Fun Folks

Ouch. Stop yelling, "Add more people to your blog, Nick Rapper!" in my ear. I know I just published a groundbreaking post two seconds ago, but, in response to some annoying Nick Rapper fans, here's a few more chic chicks to meet and greet -- I'll admit, a few picks are quite risqué.

Mathias M ~ Frequent target of oncoming rap missiles by yours truly. I see this dude five mornings a week, and he helps me wake up at least. Acorn fights.

Vlad S ~ Solid dude. Friends with Mathias and Anthony M. Overall awesome dude. Cool dude. Really nice stamina, too. See him in the morning, basically. Sweet dude.

Concetta K ~ Better known as Princess Superstar, she delivers ill rhymes and I'll frequently be quoting her. Dave is not a fan, even though he's just jealous, probably, maybe not, definitely not, not.

Jill C ~ Told you all about this addition weeks ago! A senior, she'll be trolling the halls with her wide eyes and stuff. She's strongly against a certain cell phone policy. And she's artistic -- always a plus in the world of Nick Rapper.

Kate B ~ According to this new presence, Iowa is not the World's Least Interesting Anything. Miss Kate is a very special person to me, and will be properly exploited.

Adem U ~ We need this guy. Fan of Nick Rapper, basketball enthusiast, former World of Warcraft devotee, procrastinator (remember!), and person of Turkish background, give a combination formal and personal greeting to this man's man.

Investigative Data

Sorry guys -- no special Halloween post. Not everyone celebrates Halloween. I'll just say, "Happy holidays," and we can move on.

Due to an incomprehensible amount of time and a dude who likes blogging about blogging, I've conveniently found out the top ten most popular characters of this blog. The criteria is thus: besides me and a certain adult, here are the characters that are featured in the most posts before today:

1 Dave C, featured 59% of the time.

2 Jen A, featured 55% of the time.

3 Wilbur V, featured 41% of the time.

4 Anthony C, featured 36% of the time.

5 Marina C, featured 28% of the time.

6 Josie P, featured 23% of the time.

6 Brandon P, featured 23% of the time.

6 Dylan K, featured 23% of the time.

6 Ryan A, featured 23% of the time.

10 Christian P, featured 18% of the time.

Congratulations guys! Your fame has been validated. Seriously though, nothing surprising. The top three make up an important row in Web Design, which is the birthplace of this blog. I guess I didn't expect a top five placement from anti-hero Marina C.

If you haven't noticed (stoner), it's October 31st. Our first month has been swell. But let's make this the best blog in human history. Okay, fine, if it never reaches the pristine quality of Perez Hilton's masterpiece, I'll live. If you'd be so kind enough as to vote in the poll located in the top right sector of my blog, I'd appreciate it very much! I have a Facebook group going, too. You don't need to be a friend of me to join. So have a good morning, afternoon, night, life, semicolon, take care!

Worth Chatter

Hey. I know you've missed me and have struggled to bear those last two entry-less days. You had to get your hands on some reading material before you slowly disintegrated. First, you tried some The Bible. Bored, you tried some A Brief History Time. Fully boarded, you attempted to read Jen's blog. Within seconds you threw up everything -- breakfast, lunch, dinner, swallowed gum, paper -- in your digestive tract because Jen's blog is an assault on blogs everywhere! I felt personally insulted when I read the first sentence: "My name is Jen and I'm 15." First off, you won't always be 15, and that post is cemented in cyberia. More importantly, though, it comes at you too fast. I'll publish The Rapper's Guide to an Effective and Eloquent Blog in a few months -- you better be at the signing, Jen!

Back to my readers missing me. So, I've been loaded lately. Filling out college applications, doing reports for school, talking to Anthony C about Powerman 5000's fall from industrial metal super stardom, talking to Dave about Jen talking to Wilbur about my blog, "phailing," not having nightmares involving many elements of Paranormal Activity, subtly flirting with the squirrel next door -- you know, the regular!

Start your engines for Bullet Facts, the new segment in which I abruptly give you facts about the people you know and . . . Dave was born a Jew. Dave's seeing a concert tonight. Dave's seeing Cypress Hill tonight. Anthony C likes Paramore. Anthony was disappointed at the Paramore show around two weeks ago. Non-character Adem U went to bed at 4:00 AM last "night," due to a lengthy history report which he waited 'til the last night to start. Adem's a procrastinator. Christian P doesn't like my math teacher. Ryan A doesn't like my English teacher. Ryan A excels in his Sexual Education class. Anthony M hasn't accepted my Facebook friend request yet. Marina C didn't wear a costume today. Dylan K did not wear a costume, either.

