Cav's Place

I meant to add all of these days to the post that was going to start right after I crossed the finish line of last year’s marathon, but I guess I’ll just add them now, as this week’s second post, since they are already written while the part about the rest of that day isn’t and I wonder when or even if I’ll get to it, especially since the post about this year’s half marathon remains basically a placeholder and the one about the Dream Trek that followed still misses most of the part about the actual run. At this point I’m thinking that the parts about the rest of October 13 and May 11 will be put together in a single post, so the number of personal posts won’t actually increase because of this, but that’s a matter for when and, as I said, if I’ll get there and now I’ll just get right to it and say that, after running the marathon, I thought that I won’t be able to sleep on the morning of October 14. However, I actually fell asleep quite quickly, though when I woke up just after 10:20 AM I decided to get back on the computer and start reading Eternal Knight, and when I eventually got back in bed for a little while, I didn’t fall asleep again. So I got back up and ate some watermelon, then got back in bed once more, right at noon, only getting back up just before 4:55 PM. And then I went out again, leaving at 7:30 PM, after doing the day’s squats and taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol, including the one which hadn’t been accepted before but which seemed to be like the one that was accepted after I picked up the race kit.
I left some that didn’t seem to have the symbol, but I still picked up some more on the way to Penny Basarabia, mainly from a trash can that was in front of the store and which was almost full of recyclables with the deposit symbol. I knew that many of them won’t be accepted and I left those there, just taking those which would be accepted, and from another trash can from there I took one with no label, since I also had a label with the deposit symbol which I had found at some point and, while it wasn’t exactly that kind, that bottle was quite similar to the one that the label in question belonged to. And the machine accepted everything except that one bottle which hadn’t been accepted before and a rather crushed can. Then I found what I wanted, though I had to dig for the biscuits, the last box being hidden behind others of another kind and in a spot that was behind a large pile of boxes that were stacked before the shelves. But since I took the time to dig that box out of there, I also checked several packs of biscuits and found one that seemed larger, and when I weighed it I confirmed that, so I then went through the rest as well, one by one, until I found one more like it and took both. Then I also used the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid and carefully put the purchases in the backpack.
I picked up one more recyclable on the way to Carrefour, entering through the parking lot and using the machine, which accepted that one and even the crushed can, but that other bottle still wasn’t accepted. Either way, I then put my things in a cabinet that didn’t lock, retrieving them after just cashing in the voucher and then continuing to Kaufland, trying to put that bottle in the machine from there as well but finding that it didn’t work there either. Then I put everything in a cabinet, washed my hands, and entered when it was close to 9:20 PM, still not finding any of the kind of pumpkin that was supposed to be on sale, which had been the case when it had been at that price at Penny or Carrefour as well. But, after checking the ingredients for a bakery product, I grabbed it, along with a few others, all having the 50% evening discount, since Kaufland still had evening discounts for bakery products then. And then I also got carrots, potatoes and grapes, which had huge evening discounts, digging through the grapes until the closing announcement. I also grabbed three bananas at that point, but on the way to the self-checkouts I changed my mind and rushed to put them back. And I used the QR code for dad’s digital card again when I paid. Then I retrieved my things and arranged everything, and while a cleaner told the guard while I was doing so that nobody was allowed to go to the toilets anymore, since she had cleaned there already, I nevertheless dashed in there to wash my hands again before leaving, after digging through those grapes.
I then also checked that Mega Image, putting everything except the bag that hangs from my neck, with the bakery products, in cabinet, and taking the last copy of their magazine that was there… But I didn’t open the cabinet again to put it there and apparently ended up leaving it somewhere inside the store while I was looking around, so after getting an expiring product with the 90% discount and the biscuits that I had actually gone there for, I realized that I no longer had it, but I didn’t try to go back in to look for it, just retrieving my things and arranging everything once again. And I picked up some more recyclables on the way back, mainly from the spot which I had checked on my way to Penny as well, since I realized that the reason why they hadn’t seemed to have the symbol was that it had been scraped off, obviously on purpose, but the bar code remained. Either way, I also noticed on the way back that my throat was hurting, but I wasn’t certain that the pain had only started then.
