[ View menu ]

Long Walks to "Pay" with PET Bottles and Not Only – 2022 Edition

After only managing to get in bed at 5:20 AM the previous morning, on the morning of October 29 I managed to get in bed at the usual 5:15 AM despite shaving and then even losing a quarter of an hour with a mess I discovered in the desk drawer. And I actually slept unusually well, waking up a couple of times but getting back to sleep almost right away and never even needing to get up to pee. Then, after having lunch, I left a couple of minutes before 5:30 PM, taking the recyclables, some trash and 20 bottles. Since this time around, despite leaving the name of the campaign unchanged, they were also accepting glass bottles and aluminum cans but used machines, three of those were glass bottles and the plastic ones weren’t squashed, so I had to use a bag on top of dad’s large backpack. And I left the trash and the recyclables in bins and picked up six more plastic bottles on the way to Carrefour Vulcan, which was once again the second location where that campaign was taking place in Bucharest, though this time around it was the only one where I went, since it had been at Orhideea between September 22 and 26, so just when I did that series of three runs in five days. Of course, I saw way, way more plastic bottles, plus cans and glass bottles, but I considered six to be enough for that day.
I wasn’t worried when I realized that I had turned one street too early, since there’s a way through, and I entered that shopping center just before 7 PM and put 20 plastic bottles in the machine, keeping the three glass ones and three of the smaller plastic ones that I had brought. I asked the guy who was there whether I could bring squashed bottles in any way and he said that I couldn’t, because the machines won’t recognize them and they can’t just take them anymore, like it was done in previous years, which was awfully frustrating. But I also entered the raffle, and only had six products to choose from, so I left the green tomatoes out and got four Kapia peppers, weighing 398 grams, four Bianca peppers, weighing 408 grams, four onions, weighing 555 grams, four potatoes, weighing 575 grams, and since the cucumbers were small I was given six of those, weighing 285 grams. I asked about apples, but I was told that they had finished earlier.
After putting that bag and the backpack in a cabinet, I went to pee and wash my hands, only putting on the mask after that. Then I entered the store, wandered around and stocked up on snacks for dad and also got some corn puffs for myself, those vouchers being offered for chips and salty snacks those days. The self-checkout behaved oddly at first, a message that an employee will come soon appearing when I scanned the first product, but after I called one over and she logged on and cleared that message, there were no other problems. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, put the bag with the vegetables in the backpack, arranged the snacks better in another bag and walked out at 8:05 PM.
I walked in the nearby Auchan with everything, but I was just looking for that cheap bread for dad and didn’t see any, so I went right back out, having no time to lose. And dad called and asked me to get some more of those treats for Liza before the moment when I had to decide whether to also go to Kaufland on the way back or straight to Auchan Vitan, so I went to Kaufland, after having a very quick look in the large Mega Image from Vitan without actually entering the store, since I just wanted to see whether they had any expiring bread and they didn’t.
I reached Kaufland a little before 9:40 PM, but I couldn’t find working cabinets, eventually waiting after a guy and using the one he emptied. Then I entered the store and noticed very cheap grapes, but I first went to the bakery area, taking a glove, since I hadn’t washed my hands, and just getting two regular buns, since nothing better was left. Then I grabbed those treats and returned for the grapes, but it was almost 9:55 PM and an employee was taking the crates away. When she knocked over a crate of pomegranates, I meant to help her gather them, but she said that she’ll take care of it, so I asked if I had time to dig through the grapes but she said no, because she was taking them away, so I gave up on that idea and ended up standing in line at the self-checkouts a little before the announcement that the store had closed. The line was very slow, with a single employee being available to help and almost everyone needing her, but at least I had no problems when my turn came.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet, I walked out a little after 10:10 PM and continued to Auchan, asking the guard whether I could leave the bag next to him while I went inside. He said that I could, but not for long, so I did so and just grabbed two breads for dad, having no problems with the self-checkout and then getting back there to recover my bag. Then I stopped to put the bread in that bag that hangs from my neck and I was walking out of there just after 10:35 PM.
I got back at 11:15 PM, weighed what I had received, put some of the things in their place, ate some baked pumpkin, and just over an hour after walking through the door I went to the bathroom, showering after ending up just finishing a newspaper while sitting on the toilet despite feeling like I had to go. I was out a couple of minutes before 1 AM and managed to stick to the dinner schedule without problems despite still having to put the peppers and cucumbers in their place, washing what dad had left in the kitchen, also eating the nicer bag of corn puffs and making the tea for the next day. And, since the hour went back, I also wrote that week’s second post that night, and then took the remaining larger bottles that weren’t squashed and tried to straighten a soft one that was, leaving the smaller ones, since I was planning to grab the rest on the way.

