Since I obviously didn’t even touch that game review again and today I even started reading a long book that I wonder if I’ll even finish next month, I’ll sort out the problem of the week’s second post with some more odds and ends that are already written, this time covering what was left of the spring of 2025, starting with March 7, when I was once again woken up by a neighbor’s drilling, and while for quite some time I was just too exhausted to crawl out of bed and caught a few more brief and agitated naps, I eventually got up and, several minutes after 1:30 PM, I went out, taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol and picking up some more on the way to Obor. And, since I walked there at an early hour, I also passed by that recycling center that I knew offered something for glass while it was open, but I no longer saw glass listed and couldn’t get myself to walk in and ask.
Either way, I then went straight to Kaufland and put the recyclables in the machine, but I had one more of the kind that was “eaten” the previous time and the same thing happened that day. On the other hand, after I was done I noticed that one of the recyclables which had been left right in front of that machine also had the deposit symbol and it was accepted right away, so I ended up with a second voucher. Then I washed my hands, using the room for disabled people, since both sinks from the men’s were in use at that moment, and looked for green onions as soon as I entered the store… Only to not even find any at that hour, and they were even supposed to be on sale those days. So I asked the employee from that area and he confirmed that they didn’t have any, saying that there are supply problems, and when I pointed out that they’re guaranteed to be available he said that there’s no guarantee, as proven by the very fact that they don’t have them, but when I said that in that case I’ll ask for that 10 RON voucher he said that, as far as he’s concerned, I’m welcome to get one for each product on the list, since it’s not taken out of his money. So, after seeing that I shouldn’t have already bought the expiring sour cream and the things that I meant to put on the pizza that I wanted to make that evening, since cheaper or better options were among the expiring products from there at that point, I just bought two more of those cheap yogurts, cashed in the vouchers… And stole some biscuits, to make up for that “eaten” recyclable and what little I was yet to recover from the past. And then I asked for that 10 RON voucher, but was told that I needed to have made purchases of at least 10 RON in order to receive it, so I walked away, meaning to get back there later.
Green onions were also on sale at Carrefour those days, and while I knew that they were small and the price was slightly higher than what they should have had at Kaufland, I went there next, entering with everything and getting a bundle that at least looked fresh, plus some more cat food. And then I continued to Auchan, picking up a few more recyclables, including a crushed can that I managed to straighten surprisingly well on the way, once again entering with everything, putting those recyclables in the machine, and getting an expiring bread and some biscuits for dad, also using the voucher received for those recyclables when I paid.
After putting everything in the backpack, I went back to Kaufland, picking up two more recyclables on the way and finding three more discarded next to the machine, one of which was accepted right away, along with those which I had found. But the other two should have been accepted as well, the only potential issue being that they had no caps, and when I put a cap that I spotted there on one of them it was indeed accepted, so I ended up with a second voucher, but I couldn’t spot a second discarded cap, so I put that last recyclable in a cabinet, along with the purchases, before washing my hands again and buying a 5 kg bag of salt for dad and some expiring cookies, so the total would be over 10 RON and allow me to ask for that 10 RON voucher again. However, a different employee was at the information desk at that point and at first she said that green onions weren’t among the products that are guaranteed to be available, but after I pointed them out on the list she called for an employee from the vegetable area, so I retrieved my things from the cabinet while waiting and then the same guy whom I had asked earlier showed up and confirmed that they hadn’t had green onions at least since his shift had started… But then she didn’t seem to know what to do next, another employee coming and teaching her, and eventually handing me the voucher.
After arranging my things, I decided to use another route to get back, picking up some more recyclables but taking longer, both because I walked at least half a kilometer more and because I stopped and looked around when I reached a few intersections, trying to get my bearings. Either way, I also quickly checked the nearby Mega Image when I got here, just putting the bag with some of the purchases in a cabinet and going to glance at the expiring products, but since I didn’t see anything interesting and the recycling machine was in use, I didn’t wait, just retrieving that bag and walking back out.
