Cav's Place

On October 30, I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, but it was hard to sleep after 9:30 AM. I saw 9:29 AM when I went to pee and heard workers shouting at each other, and while I initially managed to quickly get back to sleep, it was only 9:51 AM when I woke up again. After once again getting back to sleep, I was woken up one more time around 11:40 AM, when things were being thrown down from the top of the building, and when, a couple of minutes later, I decided to pee one more time, dad was in the bathroom, so I waited until he was done before going, and then it took me longer to get back to sleep… Only to wake up yet again and see that it was 1:37 PM, so I decided to pee once more, hoping to improve my chances of at least getting a little more sleep, but then somebody was at the door, just ringing and knocking briefly, and other noises continued, so I just waited for the alarm. Then I had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing being a slice of cozonac, with added honey, and left at 4:10 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 26°C, dropping to 23-24°C by the time I finished, but it felt like it was less than that, maybe because the hour had changed and evening was coming.
The time was 47:51.45, with sector times of 4:20.64, 5:01.06, 5:52.25, 4:29 (4:28.25), 5:07.44, 5:56.34, 4:29 (4:28.22), 5:06.69, 5:46.06 and 1:45 (1:44.50), making for lap times of 15:13.95, 15:32.03 and 15:21 (15:20.97). I doubted that I’ll stay under 48 minutes again, but tried to push from the start and that first sector time seemed a little slower than it should have been. So I kept pushing and the second sector seemed better, but I was thinking that if I won’t get under 5:50 on sector three I quite clearly won’t stay under 48 minutes, and I didn’t stay under 5:50. And after sector one of lap two I was thinking that I had already lost more than I could afford to over the entire lap, and then sector two wasn’t that good either, so I was wondering about at least staying under 48:30, though after the end of the lap I decided to just give everything from the beginning of lap three, go as far as I could while pushing, and maybe end up no more than a minute slower than the previous run, so 48:10, and the first two sectors of lap three seemed to get me more or less there. But then I told myself that I’ll just use every last shred of energy, still having a faint thought of getting under 48 minutes and not wanting to fail because of lack of trying, so I really pushed on sector three and was amazed by the time, though I worried that I’ll still just miss the target because I’ll be too tired for that necessary 1:53 on the final sector. But I just kept pushing and the final sector time amazed me just as well.
I had abdominal pain from sector two of lap one, probably reflected from my back at first, but by the end of the lap it probably wasn’t just that anymore, and it continued, even getting worse at times. Otherwise, a pressing need appeared at some point, maybe on sector two of lap two, but then it went away, maybe returning on sectors two and three of lap three, but it was faint at that point and it didn’t matter. And people didn’t cause notable problems, though I did weave and go the long way around a fair number of times. As for the lane, there was one damaged spot that created a risk of tripping, but otherwise I’d say that it was better than it tends to be. And maybe there were a few moments when I slowed a little in order to make sure that I saw the time properly, but that shouldn’t have caused a significant loss. I definitely wouldn’t have managed to stay under 48 minutes if there would have been any notable problems, as it took everything even so and I was utterly exhausted when I finished, rather falling forward for the last few steps and then having to stop and regain my breath, and even my bearings to some extent.

I checked the garbage room when I got back and spotted one of those bottles that granted two products in Carrefour’s campaign, so I took it, then ate a pumpkin pie brought by dad and lunch, changed, and went back out a little after 7:30 PM. It was the commemoration of the Colectiv fire and, while I was going to walk there, since dad was back by then I did take the metro card, hoping to be able to use it to also check Kaufland before it closed. And I also took the mask received three years before, when the human chain was formed, which I had kept just because I was planning to use it again on such days, but I didn’t put it on until after I walked away from that area. Either way, I also took the new camera, that being the first event that I attended with it, and in fact the first event that I attended at all since losing the old one. And I got there at 8:15 PM, took some pictures, lit a candle, and that was about it. In fact, people already seemed to be starting to leave when I got there. I saw after I got back that there had been a march, but I hadn’t seen any announcement about it, so I guess that it had just finished and the participants had returned there by the time I arrived.
