Cav's Place

To start with the early hours of June 9, I started eating dinner at 3:10 AM, also having some peanut butter again, and finished at 4 AM. Then I set the alarm to ring at 2 PM, but ended up getting up just before 1:30 PM. An SMS from my provider woke me up at one point and I wasn’t even sure that I had napped again after that, but certainly must have, maybe twice, because it seemed that almost right away I just saved a cramp, and then it again seemed like hardly any time passed until I felt like peeing again and got up it, but the SMS came at 12:37 PM and it was 1:29 PM when I got up, so I must have gotten back to sleep quickly both times. And I was sleepy enough to probably fall asleep right away once again and catch another little nap, but decided that getting up 30 minutes earlier would be more useful, since I had a schedule to stick to… Only to spend most of that additional time getting Micky to eat actual cat food. Either way, I then had the usual stuff plus almonds, with the sweet thing being the last of some pumpkin pie brought by dad from mother, with added honey, and left a little after 4:10 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 25-26°C, holding steady or even increasing by 1°C by the time I finished.
The time was 1:17:32, with sector times of 4:21, 5:02, 5:46, 4:25, 5:00, 5:53, 4:32, 5:04, 5:53, 4:37, 5:10, 6:00, 4:40, I think 5:12 and I think 5:57, making for lap times of 15:09, 15:18, 15:29, 15:47 and 15:49. About those last two sectors, I initially wrote down 5:12 and 5:55, which didn’t add up, but I only noticed that when I looked again, three days later, and while everything seems right up to that point, I’m not entirely certain that I corrected that part properly. It seems very likely, but it might have also been 5:14 and 5:55, I just couldn’t remember, having too many times to keep in mind.
I was wondering whether to try to stay under 1:18 again, not taking it easier, and then see what I’ll have left for the second run when I’ll get there, or leave a little in reserve and only aim to stay under 1:20, but the first lap was better than expected, mainly thanks to sector three. Then, after lap two was also better than expected and I was a fair bit ahead of the pace for 1:18, I aimed to avoid losing time compared to that pace on lap three as well. And when I actually gained a little more time yet again, staying under 1:18 became quite certain and the target became to complete all laps in less than 16 minutes, which I also managed. I would have preferred it if the last lap wouldn’t have been the slowest one, but I couldn’t avoid that… Which also meant that I just failed to stay under 1:17:30, which was a little frustrating. Then again, the possibility hadn’t even crossed my mind until I finished, even though a lap five that would have been faster than lap four would have guaranteed it.
I had to briefly stop on sector two of lap one, because of a woman with a dog, the dog going across the lane in front of me, and also on sector two of lap four, because two little girls started to run across the lane right in front of me. It’s possible that I also stopped for just an instant when I went wide in order to make sure that I avoided a guy on a scooter who was coming from another path, on sector two of lap five. Otherwise, I felt the heat mainly on sector two of laps one and two, since there were some clouds on sectors one and three of lap two and sector one of lap three, and after that, even if it was sunny again, I didn’t feel it that much anymore. Also, while there was a bit of wind in a few places, it wasn’t a serious issue. Maybe I felt it a little more on the long straight of sector two of what I think was lap three, though there’s also a chance that it was lap four, but the other places where I noticed it weren’t on straights and, either way, it wasn’t bad. As for physical issues, I felt some warnings from the right knee on sector two of lap two, which initially went away but returned from sector three of lap three, though they remained faint all the way to the end. Also, from the start of lap three I had to try to spread the toes of my left foot, because the corners of nails were digging into a couple of them, but that didn’t help too much, since there was blood when I finished anyway. And another problem that became even more noticeable when I finished was the burn on my right arm, caused by some mamaliga splashing on that spot while I was making it, on June 5. A blister had formed, breaking the previous morning, but the spot’s right where the stopwatch stays and I only later started doing more to protect it.

A dark cloud was coming when I finished and it rained a little after that, but it didn’t last long and served both to make it significantly cooler and to apparently cancel the play that was supposed to start at 7 PM, clearing the final straight for my second run. The theater seemed to have just about finished setting up the stage, at what for me would have been the start of the final sector’s straight, when I finished that first run, but there wasn’t as much as a trace left when I got back there. And yes, that means that, as part of my training for this summer’s Dream Trek, I ran twice that day, having a banana and a muesli bar, drinking the rest of the tea and making another, putting some things in the pocket of my tights, clipping the toenail which had jabbed the toe, bandaging that toe a little and leaving again a little before 7:50 PM. The reported temperature varied greatly, between 18°C and 23°C, depending on which site I checked, so it was pointless to look at how it was supposed to change by the time I finished, but it was 17-18°C at 11 PM, which likely meant that it pretty much held steady all evening, since it seemed a little chilly on the way to the park, so I’d say that it was pretty much the same then as well. Admittedly, having dried sweat on me and being weakened by the first run likely had something to do with feeling chilly, but a steady temperature would make sense, the rain stopping and the clouds going away likely compensating for the setting Sun.
The time was 49:07.10, with sector times of 4:23.66, 5:12.32, 6:00 (5:59.03), 4:35.87, 5:14 (5:13.16), 6:00.59, 4:35 (4:34.72), 5:13 (5:12.85), 5:59.31 and 1:56 (1:55.59), making for lap times of 15:35.01, 15:49.62 and 15:47 (15:46.88). After that good first run, I was clearly only aiming to stay below 50 minutes, and after a first sector that was a little faster than I thought, a second that was a little slower and a third that was all right, the first lap seemed to give me a fair chance. So I then wanted to stay under 16 minutes on lap two as well, and when I managed that by some margin I realized that I might just have a shot at staying under 49:30, that first sector being a little faster than lap two’s giving me even more hopes and even making me wonder whether staying under 49 minutes was possible. So I really pushed from sector two of lap three, and continued to do so even when, after it, it was clear that staying under 49 minutes was no longer possible while staying under 49:30 was certain, which at least resulted in a lap three that was faster than lap two. In the end, it was the first time I went over 48 minutes since March, the first over 49 minutes since October, and the worst time over this distance since September. But it was the first time I ran twice in one day, so I was nevertheless very pleased with the result.
There were still a few drops on the way to the park, but the rain stopped as I got there and, while the lane was wet, oddly enough it didn’t feel like stepping on a wet sponge except in a few small spots, so I could use it. But I had noticed during the first run that a hole that’s under the lane, on sector three, got bigger, and on this second run’s first lap I stepped right in it, the ankle complaining a little even if I hold it firm, so I avoided that area on laps two and three. Otherwise, while there were a fair number of people and a few times going the long way around really meant going all the way on the outside and losing time, there was just one roadblock, on sector two of what I believe was lap one, and even then I managed to squeeze through while just slowing, without having to stop. But my legs were complaining, starting with the return of those warnings from my right knee and some new ones from my left hip but soon enough getting to the point that pretty much every part was complaining. And from the start of lap three my arms were also starting to go numb and there was also some pain in the right side of my abdomen. But from sector two of lap three I pretty much felt like I was in runner’s high and tried to give it everything, though those warnings from the right knee became actual pain on sector three of lap three, and it was probably because I was trying to spare it that I then also felt some pain in that ankle and lower leg. But I managed. It was all I had, however.

