# So what did you do before this?



## ToddMR (Aug 24, 2011)

Just thought I would post about the good ol days lol.  Not saying this isn't good, but I was just sitting here remembering what I used to dump my money into before turning pens.  Back in 1999 I started playing EQ and I have played many other similar games since.  I was on there for a few years and used to spend 12+ hours some days playing online games.  My money back then always went to getting a better computer built.  I still piece together my PC, but I don't upgrade nearly as often as I used to.  Seems like these days I don't have as much time to devote to playing much of anything online.  Also I get bored sometimes with it now.  I also traveled quite a bit the first few years I was married, the last several it seems like we haven't had that chance.  I am hoping this coming year will be different and we will be able to afford to travel somewhere again.  

So I am curious what other past times you all miss or did previously.


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## theidlemind (Aug 24, 2011)

I spent piles of money on methanol burning, racing, go-karts. 
Spent 1,000$ on a Briggs&Stratton roto-tiller motor one time. 
Then built a 1948 Willys Jeep that I 4 Wheeled. 
Now I tinker with an over powered 1st generation Dodge/Cummins. 
I also make all of my own fuel. 
And in between I have a full time job.


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## snyiper (Aug 24, 2011)

I used to race RC monster trucks, now I just dabble with wanting to make fishing rods but I am looking into dropping a cummins 12v into my 79 ford 2wd I think that will be my next project.


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## tim self (Aug 24, 2011)

If I wasnt working 12+ hrs a day, I was hunting or fishing.  I let the wife blow the money.  Since I blew my back out 3 yrs ago, she said "You need a hobby!!!"  So here I am, my turn to blow any so called "extra" cash.  It's easier now since all the kids are grown and gone, but the Grand ones need stuff as well dont they?


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## mredburn (Aug 24, 2011)

I used to be very involved in and at times managed the local gunclub range. Until the city broke our lease handed us a check and said "your outa Here", so they could build practice fields for the farm teams of the Boston Red Sox. I was a competitive trap shooter for a few years up until then. Without a place to practice and its 90 miles to the nearest trap fields I was no longer able to stay competitive and dropped out. I miss the smell of gunpowder in the morning on a trap field. It was nothing for me to shoot 2 cases of shells a week. And I dont mean the 10 box flats they now call cases. I used to burn through a 1000+ rounds a week. I ran our local ATA shoots and the club skeet and trap leagues for about 5 years. I reloaded my own shells and didnt bother to box them just filled 5 gallon buckets with reloaded shells and hauled them to the range in those. You want to talk about pouring money out the end of a barrel.

I used to tell my son those games wouldnt be half as much fun if he put as much effort into having a life.


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## Jim15 (Aug 24, 2011)

I collected old vinyl record albums. Still doing it, to a lesser extent.


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## BSea (Aug 24, 2011)

I've had several hobbies.  Scuba diving is my biggest by far.  I took several courses on scuba equipment repair, and invested in specialty tools to service my own equipment.  That led to vintage dive gear (think Sea Hunt).  I bought several old regulators learned how to restore them to working order.  I made several dive trips using my old regulators.  They sure get a lot of questions & looks.  I've made several dives using the tanks and regulator shown in my avatar.

2 back surgeries in the last few years really slowed my diving.  But I'm about 100% again, so I'm looking forward to doing some more diving beginning next year.  My back is one of the reasons I got into making pens.  I needed something to do.  I was actually making gun grips which led to pens.  Now I haven't made a set of grips in almost 9 months.  And I've been making pens for almost 8.  Hmmm . . . . . . . . . .  I wonder if there is a connection?


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## Brooks803 (Aug 24, 2011)

When I lived in Vegas for 8yrs...poker was my hobby back then $1-2 or $5-10 no limit texas holdem. Did REALLY well when the poker boom hit and everyone and their grandmother came out to play. They didn't know an spade from a diamond. Now though, I rarely get re-invited to home games around here 

Besides that cooking has always been something I've loved to do


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## John Pratt (Aug 24, 2011)

Bicycles. I used to race bicycles and I spent thousands on gear and stuff. I have $20K wrapped up in three road bikes and another $10K in three mountain bikes. A really bad back put an end to that hobby. I have always been a woodworker so turning pens is just an extension of that.


