Cav's Place

I was hoping to also write about the marathon today, especially since I have no more free personal “slots” and mixing that with mentioning that I just turned 42 would have made this post actually have some relevance. But there’s no chance of that, so if I’m to at least include something about that day, I’ll just do that for the odds and ends, starting when I walked away from Constitution Square. I’m not sure just when that was, but probably around 3:15 PM, since I’m quite certain that it was past 3 PM but also pretty sure that I saw 3:18 PM when I did check the time, what I can’t remember being whether that was moments later, maybe even before crossing the street, or a little after that, while waiting for a group of people to move. Either way, I had only grabbed four recyclables by that point, yet there were two right next to the entrance and when I looked to see whether runners were coming I noticed more dropped along the fence, so I walked along it until I got to ten, and then saw one more and grabbed that as well before crossing. And then there were many more in a bin, the issue being that group of people standing there, so I waited for them to walk away before taking those as well, and then I looked for a place that was partially hidden to empty those that still had something in them and make them fit in one bag. And, while I had actually taken two bags that I could use for recyclables, I already had more than I thought I’d grab, so after walking away, after waiting to see the last runner pass by that spot, I didn’t really look anymore, though I did grab a few more.
After putting all of the recyclables in the machine from Carrefour Unirii, I put my things in a cabinet and went to thoroughly wash my hands and face and use the toilet. However, the other reason for going there was to buy one of those fluffy flatbreads, to use as base for the pizza that I meant to make that evening, yet there were none left, and there was nothing interesting among the expiring or spoiling products either, so I eventually just cashed in the voucher received for the recyclables, retrieved what I had in the cabinet, took the time to arrange everything properly in the backpack, and then wondered where to go next and how, eventually deciding to walk back and on Unirii and Decebal, to check that Profi, Penny and Mega Image, entering with everything and just wasting some time, since I couldn’t find anything to get from any of them. So I just grabbed some more recyclables and held on to them.
It was a little after 5:30 PM when I was back for the first time, so I only caught the end of the first half of CSM’s match. And during the second half I ate a bag of peanuts, getting some 950 calories just from that, and a little after 6:30 PM, after the match, I went back out, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, having a quick look, just from the door, in the nearby Mega Image, then entering that one that closes at 10 PM for a glance at the expiring products, and then putting the recyclables, including a few more grabbed on the way and one which had been left there, in the machine from Penny, though another one that I found there wasn’t accepted, so I entered the store with it, looking for that fluffy flatbread. But there was none left there either, yet I saw two pieces of some “focaccina” in the bakery area that I could use, so I put on a glove and took those, plus a bag of expiring chicken legs, expecting the bakery products to have the 30% evening discount even if the sign stated that it applied after 8 PM, since it used to apply from 7 PM and the store closes at 8 PM on Sunday anyway… Yet there was no discount, and when I asked the cashier about it she even said that it applied after 8:30 PM, and that the system was set up that way, regardless of the closing time. But I bought those things anyway, so I won’t need to look for something else, and then I put the purchases in the backpack and on the way back I grabbed a few more recyclables, checked Carrefour Express, entering with everything and seeing a price label for that flatbread but finding none left there either, so buying those other things had been a good choice, and then also entering the nearby Mega Image with everything to put the recyclables, including that one which hadn’t been accepted at Penny, in the machine and then just cash in the voucher.
I was back for good a little after 7:45 PM, so I just caught the second half of Gloria’s match. Otherwise, I cut into the watermelon bought at the start of that week, finding that it was past its best but eating a lot of it before doing the day’s squats and then going to the bathroom, to leave just a little more in the toilet and wash, after which I wrote that day’s post, being so awfully sleepy while doing so but that feeling going away around the time I finished, as it tends to happen at night. And then I used those “focaccinas” as base for something of a pizza, or two of them, eating one as lunch, on and off, between 2:15 AM and 3 AM, after which I also took an expired cold pill, just in case it’d be of any use, and the other as dinner, between 4:10 AM and 5:35 AM… During which time I discussed the run with ChatGPT… Either way, I got in bed at 6:55 AM, after using cream on plenty of places, since I was also rather sunburned. But then I really slept, only waking up for the first time several minutes after 1:30 PM and then getting right back to sleep after peeing and giving Liza some food, though I was awake for a long time before finally getting up at 5:45 PM.

On October 13, before going to bed in the morning, there was another explorer.exe crash after I opened Edge, though it hadn’t happened in over two months, and then I rebooted the computer and that went unusually slowly, and I saw that some new things had happened, and while that was possibly because of that crash, I rebooted again, seeing a bunch of errors logged. Possibly a result of two reboots just a few minutes apart, and nothing that seemed concerning at a glance, but that doesn’t mean much, and checking some things led to getting in bed at 5:45 AM. And the first time I got up to pee, at 8:45 AM, I had another quick look. And then I got woken up again at 11:15 AM, by noise made by dad, who had returned the previous evening, and he had said that my cousin from his side was coming again that day, possibly around 2 PM, so I got up… Only for him to say that he had just talked to the guy and was told that he’ll be here around 4:30 PM, so I initially went to the toilet and then wanted to get back in bed, but after dad tried to get some things from the freezer, making something drop on the floor, and said that he wanted to cook, I took out what he needed, cleaned the litter box, washed what was in the kitchen and cleaned up a little, and decided to stay up, having lunch, doing the day’s squats, and leaving a few minutes before 4:30 PM, with those other things that I take to Kaufland and the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I just grabbed two labels on the way to Kaufland Popa Nan… And then I saw that the machines weren’t working, but after putting those other things in what may be the appropriate bin I asked at the information desk whether they could be fixed and was told that somebody will come, so I went back down and somebody did come to sort it out within minutes, after which I could put in all of the recyclables. Then I washed my hands, grabbed some spoiling bio (organic) lemons discounted by 80% and a few kohlrabies that were also among the spoiling products and had the same discount though they were just fine, a couple of expiring products at half price, and three cans of sardines, and went to a self-checkout to check that those canned foods of their store brand were actually three for the price of two. And they were, so I purchased those sardines, those expiring products, and one of the kohlrabies, the voucher received for the fruits and vegetables bought a week earlier applying at that point, and then I put those purchases in the backpack and went back with the rest to grab more canned products. One of the bags of lemons wasn’t accepted when I got back to the self-checkout, so I called an employee and she logged on to override the error, and then I also used the voucher received for the recyclables, and since there were no green onions even at that hour I then asked for and received one of those 10 RON vouchers, after which I arranged the purchases and picked up a few recyclables on my way back to the metro station, since I had dad’s pass… Which wasn’t read, and there was nobody in the booth from the machines, yet there was a cashier in the other one, so I showed it to her, but she just told me to go to the other booth, which was pointless, yet the guard seemed to completely ignore me as well, so I just pushed my way through the gate, the guard still not moving even if it kept beeping.
I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go next, but when the issue with the pass led to just missing one metro, I took the one going in the other direction, since that was the next to come, and got off at Obor, putting my things in a cabinet at Carrefour and apparently reaching the expiring and spoiling products just in time to catch some sweet pastries that may be better, since an employee came moments after I selected one and threw all of them, and some other nicer things, into a cart and took them away, giving me a look and sounding insincere when she said that they were when I asked whether they were going to throw them away. And I kept that pastry, even if some of their regular ones from the bakery area are cheaper at full price than it was at half price, and also added two more things that were at half price and two heads of garlic, at full price.
Dad had called while I was in there and said that the guy had left, but I had a chance to see just when the bakery discounts are made at that Kaufland for once, so I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, took some time to rearrange the purchases, and continued to Kaufland, putting everything in a cabinet once again, then going to put those few recyclables in the machine and ending up grabbing some more which had been left there, plus one that was the right size for one of the labels which I had picked up, and eventually managing to put all of them in, though those picked up from there took many attempts, and I initially gave up on two of them, since other people were waiting, but another machine freed up just at that point and they went to it, so I kept trying until those were also accepted, getting a second voucher.
After washing my hands again, I saw no bakery discounts when I entered the store, so I checked the expiring products, not finding anything to get, and eventually put on a glove and took two buns after I saw an employee scanning the bakery labels. But when those updated, just after 9 PM, nothing showed up as discounted, and I confirmed the lack of discounts by going to a self-checkout and trying to enter a few products. So I went back and waited a little longer, and when the labels still didn’t show it even after the announcement of bakery discounts of up to 75% was made, I went back to a self-checkout, finding that discounts did actually apply, those buns having 65%. And by the time I returned to the bakery area, the price labels reflected it as well, so I grabbed some more of those buns, and then I took a few more cans that I definitely thought were of that store brand of theirs before waiting for 9:30 PM. Then, after needing to call an employee to override the error when the buns weren’t accepted, I had to call her again when those cans scanned at the full price instead of being three for the price of two. But one was different from the others, and she pointed out that it was a different store brand, so I asked her to remove it and ran to put it back and get one more of the other kind instead… And then I returned to that machine and scanned it, not thinking until later that I could have pocketed it, assuming that it had to be the free one, and spare myself the trouble. As it was, the discount didn’t apply then either, and when I called that employee again she said that it didn’t apply to all of those products, at which point I told her to just remove them and only bought the buns, which also meant that I didn’t have a total of at least 10 RON to be able to ask for another one of those vouchers, since there were no green onions there either.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet, I saw that I had just enough time to dash back to Carrefour, so I did, jogging most of the way, putting my things in a cabinet once again when I got there, entering the store a little before 9:50 PM, grabbing two sweet pastries of a more regular kind, which were also at half price at that hour, and having to use a regular checkout, since the self-checkouts that accept cash were closed by then. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, took a little more time to arrange everything, and returned to the metro station, once again having to show the pass. And then I grabbed a few more recyclables, put the bags in a cabinet that I didn’t lock at the Mega Image that’s close to the metro station after getting off, finding that a coin had been left in the lock and taking it, and bought a bakery product and two expiring breads for dad, all of these being at half price, from there as well. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and added something to the recyclables on my way back.
I was back a little after 10:40 PM. Then I put most of the purchases in their place, ate a few plums, cleaned the litter box, went to drop a bag of trash down the chute… And when I wanted to put back the bag in which dad had brought those recyclables from mother, I saw something that looked like a bedbug on it, so I killed it, then shook out the bag and my jacket, since that bag had just been in one of the jacket’s pockets after I emptied it, without using it for what I picked up or anything else, but I was definitely concerned. Either way, I also washed what was in the kitchen and cleaned up a little, also ate that first sweet pastry from Carrefour, spent a little time on the computer, and it was 1:15 AM when I went to wash. I was done a couple of minutes before 2 AM, and then I put the remaining purchases in their place, also dealt with those buns that I meant to use as bread, and finally ate dinner between 5:05 AM and 5:45 AM. I got in bed at 7:20 AM, then got right back to sleep after getting up to pee just before 9:20 AM, and didn’t stay up for long when I got woken up again as dad was getting ready to leave, around 10:40 AM. But after waking up again it became harder to get back to sleep, and while I told myself that I won’t get up until 3 PM and when I checked the time it was only 2:10 PM, so I peed again and did manage to catch another nap, I was awake for a pretty long time before getting up for good, close to 3:55 PM.

As for today, in the day’s early hours I got back on the computer for a little while after initially going to the kitchen, and later I had another look, so despite still “cheating” in order to take a first bite in my room before 3 AM, it was past 3:25 AM when I actually started eating and had made way too much salad to be able to wolf everything down by 3:40 AM, so I slowed down at that point and finished at 3:50 AM. On the other hand, a little after 8:30 AM I got woken up by Liza going to the litter box when dad went to the bathroom, so I changed and, after peeing, cleaned the litter box, using a smaller bag, since there was too much room left in the one we were using for trash at that point for dad to take it out when he’ll leave, and then I moved some things from that one into the smaller one, to at least fill that one, but that larger one whipped back from my hand just when I was finishing and I felt a drop splashing right in my nose. I tried to breathe as little as possible until I thoroughly washed my hands, and then thoroughly washed my face as well, starting with that area, including in my nose, and also rubbed medicinal alcohol all over that area, but that was nasty, and definitely a potential concern. And then I spent quite some time on the computer, only changing back and returning to bed at 9:25 AM. But I just wasted time, eventually getting up again just before 10:40 AM and only getting back in bed one more time at 1 PM… And needing so long to get to sleep that I don’t even know if I slept for one hour before getting up to pee, and after that I’m not even sure if I caught a few more brief naps, though I probably did, since it was almost 5:40 PM when I got up for good and it didn’t feel like I had been continuously awake for quite that long.
Otherwise, it was a normal day, with the exception of the fact that I ate a Penguin cake, which I also did yesterday, dad having brought two. And I only read 20 more pages of The CRPG Book, which is awfully little if I mean to at least finish it by the end of the month… And even that would be a problem, as it’d leave me with five books to read in two months if I’m to continue to stick to that rule of 12 books per year. And I also only finished two short games this year and otherwise I just keep occasionally grinding a little more in the 3D remake of Final Fantasy III, since I’m too wary of the final area and also feel that I struggled for too long to level characters as Onion Knights while actually playing to not make use of the job when it has a point, at the highest level. And the plan to get back to Phoning Home and finish it, which I really meant to do this year, seems to have gotten lost along the way, so I may somehow finish Final Fantasy III, but if I’m to add anything else, I’ll have to “cheat” with another short game that I’ll play start to end.
As for the marathon, I’ll just add here that it was disappointing, with a net time of 4:13:53 and an official time of 4:15:30. And it’s annoying that the time at 20 km wasn’t registered for some reason. But it was so awfully hard, hitting the wall after 27 km and things only getting worse after that, struggling to keep sort of jogging but eventually ending up staying at over eight minutes per kilometer, barely catching even those who were walking, and those tended to alternate between walking and jogging, and when they got back to jogging they easily went past me and pulled ahead. So I can say that I ran another marathon, and that it wasn’t my worst time, but that’s about it, and it’d have probably been wiser if I wouldn’t have put myself through it. So I won’t sign up for next year’s… But I’m still considering that crazy idea of walking 100 km in one day, maybe even around the date of the marathon, if not even on that day. But that’s a matter for next year, and now I’ll just get back to my regular running schedule, the plan for tomorrow being just ten kilometers, with little concern about the target time.

