Cav's Place

Well, shit. Since I had kept putting it off for so long anyway, I decided to wait until today to install February’s Windows updates, to get the uptime record to 40 days… But then I forgot to take a screenshot before rebooting. I do have one taken before going to bed in the morning, but that obviously shows less than 40 days. So I guess I’ll go with the logs, the difference between the start and shutting down entries being 40 days, one hour, seven minutes and just under 21 seconds. However, now that I checked, I see that there’s a difference between what’s logged and what was displayed the previous time, the logs making the uptime 36 days, 25 minutes and just under 23 seconds while I had 36 days and 26 minutes in the screenshot and 41 or 42 seconds more passed between taking it and the system actually rebooting. Not that those differences would really matter, but I wonder what causes them. And, either way, it’s awfully disappointing to not have a screenshot proving this new record, since it seems highly unlikely that I’ll beat it while updates will keep coming…
Actually, since I mentioned updates, what showed up when I searched in the start menu seemed different today, before installing those updates, as if some component had been updated and caused that change even though updates were paused. That’s definitely not unlikely, considering what Microsoft’s been doing, but at the same time I’m not certain that my mind isn’t playing tricks. But when I didn’t even finish writing what I actually meant to include in this post before midnight, leaving the part about March 3 and, mainly, 4 to be added later, anything else about that is a matter for another time, as is another little change that I noticed after rebooting to install the updates, which shouldn’t matter unless it’ll be a sign of a return of a problem I had on the old computer, which doesn’t seem to be the case so far. Either way, I only managed to edit the post the first time, to add the part about March 3, Wednesday afternoon, and it was Friday evening when I finally edited it again and also added the part about March 4.

To get back to how I actually meant to begin this post, I’ll mention that I started to read The Narrow Road Between Desires late on the evening of February 26. Then, in the early hours of February 27, after moving some cheese into a jar and then finally opening and trying to mix the last jar of peanut butter, expired for half a year and which had separated and hardened in the fridge, I ended up eating dinner between 3:35 AM and 4:20 AM, once again using a red onion in the salad, since I yet again didn’t have green onions, and putting some of that peanut butter on much of the bread. Then I got up when the alarm rang, at 1:30 PM, and had the usual stuff, opening the bag of baked almonds with Himalayan salt and leaving the last few unsalted ones for another time, while the sweet thing consisted of a slice of cozonac, with added honey. And I left at 4:15 PM, once again taking the better shoes and wearing the full running gear and the shirt from the training suit, plus that thing on my neck and the gloves, and the jacket on the way, tied around my waist as I ran. The reported temperature was 3-4°C, and 3°C when I finished, so it held pretty steady.
The time was 1:21.18, with sector times of 4:25, 5:16, 6:09, 4:39 or 4:40, 5:18 or 5:17, 5:59, 4:38, 5:17, 6:13, 4:45, 5:14, 6:14, 4:41, 5:24 and 6:06, making for lap times of 15:50, 15:56, 16:08, 16:13 and 16:11. I didn’t expect that to happen so quickly, but it seems that my thumb was already numb by the time I tried to press the button at the end of sector one of lap two, since I failed to do so, and while I tried to look right away and the time I saw would result in the second values listed for sectors one and two of lap two, it does seem more probable that a second had already passed, making the first values more likely.
Either way, since this was the first time I ran more than ten kilometers since the marathon and the conditions were as they were, the initial target was just to make sure that it won’t be my worst time over this distance, and most preferably stay under 1:24, but I did also hope to cover the first lap in less than 16 minutes, and the first sector was faster than expected, which proved to be enough to achieve that goal. Then I hoped to cover laps two and three in about 16:30 and laps four and five in around 17 minutes, changing the target to 1:23, but I actually managed to stay under 16 minutes on lap two as well, in part thanks to another runner who seemed to try to race me for a part of sector three. So I then wondered whether I’ll also manage to stay under 1:22, and after lap three that seemed likely, if I wasn’t going to have notable problems. But I didn’t know how I was going to deal with laps four and five, after all that time, so I was quite pleasantly surprised with sectors two and three of lap four, and with the lap as a whole… And then I decided to really push on lap five, at first wondering if I could also squeeze under 1:21:30 and then, after a rather disappointing sector two, thinking that I might continue to a half marathon distance if I won’t. But really giving everything on the last sector ensured that I did manage it. It’s still a bad time, and the slowest since July of 2023, but it’s minutes better than I expected, so I’m more than content with it.
There were many places where I couldn’t use my normal route because of slush and snow and some where I had to pick my way past that, but the notable issues were a small portion of slush right after the start that I pretty much walked through each time, leading to a loss of time on each sector one, and what I guess I should by now call the former ship’s dock, on sector three, where I had to pick between ice, slush and water and also follow a certain route, and I might have done best on lap one, since on lap two a guy blocked that route, that other runner went on the inside, and I ended up slipping on the ice. I didn’t fall, but it caused me to be very careful and lose more time when I passed through that area on the following laps… And on lap five I also stepped in the water that I had managed to avoid until then.
In terms of physical issues, there were some warnings from my right knee towards the end of sector one of lap three, but then they went away. On the other hand, at the start of sector two of lap three there was a gust of wind that made me feel rather chilly, and a fog also started falling around that time, but it didn’t get thick, and by the end of the run I was actually sweaty, though I never felt that I had overheated, nor that I was cold again for that matter, so it was fine, the only other issue being a certain pressing need that appeared over the course of lap five, faintly at first but becoming quite notable on sector three. And the left shoe bothered me a little after I put it on, at the back, but everything seemed fine while running, though after getting back it did feel like it had rubbed me a little in that spot, and at night I also noticed that the right one had rubbed or pressed that large toe to some extent.
Otherwise, on sector two of lap five I stopped for a couple of seconds, to check the time, my eyes refusing to focus at first, but then I didn’t even look after that sector, just pushing to the end. As for that other runner that I mentioned, he appeared ahead of me at the end of sector two of lap two, jogging slowly, but once I overtook him he fell in behind me and tried to stay there, the intent becoming very obvious at the former ship’s dock, when he went through the slush while I went wide, trying to pick my way, which probably made him think that I was turning off the path, yet after I made it through that area and ended up more or less alongside him, possibly a step or so behind, he let me get back ahead and once again fell in right behind me. So I rather made a point of trying to shake him off after that, pushing harder, and he soon dropped away, but that definitely helped my time.

