On the morning of November 3, I went to bed at 5:25 AM and woke up scratching my balls around 7:15 AM. At least I managed to calm down the dermatitis by splashing some water in that area when I went to pee, and then I could get back to sleep… But not for long, because the drilling soon started. At first I managed to catch a couple more naps, but they were very brief, because I was awake for quite some time at 9:02 AM, when I got up for a while, since my parents were getting ready to leave, my mother having also been here, and dad said that the noise had started at exactly 8 AM. But just when they left there seemed to be a pause, so I got back in bed and, while the drilling quickly returned, it then got more distant and eventually pretty much stopped, the louder noises coming from hammering and then from scraping, which was more manageable, and I eventually managed to catch another nap or two. But those were also brief, and then the drilling got worse again, so around 10:50 AM it was clear that I had to get back up, though it was 11:05 AM when I actually did, moving the alarm from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM, making the tea, eating the apple, and getting back in bed at 11:55 AM. And after a little while there was a break, even if some fainter noises continued, so it took me some time but I eventually slept a little more. Probably still in the form of brief naps, but if so then I got back to sleep shortly after waking up, and I wasn’t awake for long when I checked, saw 1:48 PM, and turned off the alarm and got up, the drilling having returned again, even if it was more distant. And then I had the rest of the usual stuff, including the nicer biscuits, with added honey, unfortunately only read a newspaper on the toilet, and left at 4:05 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 19-20°C, dropping to 16-17°C when I finished.
The time was 48:52.17, with sector times of 4:21.45, 5:13.44, 5:55.03, 4:24 (4:23.97), 5:10 (5:09.66), 6:01.18, 4:31 (4:30.91), 5:19.09, 6:00 (5:59.54) and 1:58 (1:57.90), making for lap times of 15:29.92, 15:35 (15:34.81) and 15:50 (15:49.54)… Or at least I’m sure enough that I sorted out the initial error that slipped into the lap two sector times to leave out any question marks, but I will mention that during the run I had calculated ten seconds more for sector one of lap two, which makes me somewhat uncertain that I correctly remember the actual time at the end of that sector. But I’m quite certain that I correctly remember the next one, and definitely the one at the end of the lap, and I don’t see how either of that lap’s other sectors could have been ten seconds faster while there was a reason why that first one could have been, so I’ll just assume that I miscalculated that one.
Either way, I was obviously hoping to get back under 48 minutes, but the first sector wasn’t exactly promising and the second made it clear that even staying under 49 minutes wasn’t certain. At least the third sector wasn’t bad, but just barely squeezing under 15:30 on the first lap meant that I couldn’t get much slower and still stay under 49 minutes. And, while I initially thought that I did get noticeably slower on sector one of lap two, I guess that I didn’t, and the lap as a whole didn’t just make it almost certain that I will stay under 49 minutes, but even made me very briefly wonder whether I could squeeze under 48:30. But that seemed pretty much impossible, and sector two of lap three made me once again start to worry even about staying under 49 minutes, things getting even worse when I lost quite a lot while trying to get a good look at the time over the course of the following sector, so I really gave everything on the rest of that sector, hoping to recover that time and just managing to do so, the only remaining target at the end of the lap being to be less slow than the previous week, which seemed just about certain, so I once again took it pretty easy on the final sector… Too easy, in fact, that time being surprisingly poor, but at least it was enough… Enough for a pretty bad time overall, but it was all I could manage that day.
The thing is that I probably wouldn’t have even managed that without another runner, since I started hearing someone behind me at some point during sector two of lap one and it soon became clear that he was content to stay there, but it still made me push harder all the way to the end of sector one of lap two, though by the end of that sector’s long straight I no longer heard him, and when I turned to look before the end of the sector he wasn’t there anymore. So this is also why I said that I had a reason to be faster on sector one of lap two but not on the following sectors, or at least not on the second, since at some point on the third I’m pretty sure that the same guy overtook me, and at that point he was clearly faster, but I tried to at least keep him in sight for a while, only for him to stop on the long straight of sector one of lap three, so he might have done the same the previous lap, possibly turning back and crossing the bridge before continuing.
On the other hand, I had to weave and go the long way around quite a number of times because of other people, though the only issue that was notable in itself was when I had to slow and wait for an opening in a roadblock, at some point on lap three. Probably on sector two, but I’m not really certain. But, of course, the big loss of time was caused by trying to get a good look at the stopwatch, since it was getting dark and my eyes wouldn’t focus, so on sector two of lap three I stopped for a couple of seconds while on the following sector I stopped no less than three times, losing well over ten seconds, and probably at least 15, since the first time I made the mistake of pressing the light button, which under fading light conditions makes the digits almost invisible, and I couldn’t quite get a good enough look the second time either. But at least the only specific physical issue was the slight pressing need that appeared even before the end of the first lap, remaining at that level all the way to the end.
After picking up another recyclable on the way back, I grabbed “mine” and those brought by mother, picked up one more after walking back out, and took them to the nearby Mega Image, waiting for an old man to slowly put in quite a number, the woman who was with him just handing them to him. The machine reported that the bag was full before he was done and the employee just shook it a little, but I could put in all but three, splitting “mine” from mother’s, before it once again said that it was full, though I was actually left with four, since one of mother’s had a damaged bar code and wasn’t accepted. And a long line had formed and the employees were checking people out, so I left the vouchers for another time and walked back.
