In the early hours of April 26, using several of the worse leaves of lettuce and not rushing as much as I should have meant that, despite once again “cheating” to be able to say that I took a first bite in my room before 3 AM, it was close to 3:30 AM when I actually started to eat and 3:45 AM when I finished. And then I wrote what ended up being the two paragraphs about the issues I had during that week’s run properly, since I had left that part in the form of rough notes in what I had posted just before midnight. But then it took a long time to fall asleep, and while that was no longer the case after I got up to pee at one point, it happened again after getting woken up as dad was starting to get ready to leave, and I had probably just managed it when I woke up yet again when he put the key in the door, so I then decided to read for a while before managing to get some more sleep, and another nap after getting up to pee again. I got up for good after the alarm rang, at 4:55 PM, since I wanted to watch handball, and by then I had gotten a total that was probably around seven and a half hours or so of sleep, albeit split into several parts, so at least I didn’t add to my sleep debt, but I didn’t recover anything either. And dad got back well before 7 PM, despite having said that he was going to be back around 9 PM, and apparently called me just after 6 PM, while I was in the kitchen and watching the match, without also trying the landline when I didn’t hear, so even though I had told him, repeatedly and in detail, about the cat food that was on sale at Penny, he ended up buying a box of that kind that he won’t give Liza because she doesn’t wolf it down right away, claiming that he didn’t know and blaming me for it, of course.
The next morning, Liza once again woke me by going to the litter box, albeit around 10:15 AM, and while I just peed and got back in bed, dad also got up soon after that and then kept making noise, in good part because he tried to feed her some of that food he had bought, saw that she didn’t wolf it down right away, and then moved it into something else, I hope to take it to some cats that are outside, and took all of it out of the box from the fridge, just leaving the other kind there and feeding her some of it. And when he left, a little before 11:30 AM, and I went to see what all that clinking and crinkling and scraping had been about, I also found a note telling me to leave that food out, stop filling that box with it, because she doesn’t like it so he’ll eventually take it to other cats, in time. And if getting back to sleep after having been kept awake for all that time would have been difficult anyway, getting annoyed by that made it clear that it was pointless to even try right away, so I only got back in bed at 1 PM, managing a series of brief naps. I don’t think that I was awake for long between them, so I’d say that I slept the large majority of the time until just after 3:15 PM, when I decided to get up again, but with that sleep being broken into several short parts, it probably didn’t do that much good either. And then my nose, throat and chest started feeling like I was coming down with something, which was awfully concerning. On the other hand, I realized that the previous day I had forgotten to start taking the supplements that I meant to take until the race, but at least I started taking them then. And late in the evening I got back in bed and napped for what was most probably close to but not quite an hour, and then I shaved as well.
After once again putting peanut butter on all of the bread in the early hours of April 28, I set the alarm to ring at 2 PM… But then I kept being woken up. I got right back to sleep the first two times, when I got up to pee and when dad left, but things changed at 9:40 AM, when loud drilling started. After a while the noise got slightly less loud and there were some pauses as well, so I could get some more sleep, but it was obviously interrupted and agitated, and I also kept having to pee, usually quite a lot, almost each time I woke up. And at one point there was a cramp as well, in my left calf, the spot continuing to hurt after I got up. And what was annoying was that it was basically quiet after that. Either way, I then had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing consisting of another slice of cozonac, with added honey, cleaned the litter box, took the first part of the supplements for the day, and it was almost 4:45 PM when I left, wearing the full running gear, still with the better shoes, and one armband, and with some things in the pocket of my tights. The reported temperature was 19-20°C, holding steady.
The time was 1:48:20, with sector times of 4:28, 5:10, 6:09, 4:40, 5:11, either 6:12 or 6:02, either 4:33 or 4:43, most probably 5:18, 6:17, 4:50, 5:24, 6:19, 4:53, 5:33, 6:28, 4:55, 5:29, 6:26, 1:55, 6:11 and 1:59, making for lap times of 15:47, either 16:03 or 15:53, either 16:08 or 16:18, 16:33, 16:54 and 16:50, plus 10:05 for the final portion. The thing is that I never had any doubt about the times while running, only realizing when I wrote them down after getting back that I was missing ten seconds and had no idea whether those should be added to sector three of lap two or sector one of lap three. There’s also a tiny chance that they’re from sector two of lap three, but I really doubt it, so I’ll focus on those two sectors, because I was wondering whether I’ll stay under 16 minutes on lap two and was surprised by that sector three that seemed less slow than that of lap one and a lap that was apparently exactly what was needed for the average for the first two laps to be that 15:50 that’d be the target for them if I’d go for 1:48. But, not counting the unlikely case of the problem being with sector two of lap three, by the end of sector one of lap three I was obviously assuming a time of 31:50 after two laps, not 31:40. So was that correct, meaning 6:12 on sector three of lap two and 4:33 on sector one of lap three, or did I confuse the 50 seconds from that average with those from the total time at that point and it was actually 6:02 and 4:43? Losing a little time on the long straight of sector one of lap two, which may explain that sector being slower than that of lap three, while really not feeling like I had pushed on sector three of lap two and being particularly surprised when I thought that I had covered it in 6:02, makes me edge towards the first scenario, so I’ll go with it, but with serious question marks, since I really don’t know.