After the run, I went to that Carrefour, put on the mask as I got on the escalator, but just looked around a little, going back out without getting anything and continuing to Kaufland. I was also considering that newer one, but that’d have meant passing by that Penny, in which case I’d have wanted to check that as well, and there was no time, so I went to the other one, getting there when it was already past 9:30 PM. Then I washed my hands, and was surprised to see that the employee was just then placing the bakery discount labels. In spite of that, only a few things were left, and what I’d normally care about didn’t seem discounted, yet I saw a sweet pastry that was new and asked her what it was, since there was no label whatsoever in that spot. Then I got a bread and a bundle of dill for dad, followed by the new cornmeal which they had started selling, wanting to see how it was, and the canned sardines I wanted, which I scanned in order to confirm that they were indeed discounted, since they were placed in two areas and all the price labels still listed the full price. And then I went back and got one of those sweet pastries after all, even if it didn’t look like what I had been told it was, at best being somewhat similar, in a way, and only the discount label had appeared by then, the one with the ingredients still missing. Either way, after having another look around, I got in line at the self-checkout a few minutes before closing time and was still in line when the announcement came, but had no problems with machine. Then I went to a table and took some time to arrange the purchases in the bags and finally walked away, the somewhat unpleasant part of the walk back being that no streetlights were on around that cemetery, so I had to be careful where I stepped, to avoid the puddles.
After getting back, a little after 10:40 PM, I ate that sweet pastry, with added honey, and some peanuts brought by dad, finally went to the toilet and to shower when it was almost 12:15 AM, and came out when it was past 1:20 AM. However, I first clipped my toenails, being done with that at 1:30 AM and only then finally starting to make a pizza… Which I had to keep defending from Micky until I threw her out of the kitchen and closed the door. So, despite throwing on the ingredients unevenly, also not quite sticking to the plan I had made for them, and putting another cucumber instead of some more cabbage in the salad, in order to finish it sooner, it was still 3:35 AM when I started eating dinner… And exactly two hours later when I finished, since dad gave me some things to transcribe. At 3:52 AM he even sent me an e-mail to ask if I had finished any, then said that he couldn’t understand how come when I said that I had barely gotten on the computer and started eating, so I had to at least do one of the two, and in the end also did and sent the part of the other that he said he needed quickly.
Since that took me until 6:45 AM, I got in bed at 7 AM… And from 10:30 AM, there was noise coming from above, likely the result of the leak which had been slowly flooding us getting fixed, so I was just getting brief naps. I also got up for a little while before dad left, to make sure that he took what he had to take to mother, and while I then got back in bed and only finally got up for good when it was past 3 PM, I got very little sleep during that time.

Moving on to June 11, I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, had the usual stuff plus almonds, with the sweet thing being a slice of cozonac brought by dad, apparently from the press conference that he had brought those files that I had to transcribe from, with added honey, put on the full running gear, with some things in the pocket of my tights, and left a little after 4:30 PM, when the reported temperature was 21°C, holding steady. However, it had rained and was still drizzling.
The time was 1:19:08, with sector times of 4:29, 5:17, 6:05, 4:36, 5:15, 6:02, 4:37, 5:11, 6:07, 4:37, 5:11, 6:02, 4:35, 5:17 and 5:47, making for lap times of 15:51, 15:53, 15:55, 15:50 and 15:39. I felt so tired at first, thinking that I’ll struggle to even stay under 1:22, but wanted to at least stay under 16 minutes on the first lap, which I managed. Then, as I went along on lap two, I was thinking more and more that maybe I’ll stay under 16 minutes on that one as well and try to stay under 1:21 in the end. And when I did manage to cover that second lap in less than 16 minutes as well, I thought I’ll go lap by lap and tried to also stay under 16 minutes on lap three, managing that making me not only switch the target to 1:20:30, but also start to consider staying under 1:20. So I really went for it on lap four, thinking that staying under 16 minutes yet again was unlikely but nevertheless wondering whether I could, not thinking about what I’ll have left for lap five. And when that resulted in a lap that was faster than any of the first three, and which made me need exactly 16 minutes on lap five in order to stay under 1:19:30, I just kept pushing, even more on the last sector, just hoping for the 6:08 that I needed… And ending up 21 seconds faster than that, and with clearly the fastest sector three and lap of the day! I pushed myself so hard on that sector that I was drifting off, but just held it together. So it was the first time I went over 1:18 on 16 kilometers since March and the slowest time over this distance since January, but I was again pleased with the result in spite of that, seeing as it came only two days after those previous runs.
The drizzle slowed to occasional drops soon after I started, but what was strange was that the light drizzle returned on lap four even though the clouds started clearing from the end of lap three. But on lap five it was mostly sunny, the drizzle again slowing to just some drops and even those stopping almost completely by the time I finished. However, the lane was soaked in plenty of places, so I avoided it much of the time, and there were also some puddles to go around, but at least there weren’t many people. On the other hand, I felt so tired at first, though I slowly got used to it. What worried me was that something in my left hip hurt from the start, requiring some two laps to warm up enough for the pain to go away. And the right knee also started giving those warnings soon after I started, though those went away more easily.

Since I decided to come right back after the run, I ended up carrying those things that I had in the pocket of my tights for no reason, but I did go back out that evening, changing my shoes and taking the backpack, moving the bags to it and also putting the jacket in there, and leaving again a little after 6:50 PM. I had asked dad for two of those “Meringue” cakes that I had seen, as a reward for staying up in order to transcribe those things just after such a hard day, and he obviously didn’t care, so I went there myself, asking for his metro card and rushing to the Kaufland from Basarab, though I left buying what actually ended up being just one of those cakes for later, after having a look at that confectionery and seeing that there was no danger of them running out of them right away.
It was barely past 7:30 PM when I entered Kaufland, but the employee was already placing the bakery discount labels, so I grabbed a few things, plus two bags of Bake Rolls, deciding to use the money which would have been for the second cake in that manner. But I didn’t actually purchase those products just then, instead putting them in a bag and hiding it somewhere, since I also wanted to check that Carrefour and was thinking that the discounts might increase. So I went out and, even though it was hard to do so after that run, I jogged to that Carrefour and ended up grabbing an expiring yogurt and mustard. Then I had to spend time that I didn’t really have in one of the long lines formed at the regular checkouts, since I didn’t see self-checkouts that could be used with cash, eventually put the purchases in the backpack and jogged back. It was only then that I finally bought one of those cakes, then put it and the yogurt and mustard in a cabinet… And almost forgot the bag with the money, which I had placed in another cabinet for a moment, without closing the door, so it’s a good thing that I checked right away, before entering the store again, and went back for it. After that, I found my bag where I had left it, but decided to replace one of the Bake Rolls with a bag of their bagels, added some salt that dad had asked for, and went to the self-checkout when it was past 8:30 PM, seeing then that the discounts hadn’t increased. But at least I had no problems with the machine, then retrieved my things from the cabinet, arranged everything in the backpack and bags, and went back to the metro station. If I wouldn’t have spent that time arranging the purchases, and maybe if I’d have also jogged a little once again, maybe I’d have caught the metro which had left two minutes earlier, sparing me from needing to wait nine more minutes that I didn’t really have, until the next one came.
Still, I managed to get back at 9:25 PM and went to have a quick shower right away, before the match. Then I ate the cake and started making mamaliga, eating the Bake Rolls over a period of time and then stuffing myself at night. But then I was again unable to sleep, and after dad got back I started reading Postcapitalism, eventually catching a little over three hours of sleep before I yet again woke up and again found myself unable to get back to sleep, despite staying in bed for some two more hours before finally getting up.

