- Long Final Sets and My Interest in Tennis Are Both Gone for Good » »
- « « Quick Review: Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find and Keep Love
Bookfest and New Books, Albeit Just One of Them from There
I should probably be writing about the runs that I’m yet to write about, but I have some new books, and also read two that I borrowed from the Library, so I’ll write about the days that include the books instead. I’ll leave the parts that have to do with another order aside for now, however, since it remains to be seen how or if that will work out and I’d rather put all of it in a single section at a later point. But I will mention right here that dad again got back and turned on his computer while I was still connected today. And it wasn’t even a situation that somehow allowed him to say that he didn’t know that I was awake, since I was awake for a while, had been in the kitchen when he left, and then, when I didn’t go out of my room right away, he actually said that he got back and I told him to wait a little, since I was still doing something on-line. But after I did go back to the kitchen and spent maybe a minute glancing at something, I noticed that he was already at the computer, yet when I asked whether he at least waited when I told him to, he said he had and had just turned on the computer then. That was highly unlikely, seeing as he was already using it, but I just walked away, not starting another argument, deciding to just check the logs after he’ll leave… And I did, confirming that he had turned on his computer almost two minutes before I disconnected, so he ignored the fact that I had told him to wait, turned it on immediately after telling me that he was back, and then lied to my face once again.
While the purchases were a few days ago, I’ll start with May 19, when I had to get to the central location of the Library, which is just about at Romana Square, before it closed, at 4 PM, or most preferably before 3:45 PM, since I seem to recall that you can’t borrow in the last 15 minutes, so I got up when the alarm rang, at 1 PM… But only left at 2:45 PM, so I had less than an hour to get there and therefore ran almost all the way. Didn’t put on the mask, nor the headphones, and almost everything, including the jacket, bags and the backpack that I usually take, was in the other one, since my mother had fixed it a while back.
It wasn’t even 3:25 PM when I got there, thinking that I’ll pretty much just be in and out, since I had reserved the book I had finally decided to borrow the day before. But the catalog had stopped being accessible seconds after I had made that reservation, and it wasn’t just a problem with the public catalog, the guy who asked whether he could help me with anything saying that the system was down and he couldn’t see what I had reserved, nor where it should be. The fact that he needed the system for this last part struck me as odd, since librarians should know where books should be according to the system used to arrange them, but it’s also possible that he was a volunteer. Either way, since the book’s in English, he at least knew which room it should be in, so we both went in there and started searching, but he assumed that it was a fiction book, never even asking, and therefore kept searching through that section while I was looking through others, though I couldn’t find biographies, where it seemed most likely to be. It was only after I told him that it was written by an environmental activist that he realized he was looking in the wrong place, but even though I also mentioned that it should probably be among biographies he said that it should be in the natural sciences section, where I had already looked, and neither went nor pointed me towards biographies, just seeming rather at a loss. But I had spotted and grabbed two other books by then, so I said that I’ll take those and leave that one for another time, and he just wrote my pass number and the titles on a slip of paper, not even telling me when they were due. And when I mentioned that the system seems to keep failing, he agreed and said that it was because of hardware problems and lack of funds… And the catalog is still down even now.
I walked out of there at 3:35 PM, only putting the books in the backpack and the headphones on after I was outside. Then I went to Obor, managing to use that route that Google Maps claims to be the shortest without getting confused at all and entering the part of the market where those stores are a little before 4:25 PM, after putting on the mask as I approached that area. I mainly wanted cat litter, but first had a quick look around and spotted another place that had those awfully cheap “perfumes” that dad uses for an even lower price than the one I had bought him two from before, so after getting the two bags of cat litter I went back there and got him two more, albeit both of them of the same kind, since that guy just had one of the two kinds that dad had told me to look for. Then I looked around a little more, but didn’t get anything else, the two places that had some cheese that I was looking for keeping it in poor conditions, outside of the refrigerated area, in one case actually on a shelf, the cheese itself also looking bad in that case, while in the other place I saw flies on and around it. So I eventually made my way to the exit, stopping before going back outside in order to try to put one of the bags of cat litter in the backpack, but after struggling with it for a while I had to give up and just put it in the sturdier bag I had, probably in order to feel that I at least did something in that time, since the bags of cat litter have handles and, after all, I was holding the other one like that.
