Cav's Place

I left a lot of things out of last week’s personal post, so I need to start catching up with May 15, when the alarm woke me at noon, since I was finally going to volunteer at the Botanical Garden again, the Spring Cleaning being organized again and including an afternoon schedule. I’m still not using public transportation, however, and walking there was going to take a while, so the plan was to leave at 1:20 PM, yet I only did so at 1:27 PM, despite leaving less than I needed in the toilet, feeling the need returning minutes after I got up but knowing I couldn’t afford to try again. So I rushed, and worried about all the time lost at stoplights, but it was fine, or in fact more than fine, since it took me exactly one hour and 20 minutes to get there and it was 15 more minutes until Anca came and we got moving, during which time I also went to pee.
I counted 27 people, including the few who arrived as Anca was speaking, and then a few more came directly to the area we were going to work on, as we were about to start, but at the end I counted 26, so a few must have left early. We were split in three groups but pretty much just attacked one area, and I wasn’t even sure which group I ended up working around, just doing my thing… And also being one of the few who still chose to wear a mask even while working, the obligation of wearing one outside having been lifted as of that day, but at least I wasn’t the only one who did so.
At first I tried to dig a bit, but realized I didn’t have the energy, not to mention strength, for it, so after initially trying to get in the thick of it, I stepped back and tackled what was left behind, I guess by those who had been in the morning “shift”, though I learned that at least three of those had stayed to work in the afternoon as well. Either way, Anca seemed to have had the same idea, so for a while we were doing the same thing, albeit with a little distance between us, until she left for a while and I also moved on to stay behind the others working then and clear what they were leaving behind, getting closer as time passed and eventually tackling some smaller plants as the group finished clearing the area around the large tree they had been working towards. Was quite exhausted, sort of just poking at the area on the other side of that tree, when I checked the time and saw that it was 5:30 PM, but I pulled myself together and kept going, getting into the next thick area, albeit with clearly younger plants, finding a rhythm and keeping at it, actually clearing a small but noticeable area on my own. Anca briefly joined me there, asking whether those plants could be pulled out, but after I said it depends on one’s strength, and I couldn’t just pull them, she left me to it.
After Anca announced, at 6:15 PM, that we should gather things, since the clouds were getting threatening, the woman, a regular I recognized, who had volunteered as sort of the leader of our group, and who had also apparently stayed there since morning, asked me to help her carry some branches without a wheelbarrow. Her idea, each of us holding one end of the bunch, wasn’t really working, however, and when I saw an empty wheelbarrow I suggested using it. But that didn’t work either, since they didn’t fit, so I said I’ll carry them myself and struggled like that all the way, with them in my arms, which were hurting after I dropped them off.
Didn’t take anything else after getting back to the area where we had worked, just circling around once, to look for any equipment left behind, and then slowly making my way back in front of the gift shop, following those who were taking the equipment back. Once there, I thought I had a bit of time and went to the side to remove my shirt and shake it in case there were bugs or other things in it, but almost immediately Anca asked us to gather for the photo, so I quickly threw my shirt back on to join the group. Then we got our free passes, which were the only things handed out that time, and at 6:40 PM it was over.
I took my time walking out though, first getting my jacket out of the backpack and struggling to get it on while walking and holding everything else in my hands, then seeing an empty bench and meaning to sit on it only to have a father reach it just before me and tell his children to sit there, then deciding to go to the bathroom one more time, since I had just passed it, putting my jacked on in there, before peeing again. And then I stopped one more time, finding an empty bench near the exit and sitting there to shake everything out of my shoes, and then also putting my headphones on and turning on the radio before finally walking out the gate, right at 7 PM.

Stopped at the Carrefour from Unirii on the way back, wandered around for a while and eventually bought one of their buckets of bio (organic) yogurt and a handful of cucumbers. There were some drops of rain when I got there, but it wasn’t raining anymore when I got out, and I got back here at 9:15 PM, just when it had started drizzling again, and there was lightning as well, though only some light rain followed, and that didn’t last long either. But I no longer cared about that at that point, so after cleaning a part of what dad had left in the kitchen after cooking, I ate lunch, along with the other half of the expired bag of bagels started two weeks earlier, and then actually took a bath. After walking 16 km, not including wandering around in Carrefour, and working steadily for a good three hours, I was feeling quite crushed.

Moving on to May 17, that’s when I got an SMS, or actually two of them, three minutes apart, from Declic, asking to reply if I could get to a protest at the Ministry of Environment that Wednesday morning, stating that I’ll be called for the details in that case. That was obviously infuriating, their insistence on using phones instead of e-mail and even asking for replies, but my credit was active at that point, so I eventually did reply, at 7 PM. I was wary of the call, but it didn’t come that evening and I muted my phone when I went to bed, so I won’t be woken up, and Olga had to try a few times until I got up and answered the next day.
Getting back to that evening, MilkyWay@home was finally back up then. Had also checked during the afternoon, when the oldest work units had their deadline, and it was still down at that time, but in the evening it was finally working again, and even if the deadline had passed for several of the work units, they were also accepted. However, I had just grabbed two more Africa Rainfall Project work units a couple of hours earlier, so I allowed those to finish as well, only actually getting back to MilkyWay@home, and freeing all that RAM, so my computer stopped being so sluggish, after I woke up the next day, the CPU also ending up underutilized for five minutes at that point, since I had to suspend the MilkyWay@home work units for it to finish the Africa Rainfall Project ones and was in the kitchen when it finished the last one.

