In the early hours of October 16, I did get back to the kitchen at the usual time after using the toilet and washing after making a few more edits to what I posted just before midnight, to get rid of any bits of hair left after shaving my head, but then I filled the form that I thought I was going to need when I went to renew my ID card, also had plenty more to wash and clean in the kitchen, not even finishing all of it, and mainly used lettuce for the salad, all of these leading to eating dinner between 3:40 AM and 4:40 AM. And then I still had to shave, so I only got in bed at 5:35 AM. But I wasn’t woken up by the workers and somehow didn’t wake up when dad left in the morning either, only doing so when he got back, just before 10:10 AM. So I got up at that point, also did the day’s squats… And at one point I heard heavy things smashing against the external blinds and a worker yelling that they’ll break windows. Either way, we had to leave, dad also needing to be there to confirm that I live at this address, and that place closed at 3 PM and we didn’t know how long we’ll have to wait in line… And dad assumed that we’ll go by car while I assumed that we’ll walk, and while he seemed to agree to walk by the time we left, a few minutes after noon, when we stepped outside he looked at the car and said that he kept thinking about it, and that it was rather late and it was going to take well over half an hour to get there on foot, so we ended up taking the car anyway… But we didn’t save that much time, needing about a quarter of an hour to get there but then spending some ten more minutes driving around, looking for a free parking spot, and then we had to walk a short distance from it as well, so we actually arrived after 12:30 PM.
Since dad asked someone who was waiting in line outside one of the entrances whether that was for requesting and was told that it was for picking up, we initially went through the other entrance… Only to be told that everything that had to do with ID cards was done in the first room after all, so I waited there while dad went out to ask again, coming back to get me after confirming that we should go there after all. And then I just stood there while he was asking more questions and trying to make sure that our turn won’t be skipped, since nothing was listed on the displays, nobody seemed to care about the order numbers that could be taken from the machine, and it turned out that only two of the offices took people without appointments, if and when they could squeeze them between or after those who did have appointments. So, just like in 2008, I’d have probably never gotten through without dad there, and as we were waiting I was getting increasingly anxious and had to pretty much withdraw inside myself. Either way, since after our turn came we were told that the fee had to be paid at the machine from the nearby Mega Image, dad went to pay while I had to get back to waiting, being told that they couldn’t take my information without the fee being paid. And I think that the people who were taken next had to leave as well, I think because they were missing some documents, though I’m not exactly certain. And when dad got back he came along with another man and said that he was actually ahead and had helped him use that machine as well, so we waited some more, eventually ending up being received at the other office. But at least everything seemed to go smoothly after that, and the form that I had filled and the copies made of the documents weren’t even needed, the employee just typing everything, and also taking the picture… The problem being that I was in no state to really check that everything was correct.
I’m not sure which side of 1:25 PM it was when we walked out, but the whole thing took close to an hour either way. And then we went our separate ways, since my grandmother had given dad her old prayer book quite some time ago, asking him to have it restored, and he didn’t even know where it was anymore, so I had looked up some places where it could be done and one that supposedly actually focused on religious books wasn’t far from there, and I had found the book and taken it with me, so I went there, picking up two recyclables on the way… But all I saw at that address was some investment firm, at least according to the name. Admittedly, there was another name on the buzzer, but that seemed to be a private home, and while it’s possible that those were the restorers, I wasn’t about to ring and ask, so I walked away.
On the other hand, a good thing did come out of going there, since I had to pass by a charity shop that I had meant to check out for years, and they even had everything at half price those days, so I entered and, after a look at a few decorations, and even DVDs, I was pleasantly surprised not just by the sheer number of books, but also by the fact that they even had books in English. And the prices would have been reasonable for used books even without the 50% discount, so I ended up getting The Cardinal’s Blades and The Alchemist in the Shadows. I saw that there is one more in the series, which I couldn’t spot there and couldn’t get myself to ask whether they knew if they had it, plus that it’s originally in French, so what I got was an English translation, and it seems to be a swashbuckling adventure in an alternate history setting with some magical elements, but I got something and the money will probably be put to some good use. Another book that caught my attention there was Shadowmarch, but I couldn’t tell whether it was part of a series right away and having more pages than the two that I bought put together but costing half of the price of one of them made me wonder whether something was wrong with it, and I couldn’t sit there and check page by page to see whether any were missing or anything like that, so I left it there.