I got back at 11:30 PM, with over 12 kg. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, put the purchases in their place, ate the sweet pastry from Kaufland, went to take a bath a few minutes before 1 AM, and was done at 1:50 AM. Then I selected, peeled and boiled carrots for the salad, and there were other things to deal with as well, so I ate lunch between 3:10 AM and 3:25 AM, then I also mixed something and ended up moving it from one jar to another, and ate dinner between 4:40 AM and 5:25 AM, albeit with the last several minutes spent gathering what was stuck on the plate. And, while I got in bed at 6:20 AM, I didn’t get on-line.

At least it was a few minutes past 4:30 PM when I got up, and I really slept, only waking up to pee once and then sleeping again until it was past 3:45 PM, and possibly even catching another brief nap during those remaining three quarters of an hour. But my throat was really sore and I felt rather like I even had a fever. And the following morning I got in bed at 5:20 AM, and when I couldn’t get back to sleep after waking up to pee the first time, I took a pill for my throat, and after that I decided to keep taking one before going to bed for the next few days, especially since they had expired a long time before, so keeping them for an even later time wouldn’t have been a good idea.

Moving on to October 18, I did the day’s squats, ate lunch, and left at 7:10 PM. I had dad’s metro card, though it was no longer read by the machine and I had to show it to be allowed in. Either way, I took the metro and meant to first check another pharmacy, but I couldn’t spot it despite passing by it twice, since I went a fair bit farther before turning back, all of that being explained after I got back, checked, and saw that it closed at an earlier hour. But at that point I just shrugged it off and went to the large location of that cheaper pharmacy, asking for the kind of tea that was cheaper there than anywhere else and being told that just one was left, so I bought it.
I then went to that location of Tei, entering with that tea in the backpack. I was looking for more teas, but I couldn’t see one kind and when I asked one person she just looked on the shelf and said that if it wasn’t there then they had none left, though it had been listed as available in that location on the site when I had left. However, the listed price for the tea which I had purchased from that other pharmacy was only slightly higher than it had been there, and lower than what was listed on the site, and I asked that employee whether it was correct, but she again just looked at the shelf and confirmed it. However, when I took one of those along with the other tea which I had found to the checkout, I was asked for more than what I had calculated, so the price which was listed on-line was actually the correct one, and I pointed out that the label still listed the old price, but didn’t actually demand that price, and while another employee said that she’ll check and presumably went to do so, she didn’t return by the time I walked away, and I didn’t see her there when I looked back after putting all of the teas in a cabinet either.
The problem was that, while a Carrefour Market is in that same location, some cabinets are in front of the entrance to Tei and others in front of that Carrefour Market, and I put those teas in one of the cabinets that are in front of Tei and didn’t even memorize the number, so after wandering around that Carrefour Market for a while, without buying anything, I ended up trying my code at a few different cabinets and when one that seemed locked at first made a sound when I entered it, didn’t open, but did open after I entered it a second time, I thought that those from Tei had emptied all of their cabinets, and they had closed by then, so I panicked for a moment and even tried to knock on their gate. But I eventually tried more cabinets, found the correct one, retrieved those teas and put them in the backpack, realizing that the empty one had just been stuck at first, so when I had first entered my code it hadn’t accepted it as correct, but as a new one, actually locking with it, and then it obviously unlocked when I entered it again.
