Cav's Place

On May 4, after doing the day’s squats and eating lunch, I initially walked out at 6:30 PM, going to vote. Then I came back to take the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the paper, walking out again when it was almost 6:55 PM, dropping off the paper in a recycling bin, putting the recyclables with the deposit symbol, including those picked up on the way and two more that I found right there, in the machine from Kaufland, taking two others that weren’t accepted, then finding two more in the bins that are in front of the entrance, going back to put those in as well, spotting one more when I got back to the machines and putting in all three, getting a second voucher.
After putting those two recyclables that weren’t accepted in a cabinet and washing my hands, I entered the store at 7:35 PM, seeing that the evening discount for lettuce was just 50% and only a few small and wilting ones were left in the regular spot, but when I spotted a somewhat better one which had been left by someone elsewhere, I took it, along with the box of pleurotus mushrooms that looked better, even if it was only discounted by 30%, two cheap yogurts, some wafers for dad, and a can of cat food, so I’ll be able to use both of the vouchers received that day as well as the one which I had been left with from earlier, which I did. And, while I was still in line at the self-checkouts when the closing announcement came, I then still took my time to arrange everything, and also retrieved those two recyclables from the cabinet.
What was frustrating was that, on the way to Carrefour, I passed by another store that had a large sign stating that they offered 20% more for the recyclables with the deposit symbol, without requiring an app or anything else and allowing the vouchers to be simply cashed in as well, so I had lost a fair amount by not knowing that earlier. Either way, I entered to see whether those two would be accepted by their machine, and when they weren’t I continued on my way, trying them at Carrefour as well, with the same result, and then handing them in at the information desk, to get the money that way. Then I entered the store with everything and just got a discounted sweet pastry… And saw that their lettuce was nice and so large that it’d have probably ended up being cheaper if you calculated the price for the same weight, but I had already purchased that one from Kaufland and that was that.
On the way back, I found 1 RON, staring after the woman who was walking ahead of me for a moment, wondering whether she had dropped it, but not recalling her doing anything that might have resulted in that and deciding to pick it up, but also to add half of the amount to what I meant to eventually give away. And then I completely forgot that I had decided to take all of the recyclables with the deposit symbol to that store while they’ll offer that additional amount and put those which I had picked up on the way back from Carrefour in the machine from the nearby Mega Image and cashed in the voucher… And then I still ended up coming back with one, since I picked it up after walking out of there. But at least I took everything to that store since then, even some cans which hadn’t been accepted elsewhere before being accepted, the only thing that wasn’t so far being one of those small oddly-shaped bottles that Kaufland’s machines tend to “eat”.
I got back a couple of minutes after 9:30 PM, ate an apple and the sweet pastry, and went to wash quickly, to be done before the race… And I had told dad right away that I was going to go to the bathroom quickly, but when I was done he said that I hadn’t and he used the other toilet and then poured water in it from a pot. Either way, I then also ate some nicer bagels… And found that dad had put those pots back while they were still wet, so I had to take them back out and dry them. And I also sorted the recyclables that he had brought and put them on the balcony, washed what was in the kitchen, and used the worse lettuce leaves for the salad, along with a couple of better ones that I shouldn’t have added, ending up eating dinner between 3:50 AM and 4:30 AM.

On May 9, after getting in bed at 5:20 AM, noise from the upstairs neighbor woke me at 11:05 AM, but it stopped quickly and I managed to get right back to sleep even though dad also got up then and started getting ready to leave, sleeping until 1:05 PM and then spending some 40 more minutes in bed before getting up. Then I ate a milk and rice dessert brought by dad the previous evening and which was expired for a week and did seem somewhat suspicious, since I definitely couldn’t leave it there even longer, did the day’s squats, ate lunch as well, and then ended up just wasting some time that I didn’t have on the toilet. I felt something while eating and wanted to get it out of the way, but when I got there, nothing happened, so I eventually cut my losses… And the feeling returned pretty much as soon as I stood back up, but I couldn’t wait anymore, so I cleaned the litter box and left a little after 4:30 PM.
