Cav's Place

At least the real milestone, marking 20 years since she left, is next year, this only being the 20th September 27 if you also count the first one, so it may be less of a crime that at 4 AM I just managed to post a placeholder, limited to this paragraph, after spending the evening finally finishing the previous post. But it is, at the very least, terribly embarrassing, and the fact that what I’ll be adding are regular things, not what such a post should actually contain, makes it even worse. Not that there’s anything actually left to say in such a post after 19 years, of course, unless I’ll find out something new, which isn’t the case at this point.

As the title states, I’m going to run today, this being the first of the series of three runs in five days, one problem being that it’s going to be hot, with a high of 32°C, according to the forecast, and the other, and far bigger, one being that I have what I hope is just a cold. I suspect that I got it from dad, who has been coughing again for a while but claims that it’s “from the stomach” and that he doesn’t have anything, of course, but it might have been from anywhere else as well, and standing around all those people for so long while waiting to start on Saturday is also a probable source of infection, even if it was outdoors.
I really should have started wearing a mask again when going out some time ago, and also inside ever since dad started coughing, seeing as he doesn’t care, but I only wore it on Monday, inside, in order to protect my nose, which was still terribly irritated, and again yesterday, as in Thursday, so I won’t give anything to dad and, through him, to mother as well, in case he actually isn’t the source. And at least wearing the mask on Monday did help quite a lot, but by Tuesday evening my throat started bothering me a little, and by the time I got up on Wednesday it was definitely sore. And, with these runs now and just over two weeks before the marathon that’s the last chance to achieve my goal of running one in less than four hours before turning 40, I really can’t afford anything of the sort. But all I can hope for right now is that it’s just a common cold and it won’t affect my lungs, so I started taking some things right away, definitely having no intention of just letting my body fight it off, as I otherwise tend to do. Yet I’m already feeling something in my chest and have been coughing a little over the past couple of hours, so things don’t look good.
I guess that one option would have been to do things the other way around, walking the route this weekend and leaving this series of runs for later, since doing them a week or so before the marathon should also be fine, but walking for so long doesn’t seem like a better idea at this point either, plus that it’s supposed to rain quite a lot between Sunday evening and Monday afternoon, which was also why I chose to start this series of runs today instead of yesterday, even if today I’d have obviously preferred to avoid going out, or doing much of anything… Not that the forecast is certain, in fact it’s very uncertain and kept varying, but I now just have to hope that I’ll manage to finish the second run before the rain will start on Sunday and that things will be more or less fine by Tuesday, for the last run in the series. But, of course, the first concern is the cold, if that’s all it is…
Getting back to today, I’d have wanted to shave before going to bed, especially considering the heat, which is going to be even more uncomfortable if I’ll run like this, but I definitely have no more time for that now… And it’s not like I felt like it anyway. I mean, I never do, but it’s far worse on such a night. And isn’t it a tradition, at least here, to not shave while mourning? And what’s this night if not the commemoration of the one when I should have killed myself, when I likely died in any practical sense, and when any hope of having a future which might be in any way worth living definitely did? And for anyone daring to say or even think anything that’s anywhere along the lines of “it gets better”, no, it most obviously does not… And that’s all I could get myself to write, after taking quite a few minutes to push back the replies that I actually would have to anything of the sort. So I guess that I’ll just stop here, to manage to edit this and add everything before going to bed.

Once again, after actually managing to post the week’s first post in full, the second one initially ends up being just a placeholder, especially since I went out again today. But, even if it just contains four paragraphs, if you also count this one, at least this placeholder does include the relevant part about testing the new UPS one more time, the rest of that day just being a matter of odds and ends that I’m adding because that’s what I usually do, and I edited the post in order to add the rest of that part Monday evening. But then I had to edit it again in order to also add the part about yesterday, and I only managed to do that in the early hours of Friday.

Right after getting up on September 19, I did 200 squats, to be sure that I had caught up, since the 200 done the previous day had made up for skipping September 17, but all that I recalled about September 16 was that I had kept putting them off, and by the time I went to bed that morning I just couldn’t remember whether I had done them before going to the kitchen at night or got right on the computer after seeing that dad was going to bed and they went right out of my mind. Either way, after dad left I took the new UPS to the living room and plugged its data cable into his computer, without installing the software, though I couldn’t figure out what he had plugged into the extension cord that’s next to the desk, so I ended up using two other extension cords to just plug in the light bulb from the balcony into the UPS, to have at least that small power draw… And I confirmed that it’s not the UPS itself that’s the problem, since the data connection wasn’t lost in two and a quarter hours, until I turned the computer off, before leaving, which I did at 7:10 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol that dad had emptied and the can which I had returned with and straightened two days earlier.
I went to put those recyclables in the machine from the nearby Mega Image, though that straightened can wasn’t accepted, and the cashier said that they couldn’t do anything about it when I asked, so I just cashed in the voucher for the others. However, I had noticed a bag full of other recyclables left in front of the store when I walked in, and it was still there when I left, so I looked inside and took it when I found that all of the recyclables had the deposit symbol. I wasn’t about to go back in with it, but I just took it to Carrefour, even if that meant wandering around with it for a while, since I had found out that a run was taking place in the park two days later and it was free, so I had signed up and wanted to walk the part from the beginning and the end of the route, the rest of it consisting of one lap around the lake. And the way the route was listed on the map made no sense to me, the logical way being to switch the direction at the start, so I walked those two portions in both directions, just in case there had been a mistake. Then I finally used the recycling machine from Carrefour, which accepted everything from that bag and one of the three recyclables which I had found there, so after also leaving that bag there I walked away with the other two recyclables and that can, which wasn’t accepted there either. And I didn’t go to the information desk to ask for the money for those, entering the store with them after washing my hands and just getting some garlic and cashing in the voucher, since its value was higher than the price of the garlic. And I still had to use a regular checkout…
After putting the garlic in the backpack, I continued to Penny, noticing that the recycling machine wasn’t working, entering with everything, and seeing that green onions were listed among the vegetables that were at half price in the evening and quite a number of bundles were left, some of them looking like they might be worth it even if a good part of the tops were cut off. But I just walked back out at first, continuing to that Kaufland, putting those two remaining recyclables which I had picked up from Carrefour in the recycling machine from there, though that straightened can still wasn’t accepted, putting my things in a cabinet… And noticing a spider on the bottom of the bag where I had that straightened can, so I shook it off and then squashed it. Then I peed and washed my hands, entering the store at 9:10 PM and noticing that they were out of green onions, even though they are among the products that they guarantee will always be available, saying that if they’re not you can ask for a 10 RON voucher from the information desk. And, even though they’re often out of green onions before closing time and I never tried to ask for that voucher before, I really considered it that evening… But I still didn’t do it, just having a look at the bakery products, since the discount labels which had been placed listed discounts of 75%, but I also scanned a couple of labels from products that didn’t have those labels and I confirmed that the 75% discount applied to them as well. But I didn’t buy anything then, just walking back out through the entrance gates when someone else walked in, since nobody from the information desk was paying attention while I stood at the exit gate for a little while, rushing back to Penny and buying a bundle of green onions from there, which were indeed at half price. And I also got some more popcorn, wondering if it won’t end up full of weevils once again.
After rushing back to Kaufland and adding those purchases in the cabinet, I once again considered asking for that voucher, but still didn’t, and now that I actually read the terms and conditions I found that you have to ask for it after making purchases, since it’s granted on the basis of a receipt that must be no more than 30 minutes old, and after they check that the product you ask for isn’t available in storage either, and such a delay would have been quite a problem at that point, seeing as, after washing my hands again, it was a couple of minutes after 9:30 PM when I went back into the store. Then I scanned a few more labels from the bakery area and also used that price checker to check some ingredients, eventually taking two pastries that I thought were sweet, though one turned out to be just greasy… Either way, I then saw a 50% discount for some goat cheese and asked for a small piece, though when I received it and read the label I found that it only contained 50% goat milk, the other 50% being cow milk. There was another kind that might have actually been “proper” goat cheese, since it was discounted by more than 50% but remained significantly more expensive, but it was only because I had found that bag of recyclables with the deposit symbol that I even got that piece, so the other kind was out of the question and, with no evening discounts for fruits and vegetables, I just added a small yogurt and some pizza dough, then went to the self-checkouts and rushed straight to the machine that was freed when I got there, not noticing any line… Only for another man to yell that he had been in line, so I apologized and stepped away, waiting for another machine to be freed and then using the voucher received for those recyclables and typing in the code for dad’s digital store card, since I had decided to use it that time and the machine refused to scan the picture of the QR code.
The closing announcement came while I was in the checkout area, possibly while I was using the machine, though it might have been even before that, so after retrieving my things and arranging everything, I had to walk out through the emergency exit… At which point I saw that it was raining quite seriously. So checking that Profi on the way back, entering with everything, also served to get me out of the rain. And, while I still didn’t find any of those canned mushrooms that were supposed to be on sale for such a good price, I grabbed some expiring falafel, needing to use the manned checkout from the entrance, since at the exit I only saw self-checkouts that didn’t seem to accept cash. And when I walked back out, after adding that falafel in the backpack, the rain seemed to have stopped, though I eventually noticed that a light rain was still coming down.
I was back a couple of minutes after 11 PM. Then I put the purchases in their place, ate a few plums, a candy that dad had brought and lunch, and also took another pill, just in case, by which I don’t just mean that I had been in the rain, but mainly that dad obviously has something but, as usual, won’t even admit it. Either way, it was 12:45 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, and I was done just under an hour later, yet still managed to stick to the dinner schedule, somehow. And I’ll also mention here that no visits were recorded that day.

