5-5:10pm: HI! Tell us about your weekend, and day so far? TELL US A STORY… we as readers will decide what it means…
5:10-5:35pm: Telling a story… nothing is boring. Why do people think of themselves as boring? EVER? As a narrator, the only thing you decide is whether to write or not. that’s it.
5:35-6pm: Do you know anyone with a story that would be interesting to read? Someone in your life?
6-6:20pm: Irby… so much truth. So much insecurity, strength, and insight…
6:20-6:30pm: Close…. what’s on the night’s page?
ASSIGNMENT: Get Irby’s book!! Start reading, as much as you’d like… report back on Wednesday.
ASSIGNMENT: Write some stories, sketches, moments from your life. Recently or not, I don’t care. JUST WRITE YOU.
#professormikey 
people aren’t boring i believe everyone is unique in some way and those who think their boring they just havent found what makes them unique or a type of genre they can really relate with!
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I agree.
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Still looking for that one thing but while giving up may be easier it’s not better
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” I’m bored at work” or “I’m having an amazing f*king time at work.” I think boring is simply a mindset.
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Whenever I tell people what I do for work I’m constantly stopping myself because I think what I do for work is boring. But then I remind myself that I’m catering to others and I find the parts of the job fun and interesting.
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this class has been so releiving in this chaos of a semester. love it.
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Thank you!!
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A random story I remembered: One night I was home alone for a couple hours when I was I think 13 or 14 and I decided to make some chicken nuggets. After letting the oven preheat and putting them in for 14 minutes after about 5 minutes going by I could hear the oven beeping like it was already done but I thought “theres no way there done its only been 5 minutes” I get up off the couch turning the corner into the kitchen to see the oven was glowing orange and the screen said “error”. I immediately freaked out and hit the end button but the error message kept popping up, 5 minutes go by and smoke started coming out of the oven. The only thing I could think of was to turn off the breaker, so I hit end one last time then dashing upstairs to the breaker box then turning off the oven. I walk downstairs opening the still hot oven to see my chicken nuggets black and the inside of the oven torched. Safe to say that oven was done for. It just had to happen when I was home alone..
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DUDE I have a similar story! One time when I was in middle school I was also home alone and I happened to have some growing pains in my leg or something. Then randomly on TV a commercial came on for like a teddy bear that you microwave for a hot compress to use on aches and pains… LIGHTBULB. I grabbed my nearest hand towel and popped that sucker in the microwave for like 30 seconds. It was perfect. Then it cooled down fast so I did it for much longer the second time and when I came back that thing was completely on fire. I was freaking out and had no help so I put it in the sink and poured water all over but the whole house got smokey. My mom came in the door not 30 seconds after the fire was out and I was caught red handed, literally.
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Wow.
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People think of themselves as boring because they are bored with their lives and they expect their lives to be more “eventful” than they realistically can be on a day to day basis for most people.
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i mean personally, i like to say i am boring so i don’t have to initiate any conversation starters because my anixety tells me so. lol
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oof same. Also I just dont want to talk to anyone like… ever
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omg! genius!!! need to use that one of these days
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My story is that I made a lot of money within two days, it was work but exiting, math has never been my friend; however probability is somehow different. when it comes to sports betting and the stock market they are virtually on in the same, true one has more variables than the other, but its all about loss vs gain. I think I will try and learn mediation exercises this weekend to sharpen my mind. I have also herd Yoga helps as well.
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I began realizing I’m never bored because I’m always on my phone. This month I decided to delete all my social media accounts, TikTok, youtube, etc.. and try to live this month without a phone. I think when you begin feeling bored there are 2 choices. keep that boring mindset or change that. I’ve done this before and the first week is always rough, but you begin adapting and find many creative ways to not be boring
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Hey bro that’s awesome we don’t need social media at all and everyone can benefit from a digital detox. Good job man I hope you make it the full month
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to allow yourself to be boring is allowing indecisive laziness to rule and passion and curiosities to lie dormant
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I’m writing that for my notes! well said!
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Thanks!!
