Episodes
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Another day, another kookalook collection of topics from us, including new lingo care of (honorary Bob) Jack Schlossberg, wrinkle makeup, minimalist shoes, LaGuardia Airport, and a straw cupdate.
Wrinkle makeupânot what you think, probably! Check out a couple of looks by @shine__rising and rachy_mua. Related: crackle lips.
In which we dip our toes into the minimalist shoes conversation: Gait Happens, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, and The Infinite Race 30 for 30 doc by Bernardo Ruiz are all relevant on the content front. Some brands of interest: Muki, Vivo Barefoot, and Groundies. They kind of remind us of Prada Sport from the late 90s/early aughts, Miu Miu rope sandals, and ballet flats with wide toe boxes from Sandy Liang and Proenza. Also: Letâs take this opportunity to shoutout Yoga Toes.
Weâve been considering giving our ComfiLife a break and trying a kneeling chair. Memor and Varier are good-looking options!
In the world of straw cups, Claire got a BrĂŒMate and really likes it! (Donât get her the MargTini though.)
Where do you stand on Eat/Pray/Love vs. FMK? Do you believe they can coexist? Let us know at [email protected], @athingortwohq, our Geneva, or our Substack comments!
Care for your hair love with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first monthâs subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.
Learn from the best with MasterClass and get up to 50% off when you use our link.
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We are DELIGHTED to have Alana Cloud-Robinson on today to share her Thingies from her perfect, wood-paneled home (more on that, clearly). Sheâs the author of the 831 Stories release Hardly Strangers, out tomorrow, and, wow, we canât wait for you to read this one.
Alanaâs Thingies include shoulder pads, thrifting (see: The Council Shop!), her home in Century City, and Irish culture (shoutout to Fontaines D.C., and Say Nothing).
Want more Alana? Check out The Artists Are Frightened, her premier collection of personal poetry.
Also, a really important album that is (somehow) a follow-up to our milk.com conversation.
What are *your* Thingies? Let us know at [email protected], @athingortwohq, our Geneva, or our Substack comments!
Find some support with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.
Level-up your cleaning experience with Blueland and get 15% off your first order when you use our link.
Fall in love with 831 Stories and take 15% off your order with the code ATHINGORTWO.
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Episodes manquant?
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After this episode, we have some action items for the Bobs: 1. Petition Dairy Queen and Carvel to make their ice cream cake minis available nationwide, year-round. 2. Use âwhenharrymetsallyingâ in a sentence. 3. Send us your thoughts on NYC Marriage Bureau merch.
We arenât doing gift guides this year, but weâll tell you good places to look once it's time! Start with giftguide.substack.com.
Weâre excited to meet Chewbie, Hi-Chewâs new Mascot, but perhaps this is a "say less" situation?
The Rat Pack is still in our lives, and it introduced us to the MeowSquad.
Speaking of local government initiatives, the NYC Marriage Bureau has merch! We especially love the Witness Tee and "I Got Married in New York City" mug.
All about Split59âs Raquel high waist crop legging, and weâll try their Icon legging and report back.
A shoutout to A24âs book Hey Kids, Watch This! Itâs full of movie recs, great design, and FUN.
What menu items do you whenharrymetsally? Let us know at [email protected], @athingortwohq, our Geneva, or our Substack comments!
Hire with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.
Send your first Moonpig card for FREE with the code ATHINGORTWO.
Pre-order Hardly Strangers from 831 Stories and get a free Only One Bed Keychainâand take 15% off any order with the code ATHINGORTWO.
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We have some very serious reporting about very serious topics coming your way, including the official Sanrio character rankings, a Jellycat status update, and some wild news from the domain-hoarding beat.
We have to take a moment to show some love to Kuromi, the third-ranked Sanrio character overall and Sanrio costume-sourcing, â Sueju Design and Nerdy Treasures by Amy.
How Jellycat became so popular with kids and grown-ups alike. Also: Their pop=ups give Sew Your Soul vibes, in our opinion.
Letâs talk tech! Our listener Olivia shared her Notion tips, we are flatted for the credit youâre giving us for Google Tabs, and we loved the piece âThe Million-Dollar Mystery of Milk.comâ by Alex Mayyasi for The Hustle.
Finally, have you listened to "Longer Gone" yet?
Name how much $$ it would take for you to change your email for at [email protected], @athingortwohq, our Geneva, or our Substack comments!