Moving on to yesterday, the problem was that the regulations for that run stated that participants could sign up on-line between September 16 and 20 or on location that morning, between 8 AM and 12 PM, but all had to pick up their numbers that morning, yet it wasn’t specified whether that had to be done between those same hours or after, just before the start, the start times being between 1 PM and 3 PM, 30 minutes apart, depending on the category, with the possibility of delays, and I was among the “veterans”, being over 35, and those were going to be the last to start. So I had sent a question about this, and also about the beginning and the end of the route, but I hadn’t received any reply, and while I didn’t check again when I woke up a little after 8:30 AM and just went to pee, nor a little after 9:30 AM, when I woke up again and just checked the time, when I woke up yet again, a little before 10 AM, I did check, but there was still no reply, and that remained the case when I looked one more time, after the alarm rang, at 10:30 AM. So I got up, made the tea, ate an apple, put on the running tights and the t-shirt from last year’s marathon, after having decided pretty much on the spot to wear a different one and selecting that one after a quick look, and left at 11:20 AM.
I got there just after 11:30 AM and found that the numbers were indeed handed out at that point, but when the guy who was before me wanted to confirm the start time of 3 PM, since he was in the same category, he was told that the organizers had said that everyone should be there at 1 PM because they may rush the starts, and the reason seemed to be the low number of participants, since they seemed to just be handing out the numbers in order and assigning the names to them on the spot and, after handing over the form which I had filled and signed ahead of time, I received number 109 despite being there close to the end of the registration period. But I obviously wasn’t going to stay there, so I then made my way back, receiving some coffee from a promoter at the park exit.
I was back just before 11:50 AM, leaving that coffee for dad to take to mother and deciding to get back to the park well before 2 PM, in case they’ll lump together more of the categories and end up with three starts instead of five. That seemed like the worst that could happen, since mixing the people with disabilities and the children with the rest struck me as impossible, but if they were going to do it and I was going to miss the start then so be it, since getting back to the park by 1 PM was clearly impossible. I mean, even this meant rushing the preparations, and after eating the yogurt with cereals and baked almonds with Himalayan salt mixed in, it proved to be too early to leave everything in the toilet and I couldn’t lose even more time, so I put on the number, the simple fact that they had punched holes in the corners making it so much easier to do that, took the supplements, with the obvious exception of the second pill for the iron and the one for joints, and left a little after 1:20 PM, with a few things in the pocket of my tights, including a bar that I was going to eat there. And I also took a candle, which I lit at the church, for a reason that’s probably not my story to tell, so I won’t. Either way, the fact that the reported temperature was about 25°C at that point is irrelevant, but it shouldn’t have changed much, the forecast listing about 26°C later, though I didn’t even check again after getting back.
Well, when I got there I went to the tent where they were offering various things to the participants and took and ate a banana, after asking whether I could take something, being told that I could take anything I wanted but meaning to return and take more things after the run… And then I ended up wasting a lot of time, and nobody even seemed to know anything about the actual start times… But saying that, instead of the schedule being rushed, there had been delays. And when I asked for specifics, those from that tent sent me to the registration tent, even though that area was closed off at that point, someone from there sending me to the tents from the start area, the gendarmes who seemed to be guarding the gazebo where some of the organizers or volunteers seemed to be saying that they couldn’t even hear what was said on the stage and therefore didn’t even know which category had started already, someone from one of the tents from the start area just reading the listed schedule and saying that the “veterans” were supposed to start at 3 PM but also mentioning the delays, and someone who asked whether she could help me when she saw me wandering around the organizers’ tents and probably looking quite confused saying that the delay had been caused by most of those who had registered on-line arriving right around noon to pick up their numbers, so there were in fact quite a lot of participants and the first category started half an hour later than scheduled, because it took that long to hand out those numbers, but gesturing vaguely back towards the registration area when I asked for specifics, and when I said that I had been there and had been sent to the start area she agreed that there was some confusion, explaining that a single person handled those matters and asking me to wait a little before rushing away… But I stood there for several minutes and she didn’t return, so I eventually wandered away.
Since the next category was announced as the “seniors”, which meant those between 19 and 35, I worried that they had changed the order and the “veterans” had started first, especially after the first person who finished really didn’t seem disabled, having managed an outstanding time and appearing to see, despite wearing dark glasses. But I did eventually exchange a few words with a couple of other participants and learned that the disabled people were indeed the first category, and some time later those in wheelchairs or who were obviously blind and accompanied during the run started appearing, making things clear. So, after holding it in my hand for a while and then meaning to put it back in my pocket, I changed my mind and ate that bar quite early, since I noticed that it had started to melt… And then I just stood around and wasted a lot of time. Since plenty of recyclables with the deposit symbol were obviously being discarded in that area and I had seen some people, including some of those that I regularly see checking the garbage cans from the park, start grabbing them, at one point I considered grabbing some and taking them to Carrefour, but I didn’t, just continuing to waste time and stay around all those people, which was likely another bad idea even if it was outdoors, until the other categories started and the “veterans”, which were indeed the last ones, were finally next, at which point I went to pee, washed my hands at one of those portable things, and then joined the crowd when we were asked to get ready, initially on the sides of the starting area, to leave a space down the middle for the last ones from the previous categories, which were yet to finish.
I’m not sure when the start was finally given, but it was well past 3 PM, probably closer to 3:30 PM, and with both categories of “veterans” starting together, and with these categories having the most participants anyway, there were quite a lot of people and I hadn’t placed myself among the first few lines, plus that I was right at the edge, and that starting portion was quite narrow, so it wasn’t easy to advance at first, and after I had to quickly avoid slamming into someone, or more exactly into the chair that they were sitting on and had pushed back and onto the path, I was even more wary of taking risks, so while others were finding ways to squeeze through or around, taking to the grass and pushing past, I found myself rather stuck behind a much slower woman for much, if not most, of those first 300 meters or so, only finally making my way through when we were about to reach the path around the lake. And then I quickly went past a few others and found myself in a strangely empty space, between groups. But the group that was ahead began to slowly scatter within seconds and I pretty quickly made my way through those that were falling behind, so it wasn’t long until there were just three people ahead of me that I thought I still had a chance to catch. That wasn’t easy, and I had to keep reminding myself that I was only running a little more than one lap, so I could push harder than I’d ever consider pushing on the first lap of a regular run, but I eventually managed it, gradually closing in, staying behind each of them for a little while and then gritting my teeth for a burst of speed.
I was thinking of checking the times for what would have normally been sectors two and three and/or for the lap, as in between the moment when I reached the path around the lake and the one when I passed by that spot the second time, before turning towards the finishing portion, but I didn’t, just having a quick look after passing the last of those three runners… And all that I remember is that I saw a little over 12 minutes at that point, possibly less than 12:10, but I’m not even sure of that and I definitely don’t know anything more specific. But that makes sense, since I definitely passed that guy before the peacock enclosure, if not even just before that straight, which would make it a little over one kilometer before the end. And I was quite certain that I won’t advance any more than that unless somebody was going to have worse problems than me with that bad climb… Yet the next guy who was ahead of me just stopped right after what would normally be the starting area for one of my regular runs, and shortly after turning towards the finishing portion and therefore starting that climb I passed a woman who had slowed to a walk. Two more guys were ahead, but they dealt better with that climb, and while I reduced the distance a little after the end of it, on the portion that goes down, I was way too far to have any chance to catch them, my main goal being to avoid being caught by that guy whom I had passed before the peacocks, since he was just a couple of steps behind me when I turned to look, at the start of that climb.
Well, the next person ended up finishing 18 seconds behind me, so I guess that he couldn’t deal with that climb. And I was pleasantly surprised by my time, since I initially thought that I’ll be aiming for about 18 minutes but saw 16:49 on my stopwatch and then 16:51 in the official results, which were also displayed on the spot, on a screen. On the other hand, I was unpleasantly surprised by my position, especially since I had kept gaining positions around the lake and never saw more than a handful of runners ahead of me after getting through the rest of that group and setting my sights on those three that I eventually passed, so while I knew that the winners must have been some five minutes faster, I fully expected to be in the top 30 in my category, men between 35 and 49, since that was how the results were displayed, and probably somewhere around the 50th place among all of those who had started at the same time, so all of those 35 and over. But I found myself the 45th in my category, and when I got back I saw that there had been a total of 65, or 66 if you include the guy who didn’t finish, so I was in the bottom third, and putting together the results says that I had been the 73rd among those 35 and over, and that was out of 164, or 165 if you include the guy who didn’t finish. And I might have managed to gain a few more seconds if I’d have been more confident from the beginning, and some more if I’d have taken more risks on that starting portion, but the very best possible result would have likely been gaining one or maybe at most two positions overall, and I don’t see how I could have gained any position in my category, the 44th having finished 17 seconds ahead… And my nose was awfully irritated after the run.
But let me get back to what happened right after I finished, when I was pointed to a table where I received the t-shirt and a bottle of water, but while I seemed to remember reading in the regulations that the t-shirt was offered when the number, with the timing chip, was returned, they didn’t ask for it, and I didn’t see others handing back the number either, so I didn’t take it off at that point. Then, after going to the screen and waiting until I saw my position, I pulled out the bag that I had taken for this purpose and meant to start picking up some recyclables with the deposit symbol… But when I picked up the first ones, which were scattered behind a bench, some other participants who were nearby thanked me for cleaning up and handed me their bottles as well, which made me feel really awkward, so I thanked them while they were thanking me, muttered something about taking them if I could, and when one guy told me to also empty and take two that were next to a tree, I hurried away, saying that somebody might still want those, since they were mostly full. And then I just quickly glanced in a few garbage cans as I hesitantly made my way back to the tent where they were handing out various things, but I might not have seen anything else, because I seem to remember just having six bottles when I got there.
Either way, after grabbing two apples, a Lipton and a Gatorade, I sat down for a little while, near a teenager who asked me to take something for him too, I think initially a Gatorade and then at least a Pepsi, since they weren’t offering any of those to minors, but I refused, and when he insisted things got quite awkward, the fact that a man had also just asked whether I had a spare bag and I told him that I didn’t making it even worse. And then someone else grabbed something for that teen and the people who were there shouted at him to at least go away, because they were going to get in trouble if he’ll be seen drinking next to them. But, after I took a banana as well and had what was perhaps too obvious of a look at the closed boxes of candies, without anybody asking whether I wanted any, I walked away, finally took off the number and washed my hands at one of those portable things from the other side of that area… At which point I found myself next to that teen again, who proceeded to complain that I hadn’t grabbed anything for him. But I just ignored him and returned to the starting area, albeit on the other side, so I won’t pass by those people again, and I grabbed a few more recyclables with the deposit symbol from the top of a couple of trash cans. And then, even though I like some of the songs of the singer who was on the stage then and I had some interest in one that was going to sing later as well, I hesitantly made my way to Carrefour, not wanting to stick around much longer.
At least I looked for some more recyclables with the deposit symbol on the way, getting less apprehensive about making it obvious as I went along, so I had 18 when I entered that mall, found some more around the recycling machine, and ended up putting in 23 and walking away with three that weren’t accepted. And I found a couple more in the bin that’s right in front of the entrance to Carrefour, I believe after getting back there, though I’m not absolutely sure of that. Either way, I then put everything in a cabinet, taking everything out of the bag that didn’t hold those remaining recyclables, since it was the only other one I had, went to wash my hands, and bought what I wanted, using the voucher received for those recyclables and correctly receiving one with 30% of the value of the purchases on the receipt, since all of the products were covered by that deal those days.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet and managing to arrange everything into that bag, I made my way back, picking up some more recyclables with the deposit symbol, including a crushed can that I tried to partially straighten in my hand, and using the recycling machine from the nearby Mega Image, which accepted all but two of the three which hadn’t been accepted at Carrefour, so it even accepted that can that was still pretty crushed. And then I just cashed in that voucher and got back here. Somebody had dumped quite a number of recyclables with the deposit symbol in the trash can from the entrance by the time I walked back out, but I didn’t pick up any of them, having doubts that I could get the one plastic bottle to be accepted, the label being torn in a way that seemed to affect the edge of the bar code, and the rest seemed to be the sort of thing that usually isn’t accepted, and they were also glass bottles, so they were going to be rather heavy.
I got back just before 5:25 PM. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, ate watermelon, left the croissants which I had purchased from Carrefour on the table but put all of the other things in their place, did the day’s squats, ate a small bag of salty peanuts, and then I went to the toilet and washed. After that, I ate that pastry from Kaufland that I thought was a sweet but ended up being just greasy, and after finishing and posting that day’s post I made mamaliga, but what I mixed in there sure made it taste weird, so I hoped that it was at least safe to eat, including in the long term… And I had also used some of that very old milk from the freezer, which was probably why some of it got stuck to the bottom of the cast iron pot. And my nose continued to be terribly irritated, so at night I finally used that aromatherapy lamp again, just in case it would help a little… Not that it did. Either way, I went to bed at 5:25 AM.

