Cav's Place

On February 10, I woke up to pee a few minutes before 8:30 AM and heard some noises that seemed to be from the workers, but dad was also getting ready to leave, so that might have also been the reason, especially since those other noises were faint. But they did get somewhat louder after that, so it took me a little while to get back to sleep, and later I woke up a few more times even if it seemed pretty quiet, so I basically got a series of naps, until a little after 12:50 PM, when some hammering started and I initially decided to get up. But after checking the time I got back in bed, thinking that it was too early, yet I couldn’t get back to sleep even if the hammering stopped after a while, so I eventually cut my losses and got up just before 1:40 PM. And then I did the day’s squats and went out at 5:10 PM, wearing a mask and taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
Since I had dad’s card, I took the metro to Obor, having a look through the farmers’ market, then grabbing another recyclable and putting all of them in the machine from Carrefour. And it seems like I got there just when more expiring products were being brought, since an employee brought two carts and it’s possible that he might have had even more to bring, but I couldn’t stay longer, so I grabbed a few, plus a bag of spoiling oranges, and then also used the voucher received for the recyclables at the self-checkout. And after taking the metro back I made a detour to also check the nearest Penny, which proved to be a complete waste of time, since I put the two recyclables picked up by then in the machine, entered with the purchases, saw that they were out of the cat food that was on sale as well as of the cheap buns, couldn’t find anything else to get either, and then I waited in line for a little while but eventually decided that I wasn’t going to wait even longer just to cash in so little, so I kept the voucher for another time and walked back out, jogging almost all the way back, though when I got here I also had a very quick look in the nearby Mega Image, once again entering with everything. And after getting back, a little after 7:15 PM, I ate one of those oranges, cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, and then rushed to take a quick shower. And at night I made mamaliga.

Since I woke up a few times, and after dad got up I probably didn’t get back to sleep right away either, I only got some four hours of sleep by 10:25 AM, when I got up after he left and spent some time on the computer, and while I got back in bed after a little less than half an hour, there didn’t seem to be any chance of getting back to sleep again, so at 12:10 PM I finally cut my losses and got back up… Which also resulted in giving up on the plan to go out again that day. And while I did get back in bed one more time, just after 3:20 PM, it still took me quite a while to fall asleep again, Liza having quite a “concert”, I have no idea why, and the loud voices of the workers also having much to do with that, and I didn’t stay asleep even after that, so I just managed to take a few short naps before getting up again, a little before 5:20 PM. But I did manage to nap some more late in the evening.

That nap led to getting to the kitchen around 1:15 AM, and then I peeled and boiled carrots, once again had no green onions and used a red one, also moved something into a jar, and struggled to slice the packaged and sliced gluten-free bread which I had bought from the expiring products from Carrefour, wanting to see whether it made any difference in how I felt. And I also cleaned the litter box before instead of after eating. So I started eating dinner at 3:40 AM and only finished at 4:35 AM, in part because that bread got really stuck to the plate after I microwaved it, and struggling to get it off in my room eventually resulted in breadcrumbs on my desk and floor, so I cleaned up and then went back to the kitchen to scrape it off, which I should have done from the beginning.
After getting up after the alarm rang, at 1:30 PM, I had the usual stuff, everything being expired except some of the cereals, since I mixed two kinds in that bag, and I guess the apple and the honey, but the yogurt was a small but really nice one made from buffalo milk, the almonds some of those baked and salted ones, and the sweet thing two of those nicer biscuits, with added honey. I also cleaned the litter box before leaving, just after 4:20 PM, and wore the full running gear, that thing that goes on my neck, and the old gloves, plus the jacket on the way, tied around my waist while I ran. And I had some things in the pocket of the tights. The reported temperature was 8°C, but it had rained and there were still a few occasional drops. And while I couldn’t actually check what it was when I finished the run, what I see on sites showing past weather seems to indicate 6°C, and I know that it was 5-6°C at 7 PM.
The time was 1:20:47, with sector times of 4:20.42, 5:14 (5:13.85), 6:10.15, 4:40 (4:39.69), 5:19.47, 6:05 (6:04.47), 4:39.03, 5:18 (5:17.97), 6:14.68, 4:44, 5:29, 6:15, 4:50, 5:26 and 6:04, making for lap times of 15:44.42, 16:04 (16:03.63), 16:11.68, 16:28 and 16:20. Even if I still checked the exact times on the first three laps, I meant to go for 16 km from the beginning, hoping to somehow squeeze under 1:20 but wondering if I’ll at least manage to get under 1:21, and after a decent first sector the rest of the first lap made me question that. And then the first two sectors of lap two made me wonder if I wasn’t heading for something similar to the previous time, so I tried to do somewhat better on sector three and I guess I did just enough to give myself some hope, which remained despite all of lap three being at the level of the first two sectors of lap two. Still, I was only pretty certain of squeezing under 1:22, since that only required 17 minutes on each of the last two laps, but that original realistic target of getting under 1:21 seemed possible, so I tried to see what I could do, what pace I could sustain on lap four and then whether I could do better on lap five, thinking to push on the first sector, let myself recover a little on the second, and then give everything on the third, but apparently not doing much of anything on the first sector and then having to push more on the second instead. But, despite stopping for several seconds on that sector, at the end of it I was pretty sure that I was going to get under 1:21, and the last sector ensured that it was by a very safe margin. Not that it’s not still a bad time, but it was a definite improvement compared to the previous one, so I had to be content with that.
It was wet and there were some puddles, but that wasn’t a notable issue, and the quite few people really caused no problems. On the other hand, the feeling that I hadn’t left everything in the toilet appeared quickly, possibly even before the end of the first sector, and it was definitely there on the second, and at a later point, I think of lap four, if not even on lap three, it got worse and seemed like it could become a problem, but then it faded to some extent and it was fine. As for other physical issues, I was occasionally getting lightheaded and something seemed to be a little wrong with my right leg, the sensation worsening after I felt some pain in my back at one point, though at least it wasn’t long before both that pain and that worse feeling passed. Otherwise, I stopped to check the time three times, briefly on sector three of lap three, maybe for a little longer on sector one of lap five, and for several seconds on sector two of lap five. But by the end of that sector I was catching another runner who was just a little slower, and after I passed him he seemed to want to stay behind me, so he might have helped me push just a little harder on the last sector. Not that I didn’t mean to push on that sector anyway, and it wasn’t long before I put some distance between us, but my lungs were definitely straining for air on that sector, so I might have played it a little safer otherwise.

After the run, I checked Carrefour and then continued to Penny Titan, picking up a recyclable on the way and putting it in the machine, then putting on a glove and taking two cheap buns and two sweet pastries, with the 30% evening discount, and using the voucher received for that recyclable and the one remaining from two days earlier when I paid. And then I jogged most of the way back, being at the door at 7:40 PM and then going to wash quickly, since I wanted to watch a match, after which I had a pretty normal evening, so I’ll just add that I rubbed some cream on my feet before going to bed in the morning.

Liza woke me with a “concert” just before 8:20 AM, and then she went to the litter box twice and meowed some more, but since I noticed the workers when I went to pee, it’s likely that they had woken her, and then the noise made by them definitely kept me awake for quite a while. But the noises weren’t exactly loud, so I eventually managed to get back to sleep and I think that I pretty much stayed asleep until 1 PM, when they woke me again and I guess that I wasn’t that exhausted anymore, because the one brief moment of drilling had been in the morning and the voices, hammering and scraping weren’t exactly loud in themselves, but after that point I could just catch a few brief naps and otherwise drifted in and out, at times not knowing whether I was asleep or awake. And I had definitely been awake for a while when I finally got up, just before 4:15 PM. And then I had lunch and did 200 squats, since I hadn’t done them the previous day, and because dad got home just as I was doing the squats I could take the metro card and go to Obor, leaving a few minutes after 8:30 PM, wearing a mask and taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
Since I wasn’t going straight to that Carrefour, it was really late, so I jogged to the metro station, and after getting off at Obor I picked up a recyclable, put all of them in the machine from Auchan, and got most of what I wanted from there, being unable to find the chips that I’d have also wanted to get for dad, but on the other hand I noticed that those corn puffs with powdered milk, which had increased in price before, were marginally cheaper than they used to be before that increase, so I took some of those as well.
After quickly arranging the purchases, I continued to Carrefour, picking up two more recyclables, putting them in a cabinet along with the purchases and the gloves, and entering the store at 9:20 PM. Then I grabbed a bunch of bakery products that had the 50% evening discount, including two breads and an apple circle, plus a piece of some dessert that dad likes and which had that same discount and a carton of expiring eggs, also at half price. However, once again a single self-checkout that accepted cash was still working and it was used by two people with an overflowing cart, and when I went to stand behind them the woman told me that it’ll take quite a while, and someone with a cart was in line at that slow but particularly careful cashier as well, so I yet again looked for another, and it yet again proved to be a bad choice, since that one kept looking at me oddly and eventually asked whether I had a cold, obviously because of the mask, and then she charged me for the plastic box that what I had bought for dad was in, so the total was more than I gave her but I expected it to be less, so when I saw that she wasn’t giving me any change I asked for it, at which point she told me that I should be giving her a little more and to check the receipt, asking whether I had that change and then saying that it apparently doesn’t matter if it’s the other way around when I just walked away, though I then turned around to say that I had looked at the prices listed on the products and she said that she had done the same, though that obviously wasn’t the case.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging everything as quickly as possible, I rushed to Kaufland, putting those recyclables in the machine and everything else in a cabinet, peeing and washing my hands, entering the store when it was past 10:05 PM, and getting beer for dad and roes. As I was looking around for something else, I think that an employee faked sneezing multiple times when I walked past her, probably also because of the mask. Either way, since I noticed some evening discounts for beets and those Moldovan grapes, I added some of each before getting to the self-checkout just before the closing announcement. And the employee from that area came to approve the sale of the beer just as I finished scanning, without me having to ask, so I then used the voucher received for the recyclables, retrieved my things, arranged everything just enough to be able to walk out, and then I took my time to actually arrange properly, so it was close to 10:50 PM when I walked away.
After wasting some time by going to the Mega Image that closes at midnight, putting the bags into two cabinets that I didn’t lock, entering with the backpack, and then retrieving the bags on my way out, I picked up a recyclable and reached the metro station just when both trains were there. And the one going in the other direction was the last one, so the guard asked which way I wanted to go, and then I had to wait for the next one going in this direction, picking up another recyclable during that time. And after getting off here I checked the non-stop Mega Image, leaving the bags next to the cabinets, entering with the backpack, and just buying the one cheap bun that was left, with the 50% evening discount, without waiting for the receipt or stepping back to ask for it when I saw that it was printed and the cashier was crumpling it, so I just retrieved the bags and picked up another recyclable on the way back.
It was past 11:50 AM when I got back, with 18.5 kg. Then I cleaned the litter box, but I set the bag of trash down for a little while and it fell over and spilled, so I had to gather things up before taking the trash and dropping it down the chute. Either way, I then put most of the purchases in their place, ate an orange, and went to wash just before 1:15 AM. I was done just under 40 minutes later, but then I spent some time in my room and sorted some things out, only getting back in the kitchen at 2:40 AM. And then I had some things to wash, also put the remaining purchases in their place, dealt with one of my breads, ate the apple circle, cleaned the litter box yet again, and finally ate dinner between 4:45 AM and 5:30 AM. I got in bed at 7:05 AM, after rubbing cream on my hands and feet.

