Our Very Merry USO, DCL, and WDW Christmas Break!

Hey there! Hope you all are well and staying safe. Let me know if you have some free time and you can do some social distance (aka facetime) teaching of Casey :P

Love that they have She-ra in the parks. I had no idea she was making a comeback but recall how rare it was as a child of the 80s to see a female superhero. I couldn't stand He-man but was all about his sister
 
Before heading to the Hogwarts Express, Jimmy and Grandpa got their Butterbeer on, and were in Heaven! It's too sweet for me, but the two of them loved it and fought over the last sip.



I kind of like the Butterbeer, but it's the last thing I should be drinking with all the sugar! I do love Butterbeer ice cream though.

Such a cute picture of you guys! You look adorable with your Christmas bow :love:
 
I was so sad to see (on FB) that your sweet angel, Liam had passed away. I'm sure the pain is still quite raw. :hug:

I finally found some time to catch up on the DIS and read the beginnings of your lovely report. :) Such fun at the breakfast already!!

She told me, "We don't do that here." I was confused, but more P.O.ed honestly. I stormed off as I loudly said over my shoulder, "Yea, and THAT is why I spend MY money at Disney World!"

Yeah, I'd have been too and that totally would have been my exact retort as well.

As we were escorted to our table (Table #1) the TM offered to stop and take our picture in this very lovely red brothel lit area!

:lmao:

Okay, THAT was funny!

I tried to quote the photos of the butterbeer tastings, but wasn't able to for some reason. My mousepad is about to die and that might be why. Anyway, I LOVE the one of your son with his gramps. So perfect!
 
Hi 👋 I’ve been reading along. 😊 Deepest condolences on your family’s very tragic loss.

I’m looking forward to reading about the rocket, and if the weather cooperated for you to ride. I am not usually scared of coasters but couldn’t bring myself to ride this on our one day visit in August. I was disappointed and a bit regretful, but I think it was mostly mom nerves. I took my 11 year old on the Hulk. While in line, I kept imaging something tragic happening. Literally never had these totally irrational and invasive thoughts about big coasters before becoming a mom. We did have so much fun but she was not up for the rocket and I would have passed out with worry bringing her on it. Maybe when my kids are older I will work up the courage!
 


Love all of your pics!!!
Thanks, Jenny!! :)

Let me know if you have some free time and you can do some social distance (aka facetime) teaching of Casey :P
Ha! Free time!! Let me tell you, I envisioned this whole at home learning in a vastly different way than the reality!!! I am glued to my computer and keep hopping back and forth between there and Jimmy's desk to answer his 5th grade curriculum questions (which I usually have to google!!) I am so exhausted LOL I want to go back to school!

I had no idea she was making a comeback but recall how rare it was as a child of the 80s to see a female superhero. I couldn't stand He-man but was all about his sister
My brother had He-man and all his guys including Castle Gray Skull and Skeletor's castle. I used to try to decorate He-man's home with Barbie furniture and my She-ra doll LOL She was SO much better than He-man!

Such a cute picture of you guys! You look adorable with your Christmas bow :love:
The Grinch told me I looked like Cindy Loo Who with that bow on!

I finally found some time to catch up on the DIS and read the beginnings of your lovely report. :) Such fun at the breakfast already!!
I'm so glad you're here, Liesa!! :)

Anyway, I LOVE the one of your son with his gramps. So perfect!
His true partner in crime!!

Hi 👋 I’ve been reading along. 😊 Deepest condolences on your family’s very tragic loss.
Welcome!! Thank you so much.

We did have so much fun but she was not up for the rocket and I would have passed out with worry bringing her on it. Maybe when my kids are older I will work up the courage!
It is seriously SO much fun, but a really wild ride!! I was nervous taking my Dad on it LOL
 
When we got off the Hogwarts Express, we made our way back toward a classic attraction, and the only one my Mom cared about riding in all of Universal Orlando. The E.T. ride! Of course, I took zero pictures of the attraction...sorry for the fail! But, our photo pass for the day did include the pictures you can take in E.T.'s closet at the end of the ride, and the bicycle over the moon shot, as well!

