Cav's Place

Noticing that I’m doing the squats somewhat differently when I time them and push for speed, and it may be a worse way. Probably not by much though, and the effort sure is significant, and I do keep managing great times when I do time, so I’ll keep it up as a way to maintain this form I’m in, hoping everything will hold long enough. That 2:35 remains the record, but last Friday it was 2:42, the following day 2:41 and Wednesday even 2:38. Still just time when I happen to do them while watching a match though, using the time on the screen for that, and that may also make it impossible to get an exact time if there’s a replay when I finish, with the time not being displayed then, but that didn’t happen when I managed these at least.

This week’s run was yesterday, and it was the first of a series of at least three meant to get me to run earlier and on less sleep, seeing as so far I tended to start running around 4 PM and the half marathon will apparently start at 9 AM this time around, also meaning that I’ll need to leave earlier and therefore get pretty much no sleep at all. Wonder if there will even be any point in going to bed under those circumstances. But I’ll see what I’ll do then, for now the idea being to go a couple of hours earlier each time, this week waking up at 11 AM, or more exactly waking up several times, at 8 AM and 9:25 AM considering just getting up already, but eventually getting back to sleep and just turning off the alarm and getting up when I woke up yet again and saw 10:58 AM. Meant to start running at 1 PM, though it was 1:07 PM or so when I actually did, first because dad was using the bathroom when I wanted to go and then, while I probably could have just made it by rushing right out after I was done there, I asked him whether he could give me his metro card after I’ll be back, he asked whether I had been at the event I had tried to go to Tuesday evening and I ended up telling him a few things about the annoying guy who was behind me while I waited in line then, which led to losing those minutes.
It was warm and sunny, the reported temperature being around 18°C, so I just had the t-shirt on, and also ate what I normally do before a run, but it was rather windy in some areas, I didn’t feel in such a good shape when I started, had also done the day’s squats while dad was in the bathroom, which I assumed was going to make my legs a bit more tired, and couldn’t quite lighten the load as much as I should have when I did go to the bathroom after that, probably due to eating this different bread now, so I didn’t think I’ll manage this good of a time, in fact wondering how much I’ll have to struggle to even get under 48 minutes. However, it was the third time under 47 minutes, 46:48, with sector times of 4:14, 4:54, 5:43, 4:22, 4:53, 5:48, 4:22, 4:54, 5:49 and 1:49, making for lap times of 14:51, 15:03 and 15:05. And yes, I seem to be training my memory and have all the exact times once again, my stopwatch listing 46:48.96, with sector times of 4:14.20, 4:54.02, 5:43.59, 4:21.43, 4:52.99, 5:48.17, 4:21.93, 4:54.39, 5:49.03 and 1:49.21, making for lap times of 14:51.81, 15:02.59 and 15:05.35.

After getting back, I changed and left again, at 2:35 PM, to take back the last movie I still had, the Library being closed between April 26 and May 1 and the last day to return it being May 2, meaning that I wouldn’t have had any choice after that day, it’d have been either May 2 or being late, regardless of weather or access to dad’s metro card. That location was closing at 4 PM on April 25 too, but I was there early enough… After being stopped by the driver of an ambulance parked right at one end of that street, to ask me where it was, even if the name was even written on the building right across, which I also pointed out after telling him it was that one.
After that, meant to get the stuff I had settled on from that pharmacy, after deciding to just replace the thing which I apparently needed to stand in another line and ask for with something else that I had intended to avoid at first, but while there I also saw a cereal bar that also claims to contain magnesium and is also produced in Romania, and with a price that got the total to the exact amount I still had to spend for myself these days, so got that as well. If I mean to eat that right at the start of the half marathon, I should probably get another before then and try it first, but I’m not sure I will, and in fact not sure I’ll still find any if I’ll go later, since those who make them seem to make limited quantities of each product, changing what they offer every so often, and this specific kind isn’t listed as available anymore, being replaced with one that’s otherwise identical but uses different sweeteners.
Also meant to go to Auchan from there, to check the recycling machine and, if it was still there and worked, go back to grab the bottles and cans, after not getting that far the day before and dad saying he didn’t actually go look, only asking whether it still existed and being told that it did, when he last went there and I asked him to check, after the company managing these machines posted an announcement stating that, due to changes in legislation, they’re no longer able to accept certain things at all and will only continue to maintain some machines, hoping they’ll be able to work out a solution. But since I couldn’t also buy even one bread or tea anymore, even with what I’d get for those bottles and cans, I gave up on that thought and came right back… Also forgetting that I had meant to check the Carrefour from that area for garlic, using the little money I still had for stuff I won’t get just for myself. Remembered it when I was just about back here and it was too late.

Since I mentioned the day before, had to get yogurt then, and had noticed that another company, one making one thing I used to occasionally buy, also started producing bio (organic) yogurt and is currently selling it at a price that’s similar to that of regular yogurt, obviously trying to enter the market, so I meant to get some of that. And I did take most bottles and cans, but went out only a minute or two before the free bus should have arrived and either missed it or it was very late, since I waited for seven minutes or so and then decided to walk. However, since I was walking, I went through this other farmers’ market, where I recalled that this company had a store, or at least there seemed to be many of their products at low prices, and saw that, while they didn’t have any of the 400 g cups that I meant to get, they had one 900 g bucket at a price that was a fair bit lower than what I had seen on Auchan’s site, and just 0.10 RON above the price of two 400 g cups from there. It was the only one and the best before date was April 30, which is something of a problem, but I decided to buy it anyway. Didn’t get any receipt and of course I couldn’t get myself to demand one, just coming right back from there, with those bottles and cans as well, leaving them on the balcony until I will eventually get to Auchan. Not that there wasn’t a recycling machine at that market as well, and I actually had a look and saw that it worked, but no idea how those “public” ones work in terms of what you’re given and didn’t care to figure it out.

