Cav's Place

In the early hours of May 30, after once again “cheating” in order to be able to say that I took a first bite of dinner in my room before 3 AM, I actually started eating at 3:15 AM and finished at 3:45 AM. And I got in bed at 5:20 AM… And the tea I drank and the mamaliga eaten at night led to needing to pee a whole lot of times, and at one point I also cleaned the litter box, changing out of my pajamas and then back into them, after dad got up I couldn’t get back to sleep until some time after he left, at a later point I went to close the window from his room because my door kept banging because of the wind and waking me up even more often, and the next time I got up I spent a few minutes of the computer. Still, it was a few minutes before 5:30 PM when I got up for good, and I should have gotten a total of at least eight and a half hours of sleep by then, possibly even close to nine hours, even if it was so interrupted. And after seeing that dad had once again taken some of Liza’s food out, I hope at least to give it to other cats, because she wasn’t wolfing it down right away, even if it wasn’t that kind that she usually doesn’t like, I dreamed that I had snapped at him about it, he snapped and shouted back until I ended up cowering in fear, but then I worked up a blind rage and killed him.

The following day I slept for a similar total time, but much better, only waking up twice. The first time was when dad did, but while I remained awake until he left, I just stayed in bed, going to pee after that and then spending some 40 minutes on the computer. But then I got right back to sleep, which also happened after the only other time I woke up, to pee again. And after getting up for good, at 4:05 PM, I ate lunch, cleaned the litter box twice, since Liza went again just after I had cleaned it, and left at 7:30 PM, with a small bag of trash that I dropped down the chute, the plastic and metal, which I dropped in a recycling bin on the way to Kaufland Popa Nan, and the recyclables with the deposit symbol, which I put in the machine from there. And there were a whole lot of recyclables left in that area, but most were heavy glass bottles that I assumed weren’t being accepted, so after trying one, which was indeed not accepted, I ignored them. But there were some plastic bottles as well, and the guy who was throwing all of those discarded recyclables into a container went to empty the container by the time I finished putting in my recyclables, so I had a look and quickly grabbed a few of those plastic bottles that were only slightly crushed, all of them being accepted right away, so I got a second voucher. And then I spotted another one which had been left right in front of the machine, straightening it a little before putting that in as well and getting a third voucher.
After washing my hands, I entered the store at 8:05 PM, the only thing that I could still take from the bakery area at that point being one of those better cheap buns, at half price. But then I saw entire crates of spoiling mushrooms with a great discount, so I took four boxes, plus a pack of bio (organic) Gala apples that also had a nice discount, though they were imported and put in a bag, so I couldn’t really see how spoiled they were. And I also noticed a box of expiring germinated wheat that also had a great discount, so I grabbed that as well, and the bananas were discounted by 90% from the price that had a regular discount those days, so I rushed to pick what seemed less spoiled than the rest before moving on to take more roes and yogurt. But I wanted more cat litter as well, before the discount expired, yet I checked the non-refrigerated expiring products first and that was a great thing, because I saw some torn bags there that were discounted by 40% from that discounted price and placed in plastic bags, so they won’t spill even more. And while I’m used to such products being discounted by less than the missing quantity, those looked like they weren’t missing much, so I grabbed two and rushed to weigh them before closing time, finding that they were indeed only missing a few hundred grams. So I kept them, just reaching the self-checkouts when the closing announcement came, deciding to leave one of the yogurts there, and using all of the vouchers received for the recyclables as well as that 10 RON one. And then I just managed to take everything to that table meant for arranging the purchases and did just that, getting the cat litter in the large backpack and the rest into bags, the guard telling me to hurry up just before I was done and then saying that I had to use the elevator to leave, which I did, finally walking away just after 8:45 PM.
On the way back, I grabbed three cartons and checked two Mega Image locations, in each of them putting my things into two cabinets that I didn’t lock and getting two breads for dad, using a glove. But in the first one the cashier, who was very young and quite obviously new, said that they weren’t discounted at that hour when I asked, even if the sign clearly states that their regular bread is discounted by 70% after 8 PM. I pointed that out, but she insisted that there are no automatic discounts and if there’s no discount label on the bag, it won’t be discounted, asking whether I still wanted them in that case. So I said no, not bothering to ask her to try and see what happens if she’d just enter them and just going to the other location, where there was no problem with the discount, and I actually mentioned the issue to the cashier from there and she was surprised, saying that the discount is automatic and I should have checked on the receipt to confirm, I guess assuming that the cashier had entered them but told me the total according to the full price, not that I had simply asked first.
