Back Problems, Games… And the Longest Post I Ever Wrote Now Exceeds 8000 Words
On September 8, I could get some sleep, the workers apparently having that day free as well. I did get up just after 9:40 AM, after my parents went out, since my mother was here, and after cleaning the litter box and arranging some things it took me quite a while to get back to sleep, also because there was some more noise from upstairs, albeit not that loud, starting at 10:15 AM, and my parents also got back a little later, but I eventually did fall asleep again, and while I once again didn’t set an alarm, I got up at 1:45 PM, when Liza woke me by going to the litter box again and scratching at it for a long time… And then dad kept wanting to talk to me about some things, but I still managed to back up the system and have the usual stuff, which included the last of those imported bio (organic) apples. I considered using the last of the baked almonds with Himalayan salt, but eventually went back to the raw ones. As for the sweet thing, I had two more of those nicer biscuits, with added honey. And I left at 4:50 PM, wearing the full running gear and one armband. The reported temperature was about 30°C, holding steady or maybe dropping just marginally by the time I finished.
The time was 48:53.01, with sector times of 4:29.01, 5:03.40, 5:57.19, 4:34.28, 5:10 (5:09.47), 5:59.56, 4:34 (4:33.63), 5:10 (5:09.47), 6:02.59 and 1:55 (1:54.41), making for lap times of 15:29.60, 15:43.31 and 15:46 (15:45.69). Considering the previous run, the primary goal was still just to stay under 50 minutes and the first sector’s time was more or less what I expected, but sector two was somewhat better and managing to just squeeze under 15:30 on the first lap made me wonder whether I could get under 49 minutes. Sector one of lap two made that seem quite unlikely, and I was calculating the target times that’d lead to at least being less slow than the previous week, but after the following sector it seemed that I might cover the lap in less than 15:45, so I pushed harder and made it, which led to thinking that I actually did have a chance to stay under 49 minutes after all. So I kept pushing, and after sector two of lap three it seemed like I could even be safe at the end of the lap, so that became the target and I managed it, which meant that I didn’t have to push that hard on the final sector anymore. Of course, the time is still poor, but I didn’t expect something better after a cold…
There were quite a number of people, leading to plenty of weaving and going the long way around, but they actually caused no notable issues. I might mention one moment, on sector three of lap two, when I hesitated because a kid on a bicycle was about to turn in front of me, but I probably lost more time on some of the occasions when I had to really go the long way around. As for physical issues, I felt some warnings from the right hip from the start and there was a moment when it seemed that a pressing need was about to appear. But that quickly passed and it was only on sector three of lap three that my body pointed out that I was asking too much of it, my hands going numb, getting warnings from both legs, and starting to feel lightheaded.
On the way back, I picked up two recyclables and a label from one that was too crushed, putting those two in the machine from the nearby Mega Image but not staying to cash in the voucher, since there was a line. Then I finally installed the Windows updates for August, the usual errors still appearing but nothing else seeming off. Either way, I also did the day’s squats, ate lunch while talking to mother, changed, and left when it was almost 8:50 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I went straight to the Mega Image that closes at 10 PM, getting there a little after 9 PM, finding the employee still placing the 90% discount labels on the bakery products, and eventually taking two bags from there. Then I started putting the recyclables in the machine while waiting for the other products discounted by 90% to be brought, which actually happened a little after the machine had stopped, displaying that the PET container was full. But there wasn’t anything interesting in that cart, or at least not anything left by the time I reached it. And the machine had apparently recovered on its own, so I went back there and continued, stopping after finishing my recyclables and then putting in those emptied by my parents as well, only being left with the one recyclable which hadn’t been accepted before either. So I had three vouchers that I cashed in before buying those bakery products, also using the voucher from the other Mega Image when I paid.