It was 8:50 PM when I walked away, putting on that mask while walking and grabbing another one of those bottles on the way to Carrefour Unirii. But I didn’t find anything to get from there, and the guard asked whether I had purchased anything when I walked out, so I showed him that I had the camera in the jacket and he didn’t ask about the backpack. Then, after initially walking, I ended up jogging to the metro station, getting off at Dristor and then jogging to Kaufland, even so only managing to enter the store when it was already past 9:45 PM, after washing my hands. There was no bread left in the bakery area, but the discounts where of 75% and I did find something that I could use as bread for one day. I also got a bundle of green onions at what I’d call a regular evening discount and some green olives that were already packaged, though the price was a little bit more than what it should have been, according to the catalog. Either way, I was almost done at the self-checkout at closing time, then I arranged everything more carefully and walked out at 10:05 PM.
On the way back, I checked the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM, entering with everything, and got an apple pastry, taking a little time to check what I had in my pockets before leaving. I then also checked the non-stop Mega Image, putting the bag that hangs from my neck in a cabinet, but then I just walked back out and retrieved it. And that evening I also spotted the newest Penny location from this area, but even though I saw products when I looked inside, it hadn’t actually opened yet. Either way, I also explored that area a little, and when I got here I also entered the nearby Mega Image, once again with everything, but while I did spot something that I thought dad might have been interested in among the expiring products, I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t get it.
I got back just before 11:15 PM and meant to ask dad about that product, but he was taking a bath, so I only told him when he came out, and while he said that he would have wanted it, I was already undressed. I also washed some of what was in the kitchen, talked with dad a little more, got some things that he wanted to use out of the fridge and freezer, put the few purchases in their place, with the exception of those things that I was going to use as bread, ate an old orange that I had kept for a very long time, and it was past 12:40 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. It was almost 1:45 AM when I was back in the kitchen, and there was a lot to clean, and I also had to rearrange what was in the fridge, since dad had cooked and wanted to cook more the next day, so an hour and a half passed before I even started working on the salad. I also moved something, and licked some of it in the kitchen, but I actually started eating dinner at 4:20 AM and was otherwise done at 4:55 AM, but I had used those other things instead of bread, there were a lot of breadcrumbs stuck on the plate, and I only finished getting those as well, in the kitchen, at 5:10 AM. I got in bed at 5:40 AM.

In between these days when I ran, on November 1, I cleaned my room a little, also changing the sheets and starting to use the blanket again, the last time I had cleaned having been on September 21. Then, on November 3, I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, after actually being able to sleep better. I have no idea whether the drilling was only brief and I mostly slept through it or it only happened at those moments, possibly being what caused me to wake up, but I did hear drilling for a few seconds the first two times I got up to pee, around 8:45 AM and 11:20 AM. But I quickly got back to sleep both times, waking up again around 1:15 PM and once again needing to pee, so I eventually got up to do that again. Still, while I feared that I won’t get back to sleep after that, a little before the alarm rang I did manage to, so I got at least another brief nap. Then I had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing being a slice of cozonac, with added honey. I left at 4:05 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was about 19°C and it was very cloudy, just about overcast. I forgot to check the temperature after getting back, but since it was 16°C at 6 PM, when it was dark, it probably wasn’t less than 18°C or so when I finished running.
