Cav's Place

I meant to add all of these days to the post that was going to start right after I crossed the finish line of last year’s marathon, but I guess I’ll just add them now, as this week’s second post, since they are already written while the part about the rest of that day isn’t and I wonder when or even if I’ll get to it, especially since the post about this year’s half marathon remains basically a placeholder and the one about the Dream Trek that followed still misses most of the part about the actual run. At this point I’m thinking that the parts about the rest of October 13 and May 11 will be put together in a single post, so the number of personal posts won’t actually increase because of this, but that’s a matter for when and, as I said, if I’ll get there and now I’ll just get right to it and say that, after running the marathon, I thought that I won’t be able to sleep on the morning of October 14. However, I actually fell asleep quite quickly, though when I woke up just after 10:20 AM I decided to get back on the computer and start reading Eternal Knight, and when I eventually got back in bed for a little while, I didn’t fall asleep again. So I got back up and ate some watermelon, then got back in bed once more, right at noon, only getting back up just before 4:55 PM. And then I went out again, leaving at 7:30 PM, after doing the day’s squats and taking the recyclables with the deposit symbol, including the one which hadn’t been accepted before but which seemed to be like the one that was accepted after I picked up the race kit.
I left some that didn’t seem to have the symbol, but I still picked up some more on the way to Penny Basarabia, mainly from a trash can that was in front of the store and which was almost full of recyclables with the deposit symbol. I knew that many of them won’t be accepted and I left those there, just taking those which would be accepted, and from another trash can from there I took one with no label, since I also had a label with the deposit symbol which I had found at some point and, while it wasn’t exactly that kind, that bottle was quite similar to the one that the label in question belonged to. And the machine accepted everything except that one bottle which hadn’t been accepted before and a rather crushed can. Then I found what I wanted, though I had to dig for the biscuits, the last box being hidden behind others of another kind and in a spot that was behind a large pile of boxes that were stacked before the shelves. But since I took the time to dig that box out of there, I also checked several packs of biscuits and found one that seemed larger, and when I weighed it I confirmed that, so I then went through the rest as well, one by one, until I found one more like it and took both. Then I also used the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid and carefully put the purchases in the backpack.
I picked up one more recyclable on the way to Carrefour, entering through the parking lot and using the machine, which accepted that one and even the crushed can, but that other bottle still wasn’t accepted. Either way, I then put my things in a cabinet that didn’t lock, retrieving them after just cashing in the voucher and then continuing to Kaufland, trying to put that bottle in the machine from there as well but finding that it didn’t work there either. Then I put everything in a cabinet, washed my hands, and entered when it was close to 9:20 PM, still not finding any of the kind of pumpkin that was supposed to be on sale, which had been the case when it had been at that price at Penny or Carrefour as well. But, after checking the ingredients for a bakery product, I grabbed it, along with a few others, all having the 50% evening discount, since Kaufland still had evening discounts for bakery products then. And then I also got carrots, potatoes and grapes, which had huge evening discounts, digging through the grapes until the closing announcement. I also grabbed three bananas at that point, but on the way to the self-checkouts I changed my mind and rushed to put them back. And I used the QR code for dad’s digital card again when I paid. Then I retrieved my things and arranged everything, and while a cleaner told the guard while I was doing so that nobody was allowed to go to the toilets anymore, since she had cleaned there already, I nevertheless dashed in there to wash my hands again before leaving, after digging through those grapes.
I then also checked that Mega Image, putting everything except the bag that hangs from my neck, with the bakery products, in cabinet, and taking the last copy of their magazine that was there… But I didn’t open the cabinet again to put it there and apparently ended up leaving it somewhere inside the store while I was looking around, so after getting an expiring product with the 90% discount and the biscuits that I had actually gone there for, I realized that I no longer had it, but I didn’t try to go back in to look for it, just retrieving my things and arranging everything once again. And I picked up some more recyclables on the way back, mainly from the spot which I had checked on my way to Penny as well, since I realized that the reason why they hadn’t seemed to have the symbol was that it had been scraped off, obviously on purpose, but the bar code remained. Either way, I also noticed on the way back that my throat was hurting, but I wasn’t certain that the pain had only started then.
I got back at 11:30 PM, with over 12 kg. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, put the purchases in their place, ate the sweet pastry from Kaufland, went to take a bath a few minutes before 1 AM, and was done at 1:50 AM. Then I selected, peeled and boiled carrots for the salad, and there were other things to deal with as well, so I ate lunch between 3:10 AM and 3:25 AM, then I also mixed something and ended up moving it from one jar to another, and ate dinner between 4:40 AM and 5:25 AM, albeit with the last several minutes spent gathering what was stuck on the plate. And, while I got in bed at 6:20 AM, I didn’t get on-line.

At least it was a few minutes past 4:30 PM when I got up, and I really slept, only waking up to pee once and then sleeping again until it was past 3:45 PM, and possibly even catching another brief nap during those remaining three quarters of an hour. But my throat was really sore and I felt rather like I even had a fever. And the following morning I got in bed at 5:20 AM, and when I couldn’t get back to sleep after waking up to pee the first time, I took a pill for my throat, and after that I decided to keep taking one before going to bed for the next few days, especially since they had expired a long time before, so keeping them for an even later time wouldn’t have been a good idea.

