Cav's Place

In the early hours of October 16, I did get back to the kitchen at the usual time after using the toilet and washing after making a few more edits to what I posted just before midnight, to get rid of any bits of hair left after shaving my head, but then I filled the form that I thought I was going to need when I went to renew my ID card, also had plenty more to wash and clean in the kitchen, not even finishing all of it, and mainly used lettuce for the salad, all of these leading to eating dinner between 3:40 AM and 4:40 AM. And then I still had to shave, so I only got in bed at 5:35 AM. But I wasn’t woken up by the workers and somehow didn’t wake up when dad left in the morning either, only doing so when he got back, just before 10:10 AM. So I got up at that point, also did the day’s squats… And at one point I heard heavy things smashing against the external blinds and a worker yelling that they’ll break windows. Either way, we had to leave, dad also needing to be there to confirm that I live at this address, and that place closed at 3 PM and we didn’t know how long we’ll have to wait in line… And dad assumed that we’ll go by car while I assumed that we’ll walk, and while he seemed to agree to walk by the time we left, a few minutes after noon, when we stepped outside he looked at the car and said that he kept thinking about it, and that it was rather late and it was going to take well over half an hour to get there on foot, so we ended up taking the car anyway… But we didn’t save that much time, needing about a quarter of an hour to get there but then spending some ten more minutes driving around, looking for a free parking spot, and then we had to walk a short distance from it as well, so we actually arrived after 12:30 PM.
Since dad asked someone who was waiting in line outside one of the entrances whether that was for requesting and was told that it was for picking up, we initially went through the other entrance… Only to be told that everything that had to do with ID cards was done in the first room after all, so I waited there while dad went out to ask again, coming back to get me after confirming that we should go there after all. And then I just stood there while he was asking more questions and trying to make sure that our turn won’t be skipped, since nothing was listed on the displays, nobody seemed to care about the order numbers that could be taken from the machine, and it turned out that only two of the offices took people without appointments, if and when they could squeeze them between or after those who did have appointments. So, just like in 2008, I’d have probably never gotten through without dad there, and as we were waiting I was getting increasingly anxious and had to pretty much withdraw inside myself. Either way, since after our turn came we were told that the fee had to be paid at the machine from the nearby Mega Image, dad went to pay while I had to get back to waiting, being told that they couldn’t take my information without the fee being paid. And I think that the people who were taken next had to leave as well, I think because they were missing some documents, though I’m not exactly certain. And when dad got back he came along with another man and said that he was actually ahead and had helped him use that machine as well, so we waited some more, eventually ending up being received at the other office. But at least everything seemed to go smoothly after that, and the form that I had filled and the copies made of the documents weren’t even needed, the employee just typing everything, and also taking the picture… The problem being that I was in no state to really check that everything was correct.
I’m not sure which side of 1:25 PM it was when we walked out, but the whole thing took close to an hour either way. And then we went our separate ways, since my grandmother had given dad her old prayer book quite some time ago, asking him to have it restored, and he didn’t even know where it was anymore, so I had looked up some places where it could be done and one that supposedly actually focused on religious books wasn’t far from there, and I had found the book and taken it with me, so I went there, picking up two recyclables on the way… But all I saw at that address was some investment firm, at least according to the name. Admittedly, there was another name on the buzzer, but that seemed to be a private home, and while it’s possible that those were the restorers, I wasn’t about to ring and ask, so I walked away.
On the other hand, a good thing did come out of going there, since I had to pass by a charity shop that I had meant to check out for years, and they even had everything at half price those days, so I entered and, after a look at a few decorations, and even DVDs, I was pleasantly surprised not just by the sheer number of books, but also by the fact that they even had books in English. And the prices would have been reasonable for used books even without the 50% discount, so I ended up getting The Cardinal’s Blades and The Alchemist in the Shadows. I saw that there is one more in the series, which I couldn’t spot there and couldn’t get myself to ask whether they knew if they had it, plus that it’s originally in French, so what I got was an English translation, and it seems to be a swashbuckling adventure in an alternate history setting with some magical elements, but I got something and the money will probably be put to some good use. Another book that caught my attention there was Shadowmarch, but I couldn’t tell whether it was part of a series right away and having more pages than the two that I bought put together but costing half of the price of one of them made me wonder whether something was wrong with it, and I couldn’t sit there and check page by page to see whether any were missing or anything like that, so I left it there.
After taking quite some time to put the books in the backpack, using the moment to collect myself to some extent, I went to Carrefour, entering with the backpack, putting those two recyclables in the machine, and then just cashing in the voucher. And then, since I had dad’s metro card, I took the metro to Dristor, picking up two more recyclables and putting them in the machine from Carrefour Park Lake. Since it was about 4 PM when I got there and there’s a note stating that machines are unavailable during two intervals, one of them being 4 PM to 4:15 PM, in order to be cleaned, I was worried that I won’t be able to do it, but while one machine was off and the other was in use by a person who had a lot of recyclables, she actually stopped to let me put mine in when she saw that I only had two. And then I bought a few expiring products, all of them being discounted by 50%, before going to pee, since it seemed like too much of a risk to try to walk back from there without doing so. And then, mainly because I had found those 10 RON the previous week and since I didn’t have to rush anymore, I decided to look for buskers that I could give some money to in the park, actually having one guy in mind… But I just wandered around for quite some time without spotting any, which was odd. And I had passed by one just before reaching the mall, but he seemed to have walked away for a moment and was just returning at that point, and while I did consider going back there and checking what he was singing or playing before going in the park, I decided against it and doing so after walking out of the park would have meant quite a detour, so I didn’t.
After picking up one more recyclable just when I got here, it was almost 5:10 PM when I got back the first time. And dad obviously wanted to see what had happened outside, so when he was quite sure that the workers had left we went out on the balcony, seeing that they had finally moved the delimiter between our balcony and the neighbor’s a few centimeters, since they had initially made ours even smaller, albeit by very little, even though we had noticed that it had been smaller to begin with. They also finally started rebuilding it, but with some flimsy things that didn’t even seem to be positioned properly… Not that anything else is. As for what had fallen, we found what looked like rocks, probably being chunks of balconies or windowsills, scattered around, and the bug net from the other bedroom was quite torn in one place, but at least there was no actual damage to that window or to my blinds. Either way, I then put the purchases in their place, sliced the breads which I had bought for dad two days earlier, ate lunch, and left again at 7:40 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the bathroom light which had burned out last month while still under warranty. And I think that I picked up one more recyclable on the way to the nearest Penny, where I put all of them in the machine, entered with that light, and just cashed in the voucher.
I picked up another recyclable after walking away from there, but the problem was that I felt quite cold and already needed to pee again by then, the situation becoming quite desperate while I was on the metro, so it was such a relief when I saw toilets after getting off at Nicolae Teclu. There was no soap, but it’s not like I expected to find any in a public bathroom from a metro station, so I just washed my hands with water after peeing, then went to the store that I had purchased that light from early last year and told the person from the service desk what the problem was. However, the coworker she called to check whether they had any in stock to replace it with said that the system showed zero, but she nevertheless went to have a look, coming back with the model with warm light, saying that they only had that one at that point and asking whether I accepted it as replacement, pointing out that I will notice the difference. And, if I was initially thinking to say that if they thought that they’ll have that exact model back in stock soon, I could leave some contact information and come back to pick up the replacement when they’ll notify me that it arrived, I eventually agreed, since I did move the other one with cold light at the main bathroom and warm light is fine for the small bathroom. And the price had increased a little, so getting the money back, which was the other option initially offered by the employee from the service desk, wouldn’t have exactly helped. But, after seeming to want to make a point to her coworker that she had to force the system to accept a replacement with these differences, she managed to do it, the result being that it was considered a new sale, so the new one has its own two-year warranty, starting that day.
After putting that new LED tube in the backpack, I also put that recyclable in the machine from Kaufland, but then I continued to Auchan, entering with the backpack and getting some better vinegar and a pumpkin, cheating the scales just enough to make up for that label with the deposit symbol “eaten” by one of their recycling machines back in August, before returning to Kaufland, putting the pumpkin and vinegar in a cabinet, peeing again, getting soap from the men’s but ending up washing my hands in the room for disabled people, since the water was barely trickling in the men’s, as well as in the baby changing room. It was past 9:35 PM when I entered the store, once again with the backpack, and then I got a few black radishes that had a great evening discount and a few expiring products, which included a nice cake. I waited until after 10:15 PM, but there were no new or increased evening discounts, so after also using the voucher received for that recyclable when I paid, I had even retrieved what I had in the cabinet a few minutes before closing time, but I still needed to use emergency exit, the main doors being already locked. Either way, after walking out I used a table to arrange everything, but since I had to wait for quite a while for the metro I used that time to do a better job of it.
After getting off at Dristor, I picked up a recyclable and put it and the pumpkin in a cabinet from that non-stop Mega Image, entering with the backpack where I had everything else… But I just wasted some time, seeing no bakery discounts, nothing discounted by 90%, and nothing interesting among what was discounted by 50%. So I then retrieved what I had in the cabinet, picked up one more recyclable on the way, and entered this nearby Mega Image several minutes after 11:30 PM, seeing plenty of bakery products with the 90% discount, so I’m thinking that they had just placed those labels, and getting some, just leaving the bags behind me, next to the shelves, before reaching the bakery area and picking them back up before going to the checkout.
I was back for good at 11:50 PM and found a note left by dad stating that he had gone to bed and set the alarm to ring at 1 AM to continue working. So I installed the new light in the small bathroom, leaving that old one once again as a spare, arranged the apples in the fridge, making room for the pumpkin, ate an old orange and that cake, and put the purchases in their place, meaning to wait for dad to wake up before cleaning the litter box, in case Liza would also wake and go again, and going to the bathroom. However, at 1 AM he just turned off the alarm, and while I waited a little longer, in case he had just snoozed it, he seemed to have just turned it off and continued sleeping, so I eventually cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, and it was 1:25 AM when I went to wash. I was done a little after 2 AM, but it was almost 2:20 AM when I went back to the kitchen, and then I also washed what was there and moved something into a jar… And dad only got up at 3:30 AM. Either way, I ate dinner between 4:45 AM and 5:30 AM and got in bed at 6:40 AM.

