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Summer job in the patch
#8183505
02/25/21 01:51 PM
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 7,049
mikei
OP
THF Trophy Hunter
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OP
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 7,049 |
I worked every summer as a hand in the oil patch around Humble. The wildcatter I worked for was a friend of my dad's. I never did understand why he wouldn't let me learn to throw chain and kept me busy doing all the grunt work instead. Seeing the video reminds me of what a wise man he was, and what a good family friend he was! Plus, I've been able to go through life with all 10 fingers. . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn2BU4eyVHQ&feature=emb_logo
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8183508
02/25/21 01:57 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 32,053
txtrophy85
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 32,053 |
For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8183520
02/25/21 02:01 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39,593
redchevy
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39,593 |
Stuff like that is why i laugh at the TV show Tough as Nails... they got nurses and bagage handlers on there lol bunch a carp.
It's hell eatin em live
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8183580
02/25/21 02:52 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 91,416
bill oxner
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 91,416 |
Only patch where I worked was the cotton patch.
Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8183581
02/25/21 02:53 PM
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 31,058
HWY_MAN
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 31,058 |
I did some summer work on Roustabout and pulling unit crews when I was in high school, now there's a minimum age requirement.
Yes! A Weatherby does kill them deader.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: bill oxner]
#8183588
02/25/21 02:55 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 32,053
txtrophy85
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 32,053 |
Only patch where I worked was the cotton patch. “Somebody told us Wall Street fell, be we was so poor that we couldn’t tell, Cotton was short and the weeds were tall, but Mr. Roosevelt was gonna save us all “ Quoted excerpt from the Autobiography “ I came, I saw, I scuba dived; The life and times of Big Bill Oxner”
For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: txtrophy85]
#8183589
02/25/21 02:58 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 9,992
unclebubba
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 9,992 |
Only patch where I worked was the cotton patch. “Somebody told us Wall Street fell, be we was so poor that we couldn’t tell, Cotton was short and the wee ds were tall, but Mr. Roosevelt was gonna save us all “ Quoted excerpt from the Autobiography “ I came, I saw, I scuba dived; The life and times of Big Bill Oxner” LOL
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: unclebubba]
#8183592
02/25/21 03:02 PM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 18,572
ducknbass
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 18,572 |
Only patch where I worked was the cotton patch. “Somebody told us Wall Street fell, be we was so poor that we couldn’t tell, Cotton was short and the wee ds were tall, but Mr. Roosevelt was gonna save us all “ Quoted excerpt from the Autobiography “ I came, I saw, I scuba dived; The life and times of Big Bill Oxner” LOL
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8183593
02/25/21 03:03 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,320
Judd
#1 Creedmoor Fan
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#1 Creedmoor Fan
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,320 |
Que the pictures from the 70's...3.....2.....1.....
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8183721
02/25/21 05:03 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 29,685
Sneaky
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 29,685 |
I’ve been told that chains are no longer legal to use. I don’t know if that’s true. I do know some still use them.
Roughnecks are a crazy bunch, but I do admire their skills and work ethic.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: Sneaky]
#8183815
02/25/21 06:22 PM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 28,035
skinnerback
THF Celebrity Chef
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THF Celebrity Chef
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 28,035 |
I’ve been told that chains are no longer legal to use. I don’t know if that’s true. I do know some still use them.
Roughnecks are a crazy bunch, but I do admire their skills and work ethic. Yep Roughnecks are a crazy bunch. I got my little brother on as a Roughneck working for Nabors Drilling when he was fresh out of the Army. He was 225 lbs of solid muscle then and loved the hard labor/tripping pipe. He moved up the ladder pretty quick and was doing pretty good for himself and his young family, was working on a site up near Casper Wyoming when I had the unfortunate duty to call him and inform him that his beautiful wife was cheating on him back home. He came home/got divorced/& got custody of his Son. That was the end of his Roughnecking Career.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: skinnerback]
#8183824
02/25/21 06:32 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 32,053
txtrophy85
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 32,053 |
Yep Roughnecks are a crazy bunch. I got my little brother on as a Roughneck working for Nabors Drilling when he was fresh out of the Army. He was 225 lbs of solid muscle then and loved the hard labor/tripping pipe. He moved up the ladder pretty quick and was doing pretty good for himself and his young family, was working on a site up near Casper Wyoming when I had the unfortunate duty to call him and inform him that his beautiful wife was cheating on him back home. He came home/got divorced/& got custody of his Son. That was the end of his Roughnecking Career.
Thats a all too common scenario. Its a young man's job with no wife or kids. A lot of guys get on, start making good money, with their improved income comes lifestyle creep, then comes a point where they can't get out because they can't replace the income with another job. I had alot of friends in the oil field and it was hard on all their families.