I jogged to Constitution Square, which saved some time, so on the way I checked Carrefour Unirii, just getting some corn puffs, thinking that I might want to munch something later, and putting them in the backpack, a Profi Go, entering with the corn puffs and getting some expiring falafel, not receiving the receipt, and a Mega Image, entering with everything, the falafel in my hand, and having the guard tell me to go pay when I was walking out, so I showed it to him more clearly and told him that it was from Profi and the cashier laughed. Either way, I then picked up the kit for the half marathon, everything going smoothly, and after checking the contents and being really pleased to see two vials of liquid magnesium, I put everything, including the purchases, in that bag, and then managed to put it in mine, since if I’m to call that a bag then that backpack with rope straps that I keep using is the exact same thing.
The reason for rushing was that a march was also taking place that evening, starting from University Square, and while I had found what should have been a slightly shorter route before leaving, it was once again proven that the shortest route is the one you know, since I got confused and lost some time by walking back and forth. But I could afford it, so I also had a quick look in another store on the way, entering with everything, even took the time to check out the World Press Photo exhibition that was at the statues, then peed and washed my hands at the toilets from the passage, and after being surprised by the long line at the store with flags and other such things from there, I came out on the other side, where the people had gathered, just after 7 PM.
I then did my best to take some pictures, but I only had my phone to work with and somewhat less time to do so than I thought, the posted schedule asking people to start gathering from 6 PM but initially stating that the march would start at 7:30 PM, and while I had noticed before leaving that they had changed that to between 7 PM and 7:30 PM, I was more inclined to expect delays, yet the march actually started just after 7:15 PM. And the number of participants and the fact that I’m so out of practice when it comes to such things meant that I didn’t look for picture opportunities as much as I used to back in the day, so after a while I took a place near the front and stayed there the rest of the way, the one thing to point out being that, while the event was taking place on Europe Day and meant to show support for the EU and European values and freedoms and oppose the far right in general, the organizers trying to avoid turning it into an obvious political event, people soon started chanting in support of Nicusor Dan, so Angi kept trying to stop that, at first by simply asking, then by leading other chants when those started, and finally by asking people what were they going to do when Nicusor will disappoint them and whether they’ll also associate that with the EU and join the anti-European crowd because of it… Which actually seemed to work, those chants no longer swelling in that manner the rest of the way to Victory Square, which the head of the column reached just before 8:15 PM. And some more people were already there at that point, there was a large stage as well, and the event continued there for a couple more hours, the organizers estimating 40000 to 50000 participants, while other sources seemed to limit themselves to stating that there were at least 20000. But I couldn’t stay, so I took a few more pictures as I made my way back through the column and walked away at 8:25 PM.
I then jogged to Obor, entering that mall just after 8:50 PM, putting my things in a cabinet and getting two packs of nicer biscuits that had the 50% discount because they were crushed, not because they were expiring, just one head of garlic, at full price, which had even increased by 10%, and two sweet pastries, since the bakery discounts had been made. Then I retrieved my things and mostly jogged to Kaufland as well, putting everything in a cabinet, entering the store a couple of minutes before 9:30 PM, and since there was nothing else to get, I just bought two packs of that same kind of biscuits as those crushed ones, but whole, as they had what I thought was a great regular discount at Kaufland those days. However, I saw, and bought, similar biscuits with better discounts not long after that, and even the boxes of those biscuits are now having great discounts, the price per pack ending up being marginally lower even than what I paid for those crushed ones, so I shouldn’t have bought any of those, nor the two other packs that I got from Kaufland a few days later… Not that I could have known that at the time, of course. But, to return to that evening, I then retrieved everything and walked out a couple of minutes before 10 PM, and on the way back I gathered some more recyclables and also had a quick look in a non-stop Profi, entering with the backpack but putting the bags in a cabinet and then just retrieving them.