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## Parson (Aug 24, 2011)

Enjoyed a 150 gallon marine aquarium for a number of years. And I fixed up a beat up first-year Boxster. Never made any money at those hobbies though. I'm making enough now selling pens to cover all my costs, new equipment, AND give the wife some money for savings.


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## Whaler (Aug 24, 2011)

I have had a few hobbies that I miss but with my turning I wouldn't have time for them anymore.
I took my discharge from the USAF in Tucson and loved it there so I stayed and got into hunting and shooting. In 1967 I bought a new Toyota land Cruiser, within 2 months the inline 6 was gone and a Corvette 327 resided under the hood [the first V8 powered Land Cruiser in Arizona]. Got into running the sand drags and had a ball. In 1969 the company transferred me to Anchorage where hunting and fishing were the thing to do. Of course I had to buy a jet boat to run the rivers. When winter cam I discovered that I had to buy a snowmobile for winter fun and hunting.

I often wonder why I have never found a hobby that isn't a money pit.


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## BlackPearl (Aug 24, 2011)

I'm with John, Raced bikes then when it was two years and I was not in the top 10 in any race I got invited to be an assistant DS or Coach. Pox on that. 

I started randonneuring that is riding long distances (from 120 to 800 miles) against the clock. That took too much money and too much time SWMBO did not like either.


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## bitshird (Aug 24, 2011)

I used to make Jewelry, We cast charms for nearly every major College in the country, I miss it a little since I walk by my casting system every morning going out the door, But I do enjoy Wood Turning and pen making, , the tools though have taken over most of my turning time, which now is devoted to making handles.


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## Akula (Aug 24, 2011)

Served on the Board of Directors of a Search and Recovery Team and also Lead Teams on searches, worked 60 hours a week until the Doc said my last trip home I was lucky to have made it...started getting back into painting (the "art kind" not the "wall kind" LOL).  I still enjoy painting and drawing.  I always thought it strange people liked to watch me paint or draw.  Started turning/making fishing lures, went to pens and just kept going.


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## JohnU (Aug 24, 2011)

I've always been an outdoorsman.  Any chance I could go hunting or fishing, I was there.  My kids gave me a new obsession and spent as much time as I could with them. As they got older and in school I explored my wood working interests.  I spent about 6 years  scrollsawing clocks, ornaments and intarsia, along with making small furniture like end tables, hope chests, and quilt racks, and some painting and small wood projects for a local craft mall.  Buying tools took most of my cash. I also spent a little time making replica police cars for some of the local departments. Started making hunting arrows for a bit and wanted to make recurve bows but pens got in the way.  My wife is a bit of a pen freak along with a few others in the family, so she helped me get into turning.  Now it's pen turning, feather blank making and home remodeling on the side, while my full time job gets in the way. Not to mention buying more blanks than I will probably ever have time to turn. Come fall bow hunting and pheasant hunting get squeezed in too.


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## Jerryconn (Aug 24, 2011)

Used to play Volleyball 3 or 4 days a week every week was a DIV III referee as well, when I wasn't playing or refereeing volleyball I was Bass fishing in tournaments. After 8 or 10 years of constant pounding my hip gave up, and I had to give up playing volleyball. Keep trying to referee and fish but got to the point I could not stand for more than an hour or two so I had to give it all up. After 4 or 5 years finally got the hip replaced. Sold the boat.   Used the money from the boat to get into woodworking, something I always wanted to do and now enjoying every minute of it.


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## Smitty37 (Aug 24, 2011)

*A Lot*

I collected coins for about 6 or 7 years.

We bought an old farm house on 15 acres where we lived for 32 years.

Bred and raised Standardbred Horses
Raised Beef Cattle
Raised Market Hogs
Raised Market Lambs
Raised Roasting Chickens
Raised laying hens
Raised Exotic Chickens
Raised Turkeys
Dabbled in raising rabbits
Dabbled in raising ducks

Gardened for 30 years for our own table.

Hunted Deer 
Rifle shooting
Hunted woodchucks with both rifle and handgun

Walked and hiked
Bycycle riding

Owned and operated a 23 foot ocean going boat for a few years

Owned and showed a restored 1965 Bonneville Convertible for 14 years

Build "cottage" furniture much of what furnishes my house I built.