Now let me get to the good before the bad, or at least the annoying, and mention that Saturday night I won another game, Egypt: Old Kingdom, on another giveaway on the GOG.com forum. At least this one wasn’t organized by that same guy, so I actually didn’t feel awkward or guilty about it. And it actually was after midnight when the code was sent, so I’m definitely listing this one as having been obtained on April 21.
Otherwise, on the actual day of April 21, I considered going to a protest against a park from the area being torn down and permits for something to be built on it likely being granted, but it was again in the morning, from 11 AM, and I eventually decided against waking up for anything when dad said he’ll go to Auchan and buy what the cats needed, among many other things, that day. Since he had mentioned running out of one kind of cat food and I had also seen another event, presenting one of the relevant candidates of the alliance I’ll grudgingly vote for, one that may or may not make it, I had meant to connect the things if I’ll have the metro card, but just gave up on all of it if he went there. With children being the focus of that protest, since at the moment it’s the playground that was torn down, the trees still standing for the time being, I was wary of that protest anyway, mainly meaning to just sign the petition that they announced will be signed there. However, that may still be signed and people are in that park, gathering signatures, each evening, though at the moment it seems to only be for one hour each evening and I didn’t go there then. Walked right past that area when I went to get that yogurt, but it was way too early.

And this leaves Tuesday, when I meant to connect a few things together, since dad had said he’ll be back at 3 PM or 4 PM and not need the metro card until late in the evening. He was actually back around 4:30 PM, but I had also seen that Library locations were closed that day, so I couldn’t take that DVD back anyway, and he also brought apples, which I had also meant to go to the farmers’ market for, so I could save quite a bit of time and therefore wasn’t worried at all when I left, at 4:50 PM, also taking the recyclables. This did go badly right away, since I decided to ignore the new bin that was recently placed across the road, since it’s for all kinds of recyclable materials, and still use the separate ones for paper and plastic that I normally use, but when I got there I didn’t find them anymore, nor did I find the next ones I knew should have been not too far from there. So I went to look for the buried ones I had spotted at one point, as they were closer than this new bin, but when I found them I saw that they were overflowing, leaving me to somehow struggle to squeeze the plastic, metal, cardboard and one large paper bag in them and just leave the rest of the paper next to them, in the trash bag I had carried it in. Still, it was 5:15 PM when that was done and I still assumed I had plenty of time.
Considering where I was, my plan to first go to the Carrefour at Obor again, to look for some discounted, expiring, yogurt, changed, so instead of making my way back to the metro station from there I kept going, heading for this pharmacy first. A taxi honked and the driver called me an idiot for crossing that way when I crossed the street on the crossing that’s at the exit of that park, not even rushing, making an old man who was walking past also wonder out loud what his problem was and point out the crossing. After that, decided to just keep going on this street instead of taking my usual route to that pharmacy, and checked out the Carrefour from that area first, ending up pointlessly crossing twice on the way, since I had forgotten that there was no crossing on one side of that intersection. Not that checking out that Carrefour wasn’t pointless in itself. At least helped a guy who was trying to carry too many things in his hands and dropped some packaged tomatoes right in front of me, seeming to not even have a way to pick them back up without setting other things down, but not sure I didn’t break the packaging and/or squish a tomato as I grabbed the package in order to hand it back to him.
Then, just to prove that once something messes up in my mental map, it stays messed up for the rest of the day, got a bit confused on the way to that pharmacy too, but figured that out soon enough… And then just lost a lot more time for no reason after getting there. Had looked some things up, searching for something cheap with magnesium and potassium and selecting such a product that wasn’t one of those that are heavily promoted, which I normally want to avoid, but when I got there I found that manufacturer’s other products but not that one. That was strange, since the site clearly stated that it was in stock at that location and that pharmacy normally has the products arranged on shelves according to brand, so I searched thoroughly, but eventually realized I had to ask and, after waiting around for a while, managed to work up the courage to do so, the employee seeming to not know that product but looking it up and confirming that it was indeed in stock but on the “pharmacy” side, as in where you need to ask for things. That was strange, since it’s just a supplement, not a drug, and she checked the ingredients and agreed with me that it shouldn’t be there, but said that it’s just how it was categorized for some reason, so that’s where I’ll find it… Which made me just give up on the idea, not even getting the other thing I had already picked up, since it was after 6 PM and there were huge lines even on this side, waiting in two, the other likely being even longer, being out of the question.
It was 6:30 PM when I got out… And just wasted some more time getting to that Carrefour at Obor and back, since I couldn’t find what I was looking for there. And what made it even more frustrating was that when I got to the metro station, after leaving the pharmacy, I just watched the train leave. What’s more, that was one of the three I just missed that evening, though the only one I actually saw, in the other two cases seeing the timer listing less than a minute since the last train when I got there. There was a somewhat funny moment at one point though, when a girl wearing a t-shirt saying “better late than never” ran to the train only to have the doors close right before she reached it. The guy she was with was just walking normally behind her though, so if she’d have somehow made it, he’d have been left there, but I guess he realized she had no chance.

In spite of all the lost time, I was nevertheless back here at 7:25 PM and, after peeing and grabbing the book which should have been the “entry fee” for the World Book Day event I meant to attend, back out at 7:30 PM, therefore sticking to what had been my original plan. The idea was to get there around 8 PM, which I assumed would give me plenty of time to get in and have a look around, since this time around there wasn’t going to be a book exchange, but instead Arcul de Triumf was open for visitors, with the interior supposed to reflect the moment, involving things related to books and reading. Since I didn’t mean to be back before 10:15 PM or so, which was when dad needed the card back, if I’d have gotten out really early I considered going to Auchan for yogurt that evening, and as I was in the metro I even considered just giving up on that event and going to that Kaufland and that location of that pharmacy which I had decided against checking out when I picked up the books I had ordered, just in case things would be different there and I would be able to just pick up that product I was looking for. Decided against doing so and kept going to the event… Which was a bad choice.
Of course, went the wrong way again after exiting the metro station, at 8 PM, realized it quickly, went back, reached the location… And saw people waiting in a huge line. It was so long it didn’t even really register that it really was the line to wait in at first, and I wasted a few more minutes wandering around until I finally took my place at the end of it. It was chilly and windy and getting colder, and the line was moving slowly, but I still had some hope, thinking that if I’ll cross the street around 9 PM I should still just manage to get in, leave that book to be donated, since that’s what they said they’ll do with them, and have a very quick look before needing to leave. That was based on the fact that at some point I spotted what seemed to be people going right in after crossing the second time, so I thought that was at least an option, despite seeing the line go around after crossing that second time too otherwise.
Well, even if that’d have been true, it’d have been awfully tight, since I reached the first crossing at 9:10 PM but the guy who was there stopped us just when the couple ahead of me was about to cross, saying that even those who had crossed ahead of us shouldn’t have really done so and asking us to wait until the area between the two crossings will clear, which took some time. That should have really been my cue to give up, but I still waited, finally crossed, then crossed the second time, at 9:30 PM… And saw fences blocking the spot through which those I thought had gone right in seemed to have passed, the line indeed continuing around the corner and then snaking back and forth before actually reaching the entrance. And yes, this means I did wait to get around the corner to actually see that, meaning to at least donate the book, but by then it was 9:37 PM and I really couldn’t wait any longer if I wanted to get back in time, so I just gave up after wasting an hour and a half just in that line, running back to the metro station… And waiting some five minutes for the train. Was back here at 10:13 PM, after having pretty much completely wasted a total of almost five and a half hours.

