After watching the Red-River classic, I decided to take a quick look at the NFL Network just to see what was cooking. I was astounded to see that they were doing wall-to-wall coverage of the death of Al Davis.
I was astounded because I had just watched 3 hours of college football, and nobody said a one word about the fact that Al Davis had died. You might think they would mention it... in passing at least. What a contrast in reaction. No word on the college programs. Nothing but Al Davis on the NFL Network.
I suppose it is fitting in at least one way. Al Davis was a very polarizing figure. You either loved him or you hated him. I hated him. I know that's not PC in the immediate aftermath of the man's death, but it is the truth. I find myself in the same position I was when Georgia Frontiera and Michael Jackson died. Although you feel a bit sorry for the one who just lost his/her life, and you feel bad for those who grieve, you also feel... well... should I say it?
"Thank God the freak show is over."
My apologies to the ones who grieve, but I do have a sense that the freak-show is over. We are hearing endless praise for the positive impact Al had on the league, and there is more than a little truth to this. There is also the dark side of this guy. If you're not cheating you're not trying. Cheating is encouraged. We are the bad guys. I don't care what sort of a bad guy you are off the field, as long as you perform on the field. Whoever is on parole, that's whose starting for us Sunday. Commitment of felonies. We'll spin you around and upside down and laugh when we have conquered and won. Just win baby.
Pardon me, but I am not into the bad guys. I am glad that when my Rams won the Super Bowl in 1999-2000, our team was composed of a bunch of good guys. I like the good guys.
Still, when you hear a man like Jerry Jones--a guy I consider one of the good guys--break down in grief over Al Davis, you must think that there was a good side to this Al Davis. I certainly hope all the good things we have heard about him in the past few hours are true.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Pink Magic
A you know, I am a fan of USP Laboratory products OxyElite Pro has been my weight-loss/metabolic booster of choice Jacke3d ha been my preferred pre-workout energy drink. Both are highly regarded USP Labs products. I have developed a tolerance for both products lately, but after a little down cycle I am sure they will work well for me again.
With that in mind, consider the following story.
After the first few days of the new workout week (Wednesday to be exact) I was growing very fatigued again. Muscle soreness, joint pain and a general lack of will, fire and desire to workout were hurting my performance. Further, I seriously strained my left tricep during a weight lifting workout.
In short, I no longer felt as if I were transforming into Superman. I felt as if the clock had struck midnight, and I turned back into a pumpkin. I began searching my soul for reasons why my workout might be suffering now, after so much progress.
These are natural thoughts a 45 year old guy who has recently had Gastric Bypass might think. However, none of them really made sense. Joint and muscle fatigue should have been vastly worse when I weighed 290 pounds than at 190 pounds. Although I am a heck of lot skinnier than I was on Jan 15, 2011, I am also a heck of a lot stronger and faster. I do not appear to be aging. Rather, as one our managers at work says, I am doing the Benjamin Button thing by running in reverse.
A different thought occurred to me. It has been a few weeks since I cycled off my last (and my first) Pro-Hormone stack. Perhaps the amazing workouts and progress were brought about by increased levels of testosterone? Perhaps my amazing ability to blow out one workout and come back later for more was entirely fueled by the rapid recovery time afforded by that highly anabolic stuff known as testosterone? Is is possible that pseudo-steroids have been the back-bone of my weight loss regime so far?
Certainly, a little anabolic action couldn't hurt the feelings of muscle and joint fatigue I was experiencing. I decided to visit with my local Vitamin Shoppe and ask for recommendations.
After arriving at the Vitamin Shoppe, I spoke with a pretty well-muscled salesman about their best anabolic pro-hormone products. At some length, he mentioned how much he liked USP Labs' products, and he thought Pink Magic was pretty amazing.
My first reaction was "Pink waaaah...?"
Pink is a code term for female-oriented products, not just in the athletics world, but in the world in general. When I see code pink, I automatically presume the product has been targeted at women. Not so in this case. Pink Magic is super testosterone stimulant compound. It stimulates your gonads to begin cranking out testosterone at near-record levels. This particular combination of ingredients produces a pinkish powder, hence the designers of the drug decided to call it "Pink Magic"
USP Labs has a 790+ FICO score in my book, so I was more than willing to risk $50 on these guys. In short I have been using Pink Magic for about 60 hours now. The results have been astounding. Consider the numbers you see in the following excerpt from my workout journal:
Before using Pink Magic, I was having difficulty hitting 900 kcal per day. As you can see, during the past three days, my calorie totals greatly exceeded 900 kcal. Further, they have been rising tremendously. Yesterday, I did more work than I ever have during this entire weight-loss epoch.