It actually took me a while to fall asleep, and the same thing happened after waking up at 10:40 AM and going to pee, but at least I did get right back to sleep the next few times I woke up, until a little after 2:35 PM, when I didn’t feel that tired anymore and decided to pee again, just in case, after which I stayed in bed for almost two more hours and sort of drifted off a few times, but I’m not sure if I even caught another actual nap. And the following morning I once again had a pretty hard time falling asleep. At least that was no longer the case after I got up to pee at one point, but then the upstairs neighbor’s dogs woke me and kept me up for quite a while, and while I did get back to sleep after they finally went quiet, I didn’t stay asleep for long and it seemed that I’ll just waste even more time if I’ll keep trying, so I decided to start reading Capital and Ideology, spending almost an hour doing that before trying to get back to sleep yet again just before 2:20 PM. However, the alarm was set to ring at 2:55 PM, for the day’s first handball match, and if I managed to fall asleep at all by then, it couldn’t have been for more than mere moments.

Those dogs were an even worse problem on the morning of February 16, when they woke me a little after 8:50 AM and basically kept crying, since that was what it was, until noon or so, meaning that for some three hours I’m not even sure if I managed to catch a few very brief naps. And dad stayed home that day and went to the kitchen at 2:25 PM, so I decided to get up at that point, since I really needed to pee and then it seemed like there would be another source of noise if I’d try to get back to bed. And he later told me that he had talked to that neighbor and she said that she won’t leave her dogs with her parents anymore since she cut contact with them, which must be really weird after recently moving right next door to them, and they keep crying, or at least one of them does, over being left alone, and the situation is likely to continue. Either way, I then ate lunch, shaved, did the day’s squats, and left at 8:45 PM, taking the plastic and metal and the recyclables with the deposit symbol but not wearing a mask.
After occasionally jogging on the way, I managed to enter the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM just before 9 PM, and since it seemed that I was going to have enough time, I then put the recyclables in the machine. However, the belt wasn’t working properly, one side was hardly pulling, and I had two heavier glass bottles that it apparently couldn’t pull quickly enough, so it kept returning them, and refusing them if I tried to place them deeper inside, and I had to try several times until it finally took one. That meant that the 50% discount labels were placed on the bakery products and the cart with the products that are discounted by 90% was brought while I was still struggling to get it to accept the second one and other people got a few things before the voucher was printed and I could get there as well, but it didn’t seem like there had been anything particularly interesting. So I just took some cheap buns and a pretzel from the bakery area, and then I tried to get the machine to accept that bottle again, an employee coming to try to help after a while. But she had no luck either, so I kept it, bought those things, and cashed in the voucher. The cashier was new and the other one came to help when one of those discount labels wouldn’t scan, tearing the bag a little while peeling it off, and then one of the coins that I used to pay fell inside the register, around the scales, but she said that it was fine, though she crumpled the receipt as soon as it was printed and I didn’t ask for it.
I occasionally jogged on my way to Kaufland as well, and after putting that bottle in the machine from there, I entered the store, with those purchases, just after 9:30 PM, seeing an evening discount for red cabbage and that one of those that were left seemed acceptable, so I took it. And then I dug through the crates that were set aside, getting another handful of those Moldovan grapes, which also had an evening discount, and a bag of spoiling lemons that had a deep discount. And I got some more roes as well, also using the voucher received for that recyclable when I paid. And, since there had once again been no green onions and the total was just over 10 RON, I asked for another one of those 10 RON vouchers, receiving it, though that cashier did mention that I needed a receipt for at least 10 RON when I asked.
After continuing to that Mega Image, I put my things into a cabinet… And found that they were cleaning the refrigerators again, with the expiring products piled up in carts along with others, so while I couldn’t spot anything discounted by 90% when I tried to have a look, that doesn’t mean that nothing was left. But I saw some spoiling carrots and needed something for the salad that I was going to make before the next run, so I bought those, along with another pretzel and a bread that I initially meant to be for dad, everything being at half price, though the cashier also charged me for the bag that those carrots were in. However, after retrieving my things, going to that bench, and arranging everything, I realized that dad would probably have problems with that bread’s harder crust, since he recently had some teeth pulled out some time needs to pass before the rest of the work can be done. So I decided to keep it for myself and continued to the non-stop Mega Image that’s near the metro station, picking up some recyclables on the way, putting my things into two cabinets that I didn’t lock when I got there, and getting two regular breads for dad, those being discounted by 70% between 8 PM and midnight. I had to wait for a cashier to come, since none of the checkouts were manned and in fact the only visible employee when I got there was the guard, and the one who did show up after a little while didn’t give me the receipt, but I just shrugged it off, retrieved my things, and picked up some more recyclables on the way back.
I was back at 12:05 AM. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop some trash down the chute, after which I ate a banana and a sweet pastry, put most of the purchases in their place, and washed what was in the kitchen, during which time I noticed that the water temperature was dropping, so by 1:30 AM, when I went to the bathroom, it was only good enough for a shower and I was done in less than half an hour. And then I put the remaining purchases in their place, also dealt with that bread that I ended up keeping for myself, took another kind of supplement for immunity that wasn’t expired for a change, and ate dinner between 4:55 AM and 5:35 AM. I went to bed at 7:05 AM.

That dog continued to cry, but the sound was far quieter and I also kept hearing something like furniture or a door being bumped against, so I wonder if the neighbor put it in another room and closed the door that day. Either way, with muffled voices being the only sounds from the workers as well, I could sleep, waking up multiple times but getting right back to sleep until the afternoon, when I started sort of drifting in and out and only taking a few more brief naps by the time I got up, just after 4:35 PM. And then, since dad’s computer had once again stopped working the previous evening, I turned my old one on again to confirm that it still worked just fine and do the updates.
On the other hand, the following day the noise made by the dog was louder again, and after being woken up multiple times, a little after 11:30 AM I decided to get up… Only to get back to bed after a little while, since dad said that he wasn’t leaving the following day anymore, so he didn’t need what I had meant to go out to get. But, even though the dog seemed to go quiet, it took me a very long time to get back to sleep, and while it was a couple of minutes after 4 PM when I got up again, I had been awake for some time by that point, once again because of that dog.