After eating lunch and changing, albeit leaving on the t-shirt and shirt, I went to pay the maintenance bill, came back to drop off the receipt and pick up the bag with the plastic and metal and the recyclables with the deposit symbol, and left at 8:45 PM, picking up one more recyclable with the deposit symbol as I rushed to Carrefour, dropping off the plastic and metal into two recycling bins from that mall, since some things were left in the bag at first and I only saw them after putting the recyclables with the deposit symbol in the machine, and then just cashing in that voucher.
After continuing to Kaufland, washing my hands and entering when it was close to 9:30 PM, I got some olives, being charged for the plastic box, plus two expiring bags of nice bagels, two of those cheap yogurts and a mozzarella that had a great regular discount those days, the price being the best I ever saw. And the lettuce had a great evening discount, so while the few that were left were small and quite wilted, I grabbed the one that was somewhat better and a few more leaves that were scattered in the crate and seemed usable, and then I also added two bananas, those having an evening discount as well, even if it wasn’t a good one. And after waiting in line at the self-checkouts for a little while, I remembered that some chocolate bars that dad likes also had a great discount those days, so I dashed to grab some, the closing announcement coming as I ran, and I didn’t even lose my place… Not that it helped much, because just one machine that accepted cash worked and, after waiting after two slow older women, the second one even used a card to pay, so the guy who was after her, and just ahead of me, pointed out that all the machines that only accepted cards were free and she blocked the only one accepting cash and I joined in as well, though the talk then steered towards how the stores discriminate against those using cash in this manner and I gave Carrefour as the bad example. Either way, that guy also had one arm in a cast and apologized for being slow, though it was entirely understandable… And then someone else who had been standing right next to me and eyeing the machine all that time asked whether I’ll allow them to scan their bananas, so I grudgingly waved them ahead… Only for them to scan and pay for the two bunches separately. So I was there for quite a while… But my turn eventually came and I also used the 10 RON voucher received the previous week.
I then checked that Mega Image as well, putting my things in a cabinet, but all of that lost time meant that I got there rather late, so I don’t know whether more products with the 90% discount had existed, but just some lollipops with vitamin C and propolis were left by that point, so I took one box of those, plus a pretzel for mother and one of those apple pastries, the bakery products being at half price, and then retrieved and arranged my things and picked up a few more recyclables with the deposit symbol on the way back.
It was almost 11:15 PM when I got back, then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, put the purchases in their place, ate a banana and the apple pastry, drank the just expired bio (organic) drink which I had picked up two days earlier, did the day’s squats, and it was almost 12:20 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, finally having proper hot water again and being done when it was almost 1:15 AM. Then I washed what was in the sink and ate one of those bags of nice pretzels while making the salad mostly out of the worse lettuce leaves, which were most of them, eating dinner between 3:20 AM and 3:55 AM.

On March 1 I finished the book, also writing the quick review. Then, on March 2, I left when it was almost 4:10 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up two more as I once again rushed to Mega Mall, entering through the parking lot, putting the recyclables in the machine and then getting some spoiling lemons, apples and bio (organic) oranges, plus a small flatbread and a sweet pastry that also had the 50% discount, obviously without charging myself for the bags that the apples and lemons were in and using both the voucher received for previous purchases that I had and the one received for the recyclables. And then, after arranging the purchases, I withdrew most of the money which I had pulled out of the investment fund over a month earlier, needing to use a second ATM for that, because the first one apparently didn’t have enough cash available. At least there was no line, but I wanted to get back in time for ski jumping, plus that the rain was supposed to return, so I then rushed to Kaufland, put my things in a cabinet, and while I didn’t find the potatoes that were on sale those days, even asking and being told that they were out of them, I found some cartons of eggs that were discounted by 65% without expiring soon. They weren’t refrigerated, but they also weren’t wrapped, so maybe they were yet to do that. Either way, each had a couple of missing or broken eggs, but I could obviously put together one whole one, buying it and another one of those cheap yogurts. Then I retrieved my things, added the new purchases and made my way back in a pretty heavy rain, only grabbing one more recyclable with the deposit symbol, though I’m sure that I could have found many more if I’d have taken the time to look, since a match was starting at 8 PM.
I got back at 6:25 PM, so I missed half of the first round of ski jumping, but at least I could watch the rest while eating what was still good out of the largest apple, which was also the most obviously spoiled one, and the sweet pastry, putting the eggs and the bun in the fridge, and doing the day’s squats. And then I went to wash, rushing so I won’t miss much of the match, then put the remaining purchases in the fridge, along with what dad had brought, rearranging in order to make room, eventually also ate lunch, and then, after watching the first part of the recorded broadcast of the ski jumping, which included most of what I had missed live, I also stuck to the dinner schedule.

On March 6, I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and had the usual stuff, once again using only baked almonds with Himalayan salt and still leaving the last four unsalted ones for another time, and the sweet thing also once again consisting of a slice of cozonac, with added honey. And I left at 4:40 PM, wearing the full running gear, but returning to the old running shoes and also having some things in the pocket of my tights. The reported temperature was 20-21°C, dropping a little, probably by about 2°C, by the time I finished, though I couldn’t actually check at that point and dad forgot to, even though I had asked him to look.
The time was 48:50.30, with sector times of 4:15.20, 5:12 (5:11.94), 5:59.19, 4:34 (4:33.94), 5:10.43, 6:00 (5:59.85), 4:33.15, 5:15.00, 5:58.28 and 1:54 (1:53.32), making for lap times of 15:26.33, 15:44.22 and 15:46.43. The target was to get back under 48 minutes, but after the first sector was some five seconds slower than I thought it’d be, considering how much I had pushed, I realized that I was going to struggle to even get under 49 minutes, and the rest of the first lap did nothing to change my mind… And sector one of lap two made me even more concerned, so I then tried to stay as close as possible to what seemed to be my maximum sustainable pace at that point and hoped that it’d be enough to complete lap two in less than 15:45, which I just barely managed. That gave me a chance, but it meant that lap three couldn’t be more than a few seconds slower, so I pushed harder, intending to do so even more from sector two and then getting even more worried after seeing that sector’s time, which made me certain that I’ll go over six minutes on sector three of lap three and therefore still need at least a decent final sector in order to make it. But that wasn’t the case, so I did find myself already safe at the end of the lap… But, of course, just being safely under 49 minutes is a bad time, and the conditions weren’t an excuse anymore.
I had to do a fair amount of weaving and going the long way around, both because of the lane, which was even more damaged, after the snow and ice, and because of the fact that there were a fair number of people. And there were notable problems as well, starting on the long straight of sector one of lap one, when I hesitated and sort of sidestepped because of two kids who seemed to notice that I was coming just as they meant to start running, one doing what looked like a parody of a silly dance. Then, on sector one of lap two, I did a rather poor job of picking my way through several people and around a dog, which meant slowing a lot for a few seconds. And on the following sector I first took a few steps on the grass and slowed, albeit cutting a turn in the process, and then, on the long straight, hesitated because of another runner coming from the opposite direction, breaking my attempt to sprint. And there were two issues on sector one lap of three as well, the first appearing when I was catching another runner and tried to speed up in order to pass him before the woman with the stroller who was coming from the opposite direction would block that side, but I failed, ending up having to slow and hesitating, and the second being on the long straight, when I hesitated because of a dog that seemed lost and got in my way. As for physical issues, I felt the need to snap my back even before starting to run and being unable to do so was probably the cause of the pain that I felt in my upper abdomen while I ran. On the other hand, while the first hole that I stepped in wasn’t a problem, it was fortunate that my ankle held after twisting a fair bit when I stepped in the second. That was on lap three, but while I seem to remember that it was on sector three, there is also a chance it was actually on sector two.

