Cav's Place

Once more, this ball of rock and metal that we keep trashing as if we and all other species that we share, or should be sharing, it with had plenty more to spare is pretty much in the same spot on its orbit as it was on the day I was born, and I guess it could be said that the one way in which I celebrated the moment was the little hobbit-like giveaway I made on the GOG.com forums. There was also an unfortunate consequence of that, but I’ll get to it towards the end of this post, in the part about yesterday that I’ll only added on October 22, since it wasn’t already written and I couldn’t write it today because my mother was here again, wanting to come and cook something, and I was in the kitchen with her until evening and then I had that giveaway to sort out, checked out some more things on the computer and, just before posting this, also shaved my head, because tomorrow I have to go and change my ID card, which expires today, and that implies having the picture taken as well… Or at least I hope I’ll manage to change it, because the earliest date that was available when I wanted to make an appointment for that on-line was December 23, so I guess it’s a matter of standing in line, with dad, since he also has to confirm that I live here, as the owner of the apartment, and hoping that our turn will come before the end of the schedule… And that we have everything that’s required, when I just learned that we lack a copy of my birth certificate, which he didn’t get around to making yet. Plus that I didn’t even get to look over the forms that should be filled. Not that I didn’t end up filling everything after getting there ten years ago.

But now let me get back to the morning of October 9, when I decided to try a hard fight on Lords of Xulima before going to bed, and when it seemed that I might even save some power points I got a little cocky and ended up losing a character, so I reloaded and tried again… And kept getting trashed until I said that I was going to make one final attempt… Which proved successful, but led to playing until 5:10 AM, making it clear that I was going to go to bed late. So I played a little more, finally getting in bed at 5:45 AM. But it was quiet again, and while I did wake up when dad left and then came back, I got back to sleep quickly both times and only got up a couple of minutes before 3 PM. And that evening I finally installed the Windows updates for September, everything seeming normal, including the usual errors.

On October 10, I was worried when I woke up to pee the first time, since it wasn’t even 8 AM and there were plenty of muffled noises coming from upstairs. But I guess the noise remained at that level and I could sleep just fine. So I got up after the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and after just warming what I had kept of the tea made two days earlier, when I meant to go out but eventually decided against it when the hot water went away, I had the usual stuff, with the yogurt being a bio (organic) one expired two days earlier and the sweet thing consisting of a bar, with plenty of added honey. On the other hand, I didn’t leave much in the toilet… And I raised the blinds and opened my window right after getting up and someone rang the doorbell soon after that, and at least one worker passed by in front of the window at a later point, possibly others as well, since I was usually keeping my back turned on purpose, so they knew that I was here, but I ignored them. Either way, I left at 4:30 PM, wearing the full running gear and one armband and with the slip of paper with the emergency information in the pocket of my tights, just in case. The reported temperature was 20-21°C, and 18-19°C when I finished.
The time was 1:46:42, with sector times of 4:15, 5:08, 6:05, 4:37, 5:14, 6:01, 4:34, 5:15, 6:01, 4:41, 5:18, 6:12, 4:51, 5:23, 6:22, 4:49, 5:30, 6:17, 1:55, 6:19 and 1:55, making for lap times of 15:28, 15:52, 15:50, 16:11, 16:36 and 16:36, plus 10:09 for that final portion. I wanted to at least stay under 1:45 and probably pushed a little too hard from the beginning… But going well over six minutes on sector three of lap one made it clear that I had no chance, so I recalculated the target times, thinking that the realistic goal was to stay under 1:47… Only for that to also become questionable after going over the 4:35 that’d be the target for a 16-minute lap on sector one of lap two. At least I recovered on that lap’s third sector, when I pushed more, and things were pretty much the same on lap three, albeit without going over the target on the first sector and ending up a little bit less slow on the lap as a whole. And then it was a matter of damage limitation, the target remaining in doubt almost all the way to the end, especially after lap five was slower than I could afford it to be, so on lap six I kept telling myself that I had to shave a few seconds off that time. However, after gaining two seconds on its first sector, I lost seven on the second, so things looked bad and I had to push on the third sector, leaving the concerns about what I’ll have left for the final portion for later. And, while I failed to gain any time, I didn’t lose any either, covering lap six in the same time as lap five and thinking that I had a good chance if I’ll stay under two minutes on the first sector of that final portion. And I did that, after which I managed my pace, thinking that I should just make it if I’ll stay focused, and at the start of the final sector I realized that I might just squeeze under 1:46:45, pushing and managing that.