The plan for this post was to also include this week’s run, and in fact get up to date, since I went out again yesterday. But those parts aren’t written yet and in fact I ended up having to initially post this at 11:59 PM with one of the above paragraphs still in the form of notes, so I decided to leave the rest for another time, editing the post in order to sort that out and add this paragraph a little after midnight and also changing the title as a result, since this week’s run would have otherwise been the relevant part… And now the title really doesn’t seem to fit, because I just read a little more of that book after starting it, but I didn’t want to say that it’s about that dog and some wandering around and it is accurate, in the sense that I did start to read it…

Since I obviously didn’t even touch that game review again and today I even started reading a long book that I wonder if I’ll even finish next month, I’ll sort out the problem of the week’s second post with some more odds and ends that are already written, this time covering what was left of the spring of 2025, starting with March 7, when I was once again woken up by a neighbor’s drilling, and while for quite some time I was just too exhausted to crawl out of bed and caught a few more brief and agitated naps, I eventually got up and, several minutes after 1:30 PM, I went out, taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol and picking up some more on the way to Obor. And, since I walked there at an early hour, I also passed by that recycling center that I knew offered something for glass while it was open, but I no longer saw glass listed and couldn’t get myself to walk in and ask.
Either way, I then went straight to Kaufland and put the recyclables in the machine, but I had one more of the kind that was “eaten” the previous time and the same thing happened that day. On the other hand, after I was done I noticed that one of the recyclables which had been left right in front of that machine also had the deposit symbol and it was accepted right away, so I ended up with a second voucher. Then I washed my hands, using the room for disabled people, since both sinks from the men’s were in use at that moment, and looked for green onions as soon as I entered the store… Only to not even find any at that hour, and they were even supposed to be on sale those days. So I asked the employee from that area and he confirmed that they didn’t have any, saying that there are supply problems, and when I pointed out that they’re guaranteed to be available he said that there’s no guarantee, as proven by the very fact that they don’t have them, but when I said that in that case I’ll ask for that 10 RON voucher he said that, as far as he’s concerned, I’m welcome to get one for each product on the list, since it’s not taken out of his money. So, after seeing that I shouldn’t have already bought the expiring sour cream and the things that I meant to put on the pizza that I wanted to make that evening, since cheaper or better options were among the expiring products from there at that point, I just bought two more of those cheap yogurts, cashed in the vouchers… And stole some biscuits, to make up for that “eaten” recyclable and what little I was yet to recover from the past. And then I asked for that 10 RON voucher, but was told that I needed to have made purchases of at least 10 RON in order to receive it, so I walked away, meaning to get back there later.
Green onions were also on sale at Carrefour those days, and while I knew that they were small and the price was slightly higher than what they should have had at Kaufland, I went there next, entering with everything and getting a bundle that at least looked fresh, plus some more cat food. And then I continued to Auchan, picking up a few more recyclables, including a crushed can that I managed to straighten surprisingly well on the way, once again entering with everything, putting those recyclables in the machine, and getting an expiring bread and some biscuits for dad, also using the voucher received for those recyclables when I paid.
After putting everything in the backpack, I went back to Kaufland, picking up two more recyclables on the way and finding three more discarded next to the machine, one of which was accepted right away, along with those which I had found. But the other two should have been accepted as well, the only potential issue being that they had no caps, and when I put a cap that I spotted there on one of them it was indeed accepted, so I ended up with a second voucher, but I couldn’t spot a second discarded cap, so I put that last recyclable in a cabinet, along with the purchases, before washing my hands again and buying a 5 kg bag of salt for dad and some expiring cookies, so the total would be over 10 RON and allow me to ask for that 10 RON voucher again. However, a different employee was at the information desk at that point and at first she said that green onions weren’t among the products that are guaranteed to be available, but after I pointed them out on the list she called for an employee from the vegetable area, so I retrieved my things from the cabinet while waiting and then the same guy whom I had asked earlier showed up and confirmed that they hadn’t had green onions at least since his shift had started… But then she didn’t seem to know what to do next, another employee coming and teaching her, and eventually handing me the voucher.
After arranging my things, I decided to use another route to get back, picking up some more recyclables but taking longer, both because I walked at least half a kilometer more and because I stopped and looked around when I reached a few intersections, trying to get my bearings. Either way, I also quickly checked the nearby Mega Image when I got here, just putting the bag with some of the purchases in a cabinet and going to glance at the expiring products, but since I didn’t see anything interesting and the recycling machine was in use, I didn’t wait, just retrieving that bag and walking back out.
I was finally at the door at 6:20 PM, then cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, put most of the purchases in their place, and washed a few things in the kitchen, after dad had cooked. But he also wanted to take a bath that evening, so I went to shower first, then put the remaining purchases in their place, ate an orange and a lollipop, washed what was left in the kitchen and cleaned up a little, and eventually made a sort of pizza for both of us, starting with his, so he’ll be able to eat it before going to bed, eating a yogurt with cereals while working on that, finally eating mine, as lunch, between 12:50 AM and 1:10 AM, and then I still managing to stick to the dinner schedule… Yet I ended up getting in bed at 5:20 AM.

On March 12 I confirmed that my door started opening on its own… But I couldn’t do much about that at that point, so I did the day’s squats, ate lunch, and eventually went out, at 8 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol. And I had dad’s metro card, so I took the metro to Kaufland Basarab, but the recycling machine wasn’t working when I got there, so I left those recyclables in a cabinet and grabbed the yogurt and biscuits that I had gone there for before the evening discounts appeared for vegetables. Then I grabbed the last two bundles of radishes that were left, or more exactly one bundle and a part of another plus some scattered radishes that probably added up to a little more than a second bundle, a lettuce and some potatoes, and after wandering around, also taking some bread for my parents, at full price, and waiting to see whether more discounts would appear or increase, which happened in case of the lettuce, I added two small peppers for dad, albeit also at full price. Then, after a woman asked me to scan my store card for her as well and I used the physical one, the closing announcement came just as I was about to finish using the self-checkout machine, but I still took my time to arrange the purchases before retrieving those recyclables and going to put them in the machine, which was working again at that point. And, after splitting those few on two vouchers, to know which were dad’s, I noticed another recyclable as I walked away, so I picked it up and went back to put that one in as well, ending up with a third voucher. And then I took the metro back, picking up some more recyclables on the way and deciding to also check the nearby Mega Image when I got here, putting just a bag in a cabinet, without locking, but having the guard ask me to hurry up as I checked the expiring products, so I just retrieved that bag and walked out.
I got back a couple of minutes before 11 PM, then selected the radish leaves that still seemed usable, put the purchases in their place, ate an apple and a sweet pastry that I already had, washed what was in the kitchen, and at 1 AM I went to wash myself, being done a few minutes after 1:30 AM. And then I talked to dad for a while, eventually also tried to clean something in the bathroom, and ate dinner between 3:40 AM and 4:15 AM. And, after cleaning the litter box and feeling a bitter taste in my mouth when I rinsed it after washing my hands and face, which made me worry that I hadn’t washed them properly, and then also killing a large cockroach in the kitchen, it was 5:25 AM when I went to bed.

After getting up I tried to work out a way to at least temporarily fix my door, while later I cooked, ending up eating a late lunch and, in part because of that and in part because shortly before midnight I noticed that my Internet access was down while dad’s, as in the new one, still worked just fine and after he went to bed I plugged my computer into the other router and checked some things, I started eating dinner at 3:15 AM, but I still managed to finish at 3:40 AM, though I then got in bed at 5:20 AM. And I’ll also mention here that no visits were recorded on March 13… And that the reason why my Internet access was down was that dad hadn’t paid it, and it’s connected to one of his mobile numbers and when I asked he said that the number still worked, so that couldn’t be the reason. But he apparently hadn’t even checked, telling me after he paid it that he just thought that it worked, only actually trying to use it in the morning, at which point he found that the number was also blocked and realized what the problem was. But at least he did pay it early in the afternoon and by the time I got up it worked normally again.

On March 26, after doing the day’s squats, I went out at 7 PM, dropping off a small bag of trash on the way, since I had also cleaned the litter box, and taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol to the nearby Mega Image. The machine was full before I was done, but the guy who was there emptied it right away and I could continue, being left with three that weren’t accepted and one that I didn’t even try at that point. Then I cashed in that voucher and continued to Titan, also quickly checking the nearby Shop & Go and picking up another recyclable on the way, putting it, that one which I hadn’t tried at the other location and one of those which had been refused in the machine from the Mega Image from there, though the other two still weren’t accepted, so I entered with them and bought some of the cat food that was on sale. And then I continued to that Penny, the recycling machine from there stating that it had no container for that type of recyclable when I tried one of those remaining two there as well, so I put my things in a cabinet and just got some salty pretzels and three buns. I used a glove to take those buns, since I had nowhere to wash my hands first, and I’m pretty sure that it was the first time when I made use of their evening discounts for bakery products, which are only of 30% but became a good option for cheap buns since Kaufland stopped discounting them.
After retrieving my things and putting the new purchases in the backpack, I continued to Kaufland Basarabia, walking in the rain, dad calling at one point while I was on the way, and then trying one of those remaining recyclables there as well, not being surprised when it didn’t work, since it was one that I picked up on the day when I pissed myself after someone else had discarded it there because it wasn’t being accepted. So I put my things in a cabinet, peed and washed my hands, entered the store at 8:55 PM, and got a lettuce and a bundle of green garlic, both having evening discounts, albeit not really great ones. Then I added an expiring yogurt that really was deeply discounted and some olives and beeped dad to ask him about another expiring product, taking one of those as well after he called back and said that he would want it. And then I waited to see whether the evening discounts would increase, but they didn’t, so I just wasted some time and ended up still using the self-checkout when the closing announcement came, meaning that I had to leave by the emergency exit after retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging everything. And then I tried to put those remaining recyclables in the machine again, still without success, but at that point I also realized that the label from that other plastic bottle had been glued on. It had been glued very well, but it was obviously loose otherwise and at that point I finally realized why, the brand matching the bottle and the cap, but the label being for 2.5 liters and the bottle definitely being much smaller, maybe 1.5 liters if I’d try to guess. So I removed the label and kept it, discarding the bottle.
On the way back, I also went to that Mega Image, which also offered me another break from being in the rain, which was even worse at that point. And, after putting my things in a cabinet, I reached the expiring products area just when those discounted by 90% were being placed there, so I grabbed the one box of salad leftovers, even though they just dump whatever’s left in the self-serve trays at that hour, often mixed together, in those boxes, so it’s impossible to really know the ingredients. And several pretty nice breads had that same discount, so I took most of those as well, for dad, calculating how much room we had in the freezer and leaving a couple… And at the checkout I was surprised to be told a lower total than what I had calculated, so I wondered whether there had been an additional discount, but when I checked the receipt I realized that the cashier hadn’t added one of the breads, or hadn’t realized that the machine hadn’t done so, since there were two of that kind and I saw her scan one and then touch the screen the same way she had in order to add more of the other kind, of which I had taken four. But I wasn’t going to let her know, so I arranged the new purchases, retrieved what I had in the cabinet and made my way back, picking up a few more recyclables. And at one point I passed by an old woman with bandaged hands who was sitting in that rain, but I unfortunately only thought to at least give her that bread which hadn’t been paid for several minutes later and I didn’t go back to do so. And, in fact, I could have bought those remaining breads as well, specifically in order to give them away, since there is that amount that I want to give away and this would have been a particularly effective way to do it, but that didn’t cross my mind at the time either.
It was almost 11:25 PM when I got back, then I put the purchases, except the bread and buns, in their place, also checked what dad had brought and arranged those things as well, ate an orange and something sweet, washed what was in the kitchen, and it was 2 AM when I finally went to wash myself, being done a little more than 40 minutes later. Then I put the buns in the fridge as well, took some more of that medicine that’s expired for over a year, just in case, dealt with most of those salad leftovers to some extent, took a first bite of lunch at 3:40 AM but only actually started eating, on and off, around 4 AM, finished lunch at 4:30 AM, and then ate dinner between 4:35 AM and 5:15 AM. I got in bed at 6:55 AM.