After the run, I continued to Carrefour, picking up a few recyclables with the deposit symbol and a label that also had the deposit symbol and which I spotted on the sidewalk. But when I got to the machine, a guy seemed to be watching those who were using it, so I just put in those few recyclables which I had picked up, without looking in those bins, so I kept that label for the time being. And then I grabbed the cat food that I had gone there for, but while I remembered that both kinds had a discount for each second piece, I guess that the cans had been part of another campaign, which had ended sooner, since they had no sign mentioning that discount, and while those signs can easily fall, I checked by just scanning those cans at first, and when I saw that no discount applied I called over the employee and asked her to remove them, just buying the other kind, for which the discount did apply correctly, and also using the voucher received for the recyclables.
After arranging my things a little, I continued to Kaufland, my nose starting to feel rather irritated once I walked out of that mall. Either way, since I picked up a couple more recyclables with the deposit symbol, I put them in the machine from there, at which point I spotted a plastic bottle without the deposit symbol that was of the same size as the one from which I had that label, and while it wasn’t of the same brand, the machine accepted it once I placed that label on it, so I ended up with a second voucher. I had also picked up one of those oddly-shaped bottles from that bin, but after several failed attempts to make the machine accept it I gave up and put it and the cat food in a cabinet. Then I got toilet paper, a little cat food of a slightly better kind that was on sale there, some packaged parsnip roots for dad that were among the spoiling products, and an expiring sour cream for myself. The sour cream was of their store brand, but with 20% fat and only discounted by 30%, making it still marginally more expensive than the one with 12% fat at full price, and the following day I found the one with 12% fat with that same 30% discount as well, but I couldn’t have known that at the time. Either way, since all chocolate had a 30% discount those days if you used the store card, I also took a chocolate, at first only scanning it and entering the code for dad’s store app, which I had written on a slip of paper, then going back and scanning the other products after confirming that the discount applied correctly. Then, after also using the vouchers received for the recyclables, I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and arranged everything, though I quickly realized that I couldn’t jog back with two bags and stopped to put one bag in the other before trying to pretty much run back, even if after a while I had to slow to a jog after all.
I got back just before the start of the match, put the purchases in their place, ate a banana, a small bag of bagels, a lunch that consisted of one of those mini breads and two boiled eggs that were the last of those bio (organic) ones that had the coloring of duck eggs, and a sweet pastry, did 200 squats, since I was one day behind, and then went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. However, despite being done early, around 11:30 PM, I then had some things to do in my room and it was some time after 1 AM when I got back to the kitchen, and there were things to wash as well, plus that I dealt with my bread that I was yet to deal with, also mixed that sour cream with the cheese that I already had, and used lettuce for the salad, so I ended up eating dinner between 3:35 AM and 4:20 AM and getting in bed at 5:20 AM.

Going back a little, on the morning of March 3 I received an SMS letting me know that the active period of my prepaid plan was ending that day, which meant that it had been activated at some point even though I hadn’t recharged it… And that had happened before right at the end of the grace period, which was the case that day as well, the older message which I had saved but had since forgotten about indeed stating that the grace period ended on March 3! However, if at first I meant to go out again and recharge, since dad was home in the evening and he said that he had the money in the account, I asked him to pay for it on-line… Only for the payment to fail, possibly because of some requirements that his card didn’t meet, though the error didn’t offer any details. And then he went out to buy himself something, repeatedly asking, in his usual increasingly adamant and even aggressive way, if I didn’t want him to recharge it from this nearby store, even if that meant paying more, so I had to refuse time and time again, getting even more stressed and anxious as a result.
That still left me needing to sort the matter out in some way, so after initially trying to contact support on-line and waiting for several minutes, I called and could talk to someone right away, but that person insisted that my active period was ending that day, so the grace period was going to follow, and that I must have recharged recently in order to activate, which definitely didn’t happen… And she must have actually known that it didn’t, because in order to confirm my identity she asked how much I had recharged with the last time and I’m guessing that she could also see the date when she checked. Either way, she eventually said that I received an extension because of the amount of unused credit and at some point she mentioned in passing that the grace period would end on June 2, but when I specifically asked for that date she wouldn’t say it again. Still, when I eventually asked for a clear confirmation that I won’t lose the number if I won’t recharge that day, she asked me to wait and after a few minutes did confirm that, and also confirmed that the call was recorded.
That still left me somewhat worried, of course, so after midnight, and then again after 1 AM, I called myself from the landline, but the strange thing was that when I also checked the available credit it still showed up as active, despite continuing to state that it was active until March 3. And then, after getting in bed in the morning, I realized that, while they might allow me to keep the number for some time past the regular deadline, I might lose all of that stored credit, so at 5:30 AM I got back on the computer and tried to quickly look for some animal protection NGO that I could donate it to by SMS… But I could just find options to make monthly donations… And it didn’t matter anyway, because after ending up picking an environmental NGO and sending the message, I found that the credit was no longer active. Yet it was still stored, and when I checked again I did finally receive the message confirming that the grace period would end on June 2. Either way, that meant that it was past 5:35 AM when I actually got in bed.