On the day of the protest, May 19, the alarm woke me up at 8:30 AM and I was out at 9:30 AM, thinking I was very late, since I had been told to be there at 10:20 AM and meant to leave at 9:20 AM. Grabbed the paper too, and had to carry it for quite a while, the first bin I found on that route being quite a long way away. Still, I was only a couple of minutes late, and just two other regular participants were already there when I arrived, the few others coming after me. Not that there were many regular participants, six being there at the start time of 10:30 AM and one more arriving a bit later, with perhaps one more coming towards the end, though I’m not sure he was there to participate, arriving when he did and not coming into the designated area at all. So the regular participants were the minority, since otherwise there were the seven in animal costumes plus Olga, who was also in one and wandering around and trying to lead, and five or six other Declic members were doing their respective duties, one of them sort of being the representative, giving interviews and also talking to the Minister when he came down, at 10:45 AM. At 11 AM the Minister left, we shouted for a couple more minutes and then that was the end of it, so I walked away just after 11:05 AM, though those in costumes were told to stay a little longer, for pictures. And yes, I also took a few, albeit just with my phone.

Checked two Mega Image locations on the way back, noticing that I had arrived at the second too early if I wanted to look for expiring things, employees just then starting to check and gather them. But my main destination was the Carrefour from Unirii again, mainly for some cheese, so I got that and a few expiring products, since they had just filled that area. Forgot to use that 10 RON code at that time, but what was annoying was that I was charged 0.10 RON more than I expected, and when I checked the receipt I saw that the charge was for the bag the cheese had been placed in, which is another case of being forced to take a bag and then get charged for it as well, which makes such a charge only a way for someone to make a little more money, defeating the stated purpose of reducing the use of bags. But, to return to that trip, I also went to the farmers’ market after that. Stepped away from the planned route in an attempt to shorten it a bit and, as it tends to happen, the result was the opposite, but I got there well enough, the only issue being a gust of wind that blew my cap off at one point, got cheap apples and green onions, and also a pretzel from a place from that area, and was back at 2:05 PM.
Since dad left soon after I got back, I stayed on-line instead of showering at that time, then watched something and had lunch while he took a bath after getting back… And the water apparently went from really hot when I got back to cold right after he finished, so he, who complains if it’s not really hot, said it was just fine, but I went there after him and found cold water. But I did need to at least wash a little, and had committed to it by then, so I quickly washed from the waist down and my underarms even so, and then just passed my wet hands through my hair after flossing and brushing my teeth in this other bathroom. I could have washed my hair with cold water, and likely should have done so, especially after picking my cap off the sidewalk and putting it back on, but I left it for another time.

As for the next day, the downstairs neighbor started drilling at 8:30 AM, but I was so exhausted I just went to pee at that point, then got back in bed and slept on and off through it. Had crazy dreams that included the sound, waking up with a start now and then, heart skipping or racing, even feeling pain in my chest at some point, but I couldn’t get up. Only checked the time again just before 1 PM, when it was quiet, got another nap, but by 2 PM I was awake again, needed to pee and even though it was quiet it didn’t look like I was going to be able to sleep again, so I got up, and didn’t even nap again later.

Since I finished this well before midnight, I meant to add what I did after getting the vaccine here as well, but that’d have worked better if I couldn’t have gotten on-line, in which case I’d have returned here after washing some of the large pile of things left by dad in the kitchen after he cooked, writing until close to midnight and then posting later, setting the time of the post to that of the file. But since dad went to take a bath and I got on-line to post this now, I’ll leave it as it is and take advantage of this time for other things. Still, before finishing I do want to mention that I’m feeling much better today. The pain in my arm seemed to have lessened a bit and the way I was feeling in general had clearly improved significantly by the time I got up, and over the course of the day it only got better, so now I can say I’m feeling pretty normal and my arm is usable again as well. There is still some pain, but mainly if I move it in certain ways, not all the time, and I can use it pretty normally.

I’m still not writing that review for Venetica, and doing so became even less likely as of Tuesday, when I installed and started Fantasy General, spurred by the current “time travel” thread on the GOG.com forums. And I’m also still sort of poking at Bound by Flame, though Fantasy General and the issue with the window size, plus the fact that I reached a spot where I really can’t get that experience bonus, makes it likely that I’ll put it away. Still, I’ll also mention here that I noticed Thursday morning, before going to bed, that the process was left running again, for I think some five and a half hours at that point, since I had just quickly checked the window size issue one more time and then again somehow forgot to check the running processes…

To return to Tuesday, after dad refused to start the procedure for the electricity contract the previous evening, saying he knew the prices will remain unchanged for another month, I checked and saw that, as it had been clearly stated, his information was wrong and they had increased, so I sent him an e-mail after he left for work and he replied to say that was something I should have handled, pushing him and standing next to him until he did it. So I asked what else was my fault, and went through how this “process” went from the beginning, including the time when he used the very fact that I was pushing against me, and also reminding him of my social anxiety and of almost certainly being pretty far on the autism spectrum, so interacting is a struggle in itself, talking and pressing can’t work and he scares me as it is.
And I mentioned him refusing to start that procedure Monday evening, and that was after I decided to send him a long e-mail before leaving that day, while he slept, with information about signing that contract with the company he wants but spelling out the problem with it meaning meeting him halfway and offering a compromise, asking for a certain amount each month, likely similar to what he’d be saving compared to what we currently pay, which I’ll direct towards “green” products and causes. Of course, the risk was entirely mine, since I had already done the work to help him do what I oppose and he could simply refuse… Which was exactly what he did that evening, saying he didn’t understand that part, asking whether I wanted him to donate or what, and when I said that what I’ll end up doing is not his business, he should just add that amount to what he gives me if I help him save it in this manner, he said it is his business because it’s his money and he doesn’t want to save the planet with his money, the planet didn’t do anything for him, let others save it if they want. So I said we had nothing to discuss in that case and walked away, but the fact remained that I did remind him when he got back, around 11 PM, that he had about one hour left to at least initiate the procedure, since the information I had found stated that the required documents would then need to be uploaded within 48 hours, and he firmly refused, saying that thing about knowing that the prices will remain the same until the end of June, which was obviously false.