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I want you ALL to be carnivorous fans of self. Be so eager to tell your story that your sleep patter is all kinds of f/cked up.
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I personally think that my dad’s story would be very interesting. He was born into a big family that didn’t have much money. He was the oldest which means it was his job to help support as well. He was working 3 drops at the same time while still going to school. He and my mom are High school sweethearts and have been together for 42 years. He got his first job at computer company when the industry was just starting up and than climbed the ranks to become one of the head supervisors for oversea sales at HP.
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That’s awesome!
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I’ve always loved hearing my grandparents stories. My grandpa was a marine, and one of my grandmothers was an artist who lived in San Francisco from the 60s to the 80s. They’ve told me so much but I know there’s still so much more in there that they haven’t yet. If one of them were to write on their lives I would definitely want to read it.
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So many people in my family had crazy youth experiences and have endless wild stories, I wish we had like a “Family batshit cray stories” book. Wed all gather around on holidays and read them to eachother.
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Yes, I think most of my friends and family have interesting stories I would read and love to know more about.
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My parents always tell me the story of when they ran away and got married cause their parents didn’t want them to get married because of different religions I think it would be a very interesting story and a good story to say who cares about your religion, race or sex. Love is love.
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That’s a great story!
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A lot of my friends who’ve been overseas for the military have some interesting stories. Some are actually funny…. like my buddy at Sonic who was chased by a kangaroo while training in Australia… the comedy and visual are just incredible. He doesn’t write though.. SMH
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i feel like my mom would have a good story to write. she has gone through a lot as an immigrant and how far she has come.
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Cheers to your mom. Take some notes in your journal on her life!!! Develop and share with us if you want.
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I’ll do the same as well!!
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Do! What does your mom do, Dais?
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She is a child development teacher.
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i’d say my parents have good stories as i’ve always found them interesting.
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My parents story of coming here is very eye opening, they went through a lot to be able to have a good life and live their dreams. My brother also has had an interesting life to say the least, he can write a whole book collection.
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I think every person I know has a story that would be a great read. One I’ve seen play out myself too
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I think my sister story of being a single mother and graduate with two degrees in an interesting and inspirational story!
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One story that always gets talked about when I go camping with my family is about a bear attack. Years ago when i was about 12 we went on this vacation with my uncle. He had a trailer, but two of us couldn’t fit in it and had to sleep in the tent. Me and my dad love sleeping in the tents as it gives us the real “camping experience”. Unfortunately we had barbecue chicken the first night and my dad didnt wrap it up. In the middle of the night my mom wakes up to loud noises thinking it my dad but when she shines the like she sees all of our stuff ripped apart and the bear hovering over the tent. She shined a light and the bear ran away but she didn’t realize it was a bear till morning when she saw the mess.
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Someone I personally believe has many stories from just hearing a small amount of them is my grandpa. We always talk and he tells stories from his time serving in the Vietnam war to stories about his life after the war and how he continued with his life living through the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. I always love to hear his stories and the way he describes things, I think like many others he has great stories to tell to those who would want to listen.
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The best man at my wedding, Andrew Lawrence, certainly has a rather unique story of life. He has had such an absurd assortment of odd occurrences that led him to be my friend. I’ll always cherish him and his stories.
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thats amazing paul! We need those good friends…
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We’ve seen each other grow out of our worst situations into better people, and I’ll never find a time I dont want to be with him.
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Yesss!
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I think my sister’s story would be interesting to read. Why’d she move away to Thailand? Was it to avoid our unhealthy family dynamic? I don’t know but it makes me consider doing the same thing as her so probably. No but seriously what’s up with Thailand? I know she’s got a lot to say about her experiences there.
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THAILAND IS AMAAAAZING!! the foods, the people, the nature, the energies… if I wouldn’t have moved to the U.S 2 months ago, I would’ve retreated myself on my land in Thailand and hide in the jungle.
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God.. I am surrounded by SO MANY great people with interesting stories, my mom, my grand-granddad, my great-great-granddad. But my own is also very interesting, and since I know all the details inside and out, I would chose to write about myself.
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Write some of them!! We want to learn from their lives!