Show your hair love with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first monthâs subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.
Send your first Moonpig card for FREE with the code ATHINGORTWO.
Upgrade your cleaning experience with Blueland and get 15% off your first order when you use our link.
Get a free Sage guidebook for parents with kids ages 5 to 12 who want to better navigate tech and their digital worlds.
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Just a heads up, this episode will make you want to refresh your bra and underwear drawer! Weâre talking Thingies with Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez, the authors of the smart, compelling, and fast-pased book Selling Sexy: Victoria's Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon.
As mentioned, bra and underwear Thingies incoming! Chantal absolutely swears by the Tom Bra from the brand Mary Jo, and Lauren likes bras from Only Hearts, Notori Bliss underwear, and Bombas UItra Stretch Calf Socks. Also, shoutout to Le Bon Shoppeâs Her Socks.
Misc. Thingies include Chantalâs go-to assassinâs pasta and Laurenâs rejection of (most) kids' music.
Want more of Lauren and Chantal? Lauren writes Puckâs Line Sheet newsletter and hosts the companion podcast Fashion People, and you can find Chantalâs writing in The Cut (see: âThe Unbranding of Abercrombieâ), for starters.
Friends, you gotta read Selling Sexy: Victoria's Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon. We are thinking and talking about it a lot, a lot.
Finally, for those intrigued by Soupstack, check out Anne Helen Petersenâs 3rd annual soup roundup (4th annual comingâŠsometime, weâd bet?!). Ella Risbridger of You Get In Love And Then is also testing crowdsourced soups, and Becca Freeman shared her favorites too. A few of our own favorites: Ottolenghiâs curried lentil, tomato, and coconut, 101 Cookbookâs red lentil with lemon, Smitten Kitchenâs carrot with miso and sesame, Thomas Kellerâs butternut squash.
Actually good: Souper Cubes.
Do you have bra and underwear recs we have to know about? Please share them at [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!
Count on Shopify for all your ecomm needs and get a $1-a-month trial with our link.
Treat your teeth well with a Slate Electric Flosser and get 10% off when you use our link.
Try L.A. Burdickâs delightful and individually handcrafted chocolates (the ghosts, the coffin!).
Give your first Moonpig card for FREE with the code ATHINGORTWO.
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Gather round! We have a whole lot to say about Fudgie the Whale, learning chess, finding your inner paid tier, and a whole lot more. But whatâs new?
This many week post-launch of 831 Stories, weâre so grateful for the love youâve shared for Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff! If youâre looking for additional recs to hold you over until Hardly Strangers by A.C. Robinson comes out in November, take a peek at our list.
Did you know Fudgie the Whaleâs mold moonlights as Santa during the holidays? Check out this CNN article for the deets. If youâre feeling ambitious, we love this Ali Slagle ice-cream cake recipe.
We are now deeply committed to Jouerâs Skin Barrier Cream. Shoutout to Knockout Beautyâs facialist!
Weâre also hyped on Seedâs Pediatric Daily Synbiotic and Storytime Chess over here.
"If" by Rudyard Kipling has some good life advice for 8th graders and grown-ups alike.
Whatâs your personal paid tier? Let us know at [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!
Challenge your preconceptions about the real origin of our species and check out Eve by Cat Bohannon, available everywhere books are sold.
Tackle your fears with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.
Give your first Moonpig card for FREE with the code ATHINGORTWO.
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Bobs, you all have been sharing a lot of Thingies that are unignorable. Theyâve been moving, unhinged, funnyâand we must discuss them.
Weâre loving the nym SNAG: Sensitive New Age Guy, â Maia via the podcast Shameless.
Portlanders, have you been to The Croc Stop yetâa jibbitz lending library, brought to our attention by Kelly? See also: shoe charmsâŠwhich weâre kind of charmed by.
Your bathing rituals, friends. Kelsey had a tip on washing makeup brushes in the shower; Rebecca has a tub desk that we could talk about for hours.
Also, very publicly hoping our favorite establishments follow Garlic Expressionsâs lead and give us some bottled salad dressing! Thank you for the comments on this one, Laura and TK.
Keep those Thingies coming! Enlighten us at [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!
Hire with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.
Support your hair with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first monthâs subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.
Challenge your preconceptions about the real origin of our species and check out Eve by Cat Bohannon, available everywhere books are sold.