At least that helped me decide to not count the slices of raw vegan cozonac I grabbed when I went out that day as having been bought from “my” money, since I was wondering how to count those and that exchange made it clear that I wasn’t going to obtain anything else for the effort, and in a way it could be considered a “green” product. Then again, in a way the very fact that I did that work made me decide to go out at all, since the forecast for Monday initially listed rain all day, and by the time I went to bed there just seemed to be a break in the early evening, so I was wondering what to do, yet when the rain ended in the morning and didn’t seem to return and I had also sent dad that message and really didn’t feel up for the discussion that I knew was going to follow when he’ll see it, I decided to go out after all… And ended up thinking that the weather would have even been good for running, and the park also seemed clear when I went through it. But I had no way to know that ahead of time, so I didn’t prepare for a run and just went to buy some things.
Left just after 4:05 PM, first going to the Carrefour from the park and finding some raw vegan cakes, plus those slices of cozonac, at half price because they were expiring the next day, though they weren’t placed in the expiring products area or labeled as such. So I had a good look, picked the cozonac and hid it in order to be able to buy it later, first putting it in one place, then moving it to another, on a top shelf, behind bio (organic) milk, since it was quite easily visible in that first place. Either way, that somewhat interesting bread was also still at that low price, but all of it was sliced again, so I walked out without getting anything, had a little look through another store in that mall, checked what vaccine the vaccination center I noticed had opened there used, and then went to Kaufland. I didn’t go there directly, however, first deciding to also have a quick look through the farmers’ market, and at the stores around it, eyeing some cheese but deciding against it since it looked rather suspicious and a bag I guess would have been used to put it in was left in it. Then I also quickly checked a store from the area that Kaufland’s in, then finally got to Kaufland, buying one of those breads at full price, since it was way too early for evening discounts, and also some yogurt… Which I really shouldn’t have bought then, but that was another thing I couldn’t have known at the time.
After getting back to Carrefour, I was worried that somebody found that cozonac, since plenty of the cartons of milk it had been behind had been taken or moved, and some employees were in that area at the time, but I felt around and found it, though it was a bit of a struggle to retrieve it from that spot. Then I checked that bread again, but no new ones had appeared, so all the ones left were obviously still sliced, so I got a little more garlic and some 250 grams of some cheap cheese, waiting for quite a while before an employee got to me, since I had to ask for it. Oddly, an employee directing people from the single line to the checkouts directed me outside that group of checkouts, to the “family” one… But there were no issues, and there hadn’t been any with the self-checkout at Kaufland either.
After bumping into that guy I kept bumping into at one point on my way back, the two of us just nodding at each other, I entered the building at 9:25 PM, though I took a couple of minutes to check everyone’s water use on the listings, comparing our total as well, which is the third or fourth, not just the hot water, which is the highest, as usual. Then again, this month the total will quite certainly be the highest as well, since I just read the meters and the cold water use from the bathroom was higher this past month than any previous total, so on top of the waste of actual resources, we’re quite literally pouring money down the toilet, I’d say even more than we lose because of the lack of an electricity contract, because dad won’t do anything about fixing that either. Either way, to return to Monday, had lunch late that evening, then also had one of those three raw vegan cozonac slices while making the salad, before finally starting to eat dinner at 3:30 AM.

Now I’ll quickly mention that Wednesday I had lunch after waking up and also munched on some pumpkin seeds in the evening, then it can be said that I started dinner at 3:15 AM, in the kitchen, licking the things the purchased cheese and the little bit of older cheese I had left had been in and mixing both kinds in something else and taking some bread and salad then as well, though it was again 3:30 AM when I actually continued in my room. But then I’ll skip Thursday, when I covered another half marathon distance, because I need to post something before midnight and I’d rather include the reason why I couldn’t write more today, which is the fact that yesterday I got the first dose of the vaccine.

Since that negative antibody test made it clear that I needed it, the plan was to wait until after this week’s run and then schedule myself at the clinic our family doctor also works at, which also uses Moderna. And that was exactly what I did Thursday evening, seeing four slots still available for the next day and picking the sole 7 PM one, the three others being from 2 PM. However, a call woke me up Friday morning, at 10:53 AM, and when I didn’t answer it was followed by an SMS stating that the call was from the vaccination center and asking me to call back. I couldn’t do that even if I’d have wanted to, the active period of my credit having actually just expired at midnight, but I also had a hard time getting back to sleep, likely getting only a few more minutes before I was woken up again, exactly 50 minutes after the first call, and that time I answered… And was asked whether I could come earlier, before 4 PM, because they’re finishing the doses, it’s going quickly, and they can’t keep mine for so long. I said it’ll be hard, but I’ll try, and when I was pressed for a time I said around 3 PM, maybe 2:30 PM. This last estimate was clearly not an option when I only left at 2:25 PM, but that was fine, since I had changed my plan for the day and went straight to the clinic, getting there at 2:50 PM.
Once there, I tried the vaccination center’s door and it wouldn’t budge, the guard opening it a moment later, asking what I wanted and showing me in after I said I was scheduled for a vaccine. In the first room, a guy asked for my ID card and handed me the form to fill, then sent me back on the hallway to wait, though I was called to the other room almost immediately and got the shot, barely feeling anything, while the guy who might have been the one who had called me as well was again on the phone, talking in English to someone who was apparently saying they were feeling ill and couldn’t come for the second dose. And speaking of second doses, the guy who gave me the form seemed to expect me to be there for my second one, clearly being surprised when I said it was the first, and the woman who gave me the shot handed me the paper and told me how to get the certificate, then looked again and was also quite clearly surprised when she realized it was my first dose. She then said that’s more useful after the second, took the paper back, but then noticed that the date and time of the second dose had been written by one of the guys on the back and she gave it back to me for that… And it was my turn to be surprised, since I had scheduled that dose at 5 PM on the site, but the time listed was 11 AM, and she told me to really try to be there at that time, though then she also asked whether I thought I’ll manage it and when I very hesitantly said I’ll try if I have to, she said I should at least come by 3 PM, writing it there as well, and saying that their schedule’s different from what it is on the site, it’s in the morning and they can’t keep the doses in the right conditions for too many hours.
Either way, I was then told to wait for 15 minutes, did so, and left the clinic at 3:15 PM. Two more people had arrived after me, and at least a few more were yet to arrive, one of those working there telling that to another, since they still had some doses left… But one also told the guard that those who will arrive later will need to wait, because the computer system had crashed. Also heard my last name mentioned a few times while I was waiting there, but have no idea what that was about. And it was clearly confirmed that you need to schedule the vaccination if you want it at that center, just showing up and asking whether any doses are left that day not being an option, regardless of what the authorities announced, since a third person came to ask to be vaccinated while I was waiting and she was turned away and then even one of the doctors working there came to say that a patient of hers was there and was wondering whether she could get the vaccine as well, and she was also told that only those who are scheduled can get the vaccine at that center.

