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August 11th, 2005
11:00 pm - Wow - It's been a long time!
Since I logged into this journal and made an entry. I didn't have much interest in LJ for quite awhile as I was depressed living in Rogers Park but since I moved out of the city and to the suburbs I'm a lot happier. Especially b/c I have my own house and a large yard with some flower and vegetable gardens.
Biggest news is the upcoming World Burn Congress Aug. 24 - 26. I fly in Tues. evening so I can be at the hotel in Baltimore for the all day SOAR training. My sister drives in from Raleigh that evening. I can't wait to see old friends, meet new ones and attend some great seminars.
Now to get finished with the Phoenix Society's web site!!!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankhappyg.gif) calm
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February 10th, 2005
09:58 am - Just an Update
The Burn Survivor Saturday went well, although not as many people came this year as last year. The best part was meeting with Amy and Pam and Autumn to talk about redesign for the Phoenix Society's web site. It was so great to spend time with them.
In other news my family is planning a surprise party for my sister-in-law who will be CANCER FREE for 5 years this April! This is definately an occasion to celebrate!
What we might do is to make it a fundraising event for breast cancer and open it up to the Chicago community. Now that would be really cool! I've got a call in to the American Cancer Society already waiting for an answer as to what I need to do to make this a fundraising event.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankhyperg.gif) hyper
Current Music: REM - Automatic for the People
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December 14th, 2004
12:29 pm - Distraction Via Quiz
J.R.R. Tolkien: Lord of the Rings. You are
entertaining and imaginative, creating whole
new worlds around yourself. Well loved, you
have a whole league of imitators, none of which
is quite as profound as you are. Stories and
songs give a spark of joy in the middle of your
eternal battle with the forces of evil.
Which literature classic are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
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October 20th, 2004
09:12 am - Monthly Update
Geesh, looks like I'm only getting around to posting on LJ but once a month. So what' been going on with me? Well I'm moving to Chicago Oct. 30th! I move a lot. I'm like a gypsy. Will I ever settle down and stay in one place longer than 2 years? Don't know.
Let's see if I can list all of the places I ever lived:
Calumet City, IL - birth to 3rd grade
South Holland, IL - 3rd grade to 2nd year college
Normal, IL - dorms at ISU my Jr. year
Bloomington, IL by Miller Park Zoo - I nannied for the Bertrands in exchange for free room and board.
Bloomington, IL by State Farm - my first apartment and student teaching
Kankakee, IL - by Kankakee River - my first year of teaching at Kanakee H.S.
Manteno, IL - moved in w/ another teacher for a couple of months
Kankakee, IL - very small apt. my second yr. of teaching
Lisle, IL - Four Lakes, teaching at brain rehab. center in Downers Grove
Westmont, IL - moved in w/ fiancee, this is when our relationship dissolved & we broke off our engagement
Bloomingdale, IL - bought my first home, a townhouse, job as teacher on psych ward in Glendate Hts.
Raleigh, NC - Moved to NC b/c of sister, got job back in public schools at Leesville H.S.
Raleigh, NC - sister and I moved to one of my favorite apartments
West Chicago, IL - got fired & moved back to IL, lived with my brother until I found my current job at HP
Lisle, IL - moved back to Four Lakes and lived here for 2 years!
Waukegan, IL - moved b/c of current boyfriend going to Shimer College
Waukegan, IL - moved to house next door b/c it is an awesome space
Chicago, IL - moving to Rogers Park, a place I've wanted to live for a long time, and to be closer to boyfriend b/c he moved here too a couple of months ago now that he graduated college
Wow - what a history! First the south suburbs, then central IL, then the west suburbs, northwest suburbs, then North Carolina, back to the west suburbs, up to the north suburbs, and finally to the city of Chicago. 16 moves within 15 years - no wonder why I'm not so excited about this move - the packing and unpacking. Ugh!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankitteng.gif) blah
Current Music: just the traffic on Sheridan Rd.
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June 14th, 2004
02:01 pm - Hiking Hell
I must've been on one of Dante's trails this weekend for certainly it was one of my ideas of hell. Swarms of mosquitos!
I planned a nice 8 mile day hike up in Kettle Moraine South. I chose a trail that had a view of a lake at about mile 4 so I could take a break and eat lunch and enjoy. Ha! That was not to be.
The last time I was out there was a couple a weeks ago for a day hike with Tim. We encountered a lot of mosquitos so I remembered to take a 'bath' in Deep Woods Off before I started my hike yesterday. I was not prepared for the swarms that I encountered. At 1.5 miles all I could think was, "Get me the hell off this trail!"