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While the guy was busily adding the little glowing light to E.T.'s finger in our closet pic, I snapped this selfie that I wasn't sure I was allowed to take, but couldn't resist!

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We all really enjoyed this ride, and it is so reminiscent of my childhood that we actually rode it twice more before carrying on our way. Our breakfast was starting to have worn off, and we really wanted to take my Dad for a Duff at Moe's in Springfield, so that's where we headed next. It was just starting to drizzle again, so we figured out timing was good.

It ended up being absolutely perfect timing because as we walked in to Moe's, a group got up and left, and we were able to sit right at the bar. I will say the drinks are pretty overpriced, but the experience can't be beat, especially if you are any semblance of a Simpsons fan. Rob, Dad and I all ordered a Duff, while my Mom and Jimmy each had a Flaming Moe.

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We hadn't planned to stay and eat, but the skies absolutely opened up and downpoured the worst rain we had seen so far today. We figured now was as good a time as any to grab something to eat. While discussing it, the amazing bartender (His name was MICKEY, of all things!!!), mentioned to me that they had a mobile order option on the USO app. I hadn't known about this previously, so thought we'd give it a try. He told me it is SO much faster than placing an order in person in the Springfield food court area. Well, I kept trying and trying and kept getting an error, so was about to throw in the towel. Mickey came around from behind the bar and had me follow him over to a register in the attached food court. A TM came over and he explained the problem I had been having with the app. She opened another register for me, allowing me to skip the giant line of people waiting there to order, and after I paid brought me to a side exit off the kitchen where my order was out on a tray in my hands in less than 4 minutes!! I couldn't believe the level of customer service I received here, and it truly made me feel better about Universal as a whole than I had the previous night at the hotel!

We ate our hot dogs and tator tots and waited out the rain with another Duff. Jimmy loves spending time at Moe's because the phone rings and you can hear Bart's prank calls, as well as watch a 12 minute loop of Simpsons clips that take place in Moe's. It was a nice break from the rain and walking around, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Mickey took excellent care of us, so we tipped him well, and he was SO appreciative. He mentioned we wouldn't believe how little, if any, tip many people leave, like they forget this isn't a cartoon world, it's a real bar. I was disappointed to hear that, but thought he provided amazing customer service in spite of that sad truth!

The rain let up, and we were on our way!

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Two summers ago, when we visited USO, Jimmy was delighted to see the Mystery Machine parked on the street at USO but we never did catch the Mystery, Inc crew. We were hoping we would find them this time around, so we strolled along in that direction.

Sadly, we didn't get to see Scooby and company, once again, and we also couldn't meet the Transformers due to the wind and rain that kept coming through. We were beginning to think our character luck was up for the day, until we turned the corner and found all these guys in a row, once again with no wait!

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It occurred to me just now that I actually have no idea when in the course of these events we actually rode Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket....hmm. I'm thinking that's why we rode the Hogwarts Express back over to Universal Studios actually. We probably did that before going to Springfield. yep. Let's go with that. Since I forgot to share it in the right spot, here's our ride pic!

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Apparently my ponytail holder was coming loose, so I was trying not to lose it. My Dad complained of a sore neck after the ride, and I point you to exhibit A--the exact reason they tell you to keep your head against the head rest. And, how bout that guy behind us, just loving life?!

Sometime in there we also went on the Men in Black ride, which my Mom opted to sit out of. She found a nice little bench under an awning, which was good because it was raining...again.

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No time for merriment. We are all business here, people.

Now where were we...

Oh, right. We were actually milling around and killing a little time trying to figure out where the best place to station ourselves for the Macy's Christmas parade would be. It was still kind of drizzly and there were official looking people standing around in one area, so we asked about a good place to watch from. This very nice TM pointed out that if we sat on the bench, right at this corner, we would have a perfect view as the parade comes right out these giant gates. Well, boy did we feel lucky! Right place. Right time.