But I can’t end this without mentioning the annoying guy who was right behind me all that time I spent in that line. Seemed to be in his late teens, but didn’t really look at him well, only glanced a couple of times. Definitely listened to him a whole lot though; not like I had any choice. The guy was there with his “mommy” and just talked and talked and talked, usually loudly, all that time. Started by berating his mother for not taking the portable power bank “in that large backpack” when his phone was not charged, to which she replied it wasn’t her responsibility and they took it back and forth for a while, but then he moved on to plays and being an actor, which he apparently was, also apparently having worked at least a bit with some of the bigger names and talking about some of their plays and roles. On the other hand, he also talked about becoming an actor, in the future tense. Mentioned a casting he hoped to pass at one point though. And his tone was overly theatrical much of the time. For a while he was rehearsing his part in a play, at first whispering, which was a relief, but then talking loudly again and telling his mother the lines of the other characters, to say back to him, and trying various ways to deliver the lines, asking her which was better. When he disagreed with her at one point, after trying a few different alternatives while she kept saying the first was better, he made his voice precisely into that of a little whiny spoiled brat when asking why and telling her he didn’t like that way.
Occasionally he fell back to what sounded like a show tune, also waving his arms around, at one point even hitting me a bit as he did so, and when his mother told him to stop at one point he replied with “but mommy, I am bored” in that overly theatrical voice. The one time he actually listened when his mother asked him to drop a subject was when, after saying that when he’ll be an actor and acting will take up all of his time he will pay someone to invent a time machine, he started talking about living somewhere, couldn’t catch exactly where, and after she asked him to keep it down a few times, making him start the same sentence at a lower volume until he was whispering, he, again very theatrically, announced he can’t speak like that, and then indeed dropped the subject when she said that in that case he should change that subject. Otherwise, repeated how bored he was quite a few times, was saying he hoped it was worth all this wait once they’ll get in and just constantly talked, loudly and often theatrically, and fidgeted. Almost said something a few times, perhaps most of all when he announced, after we had crossed that second time, that he was running out of topics to talk about, making me really want to turn around and say that in that case it’d be a very good opportunity for him to shut the fuck up already, but never could work up the courage…

When I first saw an article about BirthStrikers, I meant to share it and praise them after reading the title, then changed my mind completely and considered them another facet of what’s wrong in the world when I reached that part about not wanting to discourage people from having children or condemn those who do. At the time, after a brief moment of anger, I shrugged it off and moved on. But when I recently saw an article about this on a Romanian environmental news site, I ended up posting a lengthy comment about exactly why that’s wrong and shows nothing but hopelessness, and how that need not be true at all for those who are militant antinatalists for environmental reasons, and to some extent for reasons having to do with human society and the lives any potential children born now or in the foreseeable future are likely to have. And since I wrote all that, it would be quite a waste not to translate it, with a few edits, and post it here as well.

The problem with BirthStrikers is that part about them not considering this to be a solution, and showing solidarity with parents and not judging those who still choose to have children. Yes, not having children won’t in itself solve things, it’s far from sufficient on its own, but not creating any more humans until and unless we fix both the environment and human society is absolutely necessary in order to have a chance to solve any major problem.
A few hundred people who make the strictly personal choice not to have children because they’re terrified about the future prove only hopelessness, basically surrendering to the inevitability of that bleak future. It’s a message that’s pretty much the opposite of that sent by those, unfortunately extremely few, who say that overpopulation is a huge problem, the worst one as far as I’m concerned, and it needs to be solved in order to have a chance to solve the others, and for this to happen people must be stopped from having children, because it’s obvious that the other method of reducing population, increasing mortality, is not desirable.

Any human, whatever else they might do, has an environmental footprint, consumes resources and generates pollution. Usually, the better off the family and the more developed the region, the greater the footprint, but that footprint can and should also increase for those who are now poorer, as the very fact that they exist should grant them the exact same right to a decent standard of living. So, at the moment, the consumption patterns may actually make the overpopulation problem worse in countries with lower populations, including those experiencing a population reduction, since the drop is nowhere near fast enough, but this problem is constantly worsening in the rest of the world as well, as the standard of living improves. And, either way, the problem is global, no country being an island floating through space on its own, so that stance according to which this is only a problem elsewhere, for other nations, other ethnicities, other “races”, can’t in any way be justified.
Past that, yes, you obviously also consider the life those born now are likely to have, which is bad even if things won’t get even worse, especially if you compare humanity’s potential and what’s actually happening, how good things could be, considering our level of knowledge and development, and how they really are. And after that you may also add the fact that, seeing as future generations are likely to need to have environmental footprints that are a small fraction of current ones, ever harsher restrictions will be forced upon any children born before these problems are solved, making them in effect serve life sentences for the crimes committed by those who came before them, for which they’re not in the least to blame.
And then you have that idea that perhaps some of those children will come up with the solutions, which is a problem on the one hand because it takes the responsibility off our shoulders, away from those of us who are already here, and on the other because it marks a return to that search for miracle cures and messiahs which would still allow the rest of us to continue more or less as usual. But we already know the solutions, we just don’t like them, and even striving to find others would imply efforts and resources directed away from real improvements and development and wasted instead on mitigating the effects of problems we ourselves create, including simply because of our numbers.