After a quick look through the outdoor part of the farmers’ market, I went to Carrefour, used that machine to exchange a bill for coins in order to put my things in a cabinet, and just had a look in there as well, without getting anything. Then, after initially opening that cabinet, I just put that sturdier bag in there as well and closed it again, leaving everything in it while I also went to Kaufland and bought a few things. Then I went right back to the farmers’ market, but to the indoor part, and while I thought that things would be more expensive there than outside, I found one person who had cabbage at a good price and a few who had cheap apples, so I bought a cabbage and apples from two places.
After returning to the mall and retrieving my things from the cabinet, I sat on a bench and spent quite some time struggling to arrange everything in the bags and backpacks, finally walking out of there just after 7:25 PM, stopping to start the music again… And having a guy ask what was I doing with that mask on. I ignored him at first, but he came closer and started speaking louder and gesturing, probably noticing the headphones, telling me that it’s done with the mask, it’s not used anymore, so I said that it’s no longer required, not forbidden. He agreed with that and stepped back to the other guys he was with, but then asked why was I wearing it, whether it was because I was afraid of COVID, seeming to lose interest and leaving me alone after I said “not necessarily”.
Then I walked back, just stopping twice in order to arrange the regular backpack, which I had in the front, with a bag of cat litter in it, since those rope straps were digging into my shoulders. Also crouched down the two times when I had to stop at stoplights, but those moments harmed instead of helping, that backpack’s position getting messed up when I stood back up. Still, it wasn’t even 8:20 PM when I got back, having carried 21.5 kg. Then I put away what I had brought, made and ate some grated apples with sugar, and then made mamaliga again and stuffed myself at night.
I started What If? on May 23 and finished it on May 27, when I also wrote the quick review. As for Attached, I started it on June 1 and finished it yesterday, just barely managing to post what was a very rushed first draft of the quick review before midnight, that being necessary in order to have a first post of the week, and then editing it heavily at night. And this seems to have taken me to 200 reviews, even if the vast majority are just this kind of quick ones, and 250 books marked as read on Goodreads.
Skipping to this Thursday, June 2, the alarm was set to ring at 1 PM, but I was up at 12:45 PM, after sleeping badly. I had felt strange while eating dinner, ear ringing and pressure also appearing suddenly at that time, then had a hard time falling asleep, happened to wake up a little before 7:30 AM, found myself having to deal with something having to do with the other order, then peed and tried to go back to sleep, woke up again at some point after dad did, then napped a bit more, woke up yet again at 11:35 AM, peed one more time, just in case, again took a long time to get back to sleep… Something I ate also didn’t seem to sit well, there was rumbling in my abdomen and a strange taste in my mouth, and I just managed to have another brief nap before waking up one more time and getting up. And, after an apple and another piece of the pie dad had brought from my mother, I decided to also have lunch, considering how much I was going to walk. I still felt strange, my ears were still ringing, I felt pressure not just there but also in my head, and a headache seemed to be coming, but Bookfest was taking place again and I was going to go, walking all the way.
I left at 3:10 PM, having tried to learn the slightly shorter route recommended by Google Maps and also having a screenshot with the part after Victory Square. The route to Victory Square was also different than the one I usually use, but I didn’t think that I’d have problems with that part and that was proven correct, as was the fact that it was indeed slightly shorter as well, since I got there in an hour and ten minutes without jogging. And, while I then did check that screenshot a few times, I actually think that I’d have likely managed to go all the way even without it, since it just served to prove that what I thought was probably the way to go whenever I was uncertain actually was. Then again, being able to confirm in such a manner calmed me down each time, so it’s possible that I’d have started panicking at some point without it, and then things could have gone quite badly. As it was, probably the only other thing to mention would be that I very briefly checked a little store I passed by at one point, even if I didn’t have a mask on. And yes, I was feeling much better by then, despite the heat and the long walk, that strange feeling having actually started to go away soon after I went out.
Since I had taken tea with me, I drank part of it once I got there, before entering, and went in a little after 5:05 PM, though I then needed a few minutes to put on the mask, which didn’t seem to want to sit properly at first. After managing to deal with that, I started wandering around, ignoring all the stands that I wasn’t interested in but ending up checking out one much sooner than I thought I would, since I had never heard of them but noticed that they had fantasy books by Romanian authors and ended up reading some back covers, even though I’m yet to see any evidence that Romanian authors can write the kind of fantasy that I’d be interested in. It may also have to do with the very idea of reading fantasy in Romanian, which goes way beyond the issues I have with reading in Romanian in general, the language simply seeming to be entirely wrong for the genre, making any attempt sound like a children’s story, and what I saw then only reinforced that opinion, so I quickly moved on and found the first stand that I was actually looking for… Only to find that it wasn’t what I was looking for anymore. While they’re in English, that publisher just seems to have educational and speciality books and some classics, yet they always seemed to have a partnership with an on-line store from here, and that store was bringing some interesting books, but this time around there was no sign of that partnership anymore, so it just seemed to be that publisher and their books, in a much smaller stand. I did mean to ask whether there was any fantasy that I was missing, but even though I also got back there later, I couldn’t get myself to say anything, and it didn’t seem like it’d be worth the effort anyway. And since I already knew that the store that I used to prefer to buy from didn’t participate this year for some reason, my hopes of finding anything interesting were dashed.