Moving on to October 18, I did the day’s squats, ate lunch, and left at 7:10 PM. I had dad’s metro card, though it was no longer read by the machine and I had to show it to be allowed in. Either way, I took the metro and meant to first check another pharmacy, but I couldn’t spot it despite passing by it twice, since I went a fair bit farther before turning back, all of that being explained after I got back, checked, and saw that it closed at an earlier hour. But at that point I just shrugged it off and went to the large location of that cheaper pharmacy, asking for the kind of tea that was cheaper there than anywhere else and being told that just one was left, so I bought it.
I then went to that location of Tei, entering with that tea in the backpack. I was looking for more teas, but I couldn’t see one kind and when I asked one person she just looked on the shelf and said that if it wasn’t there then they had none left, though it had been listed as available in that location on the site when I had left. However, the listed price for the tea which I had purchased from that other pharmacy was only slightly higher than it had been there, and lower than what was listed on the site, and I asked that employee whether it was correct, but she again just looked at the shelf and confirmed it. However, when I took one of those along with the other tea which I had found to the checkout, I was asked for more than what I had calculated, so the price which was listed on-line was actually the correct one, and I pointed out that the label still listed the old price, but didn’t actually demand that price, and while another employee said that she’ll check and presumably went to do so, she didn’t return by the time I walked away, and I didn’t see her there when I looked back after putting all of the teas in a cabinet either.
The problem was that, while a Carrefour Market is in that same location, some cabinets are in front of the entrance to Tei and others in front of that Carrefour Market, and I put those teas in one of the cabinets that are in front of Tei and didn’t even memorize the number, so after wandering around that Carrefour Market for a while, without buying anything, I ended up trying my code at a few different cabinets and when one that seemed locked at first made a sound when I entered it, didn’t open, but did open after I entered it a second time, I thought that those from Tei had emptied all of their cabinets, and they had closed by then, so I panicked for a moment and even tried to knock on their gate. But I eventually tried more cabinets, found the correct one, retrieved those teas and put them in the backpack, realizing that the empty one had just been stuck at first, so when I had first entered my code it hadn’t accepted it as correct, but as a new one, actually locking with it, and then it obviously unlocked when I entered it again.
I wasn’t going to risk anything again, however, and it’s not like Kaufland had those teas anyway, so when I then went to that Kaufland I entered with everything, a little after 9:10 PM, after peeing and washing my hands. The bakery discounts were of 55% and I got two buns, a sweet pastry and an interesting bread for myself, plus two breads for dad that had a 65% discount. Then I also took the three passable bananas that I still found at that point, with a huge evening discount, along with a lettuce and three bundles of radishes, these also having good evening discounts. The scales printed the full price for the bananas, but I used a price checker to confirm the discounted one, and then I wandered around for a while, the closing announcement coming either while I was in line at the self-checkouts or already using a machine. Either way, I initially thought that the machine gave me less change and I counted it in front of an employee, but when she said that it was impossible I looked around and found the missing bill fallen in my bag. That was strange, since it was on the other side of the machine than where it releases the bills that it gives as change, but at least the matter was sorted out… Yet being so focused on that made me forget the empty bags on the machine, only realizing it after leaving the checkout area, as I was arranging the purchases, at which point I asked another employee about them and she allowed me back in the checkout area, where the one which I had asked about the change promptly handed them back to me, though she might have missed one. Either way, after picking up another recyclable, I decided to explore the Circus’ Park a little, even if some areas were poorly lit, then went back to that metro station after coming out on the other side and, after once again having to show the card, I ended up waiting for over ten minutes for the metro, though at least I found another recyclable in the station.
I got back at 11:10 PM, then cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, and then I quickly went to use the toilet and shower, without even taking the purchases out first. After I was done, I ate the sweet pastry from Kaufland and an apple, put the purchases in their place, sliced dad’s breads and dealt with mine… And I realized that the contest that those bottle caps were for was over and dad hadn’t entered many of them, including those that I had found. Either way, I also washed what was in the kitchen, used the worse leaves of the lettuce for the salad and also selected the radish leaves, and took a pill, my throat seeming quite fine but clearly feeling that something was in my chest and making me occasionally cough. I finally started eating dinner at 3:55 AM and finished a little after 4:30 AM, since I wasn’t done gathering what was stuck on the plate at 4:30 AM and I continued until I was. And I got in bed at 5:30 AM.

On October 21, I did the day’s squats, ate lunch, did a load of laundry, and took the clothes out of the washing machine, but I only hung a few of them on the balcony before leaving, at 7:30 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol. I also meant to take a fish can and drop it off in a recycling bin on the way, but I forgot it. Either way, I picked up another recyclable on the way to Carrefour, where the machine didn’t accept the glass bottles, saying that there was no container for them, so I put in the others, splitting them on two vouchers, and picked up some small glass bottles that were left there, leaving the large ones, especially since they were also unlikely to be accepted. Then I entered the store with those remaining recyclables, getting beans, some expiring yogurt, and a small piece of kashkaval that was also among the expiring products… Only for the cashier to say that the piece of kashkaval wouldn’t scan, so I couldn’t get it. Either way, I used one of the vouchers received for the recyclables when paying and cashed in the other one.
After putting the purchases in the backpack, I continued to Auchan, but I had delayed too long, and at first I didn’t just not run, but even stopped to pick up some more recyclables, which led to eventually noticing that it was too late and running the rest of the way. And I forgot that the pharmacy that I had ordered something from was just at the entrance to Auchan, so I wasted a little more time that I didn’t have looking around… And they seemed to be about to move a few meters, since I saw an area with their logo that was being set up, so I initially stopped there and wasted maybe two more minutes looking around and wondering how could they deliver packages in a location that’s not open yet. But then I spotted the actual location, and while it was dark and something was placed in front of the door, I got there seconds before the closing time of 9 PM and saw that the door was still ajar and an employee was inside, so I poked my head in and asked whether they were closed, and while she initially said that they were, since it was 9 PM, when I said that I had an order to pick up she asked for my name, so I went in and she eventually found the package and handed it to me, and I paid the exact amount, though I didn’t get a receipt.
After adding that package in the backpack, I went to where I seemed to remember the recycling machine being in that location, but it wasn’t there, the guards asking what I wanted and then telling me that it was outside. So I then went there and put in what I had, including a can that I thought would be too crushed to be accepted, though I ended up with two vouchers because the first machine stopped when I still had a few recyclables left, so I had to move to another that still worked. On the other hand, I saw a crushed bottle on the floor that had a label that I could take off, since it had the deposit symbol, but when I tore it off I didn’t actually look at what I ended up with before walking away, and when I finally did I saw that a part of the label had been left on the bottle, and that part actually included the bar code, so what I had was useless and I dumped it in a trash can.
After washing my hands, I entered with the purchases, getting what I wanted and also that cake that I mentioned wanting to reward myself with. There were two on display and I picked one, but the label stated that they had been defrosted the previous day and the boxes hadn’t even been properly closed, the little piece that should hold them closed having clearly never been pushed in that direction, so I also considered asking whether they had any that were still frozen, so I’ll get one that was as fresh as possible… And I was still considering that when I almost dropped the one which I had picked, so it was fortunate that I had closed the box properly, since the way I managed to catch it would have almost certainly led to it opening and the cake falling on the floor otherwise. It still got a little banged up, however, so at that point I had to take that one, since putting it back and asking for another would have been quite rotten. Either way, I then also grabbed the water for dad and rushed to the checkouts, since closing time was approaching, and the closing announcement came as I was using the machine to pay, since I had gone to one of those manned checkouts first, where an employee scanned the products. I forgot to also use the small amount that was on the store card, but at least I used the vouchers received for the recyclables. But then I took quite some time to arrange the purchases, and eventually two guards came to ask which way I was going to exit, and when I initially said that I didn’t know, wondering whether they were trying to see whether I knew the “proper” way to exit after closing time, one explained that there were the two entrances, they were going to close them and I was the last customer left, so they wanted to know which one to leave open. So I apologized, though they said that it was all right, and then I finished arranging everything and left through the exit which I had indicated.
On the way back, I checked the Mega Image from Titan once again, leaving the large backpack next to the cabinets and putting everything else in one, and while the discounted cat food which I had seen the previous time was still there, when I asked whether that 75% discount which I had received for the tea would apply to it as well, the cashier said no… But she also didn’t seem to believe that the teas which were also listed as having a 50% discount actually had 75%, so I asked her to check and she did, confirming that the cat food just had the listed 50% discount. So I just retrieved my things and made my way back, picking up two more recyclables before crossing the road through the park, going under the bridge, and then using a drinking fountain to wash my hands a little. And then I picked up some more recyclables that were in front of this nearby Mega Image.
I got back a little before 11:20 PM, with a little over 19 kg, and I noticed that running in the regular shoes had once again hurt my right foot. Either way, I then cleaned the litter box and dropped a bag of trash down the chute, put the purchases, with the exception of dad’s water, in their place, finished the watermelon, which was obviously the last one of the year, and ate a slice of the cake… But when I opened the box I saw some liquid in a corner, and while it was most likely from the cake, I was worried that I might not have been careful enough when draining some of the recyclables which I had picked up and something might have dripped on the box and then seeped inside, so I just reacted, taking the cake out of the box and discarding the box. I also thought that the cake smelled a little strange, but that was most likely another unfounded concern. Either way, it was 12:45 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, and a little before 1:50 AM when I was done. And then I finally hung the rest of the clothes to dry, after taking down dad’s, since he hadn’t, also took the water to the balcony, meant to take a pill of a different kind but noticed that dad had taken all of those with him, then moved something into a jar, and finally ate dinner between 4:25 AM and 5:05 AM, though I was otherwise done over ten minutes earlier and then spent that time getting what was stuck on the plate. I initially got in bed at 5:45 AM, but dad got back ten minutes later and I poked my head out to exchange a few words with him, so I really got in bed a few minutes before 6 AM. And, somewhat surprisingly, my nose and chest were much better that morning.