In the early hours of September 5, I ended up eating lunch, on and off, between 2:10 AM and 3:10 AM, since I had used the Slow Cooker to make it, it finished after midnight and then I moved most of the sauce into what dad had made for himself. And, since he had also cooked, there was obviously more to wash and clean, and he had also heated some water to wash his feet and that meant more large pots to move around, though I just left those there that night, along with some others. Either way, I finally managed to eat dinner between 4:15 AM and 5 AM and got in bed at 6:10 AM. I’d have also wanted to shave and could have done it after eating, since I didn’t want to get in bed right away, but I ended up playing Siege of Avalon a little more instead.
At least I only got up to pee once, a few minutes after noon, and while dad also got up a little after that and I kept waking up because of various little noises, plus one louder one that he probably also caused, I got back to sleep almost right away, only getting up when it was past 2:50 PM, some time after he left, since I hadn’t set an alarm. Then I had the usual stuff, the problem being that I ended up just wasting time on the toilet, despite feeling that there was something there. But at least there was hot water, the problems tending to only appear at night those days, so I shaved, then also ate two of those nicer but expired biscuits, with added honey, and left a few minutes after 5:30 PM, after finding my socks again, since I had taken them to the kitchen, to put them on when I’ll put on the shoes, and when I went to pee dad assumed that they were his and took them away. Either way, I wore the full running gear, but returned to the old shoes. And the reported temperature was about 31°C, dropping by probably 2°C by the time I finished.
The time was 49:18.39, with sector times of 4:24.85, 5:10 (5:09.75), 6:03 (6:02.44), 4:41 (4:40.97), 5:10.75, 6:06.12, 4:39 (4:38.47), 5:19.57, 5:54 (5:53.65) and 1:52 (1:51.82), making for lap times of 15:37.04, 15:57.84 and 15:52 (15:51.69). Since I couldn’t say that I had fully recovered after the previous week’s long run, I definitely wasn’t thinking about getting anywhere near the great time from the week before that, but just wondering whether I’ll manage to stay under 48 minutes, and I tried to push quite a bit from the beginning, meaning to switch myself back to aiming for speed, so that time on the first sector was really disappointing and made it pretty clear that it was going to be a poor run, and after sector two of lap one I had settled on just aiming to stay under 49 minutes. However, going over six minutes on sector three of lap one, and getting close to 15:40 even on the first lap, put even that in serious doubt, and after sector one of lap two I was wondering whether I’ll even stay under 16 minutes on that lap and under 50 minutes overall. And at least I did stay under 16 minutes on lap two, but things looked bad, so I pushed more on lap three, and on its third sector in particular, after that bad sector two, hoping to somehow at least manage one decent sector three, to stay under 16 minutes on that lap as well and stay under 49:30 at the end. And I did manage that, but that’s a bad time either way you look at it.
What’s worse is that there were hardly any problems to speak of. Sure, I did occasionally have to weave or go the long way around, but I wouldn’t say that there were any notable problems caused by people, so it’s likely that most of that was because of the lane, with all of its damaged spots, plus some areas that were wet. And it did get really windy on some parts of lap three, mainly around the start of each sector, and that might have had plenty to do with that bad time on sector two, since there was a point when I felt like I was barely moving against the wind, though it didn’t last long. And I wouldn’t say that there were specific physical issues either. Something rather weird was that a spot on one of my legs suddenly started itching badly on sector three of lap two and it made me think that I was getting bitten by something, so I made two brief stops in order to scratch and press on that spot, which offers some excuse for that sector’s time, but the only other issue was that the fact that I had just wasted time on the toilet came back to bite me on sector two of lap two and on sectors two and three of lap three, though on sector two of lap three the feeling was milder, and it was never a real problem. So the main issue was simply that I couldn’t go any faster despite really trying, as the fact that my nose was really irritated after the run also showed. But at least that problem went away pretty quickly.