At least the workers generally seemed to only make small noises in this area and after only actually waking up once, right at noon, to pee, it was 4:07 PM when I got up, after hearing a worker shout that it was 4:10 PM. Admittedly, I had been awake for an hour or so at that point. And the following day I could once again sleep quite well, even if I was woken up a few times by some brief drilling, and the workers seemed to be stomping outside my window, yet I somehow managed to get back to sleep relatively quickly in spite of that. However, when dad got back in the evening he said that he had just talked to someone about the windows and they had apparently written down that they had taken all measurements and the plan was to install the new ones on October 21! That guy had told dad that if they couldn’t enter they had probably taken the measurements from outside, but they couldn’t have done that for my window, considering the external blinds, and the issue is with how it opens, because the new one absolutely must open the same way, and they clearly couldn’t see that without coming here. So it was apparently agreed that they’ll try to come and have a look on the morning of October 20 and see whether anything could be changed, though that guy was trying to get dad to give in and just accept the model that they had ordered for everyone, but the other option would probably be for him to just sign that the window had been changed without it actually happening, especially since my blinds would make the difference invisible from outside if I’ll know to keep them down when it’ll be checked. Either way, the following day I could really sleep.

The plan for the morning of October 20 was that if the guy would call dad before 9 AM and say that he was coming over to measure the windows, he’ll wake me then, while if he won’t call by 9 AM then dad will call him and see what’s going on. But the noise started and woke me even before 8 AM, and while I did manage to get back to sleep, I only got some brief and agitated naps before a couple of seconds of particularly loud drilling woke me again with quite a start at 9:30 AM, at which point I went to talk to dad and learned that the guy had admitted that they hadn’t actually measured our windows and said that he couldn’t do so then but was going to come the following day, take the measurements, and then do everything properly, obviously at a later time. However, while there was no more of that awfully loud drilling, there was still a fair amount of noise and I couldn’t get back to sleep at all, eventually deciding to get up just before 10:45 AM, though I took it easy and it was past 11 AM when I actually got out of bed again. And then I did the day’s squats, ate a particularly large piece of baked pumpkin and a little chocolate, and spent a little time on the computer, getting back in bed at noon, hoping to be able to take advantage of the workers’ break… But the noise from upstairs continued, so it was hard to get back to sleep, and then I took brief and very agitated naps, filled with bad dreams and during which I seemed to remain aware of the noise and of the uncomfortable positions I was twisting myself into, so it’s like only part of my brain was asleep. Either way, it was several minutes after 2 PM when I got back up, and then I ate lunch and left at 4:30 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up two more on the way to Penny Titan.
The machine from there wasn’t working, but I didn’t mean to use anyway, so I put the recyclables in a cabinet, without locking it, and while I was looking for the large bags of cat litter that were one sale and couldn’t find any, I bought one expiring product for dad, putting it in the backpack before retrieving the recyclables and picking up two more that were left next to the machine. Then I checked the next Penny as well, seeing that the machine was working but once again putting the recyclables in a cabinet that I didn’t lock, entering with the backpack, but still not seeing any of that cat litter, so I just retrieved the recyclables and continued to Auchan, where I finally put them in a machine.
After once again entering with the backpack, I saw five of those nice breads that were on sale those days. And when I weighed them I found that, while the listed weight is 400 grams, four had about 480 and the remaining one over 460, if not almost 470, so I took all of them. And I also took a cabbage… Which I’m yet to touch, and cabbage is now cheaper in Carrefour, but I had no way to know that then. Either way, I also added two heads of garlic, at full price, since at least it was listed as Romanian. And then I wasted a fair bit of time, first because the woman who was ahead of me at the self-checkout forgot one product on the belt and after telling her to go ahead and pay for that as well I realized that I had also meant to check whether certain dishwashing sponges were on sale, so I walked away to do that only to see that they weren’t. Then, after going back and scanning the purchases, entering that I had five of the breads but realizing just in time that the machine had for some reason only registered one and adding the rest, so I didn’t have to make a separate transaction or call an employee, I also used the voucher received for the recyclables and then threw it away before walking out of the checkout area, forgetting that the machine had required quite a number of tries before accepting the oddly-shaped bottle which I had picked up and I had been uncertain whether it had actually counted it, so I meant to have a look on that voucher and try to figure it out. So I wanted to get back there after arranging the purchases, and when I couldn’t quite do so when other customers walked out, I put my things in a cabinet and went back in through the entrance, retrieving that voucher, walking back out when someone else did, retrieving my things, and eventually realizing that everything had indeed been counted.
Well, I then wasted even more time by checking that Penny as well, putting my things in a cabinet that I once again didn’t lock but still not finding any of that cat litter. And I noticed that the guard had his eyes on me as I retrieved my things, so I nodded and greeted him as I stepped away from the cabinets and he asked me to show him what I had in my pockets, but was satisfied and waved me through after I just pulled one empty bag out of one.
Then I continued to Supeco, finding just one more recyclable in that parking lot and putting it in the machine before putting my things in a cabinet that I still didn’t lock, though that was because none of the padlocks seemed to work. I had mainly gone there for tea, which I got, but I also spotted some small discounts if you got two packs of dishwashing sponges, and also for two large bags of salt, so I got those as well… At which point I realized that only the bags used for the recyclables were in the jacket’s pockets, the rest being in the backpack, which was in the cabinet, so it was a struggle to hold on to everything while wandering around a little longer and then getting to the checkout, and then I still had to throw the bags of salt into one of those bags that I wouldn’t normally want to use for purchases, because I’d have held up the line if I’d have struggled to pick everything back up just in my hands… And then, after retrieving my things, taking quite a long time to arrange everything, and even struggling to get the full and heavy backpack on, I realized that I had forgotten to use the voucher received for that recyclable, and I go there way too rarely to leave it for another time, so I put everything back, needing to use two cabinets, and went back to cash it in before retrieving everything again.
I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go next, and I also hit a few dead ends as I tried to save a little bit of time by using the alleys between buildings, and when I spotted a bench I stopped to add the teas in the backpack as well. And then, after coming part of the way back but realizing that I had no time to do so if I wanted to reach the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM in time for the discounts of 90%, I went straight there, picking up a few more recyclables on the way and getting there a few minutes before 9 PM.
The employee was placing the 90% discount labels on bakery products at that point, so I once again put my bags in a cabinet that I didn’t lock, entered with the backpack and the recyclables, and went there to look, picking up some buns after the employee was done with that side of that area. She told me to wait before taking them to the checkout, not commenting further after I said that I will, but when another woman tried to get something, she really snapped at her, telling her to let her finish before taking anything, and they argued a little, until that woman walked away. That made me put back those buns and walk away to take a basket… Only for a young woman to grab all of the buns before I returned, and the employee didn’t say anything to her, so when she reached for even more products I said that in that case I’ll jump in as well and reached over to grab something else before she could. And, after the employee was done and the other customers walked away from there, I saw that one of the remaining bags contained one of those apple pastries along with one of another kind that I didn’t want, so I took an empty bag, slid that other pastry in it, without touching it, and then carefully removed the discount label printed for it from the first bag and placed it on that new one… By which point the cart with the other products that had that discount had been pretty much emptied, only a few uninteresting products being left in it while a couple of people had full baskets.
Either way, I then finally put the recyclables in the machine and then used the voucher when I paid for those bakery products, being surprised when the cashier, who had just taken over from a coworker when my turn came, asked for less than what the total should have been, and she meant to throw the receipt away, but I reached for it and she handed it to me, realizing after I checked it that, while two of the bags contained multiple products and had an equal number of labels, she had only scanned one for each. But I didn’t let her know, just retrieving what I had in the cabinet and then adding the new purchases and arranging them, the problem being that the bag where I had the bread from Auchan got torn when I took it out of the cabinet but I still had to use it, so I had to be careful from then on.
I actually considered coming back at that point, but I nevertheless continued to Kaufland as well, picking up a few more recyclables on the way and putting them in the machine from there before putting the purchases in a cabinet and peeing, having to go to the women’s to wash my hands, since there was no soap in the men’s. I think it was 9:45 PM when I entered the store, though I’m not quite certain. Either way, I got bananas, which had a good evening discount, and a few tomatoes, even if those had a lower one… And I was surprised to hear an announcement about 50% discounts on some bakery products. But there were indeed only for some products, and I wasn’t interested in anything, especially after getting used to the 90% discount from Mega Image. So I moved on, adding two of those cheap yogurts and a pack of two toothbrushes… And one of the tomatoes fell out of the bag before I placed it on the scales at the self-checkout, so the machine didn’t accept them as the correct products at first, but then kept telling me to place the tomatoes on the scales after I added it, so I had to call an employee over to override the error. Then I confirmed that the 33% discount applied correctly for the toothbrushes, used the voucher received for the recyclables, and was done a few minutes before closing time, but retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging once again took a while.
Then I went to that Mega Image as well, leaving the bags next to the cabinets, entering with the backpack, and getting a few more bakery products, along with one more thing that was also discounted by 90%. Then I retrieved my things and, after walking out, I went to a bench and took my time to arrange everything properly. And I picked up some more recyclables on the way back… But I didn’t react in time when I passed by a man who was carrying large bags full of them, thinking too late that I should have given him at least one of those bags of bakery products that I had been charged less for and not turning around to get back to him and try to do so. And I didn’t spot other homeless people after that, so I kept everything… And in fact added a bag of buns and one more sweet pastry after checking the nearby Mega Image as well, entering when it was past 11:30 PM, leaving the bags next to the recycling machine, entering with the backpack, buying those things without waiting for the receipt, and then retrieving the bags.
I got back just before 11:45 PM, with just about 26.5 kg… At least assuming that what the scale eventually displayed was correct, since it refused to turn on and took me quite a while to manage to get it to work. Either way, I then cleaned the litter box and went to drop what I had gathered down the chute, put some of the purchases in their place, ate a banana and the apple pastry, and it was a few minutes after 1:30 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. I was done at 2:25 AM, but I only got back to the kitchen at 2:45 AM, and then it took a long time to put all of the purchases in their place… At which point I saw that we still had regular dishwashing sponges, the scrubbers being what we’re almost out of. But it’s not like those go bad, so I added them there, then washed what was in the kitchen, and it was several minutes past 4 AM when I finally started working on dinner, which I ate between 5 AM and 5:50 AM, while writing notes about the day. And then I also gathered my clothes and arranged some more in my room and in the kitchen, going to bed at 6:55 AM.