On October 25, I ate lunch, did the day’s squats, and left a little before 7:25 PM. I spent quite some time in Carrefour, but just got some unsalted baked almonds, which ended up cheaper than those with Himalayan salt which I had bought four days earlier from Auchan if you deduct the 20% received as a voucher from the price that also had a regular discount those days, but I obviously couldn’t have known that at the time. And I had to enter the product code at the self-checkout, since the bar code wouldn’t scan. Then I just put the bag in an inside pocket of my jacket and continued to Kaufland, washing my hands before entering.
There were no bakery discounts at the time and I didn’t see anything interesting among the fruits and vegetables, so I even considered leaving and trying to go somewhere else, but I stayed, looked around, and scanned a couple of labels from the bakery area both before and after the employee placed the discount labels. But those buns weren’t discounted, so I just took two things that were, using a plastic bag from that area instead of a glove, since I couldn’t see new gloves and I had put my hands through vegetables by then, since those discounts had appeared first and I had grabbed a few things. And I also got some mozzarella, but then some evening discounts increased, even sharply, so I also got five kohlrabies, including some extra leaves, plus some plums, even if they were from Moldova, picking until the closing announcement came, when I went to weigh them. And while I was in line at the self-checkout a woman just walked past me and I went after her, saying something, but she muttered something back and set her things on the machine that was about to be freed. And when it actually was freed, she moved to use it and I got her attention again, she just smiled and asked whether I’d allow her to use it, already being about to start. So I snorted and stepped away, to stand in line again, after having missed the next spot as well, someone else having started to use another machine just seconds earlier, and at least that woman was the next to finish. And then the machine didn’t recognize the kohlrabies as the correct product, so I had to call an employee to override the error. Then I took my time to arrange the purchases, washed my hands again, and it was almost 10:20 PM when I walked out.
After finding a can with the deposit symbol and putting it in the machine, I continued to that Mega Image, putting the bag in a cabinet but entering with the backpack, and at first I just took one of those apple pastries, with the 50% evening discount, but as I wandered around I saw that some grilled chicken breast had received a 90% discount after having just had 50% when I had first seen it, so I grabbed that as well… And I also stole a head of garlic, meaning to recover much of what I had felt cheated out of by Mega Image stores before, probably being too obvious about it, and noticing that I had been right under a camera when I had slipped it in a pocket, but I just stuck with it and nobody said anything. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and arranged the purchases again, and then I grabbed some more recyclables, putting them in the machine from Kaufland when I passed by it… And after walking away I found two more, one being a can that I doubted I could even straighten well enough, but I went back and was surprised when the machine accepted both. And I found some more on the way back.
I got back at 11:30 PM, put the purchases in their place, also separated the kohlrabi leaves from the stems and kept the leaves, ate a few plums and the apple pastry, and it was almost 1:25 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, and 2:20 AM when I was done. And I also used some of the lettuce leaves for the salad, ending up eating dinner between 4 AM and 4:35 AM. I got in bed at 5:40 AM… And that morning I had a dream that really messed me up, that I had gone on that trip in 2002 with Rose instead of Andra, and Rose obviously still didn’t give me any chance, so I never had the relationship with Andra or any good memories or reasons to believe, at whatever level, that anything good or worthwhile may exist in life, and had just suffered after Rose all this time instead of “only” until meeting Andra and then after Andra for “only” 19 years… Either way, the following morning I got in bed at what would have been 5:20 AM but was actually 4:20 AM, since the hour changed. And since that’s already something about October 27, I’ll also mention here that no visits were recorded on that date.

