Cav's Place

I had a very hard time falling asleep on the morning of January 19, so it might have even been close to 7 AM when I finally did, I don’t know… And before 8:20 AM I was woken up by Liza going to the litter box after dad woke up, and after going to pee and crawling back in bed I noticed that my left nostril was still stuffy, as it had been before going to bed, and I kept trying to clear it, worried that it might mean something else, considering that strange feeling on the left side of my head. Still, after quite a long time it did clear well enough, but then dad left and it didn’t seem like I was going to be falling asleep too soon, so I got on the computer, seeing that it was just after 9:10 AM. I got back in bed at 10:25 AM, but getting back to sleep remained difficult, so I likely got less than three more hours before waking up to pee again, a few minutes before 2 PM, and while I then got back in bed and only got up for good when it was close to 5:10 PM, during that time I only caught one or two more brief naps and otherwise just sort of drifted in and out. But that evening I finally, finally, finished the post about last year’s Dream Trek.

The next morning, at 9:05 AM, I was woken up by the workers knocking, I’m not sure if at the door or the windows or both. Dad had a doctor’s appointment that morning and didn’t care, but the fact itself would have probably been enough for me to be unable to get back to sleep, and then there were the occasional noises as well, and since I had gotten up to pee once by then, I’m not even sure if I got three hours of sleep. So I wasted time in bed, at times struggling to hold back panic, until dad left, at 10:30 AM, and then I got on the computer and posted something. And before getting back in bed, at 11:55 AM, hoping to take advantage of the workers’ break, if they were still going to take it at noon, I saw that they were right in front of the windows from the bathrooms, putting up the scaffolding there as well, so I didn’t turn on the light when I peed, but I wonder if they had been around that area in the morning as well, since I did turn on the light when I went to pee after they had knocked at that point, so they’d have seen that someone was actually here and had heard. Either way, things did get quiet after that, and while it took me a while to fall asleep again, I eventually did, waking up a few more times but getting back to sleep more quickly, and only getting up again a few minutes before 5 PM, when I knew that the workers had left for the day. And then I had lunch, did the day’s squats, and left at 7:50 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol and dad’s metro card, so I took the metro to Obor.
After picking up a few more recyclables on the way, I put them in the machine from Auchan, two of them requiring multiple tries but eventually being accepted. And then I used the voucher received for them when paying for the tea that I wanted to get from there before grabbing one more recyclable, putting it in the machine from Carrefour, and putting the teas and the gloves in a cabinet. It wasn’t yet 9 PM when I entered Carrefour, but the 50% bakery discounts had already been made and I grabbed a number of things, plus one other thing for dad that had the same discount, also using the voucher received for that recyclable when I paid and not charging myself for the plastic box that what I got for dad was in. There were quite a number of coins left in the tray at that point, but an employee passed by while I was scanning the products and grabbed them, though on the other hand I had glanced at those trays and grabbed some others right after entering the store. Either way, I then retrieved what I had in the cabinet and put everything in one when I reached Kaufland, entering the store at 9:45 PM, making use of evening discounts for carrots and onions, and adding a few of those cheap yogurts, thinking that I had enough for the voucher resulting from a doubled deposit to apply and deciding against getting another soap… Only to see at the self-checkout that there was an additional 33% discount for the carrots thanks to using the store card, so I should have bought more of those, and it also meant that I was just below the minimum amount required for that voucher to activate that day. But the closing announcement came just when I saw that and I didn’t rush back to grab something else, just retrieving what I had in the cabinet, arranging a little, and then taking the metro back, picking up one more recyclable on the way.
It was close to 11:15 PM when I got back. Then I put the purchases, with the exception of the tea, in their place, ate what was probably a Mandarin orange and a sweet pastry, washed most of what was in the kitchen and cleaned up a little, and it was almost 1:55 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, finally having hot water at night again. I was done a little after 2:50 AM, but then I spent a little more time in my room, continued to search for something that dad hadn’t managed to find before going to bed until I did find it for him, also put the teas in their place, decided to wash two pots as well, and dealt with one of the breads I had purchased from Carrefour, ending up eating dinner between 5:20 AM and 6:20 AM, taking it easy but not going back to put seasonings in the salad when I realized that I had forgotten to do so. I got in bed at 7:25 AM.