That changed when I spotted another publisher that I had never heard of, but which had books in English. There were also some children’s books, in Romanian, but the vast majority were in English and the large majority of those were in boxes, separated according to price, and those from one shelf also had the same price, and those were really low prices, so I had a good look and kept the place in mind. And then I found a second place to keep in mind, but that had nothing to do with books, since I’m referring to a woman who was selling sweets, and I considered buying something from her before leaving. On the other hand, the stand of the publisher that I know as focusing on fantasy by Romanian authors just served to reinforce that opinion that I already mentioned even more. I’d have still spent some more time there, reading some more back covers, maybe even a few pages, but it was a tiny stand and the guy who was there stood up as soon as I approached and likely meant to say something. He didn’t, possibly because I had the headphones on, and the music was actually loud, to drown out the noise, plus that I made a point of not even glancing towards him, and the fact that I was among the very few who had a mask might have played a role as well, but I was feeling his eyes on me and he was standing right next to me, I couldn’t even reach some of the books because of that, so I just checked a couple and left.
As I continued on my way, I saw a place where they were serving people, apparently at the end of a book launch. They had plenty of sweets, some small pretzels, and even bottles of wine, and some people were gathering and just grabbing something. The few plastic plates ran out quickly, before I could get myself to take one, but I spotted those mini meringues that I used to like and hadn’t had in a long time, albeit an even smaller version, and that made me get the courage to reach in and grab one. Then I took a napkin, to at least wipe my hands a little, and after that it was easier, so I grabbed a few more things, and also had a quick look at their books even if I had no interest, feeling that I should at least do that much before walking away. And a little later I spotted one more place where they had some candy and was thinking of grabbing some of those as well, but I really had no interest in their books, so I passed by that stall several times but eventually gave up, since it didn’t seem like I’ll be able to take any without doing so right under someone’s eyes. However, I eventually grabbed a few more things from that first place, when I got back there while making sure that I had covered the entire area and checked everything, and the older woman who had seemed to just be there to take food the first time around was gathering what was left and she immediately invited me to take more. Whether that invitation was honest or rather ironic, I’m not sure, and I also don’t know whether she was actually working for them or had simply stayed after most of the others had left and was perhaps about to take what was left for herself, in which case maybe sharing with someone else would have actually made her feel better about it. But I just said that I had taken enough, repeating that when she told me to at least take a napkin and quickly walking away.
After I was sure that I had really checked everything and there was nothing else that I’d be interested in, I returned to those who had the cheap books in English and had another thorough look, first spotting a book which I had somehow missed the first time and picking it up, then also taking the one which had somewhat grabbed my attention what I had first looked. After I finished looking through all the others, I read the back covers and the first page of those two, then also glanced at a few random pages, and eventually decided to put that second one back, since it seemed less likely to be something that I’d enjoy and it was also hardcover and a little less cheap than the other one. I thought that I had memorized the title, in order to look it up later, just in case, but that was apparently not the case, since I can’t find it when I search for the title that I seem to recall or any similar one.
I did actually purchase the other one, however, albeit after first going with it to the guy and asking if he knew whether it was from a series. If it’d have had the cover that now shows up for the Goodreads entry, I’d have ignored it, as I ignored others that were clearly part of a series and not the first, but while there was a list of other books by that author, split into three groups, and it was the second in its group, only one of the groups was actually listed as a series, and there was no indication that it was a sequel anywhere else, so I was uncertain… And remained so even after asking, since he said that he had no idea and couldn’t check, saying that they don’t have those books in a database when I tried to press, and I couldn’t get myself to ask whether he could check on-line, on his phone. Still, I said that, at that price, I’ll risk it, he asked which box I had gotten it from, I told him and bought it, refusing the bag he offered but asking whether I could take a piece of candy, since he had some as well, then saying that I’ll take two and doing so after he said that of course I could.