I was finally at the door at 6:20 PM, then cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, put most of the purchases in their place, and washed a few things in the kitchen, after dad had cooked. But he also wanted to take a bath that evening, so I went to shower first, then put the remaining purchases in their place, ate an orange and a lollipop, washed what was left in the kitchen and cleaned up a little, and eventually made a sort of pizza for both of us, starting with his, so he’ll be able to eat it before going to bed, eating a yogurt with cereals while working on that, finally eating mine, as lunch, between 12:50 AM and 1:10 AM, and then I still managing to stick to the dinner schedule… Yet I ended up getting in bed at 5:20 AM.
On March 12 I confirmed that my door started opening on its own… But I couldn’t do much about that at that point, so I did the day’s squats, ate lunch, and eventually went out, at 8 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol. And I had dad’s metro card, so I took the metro to Kaufland Basarab, but the recycling machine wasn’t working when I got there, so I left those recyclables in a cabinet and grabbed the yogurt and biscuits that I had gone there for before the evening discounts appeared for vegetables. Then I grabbed the last two bundles of radishes that were left, or more exactly one bundle and a part of another plus some scattered radishes that probably added up to a little more than a second bundle, a lettuce and some potatoes, and after wandering around, also taking some bread for my parents, at full price, and waiting to see whether more discounts would appear or increase, which happened in case of the lettuce, I added two small peppers for dad, albeit also at full price. Then, after a woman asked me to scan my store card for her as well and I used the physical one, the closing announcement came just as I was about to finish using the self-checkout machine, but I still took my time to arrange the purchases before retrieving those recyclables and going to put them in the machine, which was working again at that point. And, after splitting those few on two vouchers, to know which were dad’s, I noticed another recyclable as I walked away, so I picked it up and went back to put that one in as well, ending up with a third voucher. And then I took the metro back, picking up some more recyclables on the way and deciding to also check the nearby Mega Image when I got here, putting just a bag in a cabinet, without locking, but having the guard ask me to hurry up as I checked the expiring products, so I just retrieved that bag and walked out.
I got back a couple of minutes before 11 PM, then selected the radish leaves that still seemed usable, put the purchases in their place, ate an apple and a sweet pastry that I already had, washed what was in the kitchen, and at 1 AM I went to wash myself, being done a few minutes after 1:30 AM. And then I talked to dad for a while, eventually also tried to clean something in the bathroom, and ate dinner between 3:40 AM and 4:15 AM. And, after cleaning the litter box and feeling a bitter taste in my mouth when I rinsed it after washing my hands and face, which made me worry that I hadn’t washed them properly, and then also killing a large cockroach in the kitchen, it was 5:25 AM when I went to bed.
After getting up I tried to work out a way to at least temporarily fix my door, while later I cooked, ending up eating a late lunch and, in part because of that and in part because shortly before midnight I noticed that my Internet access was down while dad’s, as in the new one, still worked just fine and after he went to bed I plugged my computer into the other router and checked some things, I started eating dinner at 3:15 AM, but I still managed to finish at 3:40 AM, though I then got in bed at 5:20 AM. And I’ll also mention here that no visits were recorded on March 13… And that the reason why my Internet access was down was that dad hadn’t paid it, and it’s connected to one of his mobile numbers and when I asked he said that the number still worked, so that couldn’t be the reason. But he apparently hadn’t even checked, telling me after he paid it that he just thought that it worked, only actually trying to use it in the morning, at which point he found that the number was also blocked and realized what the problem was. But at least he did pay it early in the afternoon and by the time I got up it worked normally again.