The first time I woke up was at 11:20 AM, and after going to pee it took me a while to get back to sleep, the workers’ voices definitely not helping, plus that soon after I got back in bed there was a noise that definitely sounded like an explosion, which was concerning… But more concerning, especially since the plan was to run the next day, was the pain I felt in a spot on the left side of my left foot, which hadn’t been there when I had gone to bed but was suddenly quite an issue when I put that foot down at that point. Still, after a while I did manage to get back to sleep, being woken again at 2:25 PM by some drilling, though it was at least reasonably distant. And it didn’t last long, so after peeing one more time I could get back to sleep, and then I did so even faster the couple of other times I woke up after that, and I’m pretty sure that it was past 5 PM when I last woke up, so I actually got a good amount of sleep by the time I actually got up, at 5:25 PM.

Getting to the early hours of January 22, I went back to the kitchen at 1:15 AM, had some things to wash, also peeled and boiled carrots for the salad, and while I initially “cheated” by taking a first bite in my room just before 3 AM, when I realized that even if I didn’t put the two small beets in the salad and left cleaning up after myself in the kitchen for later it’d be past 3:20 AM when I’ll actually start eating, I took it easy, did everything properly, and actually ate between 3:40 AM and 4:25 AM, the salad containing leek instead of green onions.
I managed to get back to sleep quickly after waking up to pee and also after being woken up when dad got up and fed Liza, but the noise made by the workers entered my dreams, which at times once again turned into highly realistic nightmares, and in fact when I woke up again, at 11:15 AM, I was convinced that a worker had entered the apartment and somebody had knocked on my door, so I rushed out in anger, demanding to know what was going on… Only to find myself alone. So I peed one more time, just in case, and while the noise kept me awake for a while, I eventually got back to sleep yet again, getting up after the alarm rang, at 1:30 PM. That spot in my left foot was still hurting, but I had the usual stuff, though the yogurt was a really nice, 200 g, creamy, fat-free one with 10% protein, and the almonds were still some of those baked and salted ones, but I also took one of those supplements for immunity and one of another kind, and the sweet thing was a bio (organic) bar, with added honey. And along with the running gear I wore that torn training suit, as in both the pants and the shirt, as well as the shirt that I also wore the previous week, that thing that goes on my neck, two pairs of socks, and the older gloves, plus the jacket on the way, tied around my waist as I ran. And dealing with all those clothes took a while, the main problem being that I obviously couldn’t wear those torn pants over the tights, and wearing them underneath and finding a way to make them not get all bunched up took several minutes, so it was past 4:20 PM when I left, the reported temperature being 2°C, possibly dropping to 1°C by the time I finished. But the bigger problem was that it was still drizzling, and had rained quite a lot, so I also expected ice, along with the puddles.
The time was 51:51.80, with sector times of 4:29, 5:37, 6:19, 4:50, 5:33, 6:15, 4:46, 5:27, 6:02 and 2:33.72, making for lap times of 16:25, 16:38 and 16:15. I knew that I was going to go over 50 minutes and thought that staying under 52 would be great, but was prepared to even accept just squeezing under 53, and a first sector that was better than I thought, especially since I meant to pretty much use the first lap for reconnaissance, didn’t change that, so I never looked at the exact times, knowing that there was no point, which also meant that I didn’t need to stop to do so despite finishing after sunset, though I did stop for a few seconds on sector one of lap two because I realized that I had forgotten what I had seen.
Either way, that small paved area of sector two where I barely even managed to walk without falling cost me quite a lot of time, and while the paved area of sector three was much better, I was somewhat careful there as well, leading to a time on the first lap that made me wonder whether I’ll even stay under 53 minutes. That required staying under 17 minutes on the next two laps, knowing that I was going to be terribly slow on the final sector, and sector one of lap two wasn’t promising, but then I managed to optimize the way I dealt with that paved area of sector two, and while the attempt to approach the paved area of sector three differently on lap two ended up costing me a little time, it offered information, so on lap three I tried to push where it was possible and optimize going through those areas, as well as doing my best to stay on the lane for much of that really long turn that’s on sector three, which I hadn’t done on the first two laps, so I gained some time there as well, the time on sector three of lap three being almost decent, and the lap the least slow of the day.