We covered the wet bench with one poncho and got ourselves situated for what would be about a 30 minute wait. This was another MUST DO on our list for today, so we were pretty excited with our spot!

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After about 4 minutes of sitting in our perfect spot, a TM came along to inform us that WHOMP, WHOMP. The parade was cancelled. Not postponed, let's see what happens, just outright cancelled. We were so bummed :( We were wet. We were gloomy. Our feet hurt and we were now a little cranky, so we let Jimmy pick what to do next.

He wanted to cast more spells, so off we headed back toward Diagon Alley and then back to Hogsmeade.

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Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

Jimmy was excited that the Conductor signed his autograph book, too!

Seeing my little wizard so happy made me smile and took some of the sting out of not being able to see the parade I had my hopes set on. He was enjoying the magic of the evening!

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This was a really tricky spell that he FINALLY got to work in the window of Honeydukes! When you got it just right, the giant box of chocolate frogs opened up.

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My Mom and I decided we would drown our parade woes in a little Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle light show. The boys were not interested, and so we parted ways to find ourselves a good spot to watch from while they went on another round of The Adventures of Spiderman.

We had picked just the right spot, and this time were not thwarted by the weather!! I only took a few pictures, choosing instead to just soak in the moment there with my Mom in front of the only other castle that has ever brought me to tears just by existing!

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Love your selfie with ET!

Wow, what helpful service getting your lunch! Sounds like Mickey went above and beyond!

Sounds like a really great afternoon with the only bummber being the cancelled parade!
 
But, our photo pass for the day did include the pictures you can take in E.T.'s closet at the end of the ride, and the bicycle over the moon shot, as well!

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I love this ride. We rode back in Universal Hollywood in 1999 and I thought it was the cutest thing ever.


While the guy was busily adding the little glowing light to E.T.'s finger in our closet pic, I snapped this selfie that I wasn't sure I was allowed to take, but couldn't resist!

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So cute!


It occurred to me just now that I actually have no idea when in the course of these events we actually rode Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket..

Yikes! You're brave! That's one ride I will never go on :scared1:


After about 4 minutes of sitting in our perfect spot, a TM came along to inform us that WHOMP, WHOMP. The parade was cancelled. Not postponed, let's see what happens, just outright cancelled. We were so bummed :( We were wet. We were gloomy. Our feet hurt and we were now a little cranky, so we let Jimmy pick what to do next.

Boo.


This was a really tricky spell that he FINALLY got to work in the window of Honeydukes! When you got it just right, the giant box of chocolate frogs opened up.

Those wands are a lot of fun!
 
we made our way back toward a classic attraction, and the only one my Mom cared about riding in all of Universal Orlando. The E.T. ride!
I love ET! I tried getting the boys to enjoy it but even though they'd seen the movie, the appeal of the attraction was lost on them. I will continue to ride any time I'm there though!
I couldn't believe the level of customer service I received here, and it truly made me feel better about Universal as a whole than I had the previous night at the hotel!
Oh that's great! Does make up for the mess the night before :rolleyes:
Since I forgot to share it in the right spot, here's our ride pic!
:goodvibes
The parade was cancelled. Not postponed, let's see what happens, just outright cancelled.
Oh no I didn't know this either! I love love love that parade too :( Glad you and mom got to see the Hogwarts lights at least which is also cool. Guess that means you'll have to go back for the parade :rolleyes1
Seeing my little wizard so happy made me smile and took some of the sting out of not being able to see the parade I had my hopes set on
It does make things look better when the kids are happy doesn't it?
 
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I have no idea how in your intro I totally didn't even see ET in the picture. This is ah-maz-ing!!!!!!!!!!

I snapped this selfie that I wasn't sure I was allowed to take, but couldn't resist!

Don't you mean a selfiET (sorry couldn't help myself)

I will say the drinks are pretty overpriced, but the experience can't be beat, especially if you are any semblance of a Simpsons fan. Rob, Dad and I all ordered a Duff, while my Mom and Jimmy each had a Flaming Moe.