On the way back, I spotted a bottle that I couldn’t normally reach, but a pretty large branch was nearby, so I tried to use the branch to pull it closer, but when it rolled against a tree I had to give up. Then, after getting back, I ate watermelon, changed, and left again at 8 PM, going to the nearest Penny and getting all of the cat food of the kind that I wanted, which was on sale, that was on the shelf at the time. It was less than two thirds of what I’d have wanted, but that meant that I didn’t have to try to decide what other things to get, since I was going to be able to afford everything, so I got the other things that I wanted as well. And the guy who was ahead of me in line, had a lot of products and was still placing them on the belt when the cashier was about to get to him, told me to go ahead, and I was also able to use that voucher which hadn’t worked the first time, so the problem must have really been the fact that I was buying those beers for dad that time, even though the small print states that it won’t work with “spirits” and beer definitely shouldn’t fall into that category.
After putting the other purchases in the backpack, leaving the cat food in a bag, I continued to Auchan, grabbing a recyclable with the deposit symbol on the way… And seeing that they had finally placed cabinets there, so I put the bags, with the cat food and that recyclable, in one, entering with the backpack. I was looking for water for dad and liquid soap, but I had a look in the bakery area first and, while the employee was taking away what was left and piling everything up into carts, she was yet to get to some really nice bread, with whole wheat flour and seeds, and the listed price would have been fair enough if it’d have had more than the listed weight, so I took one that quite clearly seemed larger, keeping it after weighing it and seeing that it had almost 20% more than the listed weight… And as I was looking around that area I spotted a can on the floor, and when I pushed on it gently with my foot it seemed empty, so I tried to pick it up… Only to be surprised by its weight when I did, since it was actually full, and ending up dropping it, so some of the contents spilled out before I set it upright again and left it there.
Either way, after also grabbing what I had actually gone there for, I found that only a few checkouts that accepted cash were still open, all but two were manned, and the guy who was using one of those was going through a long list of vouchers, alternating between checking his phone and the screen, so I sat in line to use the other one… Only for the woman who was ahead of me, who seemed to just have one soap, to scan it, then appear to get confused by the menus and walk away, moving to a manned checkout. And no employees seemed available to cancel that transaction, so I moved to stand behind that guy… And when an employee did come to that other machine, after being called over by a guard, she turned it off directly. So I was left to wait behind that guy, who kept checking those vouchers, and who kept sniffing as well… And when he was finally satisfied, he paid by card! So he could have used any other machine, but instead chose to block what at that point was the only actual self-checkout that accepted cash that was still open! But at least I found a pile of coins in the tray when I finally did get to use the machine, and also saw that the bread had a 30% discount if you used the store card, which was a nice surprise. And I also used the small amount that was on the store card, and then took my time to arrange everything, since I had taken the large backpack with me as well, before retrieving what I had in the cabinet.
Even though I was carrying a lot of weight and wasn’t sure that the closing time for that Kaufland was still 11 PM, I then went there as well, putting everything in a cabinet after finding that the store was still open. Then I washed my hands, using the toilets for disabled people, since the door was wide open, and entered the store a little after 10:10 PM, going straight to the bakery area and finding that the discounts were of 75% and some new and interesting products had appeared, so I got a number of things, after using a price checker to check the ingredients for something and scan the label for something else, confirming that the discount was of 75% as well, even though the label only listed 50%. And since one more new product looked interesting but I couldn’t tell what it was, I asked the employee about it, and while she wasn’t sure of its exact name either, she gave me a good enough idea to be pretty sure that I then found its label, but the ingredients bothered me, so I put it back.
The fact that I had found less of that cat food at Penny meant that I could even get some cheese as well, if I was finally going to find some of that cheap kind that was on sale. And I did, but there was no employee in that area and the nearest one was washing some utensils, so I had to call her over and when I asked exactly which pieces were at that price she said that she was only sure about those that were right next to the label, being uncertain about others, including the one which I had asked for, saying that she wasn’t working in that area, and when I said that nobody seemed to be working in that area she said that it was late, so I pointed out that there were 32 minutes left until closing time, yet after she asked when were they supposed to do their own shopping if they’d work until closing time I decided to end the conversation and just ask for one of those pieces that she was certain were at that price instead… And then she leaned over the cheeses and struggled to pull out the price label in order to see the code that she had to enter on the scales. But at least I eventually got that cheese…
After also grabbing some carrots, I spent the remaining time selecting scattered grapes, both having decent evening discounts… One problem, which I couldn’t have known at the time, being that the carrots were going to be one fifth of that price two days later, when I went back. And another problem was that a woman came over while I was selecting grapes and told me to take some of those which she had already selected, since she had taken too many, insisting when I refused, but I didn’t want to and was starting to panic, having interacted too much and having been surprised by her as well, so I stood up straight and turned my back to her, which might have alerted an employee, who came over and gave us a strange look while that woman said that in that case she’ll just put a part of her grapes back in the crate, though I’m not sure whether she actually did, since I didn’t turn around again until I was sure that she had left. But I could then resume selecting, getting as much as I wanted with a little time to spare, so I was just finishing using the self-checkout machine when the closing announcement came, though I then took my time to arrange everything, walking out a little after 11:10 PM and then stopping one more time, at a table, to also take the cat food out of the box… At which point I cut myself in it, those corners being so sharp. Either way, it was past 11:15 PM when I actually walked away, and I grabbed another recyclable with the deposit symbol on the way back.
I got back a little after 11:50 PM, with 23.5 kg. Then I took out the purchases and quickly put some of them in the fridge before cleaning the litter box and going to dump a bag of trash down the chute, after which I put almost all of the remaining purchases in their place, arranging some things in order to make room, and ate a sweet pastry. It was 1:35 AM when I finally went to shower, the water temperature increasing slowly, eventually being lukewarm and actually feeling slightly warm on my skin by the time I was done. Either way, I was done a couple of minutes after 2 AM, then I put the carrots in their place as well, and it was 3:10 AM when I took a first bite of lunch. But I just took a few more bites while making the salad, eating more of the lunch while slicing those nicer buns which I had purchased in order to use instead of bread, and finishing at 4:30 AM, after dinner was ready and I had even taken some things to my room, so at 4:35 AM I started eating dinner, being done at 5:20 AM, albeit after spending several minutes scraping what was stuck on the plate. And I got in bed at 6:05 AM, after dad got back… And I’ll also mention here that no visits were recorded that day or the next.

Speaking of the next day, it took me a while to actually get to sleep and somewhere around 9:15 AM, maybe a few minutes later, I was woken up by the sound of mowing that once again seemed to come from behind the building, and after taking a few more pictures of how things looked at that point I got back on the computer. But the sound soon stopped and at 9:40 AM I was back in bed, and nothing seemed to have actually happened behind the building, so the sound must have actually been from farther away. On the other hand, that evening I found that I had been wrong and the weevils were actually coming from the popcorn this time around as well, even if it was a different brand. But they hadn’t completely destroyed it yet, unlike the first time, so I tried to rescue as much of it as I could, probably inhaling some of that dust when I initially tried to blow it off, before giving in and washing the popcorn, discarding what clearly looked bad, trying to dry the rest to some extent before using it, and ending up with some mostly burned popcorn.