They were flying in my eyes and even up my nose! I couldn't stop for one moment for a simple drink of water b/c if I stopped then hundreds of them landed on me. Plus I'm sure I would've swallowed serveral bugs in the process. It was awful! I never hiked a trail so fast in my life and I had on my backpack w/ about 25 lbs. of weight. I hiked those 3 miles in an hour which is good timing for me considering all the ups and downs and twists and turns. My knee started to hurt but I had on my brace and kept going. Getting away from those buggers was all I cared about.
I finally made it back to my car. I was soaked with sweat so I changed into a dry t-shirt. I ate lunch in my car thankful to be away from the swarm.
Note for next time - wear a long-sleeve t-shirt and hike on higher ground and away from areas that have bogs or stagnant ponds. I think I'm going to buy one of those net things to go over my head so at least the bugs will stay out of my face. They look silly - that's for sure. Tim has one that goes along with this Outback looking hat his dad got for him. I laughed at how silly it looked on him but I'm not laughing anymore. I'd rather look silly and not have bugs up my nose or in my mouth!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankangryg.gif) annoyed
Current Music: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
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June 3rd, 2004
08:07 am - Coincidence or Intuition?
Last week I was thinking about my appointment on June 2nd at the burn clinic at Stroger Hospital. I felt a strong intuition that I had better call to confirm that appointment so on Thursday I left messages for Dr. Wiley and I emailed Dr. Wiley and Dr. Latenser.
Friday morning before 8 a.m. I got a phone call from Dr. Wiley. She tells me that there is no more clinic on Wednesdays so my appt. is null. She also told me that today was her last day and could I come in to burn clinic to see her?
Tim and I left at 11 a.m. and spent the afternoon at Stroger. Dr. Wiley told us that she is taking personal leave from medicine to spend more time with her family. She also told us that Dr. Latenser accepted a position at U. of Iowa and that today was her last day in clinic as well.
After my scars were checked out we were invitied up to the burn unit to go see Dr. Latenser. The 4 of us sat in Dr. Wiley's office chatting. I gave them each a potted azalea plant and told them how grateful I am they were my doctors and I wished them all the best. It really was amazing how all of this turned out. All b/c I was open to my intuition that told me to call.
Dr. Wiley, me, and Dr. Latenser
Oh and story #2: The weather on Sunday was really bad - flood warnings, tornado watches and warnings, severe thunderstorms. Tim and I had plans to go to Kettle Moraine for a day hike. Tim asked if I wanted to cancel b/c it was pouring rain. My intuition said "no", besides we're going to hike in the rain on the A.T. anyway. Plus I looked at the radar and it appeared the severe stuff was moving over the lake and by the time we got up to Wisconsin things will be clearing up.
When we got up to WI the ground was wet but it was no longer raining. We enjoyed a short day hike and picknicked in this beautiful pastoral meadow. When we got home I saw just how darn good a thing it was I listened to my intuition that said "go". Some sort of microburst of very strong wind toppled a tree next to lot where I park. If I had stayed my car would've been crushed.
Current Mood: indescribable
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May 17th, 2004
05:19 pm - I Love Backpacking!
The Ice Age Trail at Kettle Moraine, WI
I wrote an entire entry that got deleted and I do not feel like typing all of that over again. So I'll just share my story later. For now here are the photos I took.
( Pretty Photos )
Current Mood: aggravated
Current Music: Black Lab - Sleeps with Angels
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May 5th, 2004
05:29 pm - Deleted Stuff
I wrote a post earlier but somehow it got deleted even before I had the chance to save it. Grrrr!
I was just updating on the kittens. They have a new home. A friend of mine adopted both kittens. She sent me an email yesterday to let me know the vet gave 'em both a clean bill of health. I am thrilled they are in a good home and don't have to spend any time in a cage in a shelter! The grey one has been named 'Nessie' and the calico is named 'Saki'.
I also wrote about how anxious I've been feeling. I have a need for a change either a new job or living somewhere else. I can't help it - it's the Sagitarian in me that has this wanderlust.
I am bored at the moment at work. Things ebb and flow and the last few weeks it's been SLOW! I've spent more time web surfing and playing pogo games than actually working. But as usual this slowness is the calm before the storm. Our company has realigned and this week begins busy time for me as I have to update hundreds of web pages for the intranet I manage. I love working for HP and I want to work here for as long as I can. Until I am laid off one year as part of the 'workforce reductions' or until I retire.
So maybe I will finally move into the city of Chicago. For many years I've lived all around the city in the south, west, northwest and north suburbs. I've always wanted to live in the city. I almost moved to Rogers Park in 2002 but that's when I came up north to Waukegan.