After waking up multiple times, and at one point being kept awake by some brief drilling, I decided to get up when I woke up yet again and saw that it was 11:10 AM. However, I took my time, so I only actually got out of bed when the alarm rang, at 11:30 AM… And then I confirmed that the middle button of my mouse started double clicking, so I wonder if the setting that should mitigate this by introducing a delay before accepting a second click only applies to the two main buttons. Either way, I wanted to put what I had available into some more state bonds that day, so I left at 1:40 PM, with the money and the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
While I didn’t really need what was left in my account that day, I still stopped at a branch of my bank on the way to the Sector 3 Treasury, first using an ATM that allowed depositing but not withdrawing, to deposit the little amount that was needed in order to be able to withdraw everything after that, and then moving to a second machine to make the withdrawal. Then, after reaching the Treasury, I went straight up, but when I told the clerk that I wanted to buy state bonds she looked me up and said that I didn’t have anything, and when I showed her the document proving that I had an account there she said that I had the account, but there was nothing in it. So I repeated that I wanted to buy, not withdraw, and she said that in that case I had to go back down and deposit the money first. So I did that, but instead of going straight to the room where I knew such operations were done before, I asked the guard to confirm that I had to go there and he pointed me to a different place instead, and since a couple of other people were waiting there at that point I stepped aside and counted the money again… Only for the guard to smirk and point me to the place where nobody was in line when I was done… But before I could take those few steps, the clerk from that place said that depositing money for state bonds was, in fact, done in that other room, so I just wasted some time because of that guard. But at least I could then deposit the money, after which I went back up and purchased those state bonds, walking out at 2:25 PM, so I was still done before 2:30 PM, which I understood to be the time by which such operations had to be done in order to be registered on the same day. Not that it mattered, since it wasn’t the last day, so I’d have had two more hours, until closing time.
I then continued to the Kaufland from that area, putting the recyclables in the machine and just getting some chocolate bars for dad, also using the voucher received for the recyclables, before continuing on the planned route, picking up some more recyclables with the deposit symbol and putting them in the machine from Kaufland Pantelimon when I got there. However, one of those oddly-shaped bottles wasn’t being accepted and after quite a lot of attempts the machine just “ate” it, so I decided to make up for that amount by taking something. But I didn’t do so from that location, where I entered with those chocolate bars and got a lot of deeply discounted pieces of processed meat products for my parents, the self-checkout machine accepting the first few but then “deciding” that one wasn’t the correct product, and when I told the employee who came over when I called for one that I had a lot she logged on and scanned all of the rest. Then, after also using the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid, I arranged the purchases and continued to that mall, arranging some more in my provider’s store from there, while waiting for my turn, and then recharging, the employee barely even shrugging when I said that it didn’t work when I tried to pay on-line and since then it said that a charge was still processing. Either way, I then picked up another recyclable with the deposit symbol and put it and the purchases in a cabinet, retrieving everything after just buying two bakery products that were among the expiring ones.
After initially starting to walk back, I changed my mind and turned around, going to Obor as well, and since I was there early enough I first went to the farmers’ market and got more of those tasty apples from the same place that I had bought some from on February 21. Nobody was manning the stall when I got there and started putting apples in a bag and the man who had sold me those apples the previous time showed up later and just glanced at me, the first to come being a woman who asked me what the price was for those apples, and if I initially said 2 RON / kg, I then had another look at the label and corrected myself, noticing that it was actually 2.50 RON / kg, though it was written in a way that made it hard to notice that. So, while it’s possible that the price had increased since then, plus that writing the price in that manner isn’t exactly fair, that makes me think that I was probably wrong when I thought that I had been cheated that previous time, so I didn’t mention it. Either way, after I asked that woman to see how much what I had placed in the bag weighed, she asked me to add two more apples so the total would be 6 RON, and then she added one more, the total weight ending up close to 2.6 kg, so I actually received a little more than what I paid for. The thing is that I had considered buying the entire pile, only asking how much what I had already picked weighed in order to decide whether I could do that, but when I saw that the price was actually higher than I thought and I was also asked for just the amount I had in small bills, I gave up on that idea.
From there, I continued straight to Penny, putting my things in a cabinet and getting a few things, then retrieving what I had in the cabinet, picking up a few more recyclables with the deposit symbol and putting them in the machine from that Kaufland. And then I meant to rearrange the purchases and free up the larger bag before putting everything in a cabinet from there, but a guy showed up and hurried me along quite aggressively, wanting me to step away so he’ll be able to retrieve what he had in another cabinet, so I just left everything there as it was, went to pee and wash my hands, and then entered the store, without going back to the cabinet first… And that ended up being a problem, because evening discounts for fruits and vegetables appeared and increased while I was there, so I grabbed some things and hid most of them, hoping that the discounts would increase even more later, and that larger bag would have been very useful at that point. But I eventually managed even without it, and at that point I just bought some of those Moldovan grapes, since they were already discounted by 90%, and two nicer pieces of processed meat products that were among the discounted ones… And which I shouldn’t have bought, since by the time I actually used even one of them I had found better or cheaper ones, which I had no reason to get anymore, not that I could have known that at the time. Either way, the self-checkout machine didn’t accept one of those products as the correct one, so I had to call over an employee to override the error. And then, after also using the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid, I left the purchases outside of the bathroom while I quickly washed my hands again, after digging through those grapes, and then added them in the cabinet, at which point I finally rearranged everything and retrieved that larger bag.
Since I wanted to have time to return, I then started jogging to Carrefour… Only to stop after mere seconds, because a couple of coins fell out of my pocket. And after retrieving them I spotted something else in that area, probably some sort of brooch with a bent pin, which was probably why it had been lost or discarded. It might have been purchased from the stall that was right at the entrance to Kaufland, but I didn’t turn around at that point and by the time I got back it was closed, so I’m not sure. Either way, at that point I just picked it up as well and then continued on my way, rushing but not jogging anymore, and after reaching Carrefour I bought two breads and four sweet pastries, all having the 50% evening discount, plus a little garlic and one of the few small bundles of green onions that was left. The self-checkout machine asked me to make sure that I scanned everything correctly when I entered that I had two pieces of the first pastry, and then probably meant to do so again when I entered two for the breads as well, which led to it stopping and stating that an employee will soon come, and one did without me having to call, just clearing the error without even saying anything.
After returning to Kaufland, I added the new purchases in the cabinet, left that found thing at the information desk, just saying in passing that I had found it outside, and went back in, starting to select some potatoes, which also had a good evening discount at that point, before deciding to retrieve what I had hidden. Then I selected some more potatoes and also took two of those cheap yogurts, meaning to only pay for one. I had also taken a bread for dad, the regular price seeming surprisingly good, but I must have dropped it somewhere by the time I got to the self-checkout. Either way, I was using the machine when the closing announcement came and the price of the radishes had dropped even more by then, so that was the one benefit of having hidden those products. And I did steal one of those yogurts, making up for that “eaten” recyclable from the other location and most of the small amount which should have been on another voucher that I should have received quite some time before and apparently didn’t. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and took my time to arrange everything, though after walking out I stopped and arranged some more, finally walking away at 10:15 PM, one thing that caught my attention being a dog that was around at that point… And then it caught my attention even more when, moments later, it returned and brought two others with it, and they followed me for a little while, making me think that they had probably smelled all of those meat products, though they eventually crossed the road and walked away. And on the way back I took my time to pick up more recyclables with the deposit symbol.
It was almost 11:10 PM when I got back, so after just about nine and a half hours of wandering around, and I was carrying some 15.5 kg, if not closer to 16 kg. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, and put the purchases, with the exception of the bread and sweet pastries, in their place, or at least in a temporary place in the fridge in case of the vegetables, since making everything that had to go in the freezer fit in there had already taken quite a while, though it actually worked out better than I thought. Either way, after eating some of the grapes, it was 12:45 AM when I went to wash and close to 1:25 AM when I was done. And then I cut my toenails, washed what was in the kitchen, and managed to also put the sweet pastries in the fridge. And, after having given up on the plan to make a sort of pizza again, the lunch that I ate, on and off, between 2:30 AM and 3:50 AM, while also working on dinner and dealing with one of my breads, took the form of the large bag of bagels from Penny and the fried fish brought by dad at some point, which meant a total of more than 1700 calories, just the bagels having over 1000. And then I also took the last of those supplements for immunity that had expired long ago, just in case it’d help in any way, and ate dinner between 4:05 AM and 4:55 AM. I went to bed at 6:10 AM.