Either way, running a half marathon distance so soon after the previous time made me wonder whether I’ll even stay under 1:50, but the first two sectors were pretty promising… Only for the third to be noticeably worse than I thought it’d be, getting my hopes back down. So I was wondering whether I’ll even cover lap two in less than 16 minutes, which I thought was what I needed in order to keep having a chance to stay under 1:50, and thinking that I actually ended up covering it in 15:53 really got my hopes back up. That adds wishful thinking as another reason to go for that first scenario described above, since admitting that I had already gone over 16 minutes per lap would have made me worry again, but as it was, I started thinking of 1:49, even if keeping the loss of time in check seemed unlikely. And I’m certain that I had 47:58 after three laps, putting me over the target for 1:48, which I hoped to stick to at least until then in order to allow myself to lose more later. And after falling even more behind that target after lap four, the main goal was once again to at least make sure that I’ll stay under 1:50, hoping to at least stay under 17 minutes on lap five in order to be able to lose more after that. Only after managing that did I think of getting under 1:49 again, pushing more on lap six in order to make it even with 10:30 on the final portion. But when I saw that I had actually been a little less slow on lap six than on lap five I really went for it, hoping to somehow squeeze under 1:48:30 as well, and in the end I managed it by a very safe margin. And, while the time would be disappointing in itself, being less than a minute slower than the previous time when the runs were only days apart was quite nice.
There were warnings from my right knee and a little pain in that spot of my left calf muscle from the beginning, and later there were a few jabs in both hips, plus an overall feeling that I was running out of leg parts that I could make more use of in order to spare others. But I managed all of that, and the pain that I occasionally felt in the lower right side of my abdomen for a part of the run eventually seemed to go away for good. On the other hand, a certain pressing need first appeared on sector two of lap four, fading before returning on sector two of lap five, though it was never a serious issue. And the fact that my hands started to go numb towards the end of lap five obviously didn’t mean that I was as exhausted as I feared, looking at the times. My nose was once again irritated at the end, but that was to be expected.
Otherwise, there were some windy areas, and that contributed to the first notable problem caused by people, which was in fact a potentially dangerous moment. It was on the long straight of sector one of lap two, when I was catching up to another runner but trying to use her to shield myself from the headwind as much as possible, so I tried to make myself smaller and stay behind her until the last moment, then meant to dash around her… Only to find myself facing a cyclist coming from the opposite direction, who had just swerved onto the lane in order to get around other people, so I hesitated for an instant and then just managed to duck back behind that runner until the cyclist went past us. Other than that, on sector two of lap three I weaved my way through a couple of consecutive roadblocks and slowed as a result, while on the long straight of sector one of lap four there were three groups of three people, one behind the other, coming from the opposite direction, and the first two cleared the way in opposite sides, but the third had no time to do so after they could finally see me, resulting in a wall of people that made me hesitate and then have to pick my way past. There were smaller issues on sector one and two of lap five, and maybe also at some point on lap six, but I might have gotten away without a notable loss of time. However, on sector two of the final portion I hesitated twice, the first time being right at the start of it, when two other runners stopped right in front of me just after I came down the stairs, and the second time I believe because of two cyclists, the second coming just as I meant to use the space that the first had passed through, if I remember correctly.
After the run, I went to the nearest Penny, starting to jog at first, but then grabbing a recyclable, seeing two cartons as well, and wanting a bag to put them in, so I won’t get that sort of stuff in the ones which I had taken with me. And since I didn’t spot any right away, I slowed to a walk and started looking, eventually thinking that I saw a usable one in a bin… Only to see that it had been used as a doggy bag, so it’s a good thing that I had picked it up carefully and only touched the outside of it before quickly dropping it back and wiping my hands with some leaves. Either way, that meant that I didn’t take those cartons, but did grab a smaller one that I spotted a little later, leaving it and that recyclable in a cabinet that I didn’t bother to lock and getting a lot of the cat food that was on sale. The old woman who was behind me in line asked how many cats I had and I found myself saying three, so including mother’s cats, even if that food was just for Liza, but I guess the answer was good enough to avoid further questions, so I then retrieved what I had in the cabinet… And ended up using one of my bags for recyclables anyway, since I grabbed plenty more on the way back, including a crushed one that I thought I’ll be able to straighten. So I could have done that from the beginning, to get those two cartons as well… Even if it was hard to carry everything even so.