Since the parts about October 1 and 3, when I walked most of the route of the marathon, aren’t yet written, I’ll start this one from October 4, when I set the alarm to ring at 9:55 AM and got up after it rang, the idea being to watch the race… Only for the start to be delayed for over an hour and a half, and during that time I couldn’t even figure out something to write about, so I eventually ended up posting another month of old odds and ends as the week’s second post. And after the race I had to go to the toilet as well, only getting back in bed at 1:50 PM. But at least I slept after that, also getting right back to sleep after waking up to pee at one point, then seeing that it was past 4:50 PM when I woke up again, relying on the fact that I needed to pee once more to keep me awake as I decided to just lie there for a few more minutes, but ending up falling asleep again and waking up an hour later, so it was 5:55 PM when I got up for good. And at 7:15 PM I went out, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I decided to make a little detour on the way to Kaufland, to also walk this part of the route, from the intersection with this street to the point where it turns, and then to the road I normally use to go straight to that Kaufland. And I also grabbed a few more recyclables and a carton on the way, and when I got there a guy who was using the machine couldn’t get two of his to be accepted and wanted to give them to the scruffy-looking guy waiting after him, yet that guy refused, so he left them on the bin and I took them, managing to get them to be accepted, along with what I had. Then I put that carton in a cabinet that appeared locked even though it wasn’t, washed my hands, and it was past 7:50 PM when I entered the store… Only to see no evening discounts for any bakery products at all, and for fruits or vegetables there were just a few and not big. And they also didn’t have the toilet paper or the cat litter that were on sale those days. Yet I found a lot of deeply discounted pieces of processed meat products that I could get, for my parents, also using the voucher received for the recyclables and being done before closing time, so I could get another one of those 10 RON vouchers, since there hadn’t been any green onions either.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet, I continued to Carrefour, putting my things in a cabinet, grabbing two recyclables and putting them in the machine, and then trying to see whether the frozen peas also had that same discount that was much higher than listed. And they did, so after buying the two bags used to check, also using the voucher received for the recyclables, I added them in the cabinet, went to put the recyclable grabbed as I left the checkout area in the machine, and then went back in to get four more bags of peas, plus two more of spinach, also using the voucher received for that recyclable. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and took quite some time to arrange everything, but it was just 9:20 PM when I was done, which was way too early to go to that Mega Image, so I wandered around a little, then went to pee and wash my hands.
It was around 9:45 PM when I got to that Mega Image, with a few more recyclables, so I put those in the machine and my things in a cabinet and then wandered around, waiting for the products with the 90% discount to be brought out… And just missing the exact moment when that happened, but I kept looking, so it couldn’t have been by much, and I could take some either way. What was odd was that the bakery products from one of the three sections of that area hadn’t been discounted and there was no sign that they were going to be, and there was nothing interesting among the others, which had the 50% evening discount, but what I got was enough to allow me to use both the voucher received for those few recyclables and the one received for cartons the previous evening, when I hadn’t used it at that other location.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet and going to a bench to arrange the new purchases a little, I decided to stay on that road that will be used for the route on the way back, just to be able to say that I properly walked that part of it as well, though the area around the stadium was already closed, so that was left for another day. And as I was gathering a few more recyclables and cartons, at one point I grabbed a recyclable that didn’t have a label, went to drop it in a bin, and grabbed another one that I saw there. And I was about to walk away when the driver of a bus that was stopped just there, whom I hadn’t noticed, opened the door and said that he had just dropped a lot of recyclables in that bin, but they were probably under other things, so I waved him off and once again meant to leave, since I just get what’s easily visible, don’t dig under trash for recyclables, but he insisted, so I did grab that bag and the recyclables that were under it, then walked to the next bin and opened that bag, picking the recyclables out of it, dropping the bag and the other trash it contained in the bin, and trying to figure out how to carry all of those recyclables and cartons in the one bag I had for that purpose… And things got even more awkward as I was doing that, since another guy came up and offered me a bag that he said contained food, being quite at a loss when I refused. But he did walk away after I refused again and told him to give it to someone else, and I could eventually make everything fit, and even added a few more recyclables by the time I got here and went straight up to drop everything off before going back down to have a quick look in the nearby Mega Image as well, seeing no bakery discounts nor anything else that I was interested in.
I was back for good at 11:15 PM. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, and after deciding to add something to what I mean to give away because I was sort of offered those recyclables by that driver, I spent quite some time figuring out how to put all of the recyclables and cartons into the bags and make them stay where I usually keep them, getting the frozen products and a couple of the processed meat pieces to fit in the freezer, taking out a piece of that ice cream made by mother and moving the rest into a smaller container, and putting the other purchases in the fridge. I washed between 1:10 AM and 1:35 AM, noticing that a spot on my head was hurting, and it wasn’t that one that used to hurt before. Either way, I then ate that piece of homemade ice cream, ate lunch, on and off, between 2:30 AM and 3:15 AM, also moved something into a jar, and ate dinner between 4:20 AM and 5 AM. I got in bed at 6:50 AM.

Drinking all of the tea at night, and most of it after finishing that lunch, led to getting up to pee at intervals of just under an hour and a half, so I guess after each sleep cycle, and in the afternoon, between the last two moments when I went, I woke up one more time, but I always got right back to sleep until that last time I went to pee, close to 3 PM, when I didn’t feel exhausted anymore and needed a little time to fall asleep again, and after that I probably alternated between being asleep and awake for a while before remaining awake for some time before getting up for good, a few minutes after 5 PM. And then I decided to start reading The CRPG Book.

In the early hours of October 6, I went to the kitchen earlier, setting the carrots to boil before going to the toilet, also made the tea for the morning while working on dinner, and ate said dinner, with peanut butter on all of the bread, between 2:35 AM and 3:10 AM. And then I put the cereals and raw almonds into a bowl, leaving just the bio (organic) “Greek” yogurt with 5.5% protein and 10% fat to add in the morning, all of these being expired, but I gave up on the idea of shaving, just cleaning the litter box and going to bed at 4:05 AM. And it took a while to fall asleep, and just after 7 AM I was awake again, needing to pee but maybe actually woken up by Liza, since seconds later I heard her in the litter box. Either way, after peeing I did get back to sleep, getting up after the alarm rang, at 8 AM. And then I ate one more of those imported bio (organic) Gala apples and the yogurt with cereals and almonds, and after wasting some time on the toilet, which wasn’t that much of an issue after having gone at night but which meant that it’d have been better to use that time to shave, I took the supplements, minus the second pill of the iron and the one for joints, and also a vial of that expired one that’s supposed to help when you make effort, mainly because I had two left and mean to use what’s now the last one for the marathon. On the other hand, for the sweet thing I decided to have a slice of cozonac, with added honey, instead of those usual biscuits. I left just before 9:45 AM, wearing the full running gear, still with the t-shirt from this year’s half marathon and the better shoes, plus an armband and the running belt, empty but because I’ll have it during the race. The reported temperature was 8-9°C at 9 AM and 16-17°C at 11 AM, but I didn’t see what it was at 10 AM, when I started the run.
The time was 46:32.16, with sector times of 4:09.69, 5:00 (4:59.72), 5:47 (5:46.85), 4:23.40, 4:53 (4:52.85), 5:49 (5:48.50), 4:12.25, 4:49.22, 5:43 (5:42.53) and 1:47.15, making for lap times of 14:56.26, 15:05 (15:04.75) and 14:44.00. I went for it from the start, but there were two moments on the first sector’s long straight when I reduced my speed, thinking that it was too much. But after seeing that time on the first sector I tried to keep it up on the second, and really went for it on the third, hoping to complete the lap in less than 15 minutes, which I did. That led to wondering whether I could get under 47 minutes, but it seemed highly unlikely, and in fact I was worried that I had exhausted myself and even staying under 48 minutes may be in doubt. But after sector one of lap two was better than I thought it’d be, I picked up the pace again, and after the end of the lap I really went for it, actually aiming to get under 47 minutes after all. However, I was exhausted after sector one of lap three, and by the long straight of sector two I really felt it. But then I also saw the great time on that sector, which also meant that I had done just about enough already… And yet sector three was also way better than expected, and the lap was just amazing. But I didn’t think that I had it in me to get under 1:50 on the final sector, so the target was just to get under 46:40… Only to end up being frustrated that I was actually close to 46:30, though I don’t think that I could have gained that difference just on that last sector. Still, that’s the best time over this distance since November of 2022, and a top ten time overall! And lap three also makes the top ten fastest laps, while sector two of lap three is actually tied for third fastest!
Admittedly, there were basically no problems caused by people, and the only issue that had to do with the conditions was a little headwind in an area of sector two of lap three. In terms of physical issues, on the other hand, both hips were bothering me at first, but they quickly got better, though the left one continued to give some faint warnings throughout the run. And the right knee started giving some faint warnings at a later point, maybe on sector two of lap two, though I’m not entirely certain. But what was probably most notable was that I felt a little bloated, and as I went along there was some pain radiating from my back, and when I felt really exhausted, by the end of sector two of lap three, there was a fair bit of heartburn on top of that feeling of being just drained and my body wanting to stop. But I pushed through it.

I was so sure that I won’t be able to get back before 11 AM, to be able to check the temperature at 10 AM, that I didn’t even look at the time and decided to check the nearby Mega Image, actually looking around the store for a little while, not just checking the expiring products, though it wasn’t like I had any money with me to buy anything just then. So it was only when I got back and saw that it was 11:01 AM that I realized that I could have quite easily made it before 11 AM without doing that, so that was frustrating. Either way, after cleaning the litter box I finally cut into that watermelon bought the week before… And found that it was completely unripe, barely a tint of pink, plus that the knife slipped and I cut myself. But I still ate a lot of it, then went to the toilet, changed, leaving the running t-shirt on, and left again at 1:25 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up a few more on the way to Kaufland Popa Nan and putting all bar one, which wasn’t accepted, in the machine. It restarted at one point, but I could continue right away, so I ended up with two vouchers.
After putting that remaining recyclable in a cabinet, I peed and washed my hands, then checked for spoiling products but didn’t even see the shelves where they’re usually placed in that location, so I moved on to the other locations where there are expiring products, grabbed one, at half price, confirmed that they did have the cat litter that was on sale until that day there, though the toilet paper that was supposed to have such a great price was unsurprisingly nowhere to be found, then went back to the fruits and vegetables… Only to see those shelves back, and full of crates of deeply discounted products, and while nearly all were things I didn’t care about, I did find some carrots and one of those bags of plums and apricots, both discounted by 80%, so I took them, wondering whether anything else had been there and taken while I wandered around. Either way, with that voucher with 30% of the value of fruits and vegetables once again offered those days, I decided to try another watermelon, eventually selecting one, and also added two cabbages. And then I had to give in and take a basket, the weight threatening to tear the one larger bag that I had with me, before adding one of those cheap yogurts and grabbing two of those large bags of cat litter on my way to the self-checkout.
The weight of what I had made me really take my time there, not wanting to go over the limit of the scales, so I initially scanned just the cat litter and the expiring product, seeing that the voucher received for that watermelon and those few tomatoes bought a week before did apply and then also using that 10 RON voucher and both of those received for the recyclables, not realizing that the total value exceeded the total until the machine gave me change, which was definitely surprising, since as far as I know when you use vouchers to make purchases the total must exceed their value, you can’t receive change. But at that point I did, and then I scanned the remaining purchases and then took more time figuring out how to carry them out of the checkout area, the gate closing before I could get through it the first time, so it was a good thing that I had two receipts and could try again. And then I struggled to get the cat litter in the large backpack before that table where you can arrange purchases was freed and I could move there and arrange the rest, once again taking a long time. And after being done and retrieving that recyclable I realized that I was going to end up completely drenched if I kept the jacket on, so I went to one of the tables from the grill area to take it off, which obviously required taking both backpacks off first and putting them back on after figuring out how to stuff that jacket in the small one. But after that I was as prepared as I could be, so I finally started making my way back, grabbing some more recyclables and stopping twice, taking some time to sit on benches and rest.
It was almost 4:10 PM when I got back, having carried almost 35 kg, and I weighed 46 kg, so that’s 75% of my weight! And I noticed a small cut or scratch on another finger at that point, and later a few more on my hands, though those didn’t hurt, so I wonder how I ended up with those. Either way, I then did some stretching exercises, which actually did seem to help, cleaned the litter box, and put the purchases in their place, fortunately doing that before taking the bag of trash out, since Liza went again by the time I was done, so I cleaned the litter box once more and then went to drop a bag of trash down the chute. Then I ate a bag of chips and an expired high-protein bar, drank some sana which had just expired, did the day’s squats, and after washing I spent some time on the computer and then got in bed for a couple of hours, waking up to pee once but then getting right back to sleep. And at night I made mamaliga, and after eating I saw that someone had sent me a code for Zoria: Age of Shattering, given away on GOG.com via Amazon, after I had posted in the expiring codes thread some time before, saying that I was interested in it.