My cousin owns a condo in Lincoln Park. She is leaving for a year to go work in Dallas for her company starting this August. She needs somebody to rent her place while she's gone. If there's a parking space included I just might take advantage of this. Lincoln Park is totally gentrified but still has a lot of character and it's close to the zoo and close to the lake. Hmmm? Maybe?
As for working from home I love it b/c I dont' have to get all dressed up and stuff. But lately I've allowed myself to get too distracted and even tempted to nap when I'm supposed to work. I miss the human interaction like you get at the office. The virtual office sucks at times b/c your only contact w/ people is through IM, email, voicemail and phone calls. I think I can address my productivity issues if I go in to the office more often. And if I move to Chicago I will be a lot closer to the office than I am now thereby resulting in a shorter commute.
By the way, I really miss my mom. Everyday I think about her! I'm going to have to plan some special time alone for Mother's Day this year. Just something to be in touch with my love and memories for her which are still alive.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankscaredg.gif) anxious
Current Music: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Love Letter
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April 20th, 2004
04:20 pm - 2 More Photos
The kittens are certainly comfortable in their new surroundings. Sure beats a cage at the animal shelter. The sunroom has turned into their playground. Good thing I kitty-proofed the place. They started climbing and wrestling with each other. Won't be long for them to get into everything!
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April 19th, 2004
04:29 pm - Kittens
I resuced 2 abandoned kittens the other day. Both are doing well. I found a no-kill shelter yesterday where I'll eventually bring them to. I offered to care for them until they are a bit older and ready to be spayed. They're somewhere around 4 - 5 weeks. old.
The calico is very affectionate and vocal. She likes to climb all over me. The gray one wants nothing to do with me. But she is getting more comfortable around me and will come out of hiding. She even walks up to me real slow to touch me w/ her nose before running off. Hopefully soon she'll become more trusting of humans. She still hisses at me but it's a quiet hiss and no more spitting.
Today I watched them wrestle. It was so cute to watch the gray one pouce on the calico. They batted their paws and bit each other. Looks like they are adjusting to being confined. Sure beats sleeping in the bushes all cold and with no food. And my sunroom makes for an excellent nursery with plenty of playroom, toys and places to hide! My older cats don't even know they are there b/c they can't smell 'em.
Here they are:
FIGARO
ARTEMIS
Current Mood: happy
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April 8th, 2004
08:34 am - John Cusack is in my home town today!
So I was doing laundry this evening and while the clothes were in the dryer I walked over to Louie's to order some dinner. While waiting I overheard some bar patrons talking about Mathon's, the restaraunt that closed on Waukegan's Harbor. I heard this guy say that it is being used as a movie set and then something about Billy Bob Thornton and John Cusack.
Hmmm, could this be true?! I talked to  invisible_isis who confirmed that she heard there is movie being filmed somewhere in Waukegan.
I just did a search and found this:
Cusack, Billy Bob team for 'Ice' By JAM! Movies
John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton are teaming up to star in the dark comedy "Ice Harvest," Variety reports.
The film, directed by Harold Ramis ("Analyze This," "Groundhog Day"), centres on embezzlers who get rich scamming strip clubs and massage parlours but end up snowbound.
Also cast is Monica Belucci ("The Passion of the Christ"), who will play a strip club owner in the film.
"Ice Harvest" is scheduled to begin production in April in Ramis's hometown of Chicago.
I heard though that John Cusack is an asshole to his fans so I'll leave him alone but it'd still be cool just to be at the various places where they are filming only blocks from my home! Maybe I can take some photos of some of the stars and the filming going on.
Another friend of mine provided this link to a msg. board where people are talking about more of the details. This afternoon they are filming John Cusack robbing my friend's bank in downtown Waukegan. Yesterday they filmed outdoor scenes down the street along one of our blocks in the historical area where I live. I saw a bunch of trailers and trucks parked by this school across the street from the hospital and noticed this one street blocked off and I wondered what was going on and now I know.
My dad got to appear as an extra in Rudy b/c they filmed at his steel mill. He said it was really cool to watch the filming, especially the stunt when there was an explosion in the mill. He got paid I think $100 each day for 3 days. You can see a close up of his face for like 1 second when the workers cheered at the news that Rudy got accepted to Nortre Dame. Cool!
I want to play hooky from work today so I can go for a walk down the block to see what I can see. I'll do as much work as I can this morning but come lunch I'm going for a walk, after all I have a letter to mail and I'm sure I can come up with some other errands to do nearby. ;) Am I being silly for being kind of excited about this?
