Wednesday, December 12, 2007
My New Favorite Restaurant.
As a vegetarian, my preference when eating out is always a vegetarian or vegan restaurant. I know they share the same ethical beliefs that I do. And I don't have to ask all those annoying (to the server, not me) questions: is the soup broth vegetable based; does this dish have any gelatin; is there any meat in this dish at all - and, yes, seafood is meat.
There are a few fairly good vegetarian restaurants in the South Bay (Happy Bamboo, Garden Fresh), but after awhile, as with any restaurant, you get bored. Plus the ambiance in those restaurants is nothing to write home about. So we were happy to discover a new one right on Lawrence Expressway, with wonderful decor.
Like the other veggie restaurants in the area, Merit Vegetarian specializes in Asian cuisine, incorporating a lot of "fake meat" dishes. Unlike the other veggie restaurants in the area, this one rules the world.
Mr. Johnson and I took my brother and sister-in-law with us - neither of whom are vegetarian. A breakdown of what we ordered, and our critiques:
Appetizers
Fresh Spring Rolls: Okay, starting off really well. The rolls were extremely fresh, as well as the vegetables. The tofu was perfectly cooked. And the peanut dipping sauce was to die for. My sister-in-law doesn't care to much for tofu, so she picked hers out, but wouldn't give up the rest of it.
Salad
Lotus Salad: Yum. First all, they don't skimp on the lotus root. And I don't know what kind of dressing they put on it, but it may as well be called crack dressing. As my brother said, "best salad I've ever had".
Soup
Spicy Noodle Soup: Okay, normally I hate fake ham. I never even liked real ham. But whatever they got going on in this soup is the bomb-diggity. As my brother said, "best soup I've ever had".
Entrees
Sauteed Garlic "Beef": Definitely the best dish of the bunch. As I mentioned earlier, my sister-in-law doesn't care too much for tofu. But apparently she is a big fan yummy garlicky tofu morsels pretending to be beef. We had a chopstick sword fight going on as the morsels started to disappear.
Curry Vegetables: Although a little too gingery for my taste, yummy just the same. The vegetables were amazingly fresh.
Sesame Eggplant Tofu: I love me some tofu. And I love me some eggplant. Needless to say I love me me sesame eggplant tofu. The eggplant was cooked perfectly - a pet peeve of mine.
I should mention here the service - which was fantastic. Our waiter was extremely attentive, and our water glasses were never empty. We even met the executive chef, Sam, and gave him the big kudos he deserved. He said they have a location in Oakland, and so many South Bay heads we making the trip out there, they convinced them to open one up down here. We love you South Bay heads!
And for my favorite part of every meal...
Dessert
Vegan Carrot Cupcake: The executive chef mentioned that they make 90% of their dishes fresh to order. Pretty much the only food they do not prepare there is their desserts. Which is fine by me, because they get them from Black China Bakery in Santa Cruz. The frosting was amaaaaazing. Not a small feat!
I know, I know. We're piggies. And we did eat almost everything. The salad and the beef dish were by far the favorite of the entire table (licked those plates clean).
So if you're vegetarian (or even if you're not) and in the area (or even if you're not), you must treat yourself to the tasty morsels at Merit. I guarantee you will be a fan.
I want it now!
Merit Vegetarian
548 Lawrence Expressway #2
Sunnyvale, CA
408.245.8988
Open daily: 11am - 9pm
There are a few fairly good vegetarian restaurants in the South Bay (Happy Bamboo, Garden Fresh), but after awhile, as with any restaurant, you get bored. Plus the ambiance in those restaurants is nothing to write home about. So we were happy to discover a new one right on Lawrence Expressway, with wonderful decor.
Like the other veggie restaurants in the area, Merit Vegetarian specializes in Asian cuisine, incorporating a lot of "fake meat" dishes. Unlike the other veggie restaurants in the area, this one rules the world.
Mr. Johnson and I took my brother and sister-in-law with us - neither of whom are vegetarian. A breakdown of what we ordered, and our critiques:
Appetizers
Fresh Spring Rolls: Okay, starting off really well. The rolls were extremely fresh, as well as the vegetables. The tofu was perfectly cooked. And the peanut dipping sauce was to die for. My sister-in-law doesn't care to much for tofu, so she picked hers out, but wouldn't give up the rest of it.