I considered going to Kaufland Basarabia from there, but it’s a good thing that I went to the one from Pantelimon instead, and that I went straight there instead of checking Carrefour first, since they had just changed the closing time back to 10 PM, so I put my things in a cabinet and rushed in a little after 9:40 PM, seeing that they still had a lot of those large bio (organic) cucumbers, looking worse but being discounted by 90% instead of 75%, so I grabbed several, plus some bundles of green onions, with a great evening discount, and one Gala apple, since it was supposedly Romanian, a little less expensive than elsewhere, and I had none left to eat before runs. And then I spent the remaining time picking some Moldovan grapes, which had a very good evening discount as well, going to weigh them when the closing announcement came, then dashing to have a quick look at some of the expiring products that are close to the checkouts before going to the self-checkout. And, after retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging everything a little, I used that machine to change a 1 RON bill into two 0.50 RON coins and walked out at 10:10 PM.
I then continued to that Mega Image, putting my things in a cabinet, using one of those coins to be able to lock it… And finding that they had already made the 90% discounts and the bakery area was mostly cleared, other people holding the products that they had just grabbed, so I just took one sweet pastry out of what was left, then found some cheese that was the only product with the 90% discount left in the regular place for the refrigerated expiring ones. It looked bad, but I nevertheless took it, along with two other things that I dug out from under the expiring meat products, somebody having likely meant to hide them there, since they weren’t meat products. But the cashier said that the cheese wouldn’t scan, at which point I said that it looked bad and I had doubts anyway, so maybe it was a sign that I shouldn’t take it and didn’t try to press, nor did I got back when, after waiting for the guard to put a basket full of discounted bakery products in his bag and then retrieving what I had in the cabinet, I heard that cashier tell the guard that she had figured out why none of those products scanned, so there had probably been others, and the reason was apparently that they had to be weighed first. So I just walked out, stopping for a moment after crossing the street to try to arrange my things a little. And on the way back I picked up some more recyclables and also checked the nearby Mega Image, leaving my bags next to the door and once again seeing bakery discounts of 90%, leading me to believe that they’re actually made at 11 PM after all. But just two bags of things were left and I didn’t care for either, so I just retrieved my things and walked out.
I got back at 11:15 PM, ate the remaining watermelon, cleaned the litter box yet again and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, then put the purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, also ate a large doughnut, adding jam on it, and went to wash at 1:20 AM, being done at 1:55 AM. And I took a first bite of dinner in my room at 3:15 AM, but actually started eating five minutes later, since I had boiled my remaining tea again before putting that supplement in it, after seeing that my parents had replaced the plate I had placed on it and thought that I had noticed a small bug inside it, and it was still too hot, so I had to slowly sip it. Either way, I still managed to finish at 3:40 AM anyway. On the other hand, I realized that the filling that was only replaced in June is almost certainly loose again. And then I decided to play just a little more Dungeons of Dreadrock before going to bed, which resulted in getting in bed at 5:20 AM…
Surprisingly, it was quiet again, and with my parents only leaving later and since I didn’t need to pee either, it was past 1 PM when I initially got up, thinking that it must be much earlier. And when I saw that time and since I still didn’t really need to pee, I got back in bed, but I didn’t fall asleep again and eventually got up for good about half an hour later. Then I had lunch, did the day’s squats, and went out again at 6:45 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol and dad’s metro card, so I took the metro to Obor.
I grabbed a few more recyclables on the way, put them in the machine from Carrefour, and then took that one that wasn’t accepted there either to the information desk, receiving the coin but being told that I could clean recyclables before handing them in, which made me feel rather embarrassed. Either way, I bought some expiring yogurt and a bag of spoiling apples, so I really shouldn’t have bought that one from Kaufland, not that I could have known that at the time. And the label stated that those from the bag were Gala as well, but the bag was torn and when I weighed it I saw that one apple was obviously missing, plus that at least one other one seemed to be of another kind, so I replaced that one and added one more, the weight ending up being exactly what it should have been, and those two apples were also starting to spoil, so it seemed a perfectly fair thing to do. On the other hand, bio (organic) watermelons were supposed to be on sale at Carrefour, but I couldn’t find any left, which wasn’t surprising. Yet the regular kind was cheap, so I bought one of those. And I also bought another PaysafeCard code, and I hadn’t yet used the GOG.com wallet funds purchased with the one bought on August 25 and the exchange rate was marginally better, so I should have waited. But that was another thing that I couldn’t have known… As was the fact that the rate would get even better later, if admittedly too late for that particular sale, and after I had already made purchases. But, to return to that day, when I paid I used the voucher received for the recyclables along with the one received for a previous purchase, and then I struggled to put the apples and the watermelon in the backpack and then put it on, a guard hovering around for a while and eventually helping me.