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Status report: Weâre a little bit hanging on by a thread over here, and weâre so impossibly grateful to Duckbillâsponsor of this weekâs ep!âfor helping us chip away at our to-do lists. (Or, better yet: taking on projects so we donât have to put them on our to-do lists in the first place.) More on this, along with chore charts, a useful response to the having kids question, and an important discussion of snapping.
Duckbillâa recurring Thingies submission from you allâis an executive assistant for your personal life, led by expert humans and enhanced with AI superpowers. Use the code ATHINGORTWO for 50% off your first two months, plus priority off the waitlist.
Oh, look, a bunch of ideas for how to use Duckbill.
Do you have any Notion tips ân tricks? Weâre here for them.
Tell us your favorite ways to use Duckbill at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!
Get support with Duckbill and take 50% off your first two months, plus priority off the waitlist, with the code ATHINGORTWO.
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Want the scoop on what the kids are up to? Casey Lewis is your gal. Weâre chatting with the genius behind After Schoolâiconic newsletter and epic new podcast tracking all things Gen Zâabout back-to-school trends, curly-hair controversy, and, of course, Thingies.
Some trending BTS items include tube tops and sweats (ideally together?), On shoes, Adidas Campus sneakers, Birkenstock Bostons, *the* Abercrombie camo hoodie, and Daeâs Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream with Taming Wand.
Caseyâs Thingies include the Wet Brush (Claire is trying out the Bounce Curl brush, too), fiber (chia seeds!), a walking pad, and the Funky Nassau from the Lot in Greenpoint (combo of white wine and Grapefruit Spindrift).
Subscribe to the After School newsletter and podcast, both. Casey knows how to make trend-tracking very entertaining.
Cooking oil recs from us: Algae Cooking Club and Enzo infused olive oil (Organic Basil Crush and Organic Fresno Chili Crush specifically).
Whatâs your take on the (potential) skinny jeans resurgence? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohqâor join our Geneva!
Boost your hair with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first monthâs subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.
Turn to Shopify for all your ecomm needs and get a $1-a-month trial with our link.
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We are THRILLED that cultural commentator/overall delight Hunter Harrisâof Hung Up and Lemme Say This fameâis joining us today to share her Thingies! We couldnât chat with her without asking for her takes on all the hot pop culture gossip, so unwrap your Fruit Roll-Up and enjoy!
Want more of Hunter? If you donât already, subscribe to her must-read newsletter Hung Up and listen to her Wondery podcast Lemme Say This, which she co-hosts with Thingies alum Peyton Dix.
Hunterâs Thingies are LMNT electrolyte drink mixes, Fruit Roll-Ups, lemon and orange essential oils in the trash can, Rhode Pocket Blush, washing her makeup brushes, iS Clinical Active Serum, and tennis.
She gets her news (aka celeb gossip) from Gossip Time, StraightioLab, Las Culturistas, Who? Weekly, and of course, Reddit influencer snark.
Want to get in on the accidental Idiocracy x Crocs collab? Share your thoughts at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohqâor join our Geneva!
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Oh, we are excited about this weekâs Thingies guest! Get ready to dive into the mind of the inaugural 831 Stories author, AlexandraâAKA ZanâRomanoff. We gab with her about Big Fan, fanfiction tropes, Hanson, ocean swims, online vintage shopping, you name it.
Zanâs Thingies are HennĂ© Lip Tint, Bask reef-safe sunscreen, Will Rogers Beach in Santa Monica, the Gem App, and the public library.
Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff is out tomorrow, September 10. Grab a ticket to one of Zanâs LA or NYC events (weâll be in attendance too!) and dive into the all of the book-universe bonus features (including an epilogue).
Get even more Zan: Read her YA books (Grace and the Fever is very Big Fanâadjacent) and listen to the pop culture + sports podcast she co-hosts with Sarah Enni, On the Bleachers.
More on Canadian Shack fics (um, delightful).
Also, we want to make sure you know that we are in the Jack Schlossberg/Miele fan club.
Whatâs your fandom of choice? Share with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohqâor join our Geneva!
Follow @haagendazs_us on Instagram and let them know in the comments that we sent you!
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In a true throw-back classic episode from last year: Make sure to double-knot your shoes because weâre running through a bunch of activewear brands, morning baths, kale phones, butter money, and COTC (corn on the cob, clearly).