After cleaning the litter box again, I ate a banana before going to drop the bag of trash down the chute. Then I changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, straightened that crushed recyclable, and it was past 9:05 PM when I left again, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the few gathered cartons. And on the way to Kaufland I gathered more recyclables, and also stopped at that Mega Image to put the cartons in that machine. Then I put the recyclables in the machine from Kaufland, minus that one that still wasn’t accepted.
After washing my hands, I entered the store, with that remaining recyclable, just before 9:50 PM, and grabbed a few products from the bakery area before the evening discounts increased to 75%, adding some more after they did, though at that point it seemed that the one for the nicer cheap buns wasn’t changing, so I didn’t also take more of those. Then I took a basket and an entire package of sugar, which I wasn’t going to carry around in my arms. And after also adding a box of mushrooms that were among the spoiling products and discounted by 75% even though they looked quite fine and a lettuce that I was uncertain about, since it had an evening discount but was rather small and wilted, I was at the self-checkout over five minutes before closing time… And still there when the announcement was made, mainly because the QR code on the discount label for the mushrooms was twisted around and I couldn’t fix it despite wasting some time with the attempt. The numeric code was visible, however, so I called over the employee and asked whether he could enter it, yet the full price showed up when he did, so he tried to pee off that label and enter another code that was underneath it, but that other label got torn in the process, so he told me to continue with the other products until he’ll get back and walked away with the mushrooms, returning a little later and entering a code that worked properly, which is something that I’m pretty sure never happened before at Kaufland, employees just saying that a product can’t be bought if it won’t scan and the numeric code isn’t fully visible either. And that employee also entered the sugar and the code for the store card, since the picture of that QR code wouldn’t scan either. And then I saw that the discount for the cheap buns had also increased to 75% after all. On the other hand, I left that lettuce there. And then I used the voucher received for the recyclables and the 10 RON one that I still had.
After struggling to get the sugar in the large backpack, adding the mushrooms on top of it, and arranging the bakery products in a bag, it was close to 10:45 PM when I finally walked away. And then I added something to the recyclables but still managed to reach that Mega Image that closes at 11 PM in time… Only to see no bakery discounts, so I just had a quick look at the expiring products, entering with everything, and then added some more recyclables before entering the non-stop Mega Image with everything as well. However, when I saw bakery products that I could take having the 50% evening discount in that location, I went back to the cabinets and used no less than three of them for everything except the large backpack, though I didn’t lock them. Then I entered again, just with the large backpack, and took two sweet pastries and an expiring product, using two vouchers received for cartons, since I had one left from another day as well, and having the exact amount needed on top of that, which was apparently quite a relief for the cashier, who had no change to give and had been struggling to figure out how to make it so the people who were before me could pay for their purchases, so when my turn came and I gave her the 3 RON that she needed for the previous customer and had the remaining amount in coins as well, she asked for a little less. And then I retrieved my things, gathered more recyclables, plus two cartons, on the way back, and also reached the nearby Mega Image in time, since it’s closing at midnight again, initially entering with everything and just walking back out after having a quick look at the expiring products but then thinking that the expiring pancakes looked interesting and going back, leaving the bags next to the door… Only to change my mind again and just retrieve those bags and walk back out.
I was back just after midnight, with just about 17 kg. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a little trash down the chute, talked to dad a little, ate a sweet pastry, put the purchases in their place, minus the pack of sugar and the one of six boxes of cat food, which I left on a chair, and it was 1:55 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and take a bath, which was actually a bit of a bubble bath, using something sent by mother a long time ago. I was done just before 2:55 AM. Then I moved something into a jar, washed what was in the kitchen, ate the pizza slices brought by dad, which basically added up to a full pizza, as lunch, on and off, between 3:50 AM and 4:45 AM, also dealt with those buns that I was going to use as bread, took one of those cold pills expired for over a year and a half and the rest of the supplements for the day, cleaned up some things left by dad in the living room as well, and finally ate dinner between 5:20 AM and 6:20 AM, while writing notes about the day. I got in bed at 7:10 AM, after rubbing cream on my hands and feet.
At 10 AM, I got woken up by noise which I had learned was indeed coming once again from the upstairs neighbor and decided to at least make some use of the time, getting a load of laundry in the machine. And later I cleaned the litter box again, ate lunch, did 200 squats, to make up for having skipped them the previous day, took the first part of the supplements and one of those for immunity, and since the guy who was making the bug nets was coming in the afternoon to do those for the balcony, actually wanting to do the work here, I decided to go out again… Only to find, just as I was at the door, that dad had taken away everything that was in a small basket as he rushed to clean up a little before that guy got here, and while he could hand me the store cards right away, the only issue there being that he had put those together with another one for Mega Image that he had made at some point and there was no way to really know which was which anymore, that found metro card had also been there, along with an old card for surface transit. The latter may not even be valid anymore, but I really wanted the “safety net” of that found metro card, so he started looking for it and soon found it in the paper bag, the problem being that he hadn’t just put it there, but had also crumpled it up, so he said that he was going to put it inside a book, to straighten it, but I had doubts that it’d still work.