On March 28, I went out at 2:55 PM, going to the nearest Penny, dropping a small bag with what I had cleaned from the litter box down the chute and the regular recyclables in a recycling bin on the way and putting those with the deposit symbol, including one which I had picked up on the way, in the machine from there, even that one which hadn’t been accepted elsewhere being accepted. However, they were already out of the cooking oil which had gone on sale that day that I had mainly gone there for, and I even asked an employee and she said that none was left, but also that they don’t have sales starting on Friday and I must be confusing the store, so I grabbed a catalog from the entrance and when I saw her again I showed it to her… By which point I had also asked another employee, who started laughing before saying that it must have been bought early and told me to come back in the morning, in case they’ll get more then. But I had two of those 3 RON vouchers that required a total of 30 RON and had to be used by March 31, and there were other things that I could get, so I grabbed some that put the total just over 30 RON and used one, along with the one received for the recyclables. The cashier asked how long had I been holding on to that voucher and initially read January 31 on it and said that it should have been used by then, but that was the date by which one could be obtained, so I showed her that on the back it said that it could be used until March 31, yet even after confirming that it worked she still asked why had I held on to it so long and said that if I waited a little longer it’d have expired, so I said that I usually buy few things from Penny, not adding up to 30 RON, and asked why not hold on to it when I still had a few more days.
I got back the first time at 3:55 PM, then put most of the purchases in their place, ate lunch, did the day’s squats, and later, a couple of minutes after 7 PM, I left again, going to Penny Titan, where I did find that cooking oil, and in order to once again get the total just over 30 RON and use the last of those 3 RON vouchers, I added a bun, which at that point had the 30% evening discount and which I picked up with one of those tongs, since I didn’t take a glove, though those tongs are probably dirtier than anything. Either way, that cashier also took a long look at that voucher, turned it over, since I had placed it with the back on top, and pointed out the January 31 date written on the front, so I once again pointed to the actual date that it had to be used by and she saw with what seemed to be some surprise that it did work, though at least she didn’t make any other comments… But the guard did, stopping me and asking to see what I had in my pockets, so I took out the empty bags that I had there and he quickly patted my jacket as well, asking whether I had anything in it while asking me to not get upset, and repeating that after he was done and even picking up my purchases and those empty bags, since I had dropped everything, and offering to place them somewhere, so I could arrange them, but I just told him that I wasn’t upset and took everything back.
Since I had dad’s metro card, even if it was no longer read and needed to be shown in order to be allowed in, I then took the metro to Obor, picking up a recyclable before entering the station and two more while waiting for the metro, and trying but failing to put the purchases in the backpack, so I eventually just put them in a bag. And then I put the recyclables in the machine from Carrefour, washed my hands, put the purchases in a cabinet, and got a carton of expiring eggs, replacing a few cracked ones with others from another of the same kind, and a little garlic, by which point I was relieved to see that the bakery discounts had already been made, so I added two breads and two of those apple pastries, which I was really surprised to find. And I also used the remaining voucher received for previous purchases when I paid, and then retrieved my things and arranged everything a little.
I then continued to Kaufland, picking up another recyclable from one of the bins from the entrance and putting it in the machine, though another one which had been discarded there wouldn’t be accepted, even though it should have been, so I kept it, adding it in a cabinet, along with the purchases, before entering the store a couple of minutes before 9:30 PM, and getting a few bundles of wild garlic, carrots, potatoes, and some bananas, all of these having evening discounts. And the closing announcement came while I was using the self-checkout, but then I retrieved my things and took my time to arrange everything properly, walking out when it was almost 10:10 PM, spotting a cart with the coin in it and connecting it to another and retrieving the coin, and taking the metro back, picking up a few more recyclables after walking out of the metro station here.
I got back just before 10:40 PM, with 14 kg. Then I cleaned up a little after dad in the kitchen, also cleaned the litter box and went to drop another small bag of trash down the chute, and noticed that dad had splashed the kitchen TV with something and took out the screen cleaning spray, after who knows how long, to clean it, after which I also cleaned dad’s monitor to some extent, though some of the dirt wouldn’t come off easily and I didn’t want to press on it, and then cleaned my monitor as well. Then I ate a banana and one of the apple pastries, washed the few things that were in the kitchen, put most of the purchases in their place, and it was past 1:40 AM when I finally went to take a shower, the water being rather uncomfortable even for that. It was close to 2:10 AM when I was done, and then I also dealt with one of my breads, selected the wild garlic, using the worse leaves for the salad, and finally ate dinner between 4:15 AM and 4:50 AM and got in bed at 6:30 AM.

On the morning of April 7, I got in bed at 5:20 AM… And a little before 8:10 AM I woke up with quite a cramp in my right thigh. Either way, after doing the day’s squats, eating lunch and killing a few more ants which had appeared again around the door to dad’s bedroom, I went out a little after 6:20 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, after also straightening a rather crushed one which I had picked up. And, while I rushed to Obor, I still picked up a few more, though two were crushed and one didn’t seem like it could be straightened, so I didn’t even try, thinking that I’ll place its label on one without the symbol which I had also happened to pick up and held on to.
The reason for rushing, however, was that I wanted to reach the farmers’ market before it closed, at 7 PM, and I managed that, being there at 6:10 PM and getting apples. I first got some from the same place as before, saying that I wanted two kilograms of that same kind that’s sold at 2.5 RON / kg and the guy initially asking whether I wanted him to give me some from a crate from another stall, at 2 RON / kg, which I guess meant that he sold there as well, but after I agreed he ended up just discounting the ones that I had asked for and giving me 2.5 kg of those for 5 RON. And then I spotted another place with similar apples at 2 RON / kg and asked for 2.5 kg from there as well, the fact that they looked better likely meaning that they were treated with something, but also that they were going to last longer, so I could get more at once. And then, after using the control scales and seeing that the second person had given me just a little more, almost 2.6 kg, I took some time to move the apples into different bags, still keeping them separate but freeing those with handles.
I then wanted to go to Penny, but stopped at the recycling machine from Kaufland first, putting in the recyclables and being surprised when even those crushed ones were accepted, so I discarded that one without the symbol, and while the machine stopped as I was almost halfway through, the person who was there immediately went in and sorted out the issue within seconds, so I could continue, ending up with two vouchers. And then I made my way to Penny, under something that looked more like hail than snow, which had just started falling… And when I got there I realized that I had forgotten to take any coins, so when I saw that the lock from one cabinet had been removed, I put the apples in that one, since it was less likely to be opened than one with a key in it, and just took three buns that by then had the 30% evening discount, using a glove, and then retrieving the apples… By which time the hail had turned into quite a snowfall, with huge snowflakes.
Either way, I picked up another recyclable on the way back to Kaufland, so I put that in the machine as well before putting the purchases into a cabinet from there, but then I turned around and went to Carrefour and, after spending some time looking through the expiring products and also for the frozen beans that were on sale, finding that they were out of those beans, I saw that they had already started making the evening discounts for bakery products, so I took two of those apple pastries and a bread, and then went back and also got some expiring roes and just a little bit of garlic.
I then returned to Kaufland, with the roes and garlic in one hand, and I picked up another recyclable on the way and one more from the bin that was next to the machine that I put it in, though I did that after getting the voucher for that one, so I ended up with a total of five vouchers. Then I added the new purchases and the gloves in that cabinet and entered the store at 9:10 PM, finding not just that they finally had green onions again, but also that they had a good evening discount, so I took three bundles, and a little later a good evening discount appeared for carrots as well, so I also took some of those, plus an expiring bread for dad. Then I used the three vouchers which had been received for a single recyclable each at the self-checkout and cashed in the other two, and the closing announcement came while I arranged those purchases a little, before retrieving what I had in the cabinet, arranging everything better, and walking out a little after 10:05 PM. And on the way back I picked up some more recyclables, and I’ll also mention that the snowfall had lessened and turned into something that was more like sleet, and relatively light at that.
I got back at 11:05 PM, then cleaned the litter box and went to drop what I gathered down the chute, picking up another recyclable from the garbage room. Then I put a few of the purchases in their place, sorted those apples that looked better, ate one of them and one of the apple pastries, and went to wash at 12:35 AM, being done a little after 1:20 AM. But then I talked to dad for a while, and got annoyed because he once again said, in his typical aggressive way, that the litter box was stinking of pee and that from then on he meant to clean it and throw everything out whenever he’ll see anything there. And then I peeled and boiled carrots for the salad, sorted the other apples as well, put the remaining purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, took some more of that medicine expired for over a year, still just in case, put what was left from something in one jar on top of what was in a second one that was nearly full, spotted and killed a few more ants, and ate dinner between 4:15 AM and 4:45 AM. I got in bed at 6:05 AM.