Ouch, that segment was painfully fast and factual. So let's try Mullet Facts, the appropriate sequel segment. The main character of Joe Dirt has a mullet. The mullet is popular in Colombia. What the living hell, did I really just talk about mullets for two sentences? The answer is yes -- sorry I didn't give you time to answer. I owe you a soda.

Boring Facts -- the new general knowledge segment consisting entirely of useless information that you don't want to know? Too bad, I already started. Right now. Now! Thriller is the best-selling album ever globally. Genie, a famous feral child, spent the first twelve years of her life in one room. Chairs exist.

Shit, I'm out of ideas what the hell bro. Shut Up, Weirdo, a local radio show, brought on a caller who suggested, in response to the massive number of girls dressing up as Octomom tomorrow, the Octoterrorist. Complex and undeveloped. I'll be back tomorrow with pictures of me in my ironic Halloween costume and a fresh new tale for my fans. Take care!

Lazy Tuesday

Pronounced "Tuceday." Three's a charm in terms of these here rambles I be givin' you. This one's more Internet-centric and less about what Jen's been up to (which is surely inappropriate). I'm late on this but it's worth it -- there's a swine flu game. Not a bad game by anyone's standards, but come on! Move on to OMGPOP, which continues to cut valuable time out of my life. Honestly, it's more addictive than that bubblegum stick Farmville. OMGPOP's Draw My Thing -- the online Pictionary -- is the new crack. Quote me on that. Actually, quote my blog often. Word of mouth advertising is all I got right now. Few late 2009 music recommendations: "The Numbers Song" by Acid Girls, "My Friends" by Number One Yonkees, and "I Hate People" by Jemina Pearl. Come on, prep for your year-end lists. I'll be reading each and every one of 'em! Today I did things and tomorrow I'll do things. Time, though, to present you a handful of possible slogans for my blog. Sorry to cut the ramble short.

"Nickrapper.blogspot.com -- it's not as bad as it sounds."

"You think your blog is fucking the Second Coming or something? Well, read my blog . . . and in a second you'll be coming to your senses and realizing Anthony C is definitely not an important character in my blog!" ["Phail" is a fail. We speak English in America, Ant!]

"Is your life dull and uninspired? That's cool. By the way, read my blog The Fictional Account of Miss Teacher's Exploits in Technology."

"Without my blog, your life is grounded in reality. That's funny, because reality involves a recession and hunger and the existence of Nickelback. Faggot, read my blog."

"Politically incorrect, pretentiously scatological, insufferably varied, entirely plagiarized, and impressively offensive -- my blog, not yours Jen."

Like of any of these? Have any of your own good slogans fo' me? Comment me or whatever. My contact info is somewhere in cyberia. Peace out. Good luck. Take care. Stock phrase.

Favorite Lyricists

[No need for an intro (what is this?) -- here's my favorite rappers, duh]

5. Princess Superstar ~ Sample lyric:

"Ooh here I come not what you expected / Y'all erected while I wreck shit next bit hard while I wreck it / Elected prom queen on the strength of my last record / Hectic get nekkid and do it backstage after you all exit / About three minutes start countin back seconds / I got sexists beggin me to make me breakfasts / Winnipeg to Texas, Easter egg to Xmas / Ass in excess make them other senseless girls look anorexics"

4. Nas ~ Sample lyric:

"It ain't hard to tell, I excel, then prevail / The mic is contacted, I attract clientele / My mic check is life or death, breathin a sniper's breath / I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through righteous steps / Deep like The Shinin', sparkle like a diamond / Sneak a uzi on the island in my army jacket linin / Hit the Earth like a comet, invasion / Nas is like the Afrocentric Asian, half-man, half-amazin"

3. DOOM ~ Sample lyric:

"Is he still a fly guy clappin' if nobody ain't hear it / And can they testify from inner spirit / In living, the true gods / Givin' y'all nothing but the lick like two broads / Got more lyrics than the church got 'Ooh Lords' / And he hold the mic and your attention like two swords / Or even one with two blades on it / Hey you, don't touch the mic like it's AIDS on it / It's like the end to the means / Fucked type of message that sends to the fiends"