Either way, it was close to 4:30 PM when I finally left, with a bag of trash that I dropped down the chute and the recyclables with the deposit symbol, grabbing a few more on the way to Penny Titan and putting them in the machine, minus the one which I somehow hadn’t noticed didn’t have the symbol, which I dropped in a bin. Then I got what I wanted, for dad, also used the voucher received for the recyclables, arranged the purchases a little, and picked up a few more recyclables on the way to Bebe Tei, being surprised to see a machine there as well and putting them in it.
After putting the purchases in a cabinet, I found the cloves that I had gone there for… But I had forgotten to check before leaving whether these supplements that I take were on sale, and while I was there I noticed that the one for the joints was, yet sometimes there are some small price differences between that branch and the main Tei and I didn’t want to buy some from there and then see that they’d have been slightly cheaper at Tei, so I considered beeping dad and asking him to check, but since he was probably busy with that guy, I decided to try to check on my phone… Which led to struggling for 20 minutes, at first trying various ways to deal with how poorly the site was loading, then making a couple of attempts to use Google only to be required to complete a captcha that never showed up, and finally managing to do it by using DuckDuckGo. And since I saw that the price was the same, I got two, since that was what I could afford with what I had on me, and also used the voucher received for the recyclables.
After retrieving the other purchases and taking some time to arrange everything in the backpack, I decided against continuing to either Supeco or Auchan and just check Carrefour on the way back, part of the reason why being that I was dealing with a certain pressing need… And at one point I feared that something more than just gas had slipped out, so after reaching Park Lake and putting the two recyclables picked up by then in the machine, I went to the toilet and checked, being relieved to find that it hadn’t been the case. Then I peed and washed my hands, put my things in a cabinet, and entered the store just before dad called to let me know that the guy had finally left. So I bought a few things, including a jar of mustard that was on sale for what I thought was a good price but forgetting to look for those snacks for dad and some garlic. Either way, after also using the voucher received for the recyclables, I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and grabbed a few more recyclables on the way back.
I was back for the first time just after 8 PM. Then I put what had to be put in the fridge and freezer there, spread out the other things, and had a look at the bug nets installed on the balcony… Immediately seeing all sorts of problems, the minor ones being that they’re a little loose in the frames, and wanting them tight and straight was why dad said he wanted frames instead of just fixing them directly on the wall, as I had suggested. But the serious problem is that they’re slightly torn all around the frames, and the large one has a pretty large tear that stretches top to bottom a little way away from the frame, dad saying that he picked the material so Liza won’t be able to tear them again, but it doesn’t take being bent or stretched, so when the guy stretched it and got it in the frames, that happened. I’d say that, if that guy took on the job of putting our nets into the frames he built and install them, he should have found a way to avoid this if he wanted to get paid, but dad waved it away and said that he’ll repair those areas by gluing or, as I suggested, sewing some strips over them. Either way, I then wolfed down a large bag of corn puffs and it was past 8:45 PM when I rushed out again, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, adding something to them despite jogging most of the way to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM.
I got there a couple of minutes before 9 PM, putting the recyclables in the machine before the cart with the products that are discounted by 90% was brought. And that regular wasn’t there and the others who were don’t rush that much to grab everything, so I took some things, even if all but one that I got for my parents were imported, and at the checkout I saw that a pack of tofu, still with the 90% discount, had been left there, so I asked the cashier whether I could buy that one as well and added it to the two which I had grabbed from the cart when she confirmed it. And I also used the voucher received for the recyclables.
After arranging the purchases, I continued on my way, wanting to go to that other Carrefour as well, but when I passed by that store that’s on that route and which I had always ignored until them, I saw a sign listing a number of products that had discounts, including mustard at a much better price than the one I had bought from Carrefour, so I shouldn’t have bought that one, not that I could have known it at the time. Either way, I went in and bought two of those as well, the fact that I reached over to take the receipt and said that I wanted it seeming to surprise the cashier, who was just letting them print without even taking them to throw them in a bin or something, and the people who had been before me had ignored them as well.
After entering that mall through the parking lot, grabbing a couple more recyclables, and putting them in the machine, I entered Carrefour with the backpack, wanting to get some of those snacks for dad which I had forgotten to look for earlier… Only to find none left at the regular place on the shelf and just one discarded somewhere nearby, so I just bought that one and a little garlic, at full price, meaning to also use the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid… Only for the machine to say that it was unrecognized, and when I called over an employee she said that it wasn’t in the system yet and to keep it for another time, which I did.