In the early hours of September 10, I meant to just make the salad with the beets which I had already baked and a regular onion, since I had no green onions, but then I realized that it’d have been too small and decided to peel and boil a few carrots as well, which made it quite clear that I won’t be able to start eating before 3 AM… And when I did get to my room, I definitely smelled smoke. I had thought that I had smelled it before going to the kitchen as well, but after checking the computer’s temperatures and seeing that everything was fine and not noticing the smell in the rest of the apartment, I had dismissed it, yet at that point it was so strong in my room that my eyes were starting to sting, and when I approached the window it was clear that it was coming from outside, so I closed all the windows, though it was obviously rather late by then. And this led to starting to eat dinner at 3:10 AM, but I still finished at 3:40 AM, one problem being that I ended up using the best remaining piece of bread, which I had been meaning to eat before the marathon before thinking that the bread which I had purchased from Auchan after the previous run was the same, so I meant to use this piece first because it was far older, having been in the freezer for close to a year… Only to realize while slicing it that it was different and clearly better, but by then it had defrosted and putting it back in the freezer wouldn’t have been the best idea, especially since it had been there for so long already. And then dad got back very early again and I exchanged a few words with him and also looked something up, ending up getting in bed at 5:45 AM.
The alarm was set to ring at 3 PM, but just before 11:20 AM I was woken up by the UPS beeping because of a blackout, and after just over ten minutes I turned off the computer, after calling and not getting a recorded answer with an estimate, which may mean that things have changed for the worse since the power company was purchased by another. Either way, since the blackout ended some five more minutes later, I could have kept the computer on if I’d have plugged the old UPS into the new one while it was still running, but I was wary of doing that, especially since I wanted to switch the data cables as well, so I only did that before turning the computer back on, after peeing. And the new UPS reported 93W used, while it was reporting 83W when I plugged the computer directly into it, which would mean that the old UPS uses 10W while charging. Either way, right at noon I got back in bed… Only to remember to check the LAN chipset’s LED a few minutes later and see that it was blinking, even though the chipset was shown as disabled. But that tends to happen when I turn the computer back on after turning it off while the chipset’s disabled, so I briefly connected and then disconnected again. And the UPS was still sending data at 12:10 PM, when I got back in bed… But I slept very little and badly, just getting brief and agitated naps, and when I was starting to feel the need to pee again I checked the time and saw that it was just after 2 PM, so I decided to get up and check the computer again, seeing that at some point the UPS had stopped sending data, though the software only actually reported that the connection was lost when I unplugged the USB cable. And I just did that in order to plug the one from the old UPS back in, which immediately sent data, though the listed estimated time on battery, 40 minutes, was completely wrong.
But I did have to run, so I eventually walked out of my room at 2:30 PM, replaced the apple with a banana but otherwise had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing consisting of two more of those nicer but expired biscuits, with added honey, and left at 5:20 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 28-29°C, and just 1°C less when I finished, but it was cloudy, and I might have even felt a couple of drops on the way to the park and as I started running, though I didn’t notice any more after that.
The time was 1:19:11, with sector times of 4:29, 5:04, 6:06, 4:35, 5:15, 6:01, 4:41, 5:22, 6:09, 4:43, 5:21, 6:03, 4:31, 5:05 and 5:46, making for lap times of 15:39, 15:51, 16:12, 16:07 and 15:22. So, after going over 1:20 the previous three times, at least I was closer to 1:19 this time around, but anything over 1:18 is clearly a poor time, and if I look before June, when I covered this distance one more time and just managed to stay under 1:20, I have to go back to last August to find a worse time.
Then again, I expected even worse, already wondering after the first sector whether I’ll manage to stay under 1:20, while after the first lap I was thinking that I’ll have to push to even stay under 1:21, especially considering that poor sector three. So, after being exactly on target for a 16-minute lap after the first two sectors of lap two, I pushed harder on sector three, managing to cover that lap in less than 16 minutes but knowing that I was going to lose time from then on, which proved to be the case on lap three, so I was thinking that sector three of lap three was going to be the last sector that won’t go over the target for a 16-minute lap. However, I was wondering whether I could somehow manage to only get a few seconds slower on lap four, to still be able to squeeze under 1:20 if I’ll somehow manage to cover lap five in 16 minutes, so I once again pushed a little more, and when I found myself being a single second slower over the first two sectors compared to the previous lap despite briefly stopping on sector one, I pushed even more on sector three, trying, and managing, to be a little less slow on lap four compared to lap three. That left me needing 16:10 on lap five in order to squeeze under 1:20 and I really pushed from the start of the lap, the first sector’s time getting my hopes up, to the point that I gave a passing thought to getting under 1:19:30… Which passing thought became a clear target after sector two, especially since I had another runner as my target at that point, which definitely helped, leading to by far the best sector three and lap of the day. Of course, that also meant that I still had the energy for it, so I had probably been too conservative earlier, but if I’d have pushed that hard even sooner I’d have probably been completely crushed well before the end.
That runner that I mentioned above caught up to me on sector two of lap five and I might have slowed just a little at first, since he was only very slightly faster and it felt strange to stay pretty much alongside him, so I let him get ahead, but then I wanted to stay right behind him and know that I gave absolutely everything, since I wanted to catch him again by the end but he nevertheless stayed a couple of meters ahead. And other runners might have helped, albeit just a little, on sector two of lap one, since I caught one just as she was catching another and yet another one overtook all of us, so all four of us ended up pretty much alongside each other for a moment despite otherwise running separately, and I had some targets to chase for a little while, though that last runner pulled ahead rather quickly.
In terms of problems, on the other hand, I had to briefly stop on sector one of lap four, in that blind turn that’s before the long straight, when three cyclists, who were wearing helmets but who might have been the same three kids whom I’ve seen going around the lake at high speed a number of times, appeared in front of me, the first one going wide when he saw me, the second staying on the lane and the third, who was obviously the last to see me appear and probably initially reacted to what the other two had done, switching to the inside, where I was, and it was quite fortunate that we managed to avoid each other. But that was pretty much the only notable problem caused by people, so while I obviously still had to weave or go the long way around quite a number of times, it’s possible that the damaged or wet parts of the lane caused that more than the people, and on sector two of either lap two or, perhaps more probably, lap three I stepped in a hole that was under the lane and it’s a good thing that my left ankle held. And on sector two of the other lap, so lap two if the hole was on lap three or lap three if the hole was on lap two, my right knee started giving some warnings, but they didn’t get noticeably worse after that. And that was pretty much the only specific physical issue, though from the start of lap five I was also noticing a sound that led me to think of fluid in my abdomen. As for the conditions, there were some gusts and windy areas, including a few spots where I did have to push against the wind, but at least it didn’t seem hot while I ran… Which was somewhat surprising, because on the way to the park it felt hotter than I expected it to feel, especially considering the clouds.

On the way back, I saw that the bottle which I had given up on after the previous run was still next to that tree, which seemed weird despite the fact that it was in a relatively hard to reach spot, since I’d have thought that somebody would have at least looked to see whether it had the deposit symbol. And that branch was still there as well, but I just moved on, though I then had a quick look in the nearby Mega Image and after walking out I picked up two recyclables with the deposit symbol from the trash cans that are outside. But I didn’t go out again that evening.
On the other hand, when I took the watermelon out of the fridge I realized that I really shouldn’t have moved it to the back the previous night, because a part of it had frozen, so it was going to go soft, and eating some of that part while it was still frozen made my throat a little sore as well. But then I also had lunch, did the day’s squats, started the washing machine before going to the toilet and to wash, eventually also ate a croissant, hung the clothes to dry before going back to the kitchen at night, and once again started to eat dinner at 3:10 AM but still finished at 3:40 AM. I got in bed at 5:20 AM, however. And after getting up I plugged the old UPS in directly again, though I first unplugged the new one, which made the old one keep switching modes pretty much every second until I unplugged it from it, so that was definitely a bad idea, not that it was a surprise.

I should also mention that on September 14 I started taking all of the other supplements as well, since I’ll be taking those for 30 days, and then move on to the early hours of September 17, when dad went to bed a little before 1 AM and I checked a few things on-line right away, so I went to the kitchen when it was past 1:10 AM, and I didn’t recover that time. And I still didn’t have green onions, so I used what little was still usable from a small regular onion that dad had for some reason brought from mother at one point, which was sprouting a little and otherwise spoiling badly. And then, when I was taking a couple of cloves, as I do before dinner, one somehow fell from my hand, and it seemed to have landed on the backpack, and I even had the light on, which hardly ever happens, but I shook both backpacks, took the bags out and shook those as well, also moved everything that was around that area and shook all of those things too, and looked all around, but it seemed to have just vanished. Not that a clove, and a small one at that, is easy to find, but it really bothered me. And then I also noticed corn puff dust in the cabinet where I have some things to munch on, so one of those flimsy bags must have gotten damaged, which is bad news when ants seemed to have appeared again, albeit mainly on the balcony. But I left dealing with that for another time and finally started eating dinner at 3:25 AM, finishing at 3:55 AM.
I had set the alarm to ring at 3 PM, just to be safe, but it might have been around 9:30 AM, possibly a little later, I’m not quite certain, when the dermatitis acted up again and I woke up scratching my balls, then went to pee and clean that spot a little, and after that I couldn’t get right back to sleep, ending up hearing dad’s alarm, and after he got up it was even harder to fall asleep, so I drifted in and out until after he left. I eventually did fall asleep more properly once again, and when I woke up one more time I was thinking that if it was past 1 PM I’ll just get up, but I found that it was still well before noon, so I peed one more time and then got back to sleep, eventually getting up and turning off the alarm the next time I woke up, at 2:25 PM. Then I had the usual stuff, the yogurt being an expired “creamy” one with 4.5% fat and 5.5% protein, also took the supplements, with the obvious exception of the second pill for the one for joints and the iron, and the sweet thing once again consisted of two of those nicer but expired biscuits, with added honey. I left at 5:10 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 24°C, holding pretty steady, maybe dropping just marginally by the time I finished.
The time was 47:11.98, with sector times of 4:05.86, 5:03 (5:02.43), 5:49.41, 4:25.25, 4:59 (4:58.31), 5:47 (5:46.75), 4:26.25, 5:01 (5:00.97), 5:48.31 and 1:48.44, making for lap times of 14:57.70, 15:11 (15:10.31) and 15:15.53. I wanted to see what effect the supplements had, even if I had only recently started taking them again, so I pushed from the start, being pleased with that first sector, but then I took it a little easier on sector two before setting my mind on completing the first lap in less than 15 minutes and pushing enough on sector three to manage that. However, I did wonder whether pushing that hard at the beginning was going to cost me, and sector one of lap two didn’t really provide any answer, but sector two of lap two was promising and I knew that I could keep pushing, so I just kept doing that, hoping that I won’t exhaust myself before the end and aiming to stay under 47:30, which I was relatively certain was going to happen after sector two of lap two. And after the end of the lap I changed the target to staying under 47:15, which I also managed. So it’s a good time, but I’d have been much more satisfied if I’d have gotten under 47 minutes, seeing as I’m taking all of the supplements. But maybe they’ll have more of an effect later.
What’s clear is that there were hardly any problems to speak of this time around. I mean, the lane was still damaged in a lot of places, including some that created a risk of tripping, and definitely to be avoided on the long straight of sector two in particular, so I once again most likely had to weave or go the long way around more because of that than because of other people, but there was nothing notable until sector two of lap three, when I felt that I had a lot of gas, though the problem didn’t get worse after that. And that leaves just sector three of lap three, when the right knee started bothering me and I hesitated and might have stopped for just an instant when a girl on a bicycle started weaving hard just as I was catching her. And I couldn’t get the steps right at the end, but it probably didn’t cost me a whole second, so it didn’t matter. On the other hand, my nose did feel rather irritated after the run, but it recovered soon enough.