OH--almost forgot. Raised 6 kids (all pretty decent athletes) with the usual coach/assistant coach/taxi kind of goings on and once they were in about 7th grade there was the manditory attendance at home football, field hockey, basketball(boys and girls)wrestling, softball, baseball and track during the winter and baseball during the summer. The girls all played field hockey and/or basketball in college as well so there were the trips to watch those games


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## Richard Gibson (Aug 24, 2011)

Did lots of music. Have played guitar for 41 years and still own 2 guitars and a bass. Later got into the hammer dulcimer. And a few years ago, because of need of some physical therapy, got into slight-of-hand magic. (Note to Jonathan- they won't let me play cards around here either. Not because I'm good at it... I cheat and they can't catch me:biggrin: )


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## ohiococonut (Aug 24, 2011)

*I still do*

For the last +30yrs fishing, hunting, firearms and reloading. I haven't given any of it up either.


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## Monty (Aug 24, 2011)

Spent 13 years with my son in Cub and Boy Scouts. Served as everything from Scoutmaster, to treasurer, to District Activities Chair, to.... well you get the picture.
When he turned 18 and became an Assistant Scoutmaster with the troop, I sorta slowed down. Then I needed something to take up that extra hour a week scouting required so I bought a lathe. A few pen kits came with it and I was hooked.


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## Atherton Pens (Aug 24, 2011)

Golf....

Played 2-3 times a week.  I'm pretty sure now that I have most of the tools I need, pen turning will be less expensive!  (At least that's what I'm telling LOML...)

Don't really miss the golf (frustration) but need to get more exercise than pen turning provides.

Golf... what a waste of time.  At least with pen turning there is an opportunity to almost break even.


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## hewunch (Aug 24, 2011)

Turned bowls, did flat work, Car Audio installs and Ham radio


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## Kenessl (Aug 24, 2011)

I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. Work in my father garage on the north side of the city. I had several dirt bikes, since the garage was on the edge of the desert, I rode almost anytime I wanted to. When I wasn’t riding, I was either deer or dove hunting. Joined the Air Force; in Germany, I took up RC airplane. I mainly flew the RC glider; there were several great slope sites in Germany. My friends and I also rode our bicycles’ to the Czech Republic, Munich, and several other places in Germany. While in Germany, I was usually elected to make the going-away plaques. My last duty station was Tinker AFB in OKC. I liked it so much, that I stayed after I retired for the AF. I quit playing with the RC plane (still have a loft full, if anyone needs them, they are for sale), started hunting again. I bought a Polaris Ranger to go hunting with (the wife doesn’t want me to have a motorcycle). I was always interested in turning, so my wife bought me a small Jet mini lathe and I started turning pens. But lately I’ve been busy turning seam rippers for my wife’s quilting friends.
Ken


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## Scratch (Aug 24, 2011)

Living History Reenact-er. I used to belong to a group who would get together every so often and live out in the woods for 3-4 days  
dressed like Frontiersmen and Indians. Using Frontier Skills.
 Also made Chokers, Bracelets and Necklaces for sale or trade.


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## moke (Aug 24, 2011)

I had two fulltime jobs, but did flatwork whenever I could.


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## Snowbeast (Aug 24, 2011)

Used to spend a lot of time shooting just about any weapon I could lay my hands on and doing some hunting(when I could find a kind soul to let me hunt for free)(anyone from Texas can tell you about hunting leases).

Spent several years before I retired restoring a pre-war Plymouth to roadworthy condition. Started working on an early 50s Dodge truck that my brother in law gave me. That kind of slowed down and now with the current heat wave, it has become a storage space for my wood supply. One of these days after it cools considerably, I'll get back into it.

Been pretty heavily involved in our local Lions Club for most of the past year.

And then there are the pens, seam rippers, bottle stoppers,........


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## renowb (Aug 24, 2011)

Guitar, drinkin' and raisin' hell back in the army days. I've settled down quite a bit now. Just penmaking now. Oh and looking for a full time job....


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## Mariner1 (Aug 24, 2011)

Started flying airplanes then went to sailplanes and loved it.  I have not flown a sailplane, actually anything, in 20 years. I plan to get back into a sailplane as soon as I am a little less dimensionnaly challenged.  16 years of my wifes cooking and I no longer fit into a cockpit anymore, but I am working on it and hopefully will be less round in the very near future.  I will never stop turning pens as it does relax me, and all the guys on the ship expect a pen for christmas.