It was late by then, so I rushed to Kaufland, though I still picked up another recyclable and put it in the machine from there. Then I added the new purchases in the backpack, washed my hands, and it was 10:05 PM when I entered the store, with the backpack. A kind of bread that I decided I could take had a great evening discount, so I took one, plus a couple of sweet pastries that were discounted by 50% and a few others, for mother, which were only discounted by 30%. Then I made use of a great evening discount for a lettuce, finding one which had been left by someone next to some scales and which was somewhat less small and wilted than the few left in the crate, and also added some beets and a few bananas, those having evening discounts as well. But I wasn’t sure whether I was going to take all of the bananas, so I weighed and labeled them separately, then grabbed one more thing, also for mother… And I also saw two bundles of green onions in a basket that seemed to contain things which had been recovered by employees after having been discarded by customers, so I took the better one, even if I looked for the price label and found that it was at full price. And when I passed by the bakery area again, I didn’t notice increased discounts… Only to see at the self-checkout, which I reached just after the closing announcement, that the discount for the sweet pastries which I had grabbed for myself had increased to 80%, so I should have taken all of them… And the machine didn’t accept the bag that contained those and the ones for mother, so I had to call over an employee and she logged on to override the error, and then she had to come back and do the same for the lettuce. And I did end up leaving one of the bananas there, and then I also used the voucher received for that recyclable.
After quickly arranging things a little, I continued to that Mega Image, putting the bags in a cabinet, entering with the backpack, but then just retrieving the bags and making my way back, the phone giving a low battery warning just after I walked out, so after six days. Either way, I picked up a few more recyclables and a couple of small juice cartons that I tried to drain. And when I got here I had a quick look in the nearby Mega Image, leaving the bags next to the door and entering with the backpack but seeing no bakery discounts and nothing else that was interesting, so I just retrieved the bags and walked back out.
It was close to 11:30 PM when I got back. Then I cleaned the litter box again, but wanted to eat the banana that I already had before taking the bag of trash to the garbage room, and before doing that I spread out the purchases… And noticed that those juices had dripped a little on the purchases, in particular in the bag with the bakery products and that other thing for mother, and the bakery products were in paper bags, so I took them out and threw away the bags, meaning that it was quite a while before I finally ate that banana and went to shove that bag of trash into the overflowing chute. And then I put the purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, dealt with my bread, ate a sweet pastry that I already had, and it was 1:35 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. I was done just under one hour later, and after seeing that the phone had turned itself off and set it to charge, I ate dinner between 4:50 AM and 5:35 AM. I got in bed at 6:50 AM, after taking the rest of the supplements and putting cream on my hands and feet.
At least I really slept, only getting up to check the time at 3:56 PM. I remember waking up twice before then, but I don’t know why and I got right back to sleep. And I didn’t need to pee too badly even then, so I just stayed in bed, only finally getting up when it was close to 5:15 PM, even though I was basically awake during that time, at most getting one more very brief nap. And minutes later there was some brief drilling, though there hadn’t been any while I had been awake, and when I went to the kitchen I saw that the water was off, quite clearly for the work being done at the apartment above, so I went to the bathroom sink to get water for the tea. And that day I decided to also take some of that vitamin C expired so long ago, at least on days when I won’t add something else that contains that. And at night, when I went to clean up a little after dad took a bath, I noticed another invasion of ants in the bathroom, so I used bug spray there again. On the other hand, it’s getting clearer that the filling that was last replaced in December, when I was told it couldn’t last, is getting loose again, and the gum also seems rather inflamed in that area.
The following morning I was once again woken up by awfully loud drilling, just after 9:05 AM, and the noise continued for hours, but after it stopped I got some more sleep, getting the total to at least seven hours by the time I got up for good, at 5:40 PM, still feeling utterly exhausted but deciding that trying to get back to sleep one more time was a bad idea after having woken up by kicking the wall, apparently acting on what I was dreaming, and being very relieved that the big toe that took most of the impact seemed fine, even if it hurt a little. On the other hand, I spent quite some time reading, and in the evening I made mamaliga, realizing just before starting to eat that I had forgotten about the supplements and taking most of them then and the rest before going to bed. It took me a while to fall asleep, however, only finally managing it some time after 6 AM, since that was when I checked the time and decided to pee again, just in case it’d help.
After being woken up in the same manner and at almost exactly the same time, on May 2 I arranged some things in my room and then finished the book, getting back in bed at 2:10 PM, when the work in the apartment above seemed to have finally ended… Only for the cleaning to start, so there were more noises, albeit much fainter ones, so I could get some sleep, but only the first nap was longer, the total being unlikely to have reached two hours by 5 PM, when the alarm rang and I got up to watch the Formula E race. And then I made pasta and also wrote the quick review for the book.