I don't know that much about Universal and knew they had the Simpsons donuts but I had no idea you could drink at Mo's. How cool. And gotta ask, how did the Duff stack up to your beloved Miller O'Lite?

A TM came over and he explained the problem I had been having with the app. She opened another register for me, allowing me to skip the giant line of people waiting there to order, and after I paid brought me to a side exit off the kitchen where my order was out on a tray in my hands in less than 4 minutes!! I couldn't believe the level of customer service I received here, and it truly made me feel better about Universal as a whole than I had the previous night at the hotel!
Man that is some serious customer service. Go Universal!!!

We covered the wet bench with one poncho and got ourselves situated for what would be about a 30 minute wait. This was another MUST DO on our list for today, so we were pretty excited with our spot!
Ugh, how disappointed. Didn't even know this parade was a thing either (confirming I know nada about Universal) but I love, love, love the Macy's parade. My favorite part of Thanksgiving is watching it while we cook. Sorry you all missed it. But I hear you can catch another one on November 26th
 
While the guy was busily adding the little glowing light to E.T.'s finger in our closet pic, I snapped this selfie that I wasn't sure I was allowed to take, but couldn't resist!

So cute!

She opened another register for me, allowing me to skip the giant line of people waiting there to order, and after I paid brought me to a side exit off the kitchen where my order was out on a tray in my hands in less than 4 minutes!!

Wow! That's great service!

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Oo jealous- I've never seen him out!

Apparently my ponytail holder was coming loose, so I was trying not to lose it.

I always almost lose my ponytail holder on that ride lol

After about 4 minutes of sitting in our perfect spot, a TM came along to inform us that WHOMP, WHOMP. The parade was cancelled.

Oh no :( :( . At least they told you right away and you didn't waste the whole time waiting.
 
Hi! Popping in finally! I took a "break" from the Dis for a couple months. I am really enjoying your USO posts. I am sorry the trip started off a bit sour but looks like things have perked up! My DH and I found out in January we are expecting (hence the break, I was so tired and sick the first 2 months) so it will be a while before we head back to Universal. I feel like Jimmy's age is the perfect age for USO. He is so cute with his HP robes! Looking forward to reading more!
 
Just found your new report and am excited to see what fun things you did on this trip. I'm very sorry for your family's loss. I can't even imagine the pain.
 
The E.T. ride!

I think that was my favorite after the HP stuff. Really enjoyed that a lot!
It ended up being absolutely perfect timing because as we walked in to Moe's, a group got up and left, and we were able to sit right at the bar.

Woot!

We hadn't planned to stay and eat, but the skies absolutely opened up and downpoured the worst rain we had seen so far today. We figured now was as good a time as any to grab something to eat.

Making hay while the rain pours! Good plan!

Mickey came around from behind the bar and had me follow him over to a register in the attached food court. A TM came over and he explained the problem I had been having with the app. She opened another register for me, allowing me to skip the giant line of people waiting there to order, and after I paid brought me to a side exit off the kitchen where my order was out on a tray in my hands in less than 4 minutes!!

WHOA!! That is amazing!! Perfection in customer service!

Moe's because the phone rings and you can hear Bart's prank calls, as well as watch a 12 minute loop of Simpsons clips that take place in Moe's.

This makes me want to dredge up my episodes and have fun. I need a little (more) sarcasm in my life right now.

My Dad complained of a sore neck after the ride, and I point you to exhibit A--the exact reason they tell you to keep your head against the head rest.

Yeah, I can feel his pain. Now with my neck surgery, I"ll have to be a LOT more careful now. :(

And, how bout that guy behind us, just loving life?!
He is awesome!!!
 
Love your selfie with ET!
I was glad I didn't get yelled at for taking it :) He's just too darn cute!

Sounds like a really great afternoon with the only bummber being the cancelled parade!
Yes, missing the parade was a big bummer indeed, but for the most part we were able to do everything we wanted to do at Universal despite the on and off bad weather, so at least all was not lost!