I got back at 10:55 PM, cleaned the litter box and went to drop that bag of trash down the chute, dad locking me outside just then and then saying that he hadn’t noticed that I walked out, though it was obvious and if I hadn’t walked out then it meant that I was about to and he still shouldn’t have locked the door just yet. Either way, I then washed something that he wanted to use and had started washing on his own, obviously messing things up, and started the washing machine, despite the late hour, to add the t-shirt from the race kit along with everything else. And I also washed a couple of other things in the kitchen, ate the one fruit that I still had and wasn’t an apple, I think a Mandarin orange, one of the sweet pastries, and a little of some salty snacks, and went to wash just after 12:50 AM. I was done a few minutes after 1:30 AM, but then I talked to dad for some 15 minutes and hung the laundry to dry, only getting back to the kitchen at 2:30 AM, and I had more things to wash there. And I also took a pill, which was expired “only” since September, just in case, and ate the rest of those salty snacks, finally eating dinner between 4:20 AM and 5 AM and getting in bed at 6 AM.

On May 18, the alarm was set to ring at 9 AM, to watch the Formula E race, but I woke up to pee at 8:45 AM, so I did that and then turned off the alarm and stayed up, reading a little more of the book before the start and, in fact, through most of the race. Then, after cutting my fingernails, arranging all of the recyclables with the deposit symbol into bags, including taking two cans which hadn’t been accepted before but which did seem to be accepted at that store that offers 20% more, and doing the day’s squats, I decided to shave as well, after which I put two of the bags of recyclables into the large backpack. But first I went to vote, then came back and grabbed all of those recyclables, leaving again just before 1:45 PM.
The machine from that store stopped after just three recyclables, though I could continue after the employee shook the bag and the box a little, getting a second voucher after I finished putting in dad’s and then continuing with mine, until the machine once again reported that it was full and the employee came and replaced the bag, though she said that emptying the box for glass takes a while and after asking whether I had many glass bottles left, she just shook it again, and that seemed to have been enough to allow me to finish, being left with one can that wasn’t accepted, though those other two were. So I ended up with four vouchers, which I then cashed in, another employee dealing with that and placing the money for each of them on the counter, including putting the regular amount and the additional one separately, so the result was quite a pile of small bills and coins that I ended up miscounting, though before I could try to count again she replaced them with the total amount, in larger bills as much as possible, which made it simple for both of us to count again.
After that, I had a look through the farmers’ market, looking for usable cheap apples but not seeing any, and then went to Carrefour, getting one of those mini breads that was among the discounted products and some chips that were two for the price of one and also generated a voucher with 30% of the value, so I initially only scanned the chips, to confirm that everything was correct, and then scanned and paid for the mini bread separately, after which I put the purchases in the backpack and picked up a few more recyclables on the way back.
I was back again just after 3:50 PM, so I had time to clean the litter box and go to drop that bag down the chute before the start of the Formula 1 race, during which I made the tea and ate lunch, with a large bag of corn puffs instead of bread. And I left again at 6:40 PM, going to Obor… But I was thinking that dad might be getting back around that time and found myself walking to the metro station instead of starting on that slightly shorter route to Obor, and when I realized it I didn’t turn around, even if that seems to have been slightly faster, since continuing from where I was, taking the street that goes past the hospital and finally getting on that route once I got behind the park, seems to have meant walking some 400 meters more. So I might have just made it to Kaufland in time to escape the worst of it without that, but as it was, the period of heavy rain and wind caught me some minutes away. Either way, dad called before that rain came, since he had gotten back and I had left him a note, and told me to get more chips and some Pepsi, since those vouchers with 30% of the value were offered for that as well.
So I was soaked by the time I reached Kaufland, and after putting the few recyclables which I had picked up on the way in a cabinet, I had to go to the women’s to at least find water to wash my hands, since there was no soap either at the men’s or there, the room for disabled people was locked, possibly being occupied, and if some water came when I initially tried to wash at the men’s, after checking the other places for soap I found that even that seemed to have stopped there! Either way, it was past 7:35 PM when I entered the store, and after getting some things I was using the self-checkout when the closing announcement came. Then I retrieved those recyclables and arranged the purchases… And I walked out just in time to see the rainbow, so at least there was a nice thing about that rain which had caught me earlier.