I didn’t realize that at the time, however, my calculations being a minute off, so I still thought that I was looking at 52:30 at best, if I’ll somehow manage no more than 2:11 on the final sector… Which proved impossible, since I pretty much walked up the stairs, holding on to the railing, and then barely struggled to sort of walk without falling on the first part of the final straight, and again when I still insisted on going first to one side and then the other. And I had to be careful even after that, since the pavement’s mixed, I had to make sure that I didn’t step on the slippery kind, and there were slippery spots elsewhere as well. So now the worst final sector time is 2:33, and that includes the half marathon runs, which I finish with the same sector. But I was still quite pleasantly surprised to find that I ended up staying under 52 minutes after all. Which is, of course, an absolutely terrible time, the only worse ones since the hospitalization, so since September of 2021, being when it was the second run in one day, in 2024 and 2025, and a run from last February that was in worse conditions, with snow and ice covering most of the path and a fair number of people. And while the slippery areas cost me a minute and a half, that wouldn’t have even been enough to get me under 50 minutes, so something’s really wrong…
Since I start from a small paved area, I slipped right away. But, much to my relief, it was quite fine on the asphalt, and the puddles weren’t that much of a problem to get around either. However, that paved area on sector two was just awful, I barely managed to avoid falling as soon as I stepped on it and the only way to get through it, still with some risks, was to slow almost to a walking pace, at least on the first lap, since I then noticed a drier area on the second half of it and tried to make some use of it on lap two and more on lap three. And by then I probably also knew just how much I had to stomp my feet after leaving that area to get rid of enough of what I had picked up while passing through it to stop slipping, since at first it took several seconds to start feeling somewhat confident again. As for the paved area from sector three, the pavement there is similar to that small area from the start and I was therefore also wary, but it proved to be less of a problem, though the lane does continue on it, unlike on those other paved areas, so on lap two I tried to stay on the lane, but I probably got too confident and eventually slipped, after which I was particularly careful until I cleared that area, so I probably lost time. But on lap three I pretty much went for it through that area, knowing which spots to avoid. But, of course, after being careful while going up the stairs as well, the first part of the final straight, which has the same kind of pavement as that area from sector two and which was even more covered in ice and muck, was the worst, and I could barely make my way through it, yet then I still went from one side of the path to the other, as I usually do, which cost me even more time, and I was careful for the rest of that straight as well.
Besides that, there were more puddles on the lane than off it, and the places where the lane’s on the inside of turns tended to be the worst, so I often had to go the long way around, including on that stretch of almost 400 meters of sector three that’s basically one long turn, and while on lap three I did my best to stay on the lane for most of that area, I was probably more careful as a result, so I’m not sure how much time I gained by doing so. Otherwise, I already mentioned that on sector one of lap two, actually right at the start of the long straight, I realized that I had forgotten the time at the end of the first lap, so I stopped for a few seconds to have another look. As for physical issues, I felt some pain above my left heel early on, definitely on sector two of lap one, if not even by the end of the first sector, but it then went away. And a certain pressing need that I think appeared at some point on lap two also faded soon after. And what was interesting was that, while I was rather overheating from the start of lap two, that no longer seemed to be the case on lap three.

On the way back, I checked the nearby Mega Image, and then I picked up two of the four recyclables left outside and went back to try to put them in the machine, keeping them when they weren’t accepted, since I thought that they eventually should be. And I picked up one more before getting back here. Then I had lunch, changed, albeit leaving on what I had above the waist, and left again just after 8:40 PM, without wearing a mask, taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol, and going to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM, the machine from there not accepting those two recyclables either. But I put in the few others that I had and just bought a little garlic, at full price, using the unmanned register to weigh it until I had just the amount needed to be able to pay with the voucher received for the recyclables.
On the way back I quickly checked three other stores, being told that the machine wasn’t working at that Profi Go and trying to put those recyclables in the machine from Shop & Go and Carrefour Express, though they weren’t accepted there either, so I didn’t make yet another attempt when I had another look in this nearby Mega Image. But I had that look in order to see whether some expiring products which I had seen the first time were still there, and since they were I initially went back up to ask dad whether he wanted one even if the discount was just 50%, going back down to buy it when he said that he did, at which point I also added a black radish that was among the spoiling products, maybe also as a way to make myself pay for that awful time, since the price, with the 50% discount, was more than what I’d have been willing to pay for black radishes even if I could pick them myself… And I eventually ended up throwing away much of that black radish, since it didn’t look good inside. But at least I stopped the cashier from charging me for the bag that it was in, because I gave her the exact amount, according to the prices listed on the products, and while she added the bag and initially told me that I needed a little more, when I looked surprised and made a point of reading the listed prices she said that it was fine like that.