This post was initially meant to include all the five runs that I’m yet to write about from before this summer’s Dream Trek, but this is how far I got before midnight and I need a first post of the week today, plus that at least at this point the time to write about Micky didn’t quite come, so I’ll leave it at this. What I’ll end up posting tomorrow, and it what state of mind, remains to be seen, but at least I do have one more slot for a personal post, so all the options are available.

Seeing as I have five earlier runs to write about first, plus that I clearly wouldn’t have the time to write about it today, I’ll leave the part about the actual run for another time, but I will write about the rest of these two days, what came before and after this summer’s Dream Trek, starting with the fact that, despite putting fewer cucumbers in the salad made the night before, I had to get up to pee several times, so it’s a good thing that I could always get back to sleep quickly but still only slept for seven hours, or maybe just over seven hours, despite the more than nine that passed between getting in bed and getting up, at 2:30 PM. That was when dad brought my mother here, but I had already decided to get up at that point, so that worked out. The initial plan was to catch another nap before leaving, but there was no time for that, and in fact even today I only crawled in bed at 8:10 PM, after starting to write this, and even then only slept for a little over an hour before the noise made by my parents woke me. But I didn’t mean to sleep much more than that this evening anyway, so that didn’t bother me that much.
Either way, I first ate the last Pinova apple, saved just for this day, and then lunch, in the form of some pasta and a salad that turned out larger than I meant it to be, eating that between 4:15 PM and 4:50 PM. Then I put on the full running gear, did what I could to protect my feet, bandaging my heels and wearing two pairs of socks, got everything else ready, taking the mask, some garlic, money, my ID card, a few bags, a flexible bottle and, just before leaving, a pack of napkins, some of those things being placed in the running belt that I also took, and I also put on two reflecting bands and two of those armbands used to wipe sweat, one of each on each arm, the purpose of the right armband being to protect that burn, even if it’s healing. Then I also ate the “Greek” yogurt with increased protein content that I had found among the expiring products the day before, with cereals, almonds, and peanuts in dark chocolate, plus the two remaining, really old, wheat things, with jam and honey, and finished the tea as well. It was just as I meant to leave that I realized that I hadn’t sprayed myself against mosquitoes, so I did that as well, albeit in a hurry and not too well, and I finally left at 7:50 PM.
Just like last year, we had been asked to gather at that store from Mega Mall, but from 8 PM, though sunset was at 9:04 PM. The reason was that we were all supposed to sign up for store cards, with those taking a picture with their card and posting on Instagram getting an additional discount, while all those activating their card were going to be entered in a raffle for three prizes in store credit, but after I got there, a little after 8:05 PM, and took my place in line a few moments later, when my turn eventually came the cashier asked for my phone number and then for the code which had been sent to it, which I couldn’t provide, since I obviously didn’t have the phone with me, so that time spent in line was just wasted. But I didn’t really want that store card, and to end up signed up for their marketing messages, anyway, so it was somewhat of a relief, and the number of participants would have made the odds of winning pretty low. And not needing to go through with the procedure only saved me a few minutes, so what followed was what I knew was going to happen anyway: A long time with nothing to do, just standing around and occasionally hovering around this or that group of people, listening to their conversations. But at least that allowed me to pee twice more, all the tea and that large salad making me need to do so even more often, before Radu spoke a little… Or at least coming back from the second such “trip” just after he had started speaking.
After that first little speech and the first group picture, we went outside, but as we started walking away I noticed that a couple of people were still waiting in line in that store, so I caught up to Radu to let him know and he asked me to tell them to catch up to us outside, so I rushed to do that, though once I did so I realized that it probably wasn’t necessary, since by the time I got there only one guy was left in line and I saw that two others had stayed behind, outside the store, possibly just to make sure that we won’t leave him behind. And I saw him outside pretty much as soon as I could have another look around, during the warm up… Which started right at sunset, and a news crew was also there and asked Radu a few questions before filming us there and for the first kilometer or so, and another group picture was taken as well, so it was 9:11 PM when we actually left.

Now, as I said, I’ll skip the actual run and move on to what happened after we finished, most participants arriving at University Square at 5:28 AM, when I had already been there for a few minutes. A few boxes of sweets and a couple of bags of bagels and one of some other salty snack were soon placed there and I grabbed a number of things, but only ate a few more bagels and a small handful of that other salty snack, just taking a couple of sweet things, and then rushing to eat a handful of the other kind of bagels and take a couple more sweet things after the stretching exercises and the end speeches, which came after the draw for the day’s big prize… Which was apparently won by the same guy who had won last year! Once again, the first name that was drawn was of someone who wasn’t there, and in fact who had been unable to participate at all, and his was the second one, making the one who made the draw show the result to Radu and to the others who were around her after announcing it in a rather bewildered voice. And there’s no rule against one person winning twice, so that was how things stayed.
After that part was over, there were some conflicting instructions, the girl who seems to be the one who handles most of the administrative matters saying that the car was nearby and anyone who wants water should come with her, while the guy who was offering towels to those who had completed the entire route said that his was behind the fountain, so we should go through the passage and meet him there. And, considering the unexpectedly large number of people who completed the run, Radu had already said that he didn’t know whether there were enough towels for everyone, so the large majority rushed there, making me need to catch up to them after grabbing the few more things I already mentioned and quickly asking the girl who had sat next to the boxes since the end of the run, not taking part in the stretching exercises, whether she was all right. She definitely didn’t look like she was, but she gestured in a way that indicated “so and so” and when I asked what was wrong she said that she was just nauseous and thanked me for asking, so it didn’t seem like it was a significant problem and I walked away.
After receiving my towel, I saw that the other car was there as well, possibly having been moved, so we won’t need to walk back in order to get some more water or anything else, so I quickly took another small bottle of water and a couple more sweet things. I’m not sure whether I ate a few more bagels then, but I know that I had another handful of some other salty snack just before leaving, when that girl told us to take some more things, “for the road”, holding the box with the remaining sweet things… And yes, I took some more of the sweet things then as well, ending up with four protein bars, one of the small sweet things and two of each of the three other types which had been available. Adding that to all that I had eaten during the run, I definitely felt quite bad about how much I had taken… But they did still have quite a few things left, and after initially saying that the supplies were limited and we needed to make them last and use them efficiently, Radu did say that the point was for them to be exhausted by the end, not for him to take anything back home with him, so maybe it wasn’t that bad… Though I still have the feeling that I took more than anyone else, both there and along the way.