After eating what little might have still been edible out of two rotting bananas, cleaning the litter box and going to drop a bag of trash down the chute, going to the toilet, eating lunch, doing the day’s squats, and changing, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, I left again at 9 PM, with the paper, which I dropped off in a recycling bin, and the rest of the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up a few more on the way and putting them in the machine from Kaufland, splitting dad’s from “mine” and ending up with three vouchers, because I took too long to check something after the first one of “mine” and the machine timed out. And I was left with that one that wasn’t accepted at Mega Image, which wasn’t accepted there either, and one that I picked up from there and was sure that the machine would eventually accept but didn’t.
Either way, the late hour meant that I had to go to Carrefour first, so I did that, picking up one more recyclable before reaching that mall and putting it in the machine, which didn’t accept those two either, before rushing in at 9:50 PM and seeing some discounted beer, so I bought some for dad, meaning that an employee had to come over and authorize the sale. And, after also using the voucher received for that recyclable, I asked at the information desk whether I could get the deposit for those two remaining ones, though I only received it for the one which had been discarded next to Kaufland’s machine, the employee saying that the other one won’t work anymore, though I still kept it.
Since the closing announcement came before I walked out of that mall, I then rushed to Kaufland, putting my things in a cabinet and entering at 10:05 PM, the evening discounts being rather few and low, so I just took some more of those really cheap roes, a chocolate, and something for dad, checking at the self-checkout that the discounts applied properly and using all of the vouchers received for the recyclables. The closing announcement came just after I had retrieved what I had in the cabinet, but I had to pee, so I went to do that, walking out just before 10:35 PM.
I then continued to that Mega Image, putting my things in a cabinet, using the chip with the Kaufland logo that was left in it instead of a coin, and getting some products that had the 90% discount, the cashier rounding down the total a little, to not ask for coins as well. Then, after retrieving what I had in the cabinet, leaving that chip there, I went to a bench and arranged everything properly. And on the way back I picked up more recyclables… But when I wanted to go back to the nearby Mega Image and at least cash in those vouchers, I saw that the schedule had changed and it had closed at 11 PM. And then, after picking up a few more recyclables left on and around those benches, I used what I hope was water from one to wash my hands a little again, though I’m not sure why I did that when I was almost back…
Either way, I got back a little before 11:40 PM, and then I spread out the purchases, to show dad what I had found and decide what to do with some of the expiring products, putting them in their place after cleaning the litter box and going to drop a bag of trash down the chute. And after dad went to bed I put jam on a large doughnut and ate it while watching the news, after washing what was in the kitchen. It was 1:40 AM when I went to wash and almost 2:20 AM when I was done, and I ate dinner between 4:15 AM and 5 AM. I went to bed at 6:30 AM.
At least I really slept. There was some noise, but I was only aware of it as if in my dreams, without actually waking up even when dad left and not even having to pee, so I only actually woke up after the workers’ break, when it sounded like one was shoveling what had fallen outside my window. Admittedly, that was pretty much it, since even if I got back in bed after going to pee at that point and it was basically quiet until a couple of minutes after 3 PM, when the terrible drilling began again, I couldn’t get back to sleep, at most dozing off lightly for a little while, though I’m not even sure of that. But at least that meant that I wasn’t startled awake by that drilling, and after 20 minutes there was a longer break, so I waited it out instead of trying to push through the paralyzing effect and got up once it was quiet again.
On November 5, I left at 2 PM, without taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol but still picking up the one I spotted just after walking out of the building before rushing to the Sector 3 Treasury, since I wanted to buy some more state bonds before the interest rate dropped. And I was there just after 2:20 PM, but when I wanted to deposit the money and handed over my expired ID card, with a corner cut off, explaining that I had requested a new one and it wasn’t ready yet, but that old one had been handed back to me so I assumed that I could still use it, I was told that I couldn’t, being asked whether I had received some paper that would act as a replacement until I had a new card, and when I said that I didn’t I was told that even if they’d accept the deposit, I probably won’t be able to get the state bonds. Still, that person asked someone else as well, and then they both left to actually check, yet when they returned they told me that I wouldn’t have been able to buy state bonds even if I would have had such a document, needing an actual valid ID card for that, just apologizing when I said that I had assumed that one was required in order to withdraw money, but thought that there’d be a way to give them money even in that situation.