I wasn’t going to risk anything again, however, and it’s not like Kaufland had those teas anyway, so when I then went to that Kaufland I entered with everything, a little after 9:10 PM, after peeing and washing my hands. The bakery discounts were of 55% and I got two buns, a sweet pastry and an interesting bread for myself, plus two breads for dad that had a 65% discount. Then I also took the three passable bananas that I still found at that point, with a huge evening discount, along with a lettuce and three bundles of radishes, these also having good evening discounts. The scales printed the full price for the bananas, but I used a price checker to confirm the discounted one, and then I wandered around for a while, the closing announcement coming either while I was in line at the self-checkouts or already using a machine. Either way, I initially thought that the machine gave me less change and I counted it in front of an employee, but when she said that it was impossible I looked around and found the missing bill fallen in my bag. That was strange, since it was on the other side of the machine than where it releases the bills that it gives as change, but at least the matter was sorted out… Yet being so focused on that made me forget the empty bags on the machine, only realizing it after leaving the checkout area, as I was arranging the purchases, at which point I asked another employee about them and she allowed me back in the checkout area, where the one which I had asked about the change promptly handed them back to me, though she might have missed one. Either way, after picking up another recyclable, I decided to explore the Circus’ Park a little, even if some areas were poorly lit, then went back to that metro station after coming out on the other side and, after once again having to show the card, I ended up waiting for over ten minutes for the metro, though at least I found another recyclable in the station.
I got back at 11:10 PM, then cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, and then I quickly went to use the toilet and shower, without even taking the purchases out first. After I was done, I ate the sweet pastry from Kaufland and an apple, put the purchases in their place, sliced dad’s breads and dealt with mine… And I realized that the contest that those bottle caps were for was over and dad hadn’t entered many of them, including those that I had found. Either way, I also washed what was in the kitchen, used the worse leaves of the lettuce for the salad and also selected the radish leaves, and took a pill, my throat seeming quite fine but clearly feeling that something was in my chest and making me occasionally cough. I finally started eating dinner at 3:55 AM and finished a little after 4:30 AM, since I wasn’t done gathering what was stuck on the plate at 4:30 AM and I continued until I was. And I got in bed at 5:30 AM.

On October 21, I did the day’s squats, ate lunch, did a load of laundry, and took the clothes out of the washing machine, but I only hung a few of them on the balcony before leaving, at 7:30 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol. I also meant to take a fish can and drop it off in a recycling bin on the way, but I forgot it. Either way, I picked up another recyclable on the way to Carrefour, where the machine didn’t accept the glass bottles, saying that there was no container for them, so I put in the others, splitting them on two vouchers, and picked up some small glass bottles that were left there, leaving the large ones, especially since they were also unlikely to be accepted. Then I entered the store with those remaining recyclables, getting beans, some expiring yogurt, and a small piece of kashkaval that was also among the expiring products… Only for the cashier to say that the piece of kashkaval wouldn’t scan, so I couldn’t get it. Either way, I used one of the vouchers received for the recyclables when paying and cashed in the other one.
After putting the purchases in the backpack, I continued to Auchan, but I had delayed too long, and at first I didn’t just not run, but even stopped to pick up some more recyclables, which led to eventually noticing that it was too late and running the rest of the way. And I forgot that the pharmacy that I had ordered something from was just at the entrance to Auchan, so I wasted a little more time that I didn’t have looking around… And they seemed to be about to move a few meters, since I saw an area with their logo that was being set up, so I initially stopped there and wasted maybe two more minutes looking around and wondering how could they deliver packages in a location that’s not open yet. But then I spotted the actual location, and while it was dark and something was placed in front of the door, I got there seconds before the closing time of 9 PM and saw that the door was still ajar and an employee was inside, so I poked my head in and asked whether they were closed, and while she initially said that they were, since it was 9 PM, when I said that I had an order to pick up she asked for my name, so I went in and she eventually found the package and handed it to me, and I paid the exact amount, though I didn’t get a receipt.
After adding that package in the backpack, I went to where I seemed to remember the recycling machine being in that location, but it wasn’t there, the guards asking what I wanted and then telling me that it was outside. So I then went there and put in what I had, including a can that I thought would be too crushed to be accepted, though I ended up with two vouchers because the first machine stopped when I still had a few recyclables left, so I had to move to another that still worked. On the other hand, I saw a crushed bottle on the floor that had a label that I could take off, since it had the deposit symbol, but when I tore it off I didn’t actually look at what I ended up with before walking away, and when I finally did I saw that a part of the label had been left on the bottle, and that part actually included the bar code, so what I had was useless and I dumped it in a trash can.