So, as I was saying, to say that some hundreds of people created a movement to say that they won’t have children because the future is too bleak, but don’t consider that to be a solution and won’t judge others, shows nothing but hopelessness and surrender. Those are simply people who don’t think things could get better, who aren’t driven, or at least not anymore, to fight for that to happen.
On the other hand, claiming that a major part of the solution is to not have children, judging others based on this and demanding measures to be taken, stating firmly that nobody should be allowed to have children just because a necessary, albeit far from sufficient on its own, condition to have a chance to solve the problem is drastically reducing the population and you’d much rather not have that happen by killing people or allowing them to die unnecessarily, such as due to lack of access to needed resources or services or due to worsening conditions, is just the opposite. It states that you still have some hope that such a bleak future may yet be avoided, and that we, just those of us who are already here, have the responsibility to do everything in our power to achieve that. And it also shows that you truly care about a potential future generation, and you wish for it to exist only if and when the life it’ll be offered will be much better than the one we have, and the one those who came before us had, as it should be; only if and when it’ll no longer be asked to fix the damage we and those before us caused, pay for the crime while carrying none of the blame.

Obtaining the fastest time over 16 kilometers on the way to covering a half marathon distance and not even having a picture of it as proof couldn’t stand, right? So, the goal of yesterday’s run was to improve, the target times adding up to 1:16:40, though I also allowed for 1:16:45 and would have even been content with 1:16:46, just to squeeze under that previous record by any margin. Yet I managed 1:15:37, slashing 1:10 off that previous time! Sector times were 4:13, 4:55, 5:42, 4:21, 4:49, 5:44, 4:22, 4:59, 5:50, 4:26, 5:06, 5:52, 4:30, 4:59 and 5:49, making for lap times of 14:50, 14:54, 15:11, 15:24 and 15:18. Have the exact times for the first two laps too, and those were 4:13.06, 4:55.13 and 5:42.54, adding up to 14:50.73, and 4:21.01, 4:48.72 and 5:43.98, adding up to 14:53.71. So I have a new record for sector two, obtained on lap two, and also very good times on the first lap’s first sector and on that first lap overall. This is not a pace I could have maintained for another 5.1 km, but it’s again something I can definitely work with next month, and I even think that I’d have probably lost less than this 1:10 if I’d have tried to keep going, so I’d have likely beaten that time from two weeks ago, even if not by much.
Things didn’t look so good when I woke up, having set the alarm to 1:30 PM, because my right calf muscle and knee didn’t seem too happy, probably as a result of pushing like crazy after seeing that I had done the first 30 squats the previous evening in 50 seconds and finishing all 100 in 2:35, which is a new best time by far, after having matched that 2:46 two days before. But I had a plan to stick to and the forecast didn’t exactly give me any other options this week anyway, so I went out around 3:15 PM, after having milk instead of yogurt with my cereals and without adding the cocoa I tend to add when I specifically aim for a new record or go for a half marathon distance or more. And yes, my right leg held, the knee, that muscle and even that bone giving me a few warnings, especially over the last two laps in case of the knee, but nothing serious. I did try to spare it more on the last lap, but that was mainly because my liver started hurting around the time I started that lap, probably after pushing a bit on sector three of lap four, as after that lap’s first two sectors was the only time when I was a bit worried I could fall behind the target time for the lap, though clearly not also at the end. So I had to change my posture and snap my back the right way anyway, and had spared my left knee a fair bit until then, so I thought it should be all right to make it take the worst of it from then on, which proved to be the case.
The reported temperature was 14-15°C and there should have been little wind, but there was actually a fair bit of it and there were a few areas on each lap where it was a problem while I ran. But at least there was no rain, as there was some risk of a few drops but, while the sky went from partly to fully cloudy around the time I started lap four, nothing else followed, so it was just fine to stick to the t-shirt I run in lately and an undershirt, without having the jacket with me for the walk there and back. Otherwise, there weren’t many people, but they did still make me lose a bit of time, making me go the long way around or, quite a few times, having their dogs on long leashes and not following them when they went across the path, letting those leashes block the way as a result. Plus one particular group of parents with babies in prams that I had to get past multiple times as they walked very slowly and almost as much in a line as the width of the path allowed, only leaving one spot for others and therefore making it a problem if someone else was trying to get past them at the same time.
What was a bit weird, or at least awkward, was at the start of lap five, when three cyclists, which I at first assumed were mother and sons, overtook me as I was passing under the bridge. I thought they’ll be targets to aim for, helping me push harder as they’ll move away, but instead the woman told the boys to not pedal where the path slopes down for a bit, after the bridge, and then kept being quite slow, so I actually felt a bit held back as I stayed next to them, not able to get ahead and being blocked from going to the other side of the path as I’d normally do in that place. The boys glanced at me and tried to go faster, one went in front of me, but held back again after getting alongside the woman, seeming torn between wanting to be faster than me and not wanting to get ahead of her. But when the bike lane moves away from the path around the lake, going to an exit, the woman went that way while the boys continued, seeming released to be faster and finally starting to move away from me… For a few seconds, because just a bit later one of them couldn’t decide which way to go around someone, almost stopped and cut right in front of me as we both went around that person on the same side, making me tell him to make up his mind. Then the other one told him something I didn’t catch and they dropped back, and I think I noticed out of the corner of my eye that they turned on another path. They definitely weren’t behind me anymore a bit later, at least.

There was a potentially dangerous moment as I got out of the park, when I saw the light being green and meant to run to catch it before it changed only to notice that cars kept passing and realize just in time that the stoplight was malfunctioning, matching the one for cars instead of being the opposite of it. Meant to see how to notify someone about it when I got back, a few minutes before 5 PM, but it slipped my mind as I focused on ensuring that I wrote down all the times correctly and then changed and left again, around 5:40 PM, since I had to return that book dad asked me to get for him and the movie I also grabbed at the time. Knew I didn’t need to rush, that location being open until 7 PM that day, but I did anyway, in part because I was still worried about rain, so it took me half an hour to get there and another half an hour to get back, my calf muscles hurting a fair bit. It was only then that I sent an e-mail about that stoplight, though by then I’m quite sure somebody was well aware of it, if it hadn’t been fixed already.
A while later I meant to take a bath, but ended up mostly showering, just sitting in what water accumulated as I washed my hair, since the water wasn’t hot enough for a bath and it even seemed to be getting worse. However, after I rushed to finish once I noticed that, worried that it’ll actually get cold, just as I was about done it suddenly got much hotter, making me spend some more time just letting it run on me to warm up a bit more, if it was too late for that bath. And then I made myself something to eat and really stuffed myself, using a larger pot than I normally would, since it was already out and I had just washed it. But that meant I couldn’t quite judge quantities and time and ended up burning it quite a bit, so I’ll need to try to clean it up now, somehow, since it’s old but had so far pretty much escaped such a fate.