After stuffing the candy in a pocket, I stopped a few steps away, to put the book first in the bag that I had taken just for this purpose and then in the backpack, and then made my way to the exit, albeit first stopping at the information desk, since I was still surprised that I hadn’t seen another publisher which I had expected to find, so I wanted to check the list of participants to make sure that they really weren’t there. But they really weren’t, so I was out at 6:55 PM, then ate that candy and, before leaving that area, also finished the tea.
This is as far as I got at first, and seeing as the plan was to make mamaliga again tonight, I’d have actually wanted to stop earlier, but it’d have been quite pointless to post this without at least getting to the end of the part about the book fair. And I’ll also mention here that, as I was walking away from the computer, I accidentally hit the plastic thing that’s I guess supposed to strengthen the corner of my bed and the middle part of it snapped off. But it was probably cracked for a long time, and I doubt it makes much of a difference anyway. So, to get back to the post, I’ll add that I wrote most of the rest of the part about June 2 before going to bed and, after waking up at one point during the morning, decided to finish and post it instead of getting right back to bed. As for the part about June 3, I just managed to finish that as well and post it before going to bed Wednesday morning, at which point I also finally changed the time of the post to 11:59 PM. I should also mention, however, that this last part is probably less complete and accurate than I’d like, since I didn’t really have notes about that day either.
Since we needed toilet paper, the kind we use was on sale at Kaufland and dad had been unable to find any the day before, the next destination was Kaufland, the question being which one. But the original plan was to first try the one from Tei, which is right next to the first location of that pharmacy, if I’ll leave the fair at 7 PM or earlier, since I don’t normally get there and could also get the tea that was left to get for dad and toothpaste and dental floss for myself without making a special trip to another location of Tei, so that was where I went, using another route which I had tried to memorize and had also taken a screenshot of. And I again managed to get there just fine, even though that route included areas which I had never reached before, at least as far as I recall. It was somewhat uncomfortable, however, since I didn’t take the old shoes anymore, despite having to walk such a long distance, and my feet were getting rubbed in some areas, so in Herastrau I sat down on a bench and tried to see what was going on, removing some lint from one shoe, in the spot causing the worst problem, actually seeming to help a fair bit, though some problems remained. And before exiting Herastrau I also had a quick look at an event that I happened to pass by, wondering what was going on.
It was a few minutes before 8 PM when I reached the pharmacy, and I decided to put my backpack in a cabinet even though I just had that book in there, so nothing that could be seen as having been taken from there… And that proved to be a problem, because I forgot that I had also thrown the money in the backpack, so I grabbed the teas and toothpaste and dental floss, then realized that I didn’t have the money on me and had to leave the items on a shelf, walk out, get the money from the cabinet, go back in, retrieve the items, then finally purchase them, retrieve my backpack, stuff them in there and continue on my way.
Still, that didn’t take long, and I was in that Kaufland a little before 8:25 PM, after once again putting the backpack in a cabinet… And realizing that a digit had already been pressed, so the code for the lock started with a digit that I didn’t know and I kept trying until I found it, then locked it again and entered, noticing that some evening discounts seemed to already apply. I had no time for them, however, starting to search for that toilet paper right away… And not finding it, nor even an empty area where it should have been. So I searched all around, in case it was in a different place, but all I could find was a torn pack of 16 in a basket where employees were probably gathering such items. The packs of eight were the ones on sale, but I nevertheless took that one in order to check its price… Only to notice that the tear was right on the bar code, so it couldn’t be scanned, which was likely why it had been left there. But as I was looking for a scanner, there was an announcement just about the discount for that toilet paper, so after trying and failing to check the price of that pack of 16 I looked for an employee and asked about that toilet paper that was just announced, but she said that they probably ran out, and when I said that I didn’t even find an empty spot she said that her coworkers had probably filled it with something else. And that exchange repeated itself when I asked a second employee as well, so I didn’t look for anything else to buy and didn’t lose any more time, walking out… And finding that the problem with the lock had somehow caused me to enter a wrong code when I locked it again, so I needed a moment to figure out what I had entered, and then took a little more time to try to arrange the purchases from the pharmacy a little better in the backpack.
Nevertheless, around 8:45 PM I was starting on my way to Obor. It was too late to just walk there, however, and those purchases were digging into my back, making running too uncomfortable, so after taking the backpack off and just walking with it in my hand for a little while, I found a spot to set it down and actually arrange its contents properly, allowing me to put it back on and jog most of the way to that Kaufland. That route was also one which I had never used before, but I had actually prepared for it, including by taking a screenshot, long ago, and I again managed to get there well enough. There was one spot where I initially missed a turn, but realized that something was wrong almost immediately and got back on the intended route after checking the screenshot, and either way I noticed later that I’d have ended up in the same place even if I’d have taken that turn at the end of that road.