Either way, I then went to Carrefour, putting my things in a cabinet, peeing and washing my hands properly, and then getting what dad had asked for, the cat food that was also among the products that were two for the price of one those days, that actually being the only time when I found it, and an expiring product. And then I saw that the bakery discounts had been made and took a sweet pastry and four breads. But I was obviously also thinking about the election results, and it was quite a relief when an employee told the exit poll results to another, excitedly and out loud, and the difference did seem to be sufficient even if the votes from abroad were likely to lower it a little, so I also exchanged a few words with her about that. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, took some time to arrange everything, and picked up some more recyclables on the way back.
I got back just before 10:25 PM, then put the purchases in their place, registered for next year’s half marathon, dad making the payment, wrote a quick reaction to the presidential election results, ate an apple and that sweet pastry, washed what was in the kitchen, minus pots and plastic boxes, and went to wash myself just before 1 AM, being done 40 minutes later. Then I washed some more things in the kitchen, dealt with one of my breads, also moved some olives into a jar, and ate dinner between 3:45 AM and 4:35 AM. I got in bed at 5:55 AM.

The plan for May 19 was to read quite a lot, but I was just completely exhausted, so after reading only some 20 pages in the afternoon, in the evening I got back in bed, staying there for some three hours and sleeping for probably about one and a half. And then, despite going to the kitchen even before 12:30 AM, I ended up spending half an hour gathering after dad, mostly from the living room, and then I washed more things in the kitchen, including pots and a lid that was quite soiled, dealt with another one of my breads, and made salad out of lettuce and green onions, ending up eating dinner between 3:35 AM and 4:25 AM and getting in bed at 5:20 AM.

As I was saying, since Israel still wasn’t banned alongside Russia and Belarus, I’ll once again replace what used to be my usual posts about Eurovision with one about FalastinVision which, just like last year, I’m writing a week after the show. This time around, I didn’t even try to watch any of it, just looking for the results after listening to the finalists on the site, and I’ll once again write a little comment about each entry, since there are just 16 of them. Not that they shouldn’t have just allowed all of the entries in the final, since there seem to have only been 20 of them, plus that I’d have definitely put all of the four that didn’t make it in the final instead of some of those that did make it. But the voters obviously had other preferences and criteria, and here I’m just presenting mine and trying to rank the entries accordingly, with the actual position added between parentheses, in the listed order even in case of the entries that were tied on points. But I didn’t try to actually score, so the ranking is just an attempt to order the entries at this moment and if you’d ask me again at a later point quite a few positions are very likely to change. And yes, I will admit that the fact that the top two artists are the same ones as last year was a way to make things somewhat easier for myself, the top four songs in my classification all standing out in some way.

1. (10.) Dúo Pepe y Mary – MESSAGE is once again the sort of thing that should be here. A good song overall, with nice vocals and lyrics that, while not in English, sound good enough in Spanish and are supportive without containing anything questionable. My choice isn’t as clear as last year, but I once again find myself drawn to the entry by these two.
2. (4.) LN Upstairs – Sumud is once again recorded at home and in poor quality, but I guess that I still won’t really hold that against it when I’m once again impressed by the voice and the overall sound. Such a nice, soft piece, and the lyrics are fitting as well.
3. (1.) Iranians for Palestine – Human, Where Are You? is a great entry and an entirely understandable pick. Good sound that includes elements from that area, which I’m personally not keen on but which obviously fit here, powerful video, and lyrics that also seem good, at least according to the translation, since the fact that they’re not in English is a problem. I raised an eyebrow at the band name, but there doesn’t seem to be anything questionable. And it’s one of the most professional entries here.
4. (11.) New Nobility -Rebel – Let’s Make a Better World actually sounds nice, and unexpected in a good way. Maybe it’s too positive, considering the circumstances, but that’s also refreshing, and the fact remains that it’s a pretty good song in itself.
5. (6.) LOREM – We Won has digitized vocals, at least in part, which is a problem for me, but it nevertheless sounds nice, you can actually sing along to this one, and it’s unusual in a good way for this competition, perhaps even in terms of message.
