence. And sunshine. It made an impression.
And I know what it was like when summer camp opened a month later and several classmates of the young boy who died in that elementary school classroom had to attempt a return to normalcy. And I was a new camp counselor.
I suppose unplugging was my way of giving the grieving families space. I did not need to hear this information before they did. I did not need to know where the shooter bought his guns prior to the next of kin being contacted. This was not my tragedy. Nor, I should say, was the event of nearly twenty years ago my tragedy. No one I knew was hurt or killed. I just happened to be there. I was not involved. As for the events of this week I know that in time all the information about what happened will come out. I can wait. Something I wish our media outlets would do as well. Alas, that has not been the case.
Instead we see Matt Lauer (whom I like on most days) reporting live from the campus the very next day. Within minutes there were numerous television and newspaper reporters on site interviewing students, faculty, paramedics, police officers, friends of the injured, friends of the deceased, people who were in the classroom next door, a custodian, the guy who owned the shop were the guns were bought and former classmates of the shooter. All this at a time when the interviewees were asking more questions than giving answers. And it all seems wrong to me.
Why must our national media organizations swarm around a tragedy, jockeying for the best position and interview? Why must they interview students the same day the event occured? Why, instead of conducting an interview with a student still in shock, don't they help them find a counselor to speak with first? And while the questions asked may be legitimate questions to ask (though not all were), and though many if not all of the reporters relayed well wishes and condolences and the conclusion of each report it just felt insincere.
I'm sure any one of those reporters who might read that would take issue and defend themselves as being most sincere, but come on. Isn't there anyone with a sense of what is needed here? Give them space. Make your self accessible, but do not pursue this. It is not worth the scoop.
I have no professional training in grief counseling. What I know is that I recieved advice on how I could help the kids at camp if and when needed. The advice I recieved then is my request now for the people closest to this tragic event.
Give them the time that they need to absorb what has happened. Give them time to grieve. Give them space. Be there for them. If they want to talk they will. When they ask questions, answer them. They have suffered through a traumatic event. They will all handle it differently and you need to watch out for their best interests. Not yours.
I first heard about the incident while listening to Jim Rome while in the car. He, very carefully, relayed that there was a report of a shooting at the campus of Virginia Tech. He relayed the initial report that there were over twenty dead. It was clear that he was shaken by this information coming across the news wires and he very politely spoke for a few moments about how this report had rattled him and that he was not ready to do his job of being a sports commentator and radio show host. He took a break and went to commercial to gather himself. I did not get to hear the rest of his show as I had reached my destination, but I commend him on how he handled himself.
I heard a few more "breaking news" reports later on in the day. I purposefully did not seek out any information but heard about it nonetheless. It was all over the television. So I turned it off. It was all over the radio, so I turned it off too. It came via email. It came via rss feeds. So I turned them all off. I unplugged.
Why?
Because I know what the air feels like on a day like that. I know what silence sounds like on a day like that. I know because almost twenty years ago I was locked into my high school and ushered into the cafeteria as my classmates and I learned of a shooting at a neighboring elementary school.
I was there as people asked questions. I was there when people frantically called home to check in with loved ones. I was there when they said a woman walked into the elementary school, announced she was giving a lesson about hand guns and proceeded to shoot six kids. I was there when we learned she shot the brother of a classmate. I was there when we learned she killed herself in that classmates house. I was there when we learned she was an alum of our high school.
And though the high school was not supposed to let students go home without a ride as an effort to ensure everyone would get home safe, I walked home alone one and a half miles to my house. I have never experienced quiet like I did on that walk. No one was out. I did not see a single car driving down the street on the way home. No neighbors in the yard. No one. Just silence. And sunshine. It made an impression.
And I know what it was like when summer camp opened a month later and several classmates of the young boy who died in that elementary school classroom had to attempt a return to normalcy. And I was a new camp counselor.
I suppose unplugging was my way of giving the grieving families space. I did not need to hear this information before they did. I did not need to know where the shooter bought his guns prior to the next of kin being contacted. This was not my tragedy. Nor, I should say, was the event of nearly twenty years ago my tragedy. No one I knew was hurt or killed. I just happened to be there. I was not involved. As for the events of this week I know that in time all the information about what happened will come out. I can wait. Something I wish our media outlets would do as well. Alas, that has not been the case.