2. Guilty Simpson ~ Sample lyric:

"My motto is simple: / Without that loot, your instrumentals stay instrumentals / Blind man can see the kid's potential / And take notice, so I grind and stay focused / If I was any hotter, I'd drink straight vodka / spit out flames, and piss lava / That hot, fam, try again / That's why I got hoes like firemen / You can plug 'em up to hydrants / I should push a big red truck with sirens"

1. Eminem ~ Sample lyric:

"I like happy things, I'm really calm and peaceful (Uh huh huh) / I like birds, bees, I like people / I like funny things that make me happy and gleeful / Like when my teacher sucked my wee-wee in preschool (Woo!) / The ill type, I stab myself with a steel spike / While I blow my brain out just to see what it feels like / And this is how I am in real life / I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice (Uh huh) / How you wanna scare somebody with a gun threat / When they're high off of drugs they haven't even done yet"

Interviews Galore

[In a very special, fact-based post, I present to you Issue #1 of the Nick Rapper Times]

Bullying Prevails by N.R.

The people have spoken. They feel that bullying isn't prevalent anymore. This isn't the '60s. Obviously bullying is terrible, but we've come along way. Is it gone, though? Or is it bigger than ever. . . .

My first interviewee, a male who would like to remain anonymous, said, "Bullying is bad . . . it's messed up." Sure. Within seconds I knew he was being sarcastic, though. I asked him if he knew of any bullies. "No, I don't really know of any because I don't agree with it." I threw out a name who, by all means, is a scruffy person. "He messes around -- he doesn't really bully kids."

Fictional Account regulars Nick L and Julian G weighed in. According to Nick, bullying in NHS is "not that bad." Julian says it's "not really" a problem. But, let's turn it over to Christian P.

I asked Chris if he knew of any bullies. "Ryan . . . he always punches a certain person in the hallway . . . crap, here he comes." Yes, he was coming. Yes, Chris and Ryan actually seem to be friendly with each other. Christian again called out another non-bully -- Giants loyalist Jeff R. I'm not entirely sure if Chris was sarcastic. I opened Ryan's notebook and saw "monkey tits" in bold caps. Either he and Ryan are tireless enemies or I might be missing out on a fun inside joke.

It should be noted that Christian wrote "poop" in my notebook. He may just like writing things in other people's notebooks. Either way, it was time to get a female's opinion.

Marina C simply said "it's wrong." Is it prevalent in NHS? "No." Our short interview seems over, right? But then after that no Brandon P said Marina C is, in fact, a bully. "I am not," she said indignantly. I don't know -- she is a very dark person.

Next up is Anthony C. It's "definitely not" a biggie, according to Ant. I asked him if he knows any bullies. "Not really," Ant said, after a pause. Maybe he knows a micro-bully like Mr. Anthony M. Either way, I knew by this tidbit that bullying was all but dead.

Enter Karl, who's firm with me. It's "not even close" to a deal by his account. He says bullying in general is "gay." And he "doesn't want [his] name in the paper." We'll talk about that later.

Time for sophomore Mario C, an overall awesome dude. He is pretty, um, skinny, so I asked him if he gets bullied. "No, I don't get bullied." Just makin' sure. He also doesn't think bullying is a problem in NHS.

Then I spoke with Nick L again. He clarified that bullying "doesn't seem to be a problem." He had a cyber-bullying essay handy. Eh, it said that like two-thirds of students have been bullied online. Erm, sure. Either way it wasn't NHS-specific. I couldn't use it . . . but I did.

We can say, with boldness, that bullying isn't as bad as it was. The sarcasm I received speaks for the way bullying is looked at. So-called popular kids don't endorse it -- no one does. The sarcasm also speaks of no one taking it seriously when bullying to its core is a very serious matter. I should of scored talks with less-profiled kids who have actually experienced our subject first-hand. But that's journalism for ya -- make mountains out of snowflakes . . . or something like that.

Joke of the Day by N.R.

What do you call a lesbian dinosaur?

Lickalotopis!

Closing Sentiments by N.R.