After taking quite some time to put the books in the backpack, using the moment to collect myself to some extent, I went to Carrefour, entering with the backpack, putting those two recyclables in the machine, and then just cashing in the voucher. And then, since I had dad’s metro card, I took the metro to Dristor, picking up two more recyclables and putting them in the machine from Carrefour Park Lake. Since it was about 4 PM when I got there and there’s a note stating that machines are unavailable during two intervals, one of them being 4 PM to 4:15 PM, in order to be cleaned, I was worried that I won’t be able to do it, but while one machine was off and the other was in use by a person who had a lot of recyclables, she actually stopped to let me put mine in when she saw that I only had two. And then I bought a few expiring products, all of them being discounted by 50%, before going to pee, since it seemed like too much of a risk to try to walk back from there without doing so. And then, mainly because I had found those 10 RON the previous week and since I didn’t have to rush anymore, I decided to look for buskers that I could give some money to in the park, actually having one guy in mind… But I just wandered around for quite some time without spotting any, which was odd. And I had passed by one just before reaching the mall, but he seemed to have walked away for a moment and was just returning at that point, and while I did consider going back there and checking what he was singing or playing before going in the park, I decided against it and doing so after walking out of the park would have meant quite a detour, so I didn’t.
After picking up one more recyclable just when I got here, it was almost 5:10 PM when I got back the first time. And dad obviously wanted to see what had happened outside, so when he was quite sure that the workers had left we went out on the balcony, seeing that they had finally moved the delimiter between our balcony and the neighbor’s a few centimeters, since they had initially made ours even smaller, albeit by very little, even though we had noticed that it had been smaller to begin with. They also finally started rebuilding it, but with some flimsy things that didn’t even seem to be positioned properly… Not that anything else is. As for what had fallen, we found what looked like rocks, probably being chunks of balconies or windowsills, scattered around, and the bug net from the other bedroom was quite torn in one place, but at least there was no actual damage to that window or to my blinds. Either way, I then put the purchases in their place, sliced the breads which I had bought for dad two days earlier, ate lunch, and left again at 7:40 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the bathroom light which had burned out last month while still under warranty. And I think that I picked up one more recyclable on the way to the nearest Penny, where I put all of them in the machine, entered with that light, and just cashed in the voucher.
I picked up another recyclable after walking away from there, but the problem was that I felt quite cold and already needed to pee again by then, the situation becoming quite desperate while I was on the metro, so it was such a relief when I saw toilets after getting off at Nicolae Teclu. There was no soap, but it’s not like I expected to find any in a public bathroom from a metro station, so I just washed my hands with water after peeing, then went to the store that I had purchased that light from early last year and told the person from the service desk what the problem was. However, the coworker she called to check whether they had any in stock to replace it with said that the system showed zero, but she nevertheless went to have a look, coming back with the model with warm light, saying that they only had that one at that point and asking whether I accepted it as replacement, pointing out that I will notice the difference. And, if I was initially thinking to say that if they thought that they’ll have that exact model back in stock soon, I could leave some contact information and come back to pick up the replacement when they’ll notify me that it arrived, I eventually agreed, since I did move the other one with cold light at the main bathroom and warm light is fine for the small bathroom. And the price had increased a little, so getting the money back, which was the other option initially offered by the employee from the service desk, wouldn’t have exactly helped. But, after seeming to want to make a point to her coworker that she had to force the system to accept a replacement with these differences, she managed to do it, the result being that it was considered a new sale, so the new one has its own two-year warranty, starting that day.
After putting that new LED tube in the backpack, I also put that recyclable in the machine from Kaufland, but then I continued to Auchan, entering with the backpack and getting some better vinegar and a pumpkin, cheating the scales just enough to make up for that label with the deposit symbol “eaten” by one of their recycling machines back in August, before returning to Kaufland, putting the pumpkin and vinegar in a cabinet, and peeing again, getting soap from the men’s but ending up washing my hands in the room for disabled people, since the water was barely trickling in the men’s, as well as in the baby changing room. It was past 9:35 PM when I entered the store, once again with the backpack, and then I got a few black radishes that had a great evening discount and a few expiring products, which included a nice cake. I waited until after 10:15 PM, but there were no new or increased evening discounts, so after also using the voucher received for that recyclable when I paid, I had even retrieved what I had in the cabinet a few minutes before closing time, but I still needed to use the emergency exit, the main doors being already locked. Either way, after walking out I used a table to arrange everything, but since I had to wait for quite a while for the metro I used that time to do a better job of it.