After eating watermelon and lunch, I changed, though I left the running t-shirt on, and left again a little before 8:30 PM, with some recyclables with the deposit symbol, including two old ones which hadn’t been accepted before, since I meant to go to a Profi first and I had never tried a recycling machine from there. And I picked up one more recyclable with the deposit symbol on the way, but when I reached that Profi I didn’t see the recycling machine and didn’t bother to ask, just entering with the recyclables… And then walking back out, since they were unsurprisingly out of the canned mushrooms that were in their TV ad as being on sale at a great price. I might have noticed where the recycling machine was on my way out, but I didn’t bother to actually go there and check, just continuing to Kaufland and using the one from there, which still didn’t accept those two. And I apparently took too long to put in the last recyclable that was accepted, so the machine printed one voucher for the rest and I ended up with a second one just for that one. But I also picked up some more recyclables with the deposit symbol which had been discarded there and most of them were accepted, even if a few required quite a number of tries, so I actually ended up with three vouchers. And I also initially kept two more recyclables that I thought should have been accepted but weren’t, though I left some others that also had the symbol, since the bar code was damaged.
After putting those recyclables in a cabinet that didn’t lock and washing my hands thoroughly, I entered the store a couple of minutes before 9:30 PM, and the listed closing time had returned to 10 PM. And the price labels listing the bakery discounts of 75% had been left on the sheets of paper, without being placed in front of the respective products, so it was rather tedious to check what was actually discounted by 75%, and after taking some buns that did have that discount, including some that I was going to use instead of bread, I scanned a few other labels and found that other products were only discounted by 50% and some weren’t discounted at all. And one last piece of a sweet pastry that I might have been interested in was left, but I wasn’t quite sure that it was what I thought it was and didn’t ask, eventually just giving up on it… But then I noticed that one of those breads with sunflower seeds was left as well, and after scanning the label and seeing that it was discounted by 50% I decided that it was good enough and took it. On the other hand, there were no evening discounts for fruits and vegetables, so the only other thing I got was a small yogurt.
When I got to the self-checkouts, an employee was cleaning one of the machines that accepted cash and told me to go to the next one, saying that it was about to be freed, but the people who were using it stayed there while they carefully arranged their purchases in their bags, so I waited there for a little while, until another employee told me to come to another machine, asked what I had in the bakery bag and I told her… But that machine wasn’t freed quickly either, the people who were using it taking a long time to pay, so the first one which I had been sent to was freed first… Only for the employee who had initially sent me to it to immediately start cleaning it, before I could take those few steps, so I went back to that other one and waited, and at least I found some coins left in the tray after those people finally walked away. Then I got two labels from the scales that are next to the recycling bins and used them to hold the bag with the bakery products closed before retrieving what I had in the cabinet and putting the purchases in the backpack, walking out a little after 10:05 PM, without hearing any closing announcement, though some employees had gathered at the cabinets and others seemed to be locking one door. Either way, I then made another attempt to put those two recyclables which I had picked up from there into the recycling machine, but when it still didn’t work I had a better look at one and realized that the bottom was misshapen and I won’t be able to fix it, while the problem with the other one was obvious, the part with the bar code being torn away and left stuck a small distance from the rest of the label, so while all the pieces were still there, it probably wouldn’t be accepted anywhere, so I discarded both of them. And the can with the deposit symbol that I picked up on the way back was crushed, but I meant to straighten it.
I got back just after 10:35 PM and straightened that can, then I just put the yogurt in the fridge and went to use the toilet and wash, only eating some of those corn puffs with powdered milk when I went to the kitchen again. That was earlier than usual, and there weren’t many things to wash either, but I then dealt with the remaining bread which I had bought two days earlier and the buns that I was going to also use instead of bread, though I then left all of them in the drawer, along with that bread with sunflower seeds. And I also moved what was left of something into a single jar, and the salad was mostly made of carrots, so I had to peel and then boil them, and when I saw that I wasn’t going to start eating dinner before 3 AM I took it easy, eventually eating dinner between 3:15 AM and 3:50 AM.

Some might have expected things to be different today, when Cristina Neagu played the first match after announcing her retirement at the end of the season, especially since she’s still chasing Jovanka Radicevic, who also announced her retirement at the end of the season, when it comes to the most goals scored in the Champions’ League, but they definitely weren’t, and she keeps proving that she’s playing for the team and not chasing records or personal titles. I mean, she didn’t even take any of the penalty shots… But that doesn’t stop the rest of us from noticing that, despite only scoring three goals today, she still reduced the difference, Jovanka scoring just one in Krim’s match.
Of course, a proper way to end her career would be for CSM Bucuresti to obtain a good result in this year’s Champions’ League. Not that it’d make up for the fact that she couldn’t play at the Olympics, Romania having failed to qualify, plus that, at this early stage of the competition, a good result seems even less likely than it was last year, when I was saying that they should have pushed for a good result but didn’t seem capable of it, and indeed stopped in the quarter-finals, losing both matches against Metz. But maybe they’ll somehow produce a pleasant surprise and at least get past that stage, which I’d say would be an achievement to be proud of at the present time.

Since I’m going to mention the new UPS in the post that will include this week’s run, I guess I should write one about buying it and the problems that make me still use the old one first, including everything else from those days as well, as usual. However, seeing as I didn’t even mention getting what should be the next computer’s PSU, I’ll include that in this post as well, and in fact start with it, or more exactly with the early hours of April 19, when I finished cooking around 1:15 AM, then moved what I had made into another pot and scraped what was left on the bottom of the one that I had cooked in, then ate lunch while working on the salad, and then ate dinner between 3:30 AM and 3:50 AM, getting in bed at 5:20 AM. Then, after eating lunch and doing the day’s squats, I left at 4:20 PM, with some recyclables with the deposit symbol.
After quickly checking Carrefour, entering with those recyclables, I picked up one more on the way to Kaufland and put them in the recycling machine from there, and since I needed to pee I went to the toilet and then decided to have a very quick look in the store as well, using a self-checkout to cash in the voucher received for the recyclables before walking out. I was worried that even that took too long, since I was picking up that Seasonic Prime TX-650, which would be the first internal component for the future computer, albeit one that I could also use on this one until then. That’s very high-end, it’s true, and unnecessarily so, but good PSUs with a lower maximum power seem to have just vanished from the market and, after exchanging some messages with Seasonic support, I learned that even that was soon going to be retired. That actually seems to have been the case since then, but at that point I saw that the store that I actually got this computer from, almost nine and a half years ago, had one left in stock, with something of a discount, and while they add a small extra charge if you reserve products on-line, if you go there directly and ask for a product that is in their own stock, you can pick it up with no extra charge. Of course, there is a risk of someone else picking it up or reserving it first, but that didn’t seem particularly likely with this model, so the bigger problem was that they close at 6 PM. But I was there at 5:45 PM and could get the PSU, walking out ten minutes later, with it in the backpack.
After picking up two more recyclables with the deposit symbol, I went to Auchan, entering with everything and getting cat food and some expiring caramelized walnuts… And, after waiting in line for a while, I realized that I had forgotten about the water for dad, so I rushed back and grabbed that as well. Then, after I was done scanning and was trying to pick everything back up, a woman asked whether I needed help and picked up a water bottle, supposedly to hand it to me, but I couldn’t grab it while she held it the way she was, so I had to ask her to leave it. But I eventually managed to get everything, and then I arranged the purchases and walked out… And, after crossing the street, I ended up sort of walking back and forth for a little while, trying to decide what to do next.
I eventually decided to get back and drop everything off before continuing in the other direction, and I was back that first time a little after 7:50 PM, with about 14 kg, and it took me over ten minutes to leave again, after dropping off the purchases and peeing again. Then I went to this other Carrefour, putting the three recyclables with the deposit symbol which I had picked up on the way in a cabinet and finding an apple pastry and a bread among the discounted products, and if I’d have bought both I could have used the voucher received for previous purchases that I had to use by the end of the week. But at that point I hid them and walked out, retrieving those recyclables… But then deciding to get the pastry after all. That meant that I couldn’t use that voucher, but I could put four of the five recyclables in the recycling machine and use the one received for them, so I used the recycling machine, went back into the store with the last recyclable, took the pastry, put the bread back in its place… But the self-checkout didn’t recognize the voucher, and when I called over the employee and said that I had just gotten it two minutes earlier, she said that it takes a while for those vouchers to be added in the system, so after she tried to scan it as well she said that I could walk around the store a little and then return, but after I also tried one more time, I just paid with cash and left the voucher for another time.
After putting the pastry in a bag and in the backpack, I entered Kaufland with it, and with the remaining recyclable, and got some discounted bakery products, but when I scanned the label for the regular bread I saw that it had no evening discount, so I looked around and took a lettuce with root that was discounted… But then I went back and took one regular bread for dad anyway. And that was when big evening discounts for green onions and lettuce were announced, so I went there, but in the time it took me to walk that distance, others had already taken nearly all of the green onions, and I saw really good bundles in their carts, while just a few bad ones were left. But I still got two of those, and then also two lettuces, plus one with root of another kind, which also had a good evening discount, so I left the first one which I had picked up there, since it was more expensive, even if there actually were two of them put together. Either way, I also got some peppers for dad, then went to the self-checkout, which didn’t recognize the green onions as the correct product, so I had to call over an employee. But, even if it didn’t scan, I didn’t need to call him again in order to use the 10 RON voucher which I had just been given that day as an apology for the fact that the 10% discount hadn’t applied for some sardines which I had purchased five days earlier, since I could enter the code manually and it was accepted. And then I took my time to arrange the purchases, hearing the closing announcement while I did that.
I picked up one more recyclable with the deposit symbol on the way to that Mega Image, but the recycling machine didn’t work, so I just put the bag with the vegetables in a cabinet, entering with everything else… And seeing that the bakery products that had evening discounts weren’t bagged and labeled separately anymore, and while there was a sign stating that they were discounted by 50%, the discount didn’t seem to apply to all of them and people kept arguing about those that weren’t discounted, obviously. But I found some nice pasta that was discounted by 90% and took two, and I asked the cashier whether I could use the recyclables instead of 1 RON, but she told me to use the recycling machine, and when I pointed out that it didn’t work she told me to come another day, even if the sign on the machine asked people to hand the recyclables to the employees if it didn’t work. But I didn’t press, just paying in full, then putting the pasta in the backpack and retrieving what I had in the cabinet.
I got back a couple of minutes after 11 PM, put that pasta in the fridge, ate an apple, and went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and shower, just after 11:30 PM. I was done just before 12:15 AM, then talked to dad… And he annoyed me by throwing away a little of what he was eating, including most of the hot sauce from his sister, after supposedly forgetting how spicy it is and just pouring straight from the bottle, so instead of that sauce lasting for who knows how long, he used most of it and then threw it away, along with some of the food, because he couldn’t eat it anymore. Either way, I then ate the apple pastry and a bag of snacks, had greasy things that dad had used to wash, sliced his bread and dealt with mine, and used the worse lettuce leaves and onion tops for the salad… And I cut myself while slicing my bread, right before finishing. So I ended up eating dinner between 4:40 AM and 5:30 AM. But I was staying up anyway, to watch the sprint race, so I got in bed at 7 AM…