The time was 46:51.83, with sector times of 4:20.67, 5:04.28, 5:48 (5:47.72), 4:20 (4:19.49), 4:50.57, 5:43 (5:42.75), 4:20.47, 4:54 (4:53.81), 5:45 (5:44.97) and 1:47.10, making for lap times of 15:12.67, 14:53 (14:52.81) and 14:59.25. At that point, it was the best time since March, and the first under 47 minutes since then, and it was also the first time I had two laps in less than 15 minutes since that same run. And those were also the first laps covered in less than 15 minutes since July, and lap two was the fastest lap since then as well, and it included a great sector two. And to think that I was initially quite sure that I won’t even stay under 48 minutes…
The first two sectors were just all right, but then I pushed more and the third sector was better than I thought it’d be, and the lap was just a little faster than the previous run’s first one. So I started wondering about what I’ll manage and kept pushing, the good sector one of lap two giving me hope, but it was that shockingly fast sector two of lap two that really made things look good. I couldn’t even believe that time, wondering whether I had misremembered or miscalculated something, but it was quite clearly correct, so instead of just giving everything towards the end of that sector, for a reason that I’ll mention below, and then lowering the pace, I did my best to keep it up, wondering about covering the lap in less than 15 minutes and managing it. And it was then that I started wondering about getting under 47 minutes, knowing that I’ll likely need to get under 15 minutes on lap three as well and really not thinking that it was possible, but just going for it, and pushing even more on sector three of lap three, managing to just squeeze under 15 minutes on that lap as well. And then I also had a very good time on the final sector. But I was still slightly disappointed at the end, because I missed beating the previous run’s time by a full minute by mere tenths and I had noticed myself slowing down towards the end of the final straight, so I wished to have forced myself to do just a little better on those final steps.
Other than weaving and going the long way around, on the first sector I first slowed in order to squeeze through what was almost a roadblock, which included a dog off the leash and I wasn’t sure which way it was going, and then, on the long straight, there was just an opening through a roadblock, and a dog was once again there, and a cyclist came through that space from the opposite direction and had to avoid the dog, so I had to go off the path. It’s a good thing that I could do so in that spot, but I was on the grass for a few seconds. And on the long straight of sector one of lap two I once again slowed a little, when another woman with a dog cut me off. But when, on sector two of lap two, I had to go very wide because a man, yet again with a dog, was right on the lane in a turn, I wanted to show him that he had slowed me and pushed hard, which didn’t just result in that great sector time, but also gave me the confidence that I could push that hard, so the overall impact was clearly positive. Otherwise, there was a little wind, but after the first lap I no longer felt it. And there was a little abdominal pain, quite clearly reflected from my back, on sector three of lap one, but I didn’t really notice anything else after that, just pushing and being able to do so. And I used the lane more than I usually do, even in some areas where it was wet.

After getting back, I cleaned the litter box and also put a few other things in a bag which I then went to throw down the chute. Then I ate the apple pastry that I already had and also drank the protein milk that I still had, changed, and eventually left again at 7:30 PM, also taking a torn cable and dad’s old headphones, which I had forgotten to throw away until then, and grabbing two more of those bottles on the way to Obor, since I needed bread and thought that I’ll certainly find some discounted one that I could get for myself from that Carrefour after 9 PM, if not also at least something that I could use as bread at that Kaufland.
However, I first went straight to Penny… Only to waste some time, since I couldn’t find anything to get from there. So I then went back to Carrefour, peed, washed my hands, put on the mask that I had taken with me, and initially grabbed a few expiring products, including two breads that’d normally be for dad, but under those circumstances I was thinking that I could use one myself if necessary, despite being white and containing some ingredients that I wouldn’t really want. I also got the toothpaste for dad, and then I checked the bakery area… But I only saw a few discounted products and no bread among them, everything else being bagged but with labels listing the full price, and I took a bread to a price checker and confirmed that price. On the other hand, I found a nice sweet thing with October 21 listed as the expiration date, so I handed it to an employee and told her that it was long expired and she took it away. And I saw another one of those products that was expiring the next day, and it wasn’t discounted either, but I didn’t ask that employee whether she could discount it. So I just bought those things, using two of the three vouchers that I had, from previous purchases.
Then I went to Kaufland, with the expiring bread in my hand and the other things in a pocket. I put the purchases in a cabinet, dropped the cable and headphones into the proper bin, washed my hands again, and entered the store a couple of minutes before 9:30 PM, when not much was left in the bakery area. Two breads were left, but those had a regular discount those days and when I scanned the label I confirmed that they had no additional one, so I moved on and only got some yogurt, plus a lettuce with root that had a good evening discount which stacked with a regular discount that applied if you used the store card, so I did. And, on the topic of expired products, I saw some walnuts with chili that were listed as having expired back in July, so I handed them to an employee, but when I passed by that spot again I saw that she had put them back, even though the date was clear and listed as the expiration date, and the other similar products from the same brand clearly had the expiration date, which was in the future, listed in that spot, so it couldn’t have been the production date. Either way, I was arranging everything in the backpack, deciding to put the bread there as well and taking out the bag with those two bottles which I had picked up, when the closing announcement came, but it was close to 10:10 PM when I finally walked out.