Salad
Lotus Salad: Yum. First all, they don't skimp on the lotus root. And I don't know what kind of dressing they put on it, but it may as well be called crack dressing. As my brother said, "best salad I've ever had".
Soup
Spicy Noodle Soup: Okay, normally I hate fake ham. I never even liked real ham. But whatever they got going on in this soup is the bomb-diggity. As my brother said, "best soup I've ever had".
Entrees
Sauteed Garlic "Beef": Definitely the best dish of the bunch. As I mentioned earlier, my sister-in-law doesn't care too much for tofu. But apparently she is a big fan yummy garlicky tofu morsels pretending to be beef. We had a chopstick sword fight going on as the morsels started to disappear.
Curry Vegetables: Although a little too gingery for my taste, yummy just the same. The vegetables were amazingly fresh.
Sesame Eggplant Tofu: I love me some tofu. And I love me some eggplant. Needless to say I love me me sesame eggplant tofu. The eggplant was cooked perfectly - a pet peeve of mine.
I should mention here the service - which was fantastic. Our waiter was extremely attentive, and our water glasses were never empty. We even met the executive chef, Sam, and gave him the big kudos he deserved. He said they have a location in Oakland, and so many South Bay heads we making the trip out there, they convinced them to open one up down here. We love you South Bay heads!
And for my favorite part of every meal...
Dessert
Vegan Carrot Cupcake: The executive chef mentioned that they make 90% of their dishes fresh to order. Pretty much the only food they do not prepare there is their desserts. Which is fine by me, because they get them from Black China Bakery in Santa Cruz. The frosting was amaaaaazing. Not a small feat!
I know, I know. We're piggies. And we did eat almost everything. The salad and the beef dish were by far the favorite of the entire table (licked those plates clean).
So if you're vegetarian (or even if you're not) and in the area (or even if you're not), you must treat yourself to the tasty morsels at Merit. I guarantee you will be a fan.
I want it now!
Merit Vegetarian
548 Lawrence Expressway #2
Sunnyvale, CA
408.245.8988
Open daily: 11am - 9pm
Monday, December 10, 2007
Merry F'n Christmas
I'm trying really hard to stay in the holiday spirit. But there are so many a-holes in my universe that it makes it very difficult.
After a wonderful date night Saturday (the Cirque du Soleil show Kooza, enjoying the lights at Union Square, then dinner at Millennium), Mr. Johnson and I woke up Sunday ready to tackle a long list of to-do's. We spent the morning cleaning the house, did our Winter cleaning of the closet, then went out to run our errands.
First stop was Crossroads Trading Co., where we brought in FOUR bags of clothes and accessories. There was a line when we got there, so we looked around the store. We knew some of the stuff we brought in wouldn't be purchased, but once we started looking around, we knew quite a few would.
Looking around... looking around...Oh my gosh, I kid you not... LA GEARS. And not just any, but HIGH TOP LA GEARS. Okay, now I know they will be taking a bunch of our stuff.
So then it was our turn and the girl starts going through our stuff. Another employee - who hopefully was on her break - was trying on clothes and kept coming behind the register for her co-workers approval, which kind of bugged. A few minutes go by, then she calls me up. Did she really have time to go through all FOUR bags?
"Hi. I bought 2 of your items, for a total of $7.18."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Ya, those were the only things we'll be buying."
"Okay, I know I had some Old Navy stuff in there, but what about the Betsey Johnson dress, the four Urban Outfitters jackets, the Chanel sunglasses, or the Dior scarf? Or the polo shirts that had never been worn?"
"Ya, they weren't really the quality we look for."
But dirty-ass neon-pink high top LA Gears from 1991 are? I'm so confused. And why did I feel like this twenty year old was judging my fashion sense? My handbag cost more than her rent!
But I'm not vain like that (ya I am). We were offended for about 5 minutes, and figured we'd probably benefit more from the Goodwill tax write-off anyway. I'm sure there's some kind of science to having your clothes purchased there (probably should have separated out the Goodwill stuff), but I just don't have the time for that. I barely got around to cleaning out my closet - now I have to go through and determine what some wanna-be hipster thinks other wanna-be hipsters would want to buy? Not happening.
So we took our $7.18 and went to our next stop - Cost Plus.