On October 30, I got up when the alarm rang, at 10 AM, but before that point I had gotten up to pee three times and woken up at least three more times, and I was actually once again awake for a couple of minutes when the alarm rang. But at least I had lunch before leaving, and also saw that I could take it easy, since the event commemorating the Colectiv club fire had its hours changed, from 4 PM to 10 PM, to 6 PM to 11 PM. So it was a little after 1:10 PM when I left, with just 14 bottles, including the partially straightened one and the three glass ones, though I had 17 by the time I left the building, since I checked the garbage room on this floor and grabbed three bottles, including another glass one, that were there. And I picked up ten more bottles, including one of those that they offered two products for, over the first part of the route, after which I stopped to make sure that I had counted correctly and arrange them a little better. Otherwise, at Unirii I entered that shopping center to pee and wash my hands, albeit without a mask.
I reached Vulcan a little after 3 PM and there was a line at the machines, but when my turn came I had no problems, and I saw the machines take bottles from other people that were quite squashed, which was something of a relief. On the other hand, after writing my name for the raffle while waiting in the second line, just when my turn came the girl who was there said that we should go to the other side, and while she said that the same kind of apples were available on both sides, those on the side that she moved away from looked like Gala to me, while those on the other side were quite clearly another kind, probably Jonaprince. Either way, getting four of each meant 432 grams of Kapia peppers, 393 grams of Bianca peppers, 574 grams of those apples, 623 grams of white potatoes and 637 grams of red potatoes.
After putting that bag and the backpack in a cabinet and going to the toilet, I went back and asked the guy who had also been there the previous day about the apples as well, but he didn’t just say that he didn’t know what kind they were, but did so in a way that made me feel that he was either mocking me or thought that the question had been unreasonable. So, after finally putting on the mask, I took pictures of the apples that were available in the store at that time, to try to identify what I had received, but while I actually did have the camera with me, for some reason I used my phone, so the image quality was poor. And I didn’t buy anything, and when I walked back out the guard asked to see the bag, in which I just had other bags, and also the contents of the jacket’s pockets. Then I retrieved my things from the cabinet, put the bag in the backpack and walked out right at 4 PM.
After once again checking that Auchan for some of that bread for dad, again walking in with everything and walking back out almost right away, since I still didn’t see any, I remembered that I also wanted to get some of those bagels for my mother from a new Carrefour Express which had opened in that area, since they seem to be among the products that are always discounted when they open another one of those stores, so I went there, even though it meant walking in the opposite direction for a while, and bought the last two bags that I found, though I wasn’t given a receipt. Then I took some time to put them in the backpack after walking out, took off the mask and went to that commemoration. I might have had enough time for a quick detour to the Carrefour from Unirii, at least to leave the backpack in a cabinet if not to actually check the store as well, but I was sleepy, so I chose to take it easy instead.
I reached Bucur Square just before 5:50 PM, lit the candle which I had brought, took some pictures… Otherwise, I just wandered around, seeing a number of faces that I knew from protests, but only three from the “old guard”, and I just exchanged a few words with one of them. The crowd seemed to be thinning after a while, so I was thinking that the moment will be lost if the planned march won’t start at 7 PM, but it started at 7:15 PM and took just over half an hour. And the participants remained silent after reaching the Prosecutors’ Office, just arranging the pictures of the victims once again and placing candles in front of them before people started to walk away.
I left at 8:20 PM and checked the Mega Image from Unirii, which was open once again, walking in with everything after trying but failing to make the backpack fit in a cabinet. I only put the mask back on when I saw some expiring bread that I could get for dad, since I had to stand in line, and the cashier rounded down the total, but didn’t give me a receipt. And then I went to that Carrefour as well, putting my things in a cabinet… And needing quite some time to untie the small bag that I had those bags of bagels in, since I had tied it with a knot but realized that I was going to need it if I found eggs sold by piece… Which I didn’t, but among the expiring products I found a cake and some mozzarella that I grabbed, also using that voucher received for the snacks and even getting to keep the receipt it was on, that cashier not taking it away. Then I took more time to arrange everything after retrieving what I had in the cabinet and finally left a couple of minutes before 9:30 PM… Which gave me just enough time to get back here before the start of the race if I’ll run, so that was exactly what I did, only slowing to a jog, and for a couple of moments even walking without it being required because I was crossing a street or the pavement was too damaged, after reaching this area and realizing that I still had some time.
I was back at 9:55 PM and looked for a stream, but it took me a while, so I missed the start… And those streams that I was finding were quickly getting blocked, so I could only actually watch a little of the race, ending up only listening to most of it, since a stream of the English commentary was left. While listening, I ate that cake and did 200 squats, also ate one of the apples and some peanuts, and then I weighed what I had received. At 12:10 AM I went to the toilet and to wash… And after washing I realized that I had forgotten the towel, so I rushed to my room, naked and wet, stepping on my heels, to get it. And, after getting back in the kitchen when it was almost 1:25 AM, I had quite a lot to wash, some of the things left by dad also being really greasy and not even with water in them. And I still had to put some of the things that I had brought in their place, and I also found myself slicing the ends of two of dad’s breads, since those parts were not sliced and it just seemed wrong to me. So I only started eating dinner at 3:40 AM, finishing at 4:30 AM.