After getting off at Dristor, I picked up a recyclable and put it and the pumpkin in a cabinet from that non-stop Mega Image, entering with the backpack, where I had everything else… But I just wasted some time, seeing no bakery discounts, nothing discounted by 90%, and nothing interesting among what was discounted by 50%. So I then retrieved what I had in the cabinet, picked up one more recyclable on the way, and entered this nearby Mega Image several minutes after 11:30 PM, seeing plenty of bakery products with the 90% discount, so I’m thinking that they had just placed those labels, and getting some, just leaving the bags behind me, next to the shelves, before reaching the bakery area and picking them back up before going to the checkout.
I was back for good at 11:50 PM and found a note left by dad stating that he had gone to bed and set the alarm to ring at 1 AM to continue working. So I installed the new light in the small bathroom, leaving that old one once again as a spare, arranged the apples in the fridge, making room for the pumpkin, ate an old orange and that cake, and put the purchases in their place, meaning to wait for dad to wake up before cleaning the litter box, in case Liza would also wake and go again, and going to the bathroom. However, at 1 AM he just turned off the alarm, and while I waited a little longer, in case he had just snoozed it, he seemed to have just turned it off and continued sleeping, so I eventually cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, and it was 1:25 AM when I went to wash. I was done a little after 2 AM, but it was almost 2:20 AM when I went back to the kitchen, and then I also washed what was there and moved something into a jar… And dad only got up at 3:30 AM. Either way, I ate dinner between 4:45 AM and 5:30 AM and got in bed at 6:40 AM.
At least the workers generally seemed to only make small noises in this area and after only actually waking up once, right at noon, to pee, it was 4:07 PM when I got up, after hearing a worker shout that it was 4:10 PM. Admittedly, I had been awake for an hour or so at that point. And the following day I could once again sleep quite well, even if I was woken up a few times by some brief drilling, and the workers seemed to be stomping outside my window, yet I somehow managed to get back to sleep relatively quickly in spite of that. However, when dad got back in the evening he said that he had just talked to someone about the windows and they had apparently written down that they had taken all measurements and the plan was to install the new ones on October 21! That guy had told dad that if they couldn’t enter they had probably taken the measurements from outside, but they couldn’t have done that for my window, considering the external blinds, and the issue is with how it opens, because the new one absolutely must open the same way, and they clearly couldn’t see that without coming here. So it was apparently agreed that they’ll try to come and have a look on the morning of October 20 and see whether anything could be changed, though that guy was trying to get dad to give in and just accept the model that they had ordered for everyone, but the other option would probably be for him to just sign that the window had been changed without it actually happening, especially since my blinds would make the difference invisible from outside if I’ll know to keep them down when it’ll be checked. Either way, the following day I could really sleep.
The plan for the morning of October 20 was that if the guy would call dad before 9 AM and say that he was coming over to measure the windows, he’ll wake me then, while if he won’t call by 9 AM then dad will call him and see what’s going on. But the noise started and woke me even before 8 AM, and while I did manage to get back to sleep, I only got some brief and agitated naps before a couple of seconds of particularly loud drilling woke me again with quite a start at 9:30 AM, at which point I went to talk to dad and learned that the guy had admitted that they hadn’t actually measured our windows and said that he couldn’t do so then but was going to come the following day, take the measurements, and then do everything properly, obviously at a later time. However, while there was no more of that awfully loud drilling, there was still a fair amount of noise and I couldn’t get back to sleep at all, eventually deciding to get up just before 10:45 AM, though I took it easy and it was past 11 AM when I actually got out of bed again. And then I did the day’s squats, ate a particularly large piece of baked pumpkin and a little chocolate, and spent a little time on the computer, getting back in bed at noon, hoping to be able to take advantage of the workers’ break… But the noise from upstairs continued, so it was hard to get back to sleep, and then I took brief and very agitated naps, filled with bad dreams and during which I seemed to remain aware of the noise and of the uncomfortable positions I was twisting myself into, so it’s like only part of my brain was asleep. Either way, it was several minutes after 2 PM when I got back up, and then I ate lunch and left at 4:30 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up two more on the way to Penny Titan.