On March 26, after doing the day’s squats, I went out at 7 PM, dropping off a small bag of trash on the way, since I had also cleaned the litter box, and taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol to the nearby Mega Image. The machine was full before I was done, but the guy who was there emptied it right away and I could continue, being left with three that weren’t accepted and one that I didn’t even try at that point. Then I cashed in that voucher and continued to Titan, also quickly checking the nearby Shop & Go and picking up another recyclable on the way, putting it, that one which I hadn’t tried at the other location and one of those which had been refused in the machine from the Mega Image from there, though the other two still weren’t accepted, so I entered with them and bought some of the cat food that was on sale. And then I continued to that Penny, the recycling machine from there stating that it had no container for that type of recyclable when I tried one of those remaining two there as well, so I put my things in a cabinet and just got some salty pretzels and three buns. I used a glove to take those buns, since I had nowhere to wash my hands first, and I’m pretty sure that it was the first time when I made use of their evening discounts for bakery products, which are only of 30% but became a good option for cheap buns since Kaufland stopped discounting them.
After retrieving my things and putting the new purchases in the backpack, I continued to Kaufland Basarabia, walking in the rain, dad calling at one point while I was on the way, and then trying one of those remaining recyclables there as well, not being surprised when it didn’t work, since it was one that I picked up on the day when I pissed myself after someone else had discarded it there because it wasn’t being accepted. So I put my things in a cabinet, peed and washed my hands, entered the store at 8:55 PM, and got a lettuce and a bundle of green garlic, both having evening discounts, albeit not really great ones. Then I added an expiring yogurt that really was deeply discounted and some olives and beeped dad to ask him about another expiring product, taking one of those as well after he called back and said that he would want it. And then I waited to see whether the evening discounts would increase, but they didn’t, so I just wasted some time and ended up still using the self-checkout when the closing announcement came, meaning that I had to leave by the emergency exit after retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging everything. And then I tried to put those remaining recyclables in the machine again, still without success, but at that point I also realized that the label from that other plastic bottle had been glued on. It had been glued very well, but it was obviously loose otherwise and at that point I finally realized why, the brand matching the bottle and the cap, but the label being for 2.5 liters and the bottle definitely being much smaller, maybe 1.5 liters if I’d try to guess. So I removed the label and kept it, discarding the bottle.
On the way back, I also went to that Mega Image, which also offered me another break from being in the rain, which was even worse at that point. And, after putting my things in a cabinet, I reached the expiring products area just when those discounted by 90% were being placed there, so I grabbed the one box of salad leftovers, even though they just dump whatever’s left in the self-serve trays at that hour, often mixed together, in those boxes, so it’s impossible to really know the ingredients. And several pretty nice breads had that same discount, so I took most of those as well, for dad, calculating how much room we had in the freezer and leaving a couple… And at the checkout I was surprised to be told a lower total than what I had calculated, so I wondered whether there had been an additional discount, but when I checked the receipt I realized that the cashier hadn’t added one of the breads, or hadn’t realized that the machine hadn’t done so, since there were two of that kind and I saw her scan one and then touch the screen the same way she had in order to add more of the other kind, of which I had taken four. But I wasn’t going to let her know, so I arranged the new purchases, retrieved what I had in the cabinet and made my way back, picking up a few more recyclables. And at one point I passed by an old woman with bandaged hands who was sitting in that rain, but I unfortunately only thought to at least give her that bread which hadn’t been paid for several minutes later and I didn’t go back to do so. And, in fact, I could have bought those remaining breads as well, specifically in order to give them away, since there is that amount that I want to give away and this would have been a particularly effective way to do it, but that didn’t cross my mind at the time either.
It was almost 11:25 PM when I got back, then I put the purchases, except the bread and buns, in their place, also checked what dad had brought and arranged those things as well, ate an orange and something sweet, washed what was in the kitchen, and it was 2 AM when I finally went to wash myself, being done a little more than 40 minutes later. Then I put the buns in the fridge as well, took some more of that medicine that’s expired for over a year, just in case, dealt with most of those salad leftovers to some extent, took a first bite of lunch at 3:40 AM but only actually started eating, on and off, around 4 AM, finished lunch at 4:30 AM, and then ate dinner between 4:35 AM and 5:15 AM. I got in bed at 6:55 AM.