The first time I got up to pee, at 6:55 AM, I also rubbed cream on my feet, as well as on my nose. And then I got right back to sleep and, while I went to pee a few more times after that, it wasn’t as often as I thought it’d be after eating mamaliga at night. But I also didn’t sleep as well as I thought I would, already alternating between being asleep and awake for a while before the last time I went to pee, around 1:35 PM or so, and being mostly awake after that, though I only got up at 3:30 PM. And then Liza added something to the cuts and scratches on my hands… Either way, in the evening I made the pasta, mixing chickpea spaghetti with bio (organic) Spelt wheat, plus chicken breast and corn. And before going to bed in the morning I used cream on my hands, and also on my nose again.

On October 8, after getting right back to sleep after the three times I got up to pee, at intervals of almost exactly two hours, when I woke up again but didn’t feel the need to go once more I tried to catch another nap, yet ended up remaining awake for a pretty long time before finally getting up, a few minutes after 2:30 PM. And then I did the day’s squats, shaved, ate lunch, and it was almost 5:40 PM when I left, with a bag of trash that I dropped down the chute and the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I was going to pick up the race kit, but with this year’s route going around the stadium, that was my last real chance to walk that part as well, so I went there first, the gate being almost closed and a guard standing in front of it and talking to some cyclists when I got there, but when I asked whether I could go through he said that I could, so I did… And when that gate was fully closed, but obviously not locked, when I got back there, I just pushed it open and walked out, and that guard didn’t react in any way.
As I continued on my way to Constitution Square, I put the recyclables, including what I had gathered by then but minus one that wasn’t accepted there, in the machine from the Mega Image that’s close to the metro station, and then I cashed in the voucher and picked up more, plus a carton, so I wanted to put them in that Mega Image that’s just before Constitution Square… Only to see that the machine from there wasn’t working, so I struggled to arrange them enough to be able to tie the bag, so they won’t be quite so obvious anymore, and entered Constitution Square, with them, a little before 7:30 PM. And then I picked up the race kit, stopping after I walked out of the Sport Expo area to spread out the contents and see what it contained… And not being pleased, seeing no liquid magnesium, bars, or anything else usable during the race, and the few products that were in there being things that I didn’t exactly care for at all.
Either way, I picked up some more recyclables on the way back to Unirii, where I entered the metro station and checked that found metro card, which could be read at that point, even if it took a little while. And then I put the recyclables in the machine from Carrefour, that one which hadn’t been accepted elsewhere also being accepted there, though one which had been left there wasn’t, so I kept it. And after walking away I spotted another recyclable, so I went back to put that in as well, getting a second voucher. Then I put my things in a cabinet, washed my hands, got two expiring bio (organic) wafers even if the discount was just 30%, which seems to be quite the norm in that location, and cashed in the vouchers received for the recyclables before paying for those products at the self-checkout.
After retrieving my things from the cabinet, I continued on that part of the route until I almost reached Alba Iulia Square, at which point I turned off it and went to Kaufland Popa Nan, where I put the additional recyclables gathered by then and that one which hadn’t been accepted at Carrefour in the machine. Then I put my things in a cabinet, washed my hands just with water in the room for disabled people, since there was no soap and both the men’s and the women’s were closed for cleaning, and it was almost 9:40 PM when I entered the store, seeing no evening discounts in the bakery area, which fact didn’t change later either. But I made use of great evening discounts for green onions and lettuces, added some more carrots as well, those also having a good evening discount, and just a handful of grapes, that evening discount being lower, albeit still good. And, since those had an evening discount as well, even if it was lower and actually made them slightly more expensive than what they are, with a regular discount, at Penny these days, I also added two beets, so I’ll take care of that issue as well. And when the self-checkout didn’t accept the bundles of green onions as the correct product and the employee didn’t seem to be paying attention, after a few attempts to pick all of them up and set them back down didn’t work I just took one off the scales, and that seemed to do the trick. Then I also used the voucher received for the recyclables, and then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and took some time to arrange everything, the closing announcement coming while I was doing that.
Since that evening I really had to cover that last part of the route which I hadn’t walked yet, I then returned to the spot where I had turned off it and continued from there, picking up some more recyclables, putting the bags into two cabinets that I didn’t lock when I got back to the Mega Image that’s close the metro station, entering with the backpack, and getting a bag containing three sweet pastries that had an evening discount label that listed only two. And I didn’t mention it and the cashier didn’t say anything either, so I actually got them for one third of the price instead of half. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinets, went to a bench to add those pastries in the backpack, and made my way back, grabbing some more recyclables and having a quick look in the nearby Mega Image when I got here, entering with everything but not seeing any bakery discounts, nor anything else of interest.
I got back just after 11:35 PM. Then I cleaned the litter box, but ate some more of that unripe watermelon before going to drop some trash down the chute, in case Liza would go again… Only for her to take a crap minutes later, and not even bother to bury it. So I buried it for her, leaving cleaning the litter box again for another time. And then I also ate one of those sweet pastries, put the things from the race kit and some of the purchases in their place, spreading out the rest, and it was almost 1:30 AM when I went to the bathroom, though I washed the garbage bin before washing myself. It was past 2:15 AM when I was done, and then I spent a little time on the computer, getting back to the kitchen at 2:35 AM and then putting the remaining purchases in their place, using the worse lettuce leaves for the salad… And having the fridge go straight from running for a long time, to make up for the fact that I kept the door open while struggling to make everything fit, to defrosting, so it kept cracking loudly and I got worried and checked what was going on a few times, also trying to make sure that the ice melted properly instead of just falling off the back of it. But the even more concerning thing was that the lower part of my right leg felt cold and rather numb, making me worry that the damage obviously done to my back while carrying those 35 kg got worsened, maybe while I washed that garbage bin. Either way, I finally ate dinner between 5:05 AM and 6 AM, and got in bed at 6:55 AM, after a little stretching routine for my back.

Lying on my belly seemed to help, so I felt quite fine when I got up to pee the first time, and I also got right back to sleep at that point, but after the second time, which was at 11:45 AM, I started drifting in and out, though I probably still caught some naps that weren’t quite that short. But it eventually seemed that it wasn’t going to work anymore, and my back was also bothering me more once again, so after deciding to pee one more time a little after 2:20 PM, I got in that position that usually helps when that bone spur causes problems, staying like that for a while before getting up, just before 3 PM. And I had seen that a certain bar that I’d have really wanted to have for the marathon had an amazing discount at Auchan and it was listed as still in stock on-line, so I decided to go to the one from Titan, being certain that it was the location that had a large area for such products, leaving at 5:20 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I picked up some more recyclables, plus a couple of cartons, on the way, then put all but one of the recyclables in the machine. Then I dropped that one, which I noticed didn’t have the deposit symbol, in a bin, grabbed a couple more, put them and the cartons in a cabinet, washed my hands, entered the store… And realized that the large area for such products was in fact at the location from Vitan. But I was there, so I spent an awfully long time looking for that bar, yet it wasn’t just that I didn’t see it, but I couldn’t find any other bar by that brand, or even an empty box or price label, and there should have been several. There were a few other products from them in that area for sports diets, but no bars, so I kept thinking that I was missing something, like a separate shelf, but I just couldn’t see anything, so I eventually gave up and just got some onions and cucumbers, seeing nice prices for both. And then I went to the information desk to cash in the voucher received for the recyclables, also mentioning what I was looking for and that I couldn’t find it, the employee suggesting that it might be among bio (organic) products, though I couldn’t see why and had in fact seen a sign in the store stating that bio (organic) products had been moved among the others of their kind, no longer having a separate section. And when I said that I couldn’t find any sign of bars by that brand she said that in that case they must not have them in that location, despite what the site said. And I couldn’t get myself to ask whether she could call someone to check. So I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, put the purchases in the backpack, and decided to cut my losses and come straight back, grabbing some more recyclables and a carton and entering the nearby Mega Image with everything to put all but one of them, which wasn’t accepted, in the machine, and then cash in the voucher.
It was almost 8:30 PM when I got back, and after eating a little baked pumpkin and waiting for Liza to go to the litter box again, which she eventually did, I cleaned it and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, grabbing a recyclable from there. And then I had a pretty normal evening and night, though it might have gone rather badly when, after doing the day’s squats, instead of putting the plate with my lunch in the microwave I somehow accidentally put the pot with the rest of it in there and turned the microwave on, realizing what had happened when I turned around and saw my plate still there, so I immediately turned the microwave off, catching a glimpse of sparks coming off the pot. And then I also put a load of laundry in the machine, to wash the t-shirt from the race kit, and before starting it I moved some Calgon from the larger box into a smaller one and accidentally spilled quite a lot of it. At least I was doing that above the washing machine, so it went in it, and it shouldn’t harm, but it was a waste.

Several minutes before 7 AM, I was roughly woken up by the noise that definitely came from the apartment, so I jumped right out of bed, which couldn’t have been good for my back, and went to check… Only for Liza to rush past me, so I’m guessing that it was a case of the zoomies, though I didn’t find what actually caused that noise. But since I had meant to do it before going to bed and hadn’t, I used cream on my feet, nose and hands at that point… Only to keep waking up to pee after that, so that cream didn’t stay on my hands for long. And my sleep obviously consisted of pretty short naps, and in fact I eventually ended up waking up even more often even if I didn’t need to pee that much anymore. But I always got right back to sleep, and I had also set the sprint race to be recorded, fortunately letting the recording run long enough to catch all of it despite the delayed start and safety car period, so I only got up at 3:10 PM.

Preparing for the marathon started that evening, with a lunch consisting of what was quite clearly two servings of pasta. And then I started working on the salad for dinner during a match, just managing to finish it before midnight, though I then had something else to do, so I sliced the bread after that and ate dinner, with peanut butter on all of the bread and that salad that ended up being way too large, between 12:50 AM and 1:25 AM. And I realized that I hadn’t asked dad about any of those pills against gas and he wasn’t home and I couldn’t find any, so I had to do without. Either way, I then got ready for the morning, writing the emergency information on the back of the number surprisingly easily but then taking an awfully long time to decide whether to take the running belt, since that determined where to place the number on the t-shirt. And in the end I did decide to take it, putting the bar, gels, liquid magnesium, garlic, and the last vial of that other expired supplement in it, and actually putting it in the fridge, and only leaving the napkins and Smecta Go in the pocket of the tights. And then I put the other things in the bag, also pinning a paper with the number on it, put the cereals, the last of the raisins in milk chocolate, and nine raw almonds plus the last one of those fried, slightly sweetened and “smoke-flavored” ones in a bowl, all of these being expired, only leaving the really nice yogurt to add in the morning, once again used cream on my feet, nose and hands, and got in bed at 3:35 AM… Only to realize that I had completely forgotten to make the tea! And I obviously couldn’t get back up and make it then, so it had to be left for the morning. But at least I could get to sleep after a little while, and after waking up at 5:30 AM I went to pee and managed to catch another brief nap before the alarm rang, at 6 AM.
Needing to make the tea made me jump right out of bed and set the water to boil before getting back and doing the usual little routine. Then I ate a small piece of baked pumpkin and another one of those imported bio (organic) Gala apples, mixed that yogurt with what I had put in that bowl and ate that as well, and poured some of the tea into a mug, so it’ll cool down while I just wasted some time on the toilet. That was a serious problem when I had only gone in the evening, shortly after lunch, but I had to move on, so I then scooped up the poop from the litter box, ate two more of those expired nicer biscuits, with added honey, took the supplements, minus the second pill of the iron and that one for joints, which I took with me, added a Smecta in that tea and drank it, put some salt into what that Smecta had been in, clipped it closed with a paperclip, and added it in the running belt, and left at 7:50 AM, wearing the full running gear and both armbands. The forecast listed 17°C at 9 AM, when the race started, and around 27°C when I hoped to finish, though one site listed a few degrees more… And that site seems to have been correct, the day’s high ending up being 30°C.
Either way, when I reached the metro station I tried to use that found card which I had tested three days earlier… Only for it to give an error, and repeated attempts, at a few different machines, didn’t change the situation, but the cashier came to see what was going on, said that it was too crumpled to still be readable, and looked at what was printed on it and assumed that it was correct, muttering something about six trips left, but I was fair and told her that there were actually three left, as I had confirmed when I checked, and that seemed to make her even more helpful, so she immediately wrote on it that there were two left after that use and opened the gate for me. And both that metro and the one from Dristor came just about right away, so it wasn’t even 8:25 AM when I was in Constitution Square.
The first thing I noticed was something about vitamins, plus fruits, at the Help Net area but I passed by it, went all around, and grabbed a banana and an apple from the Mega Image area, turning back after a few steps to replace the banana with a greener one, though that ended up being a bad idea, since I later noticed that it was quite soft. Either way, I then did a few quick stretching moves, went back to the Help Net area and asked whether I could take a banana, adding one from there as well after I was told that I could but still ignoring the part about vitamins, and then I also took a bar from some promoters who were in front of the wardrobe area and who initially seemed to ignore me until I told the one who was eating one of the bars to enjoy her meal, at which point she told another to give me one. Then, when it was almost 8:45 AM, I left my bag at the wardrobe, after which I took the remaining supplements and went to the toilets that are close to the starting location… Only to find awfully long lines there as well, so by the time I got to pee and wash my hands just with water at one of those portable things, since there was no soap anymore, it was late and I really rushed to the starting area, which was once again split into sectors but without any enforcement, so after initially making my way to the one for 3:30:00-3:59:59 and seeing that I couldn’t actually enter it anyway, I kept moving and stopped at the entrance of the next one, for 3:00:00-3:29:59, only managing to get there just before the start was given because there was a little delay. And, to get as far as crossing the start line, I’ll add that I then wolfed down the last pack of those bio (organic) wafers while walking along with everyone else, without trying to get ahead and obtain a better start time… Not that it seemed possible anyway, considering how crowded it was.