Yesterday (Friday) was particularly amazing. I jumped on the cycle first thing in the morning without particular discomfort. This is not normal for me. For me, metobolic energy is lowest first thing in the morning. It's like pulling teeth to get on that cycle and ride first thing in the morning. I seldom have the will. It was no problem yesterday morning. Before lunch was done, I had already smashed out 66 minutes of work. Before I was done for the day, I had 108 minutes of work for 1,505 kcal.
I logged almost 16 miles of distance during that time. I bet you would have difficulty doing 16 miles of virtual distance. Further, I bet you would be pretty dang sore the next day. I feel fine right now. I am ready to do it again. I nailed my biggest day after two pretty big days, and I am not particularly sore right now. I believe I will do more today than I did yesterday.
Once again I feel like I am transforming into Superman. This once again proves that the difference between Superman and super-wimp is more testosterone. A little extra test makes the difference. This is the difference that makes a difference.
After the first few days of the new workout week (Wednesday to be exact) I was growing very fatigued again. Muscle soreness, joint pain and a general lack of will, fire and desire to workout were hurting my performance. Further, I seriously strained my left tricep during a weight lifting workout.
In short, I no longer felt as if I were transforming into Superman. I felt as if the clock had struck midnight, and I turned back into a pumpkin. I began searching my soul for reasons why my workout might be suffering now, after so much progress.
- Have I been dieting too hard, and am I malnourished?
- Has the long term weight loss finally caught up with me, leaving me weak?
- Is the heavy workout schedule finally catching up with me, and is my body breaking down now?
- Am I just getting older and wearing out...?
These are natural thoughts a 45 year old guy who has recently had Gastric Bypass might think. However, none of them really made sense. Joint and muscle fatigue should have been vastly worse when I weighed 290 pounds than at 190 pounds. Although I am a heck of lot skinnier than I was on Jan 15, 2011, I am also a heck of a lot stronger and faster. I do not appear to be aging. Rather, as one our managers at work says, I am doing the Benjamin Button thing by running in reverse.
A different thought occurred to me. It has been a few weeks since I cycled off my last (and my first) Pro-Hormone stack. Perhaps the amazing workouts and progress were brought about by increased levels of testosterone? Perhaps my amazing ability to blow out one workout and come back later for more was entirely fueled by the rapid recovery time afforded by that highly anabolic stuff known as testosterone? Is is possible that pseudo-steroids have been the back-bone of my weight loss regime so far?
Certainly, a little anabolic action couldn't hurt the feelings of muscle and joint fatigue I was experiencing. I decided to visit with my local Vitamin Shoppe and ask for recommendations.
After arriving at the Vitamin Shoppe, I spoke with a pretty well-muscled salesman about their best anabolic pro-hormone products. At some length, he mentioned how much he liked USP Labs' products, and he thought Pink Magic was pretty amazing.
My first reaction was "Pink waaaah...?"