On May 3, the first time I woke up it was because I had to pee, and then I quickly checked something on the computer, but I still got right back to sleep after that. It might have taken me a few minutes to do so again after Liza woke me again by going to the litter box, but after waking up one more time, a little after 11:30 AM, when dad got up, that I stayed awake for what must have been about an hour, since I peed again, exchanged a few words with him, and then got back in bed but was still awake a little before 12:20 AM, when he left. And then I think it was some noise from above that woke me again, a little after 2:30 PM, and while I just peed one more time and got back to sleep after that, when I got woken up again, I guess for the same reason, I ended up remaining awake for some time and eventually getting up, a few minutes before 4 PM… And then I found that the start time for the Formula 1 race had been changed and ended up giving up on the idea of going out later.
On the other hand, in the evening I made something sweet by putting some jam between biscuits and microwaving them, but since they still seemed somewhat soggy I then added a little more time, and that proved to be too long, leading to some of the jam getting partly burned and hardening on the spoon that I used to break up the biscuits, to get them to cool faster, and when I tried to scrape it off with my teeth, I heard something snap, and while a piece of that hardened jam did break off at that point, it’s possible that I also chipped some front teeth a little more. But at least I finally managed to write the post about the spring’s tree planting events, even if two paragraphs were still in the form of notes at 11:59 PM and I edited it a little later, to write those properly as well. However, at night I once again “cheated” in order to be able to say that I took a first bite of dinner in my room before 3 AM, but then opened that bio (organic) peanut butter which had expired by then, also cleaned the litter box again, and generally took it too easy, actually starting to eat when it was past 3:15 AM and finishing at 3:50 AM.
Despite waking up as my parents were getting ready to leave, since my mother had also been here, only getting back to my room after almost 40 minutes, after washing what was in the kitchen and cleaning up a little, and then picking Capital and Ideology back up and reading for just under one hour, I did get a total of some eight hours of sleep by the time I decided to get up, just before 4 PM. A reason for concern was some pain that seemed to come from my right kidney but was probably from my lower back, perhaps because of the position I had been in while reading, but it eventually went away.
Moving on to the early hours of May 5, after eating dinner between 1:20 AM and 1:55 AM and then taking the t-shirt from the half marathon of 2016 out, since I wanted to wear that one again, making the tea for the morning, and mixing the cereals and almonds into the expired and imported but really nice yogurt, having 200 grams, 8.5% protein and 2% fat, so that part will also be already done, I got in bed at 3:30 AM. And I actually fell asleep pretty quickly and either slept until the alarm rang, at 8 AM, or if I woke up at one point then I got right back to sleep, what I was dreaming making it difficult to be certain. Either way, I then ate an apple and that yogurt with cereals and almonds, with the sweet thing consisting of some cozonac, with added honey, left little more than gas in the toilet, which wasn’t that much of a concern after having filled it the previous day, took the first part of the supplements plus one of those for immunity, and left at 9:45 AM, wearing the full running gear, with that t-shirt from 2016 and the better running shoes. The reported temperature was about 18°C at 10 AM, rising to about 20°C at 11 AM.
The time was 48:05.17, with sector times of 4:09.73, 5:02 (5:01.69), 6:03 (6:02.60), 4:33.96, 5:05 (5:04.69), 5:55 (5:54.35), 4:31.12, 5:03.41, 5:55 (5:54.69) and 1:49 (1:48.93), making for lap times of 15:14.02, 15:33.00 and 15:29.22. I was wondering whether to just run ten kilometers again, for the first time since January, or turn this into the first morning run of 16 km, and if I’d have done this run a day earlier I might have preferred the second option, but as it was it seemed a little too close to the half marathon for that, so I pushed from the start and hoped to give myself a reason to just go for ten kilometers by getting back under 48 minutes. And that first sector was promising, but it was the same a year ago and then that run fell apart, so I only started to hope after sector two, considering it a given that I’ll cover the first lap in less than 15:10 and wondering whether I might even get under 15 minutes… Only to go over six minutes on sector three and fail completely. So returning under 48 minutes seemed clearly out of the question, but I still didn’t want to continue to 16 km, so I decided to settle for just staying under 49 minutes, sector one of lap two being somewhat concerning but the following two being better, and sector three making me wonder why couldn’t I have managed that on lap one as well and give myself reason to hope. But it was too late for that, so I just changed the target to 48:30, which after sector two of lap three became at least 48:20, if not 48:15, and 48:10 after the end of the lap. But that final sector was faster than expected, so I was frustratingly close to 48 minutes, making this still a poor time but the least bad one over this distance since the last decent one, in November.
The thing is that, on top of taking supplements for over a week, which should have improved things more than that, there were very few issues to speak of, and none of them notable. There were some warnings from the back of my right knee from the beginning, but they faded, that knee only bothering me again on sector three of lap three, when all parts of it were giving warnings, though it wasn’t that bad even then. And there was a moment when there was some pain that seemed to be reflected from my back, but that didn’t last either. And that was pretty much it, even the amount of weaving and going the long way around being relatively low, and the conditions being just fine.