Of course, any time above 1:45 isn’t good enough, and this is particularly disappointing after the previous week’s run, when I thought that I’d have had a good chance to even squeeze under 1:43 if I’d have continued to a half marathon distance. And another reason why it’s disappointing, and why I wanted a good time, is that I ran such a distance at this point as a way to “honor” this year’s Bucharest Marathon, taking place two days later and which I didn’t attend for the first time since 2019, since it didn’t take place in 2020, and I had registered for that edition anyway.
Moving on to the issues, there were plenty of people, those who bothered me more being young cyclists, probably teenagers and some children, and some of those with dogs, but while that meant quite a lot of weaving and going the long way around and a few moments when I had to squeeze through or take a step or two off the path, I wouldn’t say that they caused any problem that was actually notable on its own. Otherwise, some areas were rather windy, but I managed to deal with it. As for physical issues, my right ankle gave some warnings on sector one of lap two and a pressing need appeared on the following sector, both going away after that, before I started feeling some warnings from a spot above my left heel on sector one of lap three, followed on the following sector by the need to snap my back, the pain reflected into my chest remaining an issue for a longer time and seeming to move to different areas, though it eventually went away as well. But at the end of sector two of lap four that pressing need returned and got to be quite notable for a while, though it eventually faded again, what I had to manage until the end beginning on sector three of lap five, when my hands were going numb and multiple parts of my legs started giving warnings and getting heavier.

After grabbing a label with the deposit symbol on the way back, when I got in front of the building I also grabbed two recyclables, probably left by the workers… And then I hit my head against the scaffolding, albeit lightly. Then I ate the last five walnuts that were left in a bag for what was probably years and lunch, with some nicer bagels instead of bread, drank some of the last of those drinks I had been left with since the Dream Trek, expired for over two months, changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, and left again at 9:05 PM, just taking “my” recyclables with the deposit symbol, since my parents had once again brought a lot that had been emptied there but I had no time to deal with those as well. But then I saw a bag with more recyclables which had been left next to a garbage bin, quite clearly just to be taken by someone, so I took it as it was and put everything in the machine from the nearest Penny before getting what I wanted and using one of the vouchers received for the coins campaign as well as the one received for the recyclables.
After arranging the purchases a little, I continued to Kaufland… But I wasn’t sure that I had actually put the Penny store card back in my pocket, and when I stopped to check I spotted a 10 RON bill! So I took it, deciding to add half of the value to what I mean to give away. Then I put the purchases in a cabinet when I reached Kaufland and entered the store a few minutes before 10 PM, so it’s a good thing that they did get back to closing at 10:30 PM. On the other hand, the evening discounts weren’t good, but I nevertheless made use of one for a bundle of green onions, spotting a larger one among those that were left and also taking a bunch of torn tops that were just fine. And I also took some cornmeal and a shaving balm. And I’m pretty sure that the machine didn’t accept the green onions as the correct product and I had to call an employee over to override the error. Either way, I then retrieved what I had in the cabinet and arranged everything properly, walking out a couple of minutes before 10:30 PM.
I picked up a couple of recyclables on the way to the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM… And I also caught a spiderweb, probably looking quite strange while trying to get rid of it and brush myself off in case the spider came along with it. Either way, I then put the bags in a cabinet, entering with the backpack and seeing that the only remaining bakery products that were discounted by 90% were some pretzels, so I took one for mother, without waiting for the receipt. And after adding that pretzel in the backpack and retrieving what I had in the cabinet I continued to that non-stop Mega Image, where I once again put the bags in a cabinet and entered with the backpack… But there were no bakery discounts whatsoever, just a few uninteresting products were discounted by 50%, and while I waited until after 11 PM, nobody seemed to intend to make more discounts. So I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, but happened to check another one as well and found a coin left in the lock and took it, so going there wasn’t a complete waste of time. And on the way back I gathered some more recyclables and then entered this nearby Mega Image a couple of minutes after 11:30 PM, leaving the bags next to the door, entering with the backpack, and getting two bags of bakery products that had the 90% discount, though the cashier rounded up the total by an amount that was more than the price of one of the buns from one of the bags, with that discount. Either way, I then retrieved my bags and got back here.