On October 31, I again slept quite well in the morning, only getting up to pee once and not even hearing when dad got back or got himself something to eat, though what I found in the sink meant that he probably made some noise. And after getting up I straightened seven more bottles, had lunch, did the day’s squats and, a little after 6 PM, I left with 22 bottles, including the three glass ones and six of those granting two products, one of them straightened and one which I had picked up the day before.
I used the metro that day, having dad’s card, and I picked up three more bottles on the way to the station and five more after getting off at Unirii. It was a little before 7:20 PM when I reached Vulcan and there was no line, but I only saw plenty of Bianca peppers, some onions, some apples, and a handful of small potatoes. And I wondered about using some of those bottles that grant two products for more apples, but I was still undecided when the girl who was there came to me while I was digging the bottles out of the bag and my mind pretty much disconnected, so I ended up deciding to use four of those bottles and showed them to her, but instead of getting rid of the large bottles first, I forgot three of them in the backpack but at the same time revealed that I had more bottles in there while struggling to dig those four out, so she told me to leave those as well, but I said that I’ll also come the next day. And then, with my mind still in that state, I couldn’t manage to put the bags back inside each other, so I initially left them in front of the machine and then moved them next to the sign when another person came, so they were out of the way but also away from me. At least I managed to write my name and enter the raffle, but I couldn’t remember whether I also wrote my phone number, so it might have been an invalid entry anyway.
Either way, I was told that I could get 24 products but only out of what they had left, so I asked about the apples and, while they obviously weren’t all of the same kind, she said that they’re considered as being the same, and they’re all the apples that they had left for that day. So I asked for eight apples, but I was actually given ten, five obviously being Idared and weighing 1.139 kg and five being Red Delicious and weighing 808 grams. Then I thought that I was given eight Bianca peppers but there were actually nine of them, and I also asked for four onions, weighing 550 grams. At that point, she said that she had given me the 24 products while I thought that she had only given me 22 and said so, both of us having obviously miscounted, but she didn’t argue and, just as I was about to also ask for two potatoes, added two more peppers and I accepted that, ending up with 11 of them, weighing 1.118 kg.
Even though I then said that I’ll put the bag in a cabinet, she said that she’ll staple it anyway, but since she was still struggling to do so after I retrieved the empty bags from where I had left them, I just took it from her, unstapled, then put it in the backpack, took some time to arrange what was in it, and then put the backpack in a cabinet. Then I went to the toilet and returned to the store, finding some interesting expiring products, and they’re discounted by 65% in that location, and while I was looking a woman walked by and put back another expiring product that I was interested in, so I grabbed that as well, and then added a few other things, having no problems with the self-checkout. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and walked out at 8:10 PM.
Since I had found a Penny that was sort of in that area, that was my next destination, and the cabinets were deep, so I could easily put everything in one. Then I got what I wanted, retrieved my things from the cabinet, took my time to arrange what I put in a bag, and eventually made my way to another metro station, having no problems to find the planned route. However, since I missed the metro by one minute when I got there and then just failed to catch it when I switched at Unirii despite running, it ended up taking me 20 minutes to get from the station where I had entered to the other one that I had considered walking to, the route in that case only being about one kilometer longer, so it’d have been faster to walk.
Either way, I got off at Dristor and went to that non-stop Mega Image, which was also open once again, looking for the rice that was on sale. And I spotted a guy from the “old guard” and nodded at him, and he nodded back, but I didn’t feel like I could handle talking to him, so I wandered around the store a little more, since he seemed about to get in line… Only for him to apparently also wander around for just about the same amount of time, since he got in line right behind me and said that he didn’t know who had greeted him, hidden behind a mask. I said that it helps, especially considering my social anxiety, but he asked me to remove it just a little, since he still didn’t know who I was, only recognizing me once I did. And then we exchanged a few words and I started sweating and my mind pretty much disconnected once again, so I almost gave the cashier 2 RON more, realized that it was too much but still gave her 1 RON more, being confused when she handed it back, and then I put the rest of the money in another pocket without realizing it, so when I went to retrieve what I had in the cabinet and couldn’t find the money where they should have been, I thought that I had left them at the checkout and rushed back while that guy was still being checked out, so he asked whether I had lost something and I said that it seemed like it, but I then found the money in another pocket and said that it was fine. Then I went back to actually retrieve what I had in the cabinet and arranged what I put in a bag, during which time that guy also came there to arrange his purchases and said a few more things until I walked out.
I got back a little after 10:30 PM and exactly one hour later I was back in the kitchen, after having thrown what should be kept refrigerated in the fridge, spreading what I had received on the kitchen table, going to the toilet and washing. Then, after weighing what I had received, I did something else that I had to do that night, after which I ate an apple and dug out all the bottles, setting aside the smaller ones and enough of the soft large ones to have more than what I still needed for the remaining two days, seeing as this time around the campaign only ran for five days in each location. That obviously took a while, and I had a lot to wash as well, and also put the apples and peppers in the fridge, after which I had a little chocolate, so even if I made the salad only from Bianca peppers and an onion, I started eating dinner seconds before 3:40 AM, finishing just before 4:30 AM.