Pink is a code term for female-oriented products, not just in the athletics world, but in the world in general. When I see code pink, I automatically presume the product has been targeted at women. Not so in this case. Pink Magic is super testosterone stimulant compound. It stimulates your gonads to begin cranking out testosterone at near-record levels. This particular combination of ingredients produces a pinkish powder, hence the designers of the drug decided to call it "Pink Magic"
USP Labs has a 790+ FICO score in my book, so I was more than willing to risk $50 on these guys. In short I have been using Pink Magic for about 60 hours now. The results have been astounding. Consider the numbers you see in the following excerpt from my workout journal:
10/5/2011
|
||||
Machine
|
Minutes
|
KCAL
|
Distance
|
|
1
|
Tread
|
17
|
223.5
|
1.15
|
2
|
Row
|
13
|
140
|
1.43
|
3
|
Club Elliptical
|
10
|
173.4
|
0.43
|
4
|
Elliptical
|
26
|
406
|
2.74
|
5
|
Elliptical
|
17
|
262
|
1.77
|
6
|
||||
7
|
||||
83
|
1,204.90
|
7.52
|
||
10/6/2011
|
||||
Machine
|
Minutes
|
KCAL
|
Distance
|
|
1
|
Tread
|
12
|
150
|
0.85
|
2
|
Row
|
13
|
142
|
1.43
|
3
|
Club Elliptical
|
10
|
186
|
0.46
|
4
|
Bike
|
22
|
250
|
7.6
|
5
|
Elliptical
|
18
|
280
|
1.93
|
6
|
Elliptical
|
16
|
251
|
1.75
|
7
|
||||
91
|
1,259.00
|
14.02
|
||
10/7/2011
|
||||
Machine
|
Minutes
|
KCAL
|
Distance
|
|
1
|
Bike
|
23
|
270
|
8.1
|
2
|
Tread
|
16
|
201
|
1.01
|
3
|
Rower
|
16
|
180
|
1.99
|
4
|
Club Elliptical
|
11
|
191
|
0.5
|
5
|
Elliptical
|
25
|
391
|
2.63
|
6
|
Elliptical
|
17
|
272
|
1.76
|
7
|
||||
108
|
1,505.00
|
15.99
|
Before using Pink Magic, I was having difficulty hitting 900 kcal per day. As you can see, during the past three days, my calorie totals greatly exceeded 900 kcal. Further, they have been rising tremendously. Yesterday, I did more work than I ever have during this entire weight-loss epoch.
Yesterday (Friday) was particularly amazing. I jumped on the cycle first thing in the morning without particular discomfort. This is not normal for me. For me, metobolic energy is lowest first thing in the morning. It's like pulling teeth to get on that cycle and ride first thing in the morning. I seldom have the will. It was no problem yesterday morning. Before lunch was done, I had already smashed out 66 minutes of work. Before I was done for the day, I had 108 minutes of work for 1,505 kcal.
I logged almost 16 miles of distance during that time. I bet you would have difficulty doing 16 miles of virtual distance. Further, I bet you would be pretty dang sore the next day. I feel fine right now. I am ready to do it again. I nailed my biggest day after two pretty big days, and I am not particularly sore right now. I believe I will do more today than I did yesterday.
Once again I feel like I am transforming into Superman. This once again proves that the difference between Superman and super-wimp is more testosterone. A little extra test makes the difference. This is the difference that makes a difference.
191.0
The scale said 191.0 English pounds this morning. This would be equal to 190.531 on the Bod Pod, due to the inaccuracy of my simple bathroom scale.
This indicates that I have lost 3.2 pounds in the past week. Frankly, this is not precisely great progress. 3.5 is what we would normally expect. Now, I did take three full days off. That is significant. Despite three full days of rest, I am only 0.3 pounds off the normal mark. That is interesting. We would predict 1.5 pounds based on three days of rest.
You can argue I am behind. You can argue I am now running hot due to the recovery time. The glass is half empty or half full.
One thing is for sure: My workouts are going absolutely berserk now. My next blog entry will be on the subject of USP Laboratory's wonderful product known as Pink Magic. I think this product has everything to do with the surge of progress I made in this shortened work-week.
This indicates that I have lost 3.2 pounds in the past week. Frankly, this is not precisely great progress. 3.5 is what we would normally expect. Now, I did take three full days off. That is significant. Despite three full days of rest, I am only 0.3 pounds off the normal mark. That is interesting. We would predict 1.5 pounds based on three days of rest.
You can argue I am behind. You can argue I am now running hot due to the recovery time. The glass is half empty or half full.
One thing is for sure: My workouts are going absolutely berserk now. My next blog entry will be on the subject of USP Laboratory's wonderful product known as Pink Magic. I think this product has everything to do with the surge of progress I made in this shortened work-week.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
2011 Week 4 Outcomes
Pardon my tardiness on this post, but the 0-4 hole my Rams have blundered into is really crushing my enthusiasm for the game. I will blog on this subject soon.
Suffice it to say that something very strange happened in the Rams' 2010 draft: I was actually wrong about something I was very certain of... but that was only a temporary phenomenon. I returned to form this year, and once again, I was correct in my assessment of Rams' 2011 draft. Regrettably, it looks like I might have been right about about the 2010 draft also.