Instead we see Matt Lauer (whom I like on most days) reporting live from the campus the very next day. Within minutes there were numerous television and newspaper reporters on site interviewing students, faculty, paramedics, police officers, friends of the injured, friends of the deceased, people who were in the classroom next door, a custodian, the guy who owned the shop were the guns were bought and former classmates of the shooter. All this at a time when the interviewees were asking more questions than giving answers. And it all seems wrong to me.
Why must our national media organizations swarm around a tragedy, jockeying for the best position and interview? Why must they interview students the same day the event occured? Why, instead of conducting an interview with a student still in shock, don't they help them find a counselor to speak with first? And while the questions asked may be legitimate questions to ask (though not all were), and though many if not all of the reporters relayed well wishes and condolences and the conclusion of each report it just felt insincere.
I'm sure any one of those reporters who might read that would take issue and defend themselves as being most sincere, but come on. Isn't there anyone with a sense of what is needed here? Give them space. Make your self accessible, but do not pursue this. It is not worth the scoop.
I have no professional training in grief counseling. What I know is that I recieved advice on how I could help the kids at camp if and when needed. The advice I recieved then is my request now for the people closest to this tragic event.
Give them the time that they need to absorb what has happened. Give them time to grieve. Give them space. Be there for them. If they want to talk they will. When they ask questions, answer them. They have suffered through a traumatic event. They will all handle it differently and you need to watch out for their best interests. Not yours.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Message In A Bloggle
Once when our family was vacationing in Cape Cod I put a message in a bottle and tossed it in the Atlantic. It was a lark. Just for fun. Not littering, just the pre-pre-precursor to spam (sending a note to no one in particular and hoping against all hope that someone would find it, open it, read it and choose to respond). I remember thinking it would be so cool if someone found my bottle someday and wrote back as requested in the note. I was probably seven or eight at the time. And in Massachusetts. That would have made it wicked cool.
A few months later I receive a letter in the mail. Someone had found my bottle, opened it up and read my note. As requested they sent a letter to me letting me know where and when the bottle had been found. I remember getting the letter but not where the bottle was found. I have a foggy recollection that it was in the Carolina's somewhere.
Last June I posted a copy of a letter that I had saved from my Wienermobile days. It was left under the wiper blade while Jeanne and I were out eating dinner. You can read the letter here. It was left by a young girl named Lindsey.
I didn't really expect to get a response to the question in the title of the post. But yesterday Lindsey Mulligan posted a reply on this blog. She's alive and well, and by the looks of traffic reports to the site, she has lots of friends around the country who have now read the original post with her letter.
Lindsey's mom and Aunt have even posted replies. Her Aunt thinks she should get a ride in the Wienermobile, since her mom made her go to bed early all those years ago. Unfortunately I am not sure I can help with that request. I do not work for Oscar Mayer any more and I couldn't even get it to make an appearance at our wedding ten years ago. I'll send a note to the folks in Madison anyway making a plea for you to get that ride.
That would be wicked cool.
A few months later I receive a letter in the mail. Someone had found my bottle, opened it up and read my note. As requested they sent a letter to me letting me know where and when the bottle had been found. I remember getting the letter but not where the bottle was found. I have a foggy recollection that it was in the Carolina's somewhere.
Last June I posted a copy of a letter that I had saved from my Wienermobile days. It was left under the wiper blade while Jeanne and I were out eating dinner. You can read the letter here. It was left by a young girl named Lindsey.
I didn't really expect to get a response to the question in the title of the post. But yesterday Lindsey Mulligan posted a reply on this blog. She's alive and well, and by the looks of traffic reports to the site, she has lots of friends around the country who have now read the original post with her letter.
Lindsey's mom and Aunt have even posted replies. Her Aunt thinks she should get a ride in the Wienermobile, since her mom made her go to bed early all those years ago. Unfortunately I am not sure I can help with that request. I do not work for Oscar Mayer any more and I couldn't even get it to make an appearance at our wedding ten years ago. I'll send a note to the folks in Madison anyway making a plea for you to get that ride.