So I had to just walk away, continuing to that Kaufland and putting that recyclable in the machine. I had also taken dad’s drilling machine with me, since it had stopped working under warranty and he wasn’t taking it to be serviced, but I had bought it for him from Kaufland Pantelimon and meant to take it to the same location, so at that point I just put it in a cabinet and got a small piece of some processed meat product that was among the expiring ones, for dad, and some kashkaval for mother… And as I was looking around the store after that, I felt something on my arm and that spot started itching and swelling, so it’s quite clear that something had bitten me. So, after needing to call over an employee when the self-checkout machine didn’t accept that little piece as the correct product and then also using the voucher received for that recyclable, I went to wash that spot, needing to use the room for disabled people, since the men’s was closed for cleaning and the baby changing room had an “out of order” sign on the sink. Then I retrieved the drilling machine and continued to that recycling center which I had just jogged past the previous week, to have a look at the closing time and what they offered for paper… By which point that bite was looking really angry…
At least it started getting better as I made my way to the other Kaufland, picking up a few more recyclables, including another one of those small oddly-shaped bottles. And I did actually have the camera with me again, so I checked Carrefour first but put the bags in a cabinet, though I’m actually writing the part about this day now and don’t quite remember whether the purchases were in my backpack or not, since I must have entered with them if they were. Either way, I then got more of that deeply discounted beer for dad… And at the self-checkout, before needing an employee to authorize the sale, I was surprised to see an additional 40% discount being applied, so they must have really wanted to get rid of it.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet, I continued to Kaufland, putting the recyclables in the machine and meaning to film it “eating” that one… Only to forget that you need to actually press the “record” button to record video and just switching it to video mode and clicking the photo button, not realizing that it wasn’t recording and therefore not getting any evidence that day either. And I couldn’t get myself to just tell the information desk employee about it either, nor ask whether I could receive the deposit for the bottle which hadn’t been accepted, despite talking to her about the drilling machine… Which proved to be another complete waste of time, since she called someone to ask what to do, then had me wait while she dealt with someone else, which took a while, and eventually told me that the procedure for servicing products under warranty was different, even for their store brands, such as that one, so I had to call a number and get told what to do next, and I obviously couldn’t do that from there, and in fact it still hasn’t been done, since I later told dad to do it and he still hasn’t. And then I wasted some more time by putting my things in a cabinet, though I’m once again uncertain what I did with the purchases from the other Kaufland, checking the store without finding anything to get, forgetting to even cash in the voucher received for the recyclables, and then walking out through the entrance gate, the information desk employee not being there to open the other one. And after retrieving what I had in the cabinet I took quite some time to arrange everything properly, and I think that I went to pee after that, unless I did it before walking in. Either way, on the way back I picked up a couple more recyclables, put them in the machine from the nearby Mega Image, and cashed in all the vouchers, so including those I had been left with from two days earlier.
I got back for the first time a little after 6:20 PM. Then I put the purchases in their place, and after dad got back I asked whether he could go the following day, to use the money that I had set aside to get state bonds in his name, so the moment won’t be lost. And then I ate lunch and left again at 9:40 PM, with the plastic and metal, which I dropped off in a recycling bin, and the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up one more on the way and putting them in the machine from the Mega Image from Mihai Bravu before getting a few bakery products that had the 90% discount, cashing in the voucher received for the recyclables after paying for them. And then I went to the non-stop one that’s close to the metro station, putting my things on the cabinets, since all seemed to be in use, but finding the bakery area cleared and just a couple of uninteresting products discounted by 50% in the other spot. But at least they had the catalog for the next period, so I took one and glanced through it before retrieving my things.
Since I had dad’s metro card, I then took the metro to Dristor, checking the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM, putting my things in a cabinet that I didn’t lock and then just retrieving them after not seeing anything interesting. And then I just had a look from the door in the non-stop one, walking away when I saw no bakery discounts. But I thought that I might just be able to reach that non-stop one from Basarabia in time for the 90% discounts from there, so I then got back on the metro, but I was uncertain whether I’ll make it and didn’t want to have to walk back from there after finding that everything had already been taken, so I decided to get off at Titan instead, ending up using the wrong exit and wondering what was going to be filmed there, since a film crew was setting things up. Either way, using the wrong exit meant that I reached the Mega Image from there a little later, and when I did so I saw that they had also changed the schedule and were closing at 11 PM! So I dashed in, an employee telling me that they were closing in one minute, but that was another waste of time, since I didn’t see any interesting discounted products. At least I picked up some more recyclables while wandering around, plus one without a label that fit one that I had.
After all of that wasted time, I was finally back for good at 11:25 PM. Then I put the few purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, ate a sweet pastry and some grapes, did the day’s squats, and went to wash at 1:15 AM, being done at 1:55 AM. And I ate dinner between 3:40 AM and 4:25 AM. And before going to bed I noticed that my left leg felt oddly weak, and while it got better by the time I got up, my muscles felt rather weak in general the following day, even though it was pretty quiet and I could sleep until after the workers’ break.
On November 7, I was woken up by the noise some time after 11 AM, though I stayed in bed until dad went out for a little while, since I knew that he was supposed to leave after 2 PM and wondered whether it was that late already. But he was just getting the newspapers, and since the upstairs neighbor has that store, he also learned that the loud noise was once again coming from her apartment, and while I hoped that the break will still be at noon and got back in bed after a while, it came quite some time later, but I just stayed there until I could get back to sleep… Not for long, however, since at 1:55 PM I woke up and really needed to pee, so I eventually got up for a while again, getting back in bed just before 2:20 PM… Only for the drilling to restart soon after that, and while at first there were some breaks and I might have just fallen asleep once or twice, that couldn’t have been for more than mere moments, and some time after 3 PM the drilling became relentless and increasingly loud and I eventually got back up. And later, after timing the day’s squats, doing them in exactly two minutes, and eating lunch, I rushed out after the sprint qualifying.
I didn’t take the recyclables with the deposit symbol, but when I saw one just as I stepped out of the building, on the stairs, I picked it up, then jogged to Carrefour, picking up three more just before entering that mall and putting all four in the machine. I think it was close to 9:40 PM when I entered the store, but I found what I was looking for and also noticed a discount on something else that I was surprised to see had acceptable ingredients, so I took one of those products as well, though I should have probably taken more… And I really should have asked dad whether he wanted any, since he called just after I had picked it up. But I didn’t, just rushing to the self-checkout and also using the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid, the closing announcement coming as I was using the machine.