The machine from there wasn’t working, but I didn’t mean to use anyway, so I put the recyclables in a cabinet, without locking it, and while I was looking for the large bags of cat litter that were on sale and couldn’t find any, I bought one expiring product for dad, putting it in the backpack before retrieving the recyclables and picking up two more that were left next to the machine. Then I checked the next Penny as well, seeing that the machine was working but once again putting the recyclables in a cabinet that I didn’t lock, entering with the backpack, but still not seeing any of that cat litter, so I just retrieved the recyclables and continued to Auchan, where I finally put them in a machine.
After once again entering with the backpack, I saw five of those nice breads that were on sale those days. And when I weighed them I found that, while the listed weight is 400 grams, four had about 480 and the remaining one over 460, if not almost 470, so I took all of them. And I also took a cabbage… Which I’m yet to touch, and cabbage is now cheaper in Carrefour, but I had no way to know that then. Either way, I also added two heads of garlic, at full price, since at least it was listed as Romanian. And then I wasted a fair bit of time, first because the woman who was ahead of me at the self-checkout forgot one product on the belt and after telling her to go ahead and pay for that as well I realized that I had also meant to check whether certain dishwashing sponges were on sale, so I walked away to do that only to see that they weren’t. Then, after going back and scanning the purchases, entering that I had five of the breads but realizing just in time that the machine had for some reason only registered one and adding the rest, so I didn’t have to make a separate transaction or call an employee, I also used the voucher received for the recyclables and then threw it away before walking out of the checkout area, forgetting that the machine had required quite a number of tries before accepting the oddly-shaped bottle which I had picked up and I had been uncertain whether it had actually counted it, so I meant to have a look on that voucher and try to figure it out. So I wanted to get back there after arranging the purchases, and when I couldn’t quite do so when other customers walked out, I put my things in a cabinet and went back in through the entrance, retrieving that voucher, walking back out when someone else did, retrieving my things, and eventually realizing that everything had indeed been counted.
Well, I then wasted even more time by checking that Penny as well, putting my things in a cabinet that I once again didn’t lock but still not finding any of that cat litter. And I noticed that the guard had his eyes on me as I retrieved my things, so I nodded and greeted him as I stepped away from the cabinets and he asked me to show him what I had in my pockets, but was satisfied and waved me through after I just pulled one empty bag out of one.
Then I continued to Supeco, finding just one more recyclable in that parking lot and putting it in the machine before putting my things in a cabinet that I still didn’t lock, though that was because none of the padlocks seemed to work. I had mainly gone there for tea, which I got, but I also spotted some small discounts if you got two packs of dishwashing sponges, and also for two large bags of salt, so I got those as well… At which point I realized that only the bags used for the recyclables were in the jacket’s pockets, the rest being in the backpack, which was in the cabinet, so it was a struggle to hold on to everything while wandering around a little longer and then getting to the checkout, and then I still had to throw the bags of salt into one of those bags that I wouldn’t normally want to use for purchases, because I’d have held up the line if I’d have struggled to pick everything back up just in my hands… And then, after retrieving my things, taking quite a long time to arrange everything, and even struggling to get the full and heavy backpack on, I realized that I had forgotten to use the voucher received for that recyclable, and I go there way too rarely to leave it for another time, so I put everything back, needing to use two cabinets, and went back to cash it in before retrieving everything again.
I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go next, and I also hit a few dead ends as I tried to save a little bit of time by using the alleys between buildings, and when I spotted a bench I stopped to add the teas in the backpack as well. And then, after coming part of the way back but realizing that I had no time to do so if I wanted to reach the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM in time for the discounts of 90%, I went straight there, picking up a few more recyclables on the way and getting there a few minutes before 9 PM.