When I woke up after dad got up, a little after 11 AM, I initially went to pee and then got back in bed, but it didn’t seem like I was going to get back to sleep quickly and, despite planning to run the following day, I was also thinking to go out again that day, earlier, and look for those frozen beans again, so I eventually got up and asked dad whether I should, and also whether I should look for some cat food that was on sale, and he said yes… And also let me know that he was coming down with something, which was a serious reason for concern, if I was going to catch it as well. Either way, I did the day’s squats and left just after 1:30 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, including one which hadn’t been accepted before and which I decided to try again that day. But it still wasn’t accepted by the machine from Carrefour Mega Mall, though all of the others were, so I entered the store with it and found those beans, also taking two breads and a sweet pastry that had the 50% discount and using that voucher when I paid.
Then I continued to Kaufland, putting the purchases in a cabinet but only wasting some time, so I retrieved them on the way out and continued to that Mega Image, picking up another recyclable from the trash can from the entrance and putting it in the machine from there, though that other one wasn’t accepted there either, so I put it and the purchases in a cabinet and just got three cans of that cat food, since the deal was three for the price of two and there were only four left of that kind and none of the one which I’d have preferred to get, and I didn’t care for the handful of others that were still there. But, when I gave exact change when I paid, the cashier told me to take back the 0.08 RON in coins, just keeping the bills and the voucher received for that recyclable. And that made up for the one from the next location that I checked, on the way back, after retrieving my things from the cabinet and leaving them next to the cabinets in that other place, since the guard told me to do so when I was about to set them down in front of the cabinets in order to open one. She probably thought that I meant to leave them right there, but I didn’t care to explain, just walking in and finding plenty of cans of the kind of cat food that I was actually looking for, so I took nine of those as well… And the cashier rounded down the change, giving me 0.06 RON less, which tends to be what I expect from Mega Image. Either way, I then retrieved my things and put the cat food in another bag and got back just before 4:10 PM.

I’ll just mention here that no visits were recorded on April 20. Then, in the early hours of April 22, I ate dinner between 3:30 AM and 4:20 AM… And after no more than three and a half hours of sleep, maybe closer to three hours, I got up to pee and couldn’t get back to sleep in the half an hour or so before dad got up, at which point Liza also went to the litter box again, so I got up to clean it one more time and ask dad about his schedule, to see whether there would be time for me to use his metro card while he’ll be back here, setting the alarm to ring at noon and getting back in bed after we worked something out… But I still couldn’t get back to sleep, so I eventually decided to stop wasting time, got up at 10:45 AM, and left just before 12:20 PM.
I jogged to Carrefour and got some discounted products, including bread, even though two of the three were poking through the plastic wrapping. Since dad called while I was there and I couldn’t get to the metro station in time to meet him there as planned, I told him that we’ll meet at home instead, completely forgetting that he had somewhere else to go from there and therefore thinking that I had to rush back, take the card, and then go out again… And that also led to leaving my backpack behind, since I had just taken the bags out of it when I got that call and forgot about it in that rush, but at least I realized that I was missing it right after using the self-checkout, before leaving the checkout area, so I rushed back and found it just where I had left it, then jogged back, getting here a little after 1:20 PM… And wondering where dad was before finally remembering that he wasn’t supposed to come back at that point.
At least that gave me time to put the purchases in their place and get the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the plastic and metal ready… And then, just after 2 PM, I dashed to the nearby Mega Image to put the recyclables with the deposit symbol, except that one that still wasn’t accepted, in the machine and get some cat food that was on sale with that voucher, though I wasn’t given the receipt. And after walking out I took a 2.5-liter plastic bottle without the symbol from the trash can, replacing its label with the one with the symbol that I had after getting back, since it was for a bottle of the same size, even if of a different brand.
Then I started to make the mamaliga that dad had said he wanted to make before leaving again at 5 PM, ate some salty snacks, and kept waiting for him, since he had said that he’ll try to be back at 2 PM, or at least before 3 PM… But a couple of minutes after 3 PM I beeped him and when he called back he said that he was still at that guy and will only be back about an hour later. If I’d have known that, and of course if I’d have remembered that he still had to go there right away, I’d have gone straight from Carrefour to Auchan Titan, since in that case I’d have been back around that time, with or without that really nice high protein yogurt that had a really good discount until that day, since on the site it had reappeared as in stock in that location in the morning, though by then it was listed as out of stock everywhere again. But that was no longer an option, and I couldn’t even leave again right away, since I couldn’t just stop the mamaliga, so I kept making it, and then stayed to scrape the large pot that I made it in and eat lunch as well, by which time a bit of a storm had started, and I had given up on the idea of getting to Auchan Titan early enough to give myself time to also rush to Auchan Vitan if I won’t find that yogurt there, so I took it easy and only left again at 7:10 PM, at which point only some occasional drops were still falling.
I took the plastic and metal, which I dropped off in a recycling bin on the way, and some more recyclables with the deposit symbol, dad having had more emptied ones in the living room and on the balcony. And I picked up two more on the way and put all of them with the exception of that one which hadn’t been accepted anywhere else and wasn’t accepted there either in the machine from Auchan, that one on which I had placed that label also being accepted right away. So I entered the store with that remaining one… And, unsurprisingly, couldn’t find that yogurt. But quite a lot of that nice bread that I prefer to eat on the night before important runs was left, and after weighing all of it and finding that a few loaves had almost enough to allow me to cut them in four, I decided that it was close enough and picked one of those to buy.
Well, the problem was that the bread’s price was less than the value of the voucher received for the recyclables and at Auchan there’s usually a single machine that allows cashing those in, but I couldn’t see any sign stating which that was. So I meant to just use one to buy the bread at first, but it accidentally scanned twice and I had to call an employee to fix the problem, and when she came and I also asked where to cash in that voucher, saying that I hadn’t been in that location in a while, she insisted to see it and I couldn’t seem to dig it out of my pocket, taking out pretty much anything else, and even when I took everything out I still couldn’t see it, needing to look more carefully through the money and store cards… And the situation was making me panic, I was starting to shake, and I ended up dropping everything, so I then had to pick everything back up, and she was also dealing with another customer and had butted in to enter the amount that was on the store card when I said that I wanted to use that as well, which only made me panic even more… And then, after I handed her that voucher and she told me which machine allowed cashing it in, she told me to follow her there and just canceled that transaction despite my attempt to protest, saying that we’ll do everything again there and that she didn’t want to have to come twice for the same thing, even if I was just about to pay and get it over with… And she had my voucher, so I hesitantly followed her, but I was pretty much in shock, managing to take the money after she cashed in that voucher but shaking too badly and losing coordination while she also scanned my bread and entered the amount from the store card again, so I was moving erratically and she snapped at me to be patient, at which point I said that my social anxiety makes that rather hard when she’s standing next to me.
Somewhat surprisingly, she seemed to get that, immediately walking away and saying just one word but in a manner that seemed soothing. But I was barely hanging on by a thread and spent what must have looked like an impossibly long time to anyone who was watching basically just focusing on breathing, fumbling to pay and then trying quite unsuccessfully to check that I still had everything. So, when I trusted myself enough to take a few more steps, I walked out of the checkout area, sat on a bench, and took more time to recover, eventually counting the money, calculating and confirming with some relief that I hadn’t lost any, nor any of the store cards for that matter. And when I finally stood up again, I noticed that I was right next to another location of the store that should have had those bio (organic) cloves that I had asked about, in another location, at the start of the month, and somehow managed to get myself to ask about them there as well, after being unable to spot them as I glanced around the place. And the person who was there was more helpful than the other one had been, showing me what they did have and then checking in the system and telling me which locations carried what I had asked about… However, those were in other cities, none even being in Bucharest, so we both had a little laugh about it and I walked away.
To make things worse, by the time I stepped outside again, it was raining quite hard, so I got pretty soaked on the way to Kaufland Basarabia, then I washed my hands and entered the store, with that bread, just before 9:20 PM, making use of a good evening discount to grab the few parsnip roots that seemed to still be usable and then seeing another such discount for some packaged tomatoes, and dad had told me previously to look for some cheap ones, even if they’d be from Turkey, like those were, so I beeped him and when he called back I asked whether he was still interested, taking a box when he confirmed. And then, after looking around for a while, I saw that germinated wheat had a good evening discount as well and took some before making my way to the self-checkout and being just about to finish using the machine when the closing announcement came. And then, even if the guard said loudly that customers should leave and I’m pretty sure that I was the last one left, I did take some time to arrange the purchases, walking out, through the emergency exit, a few minutes later, at which point I found that the rain had lessened significantly.
I also stopped at that Mega Image on the way back, entering with everything, grabbing a little more of that cat food, and being there just when the products discounted by 90% were placed, so I took a few things… But the bio (organic) “Greek” yogurt wouldn’t scan and the single cashier was getting really frustrated and there was a line as well, so she asked me to wait until the line would clear, stressing that she’ll try again at that point when I said that I’ll just leave it if it won’t work. Not that it shouldn’t have been clear that it couldn’t work, with the label being wrapped around on the cup, so it should have been peeled off and scanned directly, and she did try that, but she was already annoyed with it at that point, was rather rough, and ended up tearing off a corner and stopping before she did even more damage. If I had a clearer head, I should have noticed, peeled it off, and placed it in a better position myself before getting there or, failing that, I should have asked to try to do so while I waited, but instead I just arranged the other purchases, being surprised when I noticed her trying at another checkout just moments later, apparently because another customer had told her to go ahead. And when, even though it was probably the product that I wanted the most out of what I had picked, I once again said that I’ll just leave it if it won’t work, that other customer said that she’ll get it for me, which I assumed meant that she’d pay for it, possibly at full price, since the regular bar code did keep scanning by accident, so I once again said that I’ll leave it and dashed away to avoid further awkwardness. And I picked up just one more recyclable on the way back.
I got back at 11:10 PM, put the purchases in their place, ate an apple and the sweet pastry from Carrefour, washed what was in the kitchen, and went to wash myself at 1 AM. I was done at 1:50 AM, but I was still messed up after that panic attack and wanted to make sure that everything was right, so I spent some time on the computer before getting back to the kitchen, then also dealt with one of my breads, took some more of that medicine expired for a year, moved something into a jar, and finally ate dinner between 4:20 AM and 5:05 AM. I got in bed at 6:40 AM… But I slept straight until 2:30 PM, without waking up at all, and then I spent some more time in bed, getting up when it was almost 3:20 PM.