I picked up another recyclable on the way to Auchan, then entered with everything, also noticing that the cabinets had been removed anyway, put that recyclable in the machine, and just bought a small pack of cheap biscuits for dad from there as well, to use the voucher received for the recyclable and not have to ask to be allowed to leave and increase the risk of needing to take off the backpack and show a guard what I had in it. I was worried that it was going to happen even so, but it didn’t, which was quite a relief.
After picking up another recyclable, I sat on a bench for a little while, since it was too early to check the Mega Image from that area that closes at 10 PM for discounts of 90%. And it was still too early when I decided to walk in, putting that recyclable in the machine, entering with everything, and wasting a little time, but eventually deciding to walk out without waiting for 9 PM or even cashing in that voucher, not really caring for anything that could have received that discount. And then I picked up two more recyclables on the way to the other Mega Image from there that also closes at 10 PM, across the road, once again entering with everything… But finding no discounted products whatsoever. So I just cashed in the voucher received for those two recyclables, keeping the other one, since they can be used in any location of a chain but only cashed in at the one that they’re received from. And then I took the metro back and picked up some more recyclables, including one without a label that seemed to fit the label picked up the previous day.
I got back just after 9:45 PM, with over 12 kg which felt like far more because of that watermelon in the backpack and the rope straps really digging into my shoulders… And which most probably caused my current back problems. And that watermelon cracked badly when I started cutting from it, proving how ripe it was but also meaning that it won’t last as long. But at least I didn’t lose it completely, though it was a close thing, since I almost dropped it as I picked it up to take it to the fridge. Then I ate some of it and put the purchases in their place. And then I also made some microwave popcorn, using some which had expired back in June of 2023 and eating it towards the end of the match, even though it tasted rancid and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some mold as well, since it’s not like you can check that kind of popcorn before using it. Either way, I also ate a small chocolate bar and then went to wash, being done around 1:05 AM, which seemed early enough to stick to the dinner schedule. However, I moved two things into jars and took it easy, and I also moved the slices to another plate and got what was stuck on the one that I microwaved them on before going to my room to eat, which led to eating dinner between 3:40 AM and 4:20 AM. And I didn’t take that supplement anymore, though a couple of pills were left.
I woke up a little before 9:30 AM, probably because of what dad said was somebody knocking on the elevator door, since it repeated and we both assumed that it was at our door and he went to open. And then I spent a little time on the computer, after which I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I eventually got up again, getting back in bed at 2:15 PM. At least I did get back to sleep then, albeit still after a while… But a little after 3:45 PM I was woken up by dad calling to say that he was coming back earlier than he had said and to ask what ingredients he had for what he wanted to cook, and I didn’t get back to sleep again after that, especially since I made mamaliga again in the evening, taking a first bite of the salad in my room just before 3 AM but then taking it too easy, actually starting to eat here at 3:10 AM, still doing something on-line as well, and noticing that I won’t be able to quite finish wolfing everything down at 3:40 AM, so I slowed down again at the end and finished at 3:45 AM. And then I used the wallet funds purchased with those Paysafecard codes for gift codes for the Betrayal at Krondor Pack, Ultimate Body Blows, Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption and Wacky Wheels, which I mean to give away, plus Vampire’s Fall: Origins, which I bought for myself. The latter game isn’t one that I’m likely to care much about, and it was a little cheaper in the past, but it had ended up on my wishlist after Alma talked about it and that way I could use all of those wallet funds.
The following day, it was still quiet, so I could once again sleep. Then I did the day’s squats and left just after 7:45 PM, with a little trash that I dropped down the chute and the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up one more on the way to Titan, then taking the metro, since I had dad’s card, to Carrefour Pantelimon, picking up another recyclable when I reached the machine from there, and then putting all of them in. And then I just bought some tea from there, but forgot to use the voucher received for the recyclables when I paid for that and, while they at least added self-checkouts that accept cash in that location, there didn’t seem to be an option to cash in those vouchers, so I had to use a regular checkout for that.