On March 28, I went out at 2:55 PM, going to the nearest Penny, dropping a small bag with what I had cleaned from the litter box down the chute and the regular recyclables in a recycling bin on the way and putting those with the deposit symbol, including one which I had picked up on the way, in the machine from there, even that one which hadn’t been accepted elsewhere being accepted. However, they were already out of the cooking oil which had gone on sale that day that I had mainly gone there for, and I even asked an employee and she said that none was left, but also that they don’t have sales starting on Friday and I must be confusing the store, so I grabbed a catalog from the entrance and when I saw her again I showed it to her… By which point I had also asked another employee, who started laughing before saying that it must have been bought early and told me to come back in the morning, in case they’ll get more then. But I had two of those 3 RON vouchers that required a total of 30 RON and had to be used by March 31, and there were other things that I could get, so I grabbed some that put the total just over 30 RON and used one, along with the one received for the recyclables. The cashier asked how long had I been holding on to that voucher and initially read January 31 on it and said that it should have been used by then, but that was the date by which one could be obtained, so I showed her that on the back it said that it could be used until March 31, yet even after confirming that it worked she still asked why had I held on to it so long and said that if I waited a little longer it’d have expired, so I said that I usually buy few things from Penny, not adding up to 30 RON, and asked why not hold on to it when I still had a few more days.
I got back the first time at 3:55 PM, then put most of the purchases in their place, ate lunch, did the day’s squats, and later, a couple of minutes after 7 PM, I left again, going to Penny Titan, where I did find that cooking oil, and in order to once again get the total just over 30 RON and use the last of those 3 RON vouchers, I added a bun, which at that point had the 30% evening discount and which I picked up with one of those tongs, since I didn’t take a glove, though those tongs are probably dirtier than anything. Either way, that cashier also took a long look at that voucher, turned it over, since I had placed it with the back on top, and pointed out the January 31 date written on the front, so I once again pointed to the actual date that it had to be used by and she saw with what seemed to be some surprise that it did work, though at least she didn’t make any other comments… But the guard did, stopping me and asking to see what I had in my pockets, so I took out the empty bags that I had there and he quickly patted my jacket as well, asking whether I had anything in it while asking me to not get upset, and repeating that after he was done and even picking up my purchases and those empty bags, since I had dropped everything, and offering to place them somewhere, so I could arrange them, but I just told him that I wasn’t upset and took everything back.
Since I had dad’s metro card, even if it was no longer read and needed to be shown in order to be allowed in, I then took the metro to Obor, picking up a recyclable before entering the station and two more while waiting for the metro, and trying but failing to put the purchases in the backpack, so I eventually just put them in a bag. And then I put the recyclables in the machine from Carrefour, washed my hands, put the purchases in a cabinet, and got a carton of expiring eggs, replacing a few cracked ones with others from another of the same kind, and a little garlic, by which point I was relieved to see that the bakery discounts had already been made, so I added two breads and two of those apple pastries, which I was really surprised to find. And I also used the remaining voucher received for previous purchases when I paid, and then retrieved my things and arranged everything a little.
I then continued to Kaufland, picking up another recyclable from one of the bins from the entrance and putting it in the machine, though another one which had been discarded there wouldn’t be accepted, even though it should have been, so I kept it, adding it in a cabinet, along with the purchases, before entering the store a couple of minutes before 9:30 PM, and getting a few bundles of wild garlic, carrots, potatoes, and some bananas, all of these having evening discounts. And the closing announcement came while I was using the self-checkout, but then I retrieved my things and took my time to arrange everything properly, walking out when it was almost 10:10 PM, spotting a cart with the coin in it and connecting it to another and retrieving the coin, and taking the metro back, picking up a few more recyclables after walking out of the metro station here.