A few words. First off, I told my interviewees that they were speaking on behalf of our local newspaper. Marina C even asked me if this was for my blog. So I lied to a handful of folks. Big deal. I needed an article for our inaugural edition of Nick Rapper Times.

If this "paper" proves successful, I'll continue to publish "issues" of it. It's up to y'all. If I'm suddenly drenched in complaints I'll end it like [snap] -- okay? Good day to you.

Wrong With

Due to the overwhelming popularity -- recognition by Jen -- of my first ramble, here's my second one. Simon Rex, colloquially known as Dirt Nasty, is my new personal inspiration. Enough about the lovely and talented me, time to talk about the kind of cute and sort of ADD'd you! Enter Web Design: Jen still not present and welcome to Mac interface. More specifically, welcome GarageBand. Wait, keep going -- podcasting. Further. Soon we'll be making podcasts for the NHS website. Today Dylan hosted a reggae show, Dave experimented will bass-driven garble, and Wilbur actually started recording his voice for a testcast. Our teacher was happy that the voice recorder is working. I'm like, "Of course it works, Madam. Dis isn't some 700th-rate secondary . . . nevermind." Movin' around the day. Spanish isn't lookin' to dandy with a ten-minute multi-lingual sketch to be performed on Monday. I need to get ant costumes, by the way. Drama class is getting good. Seven different types of voices. Something like that. Either way, I played a -- um, hello, this is suppose to be about you! Anthony C asked me if I could lend him some Alegebra II Test answers. Dude does terrible on tests. For shame. Marina C and Brandon P obviously did pretty okay, ya know. I'm strapped for information. Christian P arrived on-time to English class today. It's very important that you know that. Either way, Jen's continued absence makes blogging way too difficult. Only because she usually says weird things and I turn them into blog gold. Lastly, watch out for a few notable entries coming up: the remaining two acts of my play, a story in which all Fictional Account characters are locked in a room, a proposal to Josie (of Tumblr/Scrambler fame), and, most crucially, my declaration of complete insanity! The latter will include popular psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw as a co-signer of my testimonial waver. So, please enjoy the rest of your day and subsequently I want you to have a terrific Halloween -- please, for me, guys. Always with you in heart and mind, Nick Rapper.

No Teacher

There were three things I was absolutely sure of. First, our regular Web Design teacher was absent. Second, we definitely weren't about to do work. Third, Twilight sucks.

Oh, and Jen wasn't here as well. Which is horrible. Get better, Jen.

So, our young feminine (literally!) substitute teacher revealed a supposed "assignment." Fuck that. She just said, ya know, don't go on any inappropriate web pages. "Porn?" I asked. Yeah, that's what she meant.

I was about to blog, but then I'm like, "Let me do some things first so I have content to blog about, duh." I'm not good at improvising!

So I started off the class with this. Believe me, I didn't play it too loud. Then I played a few Supervillains tracks and Death Cab for Cutie's "Meet Me on the Equinox."

Then came Splatpattern's debut tune, "Fucking Fucking Fuck." It's a mildly inappropriate tune about being "fucking pissed, man." The chorus is one of the most creative additions to modern society. Before you listen to the song, prepare to have your life changed. Just sayin' . . .

Dave and I eventually settled on Red Ball 2 -- King.com's puzzle adventure. Fun game. I made it to around Level 6 and got pissed and possibly banged my keyboard. Dave made it to Level 9 but Dave started like five minutes before me so stop saying, "Dave's better than you, Nick Rapper, at Red Ball 2."

Got some praise to dish out. I want to thank Wilbur for turning me on to the terrific OMGPOP, Dylan for always being a great neighbor in Web Design, Dave for sort of creating this blog, and Josie for the constant inspiration. Oh -- and Pyra Labs, the company which is responsible for Blogger. Oh -- and Anthony C, for continually spreading the word. Oh -- and . . . and . . .