The employee was placing the 90% discount labels on bakery products at that point, so I once again put my bags in a cabinet that I didn’t lock, entered with the backpack and the recyclables, and went there to look, picking up some buns after the employee was done with that side of that area. She told me to wait before taking them to the checkout, not commenting further after I said that I will, but when another woman tried to get something, she really snapped at her, telling her to let her finish before taking anything, and they argued a little, until that woman walked away. That made me put back those buns and walk away to take a basket… Only for a young woman to grab all of the buns before I returned, and the employee didn’t say anything to her, so when she reached for even more products I said that in that case I’ll jump in as well and reached over to grab something else before she could. And, after the employee was done and the other customers walked away from there, I saw that one of the remaining bags contained one of those apple pastries along with one of another kind that I didn’t want, so I took an empty bag, slid that other pastry in it, without touching it, and then carefully removed the discount label printed for it from the first bag and placed it on that new one… By which point the cart with the other products that had that discount had been pretty much emptied, only a few uninteresting products being left in it while a couple of people had full baskets.
Either way, I then finally put the recyclables in the machine and then used the voucher when I paid for those bakery products, being surprised when the cashier, who had just taken over from a coworker when my turn came, asked for less than what the total should have been, and she meant to throw the receipt away, but I reached for it and she handed it to me, and after checking it I realized that, while two of the bags contained multiple products and had an equal number of labels, she had only scanned one for each. But I didn’t let her know, just retrieving what I had in the cabinet and then adding the new purchases and arranging them, the problem being that the bag where I had the bread from Auchan got torn when I took it out of the cabinet but I still had to use it, so I had to be careful from then on.
I actually considered coming back at that point, but I nevertheless continued to Kaufland as well, picking up a few more recyclables on the way and putting them in the machine from there before putting the purchases in a cabinet and peeing, having to go to the women’s to wash my hands, since there was no soap in the men’s. I think it was 9:45 PM when I entered the store, though I’m not quite certain. Either way, I got bananas, which had a good evening discount, and a few tomatoes, even if those had a lower one… And I was surprised to hear an announcement about 50% discounts on some bakery products. But they were indeed only for some products, and I wasn’t interested in anything, especially after getting used to the 90% discount from Mega Image. So I moved on, adding two of those cheap yogurts and a pack of two toothbrushes… And one of the tomatoes fell out of the bag before I placed it on the scales at the self-checkout, so the machine didn’t accept them as the correct product at first, but then kept telling me to place the tomatoes on the scales after I added it, so I had to call an employee over to override the error. Then I confirmed that the 33% discount applied correctly for the toothbrushes, used the voucher received for the recyclables, and was done a few minutes before closing time, but retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging once again took a while.
Then I went to that Mega Image as well, leaving the bags next to the cabinets, entering with the backpack, and getting a few more bakery products, along with one more thing that was also discounted by 90%. Then I retrieved my things and, after walking out, I went to a bench and took my time to arrange everything properly. And I picked up some more recyclables on the way back… But I didn’t react in time when I passed by a man who was carrying large bags full of them, thinking too late that I should have given him at least one of those bags of bakery products that I had been charged less for and not turning around to get back to him and try to do so. And I didn’t spot other homeless people after that, so I kept everything… And in fact added a bag of buns and one more sweet pastry after checking the nearby Mega Image as well, entering when it was past 11:30 PM, leaving the bags next to the recycling machine, entering with the backpack, buying those things without waiting for the receipt, and then retrieving the bags.
I got back just before 11:45 PM, with just about 26.5 kg, and I only weighed 46 kg… At least assuming that what the scale eventually displayed was correct, since it refused to turn on and it took me quite a while to manage to get it to work. Either way, I then cleaned the litter box and went to drop what I had gathered down the chute, put some of the purchases in their place, ate a banana and the apple pastry, and it was a few minutes after 1:30 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. I was done at 2:25 AM, but I only got back to the kitchen at 2:45 AM, and then it took a long time to put all of the purchases in their place… At which point I saw that we still had regular dishwashing sponges, the scrubbers being what we’re almost out of. But it’s not like those go bad, so I added them there, then washed what was in the kitchen, and it was several minutes past 4 AM when I finally started working on dinner, which I ate between 5 AM and 5:50 AM, while writing notes about the day. And then I also gathered my clothes and arranged some more in my room and in the kitchen, going to bed at 6:55 AM.