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## kenlicciardello (Aug 24, 2011)

When I was single, I was a partner in a small airplane and I also did not skydiving.  for years I restored old corvettes and did some 1/4 mile bracket racing.  Had fresh and saltwater aquariums.  Then I got married and its been all about kids and family since then.  That's actually how I got into wood turning, as something to do with my 2 boys.  

Ken


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## el_d (Aug 24, 2011)

I dabled in Guitar playin with my son and making Fiberglass recurve bows with my Dad...


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## Sylvanite (Aug 24, 2011)

I've been racing sailboats longer than I've been turning.  I made a stand for a ship's wheel once, and formed a stepped dowel out of walnut for the central pivot by rotating it against a belt sander.  After that, I said "never again" and bought a lathe.  I started turning pens because I had to use the lathe for something.

I'm still sailing, though:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfL27Ld4EdU[/yt]

Regards,
Eric


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## JRay8 (Aug 24, 2011)

i used to really be into shooting. even loaded my own 45 acp and 45 colt ammo. liked to shoot trap alot too. i have a 55 gal saltwater aquarium i am thinking about getting rid of (any takers?). and i just signed up for a scuba class.


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## edman2 (Aug 24, 2011)

In reverse order:  Collecting depression era glassware, deer hunting, wood flat work, photography (back when my hair was dark).  Decided to try my hand at pens because, "...honey, it won't cost all that much."  :wink:


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## Jim Smith (Aug 24, 2011)

I've fished just about all my life and still get out about once a week.  For the past 10 years or so, it's been almost exclusively flyfishing.  I built fly rods for a few years and still do every once in a blue moon.  I actually bought my lathe to so I could turn my own reel seats.  After building a fair number of rods, I switched over to pen making. After all you only need so many fishing rods and I didn't want to get into making rods to sell as it took too long and took much opf the fun out of it.  I've been pen turning for about 3 years ago and really enjoy it.  It's fun, relaxing (usually) they make really great gifts and I sell enough to offset most of my expenses.

Jim Smith


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## NewLondon88 (Aug 24, 2011)

in no particular order, I've been a photofinisher, technician, did photo
restoration, did freelance retouching for photographers and magazines, sold
fire trucks and ambulances, played piano for a living for many years, owned
a photo lab, got into homebrewing around 20 years ago (but don't like beer)
spent far too much money on computers before they were widely available
(saved for months to buy a Number 9 video card with a whopping 4MB of
memory!) first guy on the block to have 16MB of RAM (cost $1500.00) had
2 Survival/Pursuit teams and refereed games for years, taught all sorts of
musical instruments, but not strings, wrote orchestra arrangements for
cruise ship bands, wrote tech manuals and produced training videos for
a photofinishing manufacturer. Until recently, never had less than two jobs
at once. (now I'd settle for one!)


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## jimmyheikes (Aug 24, 2011)

Beam me back to the '60s!!!! I was a car head and my last count is that I have owned 51 cars and 6 motorcycles since 1961. In the '80s and '90s I restored '60s Corvettes.  However my most expensive hobby was marine aquariums. Before I retired I had a 250 gallon tank, a 150 gallon tank, two 50 gallon tanks, and a 30 gallon tank in the den of my house. I spent every Saturday from 4 am to 6 pm performing the necessary maintenance required. Then I retired and my wife and I wanted to travel extensively and spend part of the winter in the Caribbean (I hate cold weather) .......goodby marine tanks.  I have been woodworking for over thirty years with a concentration on exotic hardwoods. Then in January of this year I purchased a 3520B............and my new woodworking life began. I turn everything (bowls, hollow forms, boxes, pens) for gifting. I usually spend 8-10 hours a day in my workshop.


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## Chasper (Aug 24, 2011)

The quick list includes sports of all varieties; baseball (deep in the minors), three on three basketball, golf, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, whitewater, rock climbing, untra-marathoning, triathlon, fly fishing, target archery noodling.

Primitive arts; atlatl, flint knapping, tanning, primitive archery, bow making.