From there, I walked to Kaufland, and after peeing and washing my hands I entered the store, with the teas in the backpack, a little after 9 PM, seeing few evening discounts for fruits and vegetables, and only a couple that I could be interested in. But I found deeply discounted pieces of processed meat products that I got for dad, along with some sausages that had an evening discount, and eventually I just took a lettuce for myself, making use of that evening discount, and adding a couple of loose leaves that seemed good. And at the self-checkout the employee was hovering around me and when only the last of those discounted pieces of processed meat products wasn’t accepted she said that she expected that and logged on to clear the error… And then she saw the total, grabbed a 0.10 RON coin left in another machine’s change tray, and handed it to me, so the change would just include a 0.50 RON coin. But I had also found such a coin in that machine’s tray, yet despite realizing that and saying so, she still left me that coin as well. And then I walked right out, to do so before the closing announcement, and used the carts to spread out and arrange the purchases, walking away a couple of minutes after 10 PM and finding two recyclables by the time I reached the machine, so I put them in and kept the voucher for another time.
I found one more recyclable on the way to that Mega Image, putting it and the backpack in a cabinet and finding that the 90% bakery discounts had already been made, so I grabbed some things, plus some lemons that were discounted by 50%, and then I wandered around, waiting for the other products discounted by 90% to be brought, the one good thing that came from that being that I noticed that the bug repellent that mother wants was at half price! The discount was listed as lasting all month, but I took three right away, which was as much as I had money for at the moment. I could have just managed four if I left the lemons and didn’t take anything else, but I was hoping to have something to add when those other discounted products would be brought… However, after wasting all of that time, I was a couple of steps away when the cart was brought out and the few women who were waiting right at that door snatched everything that might have been interesting before I even got there! It couldn’t have been more than a couple of seconds, but I didn’t even get to see what had been in that cart before they took everything except the ready-to-eat fruits and some fresh spices! And I had no interest in those, so I only saw that there had been things that I would have been interested in when I glanced at what they had in their baskets. And then I also forgot to use that voucher received for a recyclable that I had been left with from two days earlier. Either way, I then retrieved what I had in the cabinet, arranged everything, and gathered plenty of other recyclables on the way back.
I think it was 11:55 PM when I was at the door. Then I put most of the purchases in their place and ate some plums while dad washed, going to wash myself a couple of minutes before 1:30 AM, after he was done. And I was done some 40 minutes later. Then I ate a sweet pastry, fixed something that counted as lunch and ate it, on and off, between 3:20 AM and 4:15 AM, during which time I washed and cleaned what was in the kitchen, which included the grill that dad had used, and used the worse lettuce leaves to start making the salad. I also took one of those supplements again and, since I had used one of those small baguettes instead of bread, I moved the slices to another plate and gathered what was stuck on the one that I had microwaved them on, before finally eating dinner between 5:10 AM and 5:40 AM. I got in bed at 7 AM.
After being woken up by a call at 10:10 AM, I decided to play some more Dungeons of Dreadrock, only getting back in bed a couple of minutes before 11 AM, and just after 12:20 PM I woke up again when dad went out, and when he came back he let me know that the guy who was supposed to replace something at our heaters was coming, so I had to get up. And after that guy left I finished the game. But in the evening dad’s computer wouldn’t turn on again, and unplugging the CPU and motherboard power connectors and plugging them back in, which tended to eventually do the trick in the past, didn’t fix it… And when I went back to the kitchen at night I dropped something on one of Liza’s plates and it broke in two…
After waking up when dad left but then getting right back to sleep, the awfully loud drilling started again upstairs around 9:30 AM, though I’m not entirely certain of the time, since I curled up in a ball for a while and it was 9:50 AM when I got up and checked the time… And at 10:15 AM there seemed to be a power failure, and after letting the computer run on battery for 16 minutes before turning it off, during which time I kept wondering how did the guy above keep working, I opened the door and saw that the building did have power, so I beeped dad and he called back and when I told him he told me to check the fuse panel and indeed one switch was down, and so was the master switch. That one that was down seemed to control all lights except the one from the entrance hallway, so I wondered whether the electrician working above had touched something in that floor, so in our ceiling. But nothing seemed wrong after flipping the switches back on and testing the lights. And when the noise stopped, just after noon, I got back in bed, being woken up by dad calling again at one point but then getting back to sleep and only getting up just after 4:45 PM. And there were no visits recorded that day.