Things looked bad when I was woken up by loud noises at 8:50 AM, but then the noise died down and I could get back to sleep until more loud noises woke me again at 10:10 AM and kept me awake, though it was past 10:30 AM when I got up, after a particularly loud moment. However, dad said that he hadn’t heard anything from the guy who was supposed to come and measure our windows, so after a while I tried to get back in bed, since things were quieter. It still took me a pretty long time to fall asleep again, but then I could stay asleep, only waking up again several minutes after 1:30 PM, at which point I asked dad about any updates and he said that he was just about to wake me, since the guy had said that he was going to come at 2 PM… But it was past 3 PM when he actually came, and I hope that it was clear that I wanted my window to still open the same way, but I was left very uncertain about the size, how it’ll fit, also considering the external blinds, and what will be left to do inside after the change. Either way, I slept for some two more hours, if not a little more, in the evening…

The following morning really was bad, however. I woke up when dad left, which he had said should have been around 7:45-7:50 AM, though I didn’t check at that point, and then the noise was just awful. I even thought that it might have already started before he left, but he said it hadn’t, so it must have been shortly after that, and then I was just curled in a ball, covering my ears, for a long time, only checking and seeing 9:05 AM when there was a first short break. And then, after peeing, I got back in bed, but while the short breaks were more frequent, getting back to sleep for any amount of time was completely out of the question, not that doing so for mere moments only to be startled awake in that manner yet again would have been a good idea anyway, so just after 10 AM I got on the computer, getting back in bed at noon, hoping to take advantage of the workers’ break. But some scraping could still be heard from above and, while I sort of briefly drifted off a couple of times, if I actually fell asleep again at all it must have been just before the loud noise started again, at 12:50 PM. And that noise was utterly terrible, paralyzing, and just relentless for just under an hour, so I remained curled up under the blanket, trying to cover my ears as well as I could, until I caught that first brief pause during which I got up. And then I actually went to the kitchen for a while, even if there were workers just in this area, one actually working on something right above that window for a while. And, to show the level of noise, I had to turn the TV’s volume to maximum and stand just in front of it to try to make out something while watching the news! At least I got some three hours of sleep after dad got back in the evening, getting up just before 12:45 AM.

At least things were different on October 23. There were still a few moments when loud noises woke me, and I also woke up when dad got back the first time, but those loud noises were brief and I always got right back to sleep… At least until just after 1:10 PM, when the relatively faint but frequent noises from upstairs did keep me mostly awake, so I just sort of drifted off a couple of times until what must have been shortly before 2 PM, when I did fall asleep again only to be woken by the alarm set to ring at that time. But there were no workers in this area either, so I felt more at ease as I had the usual stuff, though I replaced the yogurt with some kefir with a little bio (organic) beetroot and celery juice, even if it had expired two days earlier. I only wasted time on the toilet, but it wasn’t much of a concern after having gone before going to bed in the morning. So, after also eating two nicer biscuits, with added honey, and putting some things in the pocket of my tights, I left at 4:55 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 22°C, dropping to about 20° by the time I finished.
The time was 47:13.70, with sector times of 4:14.45, 4:58.00, 5:50 (5:49.90), 4:24.50, 4:59 (4:58.16), 5:45.87, 4:26 (4:25.25), 4:57.60, 5:48.25 and 1:52 (1:51.72), making for lap times of 15:02.35, 15:08.53 and 15:11.10. While I didn’t think that it was possible, I was, of course, hoping to get back under 48 minutes and pushed from the beginning, the first sector’s time being just fine… But it was the second sector that really gave me hope, and the first lap as a whole made me think that I might just have a chance. And those chances increased with every sector of lap two, and at the start of lap three I wondered whether I could even squeeze under 47:30. It seemed unlikely, but I once again wanted to know that I gave my best, so I really went for it and after two sectors it seemed that I was just about safe. But I wanted to make sure of it, meaning to be able to afford two minutes on the final sector, so I kept pushing, continuing to do so after the end of the lap, when I saw that I could even squeeze under 47:15. And I did, making this the best time since August, before the cold, and in fact the second best of the year.
I needed to snap my back before the run and couldn’t quite do it, but that actually wasn’t an issue once I got going, the first reason for concern being the pretty serious warnings from my right hip that appeared right after the first sector. But those went away quickly, the few other warnings given by other parts of that leg on sector two of lap two are barely worth mentioning, and otherwise I felt just fine, though I did make a mental note of the fact that I couldn’t keep up the sprint all the way to the end of the long straight of sector one of lap three. On the other hand, there were plenty of people, causing some notable issues, on top of plenty of weaving and going the long way around. On sector one of lap two, after moving to get around a kid on a scooter, I had to quickly avoid the other one, who turned in front of me. Then, at the end of the next sector, under the bridge, I had to slow pretty much to a walk as I squeezed between a little kid who was unsteadily pushing forward on a tricycle and the wall, that kid and the man having actually left the lane clear, but the older girl who was riding with them, just behind, being right on it. And on the next sector I briefly stopped when a guy started walking across the lane, then looked, stopped when he saw me, but then suddenly hurried ahead. He probably meant to clear the lane, but I had already committed to go around him on that side and therefore just about ran into him. And on sector two of lap three a roadblock formed in front of me and I had to squeeze around it on the grass, the fact that a dog was on that side making me walk for a couple of seconds, running right past it seeming like a risk. And the stairs, at the start of the final sector, were also quite crowded and I had to weave from one side to the other.

After the run, I continued to Park Lake, picking up two recyclables on the way, putting them in Carrefour’s machine, and having a quick look in a pet store and going to wash my hands before entering the store. I was mainly going there for dry beans, getting a kilogram even if they looked quite bad, but I added some other things as well, a voucher with 30% of the value being offered for some of them, so I first paid for those separately, to check that it was correct, and then made a second transaction for the remaining products, needing an employee to come and approve the sale of a deeply discounted beer which I had bought for dad and also using the voucher received for those recyclables. Then I arranged the purchases and started jogging back, though when I realized that I was going to easily get here before the start of the evening’s first match and a small group was ahead of me, I didn’t try to push past and just walked behind them until I reached this nearby Mega Image, deciding to dash in there to put the two recyclables picked up by then in the machine. But the machine wasn’t working, so I entered with everything and had a look at the expiring products, spotting something discounted by 50% that I ended up buying for dad.
It was almost 7:50 PM when I got back, so I was a few minutes late. Either way, at half time I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, picking up another recyclable and a part of one that also had the label with the deposit symbol, which I placed on one that we already had of that same kind but without the symbol. Then, after eating what was still good from a banana, putting some of the purchases in their place, doing the day’s squats, and just starting to nibble on a croissant, after the first match ended I rushing to wash, which led to missing the first ten minutes of the second. Then I ate the rest of that croissant, finished putting the purchases in their place, and ate most of a bag of peanuts, putting the rest in the salad, so I got 950 calories just from that. And I also made mamaliga, with eggs and cheese mixed in it, and stuffed myself at night. Unfortunately, a small spot on the bottom of the cast iron pot got burned pretty badly, which hadn’t happened in a long time.

The following morning, the noise actually started around 7:30 AM, with heavy movement on the scaffolding. There might have been a brief pause before they actually started working, because I eventually fell asleep again, but only briefly, since at 8:10 AM the drilling startled me awake. It wasn’t right here anymore, making it far less loud than two days earlier and no longer frightening, but there was no way to get back to sleep… Though there might have been another pause at some point, because I apparently did drift off, I don’t know for how long, before being woken up again at 9:25 AM and deciding to pee one more time and then get on the computer. The noise seemed to fade after a while, so at 10:20 AM I got back in bed, but there was another brief round of drilling just then and, either way, what had seemed entirely manageable while I was on the computer and listening to music on the headphones proved far less so while trying to get back to sleep, so I couldn’t. Then again, another reason was that the reality of what was going to happen really hit me, that my window will be changed, there will be workers here, changes to the apartment, the need to at least temporarily move furniture, and the uncertainty over how it’ll all end up after all. And then dad got up as well and after a while, I think at 11:25 AM, I went out and stayed there until he left, getting back in bed just before 12:20 PM, so I even missed a good part of the workers’ break. Still, over the next three hours I did manage to catch a number of naps, even if they were filled with bad dreams and I have no idea what they added up to.