Last edited by txtrophy85; 02/25/21 06:32 PM.
For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: txtrophy85]
#8183885
02/25/21 07:48 PM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 28,035
skinnerback
THF Celebrity Chef
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THF Celebrity Chef
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 28,035 |
Yep Roughnecks are a crazy bunch. I got my little brother on as a Roughneck working for Nabors Drilling when he was fresh out of the Army. He was 225 lbs of solid muscle then and loved the hard labor/tripping pipe. He moved up the ladder pretty quick and was doing pretty good for himself and his young family, was working on a site up near Casper Wyoming when I had the unfortunate duty to call him and inform him that his beautiful wife was cheating on him back home. He came home/got divorced/& got custody of his Son. That was the end of his Roughnecking Career.
Thats a all too common scenario. Its a young man's job with no wife or kids. A lot of guys get on, start making good money, with their improved income comes lifestyle creep, then comes a point where they can't get out because they can't replace the income with another job. I had alot of friends in the oil field and it was hard on all their families. There is some truth to your words there. Hell, before it happened to my little brother the exact same thing happened to me, and it was him that called me on the road LOL. I was running a project on a Jack-Up rig in Brownsville. Young man with lots of responsibility and worked a chit ton of OT with few days off. Just trying to work as much as I could and save money so I could buy a house for my wife and 2 young kids, and a nice car for my wife. Then one day at work my little brother calls to inform me that my wife was cheating on me back home while I'm out there busting azz every day staying faithful. I've never been a Roughneck, but have worked in other sectors of the Industry for a long time now. You go from making minimum wage in HS, to $250k + a year, and it's awfully hard to get out and take a job making a lot less money. It get's in your blood, and you grow accustomed to having a little money put away. You want a new gun, you buy it etc. Lifestyle creep happens to a lot of folks in the patch. Me personally, I would rather save money than spend it...but looking back now, hell I should have spent it ALL on whatever the hell I wanted because the Ex took it all anyway. Being gone working in the patch is hard on a lot of families. You're either fussing/fighting with your wife because you are gone all of the time chasing that dollar, or you are fussing/fighting with your wife because you took a job back home @ 40 hrs/week for less pay and now you don't have money to do anything or go anywhere. This has been my personal experience. Good Lord, damned if you do, damned if you don't. I suppose none of this would matter if you were lucky enough to marry a good/faithful & loving woman that would never do you wrong no matter what. Especially if everything you are doing is for her. My little brother and I just laugh at each other now, and we have both just learned to accept the fact that when it comes to women, we just have really chitty luck. It's not just the patch. Hell, look at all of the folks in our military who are away from each other a lot longer than us. I've seen marriages fall apart there too. I used to play music all the time. After playing another gig one night at a local dive here (when the base was still open), this VERY good looking lady (smoking hot) took interest in me. Long story short, she wanted to do a little mattress dancing. I had just been divorced so of course said HELL yeh, let's roll....then I discovered that her HUSBAND was in the Navy and was gone for a few months on an assignment somewhere. Ah hell naw, as tempting as she was there's no way I would do that to that man. As pretty as she was, she was damn ugly to me at that point. Sorry azz cheatin' POS, and I told her just that as I walked out the door. Cheaters gonna cheat.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8183892
02/25/21 08:06 PM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,002
jhunter77
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,002 |
I chased the patch for 10 or 11 years and I've been all over the place from border towns in south Texas to the border of Canada. I was on my way back to work in west Texas the day after Christmas 2014 and decided to turn around come back home. I called the company I was working for and told them I'd unload my tools and take their truck back to the office in Fort Worth. I took a $65,000 a year pay cut for about 3 years even had to file bankruptcy but DANG IT I'm home with my wife and kids again. I missed a lot of birthdays and holidays. I miss it sometimes it's a lifestyle very few get to experience but there's a lot of great people out there working.
And yes spinning chains have been banned I haven't seen one since around 2007 and that was in New Mexico.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8183908
02/25/21 08:39 PM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 664
brokenpole
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 664 |
Been good to me for 31 years; I make more than most with master degrees, just wish sometimes I would have started my own business years ago
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8183997
02/25/21 10:19 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,200
LonestarCobra
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,200 |
Old school chains and tongs floors are still used a lot, you just won’t see them working for a major or large company. I was on one last week near Throckmorton, and I know 8-10 more that use them all the time.
As for oilfield life, it can be hard on the family, I have been lucky to hang on to a good woman for the last 23 years that can deal with the schedule.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: LonestarCobra]
#8184041
02/25/21 11:10 PM
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,151
jrfan
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,151 |
Old school chains and tongs floors are still used a lot, you just won’t see them working for a major or large company. I was on one last week near Throckmorton, and I know 8-10 more that use them all the time.