Otherwise, a protest for clean air was announced for Saturday, taking place in Bucharest, Iasi, Timisoara and Brasov. Saw the event when one of the “old guard” activists posted it and Demos announced that they support it as well, but the organizers were some NGOs I never heard of, which are apparently working together for this, and I didn’t see anyone from said “old guard” there, nor anyone else I’d recognize as a Demos member. Then again, it was early, people being supposed to start gathering at 10 AM and the march starting at 11 AM, and it was raining quite badly, so there were few participants, maybe just over 30. The Sector 1 mayor took part though, which could have created some tension, but the organizers were quick to point out that polluted air sickens everyone and garbage stinks for everyone just the same, regardless of their political affiliation, and a member of another NGO who started questioning said mayor at the end of the march, somewhat aggressively at first, seemed to nevertheless agree that he had at least tried to do something about the matter, unlike others.
Either way, I had set my alarm for 9 AM, but woke up earlier, rather confused, and despite waiting a few minutes I was still in that state between dream and “reality” when I checked the time and saw 8:50 AM. Got back in bed for a few more minutes, but hadn’t quite managed to get myself out of that state when I got up again and stopped the alarm before it rang. Definitely had no intention to be there earlier and wait in that rain, so I left at 10:10 AM and was at the Unirii metro station 10:35 AM, then waited five more minutes before I went out… And didn’t cross the street where I should have, so ended up having to go around, behind the National Library and back on the other side, which also meant I stumbled upon some Sector 4 workers hacking some trees until they were little more than bare trunks even though they’re not allowed to do so anymore as of this month. Also saw that some sort of classic car event was also taking place at the National Library that morning, which struck me as quite ironic, and I pointed it out to one of the organizers when I reached the location, at 10:55 AM. Then I put on one of the vests they were offering and eventually also grabbed a sign and we got going at 11:10 AM, reaching the Ministry of Environment half an hour later and people scattering minutes later, after just taking a picture and shouting a few times, the march having otherwise been silent. The organizers didn’t want their vests or signs back, but I insisted to give the sign back and I think everyone else did as well. Most kept their vests though, but I gave that back as well.

After that, went to that science fiction and fantasy fair too, getting there at 12:05 PM and again looking for that series by that Romanian author Alma knows and got me interested in. And, after having likely been able to purchase the first two books for a very low price two years ago but not realizing it in time, since I was so sleepy, and deciding not to go back once I did, and then finding the publisher but none of the books last year, now I finally got all three of them. The discount was lower, 40% when every year so far that publisher had everything 50% off at that fair, and the starting price was also significantly higher, but they’re also new editions, released some months ago, and I could afford them, so I purchased them. The guy actually first rounded up the price and I shrugged it off, but after I refused the paper bag he wanted to put them in and put them in the plastic one I had, saying that it’s better that way, considering the weather, he suddenly changed his mind and gave me 1 RON as change, therefore rounding down instead.
Otherwise, also saw that “old guard” activist who no longer seems involved in activism or politics but keeps having a stand at such fairs, but while he and those from another stand close to his had books in English, I didn’t find anything interesting, so I got out of there at 12:35 PM and, after meaning to give up on the thought, eventually decided to also check out that Carrefour at Obor one more time, going through the market just to get some more shelter from the rain and buying some bread that was on sale and some organic milk that was discounted due to expiring soon. Was eventually back here, with everything, at 2:05 PM.

The next day I finished Season of Storms, though it was one more day until I wrote the quick review. But what I definitely didn’t like on either of those days was the fact that the middle button of my mouse seems to have started double clicking. Noticed two tabs opened twice after I woke up and wasn’t sure how that happened, then had two tabs close when I just meant to close one at night, and then the next day, when I made a point of testing, I had tabs open twice when I clicked just once several times, making me start wondering when it’ll be better to take it to be fixed under warranty and deciding to wait until after the half marathon. However, can’t say I noticed that happening again since then, so I’m uncertain at the moment, and I’m also worried that, instead of fixing or replacing it, they’ll offer me a refund, especially since both the store and the importer list it as out of stock and this is the same store that did just that for my keyboard. That ended up working out in my favor, since they replaced it with another of the same kind, with the warranty starting from that day, but if that won’t be an option now, I definitely don’t want to lose this one.

Moving on, Monday I decided when I woke up to go and buy a couple of things, so eventually went out at 4:45 PM. Wanted to avoid being asked where I was going, just so I won’t be asked to buy some other things when I’m already really behind with what I want to have set aside and will be spending a fair bit next month, since it seems that, unlike last year, what I spend like this tends to reduce what I’m given for myself, dad no longer making a point of specifically adding this amount on top of that but seeming to make a total that ends up being less than the sum of its parts. However, I was unable to avoid that, since he did ask whether I was going to buy anything when he saw me putting my shoes on and then asked for some glue he saw an ad for, though I doubted there was anything more than marketing and reading the label later proved me correct. Still, I said I’m only getting something if I’ll get the money first, not after, and he just gave me a rather large amount, which made me feel really awkward, after he had seemed to have trouble even with what he had given me earlier, so I left that amount there and just took one smaller bill, which I assumed would be enough for the glue… And wasn’t.
Either way, went to Obor again, again first to that Carrefour, getting more of that bread and one little thing that was discounted due to expiring soon. Also saw that glue and checked the label, confirming that it was the same thing, having the same active ingredient and the same manufacturer, as another kind that was less than half the price, but sent dad a message to let him know of the price and he said that maybe it was better, so I decided to get it after all, since it’s his money. The problem was that it was more than the bill I had taken would have covered, so I’d have had to take more after I’ll get back anyway, which made me decide to get some other things as well, while I was there and found things for the cats that were cheaper. But I wasn’t going to get everything then, since I also wanted to check out the Kaufland from that area, so I also left the glue, and then at first also left one more thing I had initially meant to get, after realizing that the change I had was just short of what I’d have needed and I’d have needed to break a large bill if I’d have purchased that then as well. However, when I got to the checkout I spotted a 0.10 RON coin and grabbed it, then rushed back to get that thing as well, since that meant I no longer needed to break that large bill then.
After that, went to that Kaufland, looking for tofu, which was on sale. Also looked for that glue, just in case it was cheaper, but couldn’t find it at all… And at first thought I won’t be getting that tofu either, since they had every kind except smoked, which was what I wanted, and none seemed to have codes for this contest that brand has at the moment either. But I found some more in another spot and, while it was still every kind except smoked, I did find some plain ones that were at least in the contest, those not in brine being at the top and visible but boxes of the kind in brine being under them, so I dug one out and purchased it. Then back to Carrefour, got that glue, carefully calculated the other things to add up to just about all I had and got what I could, being left with just a few coins. Did find a 1 RON bill as I was getting back to the metro station though, next to a stall selling socks, but the stall was unmanned at the moment and it didn’t seem like anyone else was looking for lost money, so I took it. Was back around 7:25 PM.