We just aren't drafting well. We suck at all the offensive skill positions except QB. We suck worst at WR, where we lead the league in dropped passes. This is killing Sam Bradford. The Jim Plunkett II story is back on schedule. I point the finger squarely at Billy Devaney. It's not coach Spags. It's Devaney.
But I digress...
My record last week was 11-5. It might have easily been 12-4 if I had just picked against my Rams, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that despite the fact that I knew the Redskins had to be favored.
There were some serious upsets on the board this week, and some near-things.
The Bills did precisely what the Ravens did against the Titans. The Bills shot their wad against the Patriots and they came out flat as hell for the Bengal game. They were expecting a walk-over gimme practice and they got whacked.
I don't know how the Titans defeated the Browns convincingly after loosing Kenny Britt. I never saw that coming. I am astounded.
I have no idea how the 49ers got the win over the Eagles. I have no idea how the 49ers have gotten out to 3-1 start. They are winning with smoke and mirrors. I'm warning you: they are tricking the league. Don't be surprised when the clock strikes midnight and the 49ers turn into a pumpkin.
I am astounded that the Chiefs won a game... even over the Vikings. There is no doubt the Vikings are the most snake-bit team in NFL history.
Suffice it to say that something very strange happened in the Rams' 2010 draft: I was actually wrong about something I was very certain of... but that was only a temporary phenomenon. I returned to form this year, and once again, I was correct in my assessment of Rams' 2011 draft. Regrettably, it looks like I might have been right about about the 2010 draft also.
We just aren't drafting well. We suck at all the offensive skill positions except QB. We suck worst at WR, where we lead the league in dropped passes. This is killing Sam Bradford. The Jim Plunkett II story is back on schedule. I point the finger squarely at Billy Devaney. It's not coach Spags. It's Devaney.
But I digress...
My record last week was 11-5. It might have easily been 12-4 if I had just picked against my Rams, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that despite the fact that I knew the Redskins had to be favored.
There were some serious upsets on the board this week, and some near-things.
The Bills did precisely what the Ravens did against the Titans. The Bills shot their wad against the Patriots and they came out flat as hell for the Bengal game. They were expecting a walk-over gimme practice and they got whacked.
I have no idea how the 49ers got the win over the Eagles. I have no idea how the 49ers have gotten out to 3-1 start. They are winning with smoke and mirrors. I'm warning you: they are tricking the league. Don't be surprised when the clock strikes midnight and the 49ers turn into a pumpkin.
I am astounded that the Chiefs won a game... even over the Vikings. There is no doubt the Vikings are the most snake-bit team in NFL history.
191.8: a new all-time low
Not much time for a blog entry this morning, but I just thought I would mention that the score a few moments ago was 191.8 on the Tanita scale. This means the Bod Pod would weigh me at 191.331 this morning. This constitutes a new all-time low as an adult.
At the very end of my U.S. Army Basic Training and AIT, the medical doctors at Fort Sill Oklahoma weighed me in at just over 192 pounds. This was in late July or early August of 1989. The scales were a bit primitive by today's standards, but I am sure they were accurate. They were not cheap or rinky-dink by any stretch of the imagination. I am close to a pound less than I was then, more than 22 years ago.
Not easy to believe, eh? I had not yet reached my 23 birthday at that point. At 45, I weigh a little less. Was I in better shape then? It's hard to know. Perhaps I could lift a bit more in the weight room. My knees were not yet arthritic, so I could run 3 miles in 19 minutes (that is an officially recorded figure), but I doubt I could do what I currently do on the Rower, the Elliptical and the pool.
My condition is different today, but I bet my cardio vascular conditioning is as good or better.
At the very end of my U.S. Army Basic Training and AIT, the medical doctors at Fort Sill Oklahoma weighed me in at just over 192 pounds. This was in late July or early August of 1989. The scales were a bit primitive by today's standards, but I am sure they were accurate. They were not cheap or rinky-dink by any stretch of the imagination. I am close to a pound less than I was then, more than 22 years ago.