This doesn’t fit how I think of Bast. But to call what I remember about a secondary character that I didn’t care much about to begin with vague would be an understatement, nearly ten years after reading The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear and nine after reading The Slow Regard of Silent Things, which isn’t even relevant in this matter. So I’ll take it for what it is, a faerie tale without the sort of action that’d be expected of one, a children’s story that merely threatens to become dark for a moment and then backs well away even from that while also skipping over any bits of content that’d tend to be considered unsuitable for children, for one reason or the other. I guess I could call it a wholesome story, and one that may be said to be so in spite of its main character.
Based on the above, you might think that it shares quite a few similarities with The Slow Regard of Silent Things, but I’d disagree, at least if you scratch beyond the surface. It’s written well and achieves what it intends, the author’s note doing a good job of explaining just what that is, but it’s not what I’d normally read or enjoy and just that note and the target bothered me even more, considering my stance on children and, especially, those who have them. I even considered lowering the rating, but decided to just take the story itself into account, judge it based on what it aims to be and not what I’d have wanted from it, and appreciate the fact that it shows that the author hasn’t completely forgotten about the series. So, if you take it for what it is and enjoy this sort of thing, it’s pretty good, at least as far as I can tell. But if you hope for something to at least match The Slow Regard of Silent Things, to leave aside the main books in the series, you’re unlikely to find it here.

Rating: 3/5

In my post marking 1000 days since the start of the current stage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, I was quoting an old joke from here about a great leader asking first for his red cape before a difficult battle, so the troops won’t see when he’ll get wounded, and then for his brown pants before the even more terrible one that followed, and saying that, with how things are going in Ukraine and with Trump about to take over in the US, it may well be time for the brown pants for all of us in this part of Europe, and not only. And now, at the three-year mark, I can confidently say that it is indeed that time.
When many good pieces have been written on the topic recently, ever since Trump and his team began actually doing what anyone who wasn’t so determined to keep deluding themselves knew to expect all along, I won’t comment more here, especially since I couldn’t even write these few words before midnight, so this wasn’t even posted on February 24. But I will return to that joke and say that, brown pants or not, that leader still went to battle. That’s the spirit that those who fight and die to defend all of us emobody and, at least so far, that’s also what Zelenskyy continues to do, proving that he’s among the greatest statesmen the world has seen for the past several decades. So the least that the rest of us can do is keep supporting them in whatever way we can, keep demanding a united front against Putin’s regime, and now also against Trump’s, and strong alliances that are primarily meant to protect those who are actually in danger, which in case of NATO, which was created specifically to protect against the USSR, now means primarily Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. I mean, all of this could and should have been snipped in the bud back in 2008 if those who could have done something about it wouldn’t have kept deluding themselves and refusing to act.

Romania had three teams in this season’s EHF Women’s Champions’ League but, seeing as this is not a matter of coefficients or even qualifying rounds, at the moment it’s still pretty much anyone’s guess whether this will continue to be the case next season. If CSM Bucharest, who had nothing to play for anymore, remaining third regardless of the result, would have thrown the match against Gloria Bistrita from the last round, which would have resulted in Gloria also making it past the group stage, it seems pretty certain that we wouldn’t have been allowed three teams anymore, to avoid a repeat of this scenario of the two that are in the same group fixing a match. But, while that didn’t happen, CSM having no mercy and trashing Gloria 32-23, this caused Gloria to be eliminated at a time when Rapid still had to avoid losing to Buducnost, away, in order to avoid being the only club to actually fail to advance from their group, after Vipers went bankrupt. And having three teams among the 16 but ending up with two of them among the only three that were actually eliminated in the group stage would have also most likely indicated that we don’t deserve to have so many. Admittedly, there are few teams that can compete at this level, and past seasons have shown what happens when weaker teams are accepted, but I’d say that at least Germany would have a very strong case to make for at least one additional team next season, after only having a single one this time around but getting four into the group stage of the European League and no less than three of them past it.
Well, at least that scenario of Romania losing two of the three teams was avoided today, when Rapid somehow managed to claw a draw right at the end of a match during which they were pretty much always behind. And it was a bad match, with both teams playing poorly and making mistake after mistake, the notable exception being Rapid’s goalkeeper, who was simply outstanding and kept the team in the match time and time again. It’s also true that the referees were pretty much playing for Buducnost, many wrong decisions being made in their favor, some of them blatantly so, but that doesn’t change the fact that Rapid played badly, especially in the offense. Yet, despite being three goals behind with two minutes to go, they managed to get that draw that put them through right at the end, the referees at least being fair in the final seconds, penalizing Buducnost first with a two-minute suspension and then awarding Rapid their first and only seven meters in the entire match right at the end. And they scored, therefore ensuring that they remained ahead of Buducnost and through, despite actually being one point behind the withdrawn Vipers. It still means that they made it through with a single actual victory, way back in the first round, at home against the same Buducnost, the other recorded victory being a result of the fact that they were scheduled to play the second match against Vipers after that club went bankrupt, and the fact that they’ll play against CSM for a place in the quarter-finals means that we’ll only have a single team in that stage. But this also ensures that we will have that one team there.
Of course, Germany still has a strong case, and the fact that the Romanian team, which should normally be CSM, will play Esbjerg in the quarter-finals, with the second match being away, and Esbjerg eliminated CSM in this stage in both 2022 and 2023, does mean that our chances of finally having a team in the Final Four once again remain quite low. But, on the other hand, both Romanian teams that entered the European League this season won their respective groups. Admittedly, in case of Dunarea Braila the result was obtained in dramatic fashion, following today’s draw against Larvik, in a match that was pretty much the opposite of Rapid’s, a good one in which Dunarea led the entire time, usually by a comfortable margin, having 32-28 with less than seven minutes to go only to see themselves equalized at 32 with a little over a minute to go. But they finally managed to score again after that and end it at 33-33, which led to them winning the group and Larvik being knocked out. And now there’s the definite possibility of repeating last season’s performance, when Romania actually had two teams in the Final Four, which situation should strengthen our case to keep having three teams in the Champions’ League.
But, of course, what will happen next season remains to be seen, what matters now being that CSM Bucharest played fairly, or even more than fairly, making a point of avoiding any risk of being accused of anything even if they could have been excused for resting some players and taking it somewhat easier, and that both Rapid and Dunarea Braila made it through in their respective competitions. Quite undeservedly so in case of Rapid, but it’s not like Buducnost would have deserved advancing either, neither team being at the level required for the competition. And I’m referring to the entire season, not just to today’s match.

Ever more ridiculously, the second part of the post about last year’s marathon remains far from complete, though some two weeks ago I at least managed to add something to it. But this week’s run marked the theoretical start of the preparations for this year’s half marathon and next week’s 16 km run will mark the practical start, and the first time I’ll run more than ten kilometers since the marathon, so in what by then will be four and a half months. So I guess I might as well catch up on the runs that I’m yet to write about, even if in a post that’s once again initially incomplete, only going as far as the part about the February 14 run, with the part about the rest of that day being added when I edited it the first time, in the early hours of Monday, while the part about February 19 was added when I edited the post again, in the early hours of Thursday.