I got back just before 10:40 PM, with 14 kg. Then I cleaned up a little after dad in the kitchen, also cleaned the litter box and went to drop another small bag of trash down the chute, and noticed that dad had splashed the kitchen TV with something and took out the screen cleaning spray, after who knows how long, to clean it, after which I also cleaned dad’s monitor to some extent, though some of the dirt wouldn’t come off easily and I didn’t want to press on it, and then cleaned my monitor as well. Then I ate a banana and one of the apple pastries, washed the few things that were in the kitchen, put most of the purchases in their place, and it was past 1:40 AM when I finally went to take a shower, the water being rather uncomfortable even for that. It was close to 2:10 AM when I was done, and then I also dealt with one of my breads, selected the wild garlic, using the worse leaves for the salad, and finally ate dinner between 4:15 AM and 4:50 AM and got in bed at 6:30 AM.
On the morning of April 7, I got in bed at 5:20 AM… And a little before 8:10 AM I woke up with quite a cramp in my right thigh. Either way, after doing the day’s squats, eating lunch and killing a few more ants which had appeared again around the door to dad’s bedroom, I went out a little after 6:20 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, after also straightening a rather crushed one which I had picked up. And, while I rushed to Obor, I still picked up a few more, though two were crushed and one didn’t seem like it could be straightened, so I didn’t even try, thinking that I’ll place its label on one without the symbol which I had also happened to pick up and held on to.
The reason for rushing, however, was that I wanted to reach the farmers’ market before it closed, at 7 PM, and I managed that, being there at 6:10 PM and getting apples. I first got some from the same place as before, saying that I wanted two kilograms of that same kind that’s sold at 2.5 RON / kg and the guy initially asking whether I wanted him to give me some from a crate from another stall, at 2 RON / kg, which I guess meant that he sold there as well, but after I agreed he ended up just discounting the ones that I had asked for and giving me 2.5 kg of those for 5 RON. And then I spotted another place with similar apples at 2 RON / kg and asked for 2.5 kg from there as well, the fact that they looked better likely meaning that they were treated with something, but also that they were going to last longer, so I could get more at once. And then, after using the control scales and seeing that the second person had given me just a little more, almost 2.6 kg, I took some time to move the apples into different bags, still keeping them separate but freeing those with handles.
I then wanted to go to Penny, but stopped at the recycling machine from Kaufland first, putting in the recyclables and being surprised when even those crushed ones were accepted, so I discarded that one without the symbol, and while the machine stopped as I was almost halfway through, the person who was there immediately went in and sorted out the issue within seconds, so I could continue, ending up with two vouchers. And then I made my way to Penny, under something that looked more like hail than snow, which had just started falling… And when I got there I realized that I had forgotten to take any coins, so when I saw that the lock from one cabinet had been removed, I put the apples in that one, since it was less likely to be opened than one with a key in it, and just took three buns that by then had the 30% evening discount, using a glove, and then retrieving the apples… By which time the hail had turned into quite a snowfall, with huge snowflakes.
Either way, I picked up another recyclable on the way back to Kaufland, so I put that in the machine as well before putting the purchases into a cabinet from there, but then I turned around and went to Carrefour and, after spending some time looking through the expiring products and also for the frozen beans that were on sale, finding that they were out of those beans, I saw that they had already started making the evening discounts for bakery products, so I took two of those apple pastries and a bread, and then went back and also got some expiring roes and just a little bit of garlic.
I then returned to Kaufland, with the roes and garlic in one hand, and I picked up another recyclable on the way and one more from the bin that was next to the machine that I put it in, though I did that after getting the voucher for that one, so I ended up with a total of five vouchers. Then I added the new purchases and the gloves in that cabinet and entered the store at 9:10 PM, finding not just that they finally had green onions again, but also that they had a good evening discount, so I took three bundles, and a little later a good evening discount appeared for carrots as well, so I also took some of those, plus an expiring bread for dad. Then I used the three vouchers which had been received for a single recyclable each at the self-checkout and cashed in the other two, and the closing announcement came while I arranged those purchases a little, before retrieving what I had in the cabinet, arranging everything better, and walking out a little after 10:05 PM. And on the way back I picked up some more recyclables, and I’ll also mention that the snowfall had lessened and turned into something that was more like sleet, and relatively light at that.