We had to go to Cost Plus because a few weeks early I had bought some wine glasses, and the top of one of them looked like some kind of crazy weapon. Meaning it was totally jagged and you could definitely hurt yourself with it.
While Mr. Johnson looked for the glasses, I walked up to the register just as the salesperson was putting up her "Closed" sign. To which she looks at me and says, "I guess I'll help you first". Off to a great start. So I told her the deal, showed her the glass, and she told me to just go grab one out of another box and replace it with the lip-cutting one, and that they'll just give the next person that buys it a discount.
Ummm okay.
So I go and find another box (where the heck is my husband?) and go to replace the glass. But then I start having these visions of some grandma excited to take her first sip of Chablis, and as she puts it to her mouth she cuts her lip open, blood starts gushing out all over the place, and she has to spend the rest of the night in the emergency room.
Yeah, I can't do this.
I bring the deadly glass and the new box of glasses up to another register, at which point Mr. Johnson joins me. I tell the new sales person the deal. And she says, "Oh ya, these aren't the hand blown ones, they're factory made, so you'll have some defects."
Nice. For the second time today my purchases are questioned by some twenty-something. Don't judge me bitch. We have a mortgage and student loans.
"Well someone could seriously hurt themselves on this defect," Mr. Johnson sternly says.
"Oh yeah, you're right. I'll put this in the damages." Oh, so she'll listen to him. But then she wrote "Scary Broken Glasses" on the box and that made me smile. You have redeemed yourself.
Off to OSH, to buy a carpet cleaner. We're merrily on our way, over the fashion judgments of Crossroads and the near grandma-lip-cutting at Cost Plus.
I'm feeling the Christmas spirit again; I've got $7.18 burning a hole in my pocket. Things are good. I turn the radio to the holiday station.
<singing>
"Oh the weather outside is frightful..."
We're first in line at a stop light. I look over and see a panhandler holding a sign:
MONEY.
ARM.
ANY THINY WILL HELP.
Me: "Wait. What does that guys sign say?"
Husband: "I think he's trying to be clever. He only has one arm."
Now, usually I try to avoid any indication that I acknowledge a panhandlers presence. But I was so confused by this guys sign, I had to make sure I was reading it right. And I was. But it was too late.
He saw me looking.
So he starts to do a little dance with his sign, and we pretend we see something interesting on the other side of the road. You know, the "look over there!" routine.
We were not to be let off so easily. He starts to walk up to the car.
"I know you know how to read mother f***ing english."
Oh. No. He. Didn't.
Yes, yes I do know how to read "mother f***ing english", kind sir. But last time I checked "thiny" was not part of the english language.
<sigh>
So there you have it folks, a day full of Christmas cheer.
Epilogue
This story does have a happy (in somewhat roundabout way) ending.
Mr. Johnson received an email today from one of his colleagues that a friend suffered an apartment fire over the weekend. They unfortunately didn't have renters insurance, and 60% of their belongings were lost. As the fire happened near their closet, 90% of their clothes were lost.
The husband happens to wear the exact same size as mine. And the wife, although of normal size thus not fitting into any of my pigmy-sized clothes, will be pimping some Chanel sunglasses and Dior scarfs.
After a wonderful date night Saturday (the Cirque du Soleil show Kooza, enjoying the lights at Union Square, then dinner at Millennium), Mr. Johnson and I woke up Sunday ready to tackle a long list of to-do's. We spent the morning cleaning the house, did our Winter cleaning of the closet, then went out to run our errands.
First stop was Crossroads Trading Co., where we brought in FOUR bags of clothes and accessories. There was a line when we got there, so we looked around the store. We knew some of the stuff we brought in wouldn't be purchased, but once we started looking around, we knew quite a few would.
Looking around... looking around...Oh my gosh, I kid you not... LA GEARS. And not just any, but HIGH TOP LA GEARS. Okay, now I know they will be taking a bunch of our stuff.
So then it was our turn and the girl starts going through our stuff. Another employee - who hopefully was on her break - was trying on clothes and kept coming behind the register for her co-workers approval, which kind of bugged. A few minutes go by, then she calls me up. Did she really have time to go through all FOUR bags?
"Hi. I bought 2 of your items, for a total of $7.18."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Ya, those were the only things we'll be buying."