6. (12.) UGOXME – Little Boy surprised me. It’s not something I expected to hear here and the sound is quite nice, though the altered vocals definitely count against it. And the lyrics are general, also applying to the artist’s situation in Ukraine, for example, so I’d call it repurposed, but it’s still quite fine.
7. (2.) JC BIGFOOT – Your Silence Is Complicity is barely melodic, and with a bad voice at that, but the lyrics are in English, clear and on point, delivering a really good message, which should count for quite a lot in such a competition.
8. (8.) Frida – Mamma, vad gjorde du för Gaza? isn’t rap, I guess, but there’s little actual music there, so it’s still all about the lyrics, which aren’t in English. The translation says that they’re fine, but that’s about all I can say.
9. (5.) Annie G. Silva – Vento is in Portuguese and I always found that language ugly, and the sound also seems rather typical for something coming from there, which is another thing that I never liked. The voice is so and so, and I guess that overall it’s not bad for its genre, but I find myself just passing right over it.
10. (16.) Proletarian Poetry – Darkness is completely electronic, digitized, and while there’s obviously no rule against it, I don’t think that something like this should be here, even if the sound isn’t bad in itself.
11. (3.) Anton Berner – Befria Palestina is more rap that’s not in English. The translation seems all right, and the sound isn’t bad for the genre, maybe with the exception of the ending, but that’s about all I can say.
12. (14.) MzumO – Al Aqsa is another piece of rap. Definitely not crap, actually sounding quite nice for the genre, but there are a whole lot of lyrics that are once again not in English and any point is likely to get lost, even the translation being confusing and probably having mistakes. And what’s the point of rap that can’t deliver a message?
13. (13.) Maria Lumiere – Let Me Burn is just an atmospheric piece with next to nothing in terms of lyrics. Can be soothing, but otherwise it’s basically forgettable and I’m wondering why it’s even here.
14. (9.) Half Light – From the Wounds Emerges… Resistance! is growled, which would have been enough to chase me away even if I will admit that the vocals aren’t bad for the genre. But then there’s the idea behind the song as well, which I can understand under these circumstances, but nevertheless can’t support.
15. (15.) 10kr – We Forget Facts But Not Feelings is, basically, a piece of crap. In terms of sound, there are a few that are worse, but the vocals are also digitized, which is another negative aspect, and it’s just too harsh for such an event, even under these circumstances.
16. (7.) ASAT – A Star in the Sky sounds like complete crap. How could anybody vote for this is beyond me. No voice, utterly crappy sound; people simply shouldn’t have to listen to something like this.

The 19 years that passed since I read the first book were a serious reason for concern, so it was a relief that the fact that readers were likely to need a lot of reminders was fully taken into consideration. Not that it’s surprising, considering the 28 years that passed between the respective release dates, but I want to point out that I never felt lost or that I was missing anything important while reading this. And those reminders aren’t forced, generally fitting quite well into a story that expands and improves upon that of the first book while also offering some explanations that were initially lacking.
Then again, that’s not hard at all, seeing as I was calling The Mummy as “the worst book by Anne Rice, except of course the “Sleeping Beauty” series“. And I must say that The Passion of Cleopatra also fails to meet my expectations of a book by Anne Rice, feeling like it tries at various moments to reach for that “magic” but keeps falling short or going off the mark, and while the fact that she wrote it with her son may also have something to do with that, the problems are likely deeper, having to do with the source material and the fact that this “species” of immortals and their world just don’t fit Anne Rice’s style and she never developed them quite enough. It has its good moments and, other than a couple of obvious continuity errors that were actually very close together, I wasn’t actually bothered by anything specific, actually being surprised that I didn’t dislike the characters this time around, which is unusual for me in general, but overall it’s just a decent way to pass some time.