I ended up waking up while the qualifying was red flagged, so I stayed to watch until the end, and then I couldn’t quite get back to sleep, so I drifted in and out for a couple of hours, getting some brief naps, before getting up. And I still had that Carrefour voucher that I needed to use, and the 30% discount on all canned products from Kaufland that I also wanted to make some use of for myself, so I was going out again, but when I went out of my room I found dad awake, and with the computer on and connected, and when I asked when had he turned it on he said just moments before, but I checked the logs and it had been over half an hour! And of course it was my fault for not going there and unplugging his network cable when I got on, he even literally said that he was “blameless”, and when I told him that he could have unplugged my cable from the router if he supposedly couldn’t know whether I was awake, even though I had made my tea and left it and the window open in the kitchen, he said that each should care for himself, because that’s “fair”, supposedly! So I pretty much flew in a rage before going out, a little after 3:30 PM, and even forgot to take those two recyclables with the deposit symbol which I hadn’t been able to put in a machine the previous evening. I realized it after walking out of the building, but I didn’t return.
Either way, I had dad’s metro card, but I first went to Carrefour Mega Mall once again, picking up a can with the deposit symbol on the way and putting it in the recycling machine, then using that voucher and the one received the previous day, both of which worked that time, for two discounted sweet pastries. The woman who was ahead of me at the self-checkout couldn’t get a product to scan, so I pointed out that the bar code wasn’t straight but she could enter the code manually and, after saying that it was the first time she used a machine, she tried that, but then the message than an operator will soon come appeared and she said that she was going to give up and go to a manned checkout, which she did, but the employee obviously still had to clear the transaction before I could use the machine. Either way, I could have found something else to add and use that voucher received for previous purchases instead of those received for the recyclables, but I chose to continue to Obor and see whether I’ll find something better there, so I put the pastries in the backpack and walked there.
I found three more recyclables with the deposit symbol on the way and put them in a cabinet, but I entered with the backpack. And I did find expiring products to get, so I could also use that voucher, and then I retrieved the recyclables and, after having a quick look in another store, I put them in the recycling machine at Kaufland before entering the store with everything, getting a few things, and taking pictures of some prices, in case dad would be interested. And I also used that voucher received for the recyclables, and as I was arranging the purchases a man asked me how to use those scales that are there, since he apparently hadn’t weighed his potatoes.
After taking my time to get everything in the backpack, I put it in a cabinet when I had a quick look in Penny, though I then just retrieved it and continued to Auchan, grabbing two more recyclables with the deposit symbol and then entering with everything, using the recycling machine, and getting more cat food and water for dad, beeping him at one point to ask about another thing, but he didn’t want it. And at the self-checkout, after using the small amount that was on the store card, a warning with no message appeared when I tried to also use the voucher received for the recyclables, so I had to call an employee and she sorted it out. Then I also arranged the new purchases and took the metro back, picking up three more recyclables with the deposit symbol as I was getting close to the building.
I got here a couple of minutes after 8 PM, ate an orange and a sweet pastry, took a pill, just in case, put most of the purchases in their place, took a relatively quick shower, then also ate a small bag of bagels, wrote the week’s first post, and at night I fixed something to count as a combined lunch and dinner, in three parts, eating one part and a couple of bites of the second, along with a little lettuce and a clove of garlic, so let’s call that lunch, while working on the rest, then finally eating the rest, so let’s call that dinner, in my room, between 4:15 AM and 5:15 AM. It was past 5:50 AM when I got in bed, after dad got back… And after waking up at 9:55 AM, to watch the race, I tested the new PSU, on the old computer, then managed to take just a brief nap before being woken up by noise, though I’m not sure if that was Liza going to the litter box or dad getting ready to leave… And that’s it as far as the new PSU goes, since I didn’t dare to put it in this computer, so it’s been sitting on the floor ever since. But at least I managed to buy it before it vanished from the market, and the 12-year warranty means that getting it too early doesn’t matter that much.

To move on to the new UPS, I need to skip to the early hours of June 18, when I ate dinner between 3:10 AM and 3:50 AM, though the last several minutes were spent just getting the seeds which were stuck on the plate, and saw that the APC Back-UPS 850, which is what’s listed as the current option for those who have the UPS that I currently have, was discounted at that same store. So I went out a little after 5 PM, getting there 35 minutes later, getting the UPS, then opening the box and having a quick look, without actually taking the UPS out of the box. I then tried to put the box in the backpack, but it was far too large, so I put it in a bag and walked out. However, it was rather hard to carry like that, and when I spotted a bottle with the deposit symbol I stopped and put the box in the backpack anyway… Which meant that I couldn’t zip the backpack, and after placing it on that trash can in order to try to put it on, I only managed to get one strap on and then tried to walk away and deal with the other strap while walking… Which led to the UPS falling out, though I realized that it was going to fall and bent down before it actually happened, so it just fell from a small height and it was in the box. But I still put it back in the backpack after that, though I carried the backpack in my hands for a little while, until I found something better to set it on and finally managed to put it on. But the box was just going to fall out again if I didn’t hold on to it, so for a little while I walked while holding the backpack with one hand, and in the other hand I had that bottle. And that was obviously not a solution, so I eventually set the backpack back down and returned to carrying the bag with the UPS in one hand.
After picking up another bottle with the deposit symbol, I put both in the recycling machine from Kaufland, then I entered with the UPS, had a quick look at the spoiling products, found just one box of the kind of mushrooms that I wanted and took it. And I also saw one little bag of garlic, but when I peeled off the discount sticker in order to try to find the country of origin, I saw that the real label was completely blank, and when I found where those little bags of garlic where otherwise placed I saw that many were like that, making me wonder how were people supposed to buy them. However, some did have proper labels and the country of origin was listed as Romania, so I took that discounted one, also using that voucher received for the recyclables at the self-checkout and then cashing in the one left from three days earlier. And then I put the purchases in the backpack and made my way back.
It was almost 7:10 PM when I got back. Then I put those few purchases in their place, quickly tested that the new UPS provided power, plugging a hand mixer into it, ate another apple and something sweet from my mother, and left again just before 9 PM, taking the recyclables, which I dropped off in a recycling bin on the way, and those with the deposit symbol. And I picked up a few more of those on the way to Carrefour, and then some more that were around the recycling machine. But I used a machine that apparently only accepted plastic bottles, and others were aware of that and queuing at the other one that also accepted cans, neither accepting glass bottles. But that other one was used by a guy who had a whole lot of recyclables, so I just used that one for most of the plastic bottles, even a couple of those not being accepted, splitting on two vouchers, and then I moved aside, grabbed some more recyclables that were in that area and went up, washing my hands, putting the bag with the remaining recyclables in a cabinet, and getting some ends of bread and a carton of bio (organic) eggs that were among the expiring products and some cucumbers. However, when I tried to scan the bread at the self-checkout, a message that an operator will come appeared, and while one was next to me, waiting to turn off that machine since closing time was approaching, and she logged on, she couldn’t sort it out, the product code apparently being invalid, so I just left the bread even if it’d have been nice to get it. And then I put the purchases in a bag, retrieved the recyclables from the cabinet, and walked away just as they were announcing that the store had closed.
That meant that the Portugal – Czechia match had started, so in order to lose less of it I decided to go to the place where people could watch the matches in the park, and from the top of the first trash can from there I gathered several more recyclables with the deposit symbol, adding another can in the bag as I tried to find a spot to stand in, and as half time approached I went back to that trash can and gathered some more recyclables with the deposit symbol from it. And, after leaving at half time, I grabbed a couple more on the way back.
I managed to get back here before the second half started, though I then went to drop a little bag of trash down the chute. Then I cleaned a little after dad in the kitchen, put the eggs in their place, ate a can of sardines with an entire large bag of corn puffs, to count as lunch, went to wash a little before 12:30 AM, and was done at 1:10 AM. However, I then cut all of my nails, then washed and cleaned some more in the kitchen, also put the cucumbers in their place, and finally ate dinner between 3:30 AM and 4:10 AM. I got in bed at 5:25 AM.