I was back for good a couple of minutes before 10 PM, and during the match I ate an orange and a large bag of bagels, the bagels meaning over 1000 calories and close to six grams of salt, and tried to time the squats, doing them in the kitchen and in about 1:54, though I used the match time, the image kept freezing during that period, and it did so again just when I finished, so that may be a second off. But it’s a great time either way. And at 12:20 AM I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and shower, thinking that the water would be uncomfortable but finding that it eventually was good enough for that shower. But I still hurried, being done a few minutes before 1 AM and then managing to stick to the dinner schedule, “cheating” to be able to say that I took a first bite in my room before 3 AM, but that’s pretty much the norm for quite a while now. However, dad had once again said that the workers were supposed to come and install those things in the holes drilled in the walls, and also finish the balcony on the inside, so I tried to arrange a few things in my room before getting in bed in the morning, which led to doing so at 5:20 AM.

Thinking that those workers were going to come led to sleeping badly, and I had been mostly awake for some time when I decided to get up to pee, at 11:20 AM, at which point I also asked dad whether he had heard anything and he said that he had spoken to them and was told that they’ll come later. So I got back in bed, but barely managed to catch a little nap before deciding to get up, a little after 1:30 PM. And the workers still didn’t come, so several minutes after 4 PM, when it was quite clear that they won’t that day either, I got back in bed, hoping to take another nap before ski jumping… But apparently dad had just caught the part where I had said that there was too little time left before the ski jumping and ignored the fact that I had added that I was going to try anyway, so he went out twice during that time, and before doing so the second time, just when I think that I had fallen asleep, he told me that he was going out, asking whether I had heard until I answered, so that eliminated any chance of getting any more sleep. And then I had lunch, did the day’s squats, and left at 8:15 PM, wearing a mask again.
I picked up a recyclable before reaching Penny and left it outside, behind a car, while I just had a look in the store, then retrieved it, picked up two more on the way to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM, got there almost ten minutes before 9 PM, put those recyclables in the machine, waited for the 50% bakery discount labels to be placed, and just got a sweet pastry, not seeing anything else that was interesting. And after waiting for a little while for the products with the 90% discount I exchanged a few words with that younger woman who tends to be there for those and she showed me that just some yeast was going to have that discount, so I just bought that sweet pastry, paying with the voucher received for the recyclables. While the price printed on the label was the same as the value of the voucher, the system registered it as 0.01 RON less, so the voucher wasn’t accepted directly, but at least that cashier knew to get around the issue by entering that I had paid cash and then had cashed it in, just nodding and getting it done while I was telling him to do just that.
After putting that sweet pastry in one of the jacket’s inside pockets, I continued to Kaufland Basarabia, picking up a recyclable on the way, putting it in the machine when I got there, then spotting another one, grabbing it, managing to shake some of the trash that was in it into a trash can, and putting it in as well, even if I hadn’t managed to shake out the empty pack of cigarettes which had also been stuffed in it. Then I entered the store around 9:30 PM, probably a little before that time, though I’m not entirely certain, made use of an evening discount for a lettuce, also grabbed two expiring products, and then almost everything that I had actually gone there to get, though I forgot the one product which I had actually placed first on the list. And I did have a list, which I checked multiple times, and I remember wanting to look for that first, but I guess I got distracted and then just went down the list. Either way, after also getting cheese and olives, I saw that another customer had changed her mind about asking for something and was looking through the shrink-wrapped products, so I did the same and saw those olives there as well, ending up leaving what I had received there and picking up one of those packs instead, so I won’t be charged for the plastic box. And I was at the self-checkout when the closing announcement came, and since a 25% discount was supposed to apply to all products of one of their store brands, I first checked that it did for something, then went back and scanned everything else, needing to call over the employee when the machine was telling me to place the paper towels on the scales after I already had. And after also using the vouchers received for the recyclables, I checked the receipt and confirmed that the discount resulting from that doubled deposit had also applied, then left through the emergency exit and took my time to arrange everything, finally walking away when it was close to 10:50 PM.