Rating: 3/5

The danger was real, but in the end things turned out as close to well as possible over here, with Nicusor Dan winning the presidential election. And he actually did so more clearly than I expected… Or, more exactly, more clearly than I thought possible, because I wasn’t certain that he was going to win, and if he did I expected it to be by 5% at the very best, and others from the “old guard” of activists were at least as worried, some even more so. But at the time I’m writing this, with over 98% of precincts counted, the difference is about 8.5%, and while there are plenty of votes from abroad left to count and Simion is winning there, a difference of at least 8% seems quite certain. And what’s interesting is that this is exactly what the exit polls said, while so far they were way off.
Now the next question is what’s going to happen with Bucharest, since we’ll need a new mayor here and the position is under serious threat from PSD. And then, of course, there is the fact that Nicusor Dan is a right-leaning centrist without a particular vision or ideology other than being a strict follower of rules and regulations, a fighter against corruption and those who flaunt the law, and unfortunately a supporter of the current economic system and of the private over the public sector, so most definitely not a leftist or progressive, and only an environmentalist in the loosest sense, usually going only as far as ensuring that the current regulations in the field are respected. And his expertise is Bucharest, and in particular fighting against those who go against building regulations, which he had been doing for over a decade before becoming mayor, which won’t really matter as president. On the other hand, in his time as mayor he did have to deal with a disastrous budget situation and a split Council, with a majority that was often hostile, and has some notable achievements under those circumstances, which do prove skills that he will need in his new position. But the president’s main attributes have to do with external affairs and security matters, and on those topics he seems to be coming from the right place, more or less, but his skills remain to be proven.
But all of that, as well as any questions about when will people elect some who do adhere to the values and ideology that are so desperately needed and how long can we still afford to wait for that moment, if at all, are for tomorrow and the days after. This moment, this night, is a time of relief. Not celebration, not happiness, maybe not even so much of true hope for an actually good future, but definitely relief. The disaster that’d have been Simion becoming president was averted and, especially considering the difference, the mainstream politicians will also see that the wind doesn’t blow from that direction, or at least not anymore, and most probably fall in line at least to Nicusor’s level. And, for the moment, that’s the best that could have been realistically hoped for.

Last year I was saying that it was easy to boycott Eurovision, since Romania wasn’t participating or broadcasting on TV and watching live on-line wouldn’t have been feasible when I had to get ready for that year’s half marathon, which was taking place the following morning. And the lack of participation or TV broadcast remains true this year, but the competition taking place a week later means that I could have watched it live on-line. But, of course, I still won’t, and I also still won’t write what used to be my usual posts, since the reason for the boycott, the fact that Israel continues to be allowed to participate despite the continuing war crimes, ethnic cleansing and undoubtedly genocidal actions against Palestinians, remains valid, in fact being even more so than last year. And, with the plan to conquer and destroy Gaza having now been approved and openly announced, the situation is certain to only worsen even further.
There are opinions stating that the EBU has a mission to protect public broadcasters, especially when they’re in conflict with the authorities and in danger, as is the case even now in Israel, so they feel that they must continue to support the broadcaster, possibly even taking it as an act against the government, at least as long as the sort of ultimatums that resulted in banning Russia and Belarus won’t be put forward by the other participants… And the fact that those ultimatums still don’t exist is a major problem in itself, but I definitely won’t take any of it as a suitable explanation. Well, not unless the Israeli entry would be one that actually would criticize the government’s actions and/or support Palestinians, at least in some roundabout way that’d pass the competition’s censorship rules. And that’s definitely not the case, in fact quite the contrary, or at least that’s what I gathered.
Either way, I want to mention that FalastinVision is taking place this year as well, and while I still won’t actually watch it, I will once again replace my usual posts about Eurovision with one about that, which I’ll probably write next week, after listening to all of the songs properly, since so far I only listened to the four that didn’t make it into the final… And I must say that, with one possible exception, I wonder why they didn’t make it, and I’m quite sure that I’ll be baffled by quite a number of the finalists being there instead of them. Not that it makes that much sense to even leave so few songs out at all, so I wonder why didn’t they just let all of them compete all the way to the end. But, out of those four, I really want to point out The Liveless Life, which struck me as particularly good, and the heartbreaking story behind it should have also counted for something…