Not easy to believe, eh? I had not yet reached my 23 birthday at that point. At 45, I weigh a little less. Was I in better shape then? It's hard to know. Perhaps I could lift a bit more in the weight room. My knees were not yet arthritic, so I could run 3 miles in 19 minutes (that is an officially recorded figure), but I doubt I could do what I currently do on the Rower, the Elliptical and the pool.
My condition is different today, but I bet my cardio vascular conditioning is as good or better.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Rooney Mara: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
So I just made an original discovery. That is, nobody told me about this. I found it myself. Whilst sitting in the theater awaiting the start of Money Ball, I saw a preview for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This is an English remake of the Scandinavian mystery thriller of the same name.
Incidentally, they did this with Let the Right One In and it really pissed me off. The original was good enough to stand on its own with subtitles But I digress...
The preview looked extremely twisted, but the movie features one of my favorite actors, the 27th and half James Bond himself, Daniel Craig. Incidentally, he is a Pisces of 1968. He's about a year and a half younger than me.
I decided to look the movie up to see what was happening. It turns out that the girl with the dragon tattoo is none other than Rooney Mara. This is the girl I remembered from The Social Network. She was FaceBook founder Mark Zuckerberg's Boston College obsession, Erica Albright. She was the girl that inspired it all.
I assure you, you won't recognize her in this role. Her appearance could not be more different.
Do you want to know why she is named Rooney Mara? Because she is 25% Art Rooney senior and 25% Tim Mara. You may or may not know the Chief Art Rooney who founded the Pittsburgh Steelers, or Tim Mara, the man who founded the New York football Giants. Her papa, Chris, is a scout for the Giants.
This makes Rooney Mara, double NFL royalty. Who does she cheer for on Sunday? Is it the Steelers or is it the Giants? Rich, you need to get her on your Pod Cast just as soon as you possibly can. She is a New York girl born and raised in Bedford.
Anyhow, this 5'3" 26 year old little girl just happens to be an Aries born on April 17, 1985. This was right about the time the Buffalo Bills were about to select Bruce Smith #1. Bruce, can you believe it has been 26 years already? I can't. The 49ers were also preparing to draft Jerry the fairy Rice, the San Francisco treat. I was about 1 year out of high school in those days.
My first reaction when I discovered she was the girl with the dragon tattoo was one of shock. You know how conservative the Rooney clan is. What in the world is her maternal clan going to say when they see this freaky movie? For those who don't know, Rooney will be playing an extremely promiscuous, brilliant, self-mutilating, lesbian, goth, private detective.
These are not simply appellations they bestow upon her in exposition, either. Nope, they are going to be in your face during the course of this movie. The Rooney family really doesn't like the freaky stuff. Ben Roethlisberger himself very nearly got whacked about year or two ago...
Sirus 1.1 claims I have some fairly sensational scores versus this girl, but I won't go into that...
In any case, the movie is set to land on 12/21/2011, exactly one year before the official end of the world, according to the Maya. This will also be the last day of Sagittarius, and my buddy Sharique's wife's birthday.
Incidentally, they did this with Let the Right One In and it really pissed me off. The original was good enough to stand on its own with subtitles But I digress...
The preview looked extremely twisted, but the movie features one of my favorite actors, the 27th and half James Bond himself, Daniel Craig. Incidentally, he is a Pisces of 1968. He's about a year and a half younger than me.
I decided to look the movie up to see what was happening. It turns out that the girl with the dragon tattoo is none other than Rooney Mara. This is the girl I remembered from The Social Network. She was FaceBook founder Mark Zuckerberg's Boston College obsession, Erica Albright. She was the girl that inspired it all.
I assure you, you won't recognize her in this role. Her appearance could not be more different.
Do you want to know why she is named Rooney Mara? Because she is 25% Art Rooney senior and 25% Tim Mara. You may or may not know the Chief Art Rooney who founded the Pittsburgh Steelers, or Tim Mara, the man who founded the New York football Giants. Her papa, Chris, is a scout for the Giants.
This makes Rooney Mara, double NFL royalty. Who does she cheer for on Sunday? Is it the Steelers or is it the Giants? Rich, you need to get her on your Pod Cast just as soon as you possibly can. She is a New York girl born and raised in Bedford.