In the early hours of February 4 I went to the kitchen several minutes after 1 AM and then also washed one part of the glass baking tray, so I ended up eating dinner between 3:20 AM and 3:45 AM, once again using a red onion in the salad, since I didn’t have green onions. Then, after being woken up first by some noise made by dad in the kitchen before he left and then twice, exactly two hours apart, by the landline ringing, making me wonder whether it was someone from the provider trying to confirm that everything was in order after the work done the previous day, I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and had the usual stuff, the yogurt being an expired “creamy” one with 5.1% protein and 5% fat, while the sweet thing consisted of a part of a mini panettone, with added honey. And I left at 4:30 PM, wearing the full running gear and that old training shirt that’s in a poor shape, plus that thing on my neck, the gloves, and the jacket on the way, tied around my waist as I ran. The reported temperature was about 4°C, dropping to 2-3°C by the time I finished.
The time was 48:42.45, with sector times of I think 4:17.73, 5:13 (I think 5:12.91), 6:07.22, 4:40 (4:39.46), 5:07.26, 5:58, 4:31, 5:07.48, 5:51.19 and 1:51 (1:50.65), making for lap times of 15:37.86, 15:45 and 15:29. The exact times for the first two sectors are probably correct, but there is a chance that they may be off by a few hundredths, since after sector two I realized that I was only really certain about 4:17.7 as far as the first sector’s time went. But the far more notable problem is that after sector one of lap three I realized that I couldn’t remember the exact time seen at the end of lap two at all, so I can only list the seconds for sector three of lap two, sector one of lap three and laps two and three as a whole. And the thing is that I was surprised that I saw that exact time properly at first glance and didn’t look again, which turned out to be a bad thing because I was also surprised that I stayed under six minutes on sector three of lap two after such a slow sector three of lap one and then spent most of sector one of lap three calculating what I needed in order to stay under 49 minutes, so I only realized after the end of that sector, when I wanted to calculate its time, that I could only remember the seconds. One possibility that crossed my mind is that the hundredths were either 86, just like at the end of lap one, or 84, making the exact time of sector three of lap two 5:58.26, either situation possibly resulting in my mind ignoring what might have seemed to be a duplicate record. But, of course, it’s just as possible that I came up with this idea just because my mind was using those previous times to try to fill in a blank.
Either way, the goal was to stay under 48 minutes and, seeing as I felt myself slowing down during the first sector, I was quite content with its time. But the following two sectors and the first lap as a whole were bad, sector three being so bad that, even though I had seen the time properly right away, I still slowed to a walk for a couple of seconds at the start of lap two, because I couldn’t believe that I had been so slow and wanted to make really sure. And, once I did make sure, it seemed like the realistic target was only to stay under 50 minutes, or perhaps 49:30 at best, sector one of lap two seeming to make that even clearer. But then I managed to push harder and after lap two I was wondering whether I’ll manage to stay under 49 minutes after all, so I kept pushing on lap three, hoping to at least give myself a chance… And being surprised that at the end of the lap I was already safe, the target then becoming to also squeeze under 48:45, which I did. But, of course, that’s still a poor time.
What makes it worse is that there were hardly any notable problems, the biggest loss of time being caused by slowing and then even stopping for a couple of seconds on sector three of lap three, in order to see the time. And then there was that moment when I slowed at the start of lap two and just one somewhat noticeable problem caused by people, on sector one of lap three, when I hesitated because of a little kid. But that was it, and I couldn’t identify any specific physical issues either, just the fact that I couldn’t go faster, at least on the first lap and sector one of lap two, and while things got better after that, it still wouldn’t have been good enough to get under 48 minutes. Yes, the low temperature made things uncomfortable and likely had quite a negative effect on my breathing, but I wouldn’t consider that enough of an excuse.

After getting back, I ate lunch, changed, albeit leaving the t-shirt and shirt on, and left again at 7:55 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, and I picked up one more before putting them in the machine from Carrefour. Then I bought some expiring products, including a carton of bio (organic) eggs that included a few that had the coloring of duck eggs. There were many such cartons and other people tended to remove those and make cartons just of those that were clearly chicken eggs, even if the same information was printed on all eggs, regardless of color, but I took one carton as it was, after checking to make sure that none of the eggs were cracked, and actually found it interesting. On the other hand, the last self-checkout machine once again accepted cash, but apparently not for long, since I saw people using it when I got there, but by the time I wanted to use it, two employees were there and told me that it wasn’t working anymore, so I still had to go to a regular checkout, also using the voucher received for the recyclables.
I then continued to Kaufland, picking up a few more recyclables with the deposit symbol on the way and asking about a tea at a pharmacy, but being told that they didn’t have it in that location. Then, after putting those recyclables in the machine, putting my things in a cabinet and washing my hands, I entered the store when it was close to 9:15 PM, took the one box of expiring germinated wheat that was left and checked the lettuces, taking the two better ones that were left even if the evening discount wasn’t as high as I’d have liked… But at least they had that discount, while when I went to the bakery area I found what will become the rule, which was that there were no evening discounts, and I confirmed that by scanning one label at that point and another one later. So I also took two of those cheap yogurts, still at the slightly lower price, and the few better onions that I could still find, those also having an evening discount, and eventually went to the self-checkouts after seeing that there were no new or increased discounts even at 9:45 PM. But that expiring germinated wheat wouldn’t scan, and as I kept trying I ended up accidentally scanning the code with the full price, since the discount label didn’t cover it, so the employee who came after I raised my hand canceled that and entered the code manually. And then, after also using the voucher received for the recyclables and scanning the QR code for dad’s store app, which I won’t mention anymore since it pretty much became the norm, I took some time to work up the courage and, after the closing announcement, asked at the information desk whether they had received some of those 10 RON vouchers and the employee looked me up in that notebook, finding that she had misspelled my last name, and handed me the voucher which I had asked for on January 14. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, arranged the purchases and walked out a little after 10:05 PM.
On the way back, I decided to check the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM, picking up another recyclable with the deposit symbol on the way and putting it, the bag and my gloves in a cabinet, but entering with the backpack… And just wasting some time, without finding anything to get, so I then retrieved what I had in the cabinet and came back, deciding against checking the non-stop Mega Image as well but picking up two more recyclables with the deposit symbol on the way.
I got back at 10:45 PM, then cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, ate an apple, put all of the purchases with the exception of dad’s expiring bread in their place, and it was a little past 11:20 PM when I went to shower, being done at 11:55 PM. I spent some time in my room after that, also noticing that my nose was quite irritated, even if it hadn’t seemed to be that bad after the run, but I was back in the kitchen before 1 AM. However, dad had used the grill, so I had it and a number of other things to wash, and I also ate something sweet, struggled to squeeze one of dad’s breads in the freezer and used the worse lettuce leaves, which also resulted in a salad that was too large, so I only ate dinner between 3:45 AM and 4:20 AM, during which time I also realized that my right foot felt rather numb. And I got in bed at 5:40 AM. And I’ll also mention here that the following two nights I finished dinner at 4 AM and got in bed at 5:20 AM, the difference being that the first time I started eating at 3:25 AM and the second time at 3:20 AM.