On October 28, I shaved, ate lunch, did the day’s squats, and left at 6:30 PM, with the plastic and metal, which I dropped off in a recycling bin on the way, and the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up one more on the way and then putting all of them in the machine from Carrefour. A guy was cleaning the other one while I used that one, and I meant to split on two vouchers, but just before the last item an error that the sorter was improperly positioned popped up and I asked that guy what that was and he told me to wait a moment, and after initially meaning to just walk away with that last recyclable I did wait and he fixed it quickly and I could put that one in as well, getting a third voucher. Then I got some expiring apple chips with cinnamon and a bag with just two spoiling apples, plus the garlic that I had gone there for, but I still had to use a regular checkout and the cashier didn’t just charge me for the bag that those apples were in, increasing their price a fair bit, but also for the one which I had put the garlic in, which was my own! So I was a bit surprised, but I assumed that they had doubled the price of the bags and paid the difference, along with one voucher, then cashed in the other two, without realizing until after the fact that those bags had made it so I could have used that last voucher as well. And it was also only after I stepped away that I noticed that I had been charged for two bags, but I didn’t say anything anymore, just putting everything in the backpack.
Since I had dad’s metro card, I then went to the metro station, meaning to also check the farmers’ market on the way but finding it already closed. And I went to Carrefour Pantelimon, picking up another recyclable on the way but entering with it, as well as with the purchases, and getting some more expiring products and stealing a tiny head of garlic, to make up for being wrongly charged for that bag. And I had to use a regular checkout there as well and meant to use the voucher received for previous purchases, but the cashier said that I couldn’t, so I read the text that’s on it to her, saying that it could be used in any Carrefour hypermarket, Carrefour Market or Carrefour Express, but she again said that it won’t work there and that she didn’t have the option on the register, so I asked if that’s the case for the stores that used to be Cora and she confirmed it, then asked me to not get upset with her, so I’m thinking that others had gotten upset. But it obviously wasn’t her fault, so I just paid in full, then took my time to arrange everything in the backpack.
I then walked to that Kaufland, picking up another recyclable on the way and putting both in the machine before peeing and washing my hands and entering, with everything, at 9:20 PM. I first grabbed three of those buns that I could use instead of bread and two regular buns, since no other cheap ones were left, and then also a bread for myself which I only noticed at that point, all of these having the 50% evening discount, and scanned the price label for the regular bread but confirmed that it had no evening discount. Then I grabbed some spoiling lemons and mushrooms, made use of evening discounts for a number of vegetables and a few bananas, and made my way to the self-checkouts right at 10 PM, leaving one of the bundles of radishes there when I realized that one of the radishes was rotting and using the voucher received for that day’s recyclables along with the three which I had been left with from three days earlier when I paid. And then I took my time to arrange the purchases, only walking away around 10:15 PM, and there still had been no closing announcement, but I did check at the entrance and the listed closing time was 10 PM, and I had to use the emergency exit, so the store was obviously closed.
I also entered that non-stop Mega Image on the way back, putting the bag, the backpack and the recyclable which I had picked up on the way in a cabinet but entering with the bag that hangs from my neck, with the bread and buns, and just getting two bio (organic) eggs that I found among those sold by piece. And when I got to the checkout the cashier pointed me to the other one, yet when I went there I was pointed back to the first one, that second one checking out a coworker and having closed the gate after her. So I said that I had been pointed to her by the other one and the one who was being checked out said that she’ll log on, so both of those left and that other one checked me out. And a guard was there and asked whether what I had in that bag wasn’t also from there, so I pulled out the bag with the bread and pointed out that it was from Kaufland, yet he still asked whether I had showed it to him and let him know on the way in and then asked why not, though he eventually let me be and I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, adding the eggs in the bag. And I picked up a few more recyclables on the way back, realizing after finding the first one that I had lost the dirty bag that I had meant to put them in, probably in Kaufland. But I had another for that purpose. And when I got here I also checked the nearby Mega Image, leaving the bag with the recyclables in front of the cabinets, putting the other two bags in a cabinet that didn’t lock, entering with the backpack, and then just retrieving everything.
I got back a couple of minutes before 11:30 PM, put most of the purchases in their place, ate one of those spoiling apples and the sweet pastry that I already had, also selected the better radish leaves, and went to wash just after 1 AM, being done 45 minutes later. Then I washed what was in the kitchen, put the remaining purchases in their place, also dealt with those buns that I could use instead of bread, using one and a half that night and just leaving the bread to deal with at another time, and ate dinner between 3:50 AM and 4:30 AM, with the last several minutes spent getting what was stuck on the plate. I didn’t get on-line.

This is one of the other three novellas included with The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep, besides the first three, which are novelizations of the original trilogy, and I didn’t see any official description and didn’t play the game, so I have no idea whether it’s directly connected with the game and someone who has played it may well have a different opinion. But, to me, it does appear to fit. And, even on its own, it’s a decent enough effort if you keep your expectations in check, portraying what is pretty much a single event, taking place over a short amount of time, and doing little more than setting the stage for an adventure, but doing it well enough, including plenty of lore elements, and being very easy to read and properly edited.
Of course, there are even short stories, not to mention novellas, that include strong character development, generate powerful emotions, and in the particularly notable cases even somehow manage to pack more and better worldbuilding, which is not the case here. But the one specific complaint I have is Alain’s inconsistency, being grave and responsible in a few moments but otherwise way too carefree and quick to make light of everything for a paladin. Well, that and the title, which would have deserved at least a minimum amount of effort. And no, the other novellas don’t share the pattern, so it couldn’t have been some sort of requirement.

Rating: 3/5

Considering the situation, I could actually sleep surprisingly well this Tuesday. Liza woke me twice by going to the litter box, but I got right back to sleep after that, and one more time I think that I was woken up by my mother grating something in the kitchen, though she was otherwise particularly quiet, which is why I’m quite sure that she cooked and not dad. It did take me a while to fall asleep after that, but I eventually did, what followed being the one time when the workers woke me, a little before 1:20 PM, when they threw some things down, possibly off the building. But I could catch another brief nap even after that, though a dream woke me again at 1:50 PM and then I just waited for the alarm to ring, at 2 PM, before getting up. Then I washed what was in the kitchen and cleaned up a little, ate a banana instead of an apple, then the yogurt with cereals and raw almonds, then put most of what my parents had cooked into jars, so they could take it, and washed a few more things, and after they left I went to the toilet, also ate two nicer biscuits, with added honey, and left at 4:45 PM, wearing the full running gear and one armband. The reported temperature was 31-32°C, and the same when I finished, but it seems to have reached 33°C while I ran.
The time was 47:24.57, with sector times of 4:21.32, 5:06.10, 5:51.56, 4:19 (4:18.47), 4:53.12, 5:45.00, 4:26.22, 5:03 (5:02.22), 5:52.19 and 1:48.37, making for lap times of 15:18.98, 14:57 (14:56.59) and 15:21 (15:20.63). I still didn’t think that I could continue the streak of times below 48 minutes, so I aimed to just stay under 49, and the first sector seemed to confirm that as the likely outcome, but after the second I wondered whether I could at least squeeze under that 15:20 that’s the lap time target for 48 minutes on the first lap, so I pushed more on the third sector and just managed it. But then I guess that I pushed even harder on lap two, and seeing that excellent time on its second sector made me actually aim to stay under 48 minutes again after all. And at the end of that lap, which was the first one covered in less than 15 minutes without being the first lap of a run since the last time I managed to get under 47 minutes, in November, I wondered whether I could even squeeze under 47:30 once again. I wasn’t sure that I should try, being worried that I could push myself too hard, especially considering the heat, but at the start of sector three of lap three it seemed that, even if I was tiring, it might just be possible if I really went for it, so I did, especially on the final sector, and I made it by a clear margin.
Once again, there were hardly any notable problems with the exception of the heat, so the main reason why I weaved or went the long way around or otherwise off the best path was because I was looking for shade. And it was on sector three of what I’m pretty sure was lap two, sector three of lap three being too close to the end for the memory of the moment to be unclear by the time I finished, when I felt a little lightheaded, that placement of the moment being even more likely when I take into account the fact that towards the end of sector two of lap two I felt that I wasn’t quite getting enough oxygen. But I found ways to deal with the issue after that, and the only other thing I noticed was a momentary feeling that I hadn’t left everything in the toilet that appeared on sector two of lap three but quickly passed.