Things looked bad when I was woken up by loud noises at 8:50 AM, but then the noise died down and I could get back to sleep until more loud noises woke me again at 10:10 AM and kept me awake, though it was past 10:30 AM when I got up, after a particularly loud moment. However, dad said that he hadn’t heard anything from the guy who was supposed to come and measure our windows, so after a while I tried to get back in bed, since things were quieter. It still took me a pretty long time to fall asleep again, but then I could stay asleep, only waking up again several minutes after 1:30 PM, at which point I asked dad about any updates and he said that he was just about to wake me, since the guy had said that he was going to come at 2 PM… But it was past 3 PM when he actually came, and I hope that it was clear that I wanted my window to still open the same way, but I was left very uncertain about the size, how it’ll fit, also considering the external blinds, and what will be left to do inside after the change. Either way, I slept for some two more hours, if not a little more, in the evening…
The following morning really was bad, however. I woke up when dad left, which he had said should have been around 7:45-7:50 AM, though I didn’t check at that point, and then the noise was just awful. I even thought that it might have already started before he left, but he said that it hadn’t, so it must have been shortly after that, and then I was just curled in a ball, covering my ears, for a long time, only checking and seeing 9:05 AM when there was a first short break. And then, after peeing, I got back in bed, but while the short breaks were more frequent, getting back to sleep for any amount of time was completely out of the question, not that doing so for mere moments only to be startled awake in that manner yet again would have been a good idea anyway, so just after 10 AM I got on the computer, getting back in bed at noon, hoping to take advantage of the workers’ break. But some scraping could still be heard from above and, while I sort of briefly drifted off a couple of times, if I actually fell asleep again at all it must have been just before the loud noise started again, at 12:50 PM. And that noise was utterly terrible, paralyzing, and just relentless for just under an hour, so I remained curled up under the blanket, trying to cover my ears as well as I could, until I caught that first brief pause during which I got up. And then I actually went to the kitchen for a while, even if there were workers just in this area, one actually working on something right above that window for a while. And, to show the level of noise, I had to turn the TV’s volume to maximum and stand just in front of it to try to make out something while watching the news! At least I got some three hours of sleep after dad got back in the evening, getting up just before 12:45 AM.
At least things were different on October 23. There were still a few moments when loud noises woke me, and I also woke up when dad got back the first time, but those loud noises were brief and I always got right back to sleep… At least until just after 1:10 PM, when the relatively faint but frequent noises from upstairs did keep me mostly awake, so I just sort of drifted off a couple of times until what must have been shortly before 2 PM, when I did fall asleep again only to be woken by the alarm set to ring at that time. But there were no workers in this area either, so I felt more at ease as I had the usual stuff, though I replaced the yogurt with some kefir with a little bio (organic) beetroot and celery juice, even if it had expired two days earlier. I only wasted time on the toilet, but it wasn’t much of a concern after having gone before going to bed in the morning. So, after also eating two nicer biscuits, with added honey, and putting some things in the pocket of my tights, I left at 4:55 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 22°C, dropping to about 20° by the time I finished.
The time was 47:13.70, with sector times of 4:14.45, 4:58.00, 5:50 (5:49.90), 4:24.50, 4:59 (4:58.16), 5:45.87, 4:26 (4:25.25), 4:57.60, 5:48.25 and 1:52 (1:51.72), making for lap times of 15:02.35, 15:08.53 and 15:11.10. While I didn’t think that it was possible, I was, of course, hoping to get back under 48 minutes and pushed from the beginning, the first sector’s time being just fine… But it was the second sector that really gave me hope, and the first lap as a whole made me think that I might just have a chance. And those chances increased with every sector of lap two, and at the start of lap three I wondered whether I could even squeeze under 47:30. It seemed unlikely, but I once again wanted to know that I gave my best, so I really went for it and after two sectors it seemed that I was just about safe. But I wanted to make sure of it, meaning to be able to afford two minutes on the final sector, so I kept pushing, continuing to do so after the end of the lap, when I saw that I could even squeeze under 47:15. And I did, making this the best time since August, before the cold, and in fact the second best of the year.