I’m really late to the “party” with this, but I’ll just throw a quick comment about Romania’s awful run of four losses in this season’s Nations’ League, which marked the official beginning but, based on what’s been said so far, not also the end of Hagi‘s second stint as coach. And, truth be told, in case of national teams the main role of the coach is to select players, having very little time to actually coach them, that still being the case even in these highly unusual circumstances of four matches in a row, and I wouldn’t say that better ones that’d have made a great difference were available and weren’t picked. So the main problem are the players, and there’s little to do about that in the foreseeable future, so any coach would have an awfully hard time, and the fact that few were in any way interested in the position only proves that.
That said, Hagi did make one huge mistake: He thought the team was way better than it is, that those players could do far more than they can. It’s something that tends to happen to coaches who used to be outstanding players, and it has happened to him before, but you’d think that after coaching for 25 years he’d have learned better. Then again, it may also be a case of a deep love for the national team, and I do believe the term is appropriate, which led him to such overconfidence, or at least too high ambition and goals, with his initial statements that Romania must win the group and every match and his strategy of calling a huge number of players, attempting to form two teams, aiming to alternate them over those four matches, and actually doing so for the first two. Or, actually, after largely going back to the first team for the third, for the first three. And switching to that second team for the home match against Bosnia after using what would be the first team for the away match against Sweden was probably his worst mistake, because that home match against Bosnia was our best realistic hope to obtain anything in these first four matches.
That said, my honest impression was that the team didn’t play nearly as bad as the results would indicate. I mean, even the results weren’t that bad against Sweden, losing 2-1 away and 1-0 at home. But in case of that dreadful 6-0 loss away against Poland, Dragusin was sent off halfway through the first half, Poland got a penalty at that point, and the resulting 1-0 was also the first half’s score. And then, probably once again a result of Hagi’s too high ambition and faith in the team, they started the second half on the offensive, obviously pushing to equalize quickly, and that led to leaving gaps that were exploited and Poland scoring twice more within the first few minutes, after which the outcome was obvious, morale obviously plummeted, and more goals eventually came. Yet, even so, I wouldn’t say that they played nearly as badly as the score suggests. So that just leaves that 4-2 loss at home against Bosnia, with that second team, but even that could have gone differently, especially if that late goal wouldn’t have been disallowed and we’d have had the last few minutes to try to equalize.
Now, after being confirmed that Hagi will continue in his role, even if he didn’t exactly seem to want to anymore, I guess it remains to be seen whether we’ll manage to recover anything in the last two matches, from November, against Poland at home and against Bosnia away. But even two wins wouldn’t guarantee getting off the last place, since Poland would still end up ahead if they’d win their last match against Sweden, which is possible, especially if Sweden would have already won the group by then. On the other hand, last place doesn’t necessarily mean relegation this season, but instead a play-off against a team finishing second in one of the groups from League C, so I’d say that the focus should really move to that already. Not that two wins in those last two group matches wouldn’t be awesome, and make up for a fair bit of the bad image generated by these four losses, but when that’s improbable to begin with and possibly useless even if it’d happen, I’d rather look at what will actually matter. And those matches will only be at the end of March, so there’s some time to make changes.

Even if it means burning through another Personal “slot”, I’ll add another month of odds and ends from 2024 that weren’t posted so far, starting on June 3 of that year, when I did the day’s squats and left a little before 4:20 PM, taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol and finding a few more on the way to Carrefour, and then there were more in the bin that was next to the machine from there, but when I tried to put those in I saw why they were there, since the plastic bottles weren’t accepted, being that kind that has a small bar code, and the glass wine bottles had corks, but just removing the corks made the machine accept those, and I took the other ones with me, along with those two that aren’t accepted anywhere, and which weren’t accepted there either. As I used the machine, a guy told me that Carrefour also had a campaign that doubled the amount received if you had the app, but only up to 7.50 RON, 15 recyclables. I had never heard of that, but of course I didn’t have the app, so it didn’t matter anyway.
After putting the remaining recyclables in a cabinet, I washed my hands, and entered the store, a voucher with 30% of the value of products of one of their brands, among others, being offered those days, so I first looked for that bread that I get from there, needing to dig for it among the pile of others and finding three last ones. I had wanted four, but three was good enough, so I took all of them, then a few other things, using the vouchers received for the recyclables, since I had split them in two, at the one self-checkout that also accepts cash and seeing that the voucher was generated properly. Then, with the bread in that bag that hangs from my neck, I arranged the other purchases in the backpack and retrieved those remaining recyclables.
I found some more recyclables on the way to Kaufland, and also a Pepsi bottle without the symbol, which I also took because dad had thrown away a label of a Pepsi Max bottle that had the symbol, and when I spotted it I retrieved it and kept it to place on such a bottle. Either way, the found plastic bottles which hadn’t been accepted at Carrefour were accepted there, but the found glass bottles weren’t, and they were that shade of brown that didn’t work there, so I wasn’t exactly surprised, just putting in the rest, then putting what I was left with in a cabinet but keeping the purchases with me, washing my hands again, using something from a bottle that was there and which was labeled as dishwashing detergent, since nothing was coming out of the soap dispensers at the men’s.
Then I entered the store, with the purchases, and got what I wanted, though I was somewhat worried when, after asking for confirmation that the 30% discount for that category of products applied to those which I had asked for as well, the employee asked whether I had the digital store card, saying that it’s even listed that it’s required when I said that I didn’t, but I said that it’s listed that the discount is for all store card owners, so for the physical card as well, and I had that, and she just nodded and moved on to the next customer. But the discount did apply properly. On the other hand, the value was high enough to allow for that voucher that should have been created by doubling the value of the recyclable vouchers used during that campaign of theirs to apply if it’d have also worked with the physical card and it didn’t. And the voucher received for the recyclables put in that day wouldn’t scan, so I had to type it. Then, after retrieving those remaining recyclables from the cabinet, I asked at the information desk what to do about those that aren’t accepted, and the employee said that the water bottle is probably misshapen, which I doubt was the problem, while in case of the others she said that she’ll send the message, because the manufacturer may still need to enter them in the system.
I wanted to also check the farmers’ market on the way back, to get more of those cheap apples if that woman will still have them, so I made a little detour, but it proved to be a waste of time, since she wasn’t there. Then I continued on my way, also stopping at the nearest Penny and finding some more recyclables in the bin that’s in front of that machine, and surprisingly that one did accept those brown glass bottles which hadn’t been accepted at Kaufland, but refused one of those which I had found there, and the guy who came after me told me that it won’t accept bottles without caps and to pick up a cap from the floor and try it again, so I did, though I was sure that it wasn’t it, the problem again being that it was one of those with a small bar code, albeit the other such brand that I know of, but to humor him I did put that cap on the bottle and tried a few more times, obviously with no success. There were three beer cans on the floor that were rather crushed but seemed like they could be straightened, one of them quite easily, and if I’d have been alone I’d have picked them up to do so when I’ll get back, but with that guy there and already engaging with me, I left them there. Then I put everything in a cabinet and got some things, using that voucher received for the recyclables when I paid. Then I added one product in the backpack after retrieving my things and, after walking out, decided to also add the cabbage in the other backpack, putting them both on before actually walking away.
On the other hand, as I was waiting in line I saw the cashier give another customer the change in 20 RON bills, which I didn’t even know existed, so I checked that night and saw that they do, having actually been released with some fanfare some years before, being the only bill with a woman, which I did remember after seeing it again, but they’re hardly ever seen in use and rare enough that some even try to sell them well above their value. So this made me realize that what I assumed was a 20 EUR bill which that man tried to give me when I made that detour to buy some things on the day I walked the route of that year’s half marathon was probably one of those instead, since the colors are also similar, and that makes more sense, and would have been far less suspicious, but so be it.
I got back a little before 8:30 PM, with some 21.5 kg, put the things that had to be refrigerated in the fridge, drank some tea, peed, took my jacket, since it was raining, put that label on that Pepsi bottle, and went out again at 8:50 PM, taking that bottle and the one which had been rejected at Penny and finding a few more recyclables on the way to the other Kaufland, where I went directly, without also checking Carrefour first, since it was already late. Then I put those recyclables in the machine and found one more recyclable in a garbage bin on my way to enter the store, so I took it but didn’t go back to the machine, putting it in a cabinet, and then washing my hands, dashing to the women’s for soap, since there once again was none at the men’s. I entered the store at 9:25 PM and there was no more bread that I’d care to get, but I did get some buns, with the 50% evening discount, and a few other things, adding some leaves from the crate along with the kohlrabi, and using that voucher received for the recyclables at the self-checkout. I had finished arranging the purchases and was about to retrieve that can when the closing announcement came, then I quickly washed my hands again, albeit just with water.
I also checked that Mega Image, entering with everything and getting an expiring product with a 90% discount. I’d have wanted to avoid the cashier who hadn’t given me the 0.20 RON change on May 21, since I should have received the same amount as change then and she did seem bothered by those who come to buy things when they’re discounted by 90% in general, but the other checkout was unmanned, and while the other cashier did get back before my turn came, I had placed my product on that checkout already and the cashier was just about to get to me, so it’d have been too obvious that I’m running away from her and possibly wait more at the other, so I stayed there… And I was once again not given the change, muttering about it but not pressing, so I just added the amount to what I’ll need to recover from Mega Image some other way. And I picked up one more recyclable on the way back.
I got back for good at 10:50 PM, put the purchases in their place, washed and cleaned what was in the kitchen, ate one of the bananas which I had purchased from Kaufland and a croissant that I already had, and it was past 12:15 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. I was done a few minutes before 1:30 AM, but then I also cut my toenails, and it was past 2:10 AM when I started eating lunch, in the form of half of a pizza, or in fact two quarters, since they were from different kinds, which had been brought by dad a few days earlier. Since I ate that on and off, while working on dinner, I was done at 2:55 AM, but then I also moved and mixed something, which took quite a while, and I ended up eating dinner between 4:10 AM and 4:50 AM. I got in bed at 5:55 AM… And just before 11:20 AM I woke up, went to pee, and then decided to start the new book, reading for some 40 minutes before sleeping some more. And in the evening something bit my hand, probably a spider, and at night I dealt with two of my breads, though I didn’t also put them in the freezer then, and set something to soak for what I meant to cook the next day, so I ended up eating dinner between 3:35 AM and 4:25 AM, and got in bed at 5:25 AM.