In the early hours of February 14, after dealing with the two breads that I was yet to deal with and rearranging some of the bread in the freezer, I ended up eating dinner between 3:20 AM and 3:55 AM, though at least I had green onions for the salad again, since dad had brought a little at some point. But when I wanted to put that bread in the freezer, before getting in bed, it was proven that I hadn’t rearranged well enough, so it took me a little longer, and then I did a couple of other things as well, ending up getting in bed at 5:30 AM. And when I got up to pee, just before 9:45 AM, I noticed that the hot water was completely off, though I checked the site and no problems were listed. And after dad got up I kept waking up, and after he left I was certain that the alarm was about to ring, yet when I waited a while longer, probably even getting another very brief nap or two, and it still hadn’t, I checked the time and found that it wasn’t even 1 PM yet, so I went to pee one more time, just in case, being relieved to see that the hot water had returned. But after getting back in bed I fell asleep and woke up so many times in that remaining hour that I must have switched between states at most every few minutes, and at times probably after mere seconds.
Still, 2 PM eventually arrived, the alarm rang and I got up, having the usual stuff, with the apple being one of the two truly huge spoiling ones that I had purchased at the start of the week, and which I found was actually only spoiled on the surface, so what was left was probably the size of three or so regular apples, but which ended up being a plain Idared after all, even though they had been labeled, and priced, as Fuji, so I had paid a little more. Either way, the sweet thing once again consisted of a part of that mini panettone, with added honey. And I left at 4:25 PM, wearing just the full running gear and that thing on my neck, since the reported temperature was 11°C, dropping to 9-10°C by the time I finished.
The time was 47:20.45, with sector times of 4:08.95, 4:59 (4:58.50), 5:43.53, 4:30 (4:29.18), 5:02.32, 5:48 (5:47.53), 4:30.44, 5:02 (5:01.65), 5:47 (5:46.97) and 1:51.38, making for lap times of 14:50.98, 15:20 (15:19.03) and 15:19.06. I clearly aimed to get back under 48 minutes and pushed from the start, being really pleased with the first sector’s time and then wondering whether I’ll be able to cover the lap in less than 15 minutes, so I kept pushing and managed that by more of a margin that I thought was possible. However, I was worried that I had drained myself in order to do so and the goal remained to just squeeze under 48 minutes, but if sector one of lap two was a slight reason for concern, the following two sectors and the lap as a whole put me more or less at ease and at the start of lap three I wondered whether I could actually squeeze under 47:30. So I kept pushing, being surprised by how close the times on each sector of lap three were to those of lap two, and then by the fact that the lap times were also basically identical, which also meant that I was already safe at the end of the lap, which I didn’t think possible until that moment. So I managed to cover another lap in less than 15 minutes for the first time since the end of November if you just look at the seconds, though in terms of the exact time I did also just squeeze under 15 minutes on December 19, which was also the last time when I was faster over ten kilometers.
The thing is that I still thought that I should have done a little better, because the conditions were good and there were hardly any problems to speak of. I mean, sure, there was some weaving and going the long way around, because of both people and the damaged lane, but the only notable issue was that I was getting lightheaded on sector three of lap one and sector one of lap two, and possibly a little on sector two of lap two as well. Admittedly, the feeling was concerning at the time, but once it passed everything was just fine.

On the way back, I checked the nearby Mega Image and picked up a recyclable with the deposit symbol when I walked out. Then I did the day’s squats, ate lunch, changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, and beeped dad from the landline to find out where he was, and when he called back and said that he was nearby and about to get back I waited, though I had already stepped out by the time he got here and we met in front of the door, so he gave me the metro card and two empty recyclables with the deposit symbol that he had with him, since I had taken the others as well, and I actually left at 8:25 PM.
I took the metro to Kaufland Basarab, putting those recyclables, including what I had picked up on the way, in the machine, though two of those that I already had and one which I picked up from there weren’t accepted, so I kept those. And on the way to the recycling machine I had seen a cart with the coin in it, which was still there when I was done, so I connected it to others and retrieved the coin before going to wash my hands, dashing to the women’s for soap, and entering the store a few minutes after 9 PM, with the remaining recyclables with the deposit symbol, which at that point included one more, which I had picked up on the way in. And, while there were still no evening discounts in the bakery area, I considered taking a sweet pastry that had a regular discount those days, but the fact that plenty of them were left made me leave that for later and check the fruits and vegetables, where evening discounts increased or appeared a little later, probably at 9:15 PM, so I took some carrots and a handful of those Moldovan grapes, and later I also decided to get one banana, even if those just had the regular discount that they had those days. And I also took several cans of bean spread that were at half price for some reason, though they weren’t expiring and nothing seemed wrong with them, and one more of those cheap yogurts. However, by the time I got back to the bakery area, the employee was throwing everything that was left into bags and she seemed to have started just with those sweet pastries, so I couldn’t get any anymore. Either way, I used the voucher received for the recyclables at the self-checkout, and the closing announcement came seconds after I left the checkout area.
After getting back to the metro station, I arranged the purchases in the backpack and then took the metro to Unirii, picking up some more recyclables with the deposit symbol but finding that the recycling machines from that Carrefour were already off by the time I got there, so I put my things in a cabinet, went to pee and wash my hands, and then found that the nicer kind of the cheap buns actually had the 50% evening discount in that location. The much higher regular price meant that they ended up being less than 25% cheaper than they were at Kaufland at full price, but I took some, along with two sweet pastries that also had the 50% discount… And then I saw that a tea that I was looking for was listed as being discounted, even having the sign that marked it as being part of their campaign of reduced prices compared to a previous period. But I had actually checked recently, finding that the price had actually increased slightly in other locations and on-line, so I scanned one at a price checker, what showed up being that higher price. But they do promise to offer the listed price if it’s lower than what shows up at checkout, so I grabbed two, took a picture of the price label and then called over an employee when that higher price showed up at the self-checkout, and while she initially said that she could only remove them, because those who could check leave at 10 PM, when I said that I had a picture she asked to see it and then told me that if I paid in full I’ll then receive the difference from the information desk. So I did just that, showing the picture at the information desk as well and then receiving that difference, after being asked for my name and being told that the problem was caused by electronic price labels that run out of battery and fail to update, though that employee had no reply when I pointed out that the product was even marked with that discount sign.
What makes the whole thing stranger is that I have been back there since then and, while I didn’t try to buy more, I checked and saw that sign still there, that lower price still listed, but the higher one still showing up when scanning the product, so I wonder how many times they had to refund that difference and what’s actually going on. Either way, to return to that evening, it was already a few minutes past 11 PM by the time I was done with all of that, so I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and took the metro back to Dristor, where I obviously couldn’t switch anymore, so I decided to also check that non-stop Mega Image, putting my things in a cabinet and then just retrieving them, without finding anything to get. But I picked up some more recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I got back a few minutes before midnight, put the purchases in their place, ate the banana and a sweet pastry that I already had… And something crunched in my teeth, all I could pull out being a tiny black piece, so I’m thinking that there was something in the pastry, but I was also worried that a tooth might have chipped, and a few teeth did bother me a little after that. Either way, I also washed what was in the kitchen and it was almost 1:25 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, being done just after 2:10 AM… And then I once again made too much salad, that time out of cabbage, and I ate dinner between 3:55 AM and 4:50 AM, getting in bed at 6:05 AM.