As for today, I’m not sure exactly when the noise started, but it was roughly around 8 AM, and it was once again utterly terrible and terrifying, so quite a long time passed until I managed to crawl out of bed, at which point I saw that it was 8:37 AM. And then, since I had kept putting them off the previous day until I forgot to do them at all, I pushed myself to fight through the fear and stunning effect it had on me and do 200 squats before getting on the computer. But at least I made use of the time to write this, and after posting it I hope to at least get a chance to take a nap during the workers’ break.

Yes, this is another rushed post in this series, but at least it includes one actual new find and all three bands are once again from the same country, which in this case is Greece. And I also had a quick look for some other Greek bands, but rushing meant that I only added one more on the list… Which, if I was to stick to the idea of only including bands with new songs released within the past year, I should have probably included here instead of the third one that I did include, since their recently uploaded video is actually for an old song, but I remember wanting to include them in such a post quite a number of times, so I decided to make it easy for myself and go with it this time around. And I guess that can even be said to be a decent balance, one actual new find, one band that was already on the list that has new material and one that doesn’t.

To start with the actual new find, that’s Empty Mirror and, since they only have two lyric videos uploaded separately, Of Man and Elf and Luminous Child, one from each album, the latter being the recent one, those will be my two picks… And they’re the only ones that I listened to right now, so I don’t know anything else, the obvious reason for concern being the growls… But on Luminous Child they’re tolerable and on Of Man and Elf they actually don’t bother me at all, and may even fit. And the overall sound is pretty nice, as are the clean vocals, both female and male. So, while I obviously think that they’d have been much better without those growls, they may be worth listening to even so.

The second band is Fortis Ventus, and my first pick is Chaos, which is their most recent release and apparently also their only actual video. The beginning definitely sounds familiar and I think I should know what it’s probably “inspired” by, but I can’t quite remember at this point. Either way, it’s a good song. And I actually like Shadows and the Soul, which is the one old song that’s officially uploaded and therefore my second pick, somewhat more, mainly thanks to that part with a faster pace, even if the vocals seem a little less secure if you pay attention.

As for the band that doesn’t actually have new material, that’s Elysion, and my first pick obviously has to be that recently uploaded video, for The Promise, even if the song is actually from their second album, released back in 2014. And their most recent album was released in 2023, so the second pick will be from it and I’ll go with Crossing Over. I’d call them a much more mature band than the other two, with a noticeably more polished sound and confident vocals that leave me little to complain about. And, like I said, I’ve been meaning to include them in such a post for some time and now I finally got around to it, even if I didn’t “catch” the moment when they actually had recently released material. But I do wonder why aren’t they listed on Metal Archives…

Once more, this ball of rock and metal that we keep trashing as if we and all other species that we share, or should be sharing, it with had plenty more to spare is pretty much in the same spot on its orbit as it was on the day I was born, and I guess it could be said that the one way in which I celebrated the moment was the little hobbit-like giveaway I made on the GOG.com forums. There was also an unfortunate consequence of that, but I’ll get to it towards the end of this post, in the part about yesterday that I’ll only added on October 22, since it wasn’t already written and I couldn’t write it today because my mother was here again, wanting to come and cook something, and I was in the kitchen with her until evening and then I had that giveaway to sort out, checked out some more things on the computer and, just before posting this, also shaved my head, because tomorrow I have to go and change my ID card, which expires today, and that implies having the picture taken as well… Or at least I hope I’ll manage to change it, because the earliest date that was available when I wanted to make an appointment for that on-line was December 23, so I guess it’s a matter of standing in line, with dad, since he also has to confirm that I live here, as the owner of the apartment, and hoping that our turn will come before the end of the schedule… And that we have everything that’s required, when I just learned that we lack a copy of my birth certificate, which he didn’t get around to making yet. Plus that I didn’t even get to look over the forms that should be filled. Not that I didn’t end up filling everything after getting there ten years ago.

But now let me get back to the morning of October 9, when I decided to try a hard fight on Lords of Xulima before going to bed, and when it seemed that I might even save some power points I got a little cocky and ended up losing a character, so I reloaded and tried again… And kept getting trashed until I said that I was going to make one final attempt… Which proved successful, but led to playing until 5:10 AM, making it clear that I was going to go to bed late. So I played a little more, finally getting in bed at 5:45 AM. But it was quiet again, and while I did wake up when dad left and then came back, I got back to sleep quickly both times and only got up a couple of minutes before 3 PM. And that evening I finally installed the Windows updates for September, everything seeming normal, including the usual errors.

On October 10, I was worried when I woke up to pee the first time, since it wasn’t even 8 AM and there were plenty of muffled noises coming from upstairs. But I guess the noise remained at that level and I could sleep just fine. So I got up after the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and after just warming what I had kept of the tea made two days earlier, when I meant to go out but eventually decided against it when the hot water went away, I had the usual stuff, with the yogurt being a bio (organic) one expired two days earlier and the sweet thing consisting of a bar, with plenty of added honey. On the other hand, I didn’t leave much in the toilet… And I raised the blinds and opened my window right after getting up and someone rang the doorbell soon after that, and at least one worker passed by in front of the window at a later point, possibly others as well, since I was usually keeping my back turned on purpose, so they knew that I was here, but I ignored them. Either way, I left at 4:30 PM, wearing the full running gear and one armband and with the slip of paper with the emergency information in the pocket of my tights, just in case. The reported temperature was 20-21°C, and 18-19°C when I finished.
The time was 1:46:42, with sector times of 4:15, 5:08, 6:05, 4:37, 5:14, 6:01, 4:34, 5:15, 6:01, 4:41, 5:18, 6:12, 4:51, 5:23, 6:22, 4:49, 5:30, 6:17, 1:55, 6:19 and 1:55, making for lap times of 15:28, 15:52, 15:50, 16:11, 16:36 and 16:36, plus 10:09 for that final portion. I wanted to at least stay under 1:45 and probably pushed a little too hard from the beginning… But going well over six minutes on sector three of lap one made it clear that I had no chance, so I recalculated the target times, thinking that the realistic goal was to stay under 1:47… Only for that to also become questionable after going over the 4:35 that’d be the target for a 16-minute lap on sector one of lap two. At least I recovered on that lap’s third sector, when I pushed more, and things were pretty much the same on lap three, albeit without going over the target on the first sector and ending up a little bit less slow on the lap as a whole. And then it was a matter of damage limitation, the target remaining in doubt almost all the way to the end, especially after lap five was slower than I could afford it to be, so on lap six I kept telling myself that I had to shave a few seconds off that time. However, after gaining two seconds on its first sector, I lost seven on the second, so things looked bad and I had to push on the third sector, leaving the concerns about what I’ll have left for the final portion for later. And, while I failed to gain any time, I didn’t lose any either, covering lap six in the same time as lap five and thinking that I had a good chance if I’ll stay under two minutes on the first sector of that final portion. And I did that, after which I managed my pace, thinking that I should just make it if I’ll stay focused, and at the start of the final sector I realized that I might just squeeze under 1:46:45, pushing and managing that.
Of course, any time above 1:45 isn’t good enough, and this is particularly disappointing after the previous week’s run, when I thought that I’d have had a good chance to even squeeze under 1:43 if I’d have continued to a half marathon distance. And another reason why it’s disappointing, and why I wanted a good time, is that I ran such a distance at this point as a way to “honor” this year’s Bucharest Marathon, taking place two days later and which I didn’t attend for the first time since 2019, since it didn’t take place in 2020, and I had registered for that edition anyway.
Moving on to the issues, there were plenty of people, those who bothered me more being young cyclists, probably teenagers and some children, and some of those with dogs, but while that meant quite a lot of weaving and going the long way around and a few moments when I had to squeeze through or take a step or two off the path, I wouldn’t say that they caused any problem that was actually notable on its own. Otherwise, some areas were rather windy, but I managed to deal with it. As for physical issues, my right ankle gave some warnings on sector one of lap two and a pressing need appeared on the following sector, both going away after that, before I started feeling some warnings from a spot above my left heel on sector one of lap three, followed on the following sector by the need to snap my back, the pain reflected into my chest remaining an issue for a longer time and seeming to move to different areas, though it eventually went away as well. But at the end of sector two of lap four that pressing need returned and got to be quite notable for a while, though it eventually faded again, what I had to manage until the end beginning on sector three of lap five, when my hands were going numb and multiple parts of my legs started giving warnings and getting heavier.