Crafts; stained glass, trapuntato, quilting, wood carving, silver smithing, lapidary, book binding, glass blowing,  coopering, silk screening, stone carving, painting, sculpture.

Genealogy,  rock hounding.

Plus a few others I've forgotten about.  I've just bounced from one obsession to another for as long as I can remember.  Pen making is lasting longer than most of them.


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## TomS (Aug 24, 2011)

I used to shoot competitive archery for years. Not real expensive, but time consuming. I practiced 1 to 2 hours a day, every day of the week. Now that I'm retired, hobbies fill my days. Leather work, lampworking, jewelry making, and riding the Harley.
Tom


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## edavisj316 (Aug 24, 2011)

I was flight instructor and then a pilot for an air freight company from 1985 until 2001.  Then I left aviation to go into the ministry.  I have done wood working since I was a teenager.  I have always wanted to build my own airplane.  I started really feeling the bug to start flying again [as a hobby] about three years ago.  Pen turning keeps me preoccupied enough that I don't feel the "need" so bad.  But one of these days I hope to build that airplane.


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## ragz (Aug 24, 2011)

Before my father passed away, I used to make solid body carousel horses with him in sizes from 1 foot tall to full size. Our best we ever did was a full size pegasus with two show sides. 

I raced bicycles as well and was invited to the 1988 olympic road trials. Now I coach my youngest daughter's soccer team, do competitive Tae Kwon Do with my oldest daughter, ride my motorcycle and make sawdust on my lathe.


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## NewLondon88 (Aug 24, 2011)

ragz said:


> Before my father passed away, I used to make solid body carousel horses with him in sizes from 1 foot tall to full size. Our best we ever did was a full size pegasus with two show sides.



Now that's worth a jpeg or two! :biggrin:


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## boxerman (Aug 24, 2011)

I used to raise Boxer Dogs. Sold quite a few of them and made some decent money. Sold one male that made Grand Champion in a dog show in Chicago. That really made very happy to know that I really had some very nice Boxers. But got  out of it was just alot of work &time. So that's why I go by Boxerman. Always like woodworking so I decided to buy a lathe and start turning pens.


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## cwolfs69 (Aug 25, 2011)

ive spent my life working most of the time. 60-80 hours a week usually. did find time to coach 2 boys through little league and 5-6 years with my youngest son as a semi pro fisherman. he and i were on the Bass Pro/Nitro Boats virginia State Team for 5 years. lots of time traveling and *very* expensive for that one. just got rid of the boat in January. finally last February decided i was losing money by continuing to work so i retired for the second time. (retired from General Electric in 2004.) 30 years in the mechanical engineering/machinist field and 15 years as emergency room RN. then i started turning pens. love it. wish i had started slower years ago. with the mechanical background the learning curve was pretty quick. trying to sell enough to support the habit. as many of you know, retirement (fixed income) isnt as financially nice as you think while working, but loving every minute of the freedom. 50 years working for others and uncle sam. now im enjoying life even if im broke all the time.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Aug 25, 2011)

Built and showed Street Rods, My first was a 1939 Plymouth Sedan with a 305 sold it before finishing to buy a 1940 Chevy Pick up. When finished sold it to a local rodder who kept it for 6 years, it now has a new owner in Hawaii, then I built a 1929 Ford that won best in class in every show I showed it in, looked like a million, but could never get a smooth ride with the short wheelbase so sold it and then built Dee's favorite (she's still mad that I sold it) a 1948 Ford coupe, last was a 1946 Chevy Delivery Van, talk about an expensive hobby, pen turning is cheap compared.


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## eldee (Aug 25, 2011)

I was into photography (and darkroom....) for years. I still am, but mostly take "snapshots" now. Been playing electric bass (with a very brief excursion into acoustic) off and on for about 35 years. I used to build static models and have collected a number of 1/8 scale car and wooden ship kits that will soon be up for auction. I have also been into things that fly all my life. I still have rockets, RC helicopters, and a collection of kites. The coolest of "all things flying" was my air and ground  involvement in hot air ballooning.


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## Grizz (Aug 25, 2011)

Actually, this is not 'new.'  I've always been woodworking.  Turning has taken precedence  over flat work.  But I am getting the yearning to get back into the flat work scene.

The nice thing about pen turning is seeing a final product quickly.  Which is nice to do in my line of work.


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