Yes, this is another awfully rushed post from this series, but the bands included in it are actual new finds that I just searched for today, because ski jumping made me wonder how many bands from Slovenia were on the list and I was surprised to find a single one, ShadowIcon, which I included in a post way back in 2013. So I had a look on Metal Archives… And, judging by the listed genres, I found basically nothing from there that I’d particularly care to include in such a post and was still active. Still, out of the few bands that I decided to check out and found to be all right, there is one with actual new material, and then there’s one that I wanted to include even if it’s no longer active, because I actually did like what I heard. That still left the issue of the third one, but after actually listening to a few other bands that at least had new material released during the past few years, the choice proved to be less difficult than I thought.

That band that actually has new material is Hellcats, and that new song is Spiderweb, while the older song that will be my second pick is Steelrider. As the name suggests, this is an all-female band and I’m tempted to say that it’s more rock than metal, not that the difference is that clear when it comes to what’s labeled as heavy metal. Either way, the sound is powerful and confident even on those much earlier songs, so they’re definitely something you can listen to if you like the genre.

Moving on to Aperion, they unfortunately seem to no longer be active, and in fact their only album was released back in 2010, but judging by Black Flies and Fairytale Mind that’s quite a pity. Often originality doesn’t work out well, but in this case it does add to the value, the instruments used actually making the overall sound stand out, while the vocals are great and the performance is polished, so I really wish they’d have released much more.

And I’ll go with SkyEye as the third band. It’s an all-male group, so no female vocals here, and their most recent album, from which I’ll pick Nightfall, is from 2024. And in order to make it easier for myself, but also to illustrate their improvement, I’ll go way back and pick Jerusalem as the second song. I guess you could say that their newer songs are more commercial, but they also gained in polish and it is something that you can listen to without problems.

I once again used some cream on my hands before going to bed on the morning of February 2. And after waking up around 8:55 AM and deciding to pee, just in case, and exchange a few words with dad, I couldn’t get back to sleep, so a little after 10:10 AM, when he left, I got on the computer, only getting back in bed at noon… And I still needed a very long time to get back to sleep. But I eventually did, and the couple of times I woke up after that I barely had time to be aware of it before falling asleep again, and I wasn’t awake for that long when I got up, at 5:15 PM. And dad got back minutes later, so I started working on defrosting the freezer, as I had said, to have a reason to make myself a pizza at night and use some of the mozzarella which he had bought and which had expired the previous day. But he cooked that evening as well, so I also cleaned after him, leaving cleaning the fridge for another time, so we didn’t move it and I just dealt with the freezer and the top shelf of the fridge door, to be able to clean the mold from the top of the door. But the very concerning thing was the spark when I plugged the fridge back in, and after unplugging it and plugging it back in again the compressor wouldn’t start, and then there was another spark when dad did the same. It seemed to start running normally again after I unplugged the extension cord and dad plugged it back in after a little while, but something’s wrong there. Still, we didn’t do anything else about it that night, and I eventually made that pizza, in two parts, eating it, as a combined lunch and dinner, between 4:55 AM and 6:30 AM. And it probably had by far the most calories, and definitely the most animal fat, out of any I’ve ever made. Either way, after putting cream on my hands again, I got in bed at 7:30 AM.

After waking up a few minutes before noon, I decided to check some things, including on the computer, so it was just under half an hour later when I got back in bed… And I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I eventually decided to cut my losses and got up at 1:25 PM, so I only slept for some four hours, which initially made me change the plan of going out that evening. On the other hand, that evening I won Final Fantasy IX in a giveaway on the GOG.com forum, at least from a different user. But when dad brought mother, she said that she wanted something from Kaufland that was only discounted until that day, so I had lunch, did the day’s squats, and left at 8:40 PM, once again wearing a mask and taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol, and I picked up a couple more on the way to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM.
After getting there a couple of minutes before 9 PM, I tried to put the recyclables in the machine, but it briefly stopped after two, allowed me to continue after printing that voucher, but then stopped again after just one more, so I ended up with a second voucher and plenty of remaining recyclables. So I waited for the 50% discount labels to be placed on the bakery products, and when the employee was almost done I reached for a sweet pastry, but the label from another bag was stuck to that one, so I carefully peeled it off, and since that employee, who tends to snap at people who take things before she finishes putting labels on all of them, eyed me as I did that, I then just closed that drawer again and waited for her to be done, taking that pastry and a couple of buns after she walked away. And when I had another quick look at the other expiring products, she held something out and told me that it was the only remaining product with the 90% discount that evening, but I wasn’t interested, so I thanked her for showing it to me and then just bought those things, using the vouchers as well.
After picking up another recyclable on my way to Carrefour, I entered through the parking lot and decided against going to that machine, since I was in a hurry and was going to go to Kaufland next, so I put everything in a cabinet, got what I wanted to get for mother from there and something that was among the expiring products, then retrieved what I had in the cabinet, grabbed some more recyclables… And was left with all of them, since the machines from Kaufland weren’t working. So I once again put everything in a cabinet, and I’m pretty sure that I entered the store before 10 PM, though whether only by a couple of minutes or a little more than that, I can’t recall. Either way, after grabbing some expiring germinated wheat that had a good discount, I was relieved to find the main thing that mother had asked for. And then I looked around and, while those Moldovan grapes, which had an evening discount, had been cleared away from where they should have been, I managed to spot plenty left in a crate that was under another, a little away from the fruits and vegetables area or the places where they stack what they take away from there, so I spent the remaining time selecting some, reaching the self-checkout just when the closing announcement came.
After retrieving my things and washing my hands, I continued to that Mega Image, putting the purchases and the gloves in a cabinet that I didn’t lock and the recyclables on top of the cabinets and getting two bakery products and some packaged garlic, all of these being discounted by 50%… And getting that garlic proved to be a very bad idea, not only because the higher base price and the fact that the bag only contained some 420 grams instead of 500 meant that the real discount was less than 20% compared to the full price of the garlic that’s sold by piece and some of it was obviously going to be thrown away, but mainly because the garlic that’s sold by piece apparently had a higher discount, of about 27%, those days and I somehow failed to notice! So I could have picked really good garlic, discarding any piece that I thought had any problems, for an even lower price… And then the cashier just moved on to the next customer, without giving me the 0.50 RON that should have been the change, and when I asked for it she said that she didn’t have change left. But she did ask whether I had such a coin, so she’ll be able to give me 1 RON, and I did, so I gave it to her and then waited for her to be done with that next customer… Only for the lack of change to become a problem yet again, and while that guy said that it was all right if she didn’t give him the coins, she didn’t even seem to have enough 1 RON bills for him either. But I had several, so I exchanged 5 RON for her, which sorted things out, and then she tried to excuse herself, saying that she gives change all day and before closing time she tends to run out. Either way, she forgot to give me my receipt and I didn’t ask for it, just retrieving my things and then going to that bench and arranging everything. And I picked up a few more recyclables on the way back.
I got back a little after 11:35 PM, with two fingers being painfully frozen, so I had to wait for the pain to subside before cleaning the litter box and going to drop a bag of trash down the chute. Then I exchanged a few words with my parents, sorting out what they were going to take in the morning, put the purchases in their place, separated the olive pieces that dad had dumped over Liza’s food, since she tends to ask for olives when he has some, and left them there while I put the remaining food back in the can, ate a banana, and went to wash at 1:15 AM. I was done just over half an hour later, but I had seen that some of the dishes had been supposedly washed by my parents and I didn’t know which ones, so I thoroughly washed all of them again, then also cut my toenails and ate a sweet pastry, and as I was finishing the salad I noticed that a lemon had gotten moldy in the fridge, so I tried to clear those parts from it, finally eating dinner between 4:30 AM and 5:30 AM, while doing some things on-line… And it also seemed that one of the computer’s fans was somewhat noisy, and while the speeds seemed normal, lowering them seemed to indicate the CPU fan as the culprit, which is a concern… Either way, I got in bed at 6:40 AM.