On June 9, I managed to quickly write the week’s second post before leaving, when it was almost 4:20 PM, and rushing to Tei, which closes at 4:45 PM on Sunday. I just got a tea from there, then put it in the backpack and continued to another pharmacy from that area, which I had never been to before but which, according to the site, had the best price at the other two products that dad wanted, but neither was in stock at that location, and it seemed to be the only one from this general area that didn’t close at 4 PM or even at 3 PM on Sunday, so that was that. Then I had a quick look through the farmers’ market, but only a few sellers were there, and that woman with the cheap apples wasn’t.
Then I continued to Park Lake, having picked up two recyclables and grabbing two more from a bin from there, but I entered the parking lot from a different point and wasted time trying to find the machine and didn’t, though I wonder how did I miss it, since I more or less knew where it was and thought that I had searched that row, but I obviously didn’t, since after going back and reentering the parking lot from the nearest point to it, it was there. And I put in those recyclables, and took another that another man had discarded, the machine rejecting it even though it had the symbol and I told him that it might be accepted at Kaufland, since it had a small bar code that other machines might not read, but when he threw it back in the bin I picked it up and tried to put it in, but it didn’t work, so I walked away with it, putting it in a cabinet but entering with the backpack, just cashing in that voucher, and then retrieving that bottle. Then I decided to not come right back, but make a detour to Penny Titan, picking up a few more recyclables on the way and putting them in the machine from there, but that one which hadn’t been accepted at Carrefour produced a message that there was no bin for it, which was odd, but I just entered the store with it and just got some vinegar, also using that voucher received for the recyclables when I paid, then adding the vinegar in the backpack. And I picked up a couple more recyclables on the way back and tried to enter a Shop & Go and use that machine for them, but it was out of order, so I came back with them.
After dropping off the recyclables, the tea and the vinegar, I went to vote, then came back again, picked up all of the recyclables with the deposit symbol bar that plastic bottle that clearly wasn’t going to be accepted, since I hadn’t taken the few others on the first trip, and walked out again a little after 6:50 PM, finding that I had to go around that area that’s around the stadium. I spotted a couple more recyclables in an overflowing bin in front of Mega Mall, but walked past them and put in what was accepted out of what I had, putting those that weren’t in a cabinet and just cashing in the voucher and then retrieving them. Then I went back to that bin and grabbed two more recyclables from it, putting them in the machine from Kaufland, and I also tried the rest again and that partly straightened one which I had picked up on June 6 actually worked that time, though the rest still didn’t, so I put them in a cabinet that didn’t lock, washed my hands, again having to dash to the women’s for soap, and entering the store a little after 7:50 PM. The bakery discount labels were just being placed and I just got some more of those buns that I can use instead of bread, with the usual 50% evening discount, one last kohlrabi, with a good evening discount but no leaves, and which I shouldn’t have gotten, considering that I found them at half of that price the following evening and could get plenty, and some more of those snacks for Liza. I just waited for 8:30 PM, then went to the self-checkout, also using that voucher received for the recyclables when I paid. Then I retrieved those remaining recyclables from the cabinet and rushed back, getting here just after 9 PM and managing to turn on the TV before the end of the formation lap, so I didn’t miss the start of the race. And before it finished I even did the day’s squats.

On June 10, I did the day’s squats, had lunch, and left just after 5:20 PM, with 20 kg of paper, a little bag of trash, which I dropped down the chute, and the recyclables with the deposit symbol that weren’t getting accepted, which I took to this nearby store, which I left ten minutes later with a voucher that I was going to give to dad, since I don’t buy from there and they said that they don’t give the money. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, but at least I got something for them, and after waiting for an employee to take those recyclables in the back and come back with a voucher and then standing in line a little only for the cashier to tell me that they don’t give the money, I definitely had no time to argue, since I didn’t know whether the recycling center closed at 6 PM or 7 PM and had to take all that paper there. So I rushed as much as I could, with that weight, though I did pick up a few more recyclables on the way, and got there seconds before 6 PM. Fortunately, the place was still open, and the employees didn’t seem in a hurry to close, but I actually didn’t even look at the schedule, it somehow slipped my mind, even when I turned around and asked one of them whether cardboard was also accepted, and he said that it wasn’t. And I had seen some huge rolls of paper, probably some plans, in two bins not far away, so if it closed at 7 PM I could have gone back and brought those as well, getting a little more, but at that moment I guess that my mind had just closed that chapter and I continued on my way.
When I got to Carrefour Unirii, I put what I had gathered in the machine, washed my hands after entering the store, got just a few things, once again having to type the code of the voucher received for the recyclables at the self-checkout, then put the purchases in the backpack and, since I had dad’s metro card, I took the metro… And wasted some time by getting off at Dristor and checking the farmers’ market once again, only to again find few sellers and that woman with the cheap apples not among them. So I went back to the metro station and took it to Pallady, picking up a recyclable on the way to that Auchan but not spotting the machine on the way in and not bothering to search for it, so I just entered with it, and also with the backpack, got a pack of water for dad and more baked almonds with Himalayan salt, since those were discounted again those days and I was about to run out anyway, then I added the almonds in the small backpack and put the water in the large one.
I meant to put that recyclable in the machine from Kaufland, but all four were in use, and seemed to be in use by a single group which had come with a minivan filled with recyclables, and the older woman told the rest of us who were waiting that they had a wedding… They could have at least left one for the others, but I took the time to have a look through what was in the pile from the corner, finding a some more with the deposit symbol, and then they filled all the machines, and if one of them went to ask for a worker to come after the first two stopped, he was apparently told that after 9 PM they’ll shut them down, and it was 9 PM already, so it didn’t seem like anyone would do anything and I started gathering what had the deposit symbol out of what they had discarded, and then they did the same, to try them elsewhere, but I kept what I had gathered, and even grabbed a couple more before they got next to me and I walked away, putting everything in a cabinet… At which point I saw a small bug on my pants and when I squashed it, it proved to have been filled with blood, so that was somewhat concerning, after being among those people. Then I washed my hands thoroughly, using soap from a jug that was there, and also tried to wash off that small blood stain a little.
I entered the store just before 9:10 PM, but the bakery discount labels were just being placed, so I scanned the labels for two breads while I waited, but one had no discount and the other just the regular one that it had those days, and I also told that to a man who was also looking for bread, and at that point the employee heard and confirmed that she had no discounts for bread. So I just took some more buns, including more of those that I can use instead of bread, and I had seen that great evening discount for kohlrabies, and there were plenty of them left, also with leaves, so I took ten, and also some loose leaves, and some canned fish, all canned foods being discounted by 30% those days, but the sardines already had a 25% discount, so I wondered whether they’d stack, checking at the self-checkout and seeing not only that they did, but that both those and the herring had that additional 10% discount that applied if you used the store card as well. On the other hand, I had to call an employee when the machine didn’t accept the kohlrabies as the right product. And after paying, since I still had a little money and the store hadn’t yet closed, I considered dashing back for some expiring mustard and checking whether that discount for canned foods applied and stacked with the one that was because it was expiring, but it seemed less likely and I gave up on the idea. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, added the canned fish in the small backpack, and I was just putting on the backpacks when the closing announcement came, so I had to walk out through the emergency exit. Then I took the metro back, switching at Dristor, to have less to walk.
I got back at 10:40 PM, with over 21 kg, so I had carried an awful lot that day, and with reported temperatures reaching 35°C and without drinking anything until I got back, and I saw that my weight had gone down to 45 kg. Either way, I ate an orange and something sweet which had been brought by dad, put some of the purchases in their place, and dad annoyed me since he had started working on the balcony with clothes left to dry there, including mine, and when he asked which were mine and I eventually took my briefs and undershirts I noticed that he had removed and put one of my undershirts back, and badly, stretching it in a bad way, and something seemed missing, but I wasn’t sure what and he was on the phone, so it was only later, when he asked me to confirm that all of the towels had been his, that I realized that what had been missing had been my towel, and he had gathered it along with his, throwing them on the sofa, and when I was dealing with the kohlrabies then and told him that I couldn’t put my hands on it, so he just put it back directly on the sofa, after taking his, which sofa is most definitely not clean, but of course he won’t care and would lash that I’m obsessed and he won’t accept that and so on out if I make a point of complaining, so what could I do… Either way, as he was on the balcony I mentioned that apartment which we had been offered in trade again, and he said that it was no longer an option, hadn’t even seen that neighbor lately.
Moving on, after washing what was in the kitchen, it was a few minutes past 12:30 AM when I went to wash, being done when it was almost 1:15 AM. Then I put the remaining purchases in their place, washed a few more things in the kitchen, ate a bag of peanuts while working on dinner, putting the last handful in the salad, so I got 950 calories just from those, cut myself in the edge of a can that dad had opened and I then washed, and ate dinner between 4:10 AM and 5:05 AM. I got in bed at 6:15 AM, after making another tea, in case I’ll wake up and feel too thirsty, but that didn’t happen. I mean, I slept poorly, waking up multiple times, but I wasn’t thirsty and didn’t drink from it before actually getting up, though I then did make and drink a second tea over the course of the day, and I ate dinner in the kitchen, to be able to finish at 3:40 AM despite starting at 3:10 AM, after finishing cooking late and taking the first bites of lunch around 2 AM, eating it while working on dinner, and only finishing just before 3 AM.

On June 20, after making pasta and eating some as lunch, and also starting to take some expired supplement samples that I still had, I guess enough for three days, so just until the day of that year’s Dream Trek, and also doing the day’s squats, at 8:10 PM I went to pay the maintenance bill, at least that time around dad having the money to leave for me. Then I dropped off the receipt, grabbed the backpack and actually left at 8:15 PM, initially just going to the nearest Penny. I hadn’t taken the recyclables with the deposit symbol because I didn’t have time for them, and when I saw how many those who were waiting at the machine had I just entered with the two that I picked up on the way and bought what I wanted. At the checkout, I spotted the sign about their coins campaign, which I thought had ended at the end of 2023, but I didn’t ask whether it had actually started again, just walking out and rushing back here with the purchases in my hands, since I couldn’t wander around with them when it was so hot. I got back around or just after 8:45 PM, though I didn’t check the time just then, putting the purchases and also those recyclables in their place, peeing again, since before leaving I had drank an entire tea and made another, and left again when it was almost 8:55 PM.
I then went to Kaufland, picking up a few more recyclables on the way but again giving up on the idea of using the machines when I saw how many those who were using them at the time had, so I put what I had picked up in a cabinet, peed yet again and washed my hands, and entered the store a little after 9:20 PM. One bread that I could get was left in the bakery area and it didn’t have a discount label, but I scanned the regular one and saw that it actually was discounted, so I took it, then grabbed some other things, including a bundle of radishes that had a good evening discount, especially since the bundles seemed to be double in size and that was probably the largest one left. But the leaves were basically a rotten muck… Either way, I was arranging the purchases when the closing announcement came.
After retrieving those recyclables from the cabinet, I continued to Auchan, using the machine from there, peeing and washing my hands yet again, but not finding the water for dad, nor anything else to get, and I just saw a sign at one specific self-checkout stating that it allowed cashing in those vouchers received for recyclables and it was closed, and when I checked at another one I didn’t see any such option, so I just walked out, keeping the voucher for another time. Then I also checked that Mega Image that closes at midnight from there, entering with everything, and then also the non-stop one from Dristor, putting just the bag with the recyclables picked up on the way and the large backpack, which I had taken to carry the water, in a cabinet, but entering with the purchases, and then again just retrieving what I had in the cabinet and walking out. But at least I found some more recyclables in that area, and a couple more on the way back, and that was all I had to show for wandering around for an hour and a half longer than I actually had to. Then again, it was much cooler at that hour and, while it was also windy, it was rather nice to be out.
I got back when it was almost 11:55 PM, but after cleaning the litter box and eating a banana I went to drop a small bag of trash down the chute. Then I put most of the purchases in their place, ate something sweet, and also rebooted the computer, setting the new uptime record. Then I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and shower, just before 1 AM, getting back in the kitchen at 1:55 AM. And, after dealing with most of those radishes and unfortunately throwing away probably most of the quantity, so I probably shouldn’t have bought them even with that deep discount, and also drinking that second tea, I started eating dinner at 3:50 AM, finishing a little after 4:30 AM. I got in bed at 5:45 AM.