I needed to snap my back before the run and couldn’t quite do it, but that actually wasn’t an issue once I got going, the first reason for concern being the pretty serious warnings from my right hip that appeared right after the first sector. But those went away quickly, the few other warnings given by other parts of that leg on sector two of lap two are barely worth mentioning, and otherwise I felt just fine, though I did make a mental note of the fact that I couldn’t keep up the sprint all the way to the end of the long straight of sector one of lap three. On the other hand, there were plenty of people, causing some notable issues, on top of plenty of weaving and going the long way around. On sector one of lap two, after moving to get around a kid on a scooter, I had to quickly avoid the other one, who turned in front of me. Then, at the end of the next sector, under the bridge, I had to slow pretty much to a walk as I squeezed between a little kid who was unsteadily pushing forward on a tricycle and the wall, that kid and the man having actually left the lane clear, but the older girl who was riding with them, just behind, being right on it. And on the next sector I briefly stopped when a guy started walking across the lane, then looked, stopped when he saw me, but then suddenly hurried ahead. He probably meant to clear the lane, but I had already committed to go around him on that side and therefore just about ran into him. And on sector two of lap three a roadblock formed in front of me and I had to squeeze around it on the grass, the fact that a dog was on that side making me walk for a couple of seconds, running right past it seeming like a risk. And the stairs, at the start of the final sector, were also quite crowded and I had to weave from one side to the other.
After the run, I continued to Park Lake, picking up two recyclables on the way, putting them in Carrefour’s machine, and having a quick look in a pet store and going to wash my hands before entering the store. I was mainly going there for dry beans, getting a kilogram even if they looked quite bad, but I added some other things as well, a voucher with 30% of the value being offered for some of them, so I first paid for those separately, to check that it was correct, and then made a second transaction for the remaining products, needing an employee to come and approve the sale of a deeply discounted beer which I had bought for dad and also using the voucher received for those recyclables. Then I arranged the purchases and started jogging back, though when I realized that I was going to easily get here before the start of the evening’s first match and a small group was ahead of me, I didn’t try to push past and just walked behind them until I reached this nearby Mega Image, deciding to dash in there to put the two recyclables picked up by then in the machine. But the machine wasn’t working, so I entered with everything and had a look at the expiring products, spotting something discounted by 50% that I ended up buying for dad.
It was almost 7:50 PM when I got back, so I was a few minutes late. Either way, at half time I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, picking up another recyclable and a part of one that also had the label with the deposit symbol, which I placed on one that we already had of that same kind but without the symbol. Then, after eating what was still good from a banana, putting some of the purchases in their place, doing the day’s squats, and just starting to nibble on a croissant, after the first match ended I rushed to wash, which led to missing the first ten minutes of the second. Then I ate the rest of that croissant, finished putting the purchases in their place, and ate most of a bag of peanuts, putting the rest in the salad, so I got 950 calories just from that. And I also made mamaliga, with eggs and cheese mixed in it, and stuffed myself at night. Unfortunately, a small spot on the bottom of the cast iron pot got burned pretty badly, which hadn’t happened in a long time.
The following morning, the noise actually started around 7:30 AM, with heavy movement on the scaffolding. There might have been a brief pause before they actually started working, because I eventually fell asleep again, but only briefly, since at 8:10 AM the drilling startled me awake. It wasn’t right here anymore, making it far less loud than two days earlier and no longer frightening, but there was no way to get back to sleep… Though there might have been another pause at some point, because I apparently did drift off, I don’t know for how long, before being woken up again at 9:25 AM and deciding to pee one more time and then get on the computer. The noise seemed to fade after a while, so at 10:20 AM I got back in bed, but there was another brief round of drilling just then and, either way, what had seemed entirely manageable while I was on the computer and listening to music on the headphones proved far less so while trying to get back to sleep, so I couldn’t. Then again, another reason was that the reality of what was going to happen really hit me, that my window will be changed, there will be workers here, changes to the apartment, the need to at least temporarily move furniture, and the uncertainty over how it’ll all end up after all. And then dad got up as well and after a while, I think at 11:25 AM, I went out and stayed there until he left, getting back in bed just before 12:20 PM, so I even missed a good part of the workers’ break. Still, over the next three hours I did manage to catch a number of naps, even if they were filled with bad dreams and I have no idea what they added up to.
As for today, I’m not sure exactly when the noise started, but it was roughly around 8 AM, and it was once again utterly terrible and terrifying, so quite a long time passed until I managed to crawl out of bed, at which point I saw that it was 8:37 AM. And then, since I had kept putting them off the previous day until I forgot to do them at all, I pushed myself to fight through the fear and stunning effect that noise had on me and do 200 squats before getting on the computer. But at least I made use of the time to write this, and after posting it I hope to at least get a chance to take a nap during the workers’ break.