On the morning of November 1, I again woke up to pee multiple times, and one more time because Liza kept digging in the litter box, and after getting up I straightened some more bottles as well as I could and also did the day’s squats. However, I didn’t have lunch before leaving, since I wanted to make pizza in the evening. Either way, I left at 4 PM, with 26 bottles, including those three glass ones that I kept carrying around.
I once again had dad’s metro card, so I took the metro from Dristor and got off at the station that dad had said was closer to Vulcan than the one that I had wanted to get off at, though the difference is actually that the route is straight, even though the actual distance seems to be a little longer, and either way it’s still quite a walk and I’m not sure that either option actually saves time compared to getting off at Unirii, considering the additional time needed to get there by metro. But after getting off at that station I spotted one of those bottles that grant two products and grabbed it, that being the only bottle that I grabbed on the way that day.
I reached Vulcan at 5:05 PM and saw a handful of Kapia peppers and cucumbers left, but a guy with a full cart was ahead and, while the others moved to the other machine, I thought that he couldn’t possibly put everything in, so I waited there… Only for him to actually put everything in, 80 items, and when he was told that he could only take 20 products per person he explained that he had arrived too late the previous day, so he brought his whole family that day in order to make up for it, so he was actually there for four people, and he called them to gather around in order to prove it. But I waited until he was done, by which point just Bianca peppers, apples and some onions were left, so I kept the three bottles that would have granted two products that I had. And the machine reported that the bin was full after I put 14 bottles in, and then did so again after five more, so I needed a third ticket for the last one, one of the guys who was there just opening it and shaking the bin whenever that message appeared, the other one, who had been there each day, telling him to only empty the bin when it’s really full and that doesn’t work anymore. And he also told me that I could fill my information for the raffle on each receipt when I asked, but since 20 bottles are needed in order to enter, I also asked the girl who was there whether I should fill it on one of them and then she’ll staple all three together and she said yes, so that was what happened.
Since I again had to pick from what was left, being unable to follow the rule of no more than four products of the same kind, I got four Bianca peppers, weighing 339 grams, four onions, weighing 572 grams, and 12 apples, weighing 1.57 kg. Some of the apples were definitely Idared, but I was uncertain about others, at least a few probably being Jonathan, though I couldn’t really be sure of it just by looking. But the price was the same, so it makes no difference when it comes to calculating the total value of what I received.
I didn’t put the bag in a cabinet after that girl stapled it, carrying it while having a look in the store, without getting anything, and going to the toilet. I only put it in the backpack before leaving, at 5:40 PM, and didn’t bother to put the backpack in a cabinet after walking to Carrefour Unirii either. And, while they weren’t discounted, I found 14 bio (organic) eggs that weren’t cracked among those sold by piece in that location, so I got all of them, and while I was carefully checking them dad called and said that I should get a bag of cat food for mother from Penny after all, which made me decide to get back here first, not wanting to go to Obor, so I won’t get pissed off if I’ll happen to find discounted eggs sold by piece at that Carrefour after buying those at the full price from there.
Taking the metro, I got back here just after 7:45 PM and left again 35 minutes later, after peeing, putting the eggs in the fridge, leaving the large backpack and taking mine, putting the bags in it, and also taking 30 RON in coins, realizing that I could make use of that campaign again, the cat food being just over that value. But that made me not want to go to the nearby Penny, to avoid any weird looks or comments, in case somebody would have remembered that I had made use of that campaign in that location in June, so I decided to go to the one that’s next to Auchan Titan… And soon realized that I had forgotten to leave the metro card, and since I didn’t turn around, I had to get back before dad left, not wanting to leave him without it even though he had said that he probably won’t need it.
Since I was there, I first went to that Auchan and found that bread that I get for dad, so I got four, though what was frustrating was that an employee came and said that she could help as soon as I went to a self-checkout, entering the quantity and asking me to scan one of the breads, and then she asked for the store card and I realized that I had forgotten to take it. That wasn’t a problem, since scanning it wouldn’t have offered any benefits at that point and I said so, but she said that you never know, pulled out a card, scanned it and then wanted to give it to me, pressing and telling me to give it to a family member or something when I said that I have one but just didn’t take it with me, so I just frowned and left it on the machine.
Then I put the bread in that bag that hangs from my neck and went to Penny, walking in with everything and grabbing a bag of cat food, but asking an employee about that campaign before going to the checkout… Only for her to just ask the cashier, who then used the headset to ask someone else, whose reply apparently wasn’t coming through, so she sent the guard to ask and he came back to say that they had a lot of coins that day, and I heard someone shout something about having just received money from the bank, so they told me to try again the next day… Which wasn’t going to happen. So I just wasted about an hour by coming back here and then leaving again, since I could have just used the metro to go straight there from Unirii. But at least I bought that cat food, put it and the coins in the backpack and then rushed back, since it was already a couple of minutes past 9:30 PM when I left.
Well, I rushed but also stopped a few times, since one reason for rushing was that I also wanted one of those apple pastries, so I wanted to be able to look for them on the way… But I didn’t find any, despite checking all of the four Mega Image locations that are on the way, including that new one that I had never checked before. I put the backpack in a cabinet when I got there, but I didn’t lock the door, just having a quick look and then retrieving it, while in the second location I just had a look from behind the checkouts, in the third I rushed in with everything a few minutes before 10 PM, when it closed, and in this nearby one I only had a look from the door.
I got back just before 10:15 PM, catching dad before he left. Then I weighed what I had received, ate an apple and some baked pumpkin, spent some more time trying to determine exactly how many apples of each kind I had received but was still unable to, checked a few more things, and went to the bathroom at 11:40 PM, just wasting time on the toilet but taking it easy while washing. I was done just before 12:35 PM, but I had to put what I had received in the fridge and some things to wash, also sliced two of dad’s breads, and then made pizza, using the electric oven again. And I can say that I split the pizza into lunch and dinner, taking a first bite out of the first part just before 3 AM, before managing to take a picture, after trying but failing to put everything on the second part and get it in the oven by then as well. Then I finished that part before starting to eat the second one and the salad in my room, as dinner, from 3:45 AM. That first part was rather overcooked, the second a little undercooked, probably because I had once again piled on too many ingredients, but in the end it was fine, and I finished eating at 4:35 AM.