Then I jogged back, though I also dashed into the nearby Mega Image for a quick look. Unfortunately, not long after I got back, dad got a call from mother, saying that she was not feeling well and in pain, so things were looking badly and he went there… But it wasn’t like I could have done anything about that, so after eating a banana, going to the toilet, and changing, leaving the running t-shirt on, I meant to rush to the nearest Penny… Only to think to try some recyclables which hadn’t worked before again, take them from the top of the fridge… And have one of those small juice cartons fall behind the fridge. And I didn’t know whether it was actually behind it or inside the radiator, and when I wanted to get the mirror from the bathroom and try to have a look that way, I didn’t find it there anymore, nor anywhere else. So I then tried to move the fridge, but it initially wouldn’t even budge, yet taking all of those recyclables which haven’t been accepted off it gave me a chance, so I unplugged it and struggled until I moved it just enough to be able to look behind it and see that carton there, and then I needed some more time to find a way to get it out, after which I took some more of those old recyclables, since I had taken them down anyway, along with the cartons, pushed the fridge more or less back in its place, put the remaining old recyclables back on it, plugged it back in, and finally left again just after 2:20 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, including some of those old ones, and the cartons, but without taking the headphones.
After grabbing another recyclable and the label off a crushed one on the way to this Penny, I had quite some time to wait at the machine, two people with quite a lot of recyclables being ahead of me and the machine stopping soon after I got there, though an employee quickly came to empty the containers… Apparently without replacing the one for glass, since when my turn came it said that it had no container for glass bottles. But I could put in the other “new” recyclables, plus two cans which hadn’t been accepted before, and when I walked away I saw that a recyclable had appeared in the bin and picked it up, putting all of those that I had been left with in a cabinet that I didn’t bother to lock and getting what I had gone there for, plus a jam that I decided to add. Then I also used the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid, retrieved those recyclables, and took some time to arrange the purchases… And a little later I stopped again and found a way to add the last bottle of tomato juice in the backpack as well, then continued to the Mega Image that’s next to Tei, putting the cartons in the machine from there and then seeing that the regular machine wasn’t working, but that other one that I only saw in that location, which is supposed to accept many recyclables at once, was, so I tried to use it for the first time, putting in the couple of recyclables grabbed on the way and a couple of those which hadn’t been accepted before, though the others that I tried, including a glass bottle which had been emptied by dad, were spat out.
I then decided to continue to Carrefour as well, grabbing a few more recyclables, including one without a label that was just the right kind for that one which I had grabbed earlier, so I placed it on it and then put what I had grabbed and a few more of those which hadn’t been accepted before in the machine from there, being left with three of those which hadn’t been accepted before, and one probably won’t be, since the bar code is faded. Either way, I then put my things in a cabinet that couldn’t be locked, but which for some reason had a coin left in the lock, so I took it. And then I bought what I had gone there for, plus a sweet pastry that was at half price and some garlic, since it had no price label but I checked on the scales, needing to search for it by name, since it wouldn’t show up in the menu, and found that it was discounted. But I once again forgot to look for those snacks for dad. Not that I could have carried much more with the bags I had with me, as even so, after also using the voucher received for the recyclables and the other one which I had been left with, it was a struggle to get the purchases to the cabinet and then find a way to arrange everything. But I eventually managed it, and on the way back I picked up a few more recyclables and another carton, putting those recyclables and one more of those old ones into the machine from the nearby Mega Image and then just cashing in the voucher. And then I grabbed one more recyclable before getting here.
I was back again at 5:30 PM, with close to 19 kg. Then I put the purchases in their place, set aside some things which had been on the fridge and which I decided to take to the recycling bin before putting the rest back up there, ate a small bag of corn puffs and the sweet pastry from Carrefour, and did 200 squats, after once again putting them off the day before until I forgot to do them at all. And dad called at some point during that time, saying that mother had been taken to hospital, those from the ambulance suspecting gallstones, and they had been waiting for an ultrasound for four hours at that point, since she’s in pain but they’re told that much more serious cases require attention. Either way, I left again at 8:40 PM, with the plastic and metal, which I dropped off in a recycling bin, and that last recyclable which I had picked up.
After grabbing a few more recyclables on the way, including one that someone had obviously tried to play a trick with, tearing off the label and dropping the part with the bar code inside it, so I used a stick to get it out, I realized that I had to jog the last part of the way to that Mega Image that closes at 10 PM, doing so and getting there just at 9 PM. And I managed to put the recyclables in the machine, sticking that torn bar code on that one, just before the cart with the products with the 90% discount was brought. And then I grabbed a few, being able to take my time to decide and calculate, since that regular wasn’t there, the two others who were also took their time to discuss and decide, and there were a lot of products of a couple of kinds. Those products included some oranges, and I wasn’t charged for the bag that they were in, then I used the voucher which I had been left with from that Mega Image that’s next to Tei… But I didn’t get to also cash in the one from there, the guard pulling me aside right after the cashier asked whether that was everything I was buying and I confirmed it and telling me to show her what I had in my pockets. So I did, and she even searched me, saying that she had been told that I had pocketed things and that if I’ll be found with anything I’ll be banned from the store. I told her that I could hand her my jacket if she wanted, but she was eventually satisfied, and then even apologized, and after she let me go and I stepped aside to arrange the purchases she came after me to apologize again and I mentioned that it had happened to me before, at Penny, and a guard from there even followed me outside.