I got back at 11:05 PM, then cleaned the litter box and went to drop what I gathered down the chute, picking up another recyclable from the garbage room. Then I put a few of the purchases in their place, sorted those apples that looked better, ate one of them and one of the apple pastries, and went to wash at 12:35 AM, being done a little after 1:20 AM. But then I talked to dad for a while, and got annoyed because he once again said, in his typical aggressive way, that the litter box was stinking of pee and that from then on he meant to clean it and throw everything out whenever he’ll see anything there. And then I peeled and boiled carrots for the salad, sorted the other apples as well, put the remaining purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, took some more of that medicine expired for over a year, still just in case, put what was left from something in one jar on top of what was in a second one that was nearly full, spotted and killed a few more ants, and ate dinner between 4:15 AM and 4:45 AM. I got in bed at 6:05 AM.
When I woke up after dad got up, a little after 11 AM, I initially went to pee and then got back in bed, but it didn’t seem like I was going to get back to sleep quickly and, despite planning to run the following day, I was also thinking to go out again that day, earlier, and look for those frozen beans again, so I eventually got up and asked dad whether I should, and also whether I should look for some cat food that was on sale, and he said yes… And also let me know that he was coming down with something, which was a serious reason for concern, if I was going to catch it as well. Either way, I did the day’s squats and left just after 1:30 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, including one which hadn’t been accepted before and which I decided to try again that day. But it still wasn’t accepted by the machine from Carrefour Mega Mall, though all of the others were, so I entered the store with it and found those beans, also taking two breads and a sweet pastry that had the 50% discount and using that voucher when I paid.
Then I continued to Kaufland, putting the purchases in a cabinet but only wasting some time, so I retrieved them on the way out and continued to that Mega Image, picking up another recyclable from the trash can from the entrance and putting it in the machine from there, though that other one wasn’t accepted there either, so I put it and the purchases in a cabinet and just got three cans of that cat food, since the deal was three for the price of two and there were only four left of that kind and none of the one which I’d have preferred to get, and I didn’t care for the handful of others that were still there. But, when I gave exact change when I paid, the cashier told me to take back the 0.08 RON in coins, just keeping the bills and the voucher received for that recyclable. And that made up for the one from the next location that I checked, on the way back, after retrieving my things from the cabinet and leaving them next to the cabinets in that other place, since the guard told me to do so when I was about to set them down in front of the cabinets in order to open one. She probably thought that I meant to leave them right there, but I didn’t care to explain, just walking in and finding plenty of cans of the kind of cat food that I was actually looking for, so I took nine of those as well… And the cashier rounded down the change, giving me 0.06 RON less, which tends to be what I expect from Mega Image. Either way, I then retrieved my things and put the cat food in another bag and got back just before 4:10 PM.
I’ll just mention here that no visits were recorded on April 20. Then, in the early hours of April 22, I ate dinner between 3:30 AM and 4:20 AM… And after no more than three and a half hours of sleep, maybe closer to three hours, I got up to pee and couldn’t get back to sleep in the half an hour or so before dad got up, at which point Liza also went to the litter box again, so I got up to clean it one more time and ask dad about his schedule, to see whether there would be time for me to use his metro card while he’ll be back here, setting the alarm to ring at noon and getting back in bed after we worked something out… But I still couldn’t get back to sleep, so I eventually decided to stop wasting time, got up at 10:45 AM, and left just before 12:20 PM.