The alternating sleep pattern continued on the morning of November 2, so I once again slept quite well, not hearing dad and only waking up to pee once. There was a second time when I woke up, without needing to pee, and I slept more poorly after that, but at that point it wasn’t long until I had to get up anyway. And after I did get up I left the door to my room open for a while, and while Liza doesn’t normally come here, that day I saw her in my bed, sniffing my pillow, and since I didn’t know what she had done or whether she had recently been in the litter box, I quickly changed the pillow case and the sheet that was on the bed, leaving the one that the blanket was in at that moment. Then I had lunch, with some corn puffs instead of bread, straightened some more bottles and left at 5:20 PM, with 24 bottles, including the three glass ones, those three that granted two products, and also some that I wasn’t sure would be accepted, including one of cooking oil.
I had also taken some trash, which I dumped down the chute, to also have a look in the garbage room, but I was only looking for those bottles that’d have granted two products, so I didn’t pick up anything else, neither there nor on the way, since I didn’t happen to spot any of those despite once again walking all the way, getting there just before 6:40 PM and seeing others put in more than 20 recyclables. A guy even put in the bottles, got the products, and then returned to add some more while I was still there, so maybe they had loosened the limits on that last day, but I stuck to the normal limit of 20, including those three that granted two products, though the girl who was there barely glanced my way when I pointed them out, just saying that I should count them, and when I filled in the information for the raffle and asked whether I should add the fact that I had those three, she said no, even though the one who had been there the other time when I had such bottles did write that number down separately.
Either way, only Kapia peppers, cucumbers and apples were left, and the apples were once again clearly of different kinds but I was told that they counted as a single kind. But it wasn’t like I could pick five different things anyway, so I asked if I could just have Kapia peppers and apples, ignoring the cucumbers and not saying how many of each, and she gave me what I counted as 13 apples and eight Kapia peppers. But I should have been given 23 products, and when I pointed out that there should have been two more she just added two more Kapia peppers without commenting… And I later noticed that it was once again a case of both of us miscounting by one, since I received ten Kapia peppers, weighing 1.32 kg, and a total of 14 apples, 11 of them being Red Delicious and weighing 1.821 kg and the three others, weighing 403 grams, probably being Idared, though there was a chance that at least one of them was Jonathan.
I again didn’t put that bag in a cabinet, though I did try to stuff it in the backpack after she stapled it. I couldn’t do that, but while I was struggling with it I heard a manager say that she’ll send some lettuce as well, and lettuce had indeed appeared among the available products by the time I left the store, but it was too late for me. Either way, I only put on the mask after I gave up trying to put that bag in the backpack, and then I just bought a cabbage. After looking through those that were placed in the open, selecting one that didn’t look that bad and peeling off the outer leaves, I saw a pile of sacks elsewhere, looked in one that was torn and used my key to open another and look in it as well, but what I saw didn’t look much better, so I just kept that first one and used the self-checkout. Then I finally did manage to put the bag with what I had received in the backpack, but the cabbage had to stay in another bag… And by that point I really had to pee, and the cleaner’s cart was just about blocking the entrance to the toilets, but there was still a way to squeeze past it and I saw a few other people in there, so I went, noticing that she was in the women’s, and the men’s did seem to still be usable.