Yikes! You're brave! That's one ride I will never go on :scared1:
It's probably the most extreme rollercoaster I've ever been on. SO much fun! Did you ever see the video of Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Hart riding it?? Kevin Hart HATES rollercoasters, and is absolutely hilarious. Worth a watch, even if you'll never go on yourself :)

Those wands are a lot of fun!
They're pricey, but I'd say definitely worth it in the long run. We bought Jimmy's on our summer road trip a couple years ago, and just packed it again for this trip. He actually was having some trouble casting his first few spells, but we thought he had just lost the hang of it. One of the friendly Diagon Alley witches saw him struggling and offered to let him try with her wand....and it worked! She took his wand into Ollivander's "to repair it," and lo and behold, it worked perfectly the rest of the trip. No idea if she actually reset it somehow or just replaced it altogether, but I thought it was so nice she offered to help! I literally had no clue this was even something they offered at Universal.

I love ET! I tried getting the boys to enjoy it but even though they'd seen the movie, the appeal of the attraction was lost on them. I will continue to ride any time I'm there though!
Jimmy still hasn't seen it (#momfail), but he enjoyed the ride well enough. I just love when you're back on his home planet with all the little baby ETs dangling everywhere :) So fun!

Oh no I didn't know this either! I love love love that parade too :( Glad you and mom got to see the Hogwarts lights at least which is also cool. Guess that means you'll have to go back for the parade :rolleyes1
Yea, such a bummer!!! But, we definitely enjoyed ourselves enough to go back :) Plenty of things we haven't tried out yet.

I have no idea how in your intro I totally didn't even see ET in the picture. This is ah-maz-ing!!!!!!!!!!
That made me laugh because my Mom was all mad afterward about the lighting in the closet. She felt like you couldn't notice her and my Dad in the pic. LOL, did not imagine anyone missing ET himself :)

Don't you mean a selfiET (sorry couldn't help myself)
I'm wishing I thought of it, honestly!! :)

I don't know that much about Universal and knew they had the Simpsons donuts but I had no idea you could drink at Mo's. How cool. And gotta ask, how did the Duff stack up to your beloved Miller O'Lite?
We spent some time there on our last trip, too, and it was just so fun to see all the little details. They have Duff and Duff Lite. I have to say it is a really similar taste. Not hoppy, not much of any flavor, LOL, just my speed! Casey would love the Flaming Mo. It's orange pop, but they serve it in a special glass that has this little reservoir in the bottom for dry ice or something that makes it steamy. Not cheap, but still pretty fun for the experience!

Ugh, how disappointed. Didn't even know this parade was a thing either (confirming I know nada about Universal) but I love, love, love the Macy's parade. My favorite part of Thanksgiving is watching it while we cook. Sorry you all missed it. But I hear you can catch another one on November 26th
We were super bummed about missing it because this was the one thing my Mom really wanted to see while we were there. They apparently have some of the actual balloons from the Macy's parade each year featured in their parade. Guess we'll have to stick to the tv version!

I always almost lose my ponytail holder on that ride lol
I was just glad on this trip I didn't have any lanyard incidents LOL Last time I rode The Mummy, I thought I had the lanyard tucked inside my shirt well enough....I did not. One quick turn to the right and the thing flew all the up and got tangled in my hair. I spent the last half of the ride trying to hang onto it and my ponytail. The ride pic was just lovely, let me tell you!!

Hi! Popping in finally! I took a "break" from the Dis for a couple months. I am really enjoying your USO posts. I am sorry the trip started off a bit sour but looks like things have perked up! My DH and I found out in January we are expecting (hence the break, I was so tired and sick the first 2 months) so it will be a while before we head back to Universal. I feel like Jimmy's age is the perfect age for USO. He is so cute with his HP robes! Looking forward to reading more!
Welcome back!!!!! :) Thanks for reading along, and congratulations to you and your DH! Universal was definitely not even on our radar until Jimmy became HP obsessed. Then, it seemed like the perfect place to surprise him with a visit, which we did 2 years ago for his birthday. Now that he's getting older, it seems there will be more Universal time in our future! (but that will in no way replace our Disney trips!!)