I picked up a recyclable on the way back, then ate a whole lot of watermelon and something sweet, did 200 squats, since I had kept putting them off the previous day until I forgot to do them at all, washed some more things which had been left in the kitchen, drank the rest of the tea, arranged the recyclables with the deposit symbol, changed, and initially went out again at 8:15 PM, just to put the recyclables brought by my parents into the machine from the nearby Mega Image, since they had brought a whole lot, saying that they were what they had emptied over the past month, and I only barely managed to make them fit into four bags. So it was a great thing that the machine worked and a guy was standing right next to it to deal with any issues right away, because it obviously reported that it was full after a while… And when I stepped aside to let that guy deal with it, which he did by just pushing the bag a little, the kid who had been waiting behind me went ahead and started putting his recyclables in, and he had a full bag as well, but I shrugged it off and waited, even telling that employee that I let him ahead when he asked if I wasn’t going to also put the rest in. But when that kid was done, he wordlessly dropped a can in one of my bags, and since it was of the kind that I was putting in when the machine stopped, I have no idea whether he gave me one of his or it was actually one of mine and he had set it aside after I had perhaps missed the fact that the machine had returned it. Either way, I then continued, until the machine stopped yet again, at which point that guy did replace the bag, after which I could finish and cash in the vouchers.
After going back to drop off the empty bags and pee one more time, I left again just before 8:45 PM, with the bag with the recyclables which I had gathered, jogging to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM and getting there just as the bakery products were being bagged. Some other people were taking some of them right away and asking for the employee to place the 90% discount labels on them after she printed them, but I waited for her to actually place the labels on what was left and just took one small flatbread, buying it after putting the recyclables in the machine and cashing in the voucher. But the cart with the other products that were discounted by 90% was brought just after that, so I rushed to look through it and grabbed all of the garlic and kohlrabies, the handful of onions, and one of the large cucumbers, without being charged for the bags that they were placed in when I paid for them.
I arranged the purchases in the backpack after walking out, then continued to Penny, picking up two recyclables on the way and also spotting two more that had a label with the deposit symbol and one that had none but which was just what I needed for the label that I still had in the bin that was next to the machine from there, so I placed that label on that one and put all of them in, though one of the others from that bin was crushed and I needed some time to straighten it well enough, so the machine timed out and I ended up with a second voucher. Then I entered with everything and just bought some bagels, waiting in line for quite a while, using those vouchers when I paid, and then adding the bagels in the backpack, by which time it seemed too late go to Kaufland as well, so I decided to continue only to that non-stop Mega Image, wanting to be there when they’ll start making the 90% discounts. But I was starting to need to pee again and I wasn’t going to have a toilet there, so I meant to use the better public one that’s across the road from that Penny, yet when I saw that it was occupied and a woman was waiting to use it next, I just kept going, looking for another option and eventually using the toilet from the gas station that’s across the road from that Mega Image, ending up washing my hands only with water, since I even checked the women’s and there was no soap there either.
After putting my things, which included a recyclable picked up on the way, in a cabinet, I wasted over 20 minutes in that Mega Image, the bakery products only starting to be bagged at 10:35 PM. But I could get a few, including a bread, with that 90% discount… And since I had spotted a nice packaged lunch that expired the next day and was discounted by 50%, I then worked up the courage to take it to the employee who had made those discounts and ask whether it’ll be left like that, being told that she’ll deal with those after 11 PM. So I wandered around a little longer and also took a bug repellent that my mother had asked me to look for, seeing that it was slightly cheaper than at Auchan those days and she wanted it right away, though my parents hadn’t said anything about it when it had been noticeably cheaper at Kaufland, Penny and Carrefour, in turn, during the previous weeks. Either way, a few other people were waiting by the time she brought the cart with those other products that were discounted by 90%, but I saw her take the lunch that I had asked her about and another similar one away before leaving it there, so after grabbing two bulgur salads I went after her, wondering whether she was taking them for herself or putting them back in the refrigerated area… Only to notice that she was actually looking for me, and when she saw me she handed both of them to me! So, despite only wanting one and saying so, and also being uncertain about some of the ingredients in the other, at that point it seemed only fair to buy both. And, if I initially put those bulgur salads back, after a few moments I went back and took back the one that was left, someone else having obviously grabbed the other one pretty much right away. And the total was 1 RON less than what I had calculated, but everything seemed correct when I quickly checked the receipt, so I assumed that I had made a mistake.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet, I stopped at a bench and arranged those purchases… And after walking away I checked the receipt more carefully, eventually seeing that I had calculated correctly after all, but the cashier had somehow scanned the bun twice and hadn’t scanned the croissants, the difference being exactly 1 RON. And I was considering giving away those croissants anyway, especially since I didn’t know their ingredients and couldn’t find them listed in that location, so that made me really look for a homeless person to give them to and I eventually left them next to a woman who had just woken up, even if she seemed drunk and started shouting for someone else to come over, that guy shouting back and threatening her, so I hastened away from there. And I picked up some more recyclables on the way back.
I got back a few minutes after midnight. Then I put just the lunches, the bulgur salad and the cucumber in the fridge, spreading out the other purchases, drank some of that drink taken at the Dream Trek, which had expired for a while, and a few minutes before 1 AM I went to wash… Only to see that the water wasn’t heating up, so after waiting for a while, I resigned myself to a cold shower, being done a little before 1:25 AM. Then I selected the garlic and put the remaining purchases in their place, at which point I noticed that the small flatbread from the first Mega Image wasn’t the one listed on the label but a similar one that would have been slightly more expensive but also a little sweetened, which bothered me. Either way, I also washed what was in the kitchen, ate lunch, on and off, between 3 AM and 4 AM, also dealt with my bread, and ate dinner between 4:25 AM and 5:05 AM, forgetting to put seasonings in the salad and not bothering to go back to the kitchen when I realized it, especially since I had left a little bit of the salad included with the lunch in the plate, while on the other hand I spent the last several minutes gathering what was stuck on the plate. I got in bed at 6:35 AM.