Current Mood: excited
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March 30th, 2004
02:51 pm - Civic
Wow, I did my civic duty today and walked to downtown to register to vote in the large Lake Co. gov't bldg. Then I went across the street to city hall to finally buy my vehicle sticker. I've been living in Waukegan for 1 1/2 yrs. now and still don't have my silly sticker. I actually didnt' get it today b/c the new ones are issued on Apr. 1 so why should I pay $20 for 2 days when I'd have to spend $20 for a new one? So I'll go back on Thurs.
$20 is a lot for a vehicle sticker compared to other towns I lived in. Others were only $8 or $10 and some didn't even require a sticker. It could be more too like $40-50 for the city of Chicago. Or for N.C. they require you to pay for emission/inspection testing on your car every year and I think that was $28. N.C. also charges you tax on your vehicle when first pay for your license plate. I think it was more expensive to have a car in N.C. in terms of revenue than IL.
Speaking of revenue - I got my IRS refund. I love e-filing and direct deposit. I'm planning to spend that money on gear I need for the hiking/backpacking I plan on doing this summer. This Spring it'll be Starved Rock and Kettle Morraine. Then I hope to get one more trip in to Devil's Lake early to mid summer before hiking the A.T. I found a tent on sierratradingpost.com I want to get. It's a 2-man tent that can zip up into a 1-man tent. It's $200. Maybe I ought to shop around for tents that are cheaper but if this is quality it may be well worth it.
Time to get back to work.
Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: Wolfsheim - Once in a Lifetime
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March 25th, 2004
08:36 am - Still
I've been having a tough week so far and it's all been an internal challenge. I feel depressed w/ many of the symtoms that go along with it like lack of interest, lathargic, difficulty concentrating, etc. I'm not concerned b/c a few days or a week or two of feeling depressed is normal. Time for concern is when that extends past 2 weeks and begins to interfere with your life. I think this is from a combination of factors - allergies and p.m.s. I know this will pass but in the meantime I must endure.
I've been thinking a lot about my mom. I really really miss her! For the first time ever as I laid in bed this moring I thought, "What if it was dad?" I couldn't believe that thought crossed my mind. I chose not to entertain it and instead dismissed it b/c the reality is that my mom is the one who is gone.
I'm glad I have dreams of her. I wish her to be my confidant in the dream world. Last night I was overcome with very strong memories of her last weekend with us. (It was almost a flashback but not quite b/c I was still aware of being in my living room.) I was thinking about the morphine injections my sister and I gave her. I was remembering her voice, her weak smile, her last words to us. God I miss her so much!
Well I guess now is as good a time as any for me to finally transcribe her last words. My sister is on LJ and I told her that I would post what I wrote down from that weekend. ( For skygrrrl and others curious to read about this beautiful moment of transition )
Current Mood: indescribable
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March 17th, 2004
09:37 am - Happy St. Patty's Day!
Ah, I love bein' Irish! I'm 50% Irish on my mother's side with the family surname of McHugh.
I've been to Eire twice, once with my sister and once by myself. My sister and I landed in Limerick to take a train across the country to Dublin. Since our week was planned in Dublin the train was meant for us to see the very green countryside. But our travel agent screwed up and we were laid over in Limerick for what? 6 hours? before the next train would leave to Dublin. It was gray and rainy and we had our luggage and couldn't just go explore the town. We were jet lagged too so by the time we got on the train we were both SOOOO CRABBY! I believe we were kickin' each other as we tried to get comfortable in our seats.
To this day I do not remember the taxi ride from the train station to the B&B. Heck, I barely remember climbing the stairs to our room before we both passed out! But what a grand time we had exploring the city. Some of my favorite memories:
( Read more... )
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankawakeg.gif) awake
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March 10th, 2004
11:19 am - Distracted at Work
Well I have yet to get into the 'zone' like I was yesterday working until 7 p.m. last night. I'll get there. Had a boring conf. call for 1 1/2 hrs. this morning and since them I've been tinkering around my email and LJ.
*waving index finger side to side* "Naughty, naughty, naughty". But my actual work time evens out with my other time b/c I do work late when in the flow.
I'm finally all caught up w/ LJ friends and the last thing to do in my journal today is to post yet another quiz.
( What is your heart made of? )
Current Mood: happy
Current Music: VNV Nation
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09:25 am - Silly Quiz
You're in touch with the world, and you have a very
strong opinion on things like politics and war.
Even if you do end up changing your image in
the future, most of us will still like you.
What band from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
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February 18th, 2004
04:56 pm - My Plans to Hike the A.T.