As for Tuesday, no visits were recorded again, this again being true for both views, so I again can’t be really sure it wasn’t some problem with the data. But the nice, if awkward, moment happened at night, when someone gave me a code for City of Abandoned Ships, apparently just for “being nice” and explaining something to him on the Community Giveaway thread on the GOG.com forum. He seems to have trouble with English and admitted he couldn’t really understand the rules when he requested a game that someone else had been nominated for, but that’s in no way against any rule, such a request simply being next in line in case the nominee refuses the game or doesn’t reply within a week, which can and does happen. When people obviously don’t care about the rules and request games not on the list, or multiple games in one month, or are obviously ineligible, then they will get negative votes and may expect some harsher reactions from some, though even then it’s mostly ironic, if not simply pointing them to the rules they ignored, but he nevertheless seemed to expect at least negative votes for that post, and possibly also people being particularly rude, and while I definitely wasn’t polite, simply explaining without cursing or clearly being rude seems to have surprised him in a good way and he wanted to reward it this manner.
Before checking what the code he had sent was for, meant to tell him to just send it to the giveaway, but when I did check and saw that it was a game from my wishlist that I could play on this computer and which is also just $1.49 at the moment, I decided to redeem it after all, despite feeling awfully awkward about it. Think it was sent a bit before midnight, but I redeemed it after, so actually on April 17, and then also removed Caribbean Tales from my wishlist, since I gather that’s very similar but simply worse.

Must start with the fact that the writing style and structure are once again better, not at the level of Time of Contempt or Baptism of Fire but definitely moving away from what made Tower of the Swallow and Lady of the Lake confusing and hard to follow, and gave characters so little chance to shine in those books. It does feel strange to go back to the beginning after the end, but at the same time Season of Storms simply feels just about “right” again, or at least a whole lot more comfortable. The characters seem to be themselves again, the story and atmosphere are fitting, there’s plenty of humor without it seeming forced, everything simply flows quite naturally, and some answers may also be found for questions which so far had none.
On the other hand, the answer provided for the most important question is hardly an answer, leaving the matter just about as open to debate and speculation as it was after Lady of the Lake, while a few others may be answers to questions you didn’t even know you had, or should have had, so far. And there are questions left unanswered regarding the story contained in this book in itself, and certain moments and events are treated too shallowly, on top of the general fact that it’s shorter and less detailed than I consider a fantasy book should be. But, of course, that holds true for all the books in the series, yet they build upon each other and, if you take it as the end instead of the beginning, there is more than enough for it to stand on, without it being required to offer that much worldbuilding and context on its own.

Rating: 4/5

This week’s run was Wednesday, and the time was 46:32, beating the previous record for ten kilometers by seven seconds! Sector times were 4:12, 4:58, 5:36, 4:22, 4:53, 5:41, 4:23, 4:53, 5:46 and 1:48, making for lap times of 14:46, 14:56 and 15:02. But this time around I actually have every single exact time as well. Of course, all of these have to do with the exact moment when I happened to press that button on my stopwatch, so I’ll keep listing just the minutes and seconds normally, but if I remembered all of them like this, I’ll add them like this here too. So, the exact time was 46:32.60, with exact sector times of 4:12.23, 4:58.10, 5:35.89, 4:22.52, 4:52.66, 5:41.35, 4:22.34, 4:53.50, 5:46.21 and 1:47.80, making for exact lap times of 14:46.22, 14:56.53 and 15:02.05.
Didn’t think I’ll ever manage to beat that 46:39, but there it is, and I even did it with the jacket tied around my waist, which doesn’t just add a bit of weight but also restricts breathing a bit. Had an undershirt on too. The reported temperature may have been 17°C and the cloudy sky and the wind I felt on the way to the park, and which I can’t say I really noticed anymore after I started running, wouldn’t have been an issue, but the forecast stated that it might rain and it actually did, some light rain starting as I was starting sector three of lap three. Also meant to go to the farmers’ market after running too, and did so, which meant I also had two bags and a little money, though I made sure I won’t have to worry about losing any of that. Another issue was that I still had some crap in my nose, so had to mitigate the effects of that while running. And, while the path was pretty clear most of the time, I did need to go the long way around people a few times and there were two spots where others got in my way. The first time it was a boy walking slowly across the path, likely seeing me approach and stopping suddenly to let me pass in front of him, but doing so just when I was a step or two away and turning to pass behind him. And the second time it was a woman with a baby in a pram, who quite clearly heard me, but for some reason assumed I’ll pass her on the outside of the curve, so suddenly turned to the inside just as I was trying to get past her on the inside. Not quite sure how I still managed to avoid running into her there, actually.
The forecast I had seen before going to bed listed rain in the morning and evening, with no risk during the afternoon, so I initially meant to go a bit later, but when I checked again after waking up I saw rain from 5 PM, and since I was up in time, I left around 3:15 PM and was starting to run at 3:30 PM. Didn’t know what I meant to aim for even then though, and hadn’t even eaten quite what I normally do before a run. Was thinking to just aim for a normal time, under 48:30, but also realized that I’m in a surprisingly good form right now and the challenge is to keep it up, because if I don’t it’ll be harder to get back to it in a month. So, just as I started running, I decided to see how fast I could be over a lap, and then see what I’ll still manage after that, and that was the result. Must say that I managed no sector or lap records though, but do have second bests, the first lap being the second fastest lap and its first and third sectors also being second fastest. But what mattered the most and made that difference was the fact that I maintained this kind of pace on lap three, even if I caught myself starting to lose focus on its third sector. After two laps I was 21 seconds behind that previous record, but gained 28 over lap three, as that previous time I was quite out of it on the third lap. Covered the final sector in 1:48 both times, so no difference there.