That way, it was only a little after 9:10 PM when I reached that Kaufland, then I once again put the backpack in a cabinet, peed and washed my hands, and once again first went to look for that toilet paper. And I did find the spot where it should have been, but that was all I found, since it was empty, and when I asked an employee whether it could be found anywhere else she said no. I also pointed out that the sale had only started the day before, but she said that yes, it had started the day before, and it runs out right away, considering the price. So I just got a few other things, since it was far too late to try to reach one more location that evening, and was just retrieving the backpack from the cabinet at 10 PM, a guy asking me for the time right at that point and the announcement that the store had closed coming seconds after I looked and told him that it was exactly 10 PM.
After arranging the purchases, I walked out a few minutes later… Only for dad to then send me an SMS to ask me to get some of that cheese that he keeps giving Micky. It was 10:07 PM when I received it, obviously too late, and an SMS also meant that I couldn’t react, so at first I just meant to ignore it, but then I decided to make a tiny detour to a Mega Image that stayed open later, putting the bag, but not also the backpack, in a cabinet and checking the price of the cheapest cheese of that kind, since that was what dad had bought before anyway. And it actually turned out to be cheaper than the cheapest kind that I had seen in Kaufland, so I bought a pack. Also took the time to take out the exact change in coins, albeit not also the exact amount in bills, but the cashier pushed the four 0.01 RON coins back towards me, saying that she had nothing to do with those, and looked at me expectantly until I said that in that case I should give her a little more, adding a 0.05 RON coin, to round up a little. And the three 1 RON bills that she gave me as change included one that was completely torn in two and put back together with sticky tape. It was a good job, however, and I didn’t even notice before walking away, at which point I couldn’t get myself to get back and say something about it anymore.
I was finally back at 11:15 PM, after having walked what Google Maps says were 21.5 km, not including wandering around at Bookfest and through stores, so around 25 km seems like a fair estimate for the total, out of which I jogged perhaps some two kilometers or so. Then I put the purchases in their place and, if I remember correctly, just had an orange before going to shower, then managed to stick to the dinner schedule. It was almost 5:20 AM when I finally went to bed, however. But at least my blood pressure seemed fine, since the way I had felt made me check it after getting back and, if that device works properly, it was 116/77.
The toilet paper was still a problem, but since we weren’t going to actually run out at least until Saturday and dad said that he won’t need the metro card on either of the two days, I planned to rest on Friday and go out again on Saturday, checking as many Kaufland locations as I could reach by metro, if necessary. But waiting one more day was going to make it even harder to find any, so I allowed for the possibility of going out again right away if I was going to happen to wake up Friday morning, so after just a few hours of sleep, and not feel completely crushed. And that was exactly what happened, since I woke up a little after 8:30 AM, felt like I could go, got up and started getting ready… And a little later I again had to deal with something having to do with that other order. Then I took the recyclables and what I take to Kaufland and left a couple of minutes after 11 AM, dropping off the recyclables in a bin on the way and those other things after reaching the first Kaufland.
I had quite a plan, having looked up even some Kaufland locations that I had never been to before, because they’re close, or relatively close, to metro stations, so I could reach them that day if I had to… But I fortunately didn’t need to, finding that toilet paper in the first one, which I walked to, so I didn’t need the metro card for that part of the day at all. It’s likely that it had been restocked in the morning, because seven packs were left, I took three and an older woman was just taking the rest when I got back there after wandering around a little. I had thought about getting more, but couldn’t quite make up my mind, so I decided to give others the opportunity to get the rest before making a decision, and that woman made things simpler… And she also indirectly let me know that the price of bananas was at a level that I’d normally associate with an evening discount, because after I first got in line I decided to walk away and have a look at another area where expiring products are, and at that point she passed by me, talking on the phone and telling someone that she had bought toilet paper and bananas, specifying the price of both. So I went to grab some bananas as well, since they were very good, and many of them green, then went back to the self-checkouts… Only to see that the sour cream that I had also picked up had a slightly higher price than the listed one. I normally use price checkers, but that time I didn’t, and I also didn’t complain at that point, just paying… And also somehow forgetting to take the coins given as change, despite even having another look around, trying to make sure that I hadn’t forgotten anything. At least it was a small amount, and it made me actively search for coins and probably recover it after that, but it’s probably an indication of how tired I was.