I guess I was exhausted enough to sleep completely through my parents getting up and leaving in the morning, but I woke up at 10:45 AM, when there was some steady hammering, though it wasn’t that loud and I’m not sure if it was the real reason why I woke. Either way, I knew that the interest rates for state bonds were going to drop yet again and, while I didn’t have much saved up, I wanted to buy some more. But I wasn’t entirely certain, so I spent some time weighing the options, eventually deciding to go through with it and getting up just before 11:20 AM… And when I briefly turned on the light from the small bathroom, someone shouted and then cursed the target of that shouting for not answering, so I wonder whether that was aimed at me and whether the workers were trying to get in touch with someone from this apartment. But I shrugged it off and, as their break approached, I went to the kitchen, washing what my parents had left and cleaning up a little, deciding to also open one of the bags of recently expired bio (organic) spelt flakes and put some in the yogurt that I had as part of the breakfast, and leaving at 1:30 PM, without a mask, since I just meant to get those state bonds and have a quick glance at the expiring products from that Kaufland.
After jogging intermittently and picking up a recyclable, I reached the Sector 3 Treasury at 1:50 PM, so even if I had to wait a few minutes, I was able to deposit the money before 2 PM, so there was no question about the deposit being registered that day and I could then go and buy the state bonds, initially walking up to where some employees seemed to be paying attention only to be sent to the spot where I should have gone according to the first letter of my last name, where I waited for a while before somebody finally looked up and came over. And then I waited some more while the guy updated my information in the system, even if you’d think that it could be done automatically after the ID card is changed, if these parts of the administration would communicate with each other. Either way, I eventually bought those state bonds and it was almost 2:10 PM when I walked out.
I then continued to that Kaufland, putting that recyclable in the machine and initially just getting one of those cheap yogurts, to be able to use the voucher and not have to ask to be allowed to walk out, but then I spotted two boxes of cat food that I could get among the discounted products. The discount was 30% and the boxes were torn and wrapped in tape, so I had to check whether anything was missing and after weighing one of them along with one taken from the shelf and seeing that they had the same weight, I tore that discounted one enough to be able to check properly and bought it after confirming that everything was there, obviously using that voucher as well when I paid and then discarding that torn packaging and putting it into the recycling bin.
On the way back, I also checked two Mega Image locations, putting my things in a cabinet both times, though I didn’t lock it the second time, and getting something that I ended up eating as lunch that day from the first one and something for dad from the second, all of these being discounted by 50%, though in the first case I was also charged for the “thermal” bags that the food was in, and there were two of them, the pieces being bagged separately. And in the second case I had to wait in line for quite some time, and this coupled with the fact that Kaufland had been quite crowded and a few people were coughing rather badly made me feel pretty uneasy about the fact that I had decided against wearing a mask. Either way, as I made my way back after retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging the purchases again, I spotted a recyclable that was cut up, with some paper inside it, so I initially dumped the paper in a bin and wondered whether I could get a machine to accept it as it was, but then I wondered what had been in or on that paper and decided that I didn’t care to keep the bottle, so I discarded it and just kept the label. And after entering the building I grabbed another recyclable.
I was back for the first time a few minutes after 4:05 PM, and 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. Then I did the day’s squats and took what I thought was the last of those supplements for immunity that didn’t look suspicious… Only to find that it actually also did. But I had just finished those vitamin D3 supplements and didn’t care to look for something else, so I tried to clean up the pill and took it anyway. And then I ate lunch and left again at 8:05 PM, that time wearing a mask and taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol… And on my way out I bumped into dad, who was just coming up. Either way, I then put the recyclables in the machine from the nearby Mega Image… After which I finally noticed that discount for the garlic, and it was listed as applying between February 2 and 4, so it should have definitely applied the previous evening. But I couldn’t do much about it then, so I just cashed in the voucher and then took the metro to Obor, since I had dad’s card.
After checking a bookstore and putting the two recyclables picked up from that mall in the machine, I entered Carrefour and saw that many bakery products already had the 50% evening discount even if it was several minutes before 9 PM. But more, including most of the bread, were yet to be discounted, so after initially taking two sweet pastries that were supposed to have a discount for the second one, using a self-checkout to see whether it applied even when they had the evening discount, and putting them back when it didn’t, I took some other sweet pastries, checked the expiring products and grabbed some tarragon, eventually decided on two breads as well, and then pretty much stood around, waiting for that employee to finish. And she kept asking to be left to do that while a coworker kept calling her over to help her clean, so at one point I asked that other employee whether I could help her with anything, since I was standing around anyway, and while I just held something and exchanged a few words with her before stepping away, that seemed to make her leave her coworker alone and she could finally finish, the nice thing being that one nicer bread was in the last batch, so I took that one and put the other two back.
Well, just that bread caused a problem, though the first issue was that a single self-checkout that accepted cash was still working and two women with a full cart and a little girl who kept trying to use the machine and messing things up were using it, and I still wanted to get to Kaufland as well, so after a little while I resigned myself to using a regular checkout, and since there were two people in line at the first cashier, who’s that one that’s slow but particularly correct, always making sure that everything’s just right, and the second one was just closing up, I ended up at the third, who’s a guy who always struck me as not caring, and who also seems to always take a break to check the pastries after they’re discounted… And that bread apparently didn’t scan, so he peeled off the discount label, at which point the bag that the bread was in got badly torn. Admittedly, I’m not sure that it hadn’t already been torn, but definitely not that badly, so I told him that I really wished that he wouldn’t have done that and I’ll go back to grab another bag and he took a plastic bag from under the counter and threw it at me and said that the bread wouldn’t scan, so he did something else, which was obviously scanning it at full price and then entering a discount manually. However, that discount was less than 50%, so the total was a little more than what it should have been, and when I told him that, after also giving him the voucher received for those recyclables, he asked whether I wanted him to give me that difference, and as I was stuck between wanting to get away from there and getting angry he just gave me a little more change than what he should have given me if the total would have been correct. He then complained about me to the next person, but I just walked away.
After putting the purchases in a cabinet, it was past 9:50 PM when I entered Kaufland, and when I checked the expiring products I saw a carton of eggs at half price and some deeply discounted high-protein milk drinks. They were in a crate that was next to the refrigerators, but I nevertheless grabbed one of the drinks and looked in that carton of eggs, which wasn’t wrapped in tape, as they usually are in Kaufland, replacing two eggs from it, including one that was clearly cracked, with the only two that were left in the other carton that was there, which looked good. And in fact most of the eggs from that carton already seemed to be from the other one, and the rest from three others, considering the different markings, but none of them were expiring soon. Either way, I then also took many pieces of processed meat products for dad that also had good discounts and two other products that were at half price because they were rather crushed, not because they were expiring. But I had also seen some of those Moldovan grapes once again left in a crate which had been taken away from where it should have been and stacked in a corner of that area, so I then went back there and picked some, initially just telling the guy who called after me to give him the phone that it was mine and shrugging it off. But he seemed convinced that he had left his next to the scales and I had taken it, so he asked a few more times, then I heard him talk to some employees before passing by me as I was still selecting grapes and mentioning that there were cameras there. But I just said that I knew that and continued picking, then went to the self-checkout and was relieved when everything was accepted, albeit on the second attempt in case of the carton of eggs. I was just about to finish scanning when the closing announcement came… And that guy also passed by and apologized for accusing me, and said that he had found his phone.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet and quickly arranging the purchases just enough to be able to carry them somewhat better, I picked up a few more recyclables on the way to the metro station and when I got there I asked the employee to write the date when the monthly pass will expire on it, since it hadn’t printed properly and dad hadn’t done it, so we’d have had no proof that it was still valid if it’ll stop working before that date, which happens quite often. And, after rearranging the purchases a little while waiting, I took the metro back and after getting off I checked that non-stop Mega Image again, putting my things into two cabinets that I didn’t lock and then just retrieving them.
I was back close to 11:25 PM. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, put most of the purchases in their place, talked to dad a little, and after he went to bed I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and shower. That was just after 12:50 AM, and the water was a little below body temperature until I was close to finishing, when it seemed to gain a few degrees. But I wasn’t going to wait and see whether it would get even better, so I was done a few minutes after 1:30 AM, but then I spent some time on the computer, getting back to the kitchen at 2 AM. And then I struggled to remove the bad parts from a banana and ate the remaining pieces, washed what was in the kitchen and cleaned up a little after dad, put the remaining purchases in their place, which also included checking the grapes more carefully and placing them in a bowl, also dealt with my bread and moved something into a jar, eventually put jam on a large pancake and ate that, and finally ate dinner between 5:50 AM and 6:30 AM. I got in bed at 7:10 AM, but I actually got some eight hours of proper sleep, just getting up to pee once, getting right back to sleep after that, and getting up a little after 3:50 PM.