It was a couple of minutes before 6 AM when I walked away… And if I managed to get through the entire run without any injuries, not even my feet suffering because of the shoes anymore, on the way to Unirii some guys were having fun on the sidewalk, ahead of me, and when we reached a building where some work is being done for a very long time, requiring people to walk under the scaffolding on that narrow sidewalk, one of them suddenly grabbed on to one of the bars and pulled himself up, which made me need to stop just as suddenly in order to avoid walking into him, and as I did so I instinctively moved my arms to the side and scratched my right elbow in one of those rusty metal bars.
I couldn’t do much about that right away, but after reaching that Carrefour, which is now open non-stop again, and first putting on the mask, which I hadn’t worn until then, and then putting my things in one of the cabinets, I first used some disinfectant on my hands and then put some on those scratches as well. And then I looked through all the eggs being sold by piece, initially taking all of those with code one that didn’t seem to be cracked at a quick glance, since there were no bio (organic) ones there, and then also grabbed two things from the expiring products area before finding a spot to check those eggs more carefully, selecting 11 of them and then taking the rest back. Then, after having a look upstairs as well, I got back to the expiring products area and saw that more things had been placed there, so I also grabbed a pack of pancakes, even though they’re that imported kind, and replaced that expiring thing that I had picked up for my mother with another. Since it was so early, they were probably just bringing products to that area, so maybe there’d have been even more options if I’d have waited a little longer, but I didn’t care to do so, being content with what I had found and walking to the checkouts… Only for the cashier whose line I had meant to stand in to tell me to go to her coworker, who was free, even though she only had the customer she was already checking out… Which only resulted in lost time, since that other cashier said that her machine froze after she finished scanning the products, and after someone else also had a quick look she ended up sending me back to that first cashier anyway.
After taking some time to arrange the purchases, I went back to retrieve my things from that cabinet and walked back here, the Penny from Decebal still being closed when I passed by it, as were the confectionery and the pastry place that I made a tiny detour in order to check out. So I was back here just before 7:55 AM, put the purchases and the sweet things I had grabbed in the fridge, took the backpacks and some more bags and money… And that also included 30 RON in coins, which I wanted to take to Penny, since they also have a campaign, rewarding those bringing them 30 RON in coins with a 3 RON voucher for purchases of over 30 RON, the problem being that I couldn’t find the terms on their site and when I sent a message to ask I was told to ask in the stores for details. But that was not the first problem, that being that the first stack of 0.01 RON coins collapsed and scattered as I was trying to count it, so it took me a while to find all but one and then lost even more time trying and failing to find that last one. But at least I had several more of those with me, so I eventually gave up and replaced it with one of those, finally leaving again just before 8:50 AM.

On the way to the nearer Penny, I first checked this new bakery and then made a small detour to also have a look inside another one, and then quickly glanced at the two pastry places that are on the way as well. Then I first made sure that the cat litter and treats that were on sale were still available in that Penny and then went to the cashier to ask about that campaign, telling her that I had asked on-line and was told that it was valid until the end of the year but to ask in the store for details, so she first asked the guard, who seemed to mean to say that it was no longer available before she told him that I had been told that it was and that I wouldn’t have come otherwise. But she didn’t seem to know much about it herself, so she called the store manager, even saying that she didn’t want to give me erroneous information by trying to answer, and after he first helped her cancel an item for another customer he told me that it is indeed a 3 RON voucher for 30 RON in coins, and I can just give him the money and receive the voucher right away, along with the 30 RON in bills, and then I can use the voucher when I make a purchase of more than 30 RON. So I gave him the coins, he took them away, and after a while he came back with the voucher, leaving the coins with that cashier and taking the 30 RON in bills from her. It was a little unpleasant that he didn’t return the small bags I had given him the coins in, after splitting them according to value, in order to make them easier to count, but I couldn’t get myself to ask for them, and they weren’t good bags anyway.
Once I had the voucher, I went back inside, but if the original plan was to just take four bags of cat litter and three packs of snacks, the total being a little over 30 RON, I had first changed it in order to add a snack and then decided to change it one more time, giving up on the snack but taking some expiring mascarpone instead, for the pizza I mean to make tonight, even if they only discount expiring products by 30%. And it’s also of their brand and imported, and they also had mozzarella, but that was also of their brand and imported, and it wasn’t expiring, the cost per unit of weight being significantly higher, so I decided to just try using the mascarpone instead, in order to be able to get right back, since I had otherwise meant to check Carrefour and Kaufland as well, either going out again after bringing everything else here or leaving those purchases in cabinets at Penny and coming back for them later… The problem being that, even though Penny lists both the full and the discounted price of expiring products on the discount label, it’s handwritten, the cashier scanning the product normally and then applying the 30% discount, and that mascarpone ended up costing a little more than what was written. So I was surprised when I saw the total, but after having needed to interact so much in order to get that voucher and when I knew that I was going to have to interact some more in order to get the pastries that I meant to get, I didn’t say anything, just taking a fair bit of time in order to stuff one bag of cat litter, the snacks and the mascarpone in the nicer backpack and put the money and the receipt in the pocket of my tights, walking away with another bag of cat litter in one hand and the other two in the sturdier bag.
Just to prove that needing to interact had already messed me up, a little later I realized that I had no idea what I had done with the coin that I had also received as change, ending up turning around after getting halfway across the street, to have another look, in case I had forgotten it there. But I didn’t see it, so I walked away again, later realizing that I had first thrown the money in the backpack and then only took the bills back out of it, so it must have remained in the backpack, which indeed proved to be the case.
After trying to decide what pastries to get and seeing that I could just push my luck a little and get one thing from one of those pastry places as well, spending a little more than I had meant to spend when I had asked dad whether I could buy myself some things after the run but staying within what seemed to be a reasonable amount, I had a better look at what the one which I had initially considered was offering and decided on one thing, but before asking for it I looked at the other place as well, since they’re right next to each other, and saw something that struck me as somewhat better. The problem was that they were still making some of the first batch of products and, while that tray was full, there were no labels yet, so I had to ask what it was and the price, but then I did buy a piece when it was confirmed that it was what I thought it was and the price was the same as that of that other product from the other place. Then I continued to that other bakery, getting two things from there as well, even though one of them is sweet and I’ll leave it for another day, after having so many sweets during the run. And the last stop was that new bakery, getting the two things I had initially decided on and adding one more, which I happened to spot while waiting in line. I received no receipts from any of these three places, of course…
Either way, I was finally back again just before 10:35 AM, having carried 23.5 kg… Plus apparently another half a kilogram of crap, since I was that much lighter after going to the toilet. But I first put the mascarpone and the cat snacks in the fridge, unsuccessfully tried to feed Micky, arranged a few other things, looked for that coin a little more, still unsuccessfully, then finally went to the toilet and washed. Then I spent some time on-line and eventually, after my parents woke up, I told them about the run and also did a few other things, had lunch, in the form of a nectarine, the expired mix of peanuts, raisins and cranberries that I already had, three of those pastries and the “chicken and vegetables” salad, which would actually be a “boeuf” salad and which I had purchased from Carrefour two days earlier. I had initially meant to eat that then, since I had purchased it as an expiring product, the date being June 25, but I eventually decided to leave it for today as well, since it was going to still be good for one more day.
And I’ll also mention here that I talked to my parents about Micky again today, and my mother also pressed dad to take her to a vet, since she also obviously thinks that she’s really unwell and likely dying, at least if we don’t do anything. Dad is very reluctant, and that’s putting it mildly, just blocking off not just the idea that she may need to be put down but even that of attempting a treatment that may kill her because of her age, even if she’s obviously suffering now, but he eventually agreed to take her tomorrow… And then, after I checked her mouth again, what I saw made me even more convinced that at least one problem is coming from there and showed it to mother as well, she said that she won’t leave this evening after all, staying until tomorrow in order to go with him, because she doesn’t trust either him or the vet, since neither of them noticed the problem so far, even though it almost certainly already existed when he last took her to have her nails clipped and was told that she seems fine enough for her age. So now it remains to be seen what will happen.