After arranging the purchases a little, I rushed to Kaufland, washing my hands, putting those purchases in a cabinet, entering the store close to 10:10 PM, and seeing a great evening discount for those Moldovan plums, so I got some. And then I saw other evening discounts that, while lower, were good enough at that moment, so I took some other things as well, making my way to the self-checkout after the closing announcement, also using the voucher I had forgotten to cash in two days earlier when I paid, and then retrieving what I had in the cabinet and quickly arranging everything into a single bag, since even so it was past 10:35 PM when I walked out and I wanted to go to that Mega Image as well.
After stuffing the bag in a cabinet when I got there, I was somewhat surprised to still see quite a number of remaining bakery products that had the 90% discount. There were no pastries, but I grabbed two buns and three things that I could use instead of bread, and then I took a pumpkin as well, using the scales from that store to check its weight before going to the checkout. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and went to a bench and took my time to arrange everything properly. And on the way back I picked up some more recyclables.
I got back a little before 11:50 PM, with 15.5 kg. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, moved something into a jar, washed what was in the kitchen, put the purchases in their place, ate a piece of baked pumpkin and put together something sweet and ate that as well, and went to wash at 2:05 AM, feeling a smell of shit while I was in the bathtub and worrying that it was actually coming from the water. Either way, I was done at 2:45 AM and ate dinner between 4:40 AM and 5:10 AM. And, since things had once again looked nasty when I had pulled back my foreskin while washing, I used some cream in that entire area before going to bed, at 6:45 AM. But it was quiet that day and I could really sleep. And then I read Promises Made By Moonlight… And just after posting the quick review, the monitor went black, though it recovered after a couple of seconds and nothing seemed wrong, so I wonder if the cable had moved a little or it’s a sign of something worse. Either way, there were no visits recorded that day.
Since I decided to do the next run early, on November 9, even if it was Sunday, the forecast for the following week getting worse, and I just had two carrots and one small beet, I boiled the beet along with the carrots instead of baking it and added plenty of green onions in order to make the salad. And before getting in bed I started reading The Song Thief, actually going through most of it before I had to stop. Then I was woken up at 9:20 AM by Liza going to the litter box and really needed to pee, but she was there because dad had just gotten up and he was on the toilet, and I didn’t want to use the other bathroom, ending up waiting for a good 15 minutes for him to be done, and then I had a hard time getting back to sleep. I might have briefly dozed off once or twice before he left, which he said should have been around 10:30 AM, though I didn’t actually check, but I only actually fell asleep again after that. And the alarm was set to ring at 1 PM, so I got up after it did, then had the usual stuff, including the usual sweet thing, just the apple being quite large, and went out the door at 3:45 PM, wearing the full running gear… But realizing just after I locked the door that I had nothing on my head, so I dashed back in to get the cap. Either way, the reported temperature was 14°C, holding steady or maybe dropping just marginally by the time I finished.
The time was 48:39.88, with sector times of 4:28.13, 5:14.75, 6:03 (6:02.53), 4:38 (4:37.97), 5:00.44, 5:57 (maybe 5:56.81), maybe 4:29.06, 5:05 (5:04.79), 5:54 (5:53.78) and 1:51.62, making for lap times of 15:45.41, maybe 15:35.22 and 15:28 (maybe 15:27.63). Between being surprised that, after two laps, I had a chance to stay under 49 minutes, and focusing on remembering the actual time after sector one of lap three, so I won’t need to stop again to have another look at it, I guess that I didn’t really calculate that sector’s time right away and then forgot the actual exact time at the end of lap two as well, so I have an idea about what it might have been, but I don’t really know. The seconds are definitely correct, so there’s no reason for question marks, and in case the exact times are wrong then the error may be of less than a tenth of a second, but since I don’t actually remember, I’m mentioning it.
Either way, this time I didn’t even dare to hope to get back under 48 minutes, after two sectors it seemed like I was looking at just staying under 50 minutes, and after sector one of lap two even that seemed less than certain. But being able to push on sector two of lap two resulted in a surprisingly good time, and then, as I already mentioned, after the end of the lap I was surprised to see that I might just have a chance to stay under 49 minutes after all. So I went for it, wanting to make sure that I at least gave my best, and after two sectors of lap three I felt almost safe, assuming that there won’t be notable problems before the end. But that was definitely not a given, so I kept pushing, and at the end of the lap I saw that I should also get under 48:45, and in the end the time was even just under 48:40. That’s still a pretty bad time on its own, but it likely means that I’d have managed to squeeze under 48 minutes if I wouldn’t have lost the time that I did lose that day.
Some of that was because it was wet and there were fallen leaves, so I was worried about slipping. But the worse issue was how crowded it was, so I kept having to pick my way through and there were no less than three brief stops on the first sector, two of them on the long straight, the second being when a man moved the little tricycle that was in front of him towards me just as I was getting around him on the grass. I couldn’t see whether a kid was on that tricycle at the time, but the next issue was caused by a woman lunging after the kid who wanted to run off in one direction and, likely unintentionally but just as annoyingly, pushing the stroller in the other and right in front of me as I was trying to run past. Then there was one more brief stop and a moment when I slowed a lot on sector three of lap one. I’m pretty sure that there was another brief stop on sector one of lap two, and possibly a second notable issue as well, though I might have just slowed a lot that second time. But the next two sectors were quite clear, and on the long straight of sector two of lap two I really sprinted, which sure showed. However, on sector one of lap three I caught up to a large group. Fortunately, that was just as I came out from under the bridge, but I had to take to the grass and pretty much walked as I did so. And there was at least one more issue on that sector, but I can’t remember whether it was on the long straight or not or whether it meant briefly stopping or just slowing and breaking my attempted sprint. And on sector three of lap three there was a moment when I hesitated. On the other hand, there were three moments when I stopped for a few seconds in order to get a better look at the time, one on sector two of lap three and two on the next sector.