You can read more about Vuoriâs lore in Courier (and try out their Pose fitted polo, Daydream drew, and All the Feels bra for yourself). Other workout wear of interest: Splits59 (specifically their Raquel flared leggings), Wilson (how âbout these Wynne pleated pants and the pleated court short?), Tracksmith ( their Article One running sunglasses collab!), District Vision, Satisfy, On, Tory Sport, and Sweaty Betty. Curious about cool sports stores? Weâve heard good things about Distance in Paris, we love FrontRunners in L.A., and we have to hand it to Pete Carlson Golf and Tennis in Palm Desert for going *deep*.
The everything shower! Consider this reel from The Everygirl your primer.
If youâre looking to limit your oblivion time, check out the OneSec appâŠor consider the cocaine/kale phone, via George Mack by way of Trung Phan. Also, the to-google notepad, â Courtney Martin.
Butter sculpture season, our Bama Rush? A great read: "The Secret Feminist History of Butter Cowsâ by Lyz Lenz.
What activewear brands do you like, how do you morning bath if you do such a thing?! Share with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohqâor join our Geneva!
Show your hair the love with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first monthâs subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.
Hire with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.
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Is anybody looking to start a hummus business?!? Do we have some domain names for you! In addition to our GoDaddy closet sale, we also have a grab bag to discuss, including mouth tape, face shaving, rat poop legal battles, WNBA mascots, and more!
Re: personal catchphrases: the title Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner got us thinking.
If you want to hear the case for VIO2 mouth tape that converted Claire, check out our Guest Thingies episode with Glynnis MacNicol.
Claire loved getting dermaplaned at Carrie Lindsey Beauty in Brooklyn.
Ericaâs nightgown journey involves the Skims Fits Everybody and Soft Lounge dresses, while Claireâs includes Taleen, Eileen West, Vermont Country Store, and Salter Houseâif youâre chasing the Victorian ghost aesthetic.
For all your LA luxury cat hotel needs: Check out Chats de The, Purrvana, and Cateau Marmont.
WNBA star to stan: Breanna Stewart. US Open player with peak energy: Taylor Townsend.
Want to start ratemyvcs.com? Great, get in touch via 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!
Follow @haagendazs_us on Instagram and let them know in the comments that Claire and Erica sent you!
Slip into your new fall shoes from Marc Fisher and use the code ATHINGORTWO to receive 20% off your purchase.
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Some of you Detective Bobs have already caught on to this, but: Weâre starting something new! Itâs officially time to give you the scoop on our romantic fiction entertainment company, 831 StoriesâŠand the first book weâre publishing, Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff. It comes out September 10âŠwhich means right this second is the perfect time to pre-order it.
Special thanks to Bea and Leah Koch, behind The Ripped Bodice, for kick-starting this journey! Our podcast episode with them from 2019 for a taste.
The authors and titles that made us fall hard for romance include Robinne Leeâs The Idea of You, Talia Hibbert (The Brown Sister Seriesâand our 2021 podcast interview here), Tia Williams's Seven Days in June, Tessa Bailey (start with It Happened One SummerâŠor our recent chat), Abby Jimenez (loved Yours Truly), Lyla Sageâs Rebel Blue Ranch series, and Yulin Kuangâs How to End a Love Story.
We also think about what Sanjana Basker shared about romance on the Care So Much podcast all the time.
Sign up for the 831 newsletter, follow 831 on Instagram, and pre-order Big Fan. We cannot WAIT to share it with you.
What was the romance novel that got you into the genre? Tell us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!
Show your hair the love with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first monthâs subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.
Find your new fall shoes from Marc Fisher and use the code ATHINGORTWO to receive 20% off your purchase.
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Another great day for Thingies! This time from newsletter legend Caroline Chambers, whose book What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking (a verified banger!) comes out tomorrow. Youâre in for a treat.
Carolineâs Thingies are SĂ©zane Jimmy trousers (often worn with SĂ©zane Lenny low mules), the Olympics (DUH), having swim-safe kids (New Yorkers: Imagination Swimming), and Taylor Swift singing to Travis Kelce. Also, some romance recs! Pucking Around by Emily Rath, Kulti by Mariana Zapata, and Happenstance by Tessa Bailey.
Hey, The Idea of You fans! Check out Caroline's interview with Robinne Lee on her podcast So Into That.