Instead of coming right back, I then went to that Mega Image that closes at midnight, hoping to find some discounted bread there. So I put that bag with the bottles in a cabinet, without locking, and entered with the backpack, but there was no discounted bread of that kind, so I just got some spoiling peppers and another expiring bread for dad. The total should have been 2.01 RON and I handed the cashier 2 RON, but on the receipt I saw that I had, in theory, also been charged for the bag that those peppers were in, even though that hadn’t happened since they started listing the price on expiring and spoiling products. But it didn’t matter, since the cashier didn’t ask me to add that amount, just taking what I had given her.
After retrieving the bag, I made my way back, stopping on a bench in the park to add those purchases into the backpack and then using the older route and making the small detour to another Mega Image. However, even though the lights were still on and there were employees inside, it was past 10:40 PM when I got there and the listed closing time was 10 PM, so I didn’t try to enter. But I did enter the one from Iancului, which closes later, leaving the bag on the cabinets and then just retrieving it. And I also checked this nearby one, leaving the bag on a bench, outside, and then retrieving it.
I got back at 11:25 PM, put what had to be refrigerated into the fridge, ate an apple and lunch, with an entire large bag of corn puffs instead of bread, while staying in the living room in order to watch the recorded broadcast of the qualifying for the race, and only went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, at 1:25 AM. I was done at 2:20 AM, then I cleaned up in the kitchen, put the remaining purchases in their place, only started working on the salad around 3:25 AM, and ate dinner between 4:50 AM and 5:25 AM, using the last piece of that bread which I had made back in August, and which had been in the freezer since then. I didn’t get on-line that night, and got in bed at 6:15 AM.

The previous day, the drilling had started just after 7 AM, but on November 7 it was strangely quiet, so I got up to pee three times, but otherwise slept well until the alarm rang, at 2 PM. Then I got up and had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing once again being a slice of cozonac, with added honey. It felt like I had more to leave in the toilet, but I had no time to wait for it, and there was also a mosquito in the bathroom, so I did what I could and left at 4 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 20-21°C, dropping by 2°C by the time I finished.
The time was 46:48.01, with sector times of 4:19.95, 4:59 (4:58.81), 5:50 (5:49.29), 4:23.46, 4:56 (4:55.50), 5:43.35, 4:21.06, 4:51 (4:50.84), 5:36.60 and 1:50 (1:49.15), making for lap times of 15:08.05, 15:02.31 and 14:48.50. I mixed some numbers during the run, ending up calculating 5:00.84 for sector two of lap three, but I sorted things out when I checked, at night. So this is now the best time since March, and these runs marked the first time I got under 47 minutes twice in a row since last November. And lap three is now the fastest one since July. And it’s not just that the initial goal was just to stay under 48 minutes, but I once again doubted it, being prepared to allow myself to just stay under 49 minutes. However, that nice sector two of lap one got my attention, and after the first lap I was thinking that I had better chances to stay under 48 minutes and even gave a passing thought to getting under 47 minutes. That seemed pretty much impossible at that point, but sector two of lap two once again got my attention, and the lap made me wonder whether I could actually do that. It required less than 15 minutes for lap three as well and therefore still seemed impossible, but I gave it everything. If I’d have calculated sector two of lap three correctly, I’d have had more hope, but even so, I was thinking that if I could keep pushing like that I might just have the slightest chance… Only to be surprised to already be safe at the end of the lap, and end up a little faster than I had been the previous time in the end.