Rhyme Galaxy

Welcome to Nick Rapper's Galaxy of Raps / Forget all of your malice and relax / Chill, you're in the company of the Great One / It's your fate son; don't make fun of a blogger with some lyrics and a fake gun / But for your sake, RUN! / I'm the antagonist -- no cape, hun / This blog is losing its credibility / All's I do is complain. Hold on, my head is killin' me! / I approach my readers as if they've ever read a soliloquy / Keep in mind I write this dread unwillingly / My keyboard looks at me like, dude get a life / I unplug his ass, then I'm like, "you're the one that's dead, right?" / He looks at me like, Dude I'm not looking at you / Then I throw a book at the dude / Back to gossip, rumors, hearsay / Dear today, I sincerely pray / Dave gets help / I'll admit, he rolls the best L's / Add me on Twitter / Add me on Flickr / Add me on the list of guys who wear glitter / Hey, I'm extraneous -- you're bitter / I'm a precious critter who eats quitters for dinner / I eat sinners for the next meal / My sex appeal lest reveal a person who's chest is STEEL / These abs, these pex, these heels / Who wants to be the next to feel? / Dave, get off me, I don't swing that way, I like breasts forreal / I make sexy sounds like pops and clicks / My blog gets lots of hits / Chillin' wit dem jocks and chicks / Words, dots, 'n pics / That's my blog in a nutshell / When I walk by, all the sluts yell / Finally, I wanna mention Dave Fuckhead / Without him, this blog wouldn't exist -- enough said

Ramble Rap

Back my popular demand, about to expand the man's damn thoughts from grains of sand into great masses of land. Here to please, I fear disease -- I remind you the swine flu is more annoying than a haiku. End of that shit. My first ramble was oddly successful and here's the second one, which is more vicious than a pack of whore witches or sore bitches. Whoops. Sorry. Welcome, remember Hell's fun, you could sell rum or just unleash stellar puns. Time for gossip, there's lots of it, Jen and Scott are public, you gotta love it. Dave and me, make savory potpourri, vote for me to smoke some weed. I'm here to ramble -- I don't want bland, dull, damn bull! I have ample time to make history -- now sample my rhymes: Jen always asks for help from Wilbur. Honestly, the dude wants to kill her. But, Scott would disagree. It'd still be a mystery. Wilbur killing anyone? Not likely -- dude won't buy weed, though pot's pricey. According to my companion, I'm not a lady's first choice. I would sing to Josie, but I got the worst voice. My screeches are cursed noise. Whatever, Shvet is terrific at archery. I shoot my bow retardedly. I just started, see, but when I shoot ya in the heart you'll be . . . crap, that's a bit too violent. Complaint? Go ahead, file it. Playwright, rapper, comical figure, abominable singer, coughing up rhymes with methodical vigor. Back to gossip -- I hear Chet's dating Chad, Bret's dating Brad, turrets is a fading fad, the Mets are laying back, 'cause they din't make it to the playoffs: they got screwed like Mister Madoff. I got puns galore. My funds are poor but I have somethin' more. My music's bangin' on every London floor. A lot of men, say, Nick, can I have your autograph? I'm like, got a pen? I hope I did not offend -- finally, good luck to Scott and Jen.

Proctor Approves

[I warned you two posts ago about this play. It's called I'm Not in a Band, and it will be divided into three acts, each released at a different time. Act I, commence!]

The end of 2009, Cornfield, New Jersey; holidays are coming; there's an air of complete peacefulness. As the decade terminates, the problems are building, everything feels cheap -- but everyone seems satisfied, dreamy, and completely relaxed.

The curtain rises. Five teenagers appear on and around a park bench, all with aimless gazes and some odd serenity intact. Anthony Scallera stands to the left of the bench, moving slightly back and forth. David Lipskid sits on the far left of the bench, at present looking straight. Steve Frapito sits in the middle of the bench, currently leaning to the left. Sean Riccoldi sits on the paved walkway in front of Steve, rocking systematically. Adam Vurnel sits on the top of the bench on the right, facing the rest.

Anthony Scallera is sixteen years old, lazy, certain. David Lipskid is sixteen years old, inspired but lazy. Steve Frapito is seventeen years old, sure of himself, and particularly enlightened. Sean Riccoldi is sixteen years old, happy, frivolous. Adam Vurnel is sixteen years old, emotionless and very, very satisfied.

ADAM: Thanks for hooking me up, bro.

DAVID, quickly: Sure.

ADAM, moving to the opposite side of the bench: How much should I put in?

DAVID: Five's good.

ADAM: Okay.

STEVE, in the light of some awkward silence: I'll get some good Sartallo shit soon.

SEAN: Nice, man.