I was back around 9:45 PM, with over 28.5 kg. And I actually rushed up the stairs, since I was listening to a match on the radio and there had just been a goal, so I wanted to catch the replay, but dad had left his key in the door, took his time to come and unlock while I knocked, and then had forgotten about the mach, even if I had told him about it several times, so by the time he changed the channel the replays were over. But I could catch one later, and the match went to penalties, so I had time to put the purchases in their place, unfortunately finding that the apples were quite spoiled, also cleaned the litter box again, ate a banana, and at half time of extra time I dropped another small bag of trash down the chute.
After the match, at 11:20 PM, I went out again, taking the paper and cardboard to a recycling bin as well and then having a quick look in the nearby Mega Image, being back for good a few minutes before 11:30 PM. And then I washed what was in the kitchen, remembered with a start that I hadn’t written a second post for the week and threw something there just before midnight, ate a part of a cake brought by dad, rearranged some of the munchies from my room, and did the day’s squats. It was just about 1:20 AM when I went to the bathroom, washing the mat from there to some extent, after seeing that dad seemed to have played at rinsing it, just getting it wet without really removing any dirt, and then washing myself. I was done at 2:10 AM, but then I spent some time on the computer, getting back to the kitchen when it was past 2:30 AM, wolfing down a large bag of corn puffs, eventually mixing some pâté with some butter which had expired a very long time ago, and eating dinner between 5 AM and 5:30 AM. I got in bed at 6:55 AM.

Well, Liza woke me by going to the litter box after dad got up, and while I was so exhausted that I probably got right back to sleep after the first time, she then went again, probably moments later, and I got annoyed when I got woken up again, so I checked the time, seeing 9:20 AM, changed, went to clean the litter box, and then I also made sure that she ate what dad had given her when he was once again about to take the food away because she hadn’t wolfed it down immediately. And after dad left I got on the computer for a little while… And some scraping started upstairs, which also made Liza agitated, so she kept meowing and jumping on things. But I meant to read anyway, so I changed back into my pajamas and got in bed, but just to read, continuing even after the noise stopped and only getting back under the blanket at 11:40 AM, after peeing one more time, just in case… And minutes later there was noise from above again. It wasn’t bad, but Liza also got agitated again and it kept me awake for a while longer and woke me a few times after I did manage to fall asleep, though at least I always got right back to sleep on those occasions, which was also the case the one time when I went to pee again. But after waking up again several minutes before 5 PM, when it was quiet, and peeing once more, just in case, I couldn’t get back to sleep despite still being exhausted, so I eventually cut my losses and got up a couple of minutes before 6 PM, after a total of only some six hours of sleep, split in many parts.

That was much better than the following morning, when I got woken up at 9:35 AM, when the delivery guy came to bring dad the replacement drilling machine and take the one that broke under warranty. And since I was considering going out during the day and dad said that he was only leaving around 3:30 PM, I decided to stay up and leave earlier, to be able to use his metro card and go to Obor. And seeing as noise started from above after 10 AM, including occasional drilling, I wouldn’t have been able to get more sleep anyway. So, after doing the day’s squats, I left at 11:50 AM, with one recyclable with the deposit symbol.
I put that recyclable in Carrefour’s machine when I got there… Only to find one more which had been left there and which wasn’t accepted, though I knew that it would be elsewhere, and I couldn’t get myself to ask for the deposit from the information desk, so I ended up putting it in a cabinet. But then I found the cat food I was looking for, which was two for the price of one until that day. Admittedly, I found three bags of one kind and nine pieces of the other, but after digging through boxes I found a box of another type of the first kind that might work for mother’s cats, and there were some more of another type of the other kind, so I added one bag of one and three pieces of the other, deciding to scan each kind as the same type at the self-checkout, just to be sure, even though the discount would have probably applied even for different types. And then I grabbed some expiring products that were at half price, plus one deeply discounted product that wasn’t even expiring soon, though it was imported, which was why I didn’t take both that were there, though I should have. Either way, I also added some yogurts that were also two for the price of one, some almonds that had a regular discount, and a chocolate, seeing that it had a regular discount that was slightly higher than the 25% general discount listed for that brand, and which was supposed to not apply to products that were already discounted. However, at the self-checkout, after getting a separate receipt for some of the cat food, to have two to enter in a contest, and using the voucher received for that recyclable at that point, when I scanned everything else I found that the 25% discount did apply to the already discounted price of that chocolate as well! The only issue was that the regular bar code of one expiring product accidentally scanned as well, so I needed to call over an employee to remove it.