After washing my hands, I entered with the purchases, getting what I wanted and also that cake that I mentioned wanting to reward myself with. There were two on display and I picked one, but the label stated that they had been defrosted the previous day and the boxes hadn’t even been properly closed, the little piece that should hold them closed having clearly never been pushed in that direction, so I also considered asking whether they had any that were still frozen, so I’ll get one that was as fresh as possible… And I was still considering that when I almost dropped the one which I had picked, so it was fortunate that I had closed the box properly, since the way I managed to catch it would have almost certainly led to it opening and the cake falling on the floor otherwise. It still got a little banged up, however, so at that point I had to take that one, since putting it back and asking for another would have been quite rotten. Either way, I then also grabbed the water for dad and rushed to the checkouts, since closing time was approaching, and the closing announcement came as I was using the machine to pay, since I had gone to one of those manned checkouts first, where an employee scanned the products. I forgot to also use the small amount that was on the store card, but at least I used the vouchers received for the recyclables. But then I took quite some time to arrange the purchases, and eventually two guards came to ask which way I was going to exit, and when I initially said that I didn’t know, wondering whether they were trying to see whether I knew the “proper” way to exit after closing time, one explained that there were the two entrances, they were going to close them and I was the last customer left, so they wanted to know which one to leave open. So I apologized, though they said that it was all right, and then I finished arranging everything and left through the exit which I had indicated.
On the way back, I checked the Mega Image from Titan once again, leaving the large backpack next to the cabinets and putting everything else in one, and while the discounted cat food which I had seen the previous time was still there, when I asked whether that 75% discount which I had received for the tea would apply to it as well, the cashier said no… But she also didn’t seem to believe that the teas which were also listed as having a 50% discount actually had 75%, so I asked her to check and she did, confirming that the cat food just had the listed 50% discount. So I just retrieved my things and made my way back, picking up two more recyclables before crossing the road through the park, going under the bridge, and then using a drinking fountain to wash my hands a little. And then I picked up some more recyclables that were in front of this nearby Mega Image.
I got back a little before 11:20 PM, with a little over 19 kg, and I noticed that running in the regular shoes had once again hurt my right foot. Either way, I then cleaned the litter box and dropped a bag of trash down the chute, put the purchases, with the exception of dad’s water, in their place, finished the watermelon, which was obviously the last one of the year, and ate a slice of the cake… But when I opened the box I saw some liquid in a corner, and while it was most likely from the cake, I was worried that I might not have been careful enough when draining some of the recyclables which I had picked up and something might have dripped on the box and then seeped inside, so I just reacted, taking the cake out of the box and discarding the box. I also thought that the cake smelled a little strange, but that was most likely another unfounded concern. Either way, it was 12:45 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, and a little before 1:50 AM when I was done. And then I finally hung the rest of the clothes to dry, after taking down dad’s, since he hadn’t, also took the water to the balcony, meant to take a pill of a different kind but noticed that dad had taken all of those with him, then moved something into a jar, and finally ate dinner between 4:25 AM and 5:05 AM, though I was otherwise done over ten minutes earlier and then spent that time getting what was stuck on the plate. I initially got in bed at 5:45 AM, but dad got back ten minutes later and I poked my head out to exchange a few words with him, so I really got in bed a few minutes before 6 AM. And, somewhat surprisingly, my nose and chest were much better that morning.

On October 25, I ate lunch, did the day’s squats, and left a little before 7:25 PM. I spent quite some time in Carrefour, but just got some unsalted baked almonds, which ended up cheaper than those with Himalayan salt which I had bought four days earlier from Auchan if you deduct the 20% received as a voucher from the price that also had a regular discount those days, but I obviously couldn’t have known that at the time. And I had to enter the product code at the self-checkout, since the bar code wouldn’t scan. Then I just put the bag in an inside pocket of my jacket and continued to Kaufland, washing my hands before entering.