Since it was still so early, I used the other route to get back, to also check the Carrefour from the park, putting the purchases in a cabinet, peeing and washing my hands, but not finding anything to buy, so I then retrieved those purchases, got back here a little before 1:25 PM… And left again at 1:40 PM. That was because I had four more books to pick up, after ordering them before going to bed in the morning. I started by searching for the book I had purchased, finding that it was in fact part of a series, and the second one in it, but also that a used books store from here that has a lot of books in English has a copy of the first, so I ordered that, but also one more, after looking through what they had for a low enough price and deciding that it seemed interesting enough. And, since I was at it, these two books were cheaper there and they also offer the option to pick up orders for free, I also ordered The Tower of Fools and The Blacktongue Thief, the latter being a book I had found interesting enough after checking Goodreads recommendations recently, from Nautilus… A full decade after the last time I bought something from there.
I did consider returning to Carrefour first, if dad was interested in something I had seen among the expiring products, but he said he wasn’t, so I went straight to this metro station, since I had his metro card and had walked so much the day before… And, just as I was crossing the road to get there, I spotted a 1 RON bill on the street, which made up for anything lost in Kaufland a few times over. Then I took the metro to Victory Square, walked to Nautilus, picked up the order and also had a look at some of the other books that were there. Yes, the space was just as cramped as I remembered it, but just one person was working there and he left me alone after I said that I wanted to have a look, and of course my social anxiety is much more under control than it was ten years ago, and the headphones and mask also help quite a lot, so while I didn’t feel comfortable, it wasn’t nearly as bad as what I was writing back then.
After returning to the metro station, I went to Unirii, going to that Carrefour as well… And on the way I noticed that the place that I had bought some sweets from back in November was closed, I hope not for good, since I’d like to get something else from there someday, either when I’ll really want to reward myself for something or when my parents will want sweets again, maybe for their birthdays. Either way, in that location I knew that I can usually find that bread, unsliced, and that was indeed the case, so after taking three and checking their weight I settled on one, then also found two bio (organic) eggs that weren’t cracked among those sold by piece and took those as well, along with some roes and some cheese with sour cream.
Well, that last product was a problem, because its listed price was lower than what it had been in the other location, and while sometimes price differences do exist between different locations, it wasn’t actually the case there, since I used a price checker and saw that higher price. But they do say that, if the listed price is lower, they will return the difference, so I looked for an employee, told her what the problem was and she confirmed that in that case I’ll be charged that lower price. Then I spotted another, who was actually just in that area, as I was on my way to the checkout, and she was more hesitant, first saying that they’ll fix the price label, then asking whether I had their app, but eventually, and halfheartedly, also saying that I should be offered the listed price. So I also took a picture of the price label, picked the checkout that’s right in front of the sign announcing that they’ll return the difference, and told the cashier that I’ll need to make use of that, showing her the picture, which seemed to be enough, as she didn’t call anyone to check. However, when I had calculated the total, I had somehow only added one egg instead of two, and had only taken out the exact amount, so when she told me the actual total I had to get some more money, and the bills were in the backpack and the coins in a small bag, making me feel even more embarrassed for holding up the line. And I also handed her a rusty 0.10 RON coin that I had found on the floor in Park Lake, before entering that Carrefour, and she asked whether I thought that the next customer would accept that, so I asked whether she wanted another and she said she would, if I had one, pointedly adding that she had given me that difference.
I then took quite some time to arrange the purchases in the backpack, just leaving the bread in that bag that I can hang from my neck, and then also went to that used books store. The notification that I could pick up that order as well had arrived after I left, so I hadn’t seen it, but decided to just go there and ask, getting everything done that day. It was somewhat odd that one of the girls who was there stopped me when I was about to leave and asked to see the receipt they had just given me, saying that she needed the number, which I assumed would be recorded by the system, but I just showed it to her and then walked out, stopping at the first bench and taking quite some time to check that there were no missing pages and rearrange everything in the backpack yet again, in order to make all the books fit, along with the purchases, with the exception of that bread.
I got back here a little before 5:30 PM, but since dad said that he wanted to cook that day and hadn’t even started, I ended up only having lunch in the evening, just before he left, and everything I had to do in the kitchen led to only starting to eat dinner a little after 3:30 AM, and it was an hour later when I finished, since I decided to at least take it easy, since sticking to the schedule was out of the question. And I’ll also mention here that there were no visits recorded in either view on June 3.