That would be wicked cool.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Saturday Morning Light Show
As the mid morning sun came through the beveled edge of the lead glass windows leading upstairs it cast a prism of color on the door to the hall closet. I ran to grab the camera and captured these images. I would have sat in front of the door to watch the light show all morning if we weren't running late for dance class.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
DIY Target TV Spot
We got a coupon book in the mail from Target this week. It had about 35 or so coupons in it. They used the back of the coupons to create a flip book. I showed it to the girls and they thought it was neat. So, taking it a step further, I scanned in the images, added some music and a few goofy iMovie FX and... voila! A TV spot for Target using the flip book images.
Okay... it's not the greatest, but seriously folks, this only took about an hour to do. Gotta cut me some slack.
What do you think? I see a whole lot more DIY tv spots coming down the road from fans of big brands like Target. And yes, we do shop there.
Okay... it's not the greatest, but seriously folks, this only took about an hour to do. Gotta cut me some slack.
What do you think? I see a whole lot more DIY tv spots coming down the road from fans of big brands like Target. And yes, we do shop there.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Bevare Ze Milky Pirate
Thursday, March 29, 2007
To
A mind wanders seeking purchase.
Eventually, taking pause, it admits to no one but itself that it cannot complete the task it has set for itself.
For the mind knows the paradox that exists in needing to take a journey into the unknown to reveal what is needed.
And yet it desperately chooses, again and again, to leap from the safety of past knowledge, fully exposed, into the unknowable emptiness of new experience to find that which it does not know.
And then, upon emerging different, changed and new the mind sets about again to wander. To seek purchase of that which was not there before; knowing all along that which is sought is cannot be found. It can only be created melding new with old to create new.
It is the only way to grow. To learn. To create. To be.
Eventually, taking pause, it admits to no one but itself that it cannot complete the task it has set for itself.
For the mind knows the paradox that exists in needing to take a journey into the unknown to reveal what is needed.
And yet it desperately chooses, again and again, to leap from the safety of past knowledge, fully exposed, into the unknowable emptiness of new experience to find that which it does not know.
And then, upon emerging different, changed and new the mind sets about again to wander. To seek purchase of that which was not there before; knowing all along that which is sought is cannot be found. It can only be created melding new with old to create new.
It is the only way to grow. To learn. To create. To be.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
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Friday, March 16, 2007
Submit Your Own Caption
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
I Human. These Robots.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Quick Logo Design Project
Rod emailed me last Thursday asking if I could put together a logo for his son/my nephew/my godson's Chess Club. How could I refuse? The school mascot is a viking, though the club is not officially sponsored by the school - which allowed for a little creative freedom to play around with some viking related ideas.
Here's the logo I did over the weekend. Had to dig out an old copy of Illustrator and load it up on an old G4 tower in classic mode to use it. It was my first logo design since college. And yes, I used pencil and paper first. I may have a computer, but I never start a design/painting/illustration on the computer. I'm old school, baby. I think it turned out okay.
Here's the logo I did over the weekend. Had to dig out an old copy of Illustrator and load it up on an old G4 tower in classic mode to use it. It was my first logo design since college. And yes, I used pencil and paper first. I may have a computer, but I never start a design/painting/illustration on the computer. I'm old school, baby. I think it turned out okay.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Why Advertisers Still Don't Get It
It's time to remember that advertising needs brands more than the brands need advertising. A good product creates its own relationships
So says Marc Gobe, Chairman and CEO of Desgrippes Gobé New York, a brand design firm. He is the author of Emotional Branding and has just published his latest book, Brandjam. Barkley invited Mr. Gobe to speak a few years ago at the Creativity Symposium the agency holds each year. I still have my notes from his talk. A very sharp man.
Here's the Business Week article written by Mr. Gobe.
So says Marc Gobe, Chairman and CEO of Desgrippes Gobé New York, a brand design firm. He is the author of Emotional Branding and has just published his latest book, Brandjam. Barkley invited Mr. Gobe to speak a few years ago at the Creativity Symposium the agency holds each year. I still have my notes from his talk. A very sharp man.
Here's the Business Week article written by Mr. Gobe.
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