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My grandpa always use to tell my cousins and I the best stories of his life. He was born in Scot;and and never new anything about his birth mother until a few years ago when he finally traced his ansestory. Thr running joke in our family as that he was the bastard child of an old pub wench (super dated joke). When he was in his 20s he became a radio personality for a pirate radio tation that only played rock music and he gave him sef the name Blue Beard and even dyed his beard bright blue to go along with this persona. Working as a radio host he met alot of musicians and even became really close friends with them ( David Gilmore from Pink Floyd as well as the Beetles).
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Thats a great story Chloe
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Here are some fun pidgeon facts cause thats a story right?
– 99% of all Pidgeon’s in the U.S. trace lineage back to either house pets, or livestock, not wild.
– Pidgeons prefer buildings instead of forests because their native terrain use to be high rocky cliffs
– Pidegons actually rely on eating concrete to help them digest, as birds don’t hace teeth and actually swallow rocks to grind up their food as it goes through them
– Don’t feed pidgeons, ever. It’s literally killing them or forming a reliant bond where they overeat and overbreed and then their offspring starve or do the same.
– Pidgeons have an amazing degree of sight, seeing nearly 360 degrees around them
– Pidgeons hear your insults and don’t like to be called rats with wings. Theyre sweet and gentle, and have a very good memory (don’t cross them)
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this is an absolute gem, thank you
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You should write more about pigeons. It sounds like they’ve been the underdog far too long. It’s the pigeons time to shine.
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I think my great grandma would have an amazing story. She passed but still. She fully Native American and lived on the reservation growing up. I feel like that alone would make a great story. Anyways, my great grandfather bought her her freedom from it because he saw her and fell in love with her and then they married. She never really talked about anything about her native side which was a shame. I think she tried to hide everything that had to do with it because that’s what they made natives do about their culture. I wish I had more things of hers that was native.
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My family destroyed all evidence of being Native and didn’t really talk much about it. Since everyone who could remember what it was like is dead now, we really have no idea what our ancestors went through. Our stories aren’t the same, but I can relate. My great grandma left behind some journals but I’m not sure what happened to them. I’ll have to ask my mom and share what I find!
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it would have to be my grandmother for me, her story is so inspirational to me. without her sacrifices and determination her family and generations to come would not be where we are now or be fortunate to have the life we get to have now because of her.
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I always wanted to know my mother’s story. I mean, I know her story from day 1 of my life and on but I never got a full and complete picture of her childhood or early adult life before my brother was born. I know little details and snippets but I would love to learn more about the Woman who sacrificed so much for me and made me who I am today
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i feel the same! My mom came from Thailand to the Netherlands from a very poor family in which all of them made their way to the top eventually. I just wonder what she felt, coming from a place sheltered from technology and then being submerged by it. But we will never know what life was like through their eyes, its so unfortunate.
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I bet she see’s the world in such a different way than either of us could imagine. It sounds like your mother is a very strong woman!
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I think my story and my brother’s story are interesting. My Brother was born in Mexico and by the age of 2, they had left him in Mexico to be raised by my aunts because my mom was pregnant with me. My brother grew up to become a trouble maker. He would kill my aunt’s chickens, sneak out of the house, and get drunk at 13 years old. Eventually, he took a different path and decided to focus on school and go to a university where he learned to become a chef and began working for a 5-star hotel. I didn’t know any of this, because I never even knew I had a brother until I was 12 or 13 and I wouldn’t meet him until I turned 14. That’s when he began telling me his stories and how he grew up.
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This was kind of a trick question…. You know YOU. Your story should be read by EVERYONE.
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That’s a good one
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LOL, thanks.
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My special friend who used to live in Brooklyn, NYC. He’s told me about rat subway passengers with little hats and briefcases, and crazy nude/body painting parades in the streets, absinthe bars, and Ironman races, etc. He’s a child of divorce, as am I, and so we are both relatively insane. Lol, jesting. We turned out fairly normal, I suppose.