The plan was to walk away from that shopping center at 7:30 PM and that was exactly what I did, taking off the mask at that point. I still didn’t check that Kaufland, however, since it’d have been too early for evening discounts, instead walking to the one from Vitan. I somehow took a wrong turn at Carol Park, but I quickly realized it and went back… And some time later I bumped into Andreea. I nodded at her, she nodded back, we took a couple more steps, and then we both stopped and turned, after which we exchanged a few words. Either way, the plan was to just quickly check for green onions with an evening discount at that Kaufland, and if didn’t see any I was going to rush to the newer one instead, but after needing to try a few cabinets before finding one that locked and just putting the cabbage in there and then also washing my hands, I walked in right at 9 PM, with the backpack, and actually saw many green onions, so I could stay there and take it easy.
I didn’t see anything that I’d have cared to get among the products that had evening discounts in the bakery area, and scanning a couple of price labels confirmed that what I was interested in wasn’t discounted, so I went back to look through the green onions. All of the bundles were small and not too good, but I eventually picked one and replaced one of the onions from it with a loose one that was better. Then I started digging through the loose grapes that had a deep discount, and while I was doing so a woman who was picking from those of another kind, which had far lower discount, handed me a 5 RON bill and told me to leave those and get myself some of those other ones. But, on top of the price difference, I really don’t want that kind of grapes, apparently not even if literally paid to get some, so I rather harshly said that I didn’t want to, she insisted, I refused even more firmly and she finally walked away and I continued digging until an employee came and started taking away the crates with the other kinds, walking away after she did so and I assumed that she’ll want to also take those that I was picking from. A 75% discount for bakery products had just been announced anyway, and it seemed to apply to everything that was left, so I rushed back there, put on a glove, since my hands were dirty, and quickly grabbed four regular buns, since little else was left and other customers were also taking those, plus two sweet pastries. Then, after looking around for a little while, I got some potatoes that also had a good evening discount and saw that those really cheap grapes were actually still there, so I picked some more, stopping just before closing time and being just about to reach the self-checkout area when the announcement came. The line was huge, however, so I waited for quite a while, but at least there were no problems with the machine when my turn finally came.
After retrieving the cabbage from the cabinet and arranging the purchases a little, I rushed to that Mega Image, putting the backpack in one cabinet and a bag in another even though they had no keys and entering with the bag hanging from my neck. But I only wanted to see if any of those apple pastries were left and discounted, and that wasn’t the case, so I just retrieved my things and left, wanting to also have time to check another Mega Image on the way back. However, even though that’s supposed to close at 11 PM and I got there just before 10:45 PM, it was apparently already closed. That one that’s next to Tei is non-stop, but I just looked at the bakery area through the window, not entering when I didn’t spot any discounted sweet pastries.
I got back just before 11:10 PM, having carried 15.5 kg, though almost six only from Kaufland. After putting the potatoes in their place, I ate a sweet pastry, weighed what I had received, then also ate an apple, washed some of what was in the kitchen, changed the sheet that the blanket’s in as well, and finally went to wash at 1:05 AM. I got back in the kitchen just before 1:50 AM, but I had more things to wash and the apples, Kapia peppers and cabbage to put in the fridge, and I also ate the rest of the corn puffs, so I only finally started eating dinner at 3:55 AM, finishing at 4:45 AM and getting in bed at 5:20 AM.