After grabbing a label with the deposit symbol on the way back, when I got in front of the building I also grabbed two recyclables, probably left by the workers… And then I hit my head against the scaffolding, albeit lightly. Then I ate the last five walnuts that were left in a bag for what was probably years and lunch, with some nicer bagels instead of bread, drank some of the last of those drinks I had been left with since the Dream Trek, expired for over two months, changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, and left again at 9:05 PM, just taking “my” recyclables with the deposit symbol, since my parents had once again brought a lot that had been emptied there but I had no time to deal with those as well. But then I saw a bag with more recyclables which had been left next to a garbage bin, quite clearly just to be taken by someone, so I took it as it was and put everything in the machine from the nearest Penny before getting what I wanted and using one of the vouchers received for the coins campaign as well as the one received for the recyclables.
After arranging the purchases a little, I continued to Kaufland… But I wasn’t sure that I had actually put the Penny store card back in my pocket, and when I stopped to check I spotted a 10 RON bill! So I took it, deciding to add half of the value to what I mean to give away. Then I put the purchases in a cabinet when I reached Kaufland and entered the store a few minutes before 10 PM, so it’s a good thing that they did get back to closing at 10:30 PM. On the other hand, the evening discounts weren’t good, but I nevertheless made use of one for a bundle of green onions, spotting a larger one among those that were left and also taking a bunch of torn tops that were just fine. And I also took some cornmeal and a shaving balm. And I’m pretty sure that the machine didn’t accept the green onions as the correct product and I had to call an employee over to override the error. Either way, I then retrieved what I had in the cabinet and arranged everything properly, walking out a couple of minutes before 10:30 PM.
I picked up a couple of recyclables on the way to the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM… And I also caught a spiderweb, probably looking quite strange while trying to get rid of it and brush myself off in case the spider came along with it. Either way, I then put the bags in a cabinet, entering with the backpack and seeing that the only remaining bakery products that were discounted by 90% were some pretzels, so I took one for mother, without waiting for the receipt. And after adding that pretzel in the backpack and retrieving what I had in the cabinet I continued to that non-stop Mega Image, where I once again put the bags in a cabinet and entered with the backpack… But there were no bakery discounts whatsoever, just a few uninteresting products were discounted by 50%, and while I waited until after 11 PM, nobody seemed to intend to make more discounts. So I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, but happened to check another one as well and found a coin left in the lock and took it, so going there wasn’t a complete waste of time. And on the way back I gathered some more recyclables and then entered this nearby Mega Image a couple of minutes after 11:30 PM, leaving the bags next to the door, entering with the backpack, and getting two bags of bakery products that had the 90% discount, though the cashier rounded up the total by an amount that was more than the price of one of the buns from one of the bags, with that discount. Either way, I then retrieved my bags and got back here.
I’m quite sure I was at the door a little before 11:50 PM. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, picking up another recyclable from the garbage room, after which I just left the cornmeal on the table until morning, since it was moist after having been next to the frozen spinach, and put the other purchases in their place, noticing that one of the buns was plain instead of with sesame. Either way, I also washed what was in the kitchen, did the day’s squats, put together and ate something sweet, thoroughly wiped the thing that dad had brought from mother and laid on the table, finished that drink, and went to the bathroom at 1:40 AM, to use the toilet and shower, with water that wasn’t exactly comfortable. I was done a little before 2:25 AM, and then I took out the last piece of that last walnut bread which I had purchased from Kaufland at the start of the year, before they stopped making evening discounts for bakery products, despite having dropped it on the store’s floor, and which had been left in the freezer since then and looked suspicious. I don’t know whether it was bad freezer burn or something had started to grow on it even there, so after washing it quite thoroughly I cut away those parts of the crust, then put it in the oven for a while. On the other hand, I found what looked like moldy areas inside a tomato that seemed fine on the outside. And I also took another one of those cold pills expired for over a year. And when I finally got to my room for dinner, which I ate between 4:30 AM and 5:20 AM, while writing notes about the day, I found that a piece of polystyrene stopped the blinds from being pulled all the way down. And my right eye bothered me and it was rather red when I checked before going to bed, at 6:45 AM.

I was rather worried when I got up to pee a little after 8:50 AM and once again heard plenty of muffled noises from upstairs, and even more so when a few louder ones soon followed. But I guess that things didn’t get worse, and in fact after a while it got quiet, so I could sleep. I did start waking up at ever shorter intervals in the afternoon, and a few times it was a while before I could catch the next brief nap, but it was past 4:10 PM when I got up, after some louder scraping noises once again came from above. And then I also took the bug net out a little and removed that piece of polystyrene that stopped the blinds from closing properly. On the other hand, while after I got up there was still some red around the edge of that eye and it still didn’t quite feel right, over the course of the day it got better. But a knuckle on my left hand kept itching… And that morning I ended up getting in bed at 5:30 AM.

When I had been mostly awake for a while and needed to pee again, I decided that I was going to do that and then get back in bed if it wasn’t even 2 PM yet… Only to see that it was 2:59 PM, so I got up, albeit taking it slowly, and after having lunch it was just after 7:20 PM when I left, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the plastic and metal, which I dropped off in a recycling bin on the way, picking up another recyclable which had been left there and putting all of them in the machine from Kaufland.
Since the closing time had changed to 8:30 PM on Sunday, entering the store just before 8 PM meant that I still had some time, and I made use of evening discounts for regular and red onions, a lettuce, one Kapia pepper and two bananas. Then I also got some of those cheap yogurts, which actually had a small discount as well, and olives, and I meant to make use of the three for the price of two deal for canned products, getting canned mackerel, three in oil and three in tomato sauce. But they were all of their store brand and had the 15% discount if you used the store card, which normally applies on top of any regular discount, but it apparently overrides such special discounts, because at the self-checkout I saw that I wasn’t getting the price of two of the cans discounted, so I called an employee and she pointed out that the discounts won’t stack, removing the cans when I asked her to, though it took her a while to do so, apparently being initially confused by the fact that I had entered the number for each instead of scanning each can separately. Either way, the closing announcement came while I was at the machine, and after paying for the products I cashed in the voucher received for the recyclables.
I reached that Mega Image that closes at 10 PM several minutes before 9 PM, putting the few recyclables picked up on the way in the machine and the purchases in a cabinet and waiting for the 90% discount labels to be placed. But, while the bakery products were already bagged when I got there and the employee came to arrange them a few minutes later, she went in the back after those women who usually look for those products arrived, not coming out until they eventually gave up and left. And, after standing around for a couple more minutes, I cashed in that voucher, retrieved my bag from the cabinet, and walked out as well. However, after a little while I decided to go back, seeing that the 90% discount labels had been placed on the bakery products during those ten or so minutes, and it was still before 9:30 PM, so they had quite clearly waited for us to leave. Either way, I didn’t bother to use a cabinet anymore, put the two recyclables which I had picked up in the machine, and grabbed a few things, though the apple pastry which had been there before was gone by then, using that new voucher when I paid but not receiving a receipt. And on the way back I picked up some more recyclables, dashing into the nearby Mega Image to put them in the machine but not staying to cash in the voucher at that point.
I was back just before 9:55 PM, and while watching the match I put the purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, ate a banana, a sweet pastry and a bag of snacks, and did the day’s squats. And just after the match was over I dashed back to the nearby Mega Image, bought a bakery product that had the 90% discount, once again without receiving the receipt, and cashed in that voucher received earlier. Then, after getting back, I cleaned the litter box and went to drop what I had gathered down the chute, and it was a few minutes after 12:30 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. I was done just before 1:25 AM, and then I also used the worse lettuce leaves in the salad and arranged some things in the kitchen, eating dinner between 4 AM and 4:40 AM. But I still went to bed at the usual time, and I slept just fine, only being woken up by drilling from upstairs just after 2:20 PM.

In the early hours of October 14, time once again got away from me and I ended up eating dinner between 3:45 AM and 4:45 AM. But I still went to bed at the usual time and, while I was woken up by noise around 8:15 AM and then kept awake for a while, the workers seeming to have returned to this side of the building, I think it might not have been 9 AM yet when the particular kind of noise that was keeping me awake died down and I got back to sleep. There were still some noises that occasionally woke me up or entered my dreams, but I wouldn’t call the sleep particularly agitated and I always got right back to sleep after waking up, so I got up after the alarm rang, at 2 PM. Then I had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing consisting of two of those nicer biscuits, with added honey, just wasted time on the toilet despite feeling that I had to go after eating the yogurt, and left at 4:30 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 14-15°C, holding steady.
The time was 48:28.82, with sector times of 4:24.73, 5:08 (5:07.81), 6:02 (6:01.59), 4:35 (4:34.97), 5:10.63, 5:58 (5:57.37), 4:27.66, 5:04 (5:03.34), 5:53.16 and 1:47.56, making for lap times of 15:34.13, 15:43 (15:42.97) and 15:24.16. I was hoping to stay under 49 minutes, but thought that I may end up having to accept to only stay under 50 instead. And when I was pretty sure after the first two sectors that I’ll squeeze under 15:30 on the first lap but ended up not only missing that target, but also going over six minutes on the third sector, staying under 49 minutes seemed to be getting out of reach. However, if the first two sectors of lap two seemed to confirm that impression, staying under six minutes on sector three of lap two and averaging less than the 15:40 that’s the lap time target for 49 minutes over the first two laps made me think that I might still have a chance. It seemed unlikely, but I didn’t want to fail without really trying, so I went for it on lap three, and after two sectors I felt relatively safe and was initially inclined to be more cautious. But after a moment I wondered whether I could somehow squeeze under 48:30, and while I really didn’t see how, I just gave everything, continuing to do so on the final sector despite being certain that there was no way to get under 1:50 on it… Yet I somehow did, and while just squeezing under 48:30 is still a poor time, I’ll take it at this point.
What makes it somewhat worse is that there were very few problems to speak of. I felt a need to snap my back from sector three of lap one and didn’t do much about it, so the feeling only faded on lap three, while on sector three of lap two I started getting some warnings from my right calf muscle, though those weren’t really an issue. And then there was a pretty normal amount of weaving and going the long way around, with no notable issues caused by either people or the conditions.