Well I found my hiking boots today! I was fitted today and placed a pair on hold along with some wool socks made for backpacking. I plan to pick them up on Fri. The boots are $200 which seems like a lot of money to me but I'm sure wearing the right kind of boot along with quality will be very important for hiking the A.T.
The guy I talked to was an older guy who has hiked the A.T. many times but never a 'thru-hike' from the start on Springer Mtn. in Georgia to Katahdin Mtn. in Maine. It was so great to talk to him b/c he was able to teach me about things to know such as the proper way to lace up your boots. He grew up in New Hampshire so hiked a lot through there and Maine. He did the trail once from the Smokey Mtns. in TN all the way up to Maine.
mr_krueger plans to hike the Appalachian Trail for 3 months this summer after he graduates. His dad is going to join him at the start of this trek I think somewhere in N.C. I plan to join him hopefully for 2 weeks sometime at the end of July or early Aug. I bought a book on the A.T. yesterday and started reading up on the trail itself at the Appalachian Trail Conference website. I need to figure out what part I want to hike.
I would LOVE to hike New Hampshire & Maine but that is the most difficult part of the trail. Since I'm a newbie to hiking/backpacking I figure I'll pick an easier part of the trail. Mass. & Vermont look more suitable to me but it all depends on how far north Mr. Krueger gets from N.C.
REI is an awesome store! I didn't realize it is a co-op. I joined today w/ a one-time $15 membership that provides cash back bonuses on purchases as well as special discounts and stuff. Plus the people who work there have experience. Rex, the guy who helped me today, told me I should bring in my backpack so they can see how it fits me and to determine it's quality. (And he assured me that they won't try to sell me another backpack if mine is honestly good enough.) They'll also show me the correct way to pack my backpack and the correct way to wear it w/ the weight properly distributed.
Once I get my boots home I'm supposed to wear them for 3 days for about 3-4 hours w/ my hiking socks on to see how it fits. If there are any problems after that time I'm supposed to bring the boots back for a different pair. I'm sure the ones I picked out will be just fine. I plan to wear them everyday to break them in well before this trip.
I asked if Rex knew of places to go in the midwest for day trips or weekend trips so I can build myself up. He gave me the name of 2 places in WI - Devil's Lake and Kettle Moraine(sp?). Devil's Lake is just south of the Dells.
Here are my goals so far to help me prepare for this amazing trip:
1. Begin walking everyday at home 2 mi in 30 min.
2. Break in my new hiking boots
3. Get in cardio shape
4. Take day trips on the weekend to hike wooded trails starting off w/ 10 pounds in my backpack then working my way up to 25-30% of my body weight.
5. Improve my diet (I'm planning on doing a detox soon to cleanse my body.)
6. Drink more water
7. Buy the other gear I need
I'm starting to get really excited about this and hope to be prepared physically so I can really enjoy my time!
Current Mood: bouncy
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February 11th, 2004
08:46 am - Beware! AOL IM Virus
There seems to be an AOL IM virus that is sending messages to people on your buddy list without you being aware. If you get a message about Osama Bin Laden do not follow it. It installs some buddy sharing program and then sends the same link to everyone on your buddy list.
This is also taking other forms as I got one this morning where a name on my buddy list said "Check this out" and there is some link. DO NOT click on any link! It's a virus!
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February 10th, 2004
11:21 am - Censure President Bush!
Dear friend,
In an attempt to escape responsibility for the misleading statements that led the nation to war, President Bush has announced plans to form an independent inquiry to look into what went wrong. An inquiry would serve the Bush administration well: it would envelop the issue in a fog of uncertainty, deflect blame onto the intelligence services, and push any political damage into 2005, after the upcoming election.
But the facts need no clarification. Despite repeated warnings from the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency, President Bush and his administration hyped and distorted the threat that Iraq posed. And now that reality is setting in, the President seeks to pin the blame on someone else. We can't let him.
Congress has the power to censure the President -- to formally reprimand him for his betrayal of the nation's trust. If ever there was a time to use this function, it is now. Join the call for Congress to censure President Bush now at:
www.moveon.org
Current Mood: angry
Current Music: White Stripes - Buttons to Button
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February 9th, 2004
12:20 pm - Hey Skygrrrl
The Hothouse Flowers recorded a new album!
"The Hothouse Flowers launched their new album Into Your Heart surrounded by the heavenly glow of Bono!
The Flowers have been very quiet since they achieved success in the early 90s but the Irish speaking band still have a loyal fanbase and hopefully should regain their rightful place in the charts with this overdue offering."
Check out this site for photos Showbiz Ireland
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kstockwoman's journal