As for oilfield life, it can be hard on the family, I have been lucky to hang on to a good woman for the last 23 years that can deal with the schedule. Was it E&H? My wife’s grandad worked for Ray Herring for decades.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: LonestarCobra]
#8184097
02/26/21 12:00 AM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 28,035
skinnerback
THF Celebrity Chef
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THF Celebrity Chef
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 28,035 |
As for oilfield life, it can be hard on the family, I have been lucky to hang on to a good woman for the last 23 years that can deal with the schedule. Awesome Sir. Good stuff.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: Sneaky]
#8184145
02/26/21 12:44 AM
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 14,163
glens
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 14,163 |
I’ve been told that chains are no longer legal to use. I don’t know if that’s true. I do know some still use them. Air Pipe Spinners.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8184154
02/26/21 12:53 AM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,544
SnakeWrangler
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,544 |
I have worked in the oil field for the past thirteen years with a service company. Been on hundreds of rigs large and small and still haven’t been on one still throwing chains.... My wife likes the paychecks and I figure me being gone most of the time....
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored] Actually, BBC is pretty damn good "You Cannot Simultaneously Be Politically Correct And Intellectually Honest!"
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: SnakeWrangler]
#8184224
02/26/21 01:45 AM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 28,035
skinnerback
THF Celebrity Chef
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THF Celebrity Chef
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 28,035 |
I have worked in the oil field for the past thirteen years with a service company. Been on hundreds of rigs large and small and still haven’t been on one still throwing chains.... My wife likes the paychecks and I figure me being gone most of the time.... The two of you, are two of the best. Yall take care of each other, the way it's supposed to be. One of these days I'm gonna find me a Russian mail order bride that I can afford, it's gonna be on THEN!! happy ever after.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8184259
02/26/21 02:16 AM
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Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 1,431
Sewer rat
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 1,431 |
I have been working in the oilfield since 1994. Worked in 13 states in the US and in Mexico. Now I am rarely gone more than a couple of weeks at a time. I have in the past been gone for for 60 days straight. It is tough on the family but we make it work. Been married twenty years with two sons. The traveling gets old but it has made me a multimillionaire and I hope to retire soon before I turn 50.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: jrfan]
#8184548
02/26/21 01:43 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,200
LonestarCobra
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,200 |
Old school chains and tongs floors are still used a lot, you just won’t see them working for a major or large company. I was on one last week near Throckmorton, and I know 8-10 more that use them all the time.
As for oilfield life, it can be hard on the family, I have been lucky to hang on to a good woman for the last 23 years that can deal with the schedule. Was it E&H? My wife’s grandad worked for Ray Herring for decades. No, they are all stacked right now, but I have cemented on every one of them numerous times, and they all used chains, cat lines, and all earth pits. When they wanted to be real cheap, I have seen them rope casing in. It is a 100% different breed of roughneck on those rigs, the prima donna hands out in the Permian wouldn’t make it a single hitch on those rigs. I have some land across the road from the late Ray Herrings ranch, rig one is stacked out behind the house out there.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: mikei]
#8184602
02/26/21 02:45 PM
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 2,365
rolyat.nosaj
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 2,365 |
I threw chain near Roswell, New Mexico in the middle of nowhere. Even had a bad storm come through one night when we were setting up the rig and lightning stuck the derrick and zapped all of us. The guy next to me got hit so hard he fell down and was flopping on the ground and I was trying to help him but didn't know what to do. The next morning I walked off the site and never returned.
Last edited by rolyat.nosaj; 02/26/21 02:45 PM.
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Re: Summer job in the patch
[Re: LonestarCobra]
#8184748
02/26/21 04:52 PM
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,151
jrfan
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,151 |
Old school chains and tongs floors are still used a lot, you just won’t see them working for a major or large company. I was on one last week near Throckmorton, and I know 8-10 more that use them all the time.
As for oilfield life, it can be hard on the family, I have been lucky to hang on to a good woman for the last 23 years that can deal with the schedule. Was it E&H? My wife’s grandad worked for Ray Herring for decades. No, they are all stacked right now, but I have cemented on every one of them numerous times, and they all used chains, cat lines, and all earth pits. When they wanted to be real cheap, I have seen them rope casing in. It is a 100% different breed of roughneck on those rigs, the prima donna hands out in the Permian wouldn’t make it a single hitch on those rigs. I have some land across the road from the late Ray Herrings ranch, rig one is stacked out behind the house out there. My wife's grandad pushed tools for Ray well into his 70's when he died. I had an invite to hunt The Herring Ranch and never took him up on it. I wished I would have.
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