On the morning of June 30, dad got back surprisingly early, and after exchanging a few words with him I ended up getting in bed at 5:20 AM. And that night I “cheated” a little in order to be able to say that I started eating dinner before 3 AM, actually starting a few minutes later, but with dad still awake and on the computer and since I had been working on updating the code and data for the Games Played section, I decided to do a local test and fixed the obvious bugs before I could get on-line, and then I uploaded the new code and started checking the first page for any differences, ending up focusing on eating again when it was already too late to be able to finish at 3:40 AM, so I ended up finishing at 3:45 AM.
Moving on to the day, after having lunch, in the form of something that dad had received and left for me and which made me feel rather nauseous, I went out a little after 3:10 PM, taking a can that I dropped in a recycling bin from the metro station, since I had dad’s card and went to get a book from the Library. Or, well, that was the main one I was looking for, but I had been thinking about checking another one as well, and since I couldn’t even spot the section that the first one should be in at first, and the two employees who really seem bothered by what they’re doing were in that room, after a quick look I went to the English books and picked up that second one, then got back there to look once more, spotting that section behind the chair that the employee who was still in that room then was sitting on, so I had to tell him what I was looking for and he stood up, but I couldn’t find it. Then he took me to the machine to register borrowing that second book, and what was weird was that it was due in 16 days, not three weeks, but I didn’t really think about it at the time, moving on and asking him about that other book, and he looked in storage as well, then came back, looked around a little more, said he couldn’t find it, and I was about to leave when he suddenly did spot it on a shelf, away from where it should have been. So I got that one as well, and it was due on that same day, and I did realize it at that time, but I didn’t say anything, just walking out and putting both in a bag and in the backpack on the way to the metro station.
I got off at Obor and first checked Carrefour, entering with the backpack and getting a few expiring products, including two sweet pastries for my mother, what was interesting being that the discounted bakery products had a 55% discount. But at the self-checkout both the discounted and the full price scanned for the other product, so I had to call an employee to delete the full price. Then I put the purchases in the backpack and continued to Kaufland, entering with them and getting various biscuits, since it was one of the product categories that had a 30% discount those days if you used the store card. And, after taking some time to arrange all of the purchases in a bag, I continued to Penny, putting that bag in a cabinet, entering with the backpack where I just had the books, and just getting one thing for dad. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and also took several recyclables, all but one of them glass, from a trash can that was in front of that Penny. Had noticed them before walking in, but the guard was outside and looking in that direction so I didn’t take them to try to put them in that machine, also because I was thinking that they were there because somebody had tried and it hadn’t accepted them, but I did take them after walking out, then got back with them… After accidentally taking the metro in the wrong direction, so I got off at the next stop and took the right one, without any actual loss of time, since I had just missed one when I reached the station and the next one got to that next station moments after I got off that wrong one.
I got back just after 7 PM, with about 11.5 kg, but with everything except the books in bags, and rather flimsy ones too, it felt like it had been a fair bit more. Then, after cleaning the litter box and putting some watermelon in a plate, to also put the peel in that little bag of trash, I went to drop it down the chute… And my chair was still there, so at night I did send dad an e-mail to ask him to at least take it to the building entrance, though not outside since storms were supposed to come, and after all of that time spent in the garbage room, in stench and cockroaches and ants and who knows what else, the chances of someone wanting it dropped a lot… Either way, there were some recyclables there too, so I took them and then washed them a little. And then, along with the watermelon, the year’s first, brought by dad two days earlier, from where he had been, I also ate a bag of corn puffs with powdered milk and did the day’s squats, then went to the toilet and washed, and later I started reading If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal. And then I managed to stick to the dinner schedule, but ended up going to bed at 5:20 AM.

On September 13, I just got up to pee once and then actually slept until just after 11:20 AM, when I got woken up by Liza’s plate clinking, though it seemed that dad had gotten up some time earlier, so I didn’t wake up right away. Or maybe I did, because I seem to remember hearing Liza in the litter box, but if so then I was barely awake for a moment and then got right back to sleep. Either way, at that point I changed, cleaned the litter box, and then read until dad left, changing back and getting back in bed at 12:55 PM. But it took me a while to get back to sleep, and then I probably also alternated between being asleep and awake for a while, though I did wake up from a little nap before checking the time, seeing 2:16 PM, and deciding to pee again and set the alarm to ring at 3:55 PM, for the race. And then I did get back to sleep quickly and slept until 3:51 PM, when I turned off the alarm and got up for good. And later I rebooted the computer, to clear away something that seemed to have been left running, and I saw a warning that “The default transaction resource manager” on an old backup partition that I intentionally keep without a drive letter “encountered an error while starting and its metadata was reset”, which definitely never happened before. But it seems to be a harmless matter, and I also ran chkdsk on that partition to make sure that nothing else is wrong.

In the early hours of September 14, I got to the kitchen later than usual, since I went to the toilet first, and after “cheating” by just taking a first bite in my room before 3 AM, it was past 3:20 AM when I actually started eating and I also looked something up before really starting to wolf down, so I ended up finishing at 3:45 AM. And Liza woke me by going to the litter box just after 8:10 AM, after dad got up, and he wanted to cook after he’ll get back and needed things from the freezer, so I changed and took most things out of there to select what he wanted, then put the rest back, after which I cleaned the litter box and waited for him to leave. And then I also got on the computer a little before changing back, so it was a few minutes after 9:30 AM when I finally got back in bed, and it unsurprisingly took me a while to fall asleep again. But I eventually did, and then I got back to sleep quickly after getting up to pee, so I pretty much slept until the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and I got up. And then I had the usual stuff, with the apple being another one of those imported bio (organic) ones and the sweet thing two more of those nicer biscuits that expired at the end of July, with added honey, and after just wasting some time on the toilet, which wasn’t that much of a concern after having gone at night, I meant to wait for dad to get back, since he said he’d do so between 4 PM and 4:30 PM. But he still wasn’t back when I finally left, at 5:05 PM, after also taking the supplements, minus the second pill of the one for joints, and wearing the full running gear, returning to the t-shirt from this year’s half marathon and the old shoes. The reported temperature was 21-22°C, and 20°C when I finished… And dad was in front of the building, so we talked a little.
The time was 1:19:02, with sector times of 4:41, 5:03, 6:06, 4:38, 5:16, 6:03, 4:37, 5:14, 6:00, 4:37, 5:14, 5:59, 4:34, 5:10 and 5:50, making for lap times of 15:50, 15:57, 15:51, 15:50 and 15:34. The first sector made me not care about the exact times and think that I was looking at 1:22, and if pushing on sector two led to recovering a little time, that seemed to be all I had, so after the first lap I thought that I needed to somehow stay under 16 minutes on lap two as well in order to even still have a chance to stay under that 1:22, and I had to push on sector three of lap two to manage that. But then lap two remained the slowest one, and even the sector times were unusually steady on laps three and four, so by the start of lap five I was aiming to get under 1:20, and after sector one of lap five that changed to 1:19:30. And since that seemed nearly certain after sector two, I gave everything on the last sector just to see what I could do… And ended up so frustratingly close to 1:19. And I didn’t quite get the steps right at the end, so I might have been a second closer and even more frustrated. But I was some three minutes faster than I thought I’d be for most of the run.
There was a moment on sector three of lap two when I had to go all the way across the path, without advancing, when a woman let her dog’s leash go long, though she had admittedly blocked everything except the lane, which is on the outside in that spot, so I just had to get back on it. Then, on sector one of lap three, under the bridge, I slowed to wait for a way through a roadblock. And on sector two of lap four I briefly stopped when a kid on a scooter turned and started coming towards me, on the lane. And on sector two of lap five I stopped for a couple of seconds to see the time. As for physical issues, a certain pressing need already appeared on lap two, but while it never actually went away, it was always faint and not a real concern. On the other hand, the right knee was getting worse from lap three, but it remained manageable.

After picking up a couple of recyclables on the way back, I washed what was in the kitchen and cleaned up to some extent, ate a lot of watermelon, changed, and left again at 8:40 PM, with a bag of trash that I dropped down the chute, the cartons, and just a few recyclables with the deposit symbol, which I put in the machine from the nearest Penny. Then I put the cartons in a cabinet that I didn’t lock, grabbed a label with the deposit symbol which I found discarded in the store, and initially just meant to get one kind of cat food, but after getting in line I saw that someone who was ahead had her purchases split in multiple parts, so it was going to take a while, and that made me decide to go back and get the other kind of cat food as well. And then, after waiting for a long time after that woman, I also used the voucher received for the recyclables, retrieved what I had in the cabinet, arranged the purchases, and continued to that Mega Image… Only for that machine to be off.
I found several recyclables and a carton in a bin from Kaufland’s parking lot and another recyclable in another, so I put those recyclables in the machine, taking two which had been left there and which weren’t accepted. Then I put my things in a cabinet, peed and washed my hands, entered the store a little after 10 PM, and got some buns that I meant to use as bread, discounted by 75%. I was mainly looking for the cheese that was supposed to be on sale, but I asked about it and was told that they had been out of it since the previous day. So I got some olives, being charged for the box used to put them in, a few heads of garlic that had a small evening discount, which I confirmed at a price checker, since the scales printed the full price, a discounted piece of some processed meat product, and two of those cheap yogurts. And then I decided to try to get another one of those 10 RON vouchers, since there were no green onions again, so I added a pumpkin, an evening discount making the price the same as what it was, with a regular discount, at Carrefour those days. However, I took a little too long at the self-checkout, also using the voucher received for the recyclables that evening and two others that I still had, so I was just about to walk out of the checkout area when the guard told the information desk employee to make the closing announcement and she did, and another employee, probably higher in rank, was also there when I reached her to ask for that voucher, so I faced the same issue as that time at the other location, being told by that guy that the store had closed and those vouchers couldn’t be handed out anymore, so I missed out on it by seconds. Either way, I then retrieved what I had in the cabinet, arranged everything, and it was 10:35 PM when I walked away.
After grabbing another recyclable on the way, I left the bags behind the cabinets when I reached the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM, entered with the backpack, and eventually bought a bakery product that had the 50% evening discount and which I had found left among the non-refrigerated expiring products, the cashier not giving me the change at first, though he did after I pointed it out. Then I retrieved my things and meant to also check the non-stop Mega Image… But I got there just after 11 PM, the guard was turning people away, and there was a note on door stating that the store was closing at 11 PM between September 14 and 17. I asked if that was because of the construction work being done there and he confirmed it, so that was that and I just made my way back, and when I had a quick look in the nearby Mega Image, entering with everything, I didn’t even see bakery discounts. But at least I really filled the bag with recyclables.
I got back a little after 11:35 PM, with almost 16 kg. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop another bag of trash down the chute, put the purchases in their place, and it was a little after 1 AM when I went to shower, after letting the water run for a while and seeing that it wasn’t exactly cold, and as I showered it gained a few more degrees, getting to be almost lukewarm, though still well below skin temperature. Either way, I was done at 1:30 AM, but then I spent a little time on the computer, getting back to the kitchen at 1:45 AM. And then I fixed and ate something sweet, did the day’s squats, washed what was in the kitchen and cleaned up some more, dealt with those buns, moved a part of one of the things dad had cooked into something else, and finally ate a combined lunch and dinner between 5:10 AM and 6:20 AM, while checking things on-line and also writing some notes about the day. I got in bed at 7:10 AM, after using cream on my feet.

I’ll now skip to September 21, when it wasn’t even 9:30 AM when I got woken up by noise from outside, and it seemed like they were clearing plants right behind the building, as in not in that fenced area, so I took a couple of pictures, and then wasted some time on the computer, only getting back in bed just before 10 AM… And the noise got louder moments later, so it took me quite a while to get to sleep, and before 11:30 AM it woke me again, and when I had a look I saw that they were almost done clearing almost everything behind the building. But it lasted a while longer, so I got on the computer again, staying there for some time after they were done and only returning to bed at 12:25 PM… And being unable to get back to sleep at all, and I wasted over an hour before finally reading for about half an hour, and it still took me a while to fall asleep even after that, so it may even be optimistic to say that I got a total of four and a half hours before waking up again, around 5 PM. And then I took it easy, getting up just before 5:25 PM. But I did nap for another hour or so late in the evening. On the other hand, when I started using the last cabbage to make the salad, I found that a lot of it was pretty bad, and it didn’t look like it at first glance, so while I had also kept it for a pretty long time, I wonder if it hadn’t been like that all along.

The bigger problem was that I couldn’t sleep, so after wasting time until 6 AM, I decided to read some more, getting back under the sheet just before 6:45 AM, after peeing again. And it still took me a while to get to sleep even then. But at least I got right back to sleep the few times I woke up after that, going to pee on the first two occasions but barely even moving in bed after that, and while I was awake for a while by the time I got up, a few minutes after 3 PM, I should have gotten 6.5 to seven hours of sleep. But a real concern was that my throat was sore… Still, at 5:45 PM I went out, taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the cartons.
The machine from the nearest Penny didn’t work, so I put everything in a cabinet that I didn’t lock and bought the cat food that I wanted, managing to find a box of that particular kind buried behind the others of other kinds. Then I arranged the cat food in the backpack, retrieved what I had in the cabinet, and continued to that Mega Image that’s next to Tei, putting in the cartons, which by then included a few more picked up on the way, in that machine, and after putting the recyclables in a cabinet that I still didn’t didn’t lock I bought the last two large cans of mushrooms that were left, also using all of the vouchers received for cartons that I had. Then I added the cans in the backpack, retrieved what I had in the cabinet, and decided to pass through the farmers’ market too, getting there just as the sellers were closing but buying some apples.
Then I continued to Carrefour, putting the purchases in a cabinet that I did lock and the recyclables, including what I had picked up on the way, in the machine from there, and finally remembering to look for that tea… Only to not find it. But at least I found cabbage, buying one even if it was large and didn’t look too good, and I also got an expiring product that was discounted by 70% and some spoiling carrots and apples, at half price, seeing that the bag with the carrots was torn and weighed a little less than what was listed and adding something from the other bag that was there to make up for it, since I couldn’t spot any piece which had fallen. And that time I was careful to not charge myself for those bags, and I also used the voucher received for the recyclables. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and took quite some time to arrange everything… And, even if I didn’t sit or pull on it, the jack for my cheap headphones didn’t seem to take well to the fact that I squatted while doing so, because the sound got distorted and, while that evening there were positions in which it was still fine, it didn’t stay like that.
Either way, I considered going to Kaufland as well, but with the plan being to run the following day, I was in doubt… And when I walked out of that mall I saw that it was drizzling, which settled things, especially since my throat felt even more sore, so I made my way back, picking up some more recyclables, plus a carton. And I put the recyclables in the machine from the nearby Mega Image, then entered with everything, found an expiring products that I grabbed for dad… And saw that the employee was making the bakery discounts, even if it wasn’t even 9 PM, so I waited for him to get to the sweet pastries that I was interested in and took those as well, also using the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid.
It was 9:05 PM or so when I got back, and after cleaning the litter box and going to drop a bag of trash down the chute I had a pretty normal evening and night, also doing the day’s squats and having lunch. But my throat kept getting worse, and it didn’t seem to help that I took a pill for it. Admittedly, it was probably expired for a long time, but I don’t actually know that, since dad had just left the part with what remained, as usual, and the date was on what he had cut away. Either way, I also took what may be the last usable pill of that supplement for immunity that I know is expired. And at night I put peanut butter on all of the bread.