In the early hours of February 19, I once again didn’t have green onions and used a red onion in the salad, and I started eating dinner at 3:20 AM, but still managed to finish at 3:40 AM. The alarm was set to ring at 1:30 PM, but after being woken up by noise made by Liza and dad just before 9 AM and going to pee, I couldn’t get back to sleep until after dad left, and when I did fall asleep again I must have woken up after mere moments, since when I checked the time it was only 10:08 AM. So I went to pee once more, just in case, which made it so I didn’t have to go again before the alarm rang, but then I kept waking up, and the first time I was certain that the alarm was about to ring and checked the time, I saw that it was only a little after noon, and after getting back to sleep I woke up again at 12:30 PM and 12:56 PM, at which point I was so certain that far more time must have passed that I even checked the time on the computer, wondering if something wasn’t wrong with my phone. But there wasn’t, so I caught another nap until the alarm finally rang and I got up.
Then I had the usual stuff, but the apple was the other utterly huge spoiling one, which was even less spoiled than the one eaten the previous week, so what was left was at least the size of three regular apples, and it also tasted better, so it might have actually been Fuji, and the yogurt was a bio (organic) one and before putting the cereals in it I also mixed those with seeds and buckwheat with the others. As for the sweet thing, that was the last piece of that mini panettone, with added honey. On the other hand, with the forecast having listed a high of -2°C, I had prepared accordingly and stuck to that plan, putting the training suit over the running t-shirt and tights, another t-shirt and an undershirt, and also wearing the gloves, that thing that I pulled up to cover more than just my neck, at least until it slipped lower as I ran, plus the jacket on the way, tied around my waist as I ran… Which meant that I felt concerningly comfortable as I walked to the park, because the day’s high actually ended up being 2-3°C and the reported temperature when I left, at 4:20 PM, was about 1°C, dropping to what seems to have been just below freezing, maybe -1°C, by the time I finished. Either way, considering the snow and ice, and also the fact that this run marked the theoretical start of my training for this year’s half marathon, I took the better shoes again, hoping that they’ll offer me better traction and reduce the risk of slipping or hurting my ankles.
The time was 52:41.85, with sector times of 4:45, 5:45, 6:23, 4:58, 5:38, 6:19, 4:53, 5:40, 6:22 and 1:58 (1:57.87), making for lap times of 16:53, 16:55 and 16:55. When the target was only to avoid a new slowest time, there was obviously no point in memorizing the exact times, so I didn’t even look at the hundredths. But I was actually quite pleasantly surprised by the first sector’s time, under those conditions… Sector two counterbalanced that to some extent, but the target for the first lap was to stay under 17 minutes and I managed it by a safe margin. And then I was once again quite pleased by sectors two and three of lap two, which were less slow than those of lap one, and by the fact that I stayed under 17 minutes on that lap as well. That made me quite certain that I’ll at least stay under 54 minutes and think that I might even have a chance to squeeze under 53 minutes if there won’t be any notable problems on lap three, and after the end of the lap I aimed to also squeeze under 52:45, which I did. And I’d say that the almost equal lap times show that this was pretty much what the conditions allowed, but it obviously remains an absolutely dreadful time in itself, the tenth slowest ever over this distance, and the ninth slowest through the park, since the slowest was on the track. And, while I only have to go back to June for the last time when I was slower, in fact that being the slowest run through the park, it was the second run on a very hot day and after wandering around after the 16 km run before it, so without even some rest in between, and then I have to go all the way back to January of 2019 for two more runs that were slower, and those were while I was struggling to recover after a bad flu, under treatment and having other problems as well.
The first and only piece of actual winter we got this “winter” obviously meant that the park was quite crowded and plenty of children, and not only children, were sliding down slopes, being pulled on sleighs or otherwise playing in the snow, but under more normal circumstances I’d have said that the only notable problems were a brief stop on sector three of lap one and, maybe, a moment when I hesitated on sector three of lap two. However, the uneven and not that well packed layer of snow that covered most of the path around the lake and the slippery areas made any change of direction a risk and a loss of time, since I had to slow and be careful, so what would have otherwise only been a fair amount of weaving and going the long way around had quite a massive impact. And, of course, most of the time pretty much every step meant slipping a little, lacking traction, sector two being the worst from this point of view, though the puddle of slush that was on sector three, where I guess I should now say the ship’s dock used to be, also caused a significant loss of time on each lap. But, even though running in those conditions was definitely tiring despite having to take it easy, I was spared of any notable physical issues, with the exception of the fact that I was overheating at least starting from sector two of lap two.

Since when I got there I spotted a plastic bottle that I assumed had the deposit symbol in the garbage bin that’s next to what for me is the start location, after the run I turned around and went back there, but somebody else had unsurprisingly taken it by then. But, since I was there, I then decided to train a little on the stairs, using the straight ones that are near that spot and running up them three times, and obviously also running down twice. And then I wandered a little on other paths before leaving the park and getting back, picking up a recyclable with the deposit symbol on the way. And after getting back I ate a bag of peanuts, getting some 950 calories just from that, changed, albeit leaving on everything but the training suit’s pants, and left again at 7:50 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
Since I once again had dad’s metro card, I took the metro to Obor, picking up another recyclable with the deposit symbol on the way and then putting all of them in the machine from Carrefour, from where I bought some expiring bread for my parents, a little garlic, and some bread and sweet pastries for myself that had the evening discount, also using the voucher received for the recyclables. And then I continued to Kaufland, putting my things in a cabinet, going to pee, which was rather tricky because of all the layers of clothing, and wash my hands, which also meant dashing to the women’s for soap, since there was none left in the men’s, and entering the store just after 9:35 PM. And at least I found two expiring products to get, along with some of those cheap yogurts, the closing announcement coming as I was using the self-checkout, which didn’t accept one of the expiring products as being correct, so I called over an employee and she just logged on to override the error without checking anything. And then I retrieved my things and decided to also check that Mega Image that closes at midnight, once again putting everything in a cabinet when I got there but just wasting some time before retrieving my things, also grabbing a recyclable with the deposit symbol which had been left there, and then taking the metro back, just missing one and then waiting for over ten minutes for the next one, and grabbing one more recyclable with the deposit symbol after getting off at this station.
It was several minutes after 11 PM when I got back, and then I spread out the bread and put the few other purchases in their place, ate one of the sweet pastries, washed what was in the kitchen, and did the day’s squats. It was 1 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and shower, the water not being good enough for more than that, so I was done just after 1:35 AM, but then I also dealt with one of my breads and put it and those bought for my parents in the freezer, making them fit taking a while, washed a couple more things in the kitchen, and finally ate a combined lunch and dinner between 4 AM and 5:10 AM, though the last several minutes were spent carefully gathering what had been left stuck on the plate. I got in bed at 6:30 AM.