A few minutes before 8:30 AM, I was woken up by the sound of mowing from behind the building, but since the workers had put the dust nets on the scaffolding the previous day, I couldn’t see much, and definitely couldn’t take any relevant pictures, so this time around I don’t have those before and after shots that I usually take when they do that. So I cleaned the litter box, peed, drank a little more of that drink taken at the Dream Trek, checked the site and saw that the hot water was supposed to return the following morning, the reason being the yearly maintenance of the city’s system, and got back in bed at 8:45 AM, still without setting an alarm despite meaning to leave quite early, since I didn’t think that I was going to need it. But it was apparently pretty quiet after that, so it was almost 12:25 PM when I checked the time, a few minutes after waking up again, which meant that I had to rush, leaving a little after 1:40 PM.
Since I was going to the Sector 3 Treasury again and still wanted to get there before 2 PM, to be absolutely certain that there will be no problems, I jogged, getting there at 1:55 PM and withdrawing the interest resulting from the state bonds purchased a year earlier. Then I continued to that Kaufland, picking up a recyclable on the way but seeing a line at the recycling machines, so I put it in a cabinet, washed my hands just with water after even checking the women’s and finding no soap there either, and saw that the price for the better kind of watermelon was 30% lower than in the TV and on-line ad, and while most of those left didn’t seem too good, I eventually took one that I was relatively content with, though digging through them led to getting my shirt pretty dirty, especially on the right sleeve. Either way, I also grabbed an expiring chicken leg for dad and a small box of bio (organic) blueberries for mother, since those had what looked like an evening discount even though it wasn’t evening and they seemed pretty much perfect. And then, as I was arranging those purchases, it was announced that the price of the sour cream that I had actually noticed was already discounted had dropped even further, so I put those purchases in the cabinet and dashed back in to get some of that as well, obviously being charged for the plastic box. And I also added what at that point was the last pack of one kind of cat food. Then I retrieved my things, added those new purchases in the backpack, and on the way back I picked up a few more recyclables and checked two Mega Image locations, putting the watermelon and the recyclables in a cabinet and entering with the backpack both times.
I was back for the first time at 4:35 PM. Then I straightened the two crushed cans which I had picked up, put the purchases in their place, finished that drink, ate some more of the old watermelon, washed what was in the kitchen, and at 8:20 PM I left again, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up one more on the way to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM. And another one had been left next to the recycling machine from there, probably because the label was a little scrunched up and the bar code couldn’t be read, but I straightened it and put that in as well, along with all of the rest, ending up with three vouchers, since I separated dad’s from mine and the machine reported that the bag was full before I was done, so I gestured a couple of times to the guard and he eventually came and kicked that bag a little, which allowed me to continue. And then, after cashing in the vouchers, I waited for the 90% bakery discounts to be made and got some things… And I should have left right after that, but some products were set aside in the spot where I saw that those that are to be discounted by 90% are placed in that location, so I waited, yet the employee from that area started cleaning the store and the one who had made the bakery discounts vanished for a while and eventually took over from the cashier who had apparently left a little early, so after wasting a lot of time I finally gave up a little after 9:40 PM, just buying those bakery products… And being given a 0.50 RON coin as change even though it should have been half of that amount, the cashier saying that she didn’t have smaller coins and that it was fine like that. So I thanked her, waited outside for a couple more minutes, just in case that cart would be brought after all, and at 9:45 PM I finally walked away.
I was back a little after 10 PM, and while watching the match I put the purchases in their place, talked to dad a little, washed most of what was in the kitchen, and just started to eat lunch, finishing it after the match ended and then also doing the day’s squats before going to shower, a couple of minutes before 12:30 AM, and finding that the water was actually acceptable. But I still hurried, being done at 12:50 AM, though I then also cut my nails, from both hands and feet, and stayed in my room a little longer, going back to the kitchen when it was close to 1:15 AM. And then I had a few more things to wash and also moved something into jars, but I still stuck to the dinner schedule, albeit “cheating” a little in order to be able to say that I started eating before 3 AM… And after getting in bed I felt something and realized that I had forgotten the nail clippings there, so I gathered them up as well as I could at that point and threw them away.

While last week I had the excuse of the year’s best run to “waste” a personal slot just on that, there’s less of one this week and I was really hoping to write the review for Lost Words: Beyond the Page, which I started on July 5 and finished two days later, instead of posting this. But I’ve been playing The Witcher 2 a fair bit these days, and I haven’t written a “proper” game review since the one for Hero of the Kingdom II, in November of 2023. And that didn’t change now, so I gave up on even trying, adding three paragraphs to the post about this year’s Dream Trek instead, seeing as I still have most of the part about the actual run to add there, not to mention that the post about the half marathon remains a mere placeholder.

But I might as well also mention that no visits were recorded yesterday, while in that day’s early hours, after once again “cheating” in order to be able to say that I started eating dinner before 3 AM but actually starting at 3:20 AM, I couldn’t quite stuff everything that was left in my mouth at 3:40 AM, so I just missed sticking to the schedule and took the last pieces at 3:41 AM. But in the early hours of today I did just manage to finish at 3:40 AM, despite once again “cheating” by taking a first bite in my room just before 3 AM but really starting to eat just after 3:10 AM, and having made mamaliga, with plenty of things in it, so I really stuffed myself.
As for this evening, after doing the day’s squats, I left just before 7:40 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, and I picked up some more on the way to Kaufland, putting all of them in the machine. Then, after peeing and washing my hands, I entered the store a little after 8:15 PM and saw a lot of green onions left, with an outstanding evening discount, so I took six bundles that were also particularly large and made up a seventh out of a few scattered green onions that were also large in themselves. And the bio (organic) pleurotus mushrooms also had an outstanding evening discount, so I took the better box of those as well, plus almost two kilograms of bananas, since those also had a good evening discount and, after digging through the boxes, I managed to find some that were actually good. And then I spotted another box of those mushrooms among the expiring products and they didn’t look that bad either, so I grabbed that as well, along with some more cat food. But, unsurprisingly, considering the size of those bundles, the self-checkout machine didn’t accept the green onions as the correct product, so I had to call for the employee to override the error, the closing announcement coming while I was waiting for her to come over. And then I also used the voucher received for the recyclables, arranged the purchases, and walked out when it was close to 9:10 PM.
Since I saw conflicting information on-line about its closing time, I wanted to check another Mega Image on the way back, to see whether it could be another option while looking for products discounted by 90%. But when I got there, after picking up one more recyclable, I saw that the closing time was 11 PM, which is between the hours listed on-line and, either way, meant that I wasn’t going to find such discounts that early. But I nevertheless decided to have a quick look, leaving the bags next to the cabinets, entering with the backpack, and then retrieving those bags and gathering a few more recyclables on the way back.
Annoyingly, I got back here just after a goal was scored in a match, and while I was listening to the match on the radio and rushed to catch a replay, the time it took for the image to appear on the TV meant that I just missed that as well, only catching the replays of the players celebrating. Either way, I then put the purchases, with the exception of the green onions, in their place, and at half time I rushed to take a cold shower, seeing on the site that there was a problem that affected pretty much half the city and we weren’t going to get hot water anyway. And then I managed to find a way to put the green onions in the fridge as well, ate a small bag of bagels, and wrote this last section and the paragraph that’s before it, just failing to finish before midnight and editing the post a few minutes later to add this last sentence. Or the last two, since I’m adding one more, to say that I’m now going to have lunch and then work on dinner, the salad obviously going to consist mostly of green onions.