P.S., if you are as riveted by the idea of âlockstep individualismâ as we are, read this Washington Post article âThe mysterious tyranny of trendy baby namesâ by Daniel Wolfe that references Laura Wattenberg, author of The Baby Names Wizard. And sign up for the Gloria newsletter that surfaced this!
Whatâs your fave thing to cook when you donât feel like cooking? Please share away at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!
Tackle stress with Stress Relief from Ritual and take 25% off your first month with our link.
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Aaand weâre BACK! We are returning from our summer vacation with lots of updates and some Thingies from the great Tessa Bailey. (If you havenât read her books yet: WE BEG YOU.)
If youâre looking for good places to start in the Tessa Bailey universe, try It Happened One Summer, Chase Me, and her latest, The Au Pair Affair. She also has an absolutely tremendous TikTok.
Tessaâs Thingies include cleansing wipes for her nose piercing, avocados, Blistex, GXVE by Gwen Stefaniâs Liquid Lipstick, Merit (specifically the cream blush and the highlight stick) "Whoâs Afraid of Little Old Me?" by Taylor Swift, the RedHanded podcast, and Apothekeâs Earl Grey Candle.
Her first romance read was Hidden Fires by Sandra Brown.
Ahead of Tessaâs appearance, we talk LMNTâs Watermelon Salt flavor (thanks Nikki Ogunnaike!), romcoms in action movie clothing, and a London stuffie report (Paddington was there, and we found a Miffy x Liberty London collaboration we didnât know we needed).
Whatâs your favorite Tessa Bailey book? Did any Thingies happen during our break? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!
Hire with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.
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You know, this episode from last year is an all-time classicâa real Bobs smörgĂ„sbord if you will. We welcome your updates on all of this! Especially how youâre footwearing for summer rain.
Our rain-clog conversation has reached new heights! As in: We have a Calzuro review for you.
Holiday shopping season is starting early because the Staten Island Pizza Rat hats are back in stock.
Now onto romance! For an IRL one, try Julia Allison and Noah Feldman. Fictional romances we love include You, Again by Kate Goldbeck (bonus read: this Vulture story about fanfics-turned-bestsellers by Elizabeth Held), The Art of Scandal by Regina Black, Tessa Baileyâs books including It Happened One Summer, Hook, Line, and Sinker, Fix Her Up, and Chase Me, and Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. Re: sports romances, see Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, The Deal by Elle Kennedy, Kennedy Ryan in general, and this GQ interview with Phillies player Bryce Harper. Also! Letâs talk about Danielle Steelâs deskâSamantha Leach did a good profile of the icon for Glamourâand Rachel Antonoffâs fall fashion campaign (completely unrelated but we love her email roundups to her vet).
Share the romances youâre into with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!
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Consider this episodeâone of last yearâs favorites!âan ode to your embrace of the term âregrettably worth itâ aka RWI aka something we get asked to define as least weekly
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If mid-July has you a bit out at sea with your routinesâshow of hands?!âthis might be just the right time to revisit one of last yearâs hit eps about creativity and exercise. Letâs do this.
For more on morning pages, we direct you to The Artistâs Way by Julia Cameron. And, a book that comes up a lot despite our mixed feelings about it: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.
A YouTube vid Erica followed to write a novel, as recommended by Mary HK Choi.
Some workout wardrobe staples include unitardsâcheck out Girlfriend Collective and HĂ©rosâand the posture-correcting sports bra from Forme (more from Fast Company).
If you need a work-out pep talk, you can always count on Coach Bennett. (And while weâre here: Thanks for programming this ep, ââSarah.)
How do you keep going with exercise? Are you a morning-pages person? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohqâor join our Geneva! Grab a Secret Menu membership for more, more recommendations.
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Let this greatest-hits ep be all the proof you need that things are still a mess! Should you need supporting evidence, might we direct you to Leah Chernikoffâs recent article for Harperâs Bazaar on the topic?
On gel manicures: UchĂ© Blackstock is going to keep getting them, and Claire is tooâbut now with Maniglovz to protect her hands from those UV lights (and with CND Shellac whenever she can).
For a one-coat at-home mani, Olive & June Cosmic, Pleasing Pearly Tops, and Dior Glow deliver a shimmery, sheer finish. A listener said Dazzle Dry is one of their Thingies, and multiple of yâall have called-out Londontown Kur Nail Concealer (
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