I’m quite sure I was at the door a little before 11:50 PM. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, picking up another recyclable from the garbage room, after which I just left the cornmeal on the table until morning, since it was moist after having been next to the frozen spinach, and put the other purchases in their place, noticing that one of the buns was plain instead of with sesame. Either way, I also washed what was in the kitchen, did the day’s squats, put together and ate something sweet, thoroughly wiped the thing that dad had brought from mother and laid on the table, finished that drink, and went to the bathroom at 1:40 AM, to use the toilet and shower, with water that wasn’t exactly comfortable. I was done a little before 2:25 AM, and then I took out the last piece of that last walnut bread which I had purchased from Kaufland at the start of the year, before they stopped making evening discounts for bakery products, despite having dropped it on the store’s floor, and which had been left in the freezer since then and looked suspicious. I don’t know whether it was bad freezer burn or something had started to grow on it even there, so after washing it quite thoroughly I cut away those parts of the crust, then put it in the oven for a while. On the other hand, I found what looked like moldy areas inside a tomato that seemed fine on the outside. And I also took another one of those cold pills expired for over a year. And when I finally got to my room for dinner, which I ate between 4:30 AM and 5:20 AM, while writing notes about the day, I found that a piece of polystyrene stopped the blinds from being pulled all the way down. And my right eye bothered me and it was rather red when I checked before going to bed, at 6:45 AM.

I was rather worried when I got up to pee a little after 8:50 AM and once again heard plenty of muffled noises from upstairs, and even more so when a few louder ones soon followed. But I guess that things didn’t get worse, and in fact after a while it got quiet, so I could sleep. I did start waking up at ever shorter intervals in the afternoon, and a few times it was a while before I could catch the next brief nap, but it was past 4:10 PM when I got up, after some louder scraping noises once again came from above. And then I also took the bug net out a little and removed that piece of polystyrene that stopped the blinds from closing properly. On the other hand, while after I got up there was still some red around the edge of that eye and it still didn’t quite feel right, over the course of the day it got better. But a knuckle on my left hand kept itching… And that morning I ended up getting in bed at 5:30 AM.

When I had been mostly awake for a while and needed to pee again, I decided that I was going to do that and then get back in bed if it wasn’t even 2 PM yet… Only to see that it was 2:59 PM, so I got up, albeit taking it slowly, and after having lunch it was just after 7:20 PM when I left, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the plastic and metal, which I dropped off in a recycling bin on the way, picking up another recyclable which had been left there and putting all of them in the machine from Kaufland.
Since the closing time had changed to 8:30 PM on Sunday, entering the store just before 8 PM meant that I still had some time, and I made use of evening discounts for regular and red onions, a lettuce, one Kapia pepper and two bananas. Then I also got some of those cheap yogurts, which actually had a small discount as well, and olives, and I meant to make use of the three for the price of two deal for canned products, getting canned mackerel, three in oil and three in tomato sauce. But they were all of their store brand and had the 15% discount if you used the store card, which normally applies on top of any regular discount, but it apparently overrides such special discounts, because at the self-checkout I saw that I wasn’t getting the price of two of the cans discounted, so I called an employee and she pointed out that the discounts won’t stack, removing the cans when I asked her to, though it took her a while to do so, apparently being initially confused by the fact that I had entered the number for each instead of scanning each can separately. Either way, the closing announcement came while I was at the machine, and after paying for the products I cashed in the voucher received for the recyclables.
I reached that Mega Image that closes at 10 PM several minutes before 9 PM, putting the few recyclables picked up on the way in the machine and the purchases in a cabinet and waiting for the 90% discount labels to be placed. But, while the bakery products were already bagged when I got there and the employee came to arrange them a few minutes later, she went in the back after those women who usually look for those products arrived, not coming out until they eventually gave up and left. And, after standing around for a couple more minutes, I cashed in that voucher, retrieved my bag from the cabinet, and walked out as well. However, after a little while I decided to go back, seeing that the 90% discount labels had been placed on the bakery products during those ten or so minutes, and it was still before 9:30 PM, so they had quite clearly waited for us to leave. Either way, I didn’t bother to use a cabinet anymore, put the two recyclables which I had picked up in the machine, and grabbed a few things, though the apple pastry which had been there before was gone by then, using that new voucher when I paid but not receiving a receipt. And on the way back I picked up some more recyclables, dashing into the nearby Mega Image to put them in the machine but not staying to cash in the voucher at that point.