Knowing that the products with the 90% discount were once again being brought out at 11 PM meant that I then rushed to that Mega Image, though I still picked up two recyclables and put them, the gloves, one bag and the contents of the other in a cabinet, entering with the backpack a couple of minutes before 11 PM. But that cart was full of bread and packaged salads, plus a few other things that I wasn’t exactly interested in, so I just got some bread for dad, then retrieved what I had in the cabinet, arranged everything again in the bag which I had emptied, and picked up a few more recyclables on the way back.
It was close to 11:50 PM when I got back, with just over 15 kg. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, put the purchases in their place, cleaned up a little after dad in the kitchen, ate an orange and a sweet pastry that I already had, and it was 1:55 AM when I went to wash, that dull pain definitely being there again but my ears also getting really clogged. The issue had reappeared in the left one for a while, just like it was before I had the wax cleaned out seven years ago, but until then it wasn’t much of a problem, and it hadn’t bothered me in the right one at all, while at that point both did, and the left one remained clogged, things only gradually getting better over the course of the following day. But, to return to that night, I was out of the bathroom a few minutes after 2:30 AM. Then I washed what was in the kitchen and used the worse lettuce leaves for the salad, eating dinner between 4:45 AM and 5:35 AM. I got in bed at 7:15 AM.

At least I slept, just waking up to pee once, just before noon, with a worker right outside the bathroom window, so I did so in the dark and trying to edge away from there and still aim well in the toilet. And I think I only woke up again when I checked the time after a few minutes and saw 3:45 PM, and had probably just dozed off again when dad called, a little before 4:10 PM, and I didn’t fall asleep again after that, checking again and deciding to get up when I saw 4:40 PM. And at that point I realized that the pain in my foot was because I keep stepping on the side of the slipper when standing just on one foot to change pants after I get up and sometimes I press hard when I lose my balance.

On January 25, I was thinking to rush out and see whether I’ll find what I had forgotten to get from Kaufland if it’ll seem like I’ll have hot water to wash after getting back, the idea being to get up by 2 PM in order to do so, though I didn’t set an alarm… And then Liza woke me by going to the litter box around 10:35 AM, and she did that because dad had just woken up, and I couldn’t get back to sleep until some time after he left, so during that time I started thinking that I should just give up and get up already. But eventually I did catch another nap, and when I saw that it was just before 1 PM when I woke up again I decided to get back in bed, managing to take one more little nap, seeing 1:31 PM when I woke up yet again and deciding to get up at that point, though I took it slowly and it was past 1:45 PM when I actually did. And I left at 3:25 PM, not wearing a mask but taking those other things that I take to Kaufland and the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I picked up a couple more recyclables on the way to Kaufland Popa Nan and then put all of them in the machine and those other things in what may be the proper bin. And, while what I found wasn’t quite what I was looking for, it was close enough and the sale price was the same, so it’s possible that there was an error in the catalog, and dad actually called me just then, so I asked whether I should get that instead and did so when he said yes. And then I also found the packs of toilet paper that were two for the price of one if you activated the voucher, which I had done on-line before leaving, so I took two of those as well, even if they’re not what I usually get and at basically the same price with this deal, but I couldn’t see that kind at all in that location and we were running out, so I decided to try it. And after needing to type the store card code, since the picture of the QR code just wouldn’t scan, and using the voucher received for the recyclables, I struggled for a while to make that toilet paper fit in a bag. And on the way back I had a quick look in a Mega Image, leaving the purchases next to the cabinets and then just retrieving them, and then jogged the rest of the way, though I still picked up a label that had the deposit symbol.
I got back just before 5 PM, and then I had a pretty normal evening, also doing the day’s squats, though the water temperature had dropped by the time I went to shower and it was well below body temperature until I was close to finishing, at which point it started to warm up to some extent, maybe ending up just about good enough for a shower. But I was rushing, wanting to watch a match, so I didn’t stay longer, which led to feeling quite cold after that and deciding to also take a vitamin C at night, albeit one expired since August of 2022, along with the vitamin D3. And before getting in bed I used some cream on my hands. But, to return to the evening, at one point I heard the computer’s fans spin up intermittently, and when I checked I saw that the first cores were drawing way more power every few seconds and the temperatures were spiking, approaching 65°C at the highest, so they exceeded the level at which the fans speed up even if they otherwise still ignore my speed settings. It seemed to be caused by the browser, which was using a lot of the CPU with the same cadence, and I guess that the culprit was a tab with a long article that I was reading, so it probably had to do with the ads, and I had noticed video ads refreshing on the side, and closing that sorted things out, the issue not returning when I opened it again.