After retrieving that recyclable and taking my time to arrange everything, I decided that I really wanted to make use of the fact that I was finally there early enough to get some doughnuts from a place from there that closes early, so I didn’t check Kaufland as well, going straight there and getting three, which were placed into two bags, though I said that they should have fit into a single one, but I wasn’t charged for those bags, even though the sign listed charges for bags. And then I got some apples from the farmers’ market as well, the prices having increased even for the spoiling ones, so those weren’t worth it anymore, but I managed to pick a kilogram of pretty good ones out of some small ones that were only slightly more expensive than the clearly spoiling ones. On the other hand, on the way to Carrefour I had spotted some surprisingly cheap lemons, considering the insane prices that they ended up having lately, in that area where you can usually find unusually low prices for such products, yet when I got back there I couldn’t see any anymore, so I just took the metro back, grabbed a few more recyclables and a carton, and put the recyclables in the machine from the nearby Mega Image, leaving the bags next to the door, entering with the backpack to have a quick look inside and cash in the voucher, and then retrieving the bags.
I got back just after 3:05 PM, so after cleaning the litter box, putting the purchases in their place, eating a banana, putting jam on one of those doughnuts and eating it as well, noticing that it was indeed better than those that dad has been getting lately, pretty much wasting some time on the toilet, and taking a shower, I could have a pretty normal evening, even if dad brought mother. The problem was that I didn’t take another nap when I really couldn’t afford to keep increasing my sleep debt.

Speaking of that, it wasn’t even 8:10 AM when I got up, after being woken up by noise made by my parents. And then I stayed up until they left, at one point also changing and cleaning the litter box, and only changing back and getting back in bed at 10:05 AM. And it took me a little while to get to sleep, but it was 1:47 PM when I woke up again, and I meant to get up at 2 PM, so while I didn’t set an alarm, it worked out all right and I could take it a little easy, getting out of bed right at 2 PM. And then I had an early lunch, did the day’s squats, and left at 4:20 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, which I put in the machine from the Mega Image that’s close to the metro station… And before cashing in the voucher, I noticed something coming down in front of my eyes and realized that it was a spider which had tied the end of a strand of web to my cap and was spinning it down! So I got it off and squashed it before cashing in the voucher… And then dad’s metro card wouldn’t be read, and there was no cashier there at the time, the guard saying that they were at the toilet, but since my repeated attempts had attracted his attention and I showed him the expiration date, he forced a gate open and let me in.
Since I noticed that there was less to walk that way, plus that I no longer had to get through that spot where I keep getting confused, I switched at Basarab, got off at 1 Mai, and walked in at 5:35 PM. But on the way I had picked up a few recyclables, a label that also had the symbol, and a carton, so I went down the stairs to put those in a cabinet and wash my hands before actually entering the Bookfest area and grabbing a plan, to make sure that I won’t miss anything as I looked around. Or at least nothing except a few of the biggest publishers, since I never care for those. And this time around there was no more need to keep searching for everything in the alphabetical list, since who occupied each area was also printed on the plan, even if in a tiny font, so I could focus better and the fact that I had once again forgotten to take a pen wasn’t an issue. But I did just go there to look, not meaning to buy anything… The frustrating thing being that the book which I had just recently purchased from Carrefour was just over 10% cheaper there, and it’s not like I’m even going to start it too soon. That hadn’t seemed possible at the time, since on the publisher’s site it was discounted by 50% and yet still marginally more expensive that it had been at Carrefour when all books were discounted by 40%, but at Bookfest the 50% discount still applied but the listed full price was lower than on the site! Either way, I didn’t dare to grab anything to munch on from the places that offered something either, and after deciding against wasting some more time by going back to the one place that I had started to check more properly but then walked away from, I returned the plan to one of the information desks, retrieved what I had in the cabinet, and walked out at 7:45 PM.