Some parts from the beginning are good enough, spelling out that Capitalism needs to be replaced urgently and not by going back to other failed systems like Socialism, but by coming up with a new one, making full use of humanity’s level of development, technology and knowledge. However, anyone looking for a vision of a Postcapitalist system and the steps to get there will need to wait until the tenth and final chapter. Or, all right, it can be said that chapter eight includes some good ideas from the past that got lost along the way and at the end of it the author finally, albeit vaguely, gets to what should actually happen, before moving on to some more reasons why the system needs to change in chapter nine.
In between, the book is firmly focused on the past, at best being somewhat interesting from a historical perspective. The pattern is usually to correctly but pointlessly refute some flawed theories from the past before switching to an awfully optimistic view of some current developments, the author occasionally admitting that the change will need to be planned but usually falling into the same trap of wishful thinking as those he points out were so wrong before, being too quick to dismiss the system’s capacity to defend itself and, mainly, having a far too good opinion of the general public, supposedly fighting a small elite that actively works towards causing great harm for their personal gain, when the problems are at all levels of society, if not even worse when it comes to “the people”, as Pratchett was pointing out. In addition, the level of anthropocentrism is terrifying and, while they tend to go in the right direction, even some of the general end goals of that vision of a Postcapitalist system don’t quite go far enough and, either way, the provided details paint a picture of a world that’s halfway there at best, still too anchored in the current system, even presenting some awful aspects as desirable, and maintaining the unfounded belief that most people will just make the right choices.

Rating: 2/5

Since I changed my mind about editing the previous personal post in order to add these parts there, I’ll start this one right after getting back after the run on May 16, when I ate what I could still use out of a banana brought by dad and finished the peanuts that were left, then changed and left again at 7:40 PM… And I was once again caught by the possible owner while taking a picture of a car, or more exactly two pictures of two cars. The contrast between a very expensive and new one and an old one that was so common in its time struck me, seeing them parked so close to each other, so I took those two pictures and meant to take a third, from the other side, but spotted a guy walking with determination towards me and he used a key from the distance to make an alarm beep, and while I’m not sure whether the beep came from the expensive car or not and didn’t turn to look, it seemed like a good idea to skip that third picture and walk away before he reached me.
Then I walked to Obor, first checking Carrefour, just getting two discounted breads for dad, though the price of those had also increased, and using the self-checkout, which at first rejected my bill, but worked on the second try. Then I put the bread in a cabinet once I got to Kaufland, peed and washed my hands, but saw no bakery discounts when I went in, even though it was 9:05 PM. So I looked around for a while, gave up on getting a 2 kg bag of spoiling oranges when someone else grabbed the better one out of the two that I had set aside while I was still looking through the rest, but then found a handful of regular onions, with an evening discount that took them to a price that might have been normal last year, under the crates of red ones, so I picked those that still seemed good enough. I was picking some potatoes, which had a deep evening discount, when bakery discounts were finally announced, so I rushed there and got a few things, including one of those breads, even though it was discounted by 49%, making it a tiny bit more expensive than it had been when I had decided against getting one on May 11. Also got another bread for dad, at full price, since it was still among the cheapest ones available even though its price had also increased, and it was almost 10 PM when I got to the self-checkout, the announcement that the store had closed coming while I was still waiting in line. And I also had to remove my bread from the scales to be able to continue, but was charged correctly. Then, after just quickly arranging the purchases before walking out, I took more time to arrange everything in the bags and backpack before walking away, at 10:15 PM. The backpack ended up being too heavy, however, those rope straps digging into me, so at one point I stopped to move the potatoes to the bag.
I was back here a little before 11:10 PM, ate the sweet pastry which I had bought for myself from Kaufland, drank a bottle of Coca Cola brought by dad, since I just had a little tea left, did a few other things, and it was almost 12:15 AM when I went to the toilet and to shower. I came out of the bathroom an hour later, but still had things to do, and also had to show dad where to go in order to donate those dishes, and he was moving slowly and paying even less attention than he usually does, since he was also watching a match, so it took a while before I finally got back to the kitchen… And I hadn’t even had lunch yet, so I first did that, only starting to eat at 2 AM, then finally got to work on dinner, which I started to eat at 3:20 AM, finishing at 4 AM.

As it often seems to happen after runs, I couldn’t sleep that morning. Did fall asleep at first, but soon woke up with that nasty feeling in both arms and legs and couldn’t get back to sleep. Eventually, just before 6:45 AM, I got back on the computer, played Diggles for a while, got back in bed at 8 AM… And the scenario repeated itself, falling asleep at first but waking up again after a little while. The reason was different, however, since I woke up after dad did and there was a little noise made by him, and also from above, and I was also worried and annoyed that he’ll throw away the cats’ food again. So I’m not sure if I even caught another little nap before he left, at almost 1:30 PM, and then, since there was some noise coming from outside as well, I definitely didn’t manage to fall asleep again until I finally cut my losses and got up, after another hour.
I was so tired, and feeling increasingly out of it as time passed, the fact that I didn’t have lunch either, waiting to make mamaliga after dad left again in the evening, definitely not helping. But at least I managed to nap a little more in the evening, albeit for under one hour, if not even under 45 minutes, and then really stuffed myself at night… Which meant needing to keep getting up to pee, and if at first I fell asleep quickly and then also got back to sleep right away, this also happening after dad got back, after getting up yet again, a little before 7:45 AM, with him still awake and typing loudly, and I think also eating, at least at one point, I couldn’t get back to sleep again and at 8:10 AM I got back on the computer for a while, getting back in bed a little before 9:20 AM.