I didn’t have green onions for the salad made in the early hours of January 28, so I used a red one. And then the noise made by the workers did wake me a few times, but I could always get back to sleep quickly, even if it also occasionally entered my dreams, which were still weird and sometimes scary. Either way, I got up after the alarm rang, at 1:30 PM, then had the usual stuff, but the better conditions made me decide to just eat a small apple, though it was Pinova, and raw almonds, keeping more of the rest, which are also larger, for a later time. And for the sweet thing I went back to adding honey on two of those nicer biscuits, which expired at the end of the year but I still have a lot of. On the other hand, I pretty much wasted time on the toilet, but having gone at night meant that I wasn’t exactly worried about that. So I left at 4:10 PM, wearing the full running gear and that thing that goes on my neck. The reported temperature was 10-11°C, and 9°C when I finished.
The time was 48:42.57, with sector times of 4:18.60, 5:13.22, 6:02 (6:01.22), 4:36.75, 5:10 (5:09.63), 5:57 (5:56.84), 4:32.00, 5:09 (5:08.84), 5:53.85 and 1:52 (1:51.62), making for lap times of 15:33.04, 15:43.22 and 15:34.69. The better conditions made me hope to at least get back under 49 minutes, pushing a fair bit from the beginning, so the first sector seemed a few seconds slower than it should have been… And then the second was even worse, and going over six minutes on the third made me think that even staying under 50 minutes wasn’t quite certain. I definitely had to cover lap two in less than 16 minutes, meaning that a first sector that went a little over the 4:35 that’d be the target for that was very concerning and I pushed more, leading to the next two sectors being better than those from the first lap, and at the end of the lap it seemed that I had a chance to get under 49 minutes after all, if I won’t be more than a few seconds slower on lap three. And after sector two of lap three, which was the least slow of the day despite stopping for a few seconds, I wanted to already be safe at the end of the lap, and most preferably cover sector three in less than six minutes as well, so I went for it, sector three of lap three also being the best of the day, and good enough to make me aim to also get below 48:45, which I managed in the end. That makes this the least bad time in almost a month and a half, but it’s a pretty bad one in itself, and the conditions were no longer an excuse.
The fair number of people coupled with the remaining puddles made for plenty of weaving and going the long way around, but the only notable issues were a brief stop close to the end of sector three of lap three, when a little kid almost stumbled into my legs, slowing on sector one of lap three, when someone on a scooter came from another path and slowed right in front of me when other people where just coming from the opposite direction on the lane, so I had to wait for an opening, and a hesitation on sector three of lap three, when a guy tried to clear the way for me just when I was turning to go around him on that same side. But the bigger loss of time was probably on sector two of lap three, when I stopped for a couple of seconds to make sure that I had seen the time correctly, since my eyes wouldn’t focus. And then there was the final sector, where some of the sand which had been thrown there the previous week, which at that point would have been supposed to make it somewhat less slippery, was still there and had the opposite effect, so I was somewhat more careful. As for physical issues, there was a brief moment when that left big toe bothered me again, but the feeling quickly faded, and a certain pressing need only appeared on sector three of lap three. But the bigger problem was that I was starting to feel lightheaded almost as soon as I tried to push more, so this was the best I could do.

After picking up a recyclable on the way back, I cleaned the litter box, ate an old apple circle which I had kept to eat after this run, did the day’s squats, shaved, once again after a very long time, changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, and left a little before 8:10 PM, wearing a mask and taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol, and before walking out of the building I grabbed one more, and then two more which had been left in front of the machine from Penny, the odd thing being that one was a glass bottle and that was the only type that the machine accepted, stating that it had no container for the others. So I put in that bottle, then dug through the bag for the two glass bottles that I already had and put those in as well, getting a second voucher before entering the store with the remaining recyclables and buying cat food, using those two vouchers as well as the last one of those from their coins campaign, one day before it expired.