Well, if yesterday I could wander around after getting the vaccine and get back with a total of 18 kg on me, including clothes and the stuff in my pockets but carrying the purchases just in my hands, since I didn’t take the backpack, and there was just a little bit of pain at the place of the shot, which only advanced to a dull pain that to some extent spread down my arm and up to my neck by the time I went to bed in the morning, once in bed I found I couldn’t lie down on that side and when I woke up after a few hours it felt as if somebody had stabbed my arm in that spot, so I barely managed to get a few more moments of sleep before finally getting up, a few hours later, since I was waking up almost immediately after somehow managing to fall asleep again, likely because I was moving in my sleep and the pain would shoot through me. Also felt as if I had a fever, but at first I took my temperature twice and it was just under the threshold, 36.9°C. The feeling matched the facts later, however, since I got back in bed in the evening, somehow managed to get a bit more sleep, which was why I couldn’t spend the day adding more to this post, and when I woke up, felt even more clearly that I had a fever and checked again, I saw 37.4°C. So now I guess I’m waiting for this to pass… And I do plan to report the side effects, using the provided tools, assuming I’ll figure out exactly what to do and have all the necessary information.

This will be another long post, covering a period starting on the evening of May 9, when I started reading Capital in the Twenty-First Century. And I also finished it during this period, on May 23, though I only wrote the English quick review the following evening, then made a few minor changes and also wrote the translation after a nap, after midnight. However, after making one more little change, I only actually posted it here the next night, and it wasn’t until I could get back on-line the following evening when I posted it on Goodreads as well, in both English and Romanian.

Since I mentioned nights, there was even one, last Thursday, when dad worked and I just barely managed to start eating dinner at 3 AM, otherwise the rule being that I alternated, eating dinner earlier when he worked, but starting well past 3 AM when he didn’t, which included this Monday and Wednesday, when he worked from home again. The latest time was 3:50 AM, Thursday night, without even having had lunch that day, just a cake before working on the stove top, getting to the bathroom for that a few minutes before 10 PM and finally out, after also showering, and in the kitchen at 1:08 AM, but still having more to do and only starting to work on dinner at almost 2 AM. And then there was last Friday night as well, when I admittedly had lunch just after midnight, but then spent a good hour after getting back to the kitchen separating some curdled milk and putting the liquid in bottles and jars and the rest in a bowl, then cleaned up what I also had to clean up and only grabbed the stuff for the salad at 2:30 AM, just barely managing to start eating dinner 3:45 AM, unless you count licking the top of some cheese and sour cream mix opened in the kitchen before moving everything to my room. Only finished eating at 5:15 AM and got in bed at 5:35 AM on both of those mornings, but it was actually past 5:15 AM when I finished eating Wednesday morning, getting in bed at 5:35 AM then as well. Got in bed at 5:30 AM on the mornings of May 14 and 16 and a bit later than that on May 27, finishing eating at 5:05 AM on that second occasion and past 5:10 AM on this last one, after doing some quick searches for TVs for my mother. Also got in bed at 5:25 AM on the mornings of May 10, 18 and 20 and at 5:20 AM on the mornings of May 12, 25 and 29… And I’ll also mention here that no visits were recorded in either view again on May 26.

Since I also mentioned yesterday morning above, I’ll add here that my mother was here again that day, dad bringing her when he got back from work in the morning and taking her back in the evening… And while we were all in the kitchen, the issue of the electricity contract came up and of course it didn’t go well, dad saying that if I want us to no longer pay this inflated and constantly increasing price that those who don’t have a signed contract pay, I need to stay next to him and show him exactly, step by step, how to sign a contract with the power company that is our distributor now as well, because that’d supposedly mean meeting him halfway, and if I refuse it means I only want it my way and in that case it’s my fault that we’ll keep paying more… If anyone can understand how can actually standing there and pretty much signing a contract with the company I firmly oppose staying with myself be described as meeting him halfway between my position of only accepting a supplier that offers 100% green energy, strongly recommending a particular one but accepting discussions if he’d prefer any other, and his position of only accepting to stay with our current one, which has no green energy, do let me know, because to me it looks like it’d be even more than going all the way in his direction, as in not even accepting to just be ignored and letting him sign this contract with the company he wants, but pretty much doing so myself!

Either way, I’ll now get back to May 11, when the plan was to run and then buy some things, so the alarm woke me at 2 PM… And I found that we had no hot water, and the site said it won’t return until the following afternoon. And that was the day when the weather would have been good for running that week, but it had also been good the day before, so I shouldn’t have waited. As it was, I changed plans, just had lunch then… And dad annoyed me again, throwing away some roes he had forgotten about, after I reminded him about them in an e-mail sent while he was at work, he tasted them when he got back that morning, decided they weren’t good anymore and didn’t even leave them for me to check as well. And in the evening he brought a lot of frozen goat milk he received from someone and I couldn’t shake the cold off after struggling to somehow stuff it in the freezer, ending up wearing the sweater when I went to the kitchen at night and for the first time in a long time not opening the window, the fact that I had to use cold water only making it even worse.