The following day it was quiet, being Sunday, but I woke up at 11:15 AM, while dad was getting ready to leave, and if I initially got back in bed and might have even caught a very brief nap before he actually left and I woke up again, after that I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I got on the computer for a while, getting back in bed just before 1:30 PM and sleeping some more, though I had been awake for a while when I checked the time, saw that it was 4:10 PM, and decided to get up, albeit after staying in bed a little longer and taking it very easy. Then I had lunch, did the day’s squats, and went out when it was almost 7:10 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, and despite rushing to Kaufland I still picked up some more on the way.
Since Kaufland had gotten back to closing at 8 PM on Sunday and people with full bags were in line at the machine, I left the recyclables in a cabinet, since even so it was 7:35 PM when I entered the store. And some price labels showed that there had been some interesting evening discounts, but only some white bell peppers were left at that point, so I got a handful of those, after which I added cheese and kashkaval. I was also looking for some cat food that was on sale, but none of the specific kind that I wanted to get was left. So I was waiting in line at the self-checkouts when the closing announcement came, and when a machine freed I first checked that the 30% discount applied for that kashkaval, the employee coming to ask whether I had anything left to scan when I did that and telling me to hurry up when I said that I did but wanted to check that discount first. And the next person placed her things on the machine as I was paying, also using the voucher received for recyclables which I had been left with three days earlier, and before I could get my change she almost moved into me, only then seeming to notice that I was still there and apologizing, admittedly after having argued with that employee about a price difference, so her mind might have really been elsewhere. And as I tried to hurry away, a bill fell from my hands, that employee fortunately letting me know.
After retrieving the recyclables, I went to one of the tables that are outside and put the purchases in the backpack, then went to Penny, putting the recyclables in the machine, entering with the backpack, buying some things… But, even though in that location the posters about their coins campaign still exist, albeit only on the registers, faded and possibly because they couldn’t remove them from those places, since those from windows have been removed, and the cashier actually told the next customer to ask me for the store card in order to get a discount, since he didn’t have his, and the moment when I turned back to hand it over would have been a great opportunity to ask whether they actually still had vouchers in that location, as I had been told to do when I had asked by e-mail, I just couldn’t get myself to do it, so I just arranged the purchases and rushed to that Mega Image that closes at 10 PM.
I got there a few minutes before 9 PM and waited for the 90% discount labels to be placed on the bakery products, the employee seeming to appreciate that I was patiently standing behind her, because when a guard came and asked whether he could take some things, she said that he should wait like I do, because I’ve been there longer and I may want things as well, and when he said that he had no time she told him to come back when he did have time. But I had spotted one of those apple pastries, and after she was done with that section I grabbed it, along with one other thing that I meant to use as bread. There was another sweet pastry that I might have been interested in, but a woman grabbed it first. And then I waited a little longer, until the cart with the other products that were discounted by 90% was brought, and it only contained a bunch of packs of some bio (organic) cashew product, apparently some sort of vegan “cheese”, plus a couple of other things that I wasn’t interested in, and while that “cheese” was actually still rather pricey even with that huge discount, I decided to get one after all. And I also used that voucher received for a recyclable that I had been left with.
After initially meaning to arrange the purchases before walking out, I changed my mind and walked out with them in a bag, only stopping quite some time later, on a bench, to put that “cheese” in the backpack, though I still left those bakery products in that bag, so I didn’t really do much of anything. And, since I had picked up two recyclables by the time I got here and it was still before 10 PM, I meant to put them in the machine from this Mega Image, but when I walked in I saw that it was out of order, a note stating that it required servicing that they’re not able to provide and are waiting for a technician. So I had a quick look in the store, entering with everything, but didn’t find anything else to get.