There weren’t many people and they didn’t cause notable problems, though there were a few annoyances, at least two of them done on purpose, one being on the long straight of sector one of lap two, when I headed towards a couple and she moved off the lane and pulled him along but he stepped back on it, in front of me, and pretended to run in place, and the other being just before the end of lap three, when a kid stretched out his hand as if he wanted to high five me and then jerked it away just when I reached him, so it’s a good thing that I ignore these things. On the other hand, there was also a moment that stood out in a good way, on sector one of lap three, under the bridge, when I was catching a mother and her daughter, I guess, each of them having a dog, the one the girl was leading probably being bigger than her, and I didn’t hear what the mother said but they obviously had an agreed signal, since they both immediately stopped, pulled the dogs towards them and held them between their legs as I ran past, which was outstandingly thoughtful. Otherwise, some warnings appeared in my right leg on the long straight of sector two of lap one, but they were too diffuse to pinpoint the actual source, and then they faded anyway. On the long straight of sector two of lap two, however, they were clearly from that calf muscle, and towards the end of lap two there were some from that knee as well, but then they went away. As for the lane, on top of the areas that were wet or too uneven, a few tiny patches were repaired, with bands just placed on them, held down by rocks, so I avoided what I could.

After getting back, I ate some koliva and lunch, with those bio (organic) snacks taken after the Dream Trek instead of bread. Then I changed and left again a little after 7:35 PM, first checking Carrefour and considering some cozonac that seemed all right, according to the ingredients, and had a really good price, but eventually deciding against getting any, since dad had brought plenty of sweet things that I had to get through quickly. After walking out, I realized that I could have frozen it, but I didn’t go back, continuing to Penny and deciding to get something for dad from there, then stuffing that product in the jacket’s inside pocket and, after washing my hands, entering Kaufland with it just before 8:50 PM. And I finally found a discounted bread that I could get for myself, so I got one, plus a number of other bakery products, also gathering some sunflower seeds along with the pretzels that I was getting for my mother. And I did check the labels, to confirm the discounted prices, even though I had to look for a functioning price checker in order to do so, the three that were closer to the bakery area being off. Either way, I got some expiring products as well… Or expiring and expired products, since the garlic sauce was already expired, having probably been forgotten under everything else that was in that pile, but the price was low enough that I didn’t comment and still got some for dad. I noticed the next day that the one that was left, since dad had used one right away, was slightly open, but he wasn’t bothered by that either. Either way, I carefully calculated the total, not wanting to have to break the large bill which I had taken, so not buying that cozonac from Carrefour ended up being a good thing from that point of view. And I used one of those tables that are outside to arrange the purchases, walking away a little after 10 PM.
I got back at 10:45 PM, ate some walnuts, spread out the bakery products and put the few other purchases in the fridge, and it was a little after 12:15 AM when I went to the bathroom, basically wasting time on the toilet and then washing. I was done after an hour, then I washed what I had to wash and cleaned up in the kitchen, sliced dad’s breads and also dealt with mine. I started eating dinner at 4:25 AM and otherwise finished a little after 5 AM, but there were once again many breadcrumbs on the plate, those being from dad’s breads, and I only finished getting those as well, in the kitchen, ten minutes later. Once again, I didn’t get on-line, and finally got in bed at 6:20 AM, after struggling for a long time to stop the toilet from the small bathroom from leaking, after dad had obviously used it without even letting me know. In the end, the only way to do it was to leave the tank open, with a bottle of laundry disinfectant holding down the plug, or whatever that thing is called. And I felt soiled, even if I had just worked on the tank, especially since I had done that just before bed and in my pajamas…

After getting up, I updated Emsisoft Anti-Malware and it once again asked for a reboot, since they had apparently consolidated their own definitions one more time, so EAM was once again the reason why I couldn’t have a longer uptime. Now the streak had to end at 86 days, so at least it didn’t prevent me from extending the record, like it did the previous time it asked for a reboot, but since I didn’t have to reboot again since then, I would have extended it by now. Either way, Comodo Firewall also forgot its HIPS settings once again after that, and I needed to import them a few times before it worked, despite waiting for over five minutes before the first attempt.