There were no bakery discounts at the time and I didn’t see anything interesting among the fruits and vegetables, so I even considered leaving and trying to go somewhere else, but I stayed, looked around, and scanned a couple of labels from the bakery area both before and after the employee placed the discount labels. But those buns weren’t discounted, so I just took two things that were, using a plastic bag from that area instead of a glove, since I couldn’t see new gloves and I had put my hands through vegetables by then, since those discounts had appeared first and I had grabbed a few things. And I also got some mozzarella, but then some evening discounts increased, even sharply, so I also got five kohlrabies, including some extra leaves, plus some plums, even if they were from Moldova, picking until the closing announcement came, when I went to weigh them. And while I was in line at the self-checkout a woman just walked past me and I went after her, saying something, but she muttered something back and set her things on the machine that was about to be freed. And when it actually was freed, she moved to use it and I got her attention again, she just smiled and asked whether I’d allow her to use it, already being about to start. So I snorted and stepped away, to stand in line again, after having missed the next spot as well, someone else having started to use another machine just seconds earlier, and at least that woman was the next to finish. And then the machine didn’t recognize the kohlrabies as the correct product, so I had to call an employee to override the error. Then I took my time to arrange the purchases, washed my hands again, and it was almost 10:20 PM when I walked out.
After finding a can with the deposit symbol and putting it in the machine, I continued to that Mega Image, putting the bag in a cabinet but entering with the backpack, and at first I just took one of those apple pastries, with the 50% evening discount, but as I wandered around I saw that some grilled chicken breast had received a 90% discount after having just had 50% when I had first seen it, so I grabbed that as well… And I also stole a head of garlic, meaning to recover much of what I had felt cheated out of by Mega Image stores before, probably being too obvious about it, and noticing that I had been right under a camera when I had slipped it in a pocket, but I just stuck with it and nobody said anything. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and arranged the purchases again, and then I grabbed some more recyclables, putting them in the machine from Kaufland when I passed by it… And after walking away I found two more, one being a can that I doubted I could even straighten well enough, but I went back and was surprised when the machine accepted both. And I found some more on the way back.
I got back at 11:30 PM, put the purchases in their place, also separated the kohlrabi leaves from the stems and kept the leaves, ate a few plums and the apple pastry, and it was almost 1:25 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, and 2:20 AM when I was done. And I also used some of the lettuce leaves for the salad, ending up eating dinner between 4 AM and 4:35 AM. I got in bed at 5:40 AM… And that morning I had a dream that really messed me up, that I had gone on that trip in 2002 with Rose instead of Andra, and Rose obviously still didn’t give me any chance, so I never had the relationship with Andra or any good memories or reasons to believe, at whatever level, that anything good or worthwhile may exist in life, and had just suffered after Rose all this time instead of “only” until meeting Andra and then after Andra for “only” 19 years… Either way, the following morning I got in bed at what would have been 5:20 AM but was actually 4:20 AM, since the hour changed. And since that’s already something about October 27, I’ll also mention here that no visits were recorded on that date.

On October 28, I shaved, ate lunch, did the day’s squats, and left at 6:30 PM, with the plastic and metal, which I dropped off in a recycling bin on the way, and the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up one more on the way and then putting all of them in the machine from Carrefour. A guy was cleaning the other one while I used that one, and I meant to split on two vouchers, but just before the last item an error that the sorter was improperly positioned popped up and I asked that guy what that was and he told me to wait a moment, and after initially meaning to just walk away with that last recyclable I did wait and he fixed it quickly and I could put that one in as well, getting a third voucher. Then I got some expiring apple chips with cinnamon and a bag with just two spoiling apples, plus the garlic that I had gone there for, but I still had to use a regular checkout and the cashier didn’t just charge me for the bag that those apples were in, increasing their price a fair bit, but also for the one which I had put the garlic in, which was my own! So I was a bit surprised, but I assumed that they had doubled the price of the bags and paid the difference, along with one voucher, then cashed in the other two, without realizing until after the fact that those bags had made it so I could have used that last voucher as well. And it was also only after I stepped away that I noticed that I had been charged for two bags, but I didn’t say anything anymore, just putting everything in the backpack.