I’ll also add here that the alternating sleep pattern no longer applied that morning, since I again slept really well. Dad left early and I did wake up at that point, but I immediately fell back to sleep and didn’t even wake up during the earthquake, which was apparently the biggest one in four years. I did wake up to pee later, but just once. On the other hand, in the afternoon I cut myself badly, or more exactly peeled off a small patch of skin, while removing the bad parts from a quince that dad had brought, and I tore off that tiny flap of skin before putting on a bandage. The scar is still clearly visible.

I managed to post four out of the five days before midnight, which was actually pretty good, and I edited the post in order to add the part about November 2 and the paragraph about November 3 the following evening. It’s a huge post, but at least I finally posted about all of this as well. And I’ll end it with the totals, which I added in the early hours of Tuesday, since I didn’t want to rush: I received 23 Bianca peppers, weighing 2.258 kg, 18 Kapia peppers, weighing 2.15 kg, 16 Red Delicious apples, weighing 2.629 kg, 12 onions, weighing 1.677 kg, eight white potatoes, weighing 1.198 kg, six cucumbers, weighing 285 grams, four red potatoes, weighing 637 grams, and four Jonaprince apples, weighing 574 grams. And then there were those 20 apples that weighed 3.112 kg and were mostly Idared, but a few of the smaller ones were probably Jonathan. I’m quite sure about three of them being Jonathan, but whether that was it or there were one, two or three more, I couldn’t say. And I still have some of the apples, including a few of the larger Red Delicious ones. Either way, the total value, at the prices that were in Carrefour those days, was 91.08 RON. Of course, lower prices could likely be found in other places, but I’m just calculating the same way I did last year.

0 Comments

No comments

RSS feed Comments | TrackBack URI

Write Comment

Note: Any comments that are not in English will be immediately deleted.

XHTML: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>