After doing the day’s squats and eating lunch, I saw that somebody had sent me a code for a game on GOG.com, as a birthday gift, after seeing my giveaway, but it was a game with a higher regional price in the EU and that user is also from an EU country, so I felt responsible for the purchase of something that I’m fighting against and said so, not wanting to redeem it. Either way, I then changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, and went out again at 7:45 PM, taking just one recyclable with the deposit symbol, which had been emptied by dad, and rushing to Auchan, where I put that recyclable in the machine and found just one of the nice breads that’s on sale left, even that being among others of a different kind, which was probably why it had been left at that hour. But I also added two regular breads for dad, those having the 50% evening discount, and some eggs, finding a lot of those sold by piece. Then I also used the voucher received for that recyclable when I paid, arranged the purchases, and rushed to Kaufland, picking up a few recyclables on the way.
I was about to piss myself by the time I got there, even undoing my belt while walking past the Lidl that’s close to that Kaufland, to reduce the pressure a little. But I still put the recyclables in the machine and the purchases in a cabinet before going to the toilet… And finding the men’s closed for cleaning! But the room for disabled people was free, so I used it, then grabbed a catalog and had a look through it before entering the store when it was past 9:35 PM and spotting a 50% discount on some chickpea spaghetti, though they weren’t expiring. They were awfully expensive even so, but I decided to take one after all. And a little later, I guess at 9:45 PM, some nice lettuce got an evening discount of 90%, just one being left and looking just fine, so I took it. And then I saw discounts for two kinds of sausages and wanted to get some for dad, but things got even better when the two men who were ahead of me asked for all of the large pieces of something else that were left and the employees seemed to know them and one came to make an additional discount for that product, telling them to wait a while before going to the checkout, so it’ll enter the system. And they wanted all of those sausages as well, but while one employee was dealing with them, another asked what I wanted and gave me some first, so when those sausages also received an additional discount, quite clearly for the benefit of those men who were taking all of them, it applied for me as well. Either way, I also added two of those cheap yogurts, which still had a small discount, and three cans of something for which the deal did apply, so I got one for free. The closing announcement came while I was using the self-checkout, and after using the voucher received for the recyclables, retrieving what I had in the cabinet, and having to leave through the emergency exit, I took my time to arrange everything.
After reaching that non-stop Mega Image, I put the bag with the breads in a cabinet and then added that lettuce there, taking it out of the bag that I had carried it in, so I’ll still have a bag for what I’ll get from there. And it was before 10:50 PM, maybe even closer to 10:45 PM, when I entered the store, seeing that the bakery products were just getting bagged… But after wandering around for a little while I realized that I didn’t have that bag anymore and had absolutely no idea what I had done with it, and I couldn’t find it despite trying to retrace my steps and even walking back out when the entrance door opened for someone else and checking that cabinet and the area around the cabinets. Either way, I initially just took two buns when the 90% bakery discounts were made, then snatched one of those “salad mixes” when the cart with the other products with that discount was brought. It seemed to once again be mostly quinoa, with a little chicken, a few other vegetables, and probably a few raisins, but I didn’t really know and mainly meant to give it away. However, after grabbing another bakery product that was still left by then, retrieving and arranging my things, and stopping just after walking out to drain the dirty liquid I noticed in the bag that the lettuce was in, a guy came to ask me for money and I completely ignored him. I mean, I definitely wasn’t going to give money, and he didn’t seem like the kind who’d care for that food, plus that I didn’t exactly want to give anything whatsoever to someone who approached people to ask like that. But I couldn’t spot homeless people on the way back, so I ended up keeping that thing. And I picked up some more recyclables.
I got back at 12:05 AM, straightened a crushed can that I had picked up, cleaned the litter box, and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute. And after dad separated the sausages I rearranged things in the freezer, taking something that he wanted out and putting the sausages in. Then I put the rest of the purchases in their place, ate an apple and a slice of cake brought by dad from my grandmother’s birthday, and it was past 1:50 AM when I went to wash, the water temperature seeming to drop after a while. I’m not sure when I was done, but I was in the kitchen again by 2:30 AM despite spending a few minutes in my room before going back there. And then I washed what was in the kitchen, also used the few worse leaves of that lettuce, and ate dinner between 4:50 AM and 5:45 AM, while checking things on-line. I got in bed at 6:50 AM, after making it clear to that guy that I’m refusing the gift and suggesting asking for a refund. But he didn’t, being rather upset over it and sending it to The Community Giveaway instead, so I still felt guilty because that purchase was made and both of us ended up upset… Which is the normal outcome in case someone decides to surprise me like that, so no news there. And I’ll add here that I was woken up by someone knocking at the door for quite a few minutes, only checking the time after they seemed to have gone away and seeing 9:55 AM at that point. But then I could get back to sleep, and managed to do so again after dad brought mother, so I only got up in the afternoon.

I was quite relieved to see that Donald Trump wasn’t rewarded with the Nobel Peace Prize for, basically, being antithesis to what the prize should represent, declaring war on humanity and the entire planet, cultivating ties with the warmongering strongman leaders of the world, and emboldening aggressors only to then make a publicity stunt out of the attempt to mediate the conflicts that were worsened, if not even generated, by his own earlier actions. Considering the unrelenting pressure he generated, the decision required a fair amount of courage, though it is also possible that this very pressure was just what led to it, making picking him all but impossible. If that is the case, the danger of him being picked in the future still remains, but at least for now the matter was dealt with.
On the other hand, I have serious doubts about the actual choice. There were worthy options among those listed as potential favorites a day before the decision, the UNRWA and the ICC likely also sending a pretty strong message if they’d have been picked, and if a specific person was desired then I wouldn’t say that Yulia Navalnaya would have been a bad choice. Yet the choice was a name that seems to have come from nowhere, who is connected and, quite obviously, indebted to Trump, and whose actions and stances, while largely justified under the current circumstances, may be questionable from the point of view of promoting peace. While the actual list of nominees is confidential, my admittedly personal and not in the least professional opinion is that there’d have been dozens of more suitable choices… Possibly even including Melania Trump, obviously mainly as a slap in the face and for shock value, but perhaps not entirely without some merits, some known, some probably less so, since it is likely that she played a part in reining in some of Donald Trump’s worst excesses and planned abuses.
I guess one possible justification for the pick is that it’s meant to encourage efforts aimed at preventing another war, or at least a serious military intervention, since at the moment there is a very real threat of it in Venezuela. But, even so, it doesn’t seem right for this to take precedence over the efforts truly meant to end, or in many cases at least mitigate the effects of, the actual wars, massacres and violent oppression currently taking place in what seem to be ever more ways in many parts of the world, or those aimed at bringing those responsible for them to justice. But, again, that’s just my personal opinion… And I may be reading too much into it and it’s possible that the choice was just a way to shrug off Trump’s pressure and give people something else to talk about while avoiding what are currently seen as the particularly hot topics from this point of view. That’d obviously go completely against what the prize should represent, but since it’s people who make the choice, it’s an entirely plausible scenario.

On September 30, the workers actually got to putting the EPS on the outside of the apartment, and while I initially hoped to still manage to catch some naps, when they got to smashing the tiles we had in front of the windows, it was clear that there was no chance of that, so at 10:10 AM I got up, the good thing being that dad was also staying home that day and he talked to them, ensuring that they’ll leave my external blinds in place, though they initially said that they had been told by the crew that will later come to change the windows that they should get rid of everything that may get in the way and expressed surprise that we’d want to keep those “ugly” blinds. And him being here and having already talked to them also meant that I could go to the kitchen while they were right outside the window, so I ate the Gala apple before trying to get back in bed when it was close to 10:45 AM and things seemed somewhat quieter… Only for some drilling to soon start, so just after 11:10 AM I gave up and got back up, washing what dad had used and moving half of the large cup of bio (organic) yogurt into a jar before getting back in bed once again at 11:55 AM, hoping to take advantage of their break. And, while at first they still made some occasional noises and also seemed to be talking right outside my window, things were eventually quiet and I managed to catch another nap before the drilling woke me again and at 1:38 PM I got up for good. Then I ate the half of that yogurt that I hadn’t moved, with cereals and raw almonds, arranged things a little in my room, since dad wanted to call the building’s administrator over and ask him whether the new window could still open like my current one does, also ate two of those nicer biscuits, with added honey, and left at 4:15 PM, wearing the full running gear and one armband. The reported temperature was 18-19°C, holding steady.
The time was 1:17:12, with sector times of 4:22, 5:10, 5:56, 4:31, 5:05, 5:50, 4:27, 5:12, 5:56, 4:27, 5:03, 5:58, 4:30, 5:04 and 5:41, making for lap times of 15:28, 15:26, 15:35, 15:28 and 15:15. And I was just hoping to be less slow than the previous week and willing to accept even only staying under 1:20. But after the first two sectors I wanted to at least get under 15:30 on the first lap, which I did, and after sector two of lap two I wondered whether I could stay under the 15:36 that’s the target lap time for 1:18 on lap two as well, so I pushed more on sector three and ended up with a lap that was even faster than the first. That made me aim to get under 1:19, but losing several seconds on sector two of lap three was a problem… Until I saw that I managed to stay under the 5:15 that’s the sector two target for a 16-minute lap even so, and then even squeezed under that 15:36 on the lap as a whole. That finally put the thought of getting under 1:18 in my mind, and while 1:18:30 seemed more likely and it was too early to push hard from the start of lap four, I put more into it as I went along and after the end of the lap I even started thinking about 1:17:30. The main target was still just to get under 1:18 again, so I delayed the full push until after the first sector, but then I went for it, really giving everything on the last sector, managing that great time on it and ending up over two minutes faster than the previous week. And the last time I was faster over this distance was a day less than a year before. And another very good thing is how close the lap times were, almost equal on the first four laps if you also take those lost seconds into account, and then lap five was the fastest, ending with a great sector three that proved that I still had a fair bit left.
There were a few gusts of wind that bothered me a little here and there, but that was pretty much it in terms of the conditions, and the people didn’t cause any notable problems either. So the one important loss of time was on sector two of lap three, when I lost at least five seconds, possibly a little more, after thinking that a shoelace was getting loose and stopping, noticing that it was actually fine but taking that time to tighten it even more, just to be sure. But my leg muscles were a little sore from the beginning, maybe after what I had done in my room before leaving, and at the start of the second sector it felt like my cap was coming off, but I managed to arrange it properly at that point. The more serious reason for concern was that I felt rather out of it throughout the first lap and for a part of the second, so it was quite a relief when the feeling went away after that point and I felt quite fine until a pressing need started to appear as I pushed to recover that lost time on sector two of lap three, the feeling getting worse after a while, though it eventually became more manageable. My left hip started giving some warnings on sector three of lap four, but those weren’t an issue, far more concerning being the few irregular heartbeats I felt on sector three of lap four and sector one of lap five, though that didn’t happen again after that, so when I was actually pushing much harder, the one other issue that I noticed as I was giving everything on the last sector being that my hands went numb.