I jogged most of the way back, but still picked up a few recyclables. Then I ate a few plums, did the day’s squats and munched on some pumpkin seeds while watching handball, and ate lunch while watching the race… And the middle button of my mouse was really double clicking again… Either way, right after the race, at 8:45 PM, I rushed out, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I had considered going to Penny, but it was too late for that, so I went in the other direction, to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM, and on the way I spotted a Pepsi bottle that I assumed had the deposit symbol only to see after I picked it up that it didn’t… And that it had a label saying “cockroach poison” placed on it! So I tossed it away and tried to wipe my hands on some leaves, but it was obviously concerning. Either way, I reached that store just after 9 PM, but all of the remaining bakery products were quite neatly arranged on the lower shelves, so someone glancing from the entrance would only see the empty ones, and none were even bagged. So I put the recyclables in the machine, splitting dad’s from mine, and then saw that the cart with the other products with the 90% discount had been brought, but only two yogurts were still in it, so I have no idea whether there had been more and I completely missed the moment or that was it, but I grabbed those yogurts, and then I decided to also take a bio (organic) product that was discounted by 50%, so it was rather expensive even so, and a peanut butter, just making use of the regular 15% discount that it had those days, even if I don’t mean to use it before spring and a better discount may appear by then. But that allowed me to use both of the vouchers when, after wasting some more time, I decided to just buy those products, and after fussing for as long as I reasonably could while arranging them in the backpack and still not seeing anyone even starting to bag the bakery products, I walked away. But I did mean to return and look again, so after wandering around a little and picking up another recyclable, I went back and put it in the machine, yet when nothing had changed in the bakery area and it was past 9:35 PM, I didn’t bother to cash in that voucher.
Then I decided to go to the non-stop Mega Image that’s close to the metro station, picking up two more recyclables on the way, getting there a little before 10 PM… And seeing that the machine wasn’t working, a note stating that the recyclables hadn’t been picked up, and the bakery area was already cleared even then! So I just entered, with everything, and then walked back out and jogged to the other location from Mihai Bravu, once again entering with everything but probably arriving just a little too late, since two guys were taking discounted bakery products and just one that I could have any interest in was left when I actually got there. So I took that one, looked around a little more… And noticed what seemed to be a regular discount for garlic, though I hadn’t seen it on the site. And we were really out of garlic, so I started picking, most of it being rather bad, and eventually a guard approached and stood there, so I quickly grabbed two more heads and then moved aside to have a better look at them, but she came after me and asked what was I doing, because she had seen me peeling the garlic, and when I said that I was checking whether it was good she said that it won’t be if I’ll keep sticking my fingers in it, but otherwise it was, even if most clearly wasn’t. But I had as much as I wanted to take, so I also mentioned that I was listening to the end of a match on the radio and then stood there and did just that before going to the checkout and also using that voucher which I had been left with. The cashier rounded down the change, not giving me the 0.15 RON in coins, but since others had rounded down totals before, I left it at that and walked out, stopping at a bench to add those purchases in the backpack. And, after picking up a rather crushed recyclable on the way back, I also entered the nearby Mega Image with everything and then just walked back out.
It was close to 10:50 PM when I got back. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, tried to straighten that recyclable but couldn’t do much about it, put all of the purchases with the exception of that bakery product in their place, talked to dad a little, and then finished the book and even managed to write the quick review before midnight, which I didn’t expect. And then I talked to dad some more and arranged what he was going to take to mother, also put that bakery product in the fridge, fixed and ate something sweet, and washed what was in the kitchen. I went to wash at 1:40 AM, being done close to 2:25 AM. And, after also moving something into a jar, I ate dinner between 4:30 AM and 5 AM and got in bed at 6:35 AM.
There was some noise in the morning, but whether there was some actual early drilling or my brain assumed that it was drilling and I dreamed that while what actually woke me was dad getting ready to leave, I’m not sure, since moments after I woke up the first time I heard dad leaving, which he said should have been around 9:30 AM. But I didn’t check, and then I could get right back to sleep, being woken up by drilling from upstairs just before 10:50 AM. But I just stayed in bed, not even needing to pee, and kept taking naps, some probably being pretty long, since some noise entered my dreams and I was occasionally woken up by it, but I only decided to check the time at 3:25 PM, and while by then I needed to pee too badly to still have any chance to get back to sleep yet again, it was a few minutes past 4 PM when I finally got out of bed. And then I finally installed the Windows updates for October, which should be the last ones, since I’m not going to use a Microsoft account to get the extended support. And things seemed normal after that, including most of the usual errors, though those about some enrollment didn’t reappear that time and there was a new one stating that Secure Boot keys need to be updated, which I had read something about, but since I have Secure Boot disabled, it shouldn’t matter.