It was close to 9:50 PM when I got back. Then I put the purchases in their place, ate an apple, cleaned the litter box, went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, made a few quick changes in what was already written and scheduled what I posted that day to show up at 11:59 PM, noticing that the middle button of my mouse was really double clicking a lot, and thought that I had to take a cold shower, since the “hot” water had been quite cold in the kitchen and when I had turned it on for some 30 seconds in the bathroom it seemed to only get colder. However, when I actually went to take that shower, just after 11:30 PM, the water did actually heat up, though I stuck to the plan of only taking a shower, being done at 11:55 PM. Then I washed what was in the kitchen with the exception of the grill, which dad had used once again, and made something sweet and ate it while spending some time on the computer, only going back to the kitchen a few minutes before 1:30 AM. And then I washed that grill as well, also moved that vegan “cheese” into a jar, and the only way to still finish eating dinner at 3:40 AM was to eat in the kitchen, which was what I did. On the other hand, no visits were recorded on September 14 either, so for two days in a row.
The workers were back on this side of the building on September 15, but the noise wasn’t that bad in the morning, so I could more or less sleep until 1 PM or so, waking up a number of times, including after dad got up and when he left and then came back the first time, but always getting back to sleep quickly. But the noise got worse after the workers finished their break, so I got up, and the plan to try to get some more sleep earlier in the evening, knowing that dad was going to get back again around 9 PM and wanted to take apart some furniture, didn’t work because noise began to once again come from above not long after the workers left, so I stayed in bed for about an hour, but if I slept at all, it couldn’t have been for more than mere moments.
Things were more or less the same regarding the noise on the morning of September 16, but the real reason why I woke up the first time, around 8:45 AM, was that my body was about to clean the plumbing and I really have no idea how I stopped it from happening, so when I went to pee I also checked to make sure that there really was no mess whatsoever. And then I could get back to sleep and, while the noise got worse and entered dreams that were already messed up, so that sleep was agitated and interrupted, the next time I actually woke up properly it was 10:40 AM. But I managed to quickly fall asleep again even then, waking up one more time at 11:55 AM, perhaps just because of the sudden silence, so after going to pee one more time I took advantage of the workers’ break to sleep until around 1:10 or 1:15 PM, when the noise woke me again. But I decided to stay in bed a little longer and managed to nap a little more, getting up when it was close to 1:55 PM, so almost when I normally would, even if I hadn’t set an alarm, knowing that it won’t be needed. And then I had the usual stuff, though the yogurt had expired two days earlier and I saw a weevil that I didn’t manage to remove when I poured cereals in it. And I also shaved and ate two nicer biscuits, with added honey, as the sweet thing, taking it easy and waiting until after 5 PM, so I left at 5:05 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 29°C, holding steady.
The time was 48:41.85, with sector times of 4:27.57, 5:13 (5:12.66), 6:02 (6:01.78), 4:33.81, 5:09 (5:08.81), 6:02 (6:01.57), 4:31.47, 5:01 (5:00.34), 5:52.78 and 1:51.06, making for lap times of 15:42.01, 15:44.19 and 15:24.59. The target was to stay under 49 minutes, and most preferably also be less slow than the previous week, and while I didn’t push that much early on, sector two of lap one was concerning, and when I went over six minutes on sector three and over the 15:40 that’d be the lap time target for 49 minutes on the lap as a whole, things looked bad and I wondered whether I should continue to 16 km instead. And that remained an option if staying under 49 minutes was impossible after three laps, but the goal was to avoid getting there, so I started pushing more, though probably from sector two of lap two, since I didn’t want to tire myself too early. But, even so, lap two was even slower than lap one and I definitely needed to be at least a few seconds faster on lap three in order to have any chance of staying under 49 minutes, so I really had to choose whether to put everything into attempting that or take it easier and continue to 16 km after all. But I still stuck to the original target, so I kept pushing and that finally showed on sectors two and three of lap three, so at the end of the lap I knew that I was even going to be less slow than the previous week after all, which was indeed the case. But, on top of that still being a poor time, it meant a lot of effort for only a minor improvement, making it unlikely that I’ll even get back under 48 minutes, not to mention around 47 minutes, within one month after getting rid of the cold, which was what I was hoping for.