My throat was hurting so badly that it added another reason to be unable to sleep, but I managed to catch a nap before getting up to pee the first time, at which point I also rubbed some salt in my throat, which might have helped a little. And I could sleep better after that, waking up some more times, going to pee on two of those occasions, and rubbing salt in my throat again on one of them, but always getting back to sleep quickly. Still, I was awake when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, pretty much waiting for that to happen so I could turn it off and get up. And then I had the usual stuff, still with one of those imported bio (organic) Gala apples, but also adding expired raisins in milk chocolate in the “creamy” yogurt with 4.6% protein and 5% fat. And the other sweet thing once again consisted of two of those expired nicer biscuits, with added honey, and I took one pill of the supplement for joints and the one with potassium and magnesium. But it started raining, and there was hail as well, as I was getting ready to leave, so I waited for it to stop and then took it easy, leaving at 5:05 PM, wearing the full running gear, once again with the t-shirt from this year’s half marathon and the better shoes, plus one armband. The reported temperature was 16-17°C, holding steady.
The time was 1:46:28, with sector times of 4:30, 5:15, 6:07, 4:35, 5:12, 6:07, 4:36, 5:09, 6:03, 4:37, 5:21, 6:07, 4:45, 5:24, 6:11, 4:45, 5:27, 6:18, 1:50, 6:16 and 1:53, making for lap times of 15:52, 15:54, 15:48, 16:05, 16:20 and 16:30, plus 9:59 for the final portion. I was hoping to get under 1:48, but when I went over the 15:50 that’d be the target for the first lap in that case, I was worried that even 1:50 will be difficult. And going over that target again on lap two made me even more convinced of that. But then I pusher harder and lap three was slightly better, and with the target for it normally being 16:05 when I’m going for 1:48, I had recovered more than I had lost over the first two laps. And then I continued being well ahead of the target times, and on sector three of lap five I wondered whether I could cover the five laps in less than 1:20, really going for it despite being basically certain that I’ll fail… Yet I didn’t fail, the time at the end of that lap being 1:19:59. And lap six was good enough to make me consider myself safely under 1:47 at the start of the final portion, yet I kept pushing hard and over the course of it I forgot that, thinking that I was just looking at being safely under 1:48, so I was pleasantly surprised by the time at the end, even more so since I had never expected to be that fast on the final portion and getting under 1:46:30, or 1:47:30, as it was in my mind at the time, had only appeared as a possibility on the final sector.
The puddles often made me go the long way around and stay off the lane, but I was getting better at finding more efficient paths, so this was most notable on the first two laps. And, while the drizzle I felt on lap five was concerning, barely a few more drops fell after that, so it didn’t add to the puddles. Otherwise, I bumped into a guy on the first sector, as I was trying to squeeze through and he stepped off the lane just as I was about to go around him. But the next notable problem caused by people was only on sector one of lap four, when I slowed and pretty much stopped to wait for a way through a roadblock. And, while there’s also a chance that it was on sector two or, less likely, even three of lap six, I think it was on sector two of lap five when I briefly stopped when a kid on a bicycle was coming from the opposite direction through the same small pace that I meant to use to get past a group. And on sector two of the final portion I stopped for up to a few seconds to see the time. As for physical issues, my chest was burning a little on the first two laps, though it got better after that, the right hip bothered me from the start, remaining something to manage even if it got better after a while, the issues with that knee got more noticeable from the start of lap four and quite bad on lap five, though it later became more manageable once again, and the left ankle also gave some warnings on lap five, though it also got better after that. But maybe I wasn’t noticing much of anything from lap six, since my hands were going numb towards the end of lap five and then I didn’t even notice that anymore.

That hip really wasn’t happy, and as I cooled down I was limping around more and more. Still, after eating a lot of watermelon and the last expired bag of peanuts, getting some 950 calories just from that, I changed, leaving the running t-shirt on, cleaned the litter box, and just after 9:20 PM I went back out, taking a small bag of trash, which I dropped down the chute, the carton I had brought back the previous evening, which was pointless since I decided against making a detour to that Mega Image on the way, and the two recyclables I grabbed on the way back from the run, which I put in the machine from Kaufland, along with one found there which had no label but which was the right size for one I had.
They were installing one of those gates that bar access to the bathrooms unless you scan a receipt in that location as well, but a guy was working on it just then, so after putting the bag with that carton and another one grabbed on the way in a cabinet with lock that turned freely, he opened it for me and I washed my hands, entering the store a few minutes before 10 PM. Then I grabbed a bread that was discounted by 75% and made use of nice evening discounts for grapes, the three usable Moldovan plums that I could find, and a lettuce, adding some usable leaves that were scattered in the crate. I was using the self-checkout when the closing announcement came, also using the voucher received for the recyclables. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, used the receipt to open that gate from the bathrooms and, after arranging the purchases a little more while I was there, washed my hands again. And I’m pretty sure that it was that evening when I found a cart with the coin in it in the parking lot and connected it to others and retrieved the coin. Either way, then I put my things in a cabinet that didn’t lock when I reached the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM, bought two bakery products that had the 50% evening discount, retrieved my things, once again put them in a cabinet that I didn’t lock at the non-stop Mega Image, retrieved them after not finding anything to get, and gathered some more recyclables and cartons.
I got back at 11:40 PM, and then I put the purchases in their place, ate a sweet pastry, put those cheap headphones in their box, since they became completely unusable and I’ll need to take them to be serviced as well, and took the old ones out of it, also did the day’s squats, and it was 1:05 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. I was done a couple of minutes after 2 AM, but then I spent another quarter of an hour in my room, trying to deal with those damaged toenails a little more. Either way, I eventually fixed a combined lunch and dinner, also used a few of the worse lettuce leaves and what little was still usable out of one of the Kapia peppers in the salad, and ate between 5 AM and 6:25 AM. And then I took a Paracetamol and a pill for the throat and got in bed at 7:25 AM, sleeping shockingly well. I mean, I’m only aware of waking up a few times, only went to pee once, in the afternoon, and always got right back to sleep, though I was awake for a while before getting up, when it was past 4:10 PM. And at night I made mamaliga and took those pills again.

The mamaliga meant that I had to keep getting up to pee, doing so twice within an hour of getting in bed, and it was even longer before I finally fell asleep the first time. And then I woke up twice more for that reason, and went again after dad did and woke me again, but at least I also got right back to sleep each of those times, though when I got woken up again after dad got up for good, just after 11:50 AM, I changed, cleaned the litter box twice, Liza going again after the first time, washed the cast iron pot, and got on the computer for a while, changing back and returning to bed at 1:35 PM, after dad left, though I couldn’t say how much more sleep I actually got before the alarm rang, at 3 PM, and I got up to watch the Formula 1 qualifying. But later I napped for another hour or so, and then I finally finished Servant of the Empire and posted the quick review.

By September 26, I was feeling better, and could also sleep well, only waking up a few times, going to pee on three of those occasions even though I think that was the actual reason for waking up only the first time, always getting right back to sleep, and getting up after the alarm rang, at 1:55 PM, so I could get to the kitchen by the time the race started. Then I had the usual stuff while watching it, with another one of those imported bio (organic) Gala apples, and two more of the expired nicer biscuits, with added honey, as the sweet thing. And I also took one pill of the supplement for joints and the one with potassium and magnesium and left at 5:05 PM, wearing the full running gear, returning to the old shoes. The reported temperature was 20°C, holding steady.
The time was 48:58.88, with sector times of 4:32.32, 5:17 (5:16.85), 6:02 (6:01.93), 4:33.53, 5:05 (5:04.44), 5:55.06, 4:34.35, 4:58.19, 5:50 (5:49.65) and 2:12.56, making for lap times of 15:51.10, 15:33.03 and 15:22.19. Just the fact that I was running again a few days after covering a half marathon distance made me initially just aim to stay under 50 minutes, but when I saw the sort of crowds that were in the park, I said that I’ll even reward myself if I’ll somehow manage that. Admittedly, the real problem was the final sector, where I knew I’ll have to stay on the grass, and that area at the bottom of the stairs, where I start the run, so I had to start from the left side, close to the lake, and ended all of the laps there as well. So I pushed where I could, mostly on sector three of each lap, and while the first lap wasn’t promising I was getting somewhat better at navigating the crowd as I went along and after lap two I thought that I might even squeeze under 49 minutes after all. Yet that meant being able to afford at least 2:10 on the final sector, so I started giving everything from sector two of lap three, and while it turns out that I needed even more than that, I had created just enough for a buffer to make it. So the time may be pretty bad in itself, but under those circumstances I considered it a good one.
There was a festival on the alley from the entrance, so on what for me was the final sector, the tents of those booksellers were there again as well, and at the bottom of the stairs there was singing and dancing. So I had to somehow manage to squeeze through that spot on each lap, and other parts of the first sector were also crowded, albeit not at the same level. But sector two was all right and sector three was surprisingly clear except at the very end, when I reached the edges of that crowd. So there were more hesitations and a lot of weaving and going the long way around on each sector one, plus that on lap two I slowed on the long straight, when two people stopped there and let their dogs sniff each other, the leashes blocking the way, while on lap three there were two moments when I slowed to a walk for a couple of seconds in order to wait for a way through roadblocks. But I had to slow to a walk for even longer at the end of sector two of lap one, under the bridge, when I caught up to a roadblock and nobody showed any intention of even trying to get out of the way. And then, of course, there was the final sector, where I had to find my way to the stairs, then squeeze through until I could get across the path and onto the grass, staying there until I reached the playground, at which point I had to get back on the path, which led to two brief stops until I got past that area and could get back on the grass, and then there was another spot where I had to get back on the path, once again having to briefly stop before I could return to the grass, and then I got back on the path at the end. Otherwise, that knee only gave some warnings at the end of sector two of lap three, and there were a few gusts of wind, but I doubt that made much of a difference.

After getting back, I cleaned the litter box, ate plenty of watermelon and a sweet pastry, did the day’s squats, and probably more than that, since I lost count, changed, leaving the running t-shirt on, and left again at 8:45 PM, with a bag of trash that I dropped down the chute and the recyclables with the deposit symbol. And I picked up a few more recyclables, plus a carton and a label, on the way to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM, putting the recyclables in the machine from there and then just cashing in the voucher, since there didn’t seem to be any sign of products discounted by 90%, and that remained the case after I spent a few more minutes outside, occasionally glancing through the window.
I then continued to Carrefour, entering that mall through the parking lot, grabbing a few more recyclables, putting the bag containing them in a cabinet, getting the other teas I wanted from there but not finding that vitamin one, and then checking to see whether the discounts stacked for some beer for dad, so I went to a self-checkout and initially only bought the teas and, when I saw that they did stack, one beer, and then went back, put those purchases in the backpack, and got more beers and an expiring falafel, which was at half price. Then I moved all the purchases into a bag, retrieved what I had in the cabinet, put the recyclables, including a few more grabbed on the way, in the machine from Kaufland, put my things in a cabinet with a lock that turned freely, washed my hands, and entered the store when it was past 10:05 PM, getting some buns that were discounted by 80%, some onions, even if the evening discount was quite low, and the really nice yogurt I mean to eat before the marathon, despite the low regular discount it had those days. I used a voucher received for recyclables that I already had and cashed in the one from that evening, then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, grabbed a label off a crushed recyclable on the way to that Mega Image, put my things into a cabinet that I didn’t lock when I got there… And initially just retrieved them and walked back out. But after going to a bench and arranging everything properly, I went back, putting just the bags in a cabinet that I didn’t lock, entering with backpack, and buying a nicer bun, with the 50% evening discount, without taking the receipt because another customer had argued at length and angered the employees and I just wanted to get away from there. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, grabbed more recyclables, plus a carton, on the way back, and quickly checked the nearby Mega Image, entering with everything, but not even seeing any bakery discounts.
I got back a few minutes after 11:30 PM. Then I talked to dad a little, washed what was in the kitchen, cleaned up a little, arranged some things, and put the purchases in their place, and it was almost 1:10 AM when I went to wash. I was done 35 minutes later, and ended up eating a combined lunch and dinner between 3:40 AM and 5:10 AM, while writing the placeholder for the September 27 post and then spending time on-line. And I only got in bed at 7:30 AM.