I was back just before 9:55 PM, and while watching the match I put the purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, ate a banana, a sweet pastry and a bag of snacks, and did the day’s squats. And just after the match was over I dashed back to the nearby Mega Image, bought a bakery product that had the 90% discount, once again without receiving the receipt, and cashed in that voucher received earlier. Then, after getting back, I cleaned the litter box and went to drop what I had gathered down the chute, and it was a few minutes after 12:30 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. I was done just before 1:25 AM, and then I also used the worse lettuce leaves in the salad and arranged some things in the kitchen, eating dinner between 4 AM and 4:40 AM. But I still went to bed at the usual time, and I slept just fine, only being woken up by drilling from upstairs just after 2:20 PM.

In the early hours of October 14, time once again got away from me and I ended up eating dinner between 3:45 AM and 4:45 AM. But I still went to bed at the usual time and, while I was woken up by noise around 8:15 AM and then kept awake for a while, the workers seeming to have returned to this side of the building, I think it might not have been 9 AM yet when the particular kind of noise that was keeping me awake died down and I got back to sleep. There were still some noises that occasionally woke me up or entered my dreams, but I wouldn’t call the sleep particularly agitated and I always got right back to sleep after waking up, so I got up after the alarm rang, at 2 PM. Then I had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing consisting of two of those nicer biscuits, with added honey, just wasted time on the toilet despite feeling that I had to go after eating the yogurt, and left at 4:30 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 14-15°C, holding steady.
The time was 48:28.82, with sector times of 4:24.73, 5:08 (5:07.81), 6:02 (6:01.59), 4:35 (4:34.97), 5:10.63, 5:58 (5:57.37), 4:27.66, 5:04 (5:03.34), 5:53.16 and 1:47.56, making for lap times of 15:34.13, 15:43 (15:42.97) and 15:24.16. I was hoping to stay under 49 minutes, but thought that I may end up having to accept to only stay under 50 instead. And when I was pretty sure after the first two sectors that I’ll squeeze under 15:30 on the first lap but ended up not only missing that target, but also going over six minutes on the third sector, staying under 49 minutes seemed to be getting out of reach. However, if the first two sectors of lap two seemed to confirm that impression, staying under six minutes on sector three of lap two and averaging less than the 15:40 that’s the lap time target for 49 minutes over the first two laps made me think that I might still have a chance. It seemed unlikely, but I didn’t want to fail without really trying, so I went for it on lap three, and after two sectors I felt relatively safe and was initially inclined to be more cautious. But after a moment I wondered whether I could somehow squeeze under 48:30, and while I really didn’t see how, I just gave everything, continuing to do so on the final sector despite being certain that there was no way to get under 1:50 on it… Yet I somehow did, and while just squeezing under 48:30 is still a poor time, I’ll take it at this point.
What makes it somewhat worse is that there were very few problems to speak of. I felt a need to snap my back from sector three of lap one and didn’t do much about it, so the feeling only faded on lap three, while on sector three of lap two I started getting some warnings from my right calf muscle, though those weren’t really an issue. And then there was a pretty normal amount of weaving and going the long way around, with no notable issues caused by either people or the conditions.

After doing the day’s squats and eating lunch, I saw that somebody had sent me a code for a game on GOG.com, as a birthday gift, after seeing my giveaway, but it was a game with a higher regional price in the EU and that user is also from an EU country, so I felt responsible for the purchase of something that I’m fighting against and said so, not wanting to redeem it. Either way, I then changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, and went out again at 7:45 PM, taking just one recyclable with the deposit symbol, which had been emptied by dad, and rushing to Auchan, where I put that recyclable in the machine and found just one of the nice breads that’s on sale left, even that being among others of a different kind, which was probably why it had been left at that hour. But I also added two regular breads for dad, those having the 50% evening discount, and some eggs, finding a lot of those sold by piece. Then I also used the voucher received for that recyclable when I paid, arranged the purchases, and rushed to Kaufland, picking up a few recyclables on the way.