After that, put my jacket back on and went straight to the market, constantly running the times through my mind, to make sure I won’t forget. And it was during that time that I realized that I had calculated the time for sector two of lap three wrong, having been convinced it was a new record as I ran, thinking it had been 4:49.50 instead of 4:53.50, since it had slipped my mind that I was remembering exact times and therefore, since I just tend to keep the last number in mind, what was actually 34:05.09 became “something ending in nine seconds”. But I sorted that out, then had a look around the market and decided to also get a certain kind of lettuce and some green garlic, on top of the apples I definitely needed. Saw two people selling that sort of lettuce, and since one had no price listed, I asked… And jumped away as if burned when she said 5 RON, when the other one was selling it for 2 RON each. Then also grabbed two cheap bunches of green garlic, which didn’t look too good but were definitely good enough for that price, and the two kilograms of cheap apples I had gone there for in the first place. Quite wrinkled, spotted, but usually not spoiled otherwise, tasty and, judging by how they look, less likely to be covered in all sorts of crap. Heard some more rain as I was there, but not an issue in the market, the rain being light and the market mostly covered, and it didn’t really rain as I made my way back. What worried me, on the other hand, was seeing work starting on the part facing the street of the building next to the one I’m in, so I wonder what this will mean about my Internet access, whether cables will get cut again.

Now, I’ll get back to April 5, when the noise made by dad first woke me up I think around 8:45 AM and, after going to pee, I had a hard time falling asleep again. Still, eventually managed it and it was probably around 2:30 PM when I woke up again, and a bit before 3 PM when I got up, and quickly checked to see whether the three books I had ordered quite some time ago were finally ready to get picked up. And the site said they were, but I received no message to tell me that, so after doing a few other things for a little while I sent a message to ask and they said they were indeed ready, just that they hadn’t gotten around to notifying me yet. But they say they’re only there until 5 PM and it was getting close to 4 PM already, so I quickly got ready and ran out, at 4:05 PM… And then ran back from the corner, because I couldn’t remember whether I had locked the door and it was too windy as well, so grabbed my jacket too. Still, was there at 4:50 PM and back out, with the books, five minutes later, so they didn’t have to stay longer because of me. Then I considered having a look at the location from that area of this pharmacy, for what I was thinking of getting for the cold, but decided against it, and was left trying and failing to find a way through the fence splitting that entire area in two, eventually needing to go all the way back to the sidewalk and get back in on the other side, to get to the Kaufland from there for a couple of things. Then, after squeezing myself in the metro, since at that hour they’re obviously overcrowded, I was back at 6:25 PM.

Since dad had left his monthly pass again that day, that left me with five trips on one of those found and kept in case of need and one day to use them, since it expired on April 6. Had it with me and whenever I went in or out of a station I kept meaning to ask whether anybody wanted a free trip, meaning to give two away that way. When I got out here I even stuck around for a few minutes, trying to work up the courage, but didn’t manage it. So, while I only needed two trips for what I meant to do on April 6, I then decided to have another look at that Carrefour at Obor on the way back, then drop things off here and leave again for Cora, where I very rarely end up otherwise, just to have a look around there as well, and also see how things stand with the recycling machine that’s supposed to be there and accept a whole lot more things. At the time I hadn’t yet seen the announcement made by the company that operates these machines, stating that, due to the changes in legislation, they’re no longer able to operate in many locations, and can’t accept certain things at all anymore. They still claim that some machines will continue to operate, but what I saw seems to indicate otherwise, so I’ll see how things develop.
But I should start from the beginning, and that was waking up earlier, since the only location of the Library that has Interstellar is in the area I had to go to anyway and Saturday it closes at 1 PM. So I decided to see that, legally, as well, since I got started, and left at 11:50 AM, getting there around 12:30 PM despite having missed that street at first and needing to turn around after a little while, when I realized it. Even though there were quite a few other people there and a bit of a line was forming, I was out at 12:40 PM, so no problems about the closing time.

After that, went to the “Turkish culture” event taking place nearby, getting there at 12:50 PM. Expected some free food, but not as many different and interesting things as I got, and actually seem to have missed two other kinds of dessert. If I’d have been there later, I’d have missed a fair bit more, but while the event was supposed to start at 11 AM, those from a Turkish restaurant were just setting things up when I got there, while the man from the Turkish cuisine stand seemed to have just brought out samples, of four different dishes, and was being interviewed by a television crew. It was unpleasant that when I went to grab some of those samples, after the interview was over, I noticed a bit too late that they were still filming, just to get shots of people taking the samples, and caught me as I went for the same sample a woman was also going for, then stopping and waving her ahead. It’s likely that only my hand would have been visible, but watched the two-minute piece about the event that was on the news at that TV station and saw that they didn’t use that bit at all.
Either way, just took samples of two dishes at first, but saw that they were all being taken quickly and meant to get the other two as well, so before doing so I rushed to eat one, which I found very tasty but couldn’t identify even when I tried to look it up later, since I obviously didn’t ask. At the time rushing seemed necessary, since I just grabbed the last sample of one of the dishes, but then noticed that they kept bringing more, so running out of those didn’t seem to be an issue. On the other hand, rushing was required to get what that restaurant brought, people crowding there as soon as they finished setting things up. As such, since I first finished those first samples and then waited calmly in line, I watched one of the dishes run out right before my turn came, got the last pieces of two kinds of dessert and seem to have missed out on two more kinds completely. They were giving some decent portions of the dish I did still catch though, and which I might or might not have correctly identified, and of the salad, and they did bring some more as I ate, though this second “round” seemed to be the last. So, when I saw that, I felt less bad about the fact that, after not realizing that the line just continued and walking out of it to grab a plastic fork, I let a few people get ahead but eventually cut back in, in front of a woman who therefore missed out on those two kinds of dessert that I got the last pieces of at that time. She stared at me for a bit, but didn’t say anything, instead just asking them whether they’ll be bringing more.
Since I had two plates and things that needed to be eaten more properly, unlike those first samples, I went to one of the small tables and started eating, and while I was there I saw others come with plates including those two kinds of dessert which I hadn’t seen at all. However, I did take quite some time to eat and just about everything was gone by the time I finished and had another look, though I did see two pieces left of that dish I had just missed the first time and just stuck my fork in one to get that as well. Told the guy who was there that I had missed it the first time, but I’m actually not sure he knew Romanian. The girl did, but she was handling the desserts, and after there was nothing left for her to do she went to restock the cooler where they had drinks as well, at which point I also grabbed a bottle of some orange juice. Had been reading some more of the booklet that was being given there, being left rather on my own in the middle of that room, most people clearing away after the food was gone, and when I saw her there I actually meant to go help, but couldn’t get myself to offer, so ended up asking what they had available, since I had walked up to her obviously meaning to say something, then grabbed what I had meant to grab in the first place.
Otherwise, while eating those samples, waiting and even after that, I looked a few times at the paper marbling area, children usually giving it a go and a few actually managing to make some pretty nice things, one girl in particular making quite a work of art in a few minutes. There was a place to make little pieces of pottery too, but I just quickly glanced at that without much interest, and of course completely ignored the coffee that was also being offered. Did have a look at the stuff handed out by what I guess was a travel agency, but just put back what a guy handed me, ignored the quite large magazine they also had there and only grabbed the thing about Gobekli Tepe. However, as I was standing there, quite alone in the middle of that room, and finishing reading that booklet, a man came to me with that large magazine, saying that he enjoys seeing people who want to know everything, that I reminded him of himself in his youth, seeing me read like that, and he brought me that “very interesting” magazine which I “must have missed”. I hadn’t missed it and the interaction was rather awkward, with him also saying he doesn’t have much time left and was born in 1944 and me not quite managing to figure out even what I meant to say, much less actually say it, but I eventually just took that magazine, finished reading the booklet, had another quick look around and left, at 2:10 PM. Saw a couple of men outside, bringing a lot of what at first glance looked like wine, but could have also been coffee or who knows what else, and then some crates as well, and meant to offer to help them too, but of course I couldn’t get myself to say that either.