Moving on, I continued to Kaufland, picking up a couple more recyclables, putting them in the machine, putting my things in a cabinet, washing my hands, and entering the store a little after 9:40 PM. I saw bakery discounts of 50% at that point and took some things that I meant to be for mother plus one more sweet pastry, though I had some doubts about it, and then looked around the store, not finding anything else to get. I passed by the bakery area again a little after 10 PM, hearing an employee mention new discounts to another and telling him to grab what he wanted before they ran out, but nothing was displayed or announced just then, so I wandered around a little longer, until there was an announcement of 75% discounts for some bakery products and I went back there to grab a couple more things, even if my hands weren’t exactly clean anymore. And I guess that I shouldn’t have taken those other products earlier, since if they’d have been left at that point they’d have probably been discounted by 75% as well, while this way the discount didn’t change, but that was that, and I didn’t put them back. So I just had two bags of bakery products when I got to the self-checkout, and the machine didn’t accept one of them, so I had to call an employee over and she checked and then logged on to override the error. And after paying, also using the voucher received for the recyclables, I weighed that bag and saw that it had only three grams more than what should have been the total weight of the products, so I’m not sure what the machine’s problem was. Either way, I then retrieved my things, arranged a little better, and walked out just after the closing announcement.
After continuing to that Mega Image and putting my things in a cabinet, I saw that some products that had the 90% discount were left and I took two, for my parents or grandmother, to also use the voucher which I had been left with from the other location… And I had just retrieved what I had in the cabinet when dad called to say that mother was going into surgery to remove her gallbladder. So I was a little shocked, but after a moment I walked out and stopped at that bench, arranging everything properly before making my way back… And it wasn’t until I grabbed one more recyclable that I realized that I had also thrown that dirty bag that I put them in into that cabinet from Kaufland and completely forgot about it when I retrieved the purchases. At least the only thing left in it was a cap used for a contest, and we have a pile of those and dad never entered any, and while finding several more recyclables in a bin would have been a problem otherwise, I also found a bag in there, containing two of them and seeming very clean, so I kept it and really filled it on the way back, also adding a carton on top of the recyclables. And when I got here I also had yet another look in the nearby Mega Image, leaving the bags next to the door, entering with the backpack, and then just retrieving the bags.
I got back for good a couple of minutes after 11:30 PM, and when I initially washed my hands, the water still seemed fine. But then Liza went to the litter box again, and when I washed my hands again after cleaning it and going to drop a bag of trash down the chute, the water temperature dropped rapidly. The site didn’t list any problem here, but in surrounding areas there are problems that are estimated to last at least until May 13! And letting the water run for a while confirmed that it was just cold, so I took out the four largest pots and started heating water on the stove, finishing putting the purchases in their place while waiting for it to boil and going to wash at 1:15 AM. Dad got back minutes later, and when I finished washing I realized that I had forgotten my towel, so I asked him to get it for me. I was done at 1:45 AM, and then I talked to him about mother, learning that the operation had apparently gone well and the surgeon had used the opportunity to look inside her abdomen and said that other organs looked fine, but it obviously adds another complication when she’s in bad shape anyway. Either way, I washed and dried those pots and eventually put them back in their place, ate lunch between 2:55 AM and 3:20 AM, made a “salad” out of a regular onion and a red one again, since I hadn’t found discounted vegetables that I cared to get that evening, and ate dinner between 5 AM and 5:40 AM. I went to bed at 7 AM… By which time the hot water had returned, which was frustrating. But more concerning was that I just realized that I had completely forgotten about walking the route of the half marathon, and there was no more time to do it.
The following day there were some brief, occasional moments of drilling, the first that woke me being at 11:05 AM. And after another nap I read for a while, then caught some more naps, later had a look on the computer as well, and I got what must have been a total of some six hours of sleep by 3:40 PM, when I was once again woken up by a few seconds of drilling and decided to get up… But I was so exhausted that I couldn’t quite get myself to move until a few more seconds of drilling spurred me into it, and it was only at 4:10 PM, when there was some more noise, that I actually did get up. And by then the landline had rang twice. On the other hand, in the evening I took a quick shower, since I clearly hadn’t washed well at night, and after dad got back and said that mother was doing just fine I made mamaliga, with quite a number of things in it, and stuffed myself. And since the few remaining expired vitamin C pills actually looked bad and dad said that he wasn’t aware of having any others around, I took another one of those immunity supplements, the plan being to keep doing that until the half marathon.