"Okay, I know I had some Old Navy stuff in there, but what about the Betsey Johnson dress, the four Urban Outfitters jackets, the Chanel sunglasses, or the Dior scarf? Or the polo shirts that had never been worn?"
"Ya, they weren't really the quality we look for."
But dirty-ass neon-pink high top LA Gears from 1991 are? I'm so confused. And why did I feel like this twenty year old was judging my fashion sense? My handbag cost more than her rent!
But I'm not vain like that (ya I am). We were offended for about 5 minutes, and figured we'd probably benefit more from the Goodwill tax write-off anyway. I'm sure there's some kind of science to having your clothes purchased there (probably should have separated out the Goodwill stuff), but I just don't have the time for that. I barely got around to cleaning out my closet - now I have to go through and determine what some wanna-be hipster thinks other wanna-be hipsters would want to buy? Not happening.
So we took our $7.18 and went to our next stop - Cost Plus.
We had to go to Cost Plus because a few weeks early I had bought some wine glasses, and the top of one of them looked like some kind of crazy weapon. Meaning it was totally jagged and you could definitely hurt yourself with it.
While Mr. Johnson looked for the glasses, I walked up to the register just as the salesperson was putting up her "Closed" sign. To which she looks at me and says, "I guess I'll help you first". Off to a great start. So I told her the deal, showed her the glass, and she told me to just go grab one out of another box and replace it with the lip-cutting one, and that they'll just give the next person that buys it a discount.
Ummm okay.
So I go and find another box (where the heck is my husband?) and go to replace the glass. But then I start having these visions of some grandma excited to take her first sip of Chablis, and as she puts it to her mouth she cuts her lip open, blood starts gushing out all over the place, and she has to spend the rest of the night in the emergency room.
Yeah, I can't do this.
I bring the deadly glass and the new box of glasses up to another register, at which point Mr. Johnson joins me. I tell the new sales person the deal. And she says, "Oh ya, these aren't the hand blown ones, they're factory made, so you'll have some defects."
Nice. For the second time today my purchases are questioned by some twenty-something. Don't judge me bitch. We have a mortgage and student loans.
"Well someone could seriously hurt themselves on this defect," Mr. Johnson sternly says.
"Oh yeah, you're right. I'll put this in the damages." Oh, so she'll listen to him. But then she wrote "Scary Broken Glasses" on the box and that made me smile. You have redeemed yourself.
Off to OSH, to buy a carpet cleaner. We're merrily on our way, over the fashion judgments of Crossroads and the near grandma-lip-cutting at Cost Plus.
I'm feeling the Christmas spirit again; I've got $7.18 burning a hole in my pocket. Things are good. I turn the radio to the holiday station.
<singing>
"Oh the weather outside is frightful..."
We're first in line at a stop light. I look over and see a panhandler holding a sign:
MONEY.
ARM.
ANY THINY WILL HELP.
Me: "Wait. What does that guys sign say?"
Husband: "I think he's trying to be clever. He only has one arm."
Now, usually I try to avoid any indication that I acknowledge a panhandlers presence. But I was so confused by this guys sign, I had to make sure I was reading it right. And I was. But it was too late.
He saw me looking.
So he starts to do a little dance with his sign, and we pretend we see something interesting on the other side of the road. You know, the "look over there!" routine.
We were not to be let off so easily. He starts to walk up to the car.
"I know you know how to read mother f***ing english."
Oh. No. He. Didn't.
Yes, yes I do know how to read "mother f***ing english", kind sir. But last time I checked "thiny" was not part of the english language.
<sigh>
So there you have it folks, a day full of Christmas cheer.
Epilogue
This story does have a happy (in somewhat roundabout way) ending.
Mr. Johnson received an email today from one of his colleagues that a friend suffered an apartment fire over the weekend. They unfortunately didn't have renters insurance, and 60% of their belongings were lost. As the fire happened near their closet, 90% of their clothes were lost.
The husband happens to wear the exact same size as mine. And the wife, although of normal size thus not fitting into any of my pigmy-sized clothes, will be pimping some Chanel sunglasses and Dior scarfs.
Monday, December 3, 2007
The Best Christmas Light Display EVER.