I jogged to Carrefour and got some discounted products, including bread, even though two of the three were poking through the plastic wrapping. Since dad called while I was there and I couldn’t get to the metro station in time to meet him there as planned, I told him that we’ll meet at home instead, completely forgetting that he had somewhere else to go from there and therefore thinking that I had to rush back, take the card, and then go out again… And that also led to leaving my backpack behind, since I had just taken the bags out of it when I got that call and forgot about it in that rush, but at least I realized that I was missing it right after using the self-checkout, before leaving the checkout area, so I rushed back and found it just where I had left it, then jogged back, getting here a little after 1:20 PM… And wondering where dad was before finally remembering that he wasn’t supposed to come back at that point.
At least that gave me time to put the purchases in their place and get the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the plastic and metal ready… And then, just after 2 PM, I dashed to the nearby Mega Image to put the recyclables with the deposit symbol, except that one that still wasn’t accepted, in the machine and get some cat food that was on sale with that voucher, though I wasn’t given the receipt. And after walking out I took a 2.5-liter plastic bottle without the symbol from the trash can, replacing its label with the one with the symbol that I had after getting back, since it was for a bottle of the same size, even if of a different brand.
Then I started to make the mamaliga that dad had said he wanted to make before leaving again at 5 PM, ate some salty snacks, and kept waiting for him, since he had said that he’ll try to be back at 2 PM, or at least before 3 PM… But a couple of minutes after 3 PM I beeped him and when he called back he said that he was still at that guy and will only be back about an hour later. If I’d have known that, and of course if I’d have remembered that he still had to go there right away, I’d have gone straight from Carrefour to Auchan Titan, since in that case I’d have been back around that time, with or without that really nice high protein yogurt that had a really good discount until that day, since on the site it had reappeared as in stock in that location in the morning, though by then it was listed as out of stock everywhere again. But that was no longer an option, and I couldn’t even leave again right away, since I couldn’t just stop the mamaliga, so I kept making it, and then stayed to scrape the large pot that I made it in and eat lunch as well, by which time a bit of a storm had started, and I had given up on the idea of getting to Auchan Titan early enough to give myself time to also rush to Auchan Vitan if I won’t find that yogurt there, so I took it easy and only left again at 7:10 PM, at which point only some occasional drops were still falling.
I took the plastic and metal, which I dropped off in a recycling bin on the way, and some more recyclables with the deposit symbol, dad having had more emptied ones in the living room and on the balcony. And I picked up two more on the way and put all of them with the exception of that one which hadn’t been accepted anywhere else and wasn’t accepted there either in the machine from Auchan, that one on which I had placed that label also being accepted right away. So I entered the store with that remaining one… And, unsurprisingly, couldn’t find that yogurt. But quite a lot of that nice bread that I prefer to eat on the night before important runs was left, and after weighing all of it and finding that a few loaves had almost enough to allow me to cut them in four, I decided that it was close enough and picked one of those to buy.
Well, the problem was that the bread’s price was less than the value of the voucher received for the recyclables and at Auchan there’s usually a single machine that allows cashing those in, but I couldn’t see any sign stating which that was. So I meant to just use one to buy the bread at first, but it accidentally scanned twice and I had to call an employee to fix the problem, and when she came and I also asked where to cash in that voucher, saying that I hadn’t been in that location in a while, she insisted to see it and I couldn’t seem to dig it out of my pocket, taking out pretty much anything else, and even when I took everything out I still couldn’t see it, needing to look more carefully through the money and store cards… And the situation was making me panic, I was starting to shake, and I ended up dropping everything, so I then had to pick everything back up, and she was also dealing with another customer and had butted in to enter the amount that was on the store card when I said that I wanted to use that as well, which only made me panic even more… And then, after I handed her that voucher and she told me which machine allowed cashing it in, she told me to follow her there and just canceled that transaction despite my attempt to protest, saying that we’ll do everything again there and that she didn’t want to have to come twice for the same thing, even if I was just about to pay and get it over with… And she had my voucher, so I hesitantly followed her, but I was pretty much in shock, managing to take the money after she cashed in that voucher but shaking too badly and losing coordination while she also scanned my bread and entered the amount from the store card again, so I was moving erratically and she snapped at me to be patient, at which point I said that my social anxiety makes that rather hard when she’s standing next to me.