The very fact that Putin, a wanted war criminal with an international arrest warrant in his name, was invited and welcomed on US soil, literally having the red carpet rolled out for him, receiving honors from armed forces who should be fighting against him and his regime, and being received by the president of the USA not only as an equal, which is a treatment that Trump quite obviously only reserves for fellow dictators, but even as a close friend, is already a great victory for Putin and another dagger in the heart of Ukraine, Europe, NATO, the ICC, the UN, and the rules-based international order as a whole. And the fact that those directly affected by the discussions that were supposed to take place weren’t even invited, along with the contrast between the reception offered to Trump and that given to other leaders, and to Zelenskyy in particular, makes it that much worse.
But, of course, that more or less remains in the realm of symbolism and things could have been far worse in practical terms if a deal would have been reached between the two, seeing as Putin wasn’t going to step back in any way, so the only way for that to happen would have been for Trump to throw Ukraine, and by extension Europe, completely under the bus, accepting Putin’s demands and forcing those affected to accept the agreement as a done deal. So, from that point of view, while obviously not good news, the fact that no deal was reached at least means no immediate bad news… But the emphasis is on that “immediate”, because on top of all of the talk about sanctions and consequences if Putin won’t immediately agree to a ceasefire and show real willingness to stop the war appearing to have simply evaporated, reports say that Trump seems to have agreed to Putin’s demand to be handed over the part of Donetsk that Russia is yet to control in exchange for freezing the current battle lines elsewhere and, supposedly, a written promise of no future attacks, and that’s what he was referring to when he said that he advised Zelenskyy to make the deal.
Now it remains to be seen what will happen on Monday, when it seems that Zelenskyy is set to meet Trump again, and other European leaders are supposedly also invited. But such a deal is very clearly unacceptable, so I definitely hope that nobody will give in, regardless of the pressure that Trump will exert. But, more importantly, I hope that the EU, plus the UK and Norway, along with NATO, will step in more and more and actually push back against the Russian regime, which at this point means directly helping Ukraine achieve victory, recover the lost territory and be protected from further attacks, but should also include similar aid offered to Georgia and Moldova and policies meant to protect from any future attacks, be they military or otherwise, along with finally ending any trade or other deals that fund the Russian regime. Otherwise, any talks or proposals, including those seen today, which apparently include some supposed security guarantees from Ukraine that would be “inspired by” NATO’s Article 5 but without accepting Ukraine as a member, are just empty words. And, of course, Ukraine, along with Georgia and Moldova, becoming NATO members is one absolutely necessary step, and the one thing that would have prevented this entire situation if it’d have been done long ago.

After being so relieved that no work had been done the previous few days, so I could sleep, the workers were back on Thursday, and dad also left very early, so I woke up after what had most likely not even been one full hour of sleep, some time passed before I got back to sleep, and after what was probably a little more than another hour the noise made by the workers woke me again and there was no chance to get back to sleep again, so I got up and only got back in bed around 12:15 PM, after dad left again and when I hoped that the workers would take a break. And they probably did, or at least made much less noise for a while, because I could sleep until 2 PM, so I got a total of about three and a half hours and was thinking that it was good that I had given up on the idea of running that day, which I had considered even if it’d have meant not going out again in the evening. But the workers remained until just about 7:30 PM, so my attempt to get in bed at 6 PM didn’t do much good, and I also initially lost something that I wanted to watch during that time, since the recording was corrupted after the first few minutes for some reason. And I wasn’t going to lose the matches as well, and the first one started at 7:30 PM, so I had to get up again just when I would have finally had a chance to sleep.

At least I got in bed a little before 5 AM and actually managed to get a fair bit of sleep. When the workers woke me just before 9:15 AM, I thought that I won’t, and that remained the case when I got back in bed, at 9:30 AM, after peeing, cleaning the litter box yet again, and checking that the recording of the recorded broadcast of that show, which had started a little after I had gone to bed, did save properly, since dad got up then and between him and the workers I was mostly awake for quite a while. But after dad left I did get back to sleep, and while I still woke up a few times, I think that it was mainly because I kept having to pee, the noise made by the workers seeming to get more distant as time passed, and that was particularly notable for the drilling, which eventually seemed to go away entirely. In fact, while I woke up again at 1:40 PM and decided to get up at that point even though the alarm had been set to ring at 2 PM, I then realized that I could have probably kept sleeping after that point if I hadn’t planned to run that day, the main noise that could still be heard being some occasional shouting, everything else seeming to be far enough away to not be a serious issue anymore. But I did plan to run, and I also wanted to shave, so I had the usual stuff, albeit replacing two of the raw almonds with apricot pits, shaved as well, wasted some time on the toilet, which wasn’t that much of a concern after having gone before going to bed in the morning, also had two nicer biscuits, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and left at 4:40 PM, wearing the full running gear and one armband… But without the cap, so I rushed back to grab it after realizing that when I stepped outside the building, so it was a few minutes later when I actually left. Either way, the reported temperature was 31-32°C, holding steady.
The time was 47:18.98, with sector times of 4:16.36, 5:00.56, 5:52 (5:51.09), 4:27.38, 4:57.40, 5:45 (5:44.44), 4:21.72, 4:57 (4:56.84), 5:53 (5:52.28) and 1:50.91, making for lap times of 15:08.01, 15:09.22 and 15:11 (15:10.84). I was only aiming to stay under 49 minutes, but the first sector seemed somewhat promising, and after the second one seemed even better, I wanted to see how much of a buffer I could create on the first lap, and while it wasn’t much, after the first lap I allowed myself a passing thought of staying under 48 minutes after all. But that was going to require pushing all the way, so I did, resulting in particularly good times on sectors two and three of lap two and a lap that made me actually set staying under 48 minutes as the goal after the end of it. And if after sector one of lap three I felt pretty safe from that point of view, after the following sector I realized that I could even get under 47:30 and aimed to do so, doing enough on sector three to be safe at the end of the lap. And at that point I really wasn’t thinking about anything better, mainly wanting to make sure that I’ll get to the end without problems and only really going for it on the last part of the final straight. But that was enough to end up with the year’s best time, the last time I was faster being in December.
Admittedly, the only notable problem was the heat, and it was probably also why there were relatively few people in the park at that hour, so looking for shade was likely the main reason why I weaved and went the long way around or otherwise off the best path, not other people. But it was quite clearly also why I found myself getting really dizzy towards the end of the first lap, to the point that I wondered how was I going to continue, and while it was nothing like that first moment, the fact that I also got briefly lightheaded at one point on sector one of lap two didn’t make me feel any better about my prospects. And, after not having another such moment on sector two of lap two, there was one per sector all the way to the end, the last two, or perhaps mainly the one from sector three of lap three, being more notable, though still nothing like the first one.