This picture does not do it justice. When I say the two houses at 1164 & 1168 Tangerine Way in Sunnyvale are the best Christmas lights I have ever seen, I don't think you understand. I am talking the best. EVER.
Last year Mr. Johnson and I went, then had to go back a few times to show other people. It's that good. Tune into channel 104.1 FM when you get there and witness 55,000 computer controlled lights on 178 different channels, synchronized to MUSIC! I know, right!!!!
They have their own website where you can download the playlist with times (and also which songs are animated and when they do "low power"), some behind the scenes info and pics, and a bunch of other stuff. While reading through, I found this:
"Our dog Sparky passed away in the Spring of '07. He was my Xmas light buddy and loved to be outside working on the lights (or sitting on them) with me. In memory of Sparky, Rudolf is wearing his collar and tags this year."
I am seriously crying as I type this.
As if the lights and music and snow and Rudolf weren't enough, they also have provided a great opportunity to do some good this holiday season - by setting up a donation can for Second Harvest Food Bank. Opening night was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and they raised $16,362 and filled 1.5 barrels with food. Last year they raised $27,836 & 10.0 barrels, so help them beat it! All donations up to $500 will be matched! If you decide to bring food, please see the following recommendations from Second Harvest:
MOST NEEDED FOODS
The Food Bank needs nutritious, non-perishable foods:
Please avoid donating items in glass containers (they break and make a mess).
Powdered milk
Peanut butter
Pasta
Tuna
Low sugar cereal
Meals in a can (stew, chili, soup)
Canned foods with pop-top lids
Click here more info, and details on how to donate online.
So if you're not yet feeling the spirit of Christmas, pay a visit to these houses and I promise you you'll be ho-ho-ho-ing in no time.
Can you tell I love Christmas?
Thursday, November 29, 2007
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum!
So now Thanksgiving is over, making it officially the most wonderful time of the year!!!!
We went back and forth on what to do about a Christmas tree this year. Last year we got a real one, but it just seemed so sad that first week of January, sitting in the gutter. So then we thought of an artificial tree, but found out that they're made of PVC. Ummm ya. That's not biodegrading like EVER.
So Mr. Johnson had the best idea! Getting a live tree! Per TreeHugger (and you know they got the tree love), "if you’ve got the space for it, getting a tree with roots and replanting it is obviously the most eco-friendly solution". Well we don't have a yard, but the nice lady at OSH told me it well be good in a pot for at least 5 years. Then we may need to think about transplanting it.
I loooooove my little tree! And we've picked out the perfect place for it on the patio once Christmas is over. Now let's just pray I don't kill it.
We went back and forth on what to do about a Christmas tree this year. Last year we got a real one, but it just seemed so sad that first week of January, sitting in the gutter. So then we thought of an artificial tree, but found out that they're made of PVC. Ummm ya. That's not biodegrading like EVER.
So Mr. Johnson had the best idea! Getting a live tree! Per TreeHugger (and you know they got the tree love), "if you’ve got the space for it, getting a tree with roots and replanting it is obviously the most eco-friendly solution". Well we don't have a yard, but the nice lady at OSH told me it well be good in a pot for at least 5 years. Then we may need to think about transplanting it.
I loooooove my little tree! And we've picked out the perfect place for it on the patio once Christmas is over. Now let's just pray I don't kill it.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thanksgiving is for Lovahs.
Well, Thanksgiving is over, and obviously from my lack of posts, I've been quite busy. So thought I would bring ya'll up to date!
First, Mom & Daddy came on Wednesday. Mom and I went for a hike, and came back to find Daddy nugglin' with the grandkids.
Then we had sushi for dinner. Daddy recognized that the server was Korean and started spittin' some Korea geography knowledge (No, my dad isn't Korean. He just knows everything about everything). He must have made an impression, as the husband and Daddy got some Kirins on the house. Not that this surprised me. Things like that happen to Daddy all the time.
Next day, Thanksgiving at Sissy and Keith's in Oakland.
First I made Tristan pose for me.
Renee made super yummy apps. Yum. Yum. YUM!
Keith took pictures. I took pictures of Keith taking pictures.
And Brother got kisses from Tristan.
Sissy did a Martha-riffic job of setting the table.
And here it is folks - the piece de resistance. Our first Tofurky!
Isn't it gorgeous??