I was about to piss myself by the time I got there, even undoing my belt while walking past the Lidl that’s close to that Kaufland, to reduce the pressure a little. But I still put the recyclables in the machine and the purchases in a cabinet before going to the toilet… And finding the men’s closed for cleaning! But the room for disabled people was free, so I used it, then grabbed a catalog and had a look through it before entering the store when it was past 9:35 PM and spotting a 50% discount on some chickpea spaghetti, though they weren’t expiring. They were awfully expensive even so, but I decided to take one after all. And a little later, I guess at 9:45 PM, some nice lettuce got an evening discount of 90%, just one being left and looking just fine, so I took it. And then I saw discounts for two kinds of sausages and wanted to get some for dad, but things got even better when the two men who were ahead of me asked for all of the large pieces of something else that were left and the employees seemed to know them and one came to make an additional discount for that product, telling them to wait a while before going to the checkout, so it’ll enter the system. And they wanted all of those sausages as well, but while one employee was dealing with them, another asked what I wanted and gave me some first, so when those sausages also received an additional discount, quite clearly for the benefit of those men who were taking all of them, it applied for me as well. Either way, I also added two of those cheap yogurts, which still had a small discount, and three cans of something for which the deal did apply, so I got one for free. The closing announcement came while I was using the self-checkout, and after using the voucher received for the recyclables, retrieving what I had in the cabinet, and having to leave through the emergency exit, I took my time to arrange everything.
After reaching that non-stop Mega Image, I put the bag with the breads in a cabinet and then added that lettuce there, taking it out of the bag that I had carried it in, so I’ll still have a bag for what I’ll get from there. And it was before 10:50 PM, maybe even closer to 10:45 PM, when I entered the store, seeing that the bakery products were just getting bagged… But after wandering around for a little while I realized that I didn’t have that bag anymore and had absolutely no idea what I had done with it, and I couldn’t find it despite trying to retrace my steps and even walking back out when the entrance door opened for someone else and checking that cabinet and the area around the cabinets. Either way, I initially just took two buns when the 90% bakery discounts were made, then snatched one of those “salad mixes” when the cart with the other products with that discount was brought. It seemed to once again be mostly quinoa, with a little chicken, a few other vegetables, and probably a few raisins, but I didn’t really know and mainly meant to give it away. However, after grabbing another bakery product that was still left by then, retrieving and arranging my things, and stopping just after walking out to drain the dirty liquid I noticed in the bag that the lettuce was in, a guy came to ask me for money and I completely ignored him. I mean, I definitely wasn’t going to give money, and he didn’t seem like the kind who’d care for that food, plus that I didn’t exactly want to give anything whatsoever to someone who approached people to ask like that. But I couldn’t spot homeless people on the way back, so I ended up keeping that thing. And I picked up some more recyclables.
I got back at 12:05 AM, straightened a crushed can that I had picked up, cleaned the litter box, and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute. And after dad separated the sausages I rearranged things in the freezer, taking something that he wanted out and putting the sausages in. Then I put the rest of the purchases in their place, ate an apple and a slice of cake brought by dad from my grandmother’s birthday, and it was past 1:50 AM when I went to wash, the water temperature seeming to drop after a while. I’m not sure when I was done, but I was in the kitchen again by 2:30 AM despite spending a few minutes in my room before going back there. And then I washed what was in the kitchen, also used the few worse leaves of that lettuce, and ate dinner between 4:50 AM and 5:45 AM, while checking things on-line. I got in bed at 6:50 AM, after making it clear to that guy that I’m refusing the gift and suggesting asking for a refund. But he didn’t, being rather upset over it and sending it to The Community Giveaway instead, so I still felt guilty because that purchase was made and both of us ended up upset… Which is the normal outcome in case someone decides to surprise me like that, so no news there. And I’ll add here that I was woken up by someone knocking at the door for quite a few minutes, only checking the time after they seemed to have gone away and seeing 9:55 AM at that point. But then I could get back to sleep, and managed to do so again after dad brought mother, so I only got up in the afternoon.