On the other hand, after writing some more about the previous day’s run before getting in bed, there was a message that the file with the run times needed to be recovered, and while I hadn’t modified that one I decided to get back on the computer right after initially getting in bed, to save the backup separately, just in case there will be issues… But I accidentally clicked the bar at the top of the list of drives, which opened all of them, including the DVD drive, which won’t slide out on its own, and that apparently caused something to hang when I tried to get to that backup. It seemed to recover after I got the DVD tray open, but I had tried to force explorer.exe to close before then and it actually closed at that point, so I decided to do a backup on the stick, and checking it gave an error for a file, so I copied that file again and then did another check, and then I decided to reboot as well, only actually getting in bed at 5:45 AM.
At least I only woke up when dad left, just before 11:30 AM, but after going to pee I got back on the computer for a while, to check that nothing else was wrong, and after getting back in bed I couldn’t get back to sleep. The occasional noises from upstairs definitely didn’t help, but I rather doubt that I’d have managed it even if it’d have been quiet. Either way, it was a long time before I took what must have been the briefest nap and a little longer before a second, during which I had a rather elaborate dream but which couldn’t have been long either, since it was only a few minutes after 2 PM when I woke up again. And some time later I managed to take a third nap which must have also been short, since I then took quite a while to persuade myself to crawl out of bed and yet it was only 3:06 PM when I did so. Then, after eating lunch and doing the day’s squats, I left at 5:55 PM, taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I also had dad’s metro card, so after waiting for the cashier to deal with someone else who had a similar problem and then showing it to her, since dad had forgotten to mention that it was once again not working, I took the metro to the central location of the Library, getting there in 30 minutes and borrowing two books. The guard came to ask whether they could help me with anything when I went to the sciences room to look for the one that I thought I could find, pointing me to the person who was at the computer from the hallway when I said that I was looking for two books, so I showed her what I was looking for on my phone, but said that I thought that I could find the second one and just left the phone with her while I went back and quickly did just that, getting back there with it before she even got up to look for the other one. And she needed a few minutes, so the guard first asked whether I had a Library pass and eventually said that we might as well register the book I already had while we wait, so I let him do that and then that other employee registered the other one after she managed to find it.
After once again having to show the metro card, I ended up taking the metro to the Penny that’s next to Auchan, deciding against checking Carrefour Unirii and just switching lines there, but just missing the metro that’d have taken me to Titan and seeing that the next two were going in the other direction, which seemed to make the decision for me. But that proved to be quite a waste of time, since after walking to that Penny and putting the recyclables in the machine, including the few which I had picked up on the way, I couldn’t find the cat food that I was looking for. Then again, I didn’t think that I would, since it might have appeared in the picture from the catalog, where it stated that there was a 30% discount on certain products from that brand, but I had never actually seen that particular kind in a Penny store. Either way, I bought some expiring things for dad, also using that voucher when I paid, but I didn’t even need to get those from there, since they had piles of them at Titan as well. And I walked there, checking that location as well as the other one that’s between those two, using a cabinet that I didn’t lock and then just retrieving what I had in it and walking back out both times, since that cat food wasn’t to be found in either of those locations either.
The original plan was to then take the metro to Kaufland Basarabia, if not even to Carrefour Pantelimon, if it’d still be early enough to allow me to go to both, but it was drizzling and I had the books in the backpack, and I wasn’t looking forward to having to show the metro card again either, so I decided to walk back, picking up a few more recyclables, getting back for the first time a few minutes after 8:30 PM, dropping off the books and those purchases, and leaving again just before 8:45 PM, also taking the few more recyclables which dad had emptied.
I reached that Mega Image that closes at 10 PM just before 9 PM, but the 90% bakery discounts had already been made and I guess that the better products had already been taken, but I still found two to grab, and then I saw that the cart with the other products that had that discount had also been brought and just one person was looking in it, so I rushed there and grabbed some more things, including a few apples, thinking that I couldn’t pass on such a discount even if I still have many. And I wasn’t charged for the bag that they were in.
Just after walking out, I took some time to arrange the purchases in the backpack, then continued to Kaufland, finding another recyclable on the way… But seeing that the recycling machines weren’t working. And I still had all of them, after having decided against using the machine from that Mega Image. So, even if on the way there I was thinking that in that situation I’ll rush to that Mega Image, hoping to be able to use that machine, then get back to Kaufland before returning there later, at that point I decided to check that Carrefour as well, even if I had dropped off the voucher received for previous purchases when I had gotten back here earlier, thinking that I definitely won’t have time to go there that evening. But at least I was able to put in the recyclables there… Even if that required using both machines, since one was in use and the other one stated that it had no container for plastic or metal, so I used that one for the glass bottles and then waited for the person who was using the other one to be done to put in the rest. And then I entered the store with the backpack and bought some products that were among the expiring or spoiling ones, including some beer for dad and a bag of bio (organic) apples that weren’t cheap even at half price, and which just added to the piles of apples that I already have, but it seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up. And the self-checkout machine asked me to make sure that I had correctly scanned the beers, but I could just continue, and I obviously didn’t charge myself for the bags that the onions and clementines were in, and when I needed an employee to approve the sale of the beer I just looked at the one who was at the computer and she did that from there, after which I also used the vouchers received for the recyclables.