Moving on to the next run, that was on May 24, but in the evening, being supposed to count as practice for this summer’s Dream Trek, so I didn’t set an alarm and it was almost 3:30 PM when I got up, though I had been awake for a while at that point. Then I changed into the full running gear right away and, after the apple, I decided to actually have lunch. After that, I put on the running belt as well, with some things in it, and ended up spending quite some time trying to figure out how I had managed to tighten it more than it’d normally allow, probably finding a slightly different way, which looks worse but might actually be better, being less likely to come undone. Then I also had a slice of cozonac, with added honey, and left a little after 7:40 PM, when the reported temperature was around 20°C, being supposed to drop by 1-2°C by the time I’ll finish. It was very cloudy, however, and it had drizzled a little.
The time was 46:22.76, with sector times of 4:03.17, 4:59.81, 5:44 (5:43.28), 4:21.22, 4:55 (4:54.78), 5:44 (5:43.88), 4:19 (4:18.91), 4:53.43, 5:43.28 and 1:41.00, making for lap times of 14:46.26, 15:00 (14:59.88) and 14:55.62. I’ll go with those numbers for sectors two and three of lap two, not even adding question marks, but by the time I wrote down the times, at night, I noticed that I had a problem there, since I was remembering a second more for sector two, and also thinking that the first two sectors of that lap added up to exactly 9:17, which didn’t add up, as I also remember thinking that sector three of lap two was fractions of a second slower than that of lap one. Whenever I ran through the numbers, including while showering, it seemed to add up correctly, but my mind either kept playing tricks until then or, more likely, it suddenly decided to do so when I finally wrote down the times. But I do seem to remember 02.26, for seconds and hundredths, and actually noticing that a digit was repeating, after that sector two. Not that it’s surprising that I have a problem there, because I couldn’t look at the time right away after that sector two, needing to keep my eyes on the people coming from the opposite direction, so I couldn’t see the time when the seconds were large, needing to wait for a spot with better light to have a look at the interval time, listed with small characters, at which point I saw the hundredths better, being at the end, and actually remember thinking that I risked just remembering those and not the more important seconds. Plus that after that sector I decided to stop memorizing both values, as in the exact time as well as just the seconds, and just memorize the exact time, which might have mixed some things up in my mind.
I was just aiming to stay under 48 minutes, but felt so good at first that I pushed from the start and, while towards the end of the long straight of sector one I couldn’t keep it up anymore, I was so fast until then that the result was a second 4:03 sector one… Which could have been 4:02 without some minor issues caused by people. Then I tried to stay under 15 minutes on the first lap, which I managed by some margin, making me think that I could slow down a fair bit and still stay under 48 minutes. It was only after sector two of lap two that I started thinking of staying under 47 minutes, which became the clear target after the end of the lap, and if after sector one of lap three I was thinking that I had to lose less compared to five minutes on sector two than I’d expect to gain compared to six minutes on sector three, I was surprised to see that I was already clear after sector two, and that it was actually the fastest sector two of the day. That made me think that I could take it easier on sector three, but at the same time I didn’t want to risk going over six minutes… And ended up with a sector three that precisely matched the exact time of the one on lap one and a time after three laps that gave me a chance to stay under 46:30, if I could push like crazy on the final sector. So that was what I did, not only managing to stay safely under 46:30 but also obtaining the second fastest final sector ever. I didn’t think that I still had that much in me! Either way, it was my third fastest time over this distance, and the exact times would make it another run with all laps under 15 minutes, but it won’t get listed as such, since if I just look at the seconds, I covered lap two in exactly 15 minutes.
That previous drizzle meant that parts of the lane were wet and difficult and the clouds meant that I had less light than I thought I’d have, so I finished just before sunset but had to look for spots where I could see the time better, maybe slowing just a tiny bit a few times because of that, and probably a little more on sector three of lap two, since I couldn’t look when it’d have been easier to see, as I already mentioned. But people weren’t really a problem in general, though they did cost me the chance to get that 4:02 on the first sector, since I had to slow a little on the long straight, being uncertain which way to go around some, and then had to go the long way around others in the last turn. Otherwise, however, the only mental note I made of an issue that went beyond just weaving or going the long way around was needing to avoid a kid on a bicycle on sector one of lap two, maybe stopping for just an instant to do so. On the other hand, there were some physical problems, usually appearing on sector two, feeling the need to snap my back and being unable to on lap one and lunch not seeming to be sitting well and my right knee also starting to give some warnings on lap two, though both of these problems gradually went away after that, while on lap three my left ankle gave a few warnings as well. But what made me worry for a moment was when, on sector one of lap three, my heart felt somewhat strange. But maybe that feeling was also caused by my back, and I tried to sort of snap it for a while, which seemed to do the trick even though I still couldn’t really do that properly.

I went to that Carrefour after the run, putting on the mask after entering that mall, and just got two bags of microwave popcorn for dad. Then I made a small detour to a pharmacy on the way to Kaufland, looking for some teas for dad and another one of those nose sprays for myself, but they didn’t have one of the teas, so I just bought the other things… And the cashier struck me as being bothered by the fact that I had a mask. None of them were wearing one, but the one who was dealing with me asked what I wanted multiple times, saying that she wasn’t understanding, in particular when I was asking for the spray, until another one told her.
Once I got to Kaufland, I put the purchases in a cabinet and washed my hands, but could just grab a bun from the bakery area, since it was almost cleared of discounted products by then. However, there was discounted garlic, so I got some, as well as the single banana that still looked good enough from the pile of deeply discounted but otherwise bad ones, plus quite a few breads for dad. It was some five minutes before closing time when I had a look at the lines for the self-checkouts, but then went to have a quick look through the refrigerated expiring products, not finding anything interesting, before returning there, so I took my place in line moments before the announcement that the store had closed… And the lines were moving slowly, and the woman behind me kept trying to push her basket ahead of me, on one side or the other, so I was putting a foot in front of it whenever she did that, and eventually managed to make her stop doing it by moving in order to stand right in front of her when, after leaning to the side in order to grab some cat food of their brand, I found her alongside me, with the basket next to the person who was ahead. Either way, I had to take the garlic and the banana off the scales in order to be able to continue, but was charged correctly, then retrieved my things from the cabinet, took some time to arrange everything in the bags and was walking away at 10:20 PM.
After another small detour, to quickly check a Mega Image for discounted bakery products or cakes, leaving my things in a cabinet without locking the door for the brief time I spent inside, since I didn’t find anything interesting, I was back here at 10:55 PM. Then I ate that banana and an entire chocolate figurine we had, just that figurine containing some 50 grams of sugar… Also had the yogurt and cereals which I hadn’t eaten before leaving, without almonds, and put some of the purchases in their place before going to the bathroom, at 12:15 AM. I was only wasting time on the toilet, however, so after a while I gave up on that, showered and was finally out at 1:20 AM. In spite of that, and of still having things to wash and also slicing two of the breads for dad, I somehow managed to stick to the dinner schedule.