The following morning, a neighbor woke me up with noise around 9:30 AM, which at least meant I was already up at 10 AM, when the delivery guy brought the cat food I had ordered on the morning of May 10, while eating, before going to bed. The bad news, however, came when I checked that site again and found that the period without hot water had been extended not only to all of that day, but all of the next one as well… But at least I caught up on sleep in the afternoon.

Still, I had to run, and that next day, May 13, was the one chance I still had that week, so the alarm woke me up at 2 PM, I had the usual stuff, with a slice of cozonac with added honey as the sweet thing, and left a bit after 4:15 PM, wearing the full running gear, with some stuff in the pocket of my tights again. The reported temperature was about 19°C then, supposed to actually increase to 20°C while I’ll run.
The time was 48:54.52, with sector times of 4:10.25, 5:09.54, 5:58.08, 4:32 (4:31.97), 5:12 (5:11.62), 6:00.36, 4:31 (4:30.20), 5:15.07, 6:11.00 and 1:56.43, making for lap times of 15:17.87, 15:44 (15:43.95) and 15:57 (15:56.27). Pushed at first, aiming to stay below 4:15 on the first sector, so that time was nice, and while sector two was worse than I expected, sector three was all right and the lap time was good enough, since I was aiming to stay under 15:20 and managed it. However, my hopes of 48:30, or at least no more than 48:40, to be less slow than the previous time, went away after sector two of lap two, when I also started tiring, so I had to just aim to stay under 49 minutes and at least managed that, not that it’s worth much of anything…
Felt a bit of pain in my right thigh at the start, but it went away quickly. And I can’t complain of the conditions, which were great, with the possible exception of a bit of wind on sector three of lap three. And there weren’t that many people either, which of course didn’t mean that I didn’t occasionally have to weave or go the long way around, but there were no real issues except maybe a broken sprint on that long sector one straight on lap two or three, when I was running out of energy anyway, and having to slow a bit and take to the grass at that stall on sector three of lap three because some kids came from the opposite direction on scooters or bicycles, can’t remember exactly, through the little space left around the people gathered there.

Went to Auchan after the run, jogging nearly all the way, and got a few things. The machine wouldn’t scan the ticket as I kept trying, but it oddly worked just fine when the employee came to help and tried as well, though she didn’t seem to do anything I hadn’t. Either way, I then also went to that newer Kaufland, grabbed a few things while waiting for 7 PM, to see the discounts in the bakery area, and then got the last two breads of that kind. There were no issues with the self-checkout other than the fact that one of the discounted breads for dad wouldn’t scan, which I quickly solved by scanning the other one twice, since they were the same.
There was a serious problem after that, however. It started from the fact that I again only had two flimsy bags with handles, one of them small and very flimsy, and one usable bag without handles, which I had used for potatoes and tied in a way that formed an improvised handle, so I was struggling to fit everything in them at the cabinets when a woman asked me to move a bit so she could get her things. The unexpected interaction made my mind pretty much shut down, so I completely forgot I still had the liquid soap from Auchan, which had been the main reason for going to buy stuff that day, still in the cabinet, and a guy who was trying different cabinets because some weren’t working put his backpack in that one, in front of the soap, and locked it before I could recover and realize what it meant. When I finally did, I quickly stuffed my things in another cabinet and tried to go in after him, but couldn’t recall how he looked, ending up asking the first guy I saw whether he had placed a backpack in that cabinet, then just sort of looking around a little after he said he had none, though I had no idea who to look for. After I calmed down a bit, I went back out of the store and asked the employees at the information desk for help, but they said they couldn’t get involved, security will have to do it, and then that the security guy was in the back, unloading merchandise, and it will be a while… And it was, since it was around 7:30 PM when the problem appeared and almost 8 PM when that guy came back and the security guy still hadn’t arrived, so I just rather snapped at that guy, he apologized, said he hadn’t noticed, just seeing that I had been standing around, I said I was struggling with the bags, we both retrieved our things and I could finally be on my way.
Went through the park on my way back as well, but again saw no buskers, and had actually just seen one while running and he hadn’t been one I’d have cared to give those 4 RON set aside to “tax” myself after that bad half marathon run to. And that walk back was quite difficult because I had to carry everything in those bags, the one with the potatoes being the biggest problem and pressing my fingers in a way that could, and likely did, cause damage. I switched hands after a while, but apparently too late for the little finger from my right hand, because a part of it is still quite numb even now, which is quite worrying… And there was obviously still no hot water when I got back, just before 8:50 PM, so I had to go to bed without even showering, though it was at least warm enough to be usable when I happened to wake up, at 8 AM, so I finally showered then.