After jogging back, I put some watermelon on a plate, eating it and lunch after cleaning the litter box and going to drop a bag of trash down the chute. Then I changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, drank some of that apple and pear juice bought two days earlier, and at 7:50 PM I rushed out again, with 90 RON in coins, for Penny’s campaign… But I forgot the recyclables with the deposit symbol, so I turned around to grab them. Then I rushed to Penny, putting the recyclables in the machine, all of them being accepted, so I had straightened that can well enough and the label placed on a bottle that didn’t have one was also read correctly there. And then I entered the store, found an employee, and asked whether they still had vouchers for the coins campaign, initially being told that I should talk to the shift lead. But I obviously didn’t know who that was and said so, telling her that she had the headset and could send a message, which I guess she did after taking over at the checkout, since she called out to me to say that I could bring the coins, but the following morning… And they were out of the tomato juice that was on sale anyway, and that’s what I had planned to spend most of the amount required to use one of those vouchers on, so I just bought some other things, using the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid, and giving up on the idea of trying another location that evening.
After walking out, I stopped at a bench to put the purchases in the backpack and then took it easy, picking up a few recyclables, including one with a cap that granted a can of beer, which I kept for dad, and crossing the road to use that better public toilet. And then I put what I had gathered in the machine from the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM, entering with the purchases and waiting for the 90% discount labels to be placed on the bakery products… But I didn’t rush to grab anything right away, not even the one remaining apple pastry, so others took everything that I might have been interested in and I didn’t get anything. And others rushed in when the cart with the other products discounted by 90% was brought in as well, but at least I managed to grab a nice high-protein yogurt, cashing in the voucher received for the recyclables before paying for it.
On the other hand, the one younger woman who’s among those who usually wait for the discounted products at that non-stop Mega Image that’s on the way to Kaufland Basarabia was there as well that evening, not for the first time, and she called after me when I walked out, seeming to hope that I was heading to that other Mega Image as well, and when I said that I was going to Kaufland instead she tried to persuade me to go to that one from Basarabia instead of the one from Pantelimon, so she was obviously hoping for me to walk with her. But I had my plan, and walking with someone like that was a pretty frightening prospect anyway, so we went our separate ways after only exchanging a few words, which included me telling her that I had run 16 km that day and her saying that she used to run 20 km but had been slacking off recently and that’s one reason why she walks between multiple Mega Image locations even if she may catch few, if any, discounted products, since she does still feel the need for some exercise in the evening.
Moving on, I put my things in a cabinet after reaching Kaufland, entering a couple of minutes before 9:30 PM and making use of evening discounts to get a lettuce with root, or more exactly two of them placed in the same bag, potatoes and onions, plus just one banana. And after retrieving my things from the cabinet and grabbing a recyclable on the way out, I saw that it was a couple of minutes after 10 PM when I walked out but there had been no closing announcement, so it’s possible that they had already switched the closing time back to 10:30 PM, though I didn’t check at that point.
Either way, I then continued to that Mega Image, entering with everything when there didn’t seem to be any free cabinets that had a key and grabbing a few bakery products and two breads for dad, all of these having the 90% discount, and two more of those bug repellents. But the awkward moment came at the checkout, since the cashier was crying, someone asked whether she was all right and she didn’t answer, another employee gave her a pill and told her to take it to calm down… I didn’t dare to ask anything, just waiting for my turn awkwardly and trying to not look at her too much, though when I walked away, after she rounded down the total, asking for 30 RON when it was 30.09, I said that I hoped that her evening would get better.
After going to that bench and arranging everything, I picked up a few more recyclables on the way back. And when I got here I checked the nearby Mega Image as well, initially just having a look from the door and walking away when I couldn’t see any bakery discounts at all. But then I went to a bench, tied the bags, and entered, leaving the bags near the door, entering with the backpack, and looking around a little, just in case they’ll start making the bakery discounts. But there was no indication of that happening, so I just retrieved my things and walked out.
It was almost 11:10 PM when I got back, and dad had removed the internal AC unit and moved things around, so I immediately started rearranging what I could. Then I cleaned the litter box again and went to drop a little bag of trash down the chute and leave something else in the garbage room, put most of the purchases in their place, ate a bag of snacks, boiled the rest of that juice, to have something hot to drink in case the water would only be lukewarm, did just that day’s squats, meaning that I was still a day behind, and went to wash when it was just about 12:40 AM, finding that the water was very good. I was done a little after 1:15 PM, and then I washed what was in the kitchen, put the remaining purchases in their place, cleaned up a little more, ate a sweet pastry and drank that juice, also used lettuce leaves in the salad, though I wouldn’t say that there were any noticeably bad ones, and ate dinner between 4:10 AM and 5:10 AM, forgetting to put seasonings in the salad and not going back to do so, and writing notes about the day during that time. I got in bed at 6:20 AM.

The plan was to get up when the noise would wake me up and take those coins to Penny, but I was only woken up for the first time a few minutes before 11 AM and it seemed like I could even get back to sleep before the workers’ break, so I got back in bed and actually did get back to sleep before noon, and while I woke up a few more times after that, it was pretty much quiet and I could get back to sleep right away, seeing 2:14 PM when I next checked the time and getting up about a quarter of an hour later, which was too late to risk going there again, so I didn’t. And late in the evening I napped a little more, that nap ending around midnight, when I was woken up by banging from upstairs, lasting for probably about a minute. And various noises that mostly sounded like relatively light furniture, like chairs or smaller tables or cabinets, being dragged around, possibly in the kitchen, and things occasionally falling or rolling on the floor, continued after that. But more concerning was that the faint soreness that I thought I was once again starting to feel in my throat for the past couple of days seemed more obvious at that point, but I just took one more of those vitamin C supplements expired since 2022. On the other hand, after going to the kitchen when it was past 1:20 AM, I “cheated” by taking a first bite of dinner in my room just before 3 AM, but it was past 3:20 AM when I actually started eating and I didn’t really wolf it down until I checked the time again and saw that it was almost 3:35 AM, at which point it was too late, so I finished at 3:45 AM.

After finding it pretty hard to fall asleep again, and then also getting up at 7:25 AM to pee, around 9 AM, if not a little earlier, I was woken up by loud drilling from upstairs. And the rain wasn’t bad, so I decided to take those coins to Penny, walking out just after 11:10 AM, wearing the warm jacket and a sweater, since it was 7°C. And since I also took the few recyclables with the deposit symbol, I went to that Carrefour Express first and put them in the machine, being left with the oddly-shaped bottle, which wasn’t accepted, and then cashing in the voucher. But I found three more recyclables on the way, and that was before reaching that Mega Image, so I went there and put them in the machine, even if each of them required a few tries. And in fact that machine also accepted that oddly-shaped bottle, and more easily than the others. So I then cashed in that voucher as well and had nothing left, which was just what I wanted, to avoid having anything other than the coins when I reached Penny.
After having a look inside and seeing how long the lines were, I didn’t try to enter through the exit door and talk to a cashier, hoping to find another employee inside. But I didn’t, at least not unless you count a guard, despite walking back and forth a little, so I eventually stood in line and when my turn came I said that I was there to hand over coins for their campaign, even pointing to the sign, that I had been told to come in the morning, and that I had 120 RON, since I had added 30 RON more, and should receive four vouchers. The cashier was somewhat confused, but she relayed the message through the headset… And then I was asked to show the coins, which I did, the other cashier also turning to look and seeming pleased. But a guard asked to see what I had in my pocket, so I showed her the empty bag. And, after discussing matters a little more through the headset, that guard took the coins, insisting on it even though the other one, who had been the one who had been in the store while I was looking for another employee, asked multiple times to do it instead. And then I waited for a while, until another employee, I guess the shift manager, came and handed me the 120 RON in bills and the four vouchers, turning around and walking away immediately… So he was already gone by the time I noticed, just after walking out, that one of the vouchers was from the original batch, before the campaign was extended, so it had already expired. But I rushed back in before the doors had even fully closed behind me, told that guard what the problem was, and after initially meaning to take all of the vouchers back, when I once again explained that just one had to be replaced she sent the message through the headset and took it away, returning some time later with a valid one.
Then I continued to Kaufland, but that proved to be a waste of time, so I walked back out without getting anything, using the entrance gate that opened for someone else, since there was nobody at the information desk at the time. But at least from Carrefour I got two sweet pastries, a ciabatta, and three beers for dad, all of them having the 50% discount… Admittedly, a 50% discount for bakery products seems awfully little now that I’m used to the 90% discounts made by Mega Image, but I wasn’t going to go to Mega Image that evening, so it was my only chance to get such things. And, after the machine asked for an employee twice, first after it told me to make sure that I had correctly scanned the beers and then, at the end, to approve their sale, I used both vouchers received for previous purchases when I paid.
On the way back I had to go around the area around the stadium again, because of the match taking place there that evening, and since when I had used the machine from this Carrefour Express I had spotted some eggs among the expiring products, I went there again, entering with the purchases and having a look, but two were cracked, one of them badly, even in the carton that looked better at first glance, and the other two had eggs that were smashed, one of them even being placed in a bag. I’d have probably been able to replace those two with two from the other carton that wasn’t bagged, to end up with a good carton, but the discount for such products is only 40% there, they weren’t exactly cheap, and the guard was hovering around, so I didn’t even try and walked back out. And when I got here I checked the nearby Mega Image as well, once again entering with everything and initially just walking out after having a look at the expiring and spoiling products, but there were two recyclables in the bin that’s outside the door, so I picked them up and went back to put them in the machine and then even stood in line to cash in the voucher.
I was back a little before 2:15 PM. Then I ate the last piece of what’s quite certainly the year’s last watermelon and one of the sweet pastries, took one of those cold pills expired since last September and one of those vitamin C supplements expired since 2022, cleaned the litter box and went to drop some trash down the chute, and put the few purchases in their place. And then I rearranged the munchies in my room and cleaned a little, doing an even worse job than I usually do because I didn’t bother to move even some things that I usually do move, not to mention some of the new ones, and I only pushed aside some of those that I did move, so there were areas where I couldn’t dust or vacuum, or at least not properly. But the main purpose was to change the sheets and start using the blanket again, since it was definitely getting too cold to just keep covering myself with that sheet, and I did that, though I didn’t bother turning the mattress at all, neither around nor over. And then, after also doing the day’s squats and washing, I munched on some slightly sweetened bagels while watching that match that took place here and made lunch, using a cheese pie that I already had as the base for something similar to a pizza, during the evening’s second match, eating it after it was over. And at night I used that ciabatta to make something else along those same lines that counted as dinner, though in that case I actually used the electric oven instead of just the microwave, as I had done the first time.