Well it smelled like ass and tasted like nothing. Neither of us really cared for turkey when we were meateaters, so it was kinda destined for failure. Oh well. We tried. Next year just straight "tofu" minus the "rky". Thank goodness we had lots of these:
But everything else was wonderful, and I ate waaay too much. Dur.
So then the sun started to set, and made some bitchin shadows on the wall. Keith was jealous he didn't have his camera close by (and apparently walking up a flight of stairs is impossible after a Thanksgiving binge).
Game time! YAAAAAAAAAAAHTZEEEEEEEEEE!
Ahhhhhhh yaaaaaa. That was me biotches.
How my sister-in-law slept while we played Yahtzee I'll never know. Girlfriend was tired (or maybe drunk, but we'll just say she was tired).
And then Marie Claire proclaimed it was time for all of us to leave. "Out thee minions!"
To quote the great Ice Cube, "I gotta say it was a good day."
Friday was more eating and drinking and a 6 hour marathon of Rock Band. Papa Bear - AKA me (on vocals and bass), Mr. Johnson (on lead), Brother (on vocals and drums), Sissy (on vocals and bass) - made their first appearance in Campbell and rocked it. Keep an eye out. We're going to make it BIG. In our imaginary Rock Band world.
And then it was game night at our house Saturday night. Fun times. Lots more drinking and eating. Brother and I put together a puzzle of the Biltmore Estate - one of our NC summer vacation stops. Cat was not helping.
Mr. Johnson, Miguel, Chris, Steve, Amii, Nay, Jackson and Sarah all played Yahtzee. And apparently doodled.
Sunday was laying on the couch recovering. All day. It rocked.
And now here I am back to work and blah blah blahdiddy blah. Sad.
First, Mom & Daddy came on Wednesday. Mom and I went for a hike, and came back to find Daddy nugglin' with the grandkids.
Then we had sushi for dinner. Daddy recognized that the server was Korean and started spittin' some Korea geography knowledge (No, my dad isn't Korean. He just knows everything about everything). He must have made an impression, as the husband and Daddy got some Kirins on the house. Not that this surprised me. Things like that happen to Daddy all the time.
Next day, Thanksgiving at Sissy and Keith's in Oakland.
First I made Tristan pose for me.
Renee made super yummy apps. Yum. Yum. YUM!
Keith took pictures. I took pictures of Keith taking pictures.
And Brother got kisses from Tristan.
Sissy did a Martha-riffic job of setting the table.
And here it is folks - the piece de resistance. Our first Tofurky!
Isn't it gorgeous??
Well it smelled like ass and tasted like nothing. Neither of us really cared for turkey when we were meateaters, so it was kinda destined for failure. Oh well. We tried. Next year just straight "tofu" minus the "rky". Thank goodness we had lots of these:
But everything else was wonderful, and I ate waaay too much. Dur.
So then the sun started to set, and made some bitchin shadows on the wall. Keith was jealous he didn't have his camera close by (and apparently walking up a flight of stairs is impossible after a Thanksgiving binge).
Game time! YAAAAAAAAAAAHTZEEEEEEEEEE!
Ahhhhhhh yaaaaaa. That was me biotches.
How my sister-in-law slept while we played Yahtzee I'll never know. Girlfriend was tired (or maybe drunk, but we'll just say she was tired).
And then Marie Claire proclaimed it was time for all of us to leave. "Out thee minions!"
To quote the great Ice Cube, "I gotta say it was a good day."
Friday was more eating and drinking and a 6 hour marathon of Rock Band. Papa Bear - AKA me (on vocals and bass), Mr. Johnson (on lead), Brother (on vocals and drums), Sissy (on vocals and bass) - made their first appearance in Campbell and rocked it. Keep an eye out. We're going to make it BIG. In our imaginary Rock Band world.
And then it was game night at our house Saturday night. Fun times. Lots more drinking and eating. Brother and I put together a puzzle of the Biltmore Estate - one of our NC summer vacation stops. Cat was not helping.
Mr. Johnson, Miguel, Chris, Steve, Amii, Nay, Jackson and Sarah all played Yahtzee. And apparently doodled.
Sunday was laying on the couch recovering. All day. It rocked.
And now here I am back to work and blah blah blahdiddy blah. Sad.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
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