I felt tired and quite out of it from the beginning, and I also needed to snap my back and couldn’t quite do it well enough, the more concerning thing being that something seems to have caught in my back once again for some time and my right foot is once again rather numb. But, to stick to what has to do with that run, the first lap was difficult, but I dug in and things got gradually better, even if it did feel pretty hot. Otherwise, I slowed for a second or two at the start of sector two of lap two, to get a better look at the time, and while I might not have actually slowed that much, wanting to make sure that I had seen the time correctly was also the main reason why I broke my attempt at a sprint on the long straight of sector one of lap three. But, even if we were still quite some distance from each other, I was also doing a silly dance with a cyclist at that point… And later on that sector I had to avoid another cyclist. But, even though there once again were a fair number of people and I had to weave and go the long way around quite a lot, I wouldn’t say that there were any other specific problems caused by them that I could list.
After getting back, I put a lot of watermelon on a plate, then cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, after which I ate that watermelon, did the day’s squats, and then also ate what ended up being a rather small lunch, consisting of a slice of pizza brought by dad and just a little of the peas that were left, to keep a full serving for another day. Then I changed and went out again at 8:50 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, picking up just one more as I rushed to Kaufland.
After putting the recyclables in the machine and peeing and washing my hands, it was almost 9:10 PM when I entered the store, but the evening discounts weren’t good enough, so I first went to see whether the packs of cat food that I was looking for were available in that location, taking two and using a self-checkout to buy them after checking that the 30% discount applied. And then I turned around, took a bag of dry cat food from that same brand and another pack of that kashkaval, and waited for 9:45 PM, checking to see whether any evening discounts would increase. But they didn’t, so I just bought those two more things, checking that the 30% discount applied for both… Only for the machine to ask me to wait for an employee, and when one came he seemed confused and asked whether I had inserted the money, so I told him that I had and the amount, and that I was waiting for 1 RON as change, and also pointed to the receipt and said that I had purchased what I had in the bag earlier, and he did something which made the machine return the amount I had inserted and then he inserted everything again, walking away when that seemed to do the trick and ignoring me when I asked what had happened. So I had to shrug it off as well, then arranged the purchases in the backpack and walked out just before 10 PM.
I then went to the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM, entering with everything and seeing that the 90% discount labels were just being placed on bakery products, two people being there and the employee asking them what they wanted and telling them to pick up the products and put them in the bags that she had already placed the labels on. After they seemed done, she asked whether I wanted anything, and when I said that I don’t tend to push ahead like that she nodded and told me to let her know if there’s anything that interests me, though I stepped back and just took one of those small baguettes after she had bagged it. But then I saw a few other products that had the 90% discount, which may well be the first time that happens in that location, and took some cooked peas with chicken, meaning to give them away, before returning to the bakery area after that employee had walked away and also grabbing a bag with two buns with sesame. Then I added the baguette in the backpack and walked out.
Since I didn’t spot any homeless people in the immediate vicinity, I was still holding the peas and the buns when I went to the metro station and checked the card, since dad had left it for me but nothing was printed on it, seeing that he had activated it, so I went to the cashier and asked him to write the date until which it’s valid and stamp it, to have some proof if it’ll stop working before then… Only for him to write a date that was one day earlier, ignoring what I had said and explaining that it had been activated on the date printed at the top. But that was when it was purchased, and I guess dad had activated it the following day, so I stated again that I had just checked it and another employee who was there checked it as well and confirmed what I had said, so the cashier crossed out what he had written and wrote the correct date below. And then I rushed to that non-stop Mega Image as well, but when I saw from the door that there were no bakery discounts, I didn’t bother to enter, grabbing a couple of recyclables on my way back to the metro station… And proving that the interaction with the cashiers had messed me up by going to the wrong part of that station, so it was fortunate that I just missed a train, because that gave me time to check and I could turn around and go to the correct part… But that made me miss a train there as well, and the next one was initially listed as coming at 10:48 PM, but that time kept changing and it was eventually there at 10:52 PM, and while the plan was to go to that non-stop Mega Image from Basarabia, I wondered whether I’ll get there too late for the 90% discounts and whether I should try the one from Titan instead. But I eventually stuck to the original plan.