I did walk to Aviatorilor on the way back, going around the park instead of through it… And I’d have probably needed more bags for recyclables if I would have gone through it, since when I reached the entrance I saw a large group of runners, and I picked up quite a bunch of recyclables, most of them just from that area, and that was without actually getting among them. I also found a plastic bottle without the symbol that was of the right size for the label grabbed earlier, but then I found another label that had the symbol, the issue being that it was for a 330 ml plastic bottle, which is an odd size. Yet I had seen a 300 ml one that didn’t have the symbol a little earlier, so I went back to take that one and place that label on it.
The metro card was initially not read at Aviatorilor either, but it worked when I tried another machine. And then I got off at Obor… Only for the machines from Carrefour to not work, one of them displaying an error and the other stating that there was no container when I tried either cans or plastic bottles. So I grabbed another recyclable which had been left there and, after washing my hands, put all of them in a cabinet. And then I saw that two bags of those imported bio (organic) dark chocolate candies that were very deeply discounted despite not expiring until November were left. Admittedly, they weren’t those figurines that only contained dark chocolate but the “eggs” with hazelnut paste filling, but I took them anyway. And out of what had the 50% evening discount in the bakery area I took two small flatbreads and a baguette partially made with whole wheat, which I don’t recall having seen before, the few remaining better breads not being discounted even if I kept going back there to check. Either way, I grabbed two of their small bio (organic) yogurts as well, those having a regular discount… And unfortunately reached the self-checkouts when those that also accept cash were already closed, so I had to use a regular one, though at least there were no issues.
After retrieving the recyclables, I rushed to Kaufland as well, putting them in the machine, that one that was of the right size for the label which I had placed on it being accepted, but the other one being refused, so I was left with it. On the other hand, I found three more recyclables which had been left there for some reason, the only issue being that one of them had a sticker over the bar code, so I peeled it off and put all three of them in, getting a second voucher before putting my things in a cabinet, using the room for disabled people to wash my hands properly, and entering the store a few minutes before 10 PM. The bakery area was basically cleared of anything that had an evening discount, but I managed to spot two buns that were listed as being deeply discounted and took them. Then I added a few discounted pieces of processed meat products, for my parents, and the radishes had a great evening discount and several crates were left, so I took a lot, plus a bundle of lovage that also had a great evening discount and two bags of oranges, those having a pretty good evening discount as well. However, at the self-checkout those buns showed up at the full price, even if they were definitely what had been written on that label that listed that great evening discount, and I just left them there, not caring to ask what was going on. And since I had started leaving things, I left the lovage as well, along with one of the bundles of radishes, which seemed worse than the others when I took them out of the bag at that point. And then I used both of the vouchers received for the recyclables. But I didn’t dare to try to ask for one more of those 10 RON ones because I hadn’t found green onions, especially since the closing announcement had been made while I was still at the self-checkout, considering what had happened that one time, albeit at another location.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet, it was close to 10:40 PM when I walked out, and on the way back to the metro station I grabbed a few more recyclables and made a detour to that Mega Image that’s still open at that hour, putting the recyclables and the purchases from Kaufland into two cabinets that I didn’t lock, entering with the purchases from Carrefour, but then just retrieving my things and walking back out. And the metro card worked on the first try. And on the way back I grabbed plenty more recyclables, plus a few cartons, and quickly checked the nearby Mega Image, seeing that they were cleaning the refrigerators, looking for a spot to leave the bags, and then just retrieving them and walking back out.
I was back at 11:35 PM. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop what I had gathered down the chute, grabbing another recyclable from the garbage room, ate an orange, put jam on one of those doughnuts bought the previous day and ate that as well, washed what was in the kitchen, put the purchases in their place, and finally went to the bathroom a few minutes before 2:30 AM, wasting some time that I didn’t have on the toilet and then washing. I was done at 3:20 AM, and then I also dealt with that baguette and ate dinner between 5:10 AM and 5:45 AM. I got in bed at 7 AM.

I was woken up after dad got up, but I think that I initially got right back to sleep, even if only for the briefest moment, before waking up again, a few minutes before 10 AM, checking something on the computer, and then going to pee, changing, and cleaning the litter box. After changing back, I got back in bed at 10:30 AM and slept until a little after 3 PM, when I got woken up by some noise, probably from upstairs. But it only lasted a few minutes, so after peeing again I got back to sleep, waking up once more just after 5 PM. Since at that point I decided to pee once more and try to catch another nap, it was past 6:05 PM when I actually got up for good, but I didn’t get any more sleep during that time.