Skipping to the next run, that was on May 21, when I didn’t set an alarm, since the forecast stated that the occasional showers were to end around 6 PM. So I woke up at 2:20 PM, spent a little more time in bed, got up at 2:45 PM, took it easy… And just lost time on the toilet twice. Either way, I could have gone out at 4 PM after all, since there were occasional clouds but no rain, but after having the usual stuff, the yogurt being a “creamy” one with 5% fat from another brand, plus some of those expired nicer biscuits with added honey as the sweet thing, I put on the full running gear and only left at 7 PM, when the reported temperature was about 18°C, though obviously supposed to drop by a couple of degrees by the time I was going to finish the run.
The time was 1:19:39, with sector times of 4:20, 5:19, 6:04, 4:31, 5:10, 6:06, 4:34, 5:12, 6:03, 4:38, 5:17, 6:11, 4:43, 5:26 and 6:05, making for lap times of 15:43, 15:47, 15:49, 16:06 and 16:14. That first sector time made me think that staying under 1:21 was the best I could hope for, but then I aimed to also stay under 16 minutes on lap two, which I managed quite easily, and was thinking that I might just have a shot at staying under 1:20 with no more than 16:10 on lap three. Really doubted it at first, but when I stayed well under 16 minutes on lap three as well I realized it was indeed possible, so I pushed on lap four and then felt safe on lap five.
There was pretty much no wind, the weather was good, and the only physical issue was that my right knee gave me some warnings from what I think was the start of lap five, though it’s also possible it was the start of lap four and they went away later. There were quite a number of people, however, what’s probably the most notable single issue being the large roadblock costing me a few seconds on the very first sector. Two other runners who were ahead of me took to the grass and went around a garbage can and a bench while I hoped I’ll be able to squeeze through, since I’d have needed to either take a tight turn or cover a longer distance on the grass, but when that wasn’t possible I had to wait for the people to move past the bench and then take to the grass to go around them. Smaller issues followed on the next sector and the first two of lap two, including people breaking my sprint on that long sector one straight, while the few different issues I had on sector three of lap two likely ended up costing me a few seconds even if, taken separately, they weren’t exactly notable. The number of people started dropping during lap three, however, so I was still weaving and going the long way around and there were a few momentary blocks formed by people coming from opposite directions ending up next to each other right when I was also reaching that spot, but the losses weren’t significant, just needing to slow a bit a few more times, and quickly evade on a couple of occasions. One of those was on a sector three, forgot if on lap three or four, when a large group of runners came from the opposite direction, arranged on two rows and with one more person lagging behind, I spotted a way through and they kept it open so the rows weren’t an issue… Only for that last person to cut the turn when I had also taken the inside and almost crash into me, so I had to quickly sidestep.
I also finally gave those 4 RON to some buskers during that run. Those I had initially meant to give them to were also there that evening, but I didn’t give them to them, because they were playing violins from sheet music while two others I hadn’t seen before went towards rock, with voice and electric guitar. They were on sector one, so on lap three I pulled those bills out of my pocket and dropped them in their guitar case, the loss of time being minimal, since it just meant steering myself a little bit off the path, on a paved area, and dropping them there as I kept running. And it’s a good thing I chose to do that while running, since they were already gone when I passed by that spot on lap five, so waiting until I was done would have meant missing the opportunity yet again.

Before moving on to this week’s run I’ll also mention that Monday the alarm woke me at 11 AM, and I left with dad around 12:10 PM to finally get the antibody test. After that, we went our separate ways and I took the book back, quickly checking a couple of places on the way, since I meant to get myself something on the way back. However, after checking several places, including spending quite some time in the last Mega Image I entered, I ended up not getting anything and was back a few minutes before 3 PM. I was really down and whimpering since leaving the clinic, and also felt I had lost the week’s day with good running weather, and then dad made it worse because he was supposed to leave at 6 PM or so, yet a bit after 5 PM, when I came out of the shower, he announced he wasn’t leaving anymore.

Still, the conditions were good enough the next day as well. I slept poorly, however, waking up to pee multiple times, after the tomatoes and cucumbers in the salad I had at night, and also dreaming that Andra came here for a day, just using me to have a place to stay while she had to be in the city for some reason, ignoring me as I cried my eyes out and kept trying to get something out of her, and leaving without anything changing. But I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM… And got told by dad that he had the antibody test result already, mine being negative, 15.3 when the threshold is listed as 50. He, on the other hand, had 3093! Either way, I then had the usual stuff, the yogurt being the rest of that “creamy” one with 5% fat from another brand, and the sweet thing being a slice of cozonac with added honey. Then I put on the full running gear, with some stuff in the pocket of my tights again, and went out just before 4:20 PM, when the reported temperature was 22-23°C, actually being supposed to increase by 1-2°C by the time I’ll finish.
The time was 48:20.24, with sector times of 4:11.71, 5:04 (5:03.60), 5:52.61, 4:29 (4:28.56), 5:11.37, 6:05 (6:04.73), 4:29 (4:28.65), 5:13.18, 5:52.21 and 1:54 (1:53.62), making for lap times of 15:07.92, 15:45 (15:44.66) and 15:34.04. Went for it from the start and wondered about staying under 48 minutes after that first sector, but knew I’d need a 15-minute first lap for it, since I won’t keep it up after that, and sector two pretty much made it clear that I was looking at 48:30. Sector three made me hope just a bit again, though it’d have been a really tall order, but sector one of lap two settled things again, and at the end of the lap even 48:30 was in doubt. Though I pushed from the start of lap three, after sector two it still seemed unlikely I’ll manage it, but that good sector three meant I was safe and no longer worried during the final sector.
Physically I felt fine and the conditions were good, with a little wind on the usual part towards the end of sector two of lap two and then early on sector three of laps two and three, but not a serious issue even then. And there weren’t many people either, so there was of course some weaving and going the long way around, and squeezing through in a couple of places, but otherwise I just had to take a few steps off the path, on pavement, on the last sector three straight on lap two. Other than that, one of those little flies went right up my nose on the first sector’s long straight, something got in my eye on sector two of lap two, and right at the end of lap two I caught a spiderweb, trying to brush it and any possible spider away possibly causing me to lose a little bit of time at the start of lap three.