Anyhow, this 5'3" 26 year old little girl just happens to be an Aries born on April 17, 1985. This was right about the time the Buffalo Bills were about to select Bruce Smith #1. Bruce, can you believe it has been 26 years already? I can't. The 49ers were also preparing to draft Jerry the fairy Rice, the San Francisco treat. I was about 1 year out of high school in those days.
My first reaction when I discovered she was the girl with the dragon tattoo was one of shock. You know how conservative the Rooney clan is. What in the world is her maternal clan going to say when they see this freaky movie? For those who don't know, Rooney will be playing an extremely promiscuous, brilliant, self-mutilating, lesbian, goth, private detective.
These are not simply appellations they bestow upon her in exposition, either. Nope, they are going to be in your face during the course of this movie. The Rooney family really doesn't like the freaky stuff. Ben Roethlisberger himself very nearly got whacked about year or two ago...
Sirus 1.1 claims I have some fairly sensational scores versus this girl, but I won't go into that...
In any case, the movie is set to land on 12/21/2011, exactly one year before the official end of the world, according to the Maya. This will also be the last day of Sagittarius, and my buddy Sharique's wife's birthday.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Bod Pod XI: Dr. Quilici will record it as 130 pounds in 8 months
So, my apologies for the delay on the Bod Pod report. Bod Pod XI went down last Friday, September 30th. The results were downright poor.
- My total body weight decreased from 196.731 to 193.284. This is a paltry 3.447 pounds
- My fat weight declined from 48.964 pounds to 45.663 pounds. This is a paltry 3.301 pounds
- My lean weight declined from 147.767 to 147.620 pounds. This is a decline of 0.147 pounds. This is the wrong direction.
- My body fat percentage declined from 24.9% to 23.6%. This is a paltry 1.3% change in body composition.
- My body volume declined from about 85.61 liters to 83.886 liters. This is a reduction of about 1.724 liters.
In summary, this about half the progress I expected to make during the 13 day period of Bod Pod XI. I would have expected 6.5 pounds of fat loss, not 3,3. I would have expected some positive lean gains, not a loss of any kind. I expected something like a 3 liter reduction of body volume. It just didn't happen.
So the next logical question is why?
- Exhaustion. I was hitting the wall and fighting through fatigue at all points. I went over my workout journal and I hit 20 days in a row without a single day off I nailed 2 and 3 workouts during that time. Logically, this should result in massive losses. It did, at first. Then I wore down. I was left bone weary and joint sore.
- Too many calories in the form of fruits, nuts, seeds, cheese and crackers. I'm cutting back.
- Not enough weight training, not enough anabolism.
- My system is developing a tolerance for Jacked3d and OxyElite Pro. These are no longer delivering a high-quality energy boost in the morning or before workouts.
Henceforth, I am announcing a fresh package of reforms.
- The ROM is taking center stage each morning.
- I am going to hire a personal trainer. His mission, should he chose to accept it, is to get my body lean weight up to 160 pounds. Whatever work is required, I am up for it. Dianabol is not off limits
- I am increasing my swim time to 40 minutes, and I will do this later at night to ensure the pool is cold. I intend to intensify thermogenic stress on my system.
- I have switched to Hydroxycut powder and Jet Fuel tabs. These are doing a nice job for me so far.
- I am seriously considering purchasing a Life Core Fitness rowing machine. I have already tried it. It is superior to the machines at the gym. It might just be the crown jewel in my home collection.
The exhaustion was pretty thick on Friday, so I decided to travel home to Fresno and take 3 fulls days off from working out. It was effective. My joints and bones were all ready for combat today. I sailed through the ROM workout, and I just thrashed 39 minutes of elliptical for 626 kcal. That was some powerful exercise.
On a brighter note, I had my quarterly meeting with Team Quilici today, and they were thoroughly stunned by my progress. The last time I appeared in their offices, I was 237.5 pounds. Today (after three days of rest) I tipped the scales at 195. This indicated 42.5 pound so progress in the past 90 days. I showed them the Bod Pod paperwork, and they understood the figure is more like 45 pounds of fat loss.
Team Quilici only managed to weigh me in at 325, which was not my top figure, so today's weigh in will officially make it 130 pounds of weight loss in the 8 months after surgery. You and I know that the figure is actually 135. It's actually more like 138 if you count fat weight. That is one big whopping number. Most people can't lose 138 pounds if they need too, much less in just 8 months..
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