And, since I didn’t want to turn off the computer if I didn’t have to and therefore left the new UPS unused until then, I’ll now skip to July 17, though I’ll start with the day’s early hours, when I went to the kitchen somewhat late, after shaving, and then had plenty to wash, also dealt with the two breads which I had bought for myself and was yet to deal with, used some more lettuce in the salad, and made the tea as well, so I won’t have to wait for it to cool after getting up, ending up eating dinner between 3:30 AM and 4 AM. And minutes after I got up and did the day’s squats, there was a power failure, and the plan had been to replace both the UPS and the PSU and clean some of the dust from the computer at such a time, and possibly even install Linux again, though I didn’t mean to actually make another attempt to use it just yet, but that day I couldn’t do any of that, needing to return The Bone Season, which I hadn’t even finished yet, and I’d have also preferred to write the quick review before leaving. So it was fortunate that the blackout only lasted for eight minutes and I could just keep the computer on. But I was making a note of the fact that during those particularly hot days I was having the impression that even the new mouse had started double clicking, though it never happened when I tried to test it. Either way, after finishing the book and having breakfast, I did write the quick review, then also had lunch, and left at 5:35 PM, with that book and the other one that I also had to return, two cans that I dropped off when I eventually passed by a recycling bin, and also a reusable bottle full of tea, since it was still close to 40°C, the day’s reported high having been 42°C.
I reached the Library after just over one hour, picking up a bottle with the deposit symbol on the way, then I used the machine to return the books and walked out right away, drinking a part of the tea right in front of the Library, before walking out the gate. Then I went to Obor, grabbing another bottle with the deposit symbol on the way and eventually wanting to wipe my hands on some leaves only to pick a plant that I guess was quite prickly, since it pricked one of my fingers. I was rather worried at first, wondering whether that had really been the plant or something else which had been among its leaves, and I briefly considered going back to look, but I eventually just kept going.
I first went to Auchan, deciding against using the recycling machine when I saw the line but finding many bio (organic) eggs that weren’t even expiring soon among those sold by piece, so I got plenty of those along with the liquid soap that I had gone there for, but when I wanted to enter the eggs at the self-checkout machine I guess that I got a little confused between the two options to select the number and an employee was hovering around and she corrected me, then asked how I wanted to pay and her presence and that interaction was messing me up and I said cash before remembering that I still had an older voucher received for recyclables and telling her that, and a blank warning popped up after she changed the payment method and I tried to scan that voucher, which was actually the same thing that happened on April 20, so she came over and used the hand scanner, telling me that I should have done that when I asked what had happened. Either way, I then paid what was left with cash, just wanting to get out of there and forgetting that I had a small amount on the store card as well.
After taking my time to arrange everything and make sure that I wasn’t leaving anything behind, I continued to Carrefour, washing my hands in that mall, then putting everything in a cabinet, buying some things, including a bag of corn puffs that I meant to eat on the way back, then retrieving what I had in the cabinet, adding the new purchases, grabbing two more recyclables with the deposit symbol before leaving that mall, and then two more from outside. I actually found three outside, but the second was just crawling with ants and I dropped it when I noticed.
After using the recycling machine from Kaufland, I put everything in a cabinet, washed my hands again, entered the store a few minutes after 9 PM, saw that the bakery discounts were still limited to 30% in that location… And moments later the power failed, and the fact that everything turned back on after a few seconds probably meant that their generators had kicked in. That worried me, and for good reason, as it turned out, but I couldn’t do anything about it at the time, so I got a watermelon and a few other things, let an employee know that someone had left two buckets of yogurt among the non-refrigerated expiring products, then wandered around and waited for 9:45 PM, surprised by the lack of any evening discounts for fruits and vegetables. And the power seemed to go off again, very briefly, just as I was getting to the self-checkouts, though that was probably when it was actually restored and the system switched back to the grid. Either way, I was waiting to use one self-checkout and the customer who was before me seemed to be leaving coins in the tray, but the employee who had gone to do something at the next machine after the previous customer was done apparently finished and told me that it was free to use just before that guy finished grabbing all of his things, so I felt pressured to use that one instead… And then I ended up thinking that my receipt had fallen behind the machine when it actually hadn’t been printed because I had forgotten to also take the bill received as change, the employee pointing that out when I raised my hand.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet, drinking the remaining tea and arranging everything, I was surprised that there had been no closing announcement, even though that location was still listed as closing at 10 PM on the site and that hour had passed. However, when I walked out, after washing my hands one more time, I saw that the closing time was listed as 11 PM. That might have explained the missing evening discounts for fruits and vegetables, and the situation might have changed after 10 PM, but I didn’t go back in to check, just getting back here, eating those corn puffs on the way.
I got back a couple of minutes before 11 PM, with 15 kg, checked the computer right away and found that it was off, so I just put some of the purchases in the fridge, set the water for another tea to boil, and decided to finally switch to the new UPS, thinking that it shouldn’t take that long. So I did that, everything seemed fine at first, and I definitely liked being able to see the actual power used, which was 78W at first but then increased to 83W and stayed there while I could still see the data, that value being much lower than I thought it’d be. And I confirmed that the power failure which had affected this area had apparently been the same one which I had noticed at Obor, so it must have covered a large part of the city. I didn’t see anything about it in the news, and dad, who worked that night, said that he hadn’t either, but the logs stated that the power had failed at 9:08 PM, the computer turned off without problems at 9:29 PM, and the router had connected again at 9:48 PM, and as far as I know it needs three or four minutes to do that after turning on again, so the times match pretty much perfectly.
Well, things only seemed fine for a few minutes, after which the data connection with the UPS was lost. I also noticed that the low voltage setting was as loose as possible instead of as tight as possible, but I’m not sure whether I saw that before the connection was lost or after, what I know being that when I tried to change it back the software became barely responsive. So I turned off the computer and the UPS, and after turning them back on I could once again see the data, but both of the voltage settings were at the defaults, and then the data connection was lost again, before I tried changing anything else, and just unplugging the cable and plugging it back in didn’t change anything, a message appearing that the USB device had malfunctioned.
Even though, as far as I know, the latest version of the software just uses another version of .NET, otherwise being identical to the previous version, which I had at the time, I then downloaded that new version, also noticing at that point that the software itself is being discontinued, but the new software requires at least 64-bit Windows 10, so I won’t be able to use it at all. Not that it should matter, since this model of UPS has been around for quite some time and shouldn’t require some new software, and in the manual it’s the old software that’s listed, the new one not being mentioned at all, but it was something that I could try… But when I wanted to scan the installer, EAM just got stuck, fully using one CPU core without actually doing anything, and I couldn’t even stop the scan. Maybe it was because I closed the browser the moment the download completed and then tried to scan right away, so the file might have still been locked in some way, but the result was that I had to reboot, and then I restarted in safe mode, thinking that it might be needed in order to remove the old software, but the installer service isn’t available in safe mode, so I booted normally again, Comodo Firewall forgetting its HIPS settings again at that point, and then I uninstalled the old version and installed the new one… Which, as expected, didn’t change anything, as it still reported that it wasn’t receiving anything from the new UPS.
I left things like that as I went to the toilet and to shower, I’d say a little before 1 AM, though I’m not sure exactly when, and I think that it was a couple of minutes after 1:30 AM when I came out of the bathroom. Then I switched back to the old UPS and everything was fine, except some gibberish showing up after some actual data in the firmware version field, but I have no idea whether that wasn’t the case before as well. Either way, I was obviously all messed up, whimpering and shaking, and sent dad a scared e-mail, not that he was going to help in any way, and of course he didn’t. But I then managed to put the purchases in their place, ate an apple and two candies, drank the tea… And cut myself while washing the reusable bottle, only noticing it after getting back to my room to check the computer again and being left wondering whether I had left blood on anything, since a fair bit of it was on two fingers, but I didn’t seem to find any. And I finally ate dinner between 4:25 AM and 5 AM, saw that there were no visits that day, and got in bed at 6:20 AM, though sleeping was obviously a problem.

Well, on July 23 I plugged the new UPS into the old computer, which still has Linux Mint 18.0, then turned off the power strip and let it run on battery for quite a while, then turned the power strip back on and left it like that until the battery was fully recharged, a few hours later, and it never lost the connection. Of course, that was without any additional software, it just displayed the battery charge and whether the computer was on battery or not, without any other information, and there was also an awfully long delay, I’d say around a minute or so, between the power being turned off or back on and the notification being displayed, but the fact that the battery level was displayed throughout that time meant that the UPS was sending that information, the connection wasn’t lost, so the problem is not the UPS. And it’s not the computer either, nor the software, since it doesn’t happen with the old UPS… Which I’m still using at this point, since I haven’t really done anything about the issue other than looking it up back then and seeing that others have been having it as well.