Went to Carrefour after the run, finding some expiring roes and a kind of bread that was sort of interesting and had a good and unannounced discount, a couple of them not being sliced, but I had that 10 RON code and it wouldn’t have been enough to use it, so I took it easy and went to that newer Kaufland, also quickly checking that Penny on the way. The idea was to be there at 7 PM, for the evening discounts, but I had forgotten that, with the restrictions on opening hours lifted, it was closing later, so no such discounts showed up at that time. Still got a pastry, however, plus a lettuce that actually looked really nice among the few things that were discounted separately, and some onions… And saw an employee picking bread for an order drop the bag and then just pick it back up and put it in the basket. Admittedly, just the paper bag had been on the floor, not the bread itself, but still… Either way, the self-checkout machine kept telling me to place the right item on the scales when I placed the onions, so I even weighed them again at the scales that are in that area, confirming that the weight was correct, then gestured to an employee, who was talking on the phone, and she just logged on to override the error. That wasn’t the last issue, however, since the gate wouldn’t open after I was done, another guy who was there and waiting for an employee to open it repeatedly telling me that it won’t work as I kept trying to scan my receipt, just in case, until an employee finally opened it for us.
After arranging the purchases in the larger bag I had and checking the change I had left, on top of the one 1 RON bill I still had, I eventually went to that confectionery that’s there, asking whether the pastries were indeed 50% off, as listed, and after the employee confirmed I asked for an apple roll… Only to see her quickly stuff two in a bag and be on her way to also add the last by the time I managed to react and remind her that I had just asked for one. She said she understood three and they’d be 3.75 RON, but when I showed her that I just had 1 RON and some change she put that last one back and just handed me the other two, saying I’ll get two for the price of one. I repeatedly asked whether she was sure of that, and she said she was, so I eventually took them. She didn’t offer a receipt though, and I also didn’t ask for one, as it’d have seemed wrong under those circumstances.
Went back to Carrefour after that, but all of that bread was sliced at that point, so I couldn’t get any for myself anymore, just deciding to get one for dad, plus the roes, a bag of corn puffs, a tea and a bit of garlic… And only realized as I was about to get checked out, after waiting in line for some minutes, that I had calculated the bread as costing 1 RON more, so the total wasn’t just over 10 RON and I still couldn’t use that code, and I only had a few coins left otherwise. So I apologized, struggled to gather everything and went back, getting another tea and putting half the garlic back, then using two different scales to weigh the little bit I kept and using the label printed by the one that listed a few grams less.
The label on the key from the cabinet I had placed the other purchases in snapped off as I took it out again and I didn’t even realize it until I stopped on the way back to check that I had retrieved the 0.50 RON coin from said cabinet and saw it in the bag. If I’d have noticed it sooner, maybe I’d have gone back to leave it at the information desk, or maybe in the cabinet, but I only thought to check for that coin when I had already walked most of the way back, so I just dropped it in a recycling bin and was back here just before 9:05 PM, having an apple and one of those apple rolls before showering.

Thursday I was woken up by a cramp in my right calf, which hadn’t happened in a while. But the plan for that day was to get some more things before spending the night in the bathroom, cleaning the utterly soiled top of the stove, so I left at 5:45 PM. The route I initially had in mind was much longer, as I meant to first go in one direction, then either keep going or come back to drop off the purchases and then go in the other direction, but that would have really meant spending pretty much the whole night in the bathroom, going almost straight to bed after I’ll be done and obviously not eating, so I tried to get all I could the first time around and did so, returning and not going back out after that.
Since I hadn’t used that route in quite a while, I wasn’t even aware that the area around the National Arena was closed since April 30, and will understandably remain so until July, so I found myself needing to go around it, carrying the recyclables as well. And I also ended up dropping off said recyclables, except the things I drop off at Kaufland, in a bin inside the mall that Carrefour’s in, because those bins that used to be at the entrance weren’t there anymore. Then I had a look in Carrefour before going to Kaufland, dropping those things off and getting what I wanted from there… Or not quite all I wanted, since one of those breads was left and I kept waiting to see whether the employee was going to change the labels to show that discounts were going to apply after 7 PM, since that location still closed at 9 PM, but while she seemed to check the prices for another employee who was getting some things, she didn’t do anything else, instead just standing there to talk to someone else she obviously knew, and I couldn’t get myself to ask and just left the bread for another time. Still ended up interacting with someone, however, an old woman asking me what kind the cat food she had picked was while I was getting the cat litter, and then saying that she was looking for some different kinds of food for kittens, so I helped her with that for a little bit, then used the self-checkout without issues.
I also wanted cakes, to reward myself for the work I was going to do, and I had actually seen some that seemed all right at Carrefour, so I had that option if I wasn’t going to go anywhere else, but some of that same kind, cheaper and somewhat larger, were also at that confectionery that’s next to that Kaufland, so both before going in and after coming out, I tried to read the ingredients, quickly wandering away when the employee asked what I wanted almost as soon as I approached. Got far enough to see hydrogenated fats listed that second time, however, so I knew I wasn’t interested and got those from Carrefour instead, along with the other things I meant to get from there, which included a bread that I wouldn’t normally get and also costs too much for what it contains, but which at least got me through the next few days. And I was back just before 8:45 PM, apparently carrying 18.5 kg if you include clothes, bags and the usual stuff in my pockets.

Since, even though I only had half of the usual amount last night, I was still going to finish that bread tonight and tomorrow it’s supposed to rain all day, today I meant to go back out and get myself some more bread, and perhaps a few other things as well. However, though I checked the forecast again even after waking up, in the afternoon, the listed risk of rain being below 10%, about an hour later it started raining after all, quite heavily for a while, and I decided against it even if after a while it died down. Just a drizzle was left around 6:30 PM, and after 7 PM the clouds started clearing as well, so I could have gone after all, but it was getting late and writing some of this post seemed like a better idea… Though I also tried to play Bound by Flame a little more… And found that something strange happened. I’m still running it in a window and it had been fine yesterday, when I also played just a little more, but when I started it again today, the actual window width was 1276 and everything looked fuzzy, likely as a result of the image being resized, and I can’t seem to find any way to get it back to 1280 and a clear look.