Since I had dad’s metro card, I then went to the metro station, meaning to also check the farmers’ market on the way but finding it already closed. And I went to Carrefour Pantelimon, picking up another recyclable on the way but entering with it, as well as with the purchases, and getting some more expiring products and stealing a tiny head of garlic, to make up for being wrongly charged for that bag. And I had to use a regular checkout there as well and meant to use the voucher received for previous purchases, but the cashier said that I couldn’t, so I read the text that’s on it to her, saying that it could be used in any Carrefour hypermarket, Carrefour Market or Carrefour Express, but she again said that it won’t work there and that she didn’t have the option on the register, so I asked if that’s the case for the stores that used to be Cora and she confirmed it, then asked me to not get upset with her, so I’m thinking that others had gotten upset. But it obviously wasn’t her fault, so I just paid in full, then took my time to arrange everything in the backpack.
I then walked to that Kaufland, picking up another recyclable on the way and putting both in the machine before peeing and washing my hands and entering, with everything, at 9:20 PM. I first grabbed three of those buns that I could use instead of bread and two regular buns, since no other cheap ones were left, and then also a bread for myself which I only noticed at that point, all of these having the 50% evening discount, and scanned the price label for the regular bread but confirmed that it had no evening discount. Then I grabbed some spoiling lemons and mushrooms, made use of evening discounts for a number of vegetables and a few bananas, and made my way to the self-checkouts right at 10 PM, leaving one of the bundles of radishes there when I realized that one of the radishes was rotting and using the voucher received for that day’s recyclables along with the three which I had been left with from three days earlier when I paid. And then I took my time to arrange the purchases, only walking away around 10:15 PM, and there still had been no closing announcement, but I did check at the entrance and the listed closing time was 10 PM, and I had to use the emergency exit, so the store was obviously closed.
I also entered that non-stop Mega Image on the way back, putting the bag, the backpack and the recyclable which I had picked up on the way in a cabinet but entering with the bag that hangs from my neck, with the bread and buns, and just getting two bio (organic) eggs that I found among those sold by piece. And when I got to the checkout the cashier pointed me to the other one, yet when I went there I was pointed back to the first one, that second one checking out a coworker and having closed the gate after her. So I said that I had been pointed to her by the other one and the one who was being checked out said that she’ll log on, so both of those left and that other one checked me out. And a guard was there and asked whether what I had in that bag wasn’t also from there, so I pulled out the bag with the bread and pointed out that it was from Kaufland, yet he still asked whether I had showed it to him and let him know on the way in and then asked why not, though he eventually let me be and I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, adding the eggs in the bag. And I picked up a few more recyclables on the way back, realizing after finding the first one that I had lost the dirty bag that I had meant to put them in, probably in Kaufland. But I had another for that purpose. And when I got here I also checked the nearby Mega Image, leaving the bag with the recyclables in front of the cabinets, putting the other two bags in a cabinet that didn’t lock, entering with the backpack, and then just retrieving everything.
I got back a couple of minutes before 11:30 PM, put most of the purchases in their place, ate one of those spoiling apples and the sweet pastry that I already had, also selected the better radish leaves, and went to wash just after 1 AM, being done 45 minutes later. Then I washed what was in the kitchen, put the remaining purchases in their place, also dealt with those buns that I could use instead of bread, using one and a half that night and just leaving the bread to deal with at another time, and ate dinner between 3:50 AM and 4:30 AM, with the last several minutes spent getting what was stuck on the plate. I didn’t get on-line.