With my cousin from dad’s side supposed to come and do some more work on the balcony, bringing his girlfriend as well, and dad wanting to start cooking before they got here, I got woken up at 9:40 AM, though that might have actually been the second time, and the first time I just got right back to sleep. Either way, at that point I got up, changed, cleaned the litter box twice, since Liza went again the moment dad went to drop the bag of trash down the chute, went to the toilet, helped dad a little, and got on the computer minutes before they got here, which was close to 11:10 AM. And they left exactly six hours later, by which time I was struggling to even sit anymore. But I then spent a full hour washing and cleaning in the kitchen, and also moved something into a jar for dad, then had lunch as well… And just as I meant to leave, I noticed that an instance of cis.exe was stuck fully using one thread, and while that had been happening after checking logs for the previous few days, it used to sort itself out after some seconds, while that time nothing was changing, and my rushed attempt to kill the process obviously didn’t work, the self-protection blocking the attempt. So I disconnected and rebooted the computer, the Comodo Firewall icon appearing blank after that but everything else seeming fine, so I left it as it was and left just after 7:30 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I had dad’s metro card and jogged almost all the way to the metro station, but that was pointless, since I then waited for several minutes. Either way, I continued to mostly jog after getting off at Obor, then put almost all of the recyclables, which by then included a few more picked up on the way, in the machine from Kaufland, but it stopped before I was done, a single one still worked, and I took a moment to put a label on a bottle which I had grabbed and seemed right for it, so the other guy who was there at the time moved to that one and he had a lot of recyclables, so I walked away and put what I was left with, which included a carton, in a cabinet. Then I washed my hands in the women’s, since it was the only place that was still accessible at that moment, and entered the store a few minutes after 8 PM, managing to grab a few bakery products that had good evening discounts and which I meant to use as bread and some expiring processed meat pieces for my parents and then adding a bundle of green onions, even if they were rather small and the evening discount wasn’t even 50%, plus a handful of torn tops, and one more of those cheap yogurts. I was just paying at the self-checkout when the closing announcement came, and then I cashed in the voucher received for the recyclables.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging the purchases, I continued to Carrefour, grabbing a few more recyclables and putting all of them in the machine. That included two found there, one that I eventually managed to straighten well enough and another which had no label but on which I could place one that I had, but a third one found there was too badly crushed to be straightened by hand, so I took it and after washing my hands again I put it along with the purchases in a cabinet. It was close to 8:55 PM when I entered the store, and the 50% bakery discounts were mostly made, though some products were still being added, so I initially took three apple circles and two breads and by the time I got back there three of those nicer baguettes had appeared, so I took all of those as well. And then I added an expiring product, also at half price, and something else that had a regular discount if you bought two, but that was just based on what I had seen on-line, no sign mentioning that being in the store, so when I went to the self-checkout I initially just scanned those two products, half of the discount appearing immediately and the other half when I moved on to paying, so I paid for those products separately, also using the voucher received for the recyclables, and then made a separate transaction for the rest. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, took quite a long time to arrange the purchases properly, and made my way back, still by metro, grabbing some more recyclables and having a quick look in the nearby Mega Image, entering with everything.
I was back a little after 10:30 PM. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, checked to see that things still seemed fine on the computer, that icon also showing up properly once I reconnected it, started taking the iron and another supplement with vitamin C, D3 and zinc, ate one of the apple circles, put the purchases in their place, did the day’s squats, also straightened that crushed recyclable, and it was almost 1 AM when I went to wash. I was done just after 1:40 AM, and then I washed what was in the kitchen and cleaned up a little more, moved something dad hadn’t finished eating into a bowl, dealt with those baguettes, and finally ate dinner between 4:35 AM and 5:05 AM. I got in bed at 6:10 AM.

Dad had said that people were going to come and install a gas detector and he had told them to do so after 11 AM, but they started with the neighbors and drilling woke me at 8:10 AM, so after that I caught naps in between the noise, and at one point there was ringing and knocking at the door, so they didn’t care about the time. But dad didn’t open, so I got back to sleep again, and while it seemed that the drilling was no longer an issue after that, just after 10:05 AM he got up and started waking me with small noises, but after going to pee once I kept getting back to sleep each time, adding naps, until 11:20 AM, when I got up, changed, cleaned the litter box, and waited for them to come, which happened around 11:45 AM. And then I changed back into pajamas, peed again, and at 12:10 PM I got back in bed, the various small noises made by dad, who stayed home all day, plus some coming from neighbors, mainly later, and the elevator squeaking again, I’d say worse than ever, meaning that I was woken up many times, but there were a couple of longer naps, and otherwise I kept getting right back to sleep each time, until at least 7:05 PM, when I went to pee for the third time. It was past 7:45 PM when I actually got up, but I don’t think I got any more sleep during that time.

For the dinner eaten in the early hours of September 29, I put peanut butter on all of the bread, and before going to bed in the morning I shaved. And just after 9:35 AM I got woken up when dad got up, so I changed, cleaned the litter box, made the tea, to make some use of the time, and eventually got on the computer. And dad really took his time before leaving, so I only changed back and got back in bed at 11:05 AM. And it took me quite a while to get back to sleep, but at least I then stayed asleep until the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and I got up. Then I ate another one of those imported bio (organic) apples, put raisins in milk chocolate and some more of those fried, slightly sweetened and “smoke-flavored” almonds along with the usual cereals into a really nice yogurt and ate that as well, though everything was expired, and before leaving I also had two more of those, also expired, nicer biscuits, with added honey, took all of the supplements, obviously with the exception of the second pill of the iron and the one for joints, and drank most of the tea. It was 4:40 PM when I left, wearing the full running gear, once again with the better shoes, and one armband. The reported temperature was 22-23°C, dropping to about 21°C when I finished.
The time was 1:45:40, with sector times of 4:25, 5:11, 6:03, 4:29, 5:10, 5:59, 4:34, 5:10, 6:12, 4:38, 5:22, 6:07, 4:39, 5:25, 6:14, 4:45, 5:25, 6:08, 1:46, 6:04 and 1:54, making for lap times of 15:39, 15:38, 15:56, 16:07, 16:18 and 16:18, plus 9:44 for the final portion. At first I was thinking that I’ll be completely content with staying under 1:50, but will still try to get under 1:48, and after three laps I was starting to feel that I had a good chance of managing that, the target from then on being just to avoid losing time and keep the buffer I had created for the end. But when I gained time on lap four as well, I began to wonder whether I could even squeeze under 1:47, and after lap five even about beating the time from two weeks before. And the first two sectors of lap six seemed to be just good enough, so I decided to try to see whether I could do even better and possibly even get under 1:46, so from sector three of lap six I really went for it, and while managing that seemed awfully hard at the end of the lap, after that amazing first sector of the final portion it suddenly seemed achievable. And at the start of the final sector the target became to get under 1:45:45, which I also managed. It’s still over 1:45, so not something to get excited about in itself, but those are increasingly rare, and this was the third run in seven days, with the first having also been over the same distance, and I expected a whole lot worse, so I’d say that it shows that I’m taking all of the supplements, at least.
What makes it even more notable is that it was so windy. Even the regular wind was noticeable, and gusts were frequent and with a strength that’d have definitely made me avoid running that day if I wouldn’t have fixed this schedule for myself, so I was looking for places where I wasn’t fighting the wind to try to recover the time lost when I was. And this also meant that I was actively looking for people, to get whatever protection from the wind I could while staying behind them for a few seconds, but there were relatively few of them in the park, so I got whatever benefits I could and there were hardly any notable issues, with the possible exception of a slight hesitation on sector two of lap five, when a kid almost ran into my legs. And it was also on sector two of lap five when I stopped for a couple of seconds, since my eyes weren’t focusing on the time and I was worried that if I’ll keep trying I’ll end up losing even more. But I didn’t need to do that again after that point. And the physical issues were limited to some pain around my appendix on sector two of lap one, which went away after that, warnings from the right knee which only appeared on sector two of lap four but didn’t get significantly worse, and I’d say that from lap six I no longer noticed them at all anymore, and a sudden feeling of my body wanting to get rid of the, shall we say, excess weight on the long straight of sector two of lap five, but then that went away as well.

After grabbing two cartons on the way back, I finished the watermelon and ate lunch, did the day’s squats, changed, leaving the running t-shirt on, and it was past 9:15 PM when I left again, with the paper and cardboard, which I dropped in a recycling bin, the cartons, which I put in the machine from that Mega Image, splitting on two vouchers and leaving the one that wasn’t accepted in a bin, and the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up several more on the way to Kaufland and putting them in the only machine that still worked at that point.
After grabbing a receipt from a bin and using it to open that gate, I washed my hands, and as I walked out of the men’s a girl walked out of the disabled room, with a cart, and when she noticed me behind her she seemed to try to strike a provocative pose and get my attention, but I just walked past her and entered the store when it was already past 10 PM. And, while there were no interesting and discounted bakery products left, I was mainly looking for a good and relatively small watermelon, which should likely be the year’s last one, and also get what should be a voucher with 30% of the value of fruits and vegetables bought those days. And I did find one like that, so I took it, and it was a good thing that it didn’t crack when the bag that I put it in tore and it fell on the floor. So I then threw away that bag, put it in another, took a few tomatoes as well, even if the evening discount wasn’t that good, and eventually made my way to the self-checkout, cashing in the voucher received for the recyclables after paying. And as I was struggling to figure out how to get the watermelon in the backpack, that same girl who had been in the bathroom came up the escalator from the parking lot, still with that empty cart, and once again tried to get my attention, and I believe she asked for 1 RON, and when I just ignored her she stood next to me and repeatedly asked whether I heard her, and then poked my arm harder and harder quite a number of times before finally giving up when she saw that I simply kept ignoring her completely. And when I finally walked away, after getting the purchases in the backpack, she was standing next to an older man who’s often there in the evening and looking for discounts, and I heard him say that he won’t give her anything.
It was 10:35 PM when I walked away from there, and then I checked those two Mega Image locations, entering with the backpack but not finding anything to get. But I had grabbed a few recyclables by the time I reached that non-stop one, so I put them in a cabinet that didn’t lock and then retrieved them. But the serious problem was that I also checked some cans that were discarded around that machine that accepts more recyclables at once, and when I reached for one I felt something jab my finger, and when my immediate reaction was to brush it away I felt a jab in another one, so I then picked it out somewhat more carefully, but I was still just reacting, so I threw the thing away without looking to see what it was, and when I saw blood starting to flow I rushed away, wondering whether I’ll be able to find some disinfectant available for use in the store or ask whether there was a place where I could at least wash. But I couldn’t see anything I could use and couldn’t get myself to ask, so I just tried to keep the blood from getting on anything, the fact that there was nothing to buy being fortunate from that point of view, though one drop did fall on the floor just after I entered. And then I went back there and tried to figure out what could have jabbed me, seeing many shards of glass, including small ones, and assuming that one of those had been the culprit, though I couldn’t be absolutely certain. Either way, I grabbed some more recyclables on the way back, doing my best to just use the other hand, and walked past this nearby Mega Image in order to come straight up, drop off the purchases and recyclables, wash those fingers, and use medicinal alcohol and disinfectant before going back down and having a quick look in that store as well, though there were no bakery discounts and I didn’t see anything else that I cared to get either.
I’m pretty sure that it was before 11:30 PM when I got back the first time and after 11:30 PM the second time, when I got back for good, but I didn’t actually check until later. And then I washed more thoroughly, also used some Betadine and some antibiotic, though it expired long ago, on those areas, put those few purchases in their place, drank one of the high-protein shakes grabbed after the Dream Trek, ate some nicer bagels, and it was past 12:50 AM when I went to wash. I was done a few minutes after 1:30 AM, but then I still managed to stick to the dinner schedule, at least in the sense of finishing at 3:40 AM, since I “cheated” by taking a first bite in my room before 3 AM but actually started eating at 3:20 AM. And I also took a cold pill, just in case, and before going to bed I put some more alcohol, Betadine and antibiotic on those fingers and bandaged them, obviously being concerned about something having made its way in through the injury, though otherwise the blood had stopped quickly and the spots were barely noticeable once I cleaned it away. Either way, that led to getting in bed at 5:25 AM.

When I woke up the first time, just before 10:15 AM, I realized that the traces of blood I had seen in the evening on a finger from my left hand as well had probably also been caused by small scratches, and I hadn’t done anything about that until then, so after going to pee I put medicinal alcohol and then that antibiotic and Betadine on that finger as well and then bandaged it. Not that it wasn’t possible for the shard to have slightly nicked even more fingers, so while I hadn’t noticed any blood elsewhere, so it shouldn’t have actually broken the skin, after spending some time on the computer I used some alcohol on my hands in general, getting back in bed at 10:50 AM. I needed some time to get back to sleep, however, and after waking up again I remained awake for quite a while before deciding to pee again and finally managing to take another nap, after which I remained awake for even longer before getting up for good, at 5:15 PM. And in the evening I made mamaliga… And before going to bed in the morning I blew blood out of my nose. It didn’t seem a nosebleed, but was actual blood, not just some blood mixed with snot, so it was definitely scary. And I ended up getting in bed at 5:20 AM.