Either way, now I’m going to make myself mamaliga again, though it’s rather late to start at this hour, I made some two nights ago as well and some of the one made by dad yesterday is also left, but I want to give myself the option of not going to get bread tomorrow either. So I’ll finish this post here, leaving the period between May 15 and 20 for another time. After all, two notable events happened then, and it’s not like I had any chance to write about them and post this before midnight anyway.

On a recommendation, this likely marks the start of a year or so of nonfiction, translated too, and it was far easier to read and less infuriating than I thought. Current Leftist views of economics are necessary, the first part explains well and the facts and figures and explanations, as well as some of the points made, remain positive aspects throughout. The attacks on economists, by an economist, were also rather refreshing, as was the statement that the current supposedly meritocratic justifications of inequality are worse than the past ones. And saying that refusing to deal with numbers, and I’ll add also politics, rarely goes in favor of the poor is a good ending.
However, some parts are too technical, many of each chapter’s, if not each part’s, points could have been made in a handful of pages, much space which could have been better filled with some of the things strangely left in an on-line “annex” seeming wasted, and part four seems rather a train of thought, even a mind dump, just pushing one idea and going this way and that around it. But the main problem is that, while pointing out the inherent flaws of capitalism, it clearly states, and proves throughout, that it doesn’t actually attack it, nor inequality in itself for that matter, instead aiming to just tweak systems that are inherently flawed and need replacing. It also focuses almost exclusively on the rich, barely mentioning the rest and the means of improving their situation. There are also indefensible stances, like repeatedly emphasizing the benefits of population growth, enough on its own for me to consider the author an opponent; continual, albeit weak, growth in general being seen as, well, possible; or repeatedly stating the positive effects of inflation, with too little attention paid to the devastating effects it can have on the savings and plans of regular people. Then again, what’s clearly indefensible is that it starts by basically praising subjectivity even when it comes to such fundamental matters that define a society… And including conclusions in the introduction is not a good practice either.

Rating: 3/5

Since it got too late and I couldn’t manage to write the comments about the top ten entries in my classification in the previous post, I’m adding them now. I guess adding comments about each of the songs would more properly justify making a separate post, but that’s not going to happen, and the rather poor level of the entries would make it pretty pointless anyway, the only one I ranked below tenth place that I’d want to mention being Albania, since I quite liked the song, with the exception of that instrumental bit, and it was definitely performed well, the low position being caused by the low show value. And now that I did mention it, I can move on to the top ten.

With no entry standing out, Greece struck me as possibly having the better overall package, with a decent, catchy song performed well enough and notable show value, albeit obtained thanks to camera tricks. I must admit that, since it was tied with Norway according to my rating system and I found that I couldn’t really make up my mind between the two on the spot, I decided to put the one obtaining the better position in the actual classification first, but now that I listened to them again I can say that putting Greece ahead was quite clearly the right decision either way.
When it comes to Norway, my opinion kept improving, from thinking it was a poor choice, clearly worse than the other two I happened to see from that national final, to seeing it at the top of the list, albeit, again, merely as a result of a reasonably good overall package in a competition of a relatively poor level. Still, having it tie for first place might have also been a result of overcompensating while trying to not allow the marks to be affected by the fact that the guy’s mannerisms and even his face strike me as asking for punches, as the saying goes. Either way, I’ll say again that, regardless of how I reached it, the decision to put it below Greece in the end was the correct one.
Being the only one of my top ten that actually ended up in the top five, I already wrote about Ukraine in the previous post, but I’ll say again that such an entry is quite a risk but it worked out nicely for them. I’m bothered by the language and the singer probably shouldn’t have been so static, but the song is interesting, possibly also because there weren’t other similar ones this year, it was performed well and also had a good enough show value.
The only other entry from my top ten that actually ended up in the top ten is Finland and, while it’s rather too harsh for me, sounds like American mainstream metal, which I’d normally consider a bad thing, and could have been performed better as well, I’m quite pleased when I see such entries doing well. And it definitely seemed better than Italy…
Germany seems to have sent what’s pretty much the opposite of Finland’s entry, and it’s just a fun performance that also has something to say and is memorable for a few different reasons. It’s probably not something that should be rewarded with a particularly high position, and being fifth for me is another result of the rather poor level of the competition, but I do believe it should have ended up way higher than it did.
In case of the United Kingdom, I don’t agree with my own marks, and that negative modifier is a particularly strong one, indicating that it was clearly below the level such marks would normally indicate, but the song wasn’t actually bad or badly performed and they made some effort for the show value as well, so I just couldn’t place it any lower. At the same time, having it last, with zero points from both juries and voters, hardly seems fair either.
Spain had clearly the best song from this series of automatically qualified entries that I placed well but ended up at the bottom of the actual classification, and with zero points from voters. It actually struck me as one of the better songs of the competition, dragged down by the relatively low show value, that floating Moon only managing to save it from actually getting a bad show rating. Sure, it shouldn’t have been at the top, but I really can’t explain why it ended up at the bottom, I’d say not even if I’m to think of reasons that have nothing to do with the entry itself.
Bulgaria is one of those unpleasant surprises I mentioned at the start of the previous post, the same artist being selected but the song not rising to the level of the one entered in what should have been last year’s competition. It’s still a rather soothing piece with a message, and maybe the differences aren’t great, but it’s enough to be disappointing. Much more could have been done for the show value as well, but the overall package nevertheless remains better than most of this year’s other entries.
Back to that series of automatically qualified entries that I placed well but ended up at the bottom of the actual classification, and with zero points from voters, it ends with The Netherlands, and I again fail to see why it did so badly. No, it wasn’t one of the better songs, but it wasn’t bad either, it again had a message, it didn’t exactly lack show value, and again, it’s not like there were many good entries this year to say that it was poor by comparison.
As for Portugal, it struck me as the sort of entry that juries would like, but which could have some public appeal as well. I guess I overestimated that public appeal to some extent, but it did end up in the first half, which is fair enough for an entry of this kind… It’s those that ended up much higher that are surprising…