From there, went to Cismigiu Park, since there was an event taking place there that day, people being asked to just read in the park, between 4 PM and 6 PM, the organizers stating that they will bring some books to give away too and will otherwise be walking around and maybe “bothering” the readers for a few seconds to take a picture. Of course, I was there very early, reaching the park at 2:25 PM, and later learning that, using the entrance I did, I walked right past those taking part in an “urban gardening” event I also had some interest in this spring but never took part in. Did spot a few people working in a building’s garden, but didn’t make the connection until I saw the post after coming back that evening.
Once inside the park, went to the toilet and then went around the lake once, or almost once, since I stopped a little after what I consider to be the main entrance, not getting all the way back to the one I used. That seemed like the best place to sit down, not that close to that entrance but just a bit farther on, so I did so, even though I was reconsidering it after seeing some people from an alliance of parties that I’ll grudgingly end up voting for next month, since Demos failed to gather the required signatures, and at first assuming that it was some campaign effort that I didn’t want to be bothered with. However, after rather pointedly avoiding them, I heard them say that they were doing a survey, and I wanted to answer that, so when two of them walked past me after I picked a bench and sat down, at 3 PM, I was thinking I missed my chance, since they likely noticed how I avoided them and assumed they’ll have no success. But then another guy came just as I had started reading, having taken Season of Storms with me, and I got to answer after all, albeit not without some difficulty, since he was filling it on an app on his phone and it didn’t want to accept some answers at first, forcing him to restart it after a while and then start again from the beginning. Of course I didn’t quite give the answers I’d have wanted, since it’d have required writing more in, and also missed my chance to complain about a law project that some of their members, including a leading candidate for these elections, recently put forward, but at least it was something.
That done, I got back to reading, and soon noticed a group sit on other benches nearby, which group started to seem to me to have something to do with the event, and it does seem that they actually were the organizers. I’m not certain of it, but a few things I heard there and the posts I saw later seemed to indicate that, and when I left I also saw a few books they had left behind them on the benches. Some of the others who sat on either side of me also talked about books a bit, but they didn’t read anything and eventually got up and left, but I saw plenty of others walk past with books, though it sure was weird when some were wondering out loud about the exact location of the event when the organizers had said that there won’t be a specific location and they’ll find the readers as long as they’ll just sit down and read, and in fact they were probably right there anyway. A post I saw later stated that they had first started wandering around a bit at 3 PM, and then that group that was close to me got up just after 5:10 PM, a moment before I also did. Meant to read one more chapter, but between drinking that orange juice and the strong wind, I felt like I was about to piss myself, so I looked ahead, saw that it had 21 pages and thought I won’t manage that, so I put the book away and slowly made my way out of the park, taking five more minutes to actually leave it.

Didn’t go to the toilet again in the park, or even in the underground passage where the metro station is, so it sure was a relief at 6 PM, when I finally took care of that problem after reaching that mall at Obor again. Then I bought just one little expiring thing from that Carrefour and got back here to drop everything off, at 6:45 PM, leaving again just over half an hour later, taking the recyclables as well, plus some perfume bottles which I hoped to drop off at Cora, since that recycling machine was listed as accepting glass as well. But I first passed through a fair taking place in this nearby park too, so only got back to the metro station at 7:40 PM and only actually reached Cora at 8:20 PM, after going out the wrong exit when I reached that station and needing to get my bearings in an unfamiliar area and make my way to where I should have been.
Once there, I first looked for that recycling machine, only finding some cabinets where it used to be, a long time ago, when I last saw it there. So I started wandering around, including through the parking lot, but some 20 minutes later I was back there without having found anything, not even a bin meant for glass, so I ended up just leaving those bottles on top of the one for light bulbs and hoping that somebody’ll take them to the right place. The announcement posted by that company, which I saw later, indicated that the machine from that location should still operate, but they indeed said, when replying to someone, that they’re no longer able to take glass at all, so if I’d have looked first I’d have known not to take those bottles at least. Still have no clue what happened to that machine though, where exactly it was moved, if they say it’s still there.
After that, I had a look through Cora too, but other than finding an even better discount for the cat food purchased earlier that week from Carrefour, which was of course of no use to me then, I didn’t see anything I wanted, so I was back out at 9:15 PM. Got out of the metro at Titan though, walking back from there, since I thought it’ll take me some 20 minutes to do so while otherwise it’ll take me 20 minutes plus any time spent waiting after changing trains. So I was just entering the building at 9:50 PM and had time to finally finish Sex at Dawn that evening too, so I won’t end up with a book listed as started before another was listed as finished. Did, in practice, start Season of Storms before finishing Sex at Dawn, but at least both happened on the same day.