Since it was 9:55 PM when I walked out of the checkout area, I didn’t even try to arrange the purchases, just rushing away with them thrown in a bag, then washing my hands when I reached Kaufland, putting those purchases in a cabinet, and entering with the backpack, where I still had the others, a couple of minutes after 10 PM. And I probably shouldn’t have even bothered, since I didn’t find any interesting evening discounts, except perhaps the 50% one on pleurotus mushrooms, though the reason why I eventually decided to buy a box had at least in part to do with the fact that I didn’t want to need to just walk out and perhaps be asked to show what I had in the backpack. Either way, after retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging those things and the mushrooms somewhat better in a bag, I walked out at 10:25 PM, rushing to that Mega Image, putting all of my things in a cabinet that I once again didn’t lock, and just taking two bakery products that had the 90% discount, not waiting for the receipt, adding them in the backpack after retrieving my things, and then rushing back, hoping to also reach this nearby Mega Image before it closed… And I did, and when I looked from the door I saw two remaining bakery products that had the 90% discount, but when I went in, with everything, I saw that they were nothing that I’d be interested in, so I just walked back out.
I got back right at 11 PM. Then I cleaned the litter box and some of what dad had left in the kitchen and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, ate one of those bio (organic) apples, put the purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, put together and ate something sweet, talked to dad a little, and spent quite some time struggling to make those expiring products which I had bought for him from Penny fit in the freezer, the fact that he wanted one to be left as it was instead of being unpacked and separated, saying that he wanted to take it to mother, making that a fair bit harder. It was 1:55 AM when I went to wash, close to 2:45 AM when I was done, and then I cleaned a little more in the kitchen, ending up eating dinner between 4:50 AM and 5:30 AM and getting in bed at 7:05 AM. My hosting provider was having some issues at that point, but logs seem to indicate that things were sorted out around 7:45 AM, and everything seemed fine around 10:45 AM, when I was woken up by Liza meowing, went to pee, and then got on the computer for a little while and checked. And, while I was woken up a few more times, mainly by the noise coming from upstairs, I could get back to sleep pretty quickly each time, the worse noises only starting in the afternoon, and the particularly loud drilling in the late afternoon, pretty much just when dad got back and I got up, though I had been awake for a while at that point.
Since there are obviously going to be weeks with much worse weather over the coming months, even if it’s been quite some time since we had winters that are actually deserving of the name, I decided to leave the November 9 run as an extra one, to create a little buffer, and run on November 13 as well. That meant making a salad out of cucumbers and the lower parts of green onions, since I had already used all of the tops and didn’t have any more carrots, beets or lettuce, and before going to bed I shaved as well, in less than 15 minutes, which may well be a record time for me. But what was concerning was that after eating dinner I suddenly felt a numbness in my left leg, and while the feeling lessened after I stood up, it didn’t fully go away and had returned by the time I got up to pee, at 7:40 AM. I had slept on that side until then, and changing position when I got back in bed made it less noticeable after that, when I kept being woken up by noises coming both from upstairs and outside, the workers having also returned to this side of the building, but it was clearly noticeable again when I got up, after the alarm rang, at 1 PM. And it was that kind of numbness that made that leg feel weak, not the sort of thing that resulted in pins and needles when I changed position, and it got worse while I stood up. But the plan was to run, so in spite of that, the interrupted and agitated sleep, and the cloudy and chilly weather, I had the usual stuff, including the usual sweet thing, though the yogurt had expired a few days earlier, and left a little before 3:40 PM, wearing the full running gear and that thing that goes on my neck, the reported temperature being 8-9°C, holding steady. And on my way out I saw that a few of the parts for our windows and balcony were brought to this floor, and others were in front of the stairs.
The time was 48:22.92, with sector times of 4:20.29, 5:07.15, 5:58.26, 4:35 (4:34.65), 5:08.03, 5:52.57, 4:31 (4:30.15), 5:07.44, 5:50.29 and 1:54.09, making for lap times of 15:25.70, 15:35.25 and 15:28 (15:27.88). I wasn’t hoping to get back under 48 minutes anymore, and after two sectors I really doubted that I could even cover the first lap in that 15:20 that’d be the target lap time for that, which was proven correct. So I settled for staying under 49 minutes again, thinking that a better time than the previous one was pretty much impossible, and after two sectors of lap two I had some concerns even about that, so I pushed a little more, which led to a good enough time after two laps to make me not only feel that I’ll stay safely under 49 minutes, but even start to wonder about 48:30. It seemed unlikely, but I went for it, and after sector one of lap three I thought that I might just have a chance, so I kept pushing, and on sector three of lap three I really gave everything, being certain that it won’t be enough to be safe at the end of the lap but wanting to give myself a good chance… But it was enough, and after struggling up the stairs at the start of the final sector, I just got myself to the end. The time was obviously still poor in itself, but it was acceptable for that day, and for the first run in a long time in colder conditions.
What makes it worse is that there were few people and they didn’t just cause no notable issues, but also a relatively little need for weaving and going the long way around. On the other hand, there were more fallen leaves, and they were most notably a problem on the long straight of sector two, which was almost carpeted in them and they also maintained the moisture underneath, so I was a little more careful in that area. As for physical issues, it did feel like I wasn’t moving that left leg quite properly until I was about halfway through the run, but then things got better, and by the end it felt quite fine. And the pressing need that seemed to appear by the end of sector two of lap one and which became quite noticeable on sector one of lap two also went away quite suddenly after that point. Basically the only notable issue from the second half of the run were the couple of serious jabs I felt in the left hip at one point, maybe early on sector three of lap three, though it might have been on sector two, I’m not entirely certain. Either way, while I was concerned when I felt them, they didn’t repeat after that.