After getting there, I put my things in a cabinet and entered the store a few minutes after 11 PM… Only to see that not even the bakery products had the discount labels yet, having only been bagged, and when I checked the area where the other discounted products are placed I saw the same group of women as the previous time and the younger one told me that the discounts hadn’t been made yet. So I went back to the bakery area and waited for the employee to place the discount labels, but as soon as she started doing so, several people crowded in, hardly even leaving her any room to move, and since I stayed at the back of the group the apple pastry which I had spotted was grabbed by someone else before I could reach over, and when that employee opened the drawer with a bread that I’d have wanted to get for dad, someone else put a hand on it and said that she was going to take it before the employee even took the 90% discount label that was to be placed on it, so I lost that as well, probably along with a few other things that I didn’t even get to notice, and eventually just took two buns before going back to wait for the other products that had the 90% discount to be brought. And when they were I quickly grabbed a few things, though a little later I put the pineapple pieces back, keeping the coconut pieces and the box with that unclear label of various mixed salads, I believe containing mainly the quinoa and chicken salad, albeit with very little chicken and some vegetables that may mean that a small quantity of something else was mixed in. And there were 800 grams in there, but I took it anyway, then retrieved my things and added the buns in the backpack.
Since I was going to get back late anyway, I decided to actually look for recyclables on the way back, ending up with a bag that was just about full. And I also saw a man sleeping on a bench in front of that Penny, where homeless people can usually be found, and left the peas and the buns from the first Mega Image next to him. Maybe it’d have been better to leave that other thing, since I didn’t quite know what was in it, and I did consider giving it away as well if I’d spot another homeless person, but I didn’t.
It was almost 12:10 AM when I got back. Then I cleaned the litter box again and went to drop what I had gathered down the chute, put the purchases in their place, talked to dad for a while, eventually ate the apple pastry that I already had, and it was almost 1:40 AM when I went to wash, being done just after 2:20 AM. And then I also gathered my clothes, which were placed to dry in my room, since we still can’t use the balcony, and it was 2:35 AM when I finally got back to the kitchen, ending up eating dinner between 4 AM and 4:50 AM, while also writing notes about the day. I got in bed at 6:20 AM.
At least I could actually sleep, waking up when dad left but then getting back to sleep and the workers apparently being quiet until the afternoon, possibly because of the rain. And I took another nap in the evening… But I was still so exhausted… And the numbness in my legs is getting even more concerning. I mean, that feeling in my right foot, quite frequently going up to the knee and sometimes extending even higher and also to that arm, was quite normal for many years, the fact that at some point I started having lengthy periods when it wasn’t there being more unusual, but when it affects my left leg as well, something’s wrong… Or, more exactly, more wrong than it used to be. And that was also an issue when I got in bed in the morning, though I eventually managed to fall asleep. But at least I managed to keep taking naps even after dad got up, albeit interrupted and agitated ones, considering the noise made then, since another person also came to help him carry some things that were to be taken to grandmother’s. And the noise made by the workers wasn’t that bad after he left, the problem being that I didn’t fully take advantage of their break, waking up while it was still quiet and spending some more time trying and failing to get back to sleep before checking the time and seeing 1:59 PM. And then I got back in bed for almost another hour, and the noise only got worse about halfway through it, but I only napped for what couldn’t have been more than mere minutes during that mostly quiet first part… And it sounded like something snapped behind me in the kitchen just now, since I’m making mamaliga again, and I really hope that it actually came from outside. But I just realized that this is already a new longest post I ever wrote, so I’m leaving aside the idea of waiting until tomorrow and including that day as well and posting it as it is, with 8077 words, or 8091 if you also include the title.