On October 3 it was quiet, most probably because of the storm, and being able to curl up under the blanket again probably helped as well, plus that I was just exhausted, so I really slept, only getting up close to 3:45 PM. And I only woke up twice before then, getting right back to sleep both times, after peeing… But the actual reason why I woke up the first time was that, if I had somehow managed to stop it from happening two and a half weeks earlier, my body did clean the plumbing after all, so I had to clean up a little. On the other hand, after getting up and eating three plums and two small apples, which I diced and mixed with sugar, I noticed that one of my lower front teeth was chipped. And I’m quite sure that it wasn’t chipped before eating those diced apples, but there’s no way they could have caused it, so it’s weird. And it actually hurts a little… Either way, in the morning I might have gotten in bed at 5:20 AM, but dad went to the bathroom just as I was about to go and I thought that he won’t take long and waited for him to be done instead of using the other toilet… But he actually took what for him is an unusually long amount of time, so I ended up getting in bed at 5:35 AM. But at least I once again slept well, the noise I heard during the few times I was awake for a somewhat longer time being faint and distant, and I only got up after the alarm rang, at 3:55 PM, to watch the qualifying for the race.

On October 5, I got up at 9:20 AM and actually went to the toilet, as in not just to pee, only getting back in bed when it was almost 10 AM. But then I actually got up after the alarm rang, at 2:50 PM, to watch the race. And then I also watched handball, during which I ate lunch, with part of a large bag of snacks instead of bread. And it was 6:50 PM when I left, taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol and rushing to Carrefour, having to go around the area that’s around the stadium, since a match was being played there that evening.
Since I had no time to waste and saw a line at the machine from Carrefour, I put those recyclables in a cabinet before entering the store and getting a few expiring products, including three bio (organic) yogurts. Then I retrieved the recyclables and put them in the machine from Kaufland, after seeing that they had changed the closing time again, to 8:30 PM for Sundays, and returning to 10:30 PM otherwise. So I peed and washed my hands as well, grabbing a recyclable left on the sink, putting it and the purchases in a cabinet, and entering the store when it was close to 7:50 PM, which wasn’t that much of a problem anymore. Then I made use of a great evening discount to get some parsnip roots for dad, along with some of the cheese that was on sale. I also picked up some of the cat food that should have been on sale, but the labels were confusing and the full price showed up when I scanned it, so I wondered whether it required the store card, since I couldn’t remember what was listed in the catalog… Only for the employee from the self-checkout area to notice that I was holding those bags and let me know that other customers had tried to buy those as well and saw that they weren’t discounted, saying that only the kind with turkey was. But the one I was holding was with turkey, so I pointed that out and told her that I’ll check first, yet when I did I found that it was indeed not discounted, so I had to call her over to remove it, though I pointed out one more time that it was with turkey and should therefore be discounted. Either way, I also used the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid and then retrieved what I had in the cabinet and arranged everything. And then I rushed back, only picking up one more recyclable on the way and then putting both in the machine from the nearby Mega Image and cashing in the voucher.
It was close to 8:50 PM when I got back. Then I cleaned the litter box but left the bag there, in case there will be more to take later, did the day’s squats and finished those snacks while watching the rest of that match taking place here. And at 10:35 PM, just after it was over, and also shortly after my parents got here, since dad brought mother again, I went out again, wearing the thinner jacket, since I had taken the warmer one earlier and it proved to be too much even if I didn’t run, while I was definitely going to run then, after leaving so late.
I did have a look in the nearby Mega Image first, being surprised to see the bakery products already bagged and those from the top drawer having the 90% discount labels. But those weren’t interesting and no employee seemed to be around to label the rest, so I walked back out and ran to the Mega Image from Mihai Bravu. But it was too late for that one, only two uninteresting bakery products being left when I got there, and the other remaining expiring products were only discounted by 50% and not interesting enough to buy at that price. So I then really ran to Dristor, reaching that Mega Image that closes at 11 PM in just five minutes, entering at 10:52 PM… Only to see no bakery discounts whatsoever, plenty of products being left on the shelves, and all of the refrigerated expiring products were only discounted by 20%. So I left right away, rushing to the non-stop Mega Image as well, though I didn’t run anymore. But there were no bakery discounts there either, and I also saw ready meals that expired the following day that had no discount whatsoever, so I guess they hadn’t bothered to make those discounts that evening, though there were some products, mainly raw sausages and fish, that were discounted by 90%. But I wasn’t interested in any of those, so I just bought one thing for myself that was discounted by 50%, without receiving a receipt, putting it in the backpack, picking up a recyclable right after walking out, and then rushing back, though I didn’t run anymore. And when I got here I had another quick look inside this nearby Mega Image from the door, but there seemed to have been no change in the bakery area, so I didn’t enter again.
I was back for good a little after 11:35 PM. Then I went to drop that bag of trash down the chute, ate a banana brought by mother, talked to her for quite a while, and it was past 1:30 AM when I went to wash and close to 2:10 AM when I was done. Then I talked to dad a little as well, washed what was in the kitchen, moved what I had bought from Mega Image into a jar, and ate dinner between 4 AM and 4:40 AM. I got in bed at 6:15 AM.

The noise meant that my sleep was once again interrupted and agitated, and while I’m not certain, at one point I even thought that somebody knocked, either at the door or at a window, but I nevertheless did manage to sleep quite a lot, if you put it all together, only getting up when it was past 4:30 PM, though I was mostly awake towards the end of the period. On the other hand, after eating one of those bio (organic) yogurts I noticed that the cup had been pierced in one spot, the actual hole looking like one a needle would make, which was an obvious reason for concern. Either way, after doing the day’s squats, at 9:50 PM I went out again, despite the rain.
I once again jogged to the Mega Image from Mihai Bravu, getting there before the bakery products started being discounted, but some people were telling the employee what they wanted and getting those products right away, so if I didn’t do that I didn’t have much left, but I took one pastry that I could do something with and two buns that a guard spotted being set aside, in a bag, and put back on the shelf, the employee discounting them as well after being done with the rest. Then I wandered around a little, wondering if any of the other expiring products, which once again were only discounted by 50%, were going to get a higher discount, but I eventually gave up and just bought those things, the cashier rounding up the total. And then I once again continued to the non-stop Mega Image that’s close to the metro station, the good thing being that the rain had died down to a light one. But I entered that Mega Image just after 10:30 PM, with the purchases, and found that the bakery area was already cleared even then! And the other expiring products weren’t interesting there either, so I made my way back, picking up some recyclables and entering this nearby Mega Image at 10:52 PM. But no bakery products were discounted, and while I wasted some ten minutes inside the store, only leaving my bags next to the door when I went to the back area, the employees were cleaning and gave no sign that they were going to make any discounts, so I eventually retrieved my bags and walked out, grabbing another recyclable before getting back here.
I was back a little before 11:10 PM, just leaving those few purchases in the kitchen, cleaning the litter box and going to drop a bag of trash down the chute, and then rushing to wash. But then I spent some time in my room and only ate lunch, on and off, between 1:30 AM and 2 AM. And I also washed what was in the kitchen, though I left the grill, which dad had once again used, for the following day, took one more of those cold pills expired for over a year, and ate dinner between 3:35 AM and 4:10 AM. I got in bed at 5:25 AM… But the severe weather alert meant that the workers weren’t around and I slept really well, waking up as dad was getting ready to leave but staying in bed, getting back to sleep after he left, and not even needing to pee before getting up in the afternoon. On the other hand, while the weather alert was upgraded to red and the work on retrofitting the building was paused today as well, I was woken up at 10 AM by what sounded like walls being knocked down upstairs, and it felt like it too, considering how everything was shaking. But at least the noise eventually stopped, possibly after less than an hour, and I could get back to sleep, only getting up when it was almost 3:10 PM.