The worst such moment, however, was on the way back, when I felt like I was about to faint and my heart was beating erratically, so I focused on breathing calmly but deeply and took it easy until it passed. Then I ate a lot of the watermelon bought from Penny the previous week, which I had only tasted once before then, so that day was when I confirmed that, despite my initial misgivings, it actually was really good. Either way, I also ate a sweet pastry and drank one of the protein shakes taken after the Dream Trek, changed, and left again at 7:25 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I went to Auchan Titan, picking up some more recyclables on the way and putting all but one in the machine when I got there, the problem being that the found label had fallen off the bottle that I had placed it on and when I tried to just put in the bottle with it loosely wrapped around it, after a few attempts the machine spat the bottle back out but “ate” the label, so I set my mind on recovering that amount, entered the store with that bottle, and actually looked around for a while, trying to decide on something to take that was that cheap. But in the end I left that for another time and just bought the cat food that I had gone there for, then put it in the backpack and walked out, knowing that I wanted to get back earlier that day, so I wasn’t going to follow a “normal” plan, but not knowing where else I wanted to go at that point. But I did want to get some bagels from Penny, so I entered one, with everything, and bought those, adding them in the backpack… And, just before getting to that Penny, my phone gave a low battery warning, so I turned it off for a while, but after about a quarter of an hour I turned it back on, though I obviously didn’t listen to anything anymore. Either way, I also briefly stepped inside a Mega Image, but only for a few seconds, because I saw that it was closing at 11 PM and there were obviously no 90% discounts yet.
I only finally made up my mind after that, deciding to go to the Mega Image that’s across the road from Kaufland Pantelimon. And I wanted to also use the machine from there for the few recyclables picked up on the way, and Mega Image stops the recycling machines at 10 PM, and I also wanted to make really sure that I won’t lose any of the 90% discounts, so instead of going there to put in those recyclables and then dashing to Kaufland and returning, I just went to wash my hands at Kaufland, walking back out even though a great evening discount for green onions was just announced, then grabbed two more recyclables on the way to that Mega Image, managed to put all of them in the machine just before 10 PM… And then wandered around and waited for the 90% discounts to be placed, realizing that I should have gone to Kaufland first when that only started to happen at 10:18 PM… And only bakery products ended up having that discount and remaining available, so I took a few and then just wasted even more time, waiting to see whether anything else would appear and, in particular, whether a high-protein pudding that expired the next day would also be discounted by 90%, since it only had the 50% discount at that point. But the employees who were making the discounts set aside two full baskets of products and when one of them took one and headed to the checkout, I realized that they were going to take those themselves and probably won’t make any other discounts that evening, so I just cashed in the voucher and bought those bakery products. And after walking out I went to a bench, added them in the backpack, and then jogged back.
I was back a little after 10:50 PM, then cleaned the litter box yet again, went to drop what I gathered down the chute, and soon after that I went to wash. After I was done, I redeemed Lords of the Fallen: Game of the Year Edition, the key being sent that day after I had requested it two days earlier on The Community Giveaway on the GOG.com forums. And since GOG.com’s recent move against the censorship enforced by payment processors made me want to buy something from there again, I purchased Seal of Evil for myself before making that request and Darkstone and Master of Orion 1+2 for The Community Giveaway after that, this also being part of my continued attempt to make up for what I played “pirated” back in the day, so after redeeming that game I sent those two to the giveaway’s administrator. And then, after just quickly spreading out the purchases, I stayed in my room until 1 AM, after which I exchanged a few words with dad and cleaned up a little, finally put the purchases in their place, and then used the cheese pie bought from Mega Image and the filling of some other pie made by that friend of my mother’s and brought by dad to fix something that counted as lunch, which I ate between 2:20 AM and 2:35 AM. And I made something similar, using a small flatbread that I already had, regular cheese, olives, and a vegan substitute for a processed meat product, which counted as dinner, which I ate between 4:15 AM and 5:15 AM. And I got in bed at 6:20 AM.

Well, just after 8:10 AM I was back on the computer, but while I didn’t check the time until then, I was awake well before that, since that was when the banging from outside made it clear that I won’t get back to sleep, the workers getting an early start and apparently getting back to doing the work right here, but I actually woke up after dad did, and he had already left by then. So it’d probably be fair to say that I only got one hour of sleep by then. But the banging seemed to stop after a little while, so I gave the remaining plum compot a quick boil and ate some of the plums, after having opened it a month earlier, moving it into a smaller jar at some point since then, but noticing at night that it had likely started to have mold on top and removing what I could out of the traces of white stuff, and at 9:15 AM I got back in bed. But, while not particularly loud, and in fact possibly not loud enough to wake me if I would have managed to get back to sleep when I was so tired, there was still some banging and shouting, and the very fact that I was so tired made it hard to fall asleep again, so just before 10 AM I got back up, finished that kompot, and got back on the computer, trying to get back in bed at 11:05 AM, after putting some moisturizing cream on my cock, since the heat had been making the dermatitis really act up again. And I did manage to get back to sleep pretty quickly at that point, getting some four hours before waking up again, and then actually catching another brief nap before getting up, a few minutes after 4 PM… And soon after that I noticed that the work stopped, so just after 4:40 PM I got back in bed, and while it took me quite some time to fall asleep again, I did get another brief nap before getting up for good, a few minutes after 5:30 PM.