I picked up a few recyclables on the way back, and then I ate lunch, did the day’s squats, changed, albeit leaving on the running t-shirt and that thing that goes on my neck, and left again at 8:30 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, and I picked up two more, plus one that was the right size for the label that I still had, on the way to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM. But that label was at the bottom of the bag, so I couldn’t put it on that before putting the rest in the machine… Which reported that the glass container was full just as I did that, so it’s a good thing that I had left the glass bottles last, and it also meant that I could move to a corner of the store and place that label on that plastic bottle without being in plain sight, though nobody dealt with the machine and I therefore couldn’t put it in as well. Either way, by then the 90% discount labels were being placed on the bakery products, so I went there and took a couple of things, and when the cart with the other products that had that discount was brought I grabbed a few from there as well, thinking that they’ll be for dad, and after paying for the purchases I also cashed in the voucher received for the recyclables.
After arranging the purchases in the backpack, I jogged to Kaufland, but still grabbed one more recyclable, putting both in the machine and ending up with two vouchers, since it timed out as I was making sure that the label was properly placed on that other one. But I was going there for a certain kind of cat food, so after washing my hands and entering the store, with the backpack, I went straight to that area… And couldn’t find any, even though it was only the second day of the sale. I wasted some more time to look around, but I didn’t spot any other area where it might have been placed or any discarded packs, and when I meant to at least get some other thing for dad I saw that none of that was left either, so I just walked out, using the entrance gate after waiting for a while for the information desk employee to look in my direction and open the exit.
I had meant to get something from Carrefour as well, but dad had left me a note to get cat food and it was close to 9:40 PM when I walked out of there, so I jogged to Kaufland Basarabia instead, getting there a few minutes before 10 PM, once again entering with the backpack, and finding both that cat food and that other product, so I grabbed two of each and then also made use of evening discounts for a lettuce with root and a bundle of green onions. When I checked the bakery area, I even saw 70% discounts for a few products, but they weren’t interesting, and others had no discount at all. And then I also used those two vouchers which I had been left with from the other location when I paid, walking out of the checkout area just when an employee was locking the main entrance, so I used the emergency exit, though the closing announcement came just after I had walked out. And then I took a little time to arrange everything, walking away a few minutes after 10:30 PM.
After picking up a few more recyclables on the way, I put everything in the cabinet at that non-stop Mega Image and was in the store at 10:45 PM, seeing that the bakery products were bagged but not discounted yet, those labels only starting to be placed after 11 PM, and another employee brought the cart with the other products that had the 90% discount while that was being done, and since I had seen that nothing particularly interesting was left in the bakery area I rushed there and managed to grab another one of those “salad mixes”, though I saw in another person’s basket that I had missed something that I’d have been way more interested in. Either way, I then also grabbed a number of bakery products after all, then retrieved what I had in the cabinet and took my time to arrange everything, and on the way back I had the briefest look in another store and picked up a couple more recyclables.
I was back a little after 11:50 PM. Then I cleaned the litter box yet again and went to drop some trash down the chute, put the purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, ate some grapes and a sweet pastry, and it was past 1:45 AM when I went to wash. I was done a little before 2:30 AM, but I only went back to the kitchen at 2:55 AM, and I also used some of the lettuce, ending up eating dinner between 4:30 AM and 5 AM. I got in bed at 6:45 AM.
At least I could sleep for a while, only waking up the first time at almost 10:55 AM, and after going to pee I got back to sleep. And, while after that I was woken up at least a few more times, either by noise made by the workers or by Liza meowing, for a while I could still get right back to sleep. But that ended when the thoughts about what was coming hit me again, and while it was close to 4:40 PM when I actually crawled out of bed, I had been awake for hours at that point, trying to work out what I had to do to prepare the room for the work that will be done and what I’ll have to say and check and just being unable to deal with it, so I was curled in a ball under the blanket and still just hoping that, somehow, it won’t happen after all. Either way, in the evening I started reading Loyal to the Sky.
As for today, I was first woken up by just a moment of very early drilling, dad later saying that it was at 8:15 AM and he was also woken up by it and immediately sent a message to the upstairs neighbor to ask about it. He got right back to sleep after that, but while the drilling sound didn’t repeat at that time, there were some fainter noises that kept me awake for a while, though I stayed under the blanket until I could get back to sleep. And the drilling resumed a little before 10:30 AM, but when I went to pee, dad just kept snoring through it, only getting up when he meant to, maybe at 11 AM or so. Yet I was obviously kept awake, first by the drilling, then by various fainter sounds, be they from upstairs, from outside or made by dad. For how long, I have no idea, because at some point I did get some more agitated sleep. I don’t even know whether it had been a single nap or multiple brief ones before I woke up again, saw that it was a little after 1:40 PM, and went to pee again, just in case, because it seemed quieter and I didn’t want to be woken up by a need to pee. And I could then sleep until 3:15 PM, and then caught another little nap after that, though I was awake for a while when dad got back, a couple of minutes before 4 PM, so a few minutes later I got up. And this evening I plan to go out again, albeit getting back for the match, which is why I’m posting this now. And I’m smashing the record for the longest post I ever wrote, taking it above 10000 words, this one having 10774, or 10788 if you include the title!