Just found your new report and am excited to see what fun things you did on this trip. I'm very sorry for your family's loss. I can't even imagine the pain.
Thanks for joining in! And thank you for your words. It has been unimaginably difficult, but especially in times like these, we are so grateful to have each other.

This makes me want to dredge up my episodes and have fun. I need a little (more) sarcasm in my life right now.
My brother and I used to watch the Simpsons every day after school, and then I hadn't watched for years and years. It's just the right humor for right now though, isn't it?! I need to remind myself not to take life too seriously and still make time to laugh.

Yeah, I can feel his pain. Now with my neck surgery, I"ll have to be a LOT more careful now. :(
Yikes. Yes, ma'am. Please be careful, and NO Rip Ride Rocket for you anymore!
 
Well, as I was getting ready to start this update, I realize I didn't take any more pictures this night, so......definitely should have wrapped up the end of our day in my last update. OOPS.

After the light show, my Mom and I headed back toward the park exit to meet up with my Dad, Rob and Jimmy after their ride with Spiderman. Everyone was feeling pretty soggy and our feet, especially, were suffering, but we had one last quick stop to make. With our photo package, we received two printed photos, and also needed some assistance accessing my pictures online. I wanted to make sure to do this before leaving the park, in case I had any difficulties, so we wouldn't lose all the great pictures from our day.

It didn't take long to get the pictures sorted out, and we were on our way. City Walk is so conveniently located to the park entrances, but after our long day in wet shoes, it seemed like 1,000 miles to get to the buses. My mom checked her phone stats and it showed we had walked nearly 20,000 steps on this day....no wonder my feet hurt.

Jimmy was dragging, and I actually let him hop on my back and carried him the rest of the way to the bus. It was a very quick bus ride back to Cabana Bay Beach where we immediately took off our wet shoes and revealed all the pruney goodness our feet had become. We actually left Jimmy in the room with his feet up and limped over to the food court to grab some dinner. My parents took theirs back to the room and brought Jimmy's up for him. Rob and I stayed downstairs to eat and have a couple of drinks at Swizzle before heading back.

I spent some time moving things around between our bags, putting away all the Universal lanyards and pins, etc., and prepping for embarkation in the morning!!

We were up early because we just couldn't help ourselves. Today, was CRUISE DAY!!! Our countdown finally looked like this:

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And with that, this TR will be put on hold, as I continue the next part of our adventure over on the Cruise Line board. Come on over and join me!! I'll pick up right here after the cruise portion of our trip concludes because after that, we were headed to Walt Disney World!!

Come on over and join me on the cruise boards (for the first time in forever!!!)
Yes, the cruise part has the same name. Still no creative title juices flowing, but at least we're still chugging along here!

Our Very Merry USO, DCL and WDW Christmas Break
 
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My brother and I used to watch the Simpsons every day after school, and then I hadn't watched for years and years. It's just the right humor for right now though, isn't it?! I need to remind myself not to take life too seriously and still make time to laugh.

I should watch an episode right now.
Yikes. Yes, ma'am. Please be careful, and NO Rip Ride Rocket for you anymore!

Maybe once, but after that... probably not.
It didn't take long to get the pictures sorted out, and we were on our way. City Walk is so conveniently located to the park entrances,

I loved how convenient things were there.
we had walked nearly 20,000 steps on this day....no wonder my feet hurt.

That's.... a lot!

we immediately took off our wet shoes and revealed all the pruney goodness our feet had become.

Yummy. LOL!
Come on over and join me!! I'll pick up right here after the cruise portion of our trip concludes because after that, we were headed to Walt Disney World!!

WILL BE BACK TO PUT THE CRUISE TR LINK RIGHT HERE :)
I'll be watching!! :) Although, you might need one more post, so a new post shows up in our unread threads list. :)
 

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