After putting the cat food in the backpack, I entered the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM with it, getting there even before 8:50 PM and putting in the machine everything except that second recyclable picked up from Penny, which wasn’t accepted. Then I waited for the labels with the 50% discount to be placed on the bakery products and, after waiting a little longer and seeing no sign of products that would be discounted by 90%, just buying the one sweet pastry which I had picked up from there, after which I cashed in the voucher received for the recyclables. On the other hand, it was rather awkward when I picked up a couple of coins while standing in line and then the guard kicked one more towards me and told me to get that one as well, but I said that I hadn’t been the one to see it and will leave it for someone who does, which actually ended up being that younger woman who tends to be there, seeing her just buying a bakery product as well while I was taking my time to add that sweet pastry in the backpack and fuss as long as I could being my cue that there will be no more discounts and I should be on my way.
I then continued to Kaufland, trying to put that remaining recyclable and another one which I had picked up on the way in the machine and then leaving both there when they weren’t accepted, that one picked up from Penny seeming like something that won’t usually be accepted and the other not having a visible deposit symbol, so I had just decided to try after happening to grab it and holding on to it since there were no recycling bins on the way and I didn’t want to throw it into a regular trash can. Either way, I then peed and washed my hands, and entered the store, with the backpack, a little after 9:35 PM, making use of evening discounts for some bananas, carrots, onions, the one lettuce that was left, and a handful of grapes and one of plums, both Moldovan, which I managed to find in crates which had already been cleared away but left nearby for the time being. And, since there had once again been no green onions, on my way out I asked at the information desk whether that guarantee that certain products will always be available, which was still listed on the signs, was still valid, being told that it was and merely asked whether I had a receipt before being given the 10 RON voucher, the employee just scribbling something on it, probably without even having a good look, and not mentioning anything about it needing to be for at least 10 RON, since it wasn’t and I had forgotten that back in March, which may be the last time I had tried to ask for such a voucher, I had been told of that limitation. Either way, I then continued to that Mega Image as well, putting the bag with the purchases from Kaufland in a cabinet, once again entering with the backpack, and buying two bakery products that had the 50% discount and the only one that was discounted by 90% that I still found. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, arranged things a little better, and grabbed one more recyclable on the way back.
I was back a little after 11:20 PM, then I put the purchases in their place, ate what was usable out of the particularly large banana, which was worse than it had seemed, also ate lunch, and right at 2 AM I went to wash, initially trying to sit in the water but realizing that it wasn’t good enough for that and ending up basically taking a shower. I was done a little after 2:30 AM, but then I gathered some of my clothes from the rack, which got moved to the living room, realized that I had no clean undershirts and dug through the laundry basket to confirm that the other two were there, cleaned some of the breadcrumbs off dad’s desk, spent some time on the computer, washed what was in the kitchen, moved those shrink-wrapped olives into a jar, used some of the worse leaves of the lettuce, decided to clean the litter box again before instead of after eating, and only finally ate dinner between 5:40 AM and 6:20 AM. I got in bed at 7:25 AM, after putting some cream on my hands again.

Well, loud drilling started at 7:45 AM, so I hadn’t even fallen asleep yet! But then I don’t know whether it stopped after a while or I was so exhausted that I managed to fall asleep in spite of it, but after a while I did fall asleep, and when I was woken up again by it and checked the time, I saw that it was 9:43 AM. And then I managed to take another nap before getting up a little after 10:30 AM and going to pee and exchange a few words with dad. The drilling did certainly stop for a while a little after I got back in bed, and while I couldn’t do so right away, I eventually did get back to sleep again, being woken up again at 12:45 PM. And I took a couple more naps after that, being woken up again at 1:45 PM and 2:45 PM and then remaining awake until I got up, at 3:40 PM, during which time I noticed another break which was followed, a little after I got up, by some more drilling, though that was pretty brief and the last “round” of the day. Either way, that meant that I slept for some four and a half hours, maybe even five, though the quality of that sleep is questionable. And I didn’t try to get back in bed later.

At least it was better the following day. I was first woken up by the drilling just before 9:25 AM, but after going to pee I could eventually get back to sleep, and then it seemed that the drilling was slowly getting more distant, so I was still woken up a few times, plus once when dad clinked Liza’s plate when he fed her, but I could get back to sleep relatively quickly, or at least more quickly than I thought I would, each time. And I only got up just before 4 PM, though I had been awake for a while at that point. And then I did the day’s squats and left at 8:15 PM, with the regular recyclables, which I dropped off in a recycling bin on the way, and just two with the deposit symbol, grabbing two more on the way to Penny Titan, putting them in the machine from there, and just cashing in the voucher, since what I wanted to get for dad wasn’t among the expiring products in that location. So I continued to the next Penny, picking up another recyclable and a plastic bottle that seemed to fit the label that I had but putting them in a cabinet that I didn’t lock when I got there and then retrieving them on my way out, since that product wasn’t among the expiring ones there either. But it was at the location that’s next to Auchan, so after once again putting those two recyclables in a cabinet that I didn’t lock, I bought that and two bottles of tomato sauce, then arranged those purchases, retrieved the recyclables, and rushed to Kaufland Basarabia.