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I suppose I could write about the conversations I have with my coworkers depending on the subject matter
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I think there are plenty of stories i and my friends from NY have that we have forgotten or deemed normal in nyc but my late grandfather had many stories of his own as well as his family back in Argentina since his father or grandfather fought for France in the world war. He was on a ship that had sunk and his family thought he went with it having no communication to France from Argentina, but he survived and returned home. My grandmother has an article of it but I forget the details.
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WHAT this is a great story. It’d be amazing to be able to hear it from his point of view.
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I know! When I get back to see my grandmother I have to ask her about it again! Sadly my grandfather passed last year though.
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My great-granddad was a professional bicyclist and volunteering firefighter from the Netherlands who happened to have a Jewish grandmother. When World war 2 broke out, he was send to a concentration camp because of his heritage. He had started a journal about 1.5 years before he got deported, and kept writing while he was in the camp. Out of all the family members, I was the chosen one who inherited his diary. It is the most valuable asset I have. Luckily, he made it out of the camp alive because the Nazi’s respected his position as a firefighter. However, due to the trauma, my great-granddad was unable to talk about the war and the journal was the closest piece of insight we would ever come to.
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That’s incredible… what a fascinating story!
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I’m working on the translation to both Dutch (his handwriting is hard to read but GORIOUS ) and English for my boyfriend to read. It breaks my heart to read it every time tho.
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🙂
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you sir, have a historic artifact on your hands. That journal has to be so incredibly harrowing and thought provoking. A tough read as well I’m sure
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It sure is, but I’m glad to have a piece of insight into the life he lived. (I’m a she btw 🙂
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Was going to point that out, but didn’t want to speak for you. 🙂
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My mom told me today that my grandpa was a bodyguard for the president of Mexico. I would have loved to hear his story
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Whoa! Have you heard any stories?
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Today was the first day my mom has EVER talked about my grandpa and she hit me with THAT! I’m going to see if she is willing to share any more stories about him/his life.
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Have that pen ready, my man!!
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Ms Irby…. Talk to me. She reminds me of SO many people I lived with on campus at Sonoma State… someone you stay up with all night and just talk. And, talk sh/t…
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Truth and strength are some of the key ideals that I loved from Lawson;s book, so I’m excited to get to reading Irby!
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A thought: I like it when professors ask us to write about the people around us or ourselves. Sometimes I feel like the memories of those people and me slip away
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Only if you let them, my new friend.
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Find her aims. Goals, hurts, pains, intentions…
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I am excited to read another book from her. She is a person who would be great to be friends with!
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she for sure reminds me of one of my friends, I was looking through her Bitches gotta eat blog and she is funny and has this food recipe i would love to try and make!
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Ms Irby, can’t wait to start reading her book.
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Why? What did you find on her?
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She’s a comedian so I think her book would be funny. I also love her blog.
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I think my mom’s story is really interesting. and my late step-grandfather’s. I would read a book about either of their lives. I would also read a book that has all of the tea from my dad’s parents’ side of the family. I know beneath the trad christian exterior there is some hot steamy info. My grandma was the Apple blossom queen during her senior year and her dad owned a whole lot of land in Sebastopol AND she met my grandpa when they were really young. They don’t ever talk about anything other than the idyllic nuclear family moments, and after finding two HUGE boxes of photo albums and pictures of relatives I never knew about, I really want to know all of the stuff they have known about this area for like.. more than half a century.
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I was reading through some of her blog and I came across her holiday survival guide. Even when she is talking about simple recipes she is funny to read. Like Lawson, I can see how she doesn’t like to hold back when she’s writing
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What are you hoping to read in Ms. Irby’s book?
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fun, writing inspiration. Especially on the aspect of writing more freely, from what I have read from her blog she would be perfect for that.
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Would like to read more of her life stories. Her essays about her parents i will always remember.
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Her life, her experiences, her humor, her sarcasm, and her realistic standpoint
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I’m just hoping to be as hooked as I was with Lawson. I’m not looking to push her into a specific box of what I want
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Ms. Irby’s insecurities
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More gold stories and life advice riddled in sarcasm, avoiding written and social
norms
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Well put.
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