Moving on to May 27, when I turned the monitor on after waking up, my mouse wasn’t moving the pointer anymore, though clicks were registering, and I had used it just before going to bed, after all. Unplugging it and plugging it back in solved the issue, though I then also rebooted, for good measure, but it was strange, and an even more serious reason for concern, after the fact that it had also started double clicking quite frequently again. And the double clicking is now getting worse and there also seem to be moments when a left click doesn’t register, but at least that problem didn’t repeat itself so far, so that’s all I have to say about it at the moment. And, even though the part about that other order started before I went to bed on the morning of May 28 and it’s probably an abandoned matter for now, remaining to be seen whether the price will get low enough again for another attempt, so I could consider it over for the time being and include it here, I decided to yet again leave it for another time, so this section will just be about going out again that evening. After having cleaned the stove top the previous evening, which again only took me about an hour but nevertheless really tired me, the plan was to just rest that day, but the forecast for the following evening was listing storms and I didn’t want to risk it.
As such, I was out a couple of minutes after 7:30 PM, taking the paper, which I dropped off in a bin on the way. I didn’t put a mask on at first, and even entered another location of that pharmacy without it on, making that little detour to ask whether that tea which I hadn’t been able to get three days earlier was available there. And it was, so I got that, then went to the Carrefour from the park, finally putting the mask on when I got on the escalator but not bothering to use a cabinet, just going in with the teas in the backpack… And then back out, since I didn’t get anything.
I made another tiny detour on the way to the newer Kaufland, to that Mega Image, just going in and out, again with the teas in the backpack, since I just checked the expiring products and didn’t find anything interesting. I also had a quick look in the little store that’s next to that Mega Image, just out of curiosity, and then also checked Penny, again not bothering to use a cabinet… And again not buying anything, since I wanted cabbage but couldn’t find any, so I just looked around for a little while and then went back out.
I didn’t bother to use a cabinet for those teas at Kaufland either, so I washed my hands and went in, seeing some evening discounts even though it wasn’t 9 PM yet and getting some things from the bakery area, including the last bread of that kind. Even though that evening discount wasn’t particularly high at that moment, I also got a lettuce, then wandered around and grabbed a few other things. At 9:30 PM it was announced that the discount had increased to 75% for some bakery products, but the labels weren’t changed, so I waited for 9:45 PM before making my way to the self-checkout and it was only there that I found out that the increased discount didn’t apply to that bread or the sweet pastry I had bought, but did apply to the other things… And also that the discount for the lettuce had increased. But, before getting that far, I had to call an employee, since I started with the tarragon and after placing the second sachet on the scales the machine told me to scan it first, and removing it didn’t fix the problem, probably because it weighed so little, which tends to be a problem with spices. Either way, I finished scanning just when it was announced that the store had closed, so I walked out right away but then stopped for a moment in order to arrange the purchases in the backpack and bag, walking away at 10:05 PM.
After having a quick look, just from the door, in the nearby Mega Image, I was back a little after 10:45 PM. Then I ate that sweet pastry, but went to the toilet and showered before having lunch, so it was almost 12:55 AM when I started eating that and 20 minutes later when I finished. But I still just managed to stick to the dinner schedule, and that was despite also having that bread and the worse leaves of the lettuce to deal with.

I ran again on May 30, so I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and had the usual stuff plus almonds. The sweet thing was uncommon, however, since I decided to have an expired cereal and fruit bar, with added honey. Either way, I went out at 4:15 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 25°C, holding steady.
The time was 1:17:16, but I somehow forgot to check at the end of sector one of lap one, so I just know that the time for the first two sectors was 9:25.85. Based on the time I saw when I remembered to look and how long it took me to get there on lap two, the sector times were probably around 4:21 and 5:04, but that estimate can be off by a couple of seconds in either direction and I decided to not take it into account, just leaving that total. Then, from sector three of lap one, the times were 5:55 (5:54.94), 4:28 (4:27.53), 5:06.07, 5:55.40, 4:37.00, 5:13.00, 5:56.16, 4:31 (4:30.31), 5:13 (5:12.75), 5:58, 4:26, 4:54 and 5:39, making for lap times of 15:20.79, 15:29.00, 15:46.16, 15:42 and 14:59. There was no reason to check and memorize all the exact times until the time went past one hour and they were no longer displayed, but I guess I was overcompensating for missing that first one.
I was aiming to stay under 1:18 but felt rather tired when I started, so I didn’t want to push harder right away despite realizing that I was rather slow on that first sector. And things didn’t look that good after the first two sectors, the time for the first lap was barely all right, after two laps it seemed that I didn’t have enough of a buffer, and on lap three I felt the heat getting to me even if it wasn’t exactly hot, so I was thinking that I was heading towards 1:20 and getting ready to accept that, especially after losing ten seconds compared to the 1:18 pace on that third lap. But I pushed on lap four, wanting to at least still be on pace for 1:18 at the end of it, and what I managed meant that I needed an identical time on lap five in order to just make it. So I really went for it, even more so after sector one, and the result was amazing, getting under 15 minutes on lap five.
The lane was breaking up at the end of the last sector one straight, before the last turn, and that was also what my mind was actually on when I forgot to check the time at the end of the first sector. Otherwise, I almost stopped, or maybe actually did stop for an instant, on the long straight of sector two of lap two, because I tried to go left when another runner, who was also on the lane and coming from the opposite direction, moved in the same direction, and the person who was to the left of the lane moved closer to it, leaving me no room. And then, just as I was accelerating again at the end of that straight, I had to fight what was probably the worst gust of wind of the day, though it was usually windy in that spot, and I also felt the wind on the long sector one straight on the first two laps, and to some extent at the start of sector three as well. Back to sector two, it was also there, but on lap five and in the turn that’s before that long straight, when I slowed a lot, or again perhaps stopped for just an instant, when a cyclist came from the opposite direction, not just on the running lane but also holding a fishing pole and not even looking ahead! And I actually saw that guy again since then, behaving in the same manner… Back to that day, bugs or poplar fluff, or maybe even small leaves, kept getting into my eyes. And the heat was quite a problem, rather breaking me on lap three and making me wonder what I’ll do in the coming months if I couldn’t manage three good laps at 25°C.
What helped at the end was that it was cloudy on sector three of lap five, or possibly starting from some point on sector two, even though that last sector three was also windier. And two other runners helped as well. The first was a guy whom I ended up sort of racing for quite some time, after he first approached from behind towards the end of lap three, overtaking me and pulling ahead early on lap four. However, he stopped for a little while on what for me is sector three, resuming his run after I passed him, staying behind or alongside me until early on lap five, then overtaking me again, but not for long, since I quickly pulled level again and around the end of sector one or the start of sector two I overtook him again and soon after that he was no longer behind me, so he either stopped for good or went out of the park. But another runner appeared ahead of me just at the end and I pushed to overtake him too, just managing to do so before the end, that quite clearly being how I managed to just stay under 15 minutes on that last lap.