ADAM, trying to seem greatly interested: What's Sartallo's shit like?

STEVE: It's awesome. Real mellow high; you don't bug-out or anything, mainly. Good shit overall.

ANTHONY, mostly to himself: I gotta smoke.

DAVID: It doesn't really matter. But yeah we'll hook you up.

ANTHONY, trying to condense his explanation: Yeah I'd smoke, it's just my mom will kill me, bro.

DAVID, attempting sympathy: True. Dave loosely looks at the others. Yo, his mom grounded him for like three months 'cause he got a C in math.

STEVE: Yeah you probably won't get caught. As long as you don't go home right after smoking or -- just use Axe or like, Tag.

Enter Laura Tricello, fellow teenager, all smiles. Walking through the park and recognizing all five men, she stops.

LAURA: Sean! I'll step on you. . .

SEAN, sarcastically: Haha, you're cool.

LAURA: Anyone have bud? I'm gonna get some from Michaela later but --

STEVE: Farsello has some. He's good it's just, eh -- it's okay.

LAURA: True, Birrino's and Diaz's are better, yeah.

DAVID, surprised: You know Frank Diaz -- cool.

LAURA: My sister dated him. His shit is the best.

DAVID, sensing Laura has to get somewhere: Yeah . . . haven't bought from him in a while.

LAURA: You should . . . I have to talk to Erica. She's, er -- she's "in love" with Mohammed -- the freshman kid. See ya later guys.

DAVID: See ya.

SEAN: Later, bitch.

STEVE: See ya. Laura exits. We should do something.

DAVID: Wanna practice?

STEVE, sarcastically: Ant, you're gonna have to go home.

ANTHONY: Yeah, okay. Dude we should play some Pain Funnel songs.

STEVE: Come on bro. They're terrible, you know it.

SEAN: Eh, "Rampant Materialism" is okay. Ant seriously though they aren't fucking the next Beatles.

STEVE: Whatever, either way let's just go to a show or something.

DAVID: I know NetNannies are playing at Wellmont tomorrow. They're mostly ska punk.

STEVE: Yeah . . . today though.

DAVID: I don't know. Wanna just split or something?

STEVE, exhaustion building: It's like eight man. Whatever.

SEAN: Wanna play DDD?

STEVE: Come on, man.

DAVID: Uh, wanna just go to that show tomorrow? I'll just do my Smith homework tonight or something. I'm kinda tired.

STEVE: Sure.

Everyone gets up. They start walking east -- Adam and Sean are still noticeably high. As they trudge towards their next resting place, the curtain descends.

Philly Boy

Straight from the mind of Nick Rapper he presents to you this new article called, well, look at the title. So Marina and Brandon don't really want themselves in this here blog. Too bad. Marina is dating a guy. Brandon likes The Rangers. More. Anthony C needs to start giving me his Sociology handouts. Deuce. Julian G sells chocolate, in school. Illegal. Anthony M keeps hitting me, bro. It's cold out. I saw James J today. He was wearing these fifth-ranked Troy Polamalu shades. He's a fine bro. Ryan A keeps making these juvenile hand sounds. Keep in mind we're all fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen over here. Relevant. My Internet brother made this album. Jen doesn't understand what a blog is. Or how people find you on one. Or maybe she just doesn't understand some bare essentials of online activity. Keep in mind, Jen and I know each other from Web Design. My newest rap will be released in less than a month. Dave better not reveal the origins of those "marks." Dave's cool. He's getting an eighth. Nick L had trouble on the latest History quiz he partook in. Believe me, I did too. Keep in mind that Nick L manages this attack on the music industry. That band never had a chance in Hell. Though one of their members does have actual talent. His name is -- wow, the new Vampire Weekend song is good. Just sayin'. . . I'm writing a script for a play based on Anthony C's opinion of The Fictional Account of Miss Teacher's Exploits in Technology. Good blog. Needs editing, though. More characters will be added soon. At least three new females. Including Miss Jill C. Most of you know her. She's a nice human being with a stark view of the new cellular phone policy implemented by local authorities. Pretentious. Finally, I want to thank all commenters, supporters, critics, knowers, lovers, and writers of this blog. Last thoughts: Dave says I ain't gotta life, Wilbur thinks lowly of me, and Jen is a terrific fighter. Okay, take care. See ya tomorrow.