Somewhat surprisingly, she seemed to get that, immediately walking away and saying just one word but in a manner that seemed soothing. But I was barely hanging on by a thread and spent what must have looked like an impossibly long time to anyone who was watching basically just focusing on breathing, fumbling to pay and then trying quite unsuccessfully to check that I still had everything. So, when I trusted myself enough to take a few more steps, I walked out of the checkout area, sat on a bench, and took more time to recover, eventually counting the money, calculating and confirming with some relief that I hadn’t lost any, nor any of the store cards for that matter. And when I finally stood up again, I noticed that I was right next to another location of the store that should have had those bio (organic) cloves that I had asked about, in another location, at the start of the month, and somehow managed to get myself to ask about them there as well, after being unable to spot them as I glanced around the place. And the person who was there was more helpful than the other one had been, showing me what they did have and then checking in the system and telling me which locations carried what I had asked about… However, those were in other cities, none even being in Bucharest, so we both had a little laugh about it and I walked away.
To make things worse, by the time I stepped outside again, it was raining quite hard, so I got pretty soaked on the way to Kaufland Basarabia, then I washed my hands and entered the store, with that bread, just before 9:20 PM, making use of a good evening discount to grab the few parsnip roots that seemed to still be usable and then seeing another such discount for some packaged tomatoes, and dad had told me previously to look for some cheap ones, even if they’d be from Turkey, like those were, so I beeped him and when he called back I asked whether he was still interested, taking a box when he confirmed. And then, after looking around for a while, I saw that germinated wheat had a good evening discount as well and took some before making my way to the self-checkout and being just about to finish using the machine when the closing announcement came. And then, even if the guard said loudly that customers should leave and I’m pretty sure that I was the last one left, I did take some time to arrange the purchases, walking out, through the emergency exit, a few minutes later, at which point I found that the rain had lessened significantly.
I also stopped at that Mega Image on the way back, entering with everything, grabbing a little more of that cat food, and being there just when the products discounted by 90% were placed, so I took a few things… But the bio (organic) “Greek” yogurt wouldn’t scan and the single cashier was getting really frustrated and there was a line as well, so she asked me to wait until the line would clear, stressing that she’ll try again at that point when I said that I’ll just leave it if it won’t work. Not that it shouldn’t have been clear that it couldn’t work, with the label being wrapped around on the cup, so it should have been peeled off and scanned directly, and she did try that, but she was already annoyed with it at that point, was rather rough, and ended up tearing off a corner and stopping before she did even more damage. If I had a clearer head, I should have noticed, peeled it off, and placed it in a better position myself before getting there or, failing that, I should have asked to try to do so while I waited, but instead I just arranged the other purchases, being surprised when I noticed her trying at another checkout just moments later, apparently because another customer had told her to go ahead. And when, even though it was probably the product that I wanted the most out of what I had picked, I once again said that I’ll just leave it if it won’t work, that other customer said that she’ll get it for me, which I assumed meant that she’d pay for it, possibly at full price, since the regular bar code did keep scanning by accident, so I once again said that I’ll leave it and dashed away to avoid further awkwardness. And I picked up just one more recyclable on the way back.
I got back at 11:10 PM, put the purchases in their place, ate an apple and the sweet pastry from Carrefour, washed what was in the kitchen, and went to wash myself at 1 AM. I was done at 1:50 AM, but I was still messed up after that panic attack and wanted to make sure that everything was right, so I spent some time on the computer before getting back to the kitchen, then also dealt with one of my breads, took some more of that medicine expired for a year, moved something into a jar, and finally ate dinner between 4:20 AM and 5:05 AM. I got in bed at 6:40 AM… But I slept straight until 2:30 PM, without waking up at all, and then I spent some more time in bed, getting up when it was almost 3:20 PM.