This, including this paragraph, is how far I got before midnight, so I edited the post later in order to also add the part about the rest of May 30, even if I only managed to do so Tuesday evening, since I wanted to finish the month in this post. However, I first wanted to add right here that yesterday I cleaned my room a little, apparently after a good three months, also changing the sheets and even washing the windows, albeit not that well and only on the inside in case of the one that doesn’t open. And last evening I also finally shaved my head again. Since it’s almost two years since the last time I mentioned doing so, I wonder if it’s really been that long or I did it one more time since then but didn’t mention it… Or mentioned it in a way that doesn’t show up on a quick search, since I doubt I wouldn’t mention something like this. But it had clearly been a long time, and I do recall thinking about doing it again but always deciding against it last summer, so maybe it really has been that long.

Returning to May 30, after getting back I saw that the notification that some pills ordered for dad were ready to be picked up had arrived just five minutes after I had left to run, so if I’d have known I’d have taken the order number and the money with me, that location of that pharmacy being on the way. As it was, seeing as that location closes at 7 PM and, while I was going to go out again that evening, I didn’t want to do so immediately, I left it for another time, and in fact dad went to pick them up after a few days. So I finished the tea, made another, had some walnuts… And jabbed the knife used to open them into my left hand, so the cut was small but quite deep.
It was 7:50 PM when I left again, going to Obor and first checking Carrefour, looking for eggs and finding bio (organic) ones among those sold by piece. They weren’t discounted, but since it hasn’t yet increased, even the full price of those eggs is now very good, and even more so when you can find bio (organic) ones among them, so I searched until I got the ten of those. Then I also saw 2 kg bags of oranges that were discounted by 50% because they were spoiling, but one didn’t look too bad, so I got it, along with four breads for dad, also discounted by 50%. Those breads weren’t in the self-serve part of the bakery area and no employee was there to give them to me, but after waiting for a while I reached over and managed to pick them up myself, though two of them required a bit of effort. Then I used the self-checkout, asking the guard about those oranges, at which point he called over the employee who was in that area she entered the discount, and also asked, quite surprised, if I had known the code for the eggs, and I said that I searched for it and asked whether she wanted to check that there were ten of them, but she said that she won’t count eggs. Oddly, she then asked whether I was all right, I don’t know why, but there were no problems.
Then I rushed to Kaufland, but first just to put those purchases in a cabinet, since I then rushed away again. It was already past 9:20 PM, so I jogged part of the way to that Penny, found what I was looking for, then rushed back to Kaufland, added the new purchases in the cabinet, washed my hands and finally went in when it was almost 9:45 PM. The bakery discounts were staying at 50%, but I grabbed a few things, then checked the expiring products, not finding anything interesting. However, one of the two packs of that yogurt that were left looked almost all right, so I grabbed it, then looked for other evening discounts, seeing that there had been nice ones for carrots and onions, but they were all gone at that point, so I just got the few decent potatoes that were left… And saw that their 1 kg bags of oranges were discounted by 60%, matching the price per kilogram of those spoiling ones from Carrefour, and they looked good, so I grabbed one of those as well. And I managed to do all of that before the announcement that the store had closed, which came just as I was making my way to the self-checkouts. There was a bit of a line, but I had no problems with the machine, then retrieved my things from the cabinet, at first just taking a little time to put everything in bags, obviously being careful with the eggs, before stopping again in order to actually arrange everything in the backpack and bags after walking out.
I was walking away from there at 10:15 PM, but I stopped again a little later, to arrange what I had in the bag a little differently, and then yet again, trying to find a safer way to hold the eggs… And almost dropping them instead. But I managed to catch the bag and finally got back here a little after 11:05 PM, just threw the yogurt and the eggs in the fridge, quickly went to take a shower, not going to the toilet first, to get out before midnight, then went to do something in my room… And burned the tips of both of my thumbs. Just a little in case of the left one, so that wasn’t a problem, but I even ended up with a little blister on the right one. Either way, I then got back to the kitchen, put some more of the purchases in their place, started eating lunch at 1 AM, finished after 15 minutes, then washed what I had to wash and also ate something sweet. However, even if I only started working on dinner after doing all of that, I still managed to stick to the schedule, and then even put the rest of the purchases in their place before going to bed.
Speaking of going to bed, I fell asleep well enough, but at 7:40 AM I woke up to pee and couldn’t get back to sleep. A little after 8:30 AM I gave up for the moment and got on the computer, and after half an hour went to the toilet, something rumbling in my abdomen, maybe caused by something brought by dad which I had eaten as part of that late lunch. It wasn’t the first time he brought that dish, made by someone he knows, and it tastes good, but I seem to remember that it always caused a lot of gas, and that time around it seemed to be more than that. Either way, dad woke up while I was on the toilet, and then loud noises starting coming from the neighbors, some work apparently being done, so I stayed up and only got back in bed a little after 1 PM. It was around 4:40 PM when I got up again, but I wonder if I even got two hours of sleep during that time.

If this wouldn’t have been the pattern all along, and if he wouldn’t have been such a firm supporter of the status quo and of the big players who profit from it at the expense of everyone and everything else all along, propped up solely by good PR and the fact that the notable alternatives that exist on the French political scene are even more terrible, the way Macron keeps fighting on Putin‘s side would be unbelievable by now. I mean, after humiliating himself by saying that Putin must not be humiliated, now, during his visit to Romania, he said that Ukraine must negotiate with Russia, which can only mean giving up even more of its territory, and possibly more than that, in exchange for the conflict becoming frozen for some more time, until Russia will regain its strength and push forward yet again.
On the other hand, we also have Stoltenberg, who instead of leading the fight against such dirty tactics is now saying that Turkey’s concerns over Sweden and Finland wanting to join NATO are legitimate, openly becoming an advocate of the tyrant within NATO that is Erdogan, who’s seizing the opportunity to resort to open blackmail in order to further his agenda.
Compared to those statements coming from those who, if they’d in any way care to rise to the demands of the positions they currently hold, would be expected to have completely opposite stances, the fact that the Pope has said that Russia was perhaps provoked into starting this war is barely worth mentioning. After all, while he also has good PR that may fool many, one shouldn’t really expect someone in his position to actually be on the right side when it really comes down to it.
But it must be pointed out that it’s not just these supposedly great leaders, who should be burying their heads in shame before Zelenskyy, who are the problem here. As always, the bigger problem are the people, who are already pushing in increasing numbers for an end to the conflict regardless of what Ukraine, and most likely not only Ukraine, will have to sacrifice for it, being less and less willing to pay the price of justice, once again returning to the typical defining traits of humanity, selfishness and shortsightedness. You’d think that at least such an obvious threat from an external enemy would bring some lasting unity, but in fact the more dangerous enemies are here, from the highest to the lowest levels of society.