When I got there and actually placed that label on that bottle, I noticed that it was for 1.5 liters while the bottle had two liters, but it was of the exact same product and the machine accepted it right away, along with the other recyclable. Then I put my things in a cabinet and rushed to enter, being surprised that it was still before 10 PM, I think somewhere between 9:50 and 9:55 PM. But after taking the one better lettuce that was left and a handful of black radishes, the evening discount being great for the lettuce, albeit less so for the radishes, I realized that I couldn’t recall whether I had locked that cabinet, and throwing the bag with the purchases from Penny there also meant that I didn’t have that bag with me, so I left those vegetables on a box and asked the information desk employee to let me out to retrieve something, confirming that I had locked the cabinet and then opening it to take the purchases out of the bag and walk back in with it. And then I asked for a piece of cheese and added some pieces of processed meat products that also had deep discounts and five of those cheap yogurts. But after struggling for a while but eventually managing to get the self-checkout machine to scan the picture of the QR code for the store card, it just wouldn’t work for the voucher received for those recyclables, and while I was trying to type it in the employee came and told me to use the hand scanner, but I told her that I had tried that as well, so after making an attempt of her own she typed it, needing to do so twice, after having probably made a mistake the first time. And then I also used that 10 RON voucher received two days earlier, then retrieved what I had in the cabinet, left through the emergency exit, spread things out on one of the tables that are outside, and took my time to arrange everything, so it was close to 10:45 PM when I walked away.
After putting my things in a cabinet, I entered the non-stop Mega Image just before 10:55 PM and was among the several people who waited for the cart with the products that had the 90% discount, managing to grab a few. There were some better things there that I missed out on, and I eventually put back two of those that I did initially take, but at least I got something, and then I also added just one head of garlic, at full price, and the cashier rounded down the total a fair bit, not asking for the coins. And then, after retrieving what I had in the cabinet and adding the new purchases in the backpack, I bought two PaysafeCard codes from the machine from there, since that way I had seen that I was going to get one cent more after conversion than for a single code with the full value. And on the way back I picked up several more recyclables.
I got back just after midnight. Then I cleaned the litter box, went to drop what I had taken from it down the chute, and used those PaysafeCard codes to charge my Wallet on GOG.com and then buy the 3D remasters of Final Fantasy III and IV, wanting to reward the fact that the EU wasn’t getting ripped off through regional pricing for those titles, while on the other hand the usual $1=€1 model is used for IX, which is the one that I was mainly interested in but which I obviously won’t purchase myself. Then I put most of the purchases in their place, cleaned up a little after dad, ate lunch between 2 AM and 2:15 AM, spent some more time on the computer, and went to have a shower at 2:40 AM, being done just before 3:10 AM. But then I had plenty to wash and clean in the kitchen, put the remaining purchases in their place, and also used the worse leaves of that lettuce, ending up eating dinner between 5:45 AM and 6:25 AM. But what made me increasingly concerned was the occasional slight tingling which I had felt in my left hand all day, and that overall strange feeling that occasionally, or even very often during certain periods, appears while I’m in bed was quite present all day. Either way, after putting cream on my hands again, I got in bed at 7:45 AM.

I only woke up the first time somewhere between 12:50 and 12:55 PM, while dad was getting ready to leave, and waiting for him to do so before going to pee meant wasting just over half an hour, but then I quickly got back to sleep, the same thing happening the couple more times I woke up after that, so I got a total of seven to seven and a half hours by the time the alarm rang, at 4:50 PM, and I got up, wanting to make sure that I won’t miss any of the ski jumping if the TV broadcast will somehow start when the round did and not later, as listed. But I think it started either right on schedule, at 5:25 PM, or even a little later, so I couldn’t see almost half of the first round. And then I installed and started Final Fantasy III, so I’m not sure what that means about continuing Morrowind. But now I’m going to make mamaliga, and it’s already late to start, so let’s see if I’ll manage to finish eating by 3:40 AM…