Since I once again had no green onions, I used a red one in the salad made in the early hours of February 6. And before dinner I took one of those vitamin C supplements expired since 2022, to finish those as well. And then I once again slept quite well, getting right back to sleep after going to pee at one point and barely even noticing that I woke up when dad left and then came back, the one issue being when some drilling woke me and kept me awake for a little while. Since the alarm was set to ring at 1:30 PM and it was 12:49 PM when I checked the time and that drilling had been going on for some minutes by that point, I considered turning off the alarm and getting up, but I made another attempt to get back to sleep instead and it proved to be a good idea, because I eventually managed to catch another little nap by the time the alarm rang. A problem was that my body still seemed to be working through something, the feeling having appeared after having lunch the previous evening, but the plan was to run, so I ate a Pinova apple and part of that vanilla-flavored fat-free milk drink with 10% protein from Kaufland, which had just expired, mixing raw almonds into it along with the cereals, so I’ll still keep more of the other kind, which are also larger, for a later time. And the sweet thing once again consisted of two of those nicer, albeit expired, biscuits, with added honey… And the workers were right outside the bathroom window while I was on the toilet. Either way, it was almost 4:15 PM when I left, wearing the full running gear, that old and pretty torn training shirt, that thing that goes on my neck, and the old gloves, plus the jacket on the way, keeping it tied around my waist as I ran. The reported temperature was 4°C, holding steady.
The time was 1:22:21, with sector times of 4:16.32, 5:22 (5:21.91), 6:14 (6:13.93), 4:37.66, 5:21 (5:20.37), 6:14.16, 4:42 (4:41.88), 5:25.46, 6:23 (6:22.60), 4:53, 5:31, 6:29, 4:53, 5:39 and 6:22, making for lap times of 15:52.16, 16:12.19, 16:30 (16:29.94), 16:53 and 16:54. I meant to continue to 16 km if it’ll look like I’ll go over 49 minutes on ten, but I didn’t know how much I wanted to push, thinking that if I’ll be slow on the first three laps despite pushing and then continue for two more, I’ll end up around 1:23… And that proved to be the case, but after the first sector, when a couple of other runners kept me honest, I was thinking more and more of not tiring myself too early if this was going to be the first time I’ll run more than ten kilometers in almost four months, and those terrible times on sectors two and three of lap one made it clear that I had to, since I was unlikely to even stay under 50 minutes on ten kilometers. But I was still uncertain, wondering whether it wouldn’t be better to push and settle for just staying under 50 minutes, while on the other hand I also considered continuing to a half marathon distance, even if I’d have clearly gone over 1:50 and that’d have been as disappointing as going over 50 minutes on ten kilometers. That meant that I never really pushed, but even so, ending up averaging more than 16 minutes over the first two laps was just terrible, and things only got worse after that, the only thing that I still hoped for after lap three being to somehow avoid going over 17 minutes on either of the next two laps, which should have also meant squeezing under 1:22:30 instead of that 1:23 that I was initially estimating. And I managed that, which I guess was another reason why I settled for 16 km instead of continuing to a half marathon distance, though yet another was that it was getting too dark and I was losing too much in order to get a good look at the time.
Speaking of that lost time, I probably would have only had to stop to get a good look at the time on lap five if I wouldn’t have checked the exact times on the first three laps, but I did, so I stopped on sector two of lap one and then on every sector starting from the third one of lap two, with the exception of the last one. And those stops were for just an instant only on sector three of lap two and sector one of lap three, the other earlier stops being for a couple of seconds and the later ones, starting from sector three of lap four, for several seconds, and that was despite making them in spots that were better lit. And in fact on that sector three of lap four I stopped twice, since I had miscalculated and expected to have already gone over one hour after sector two, so I initially looked in the wrong place on the stopwatch, resumed running right away when I realized that I had been wrong, and then stopped again, for several seconds. But this is my tenth worst time over this distance and all of the above adds up to some 40 seconds or so, possibly up to a minute, if I’m generous, if I also add the times when I slowed in order to have another look at the stopwatch and the small loss of time caused by probably slowing while I took the glove off and put it back on, so it’ll still be awfully slow even without all of that. And what makes it worse is that there were hardly any other notable issues to speak of. There were few people and, while it was wet and there were some puddles, which led to some weaving and going the long way around, it shouldn’t have had any significant impact. And that possible digestive issue didn’t seem to bother me while I ran, while a slight pressing need only appeared on the last sector, which was the only one after the first when I pushed.

On the way back, I picked up a bottle that seemed to fit the label that I had, and then I ate a banana and a sweet pastry, went to the toilet again, my body definitely working through something, placed that label on that bottle, did 200 squats, since the previous day I had once again kept putting them off until I forgot to do them at all, changed, albeit leaving on what I wore above the waist, and left again just before 8:45 PM, wearing a mask and taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol and a small bag of trash, which I dropped down the chute. And I picked up another recyclable from the garbage room and two more on the way to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM, despite jogging intermittently.
I got there a few minutes before 9 PM, and then I put the recyclables in the machine, being left with one that wasn’t accepted, and after waiting for the labels with the 50% discount to be placed on the bakery products, I initially took two and then kept waiting for the products with the 90% discount to be brought, seeing just a few set in the area where those labels are placed, out of reach, but not daring to ask that employee when she was there. And then she vanished for a while, and when she came back and I passed by there again she asked whether I was waiting for those products, and when I said yes she told me that those were all that was left, and they actually were interesting and I took them… And she went to a self-checkout with an overflowing basket, which I saw contained products with the 90% discount, so she had just left those few for customers while buying the rest herself. But those products meant that I only needed one of the bakery products to also use the voucher received for the recyclables, so I put the other one back and grabbed another bakery bag for the remaining one, because it didn’t quite fit into the one it had been placed in, and when the total was only 0.18 RON above the value of the voucher the cashier said that I could give him that amount if I happened to have it, and when I initially pulled two 0.50 RON coins out of my pocket he said that it was fine like that, waving away the difference, so I took him on his offer and didn’t look for smaller change.
All of that time wasted to see whether more products with the 90% discount would be brought meant that it was a few minutes past 9:30 PM when I walked out, so I once again jogged intermittently as I made my way to Kaufland Basarabia, the machine from there actually accepting that recyclable which hadn’t been accepted at that Mega Image. Then I put my things in a cabinet and entered the store at 9:50 PM, getting a cabbage for myself and a couple more discounted pieces of processed meat products for dad, and then I saw that what had basically been a negligible evening discount for bananas had increased to 90%, so I added some of those as well before also using the voucher received for that recyclable when I paid, retrieving what I had in the cabinet, and using one of the tables that are outside to arrange everything in the backpack. I walked away a couple of minutes after 10:30 PM.
I didn’t bother to put the backpack in a cabinet when I reached that non-stop Mega Image, even if it wasn’t even 10:45 PM when I entered the store… And I really shouldn’t have bothered. I had some hopes, seeing what the employee who was about to make the 90% discounts was gathering in the cart, but before it was brought out she and a couple of others walked out of that back room with pretty much all of the interesting products, so there was nothing that I’d care to get left for customers. And then I walked out through the entrance gate, when it opened for other customers, only for that same employee to rush after me and call me back, bringing the guard with her and asking what I had in the backpack and why had I used that gate, so I showed the guard the receipts and the products, and then I used that moment to find a slightly better way to arrange the products when I put them back. And on the way back I grabbed some more recyclables.
I got back at 11:50 PM, and after putting the purchases in their place, I went to wash at 1:05 AM, being done almost 50 minutes later. And then I searched the cabinet from the living room to see what other supplements we had and found two more of those for immunity, and while one looked suspicious, the other actually seemed perfectly fine, so I took it. And I also washed what was in the kitchen and fixed something for lunch, which I ate, on and off, between 3:50 AM and 4:40 AM, while I ate dinner between 5 AM and 5:40 AM. I got in bed at 7 AM, after rubbing cream on both hands and feet.

I got six and a half to seven hours of sleep despite the awfully loud drilling which started at 9:45 AM and lasted for about an hour and a half, since I got back to sleep soon after it stopped, only woke up again some time after 3 PM, since it was 3:10 PM when I checked the time, and while I was awake for a while before getting up, at 4:50 PM, I had napped some more until then. And that night I switched to a simple vitamin C supplement which had only expired in May. On the other hand, this morning I was awake for a while when I checked the time, saw 10:52 AM, and decided to pee, just in case it’d help… But it didn’t, and then dad got up and the chances of getting back to sleep became even lower, and while I initially meant to stay in bed at least until after he’ll leave, I eventually got up just after noon and exchanged a few words with him, then got on the computer and played some more Morrowind before getting back in bed at 1:35 PM… But the alarm was set to ring at 2:55 PM, for handball, and it was most probably pretty close to that time when I finally managed to fall asleep again, after almost giving up when it seemed that I was just wasting even more time. And I’ll also add here that I hadn’t finished the part about this week’s run by 11:59 PM, and the initial title didn’t seem right either, so I edited this post a little later, first to change the title, then to add the rest of that part, and then to also add this note.

I could have written another comment about the Olympic Truce being violated and the lack of any real action taken against the culprits, even when the resolution was supposedly adopted by consensus, but I did that in 2024 and little has changed, so now that the 2026 Winter Olympics have formally started, I just want to say that it still seems really wrong that some competitions begin before the opening ceremony. And no, the fact that no medal events take place until the day after doesn’t count, because if that’d be the deciding factor, then the opening ceremony of many other major events in all sorts of sports would take place just before the final, or the finals in case there’s also one for third place.
I’ll leave aside the official training rounds, since those who play early in other major competitions will also train before the formal start, though such training may not be so specifically listed on the schedule, but when I see that the actual competition for mixed doubles curling, women’s ice hockey and team figure skating, as well as the qualifying round for men’s snowboard big air begins before the opening ceremony, something just isn’t right. It’s like those sports, those who participate in them, and maybe even their fans, spectators and viewers, are somehow considered less worthy. And typically the period during which an edition of the Olympics takes place is listed as between the date of the opening ceremony and that of the closing ceremony, which is something that you can now even see at the top of every page on the official site, so as far as public awareness goes, those early events may not really “register” as part of that edition, which on top of most probably having notable negative effects on the training schedule and fitness, and likely also the mental state, of the athletes involved, I’m sure also has an impact on the number of viewers and spectators.