Cav's Place

It seems that, if environmentalists block roads with their own bodies, crash sport or business events, or throw food or paint on well-protected artworks, in order to demand changes that might just still offer a chance to have a livable future on this planet, they’re vandals and criminals that lose the support of the rest of the population and need to be sentenced even to prison terms. However, if farmers block roads with their machines, derail a crucial EU summit that should have been about Ukraine, or throw or dump manure or food or even set fires at national or even European institutions, in order to demand to be allowed to continue harmful practices and destroy the future for questionable immediate gains, they’re justified in their protests, gain the support of the general public as well as that of the decision makers, and obtain concessions with days… Which concessions are, of course, at the expense of the environment.
The hypocrisy is all too obvious… But not in the least surprising, of course. After all, humans are excellent at making others pay for their choices, and all, including those with little wealth, power or social standing, who otherwise pay for the choices of those who are in much better positions, tend to throw that burden on the environment the first chance they get, seeing as other species and the ecosystem can’t pay, vote, sue or even speak out, and if they happen to block, crash, throw or burn anything, it’s not on purpose or for a demand. What may seem absurd, but is mostly just ironic, is that the effects of climate change and even soil degradation are used to justify these concessions that weaken environmental regulations that may attempt to at least slow the progress of those very problems, and which are already unbearably inadequate anyway. That would be so funny if it wouldn’t be so sad… But, again, it’s hardly unexpected, humans as a whole being far from the intelligent, rational creatures that most like to think they are.
So, with things as they are, the question is what should environmentalists block, crash, throw or burn in order to be heard? Or, better yet, how should they speak out in order to give the other species and the ecosystem a voice that these irrational, irresponsible, greedy, shortsighted, shallow creatures that make up the overwhelming majority of humanity will listen to? Is this just another straw added to the humongous pile of evidence that shows how completely hopeless the situation is or may there be some lessons to be learned, hidden somewhere behind the hypocrisy, irony and utter stupidity?

In the early hours of January 15, after only starting to shave at 1:15 AM and then still having things to wash and clean in the kitchen, and also one of my breads to deal with, I ate dinner between 3:30 AM and 4:05 AM, and then I got in bed at 5:25 AM. I got up after the alarm rang, at 1:30 PM, but there was noise from that neighbor after 10:25 AM, though I did manage to get some more sleep, in fact getting back to sleep even after the drilling began and woke me again, at 11:30 AM. Either way, with state bonds continuing to offer interest rates that are below the expected inflation rate and investment funds having had an outstanding year in 2023, I had decided to take a chance and place something in one, even if 2024 is certain to be nowhere near the level of 2023 and may even bring losses, the idea being to see how it’ll do in the long term. So I left at 4:05 PM, with the recyclables, which I dropped off in a bin on the way to a branch of my bank that closes at 5 PM, so I couldn’t take too long.
I first had to deposit the money, and the ATM was rejecting some of the bills, but that number was dropping with each attempt and it eventually accepted all of them. Then I got in and said why I was there when my turn came… Only to be told that it’s required to set it up so a certain amount will be withdrawn from the account and invested each month. But I had read the information and that’s not the case, so I said so, and the employee asked and eventually confirmed that I was right. However, she then printed the general form, not the one for the specific fund which I had selected, and that doesn’t have a field for an initial investment, but only for a monthly one. And it also still listed me as an employee of my dad’s firm, so I told her that it wasn’t the case anymore and she said that she had made the change, though she didn’t print a new form. And when I received the SMS with the code needed to confirm that contract, it specified that it was also for monthly direct debit, and I again said that there won’t be any direct debit, and I won’t have any other money in the account anyway, and while she once again confirmed it, I was still uncertain and asked her to uncheck that box, but she said that she couldn’t and told me to leave it like that for two or three months and see that it’ll be fine. I wasn’t at all convinced, but I was out of the bank a little before 4:50 PM, after which I had a quick look through that Mega Image and this nearby store.
After getting back, I ate a cake brought by dad and lunch, and left again at 7:55 PM. I hadn’t taken a mask that first time, thinking that it might be strange to enter a bank with it, so that made me feel even more awkward while I was there, but I wore one this second time, when I went to Mega Mall and to the branch of my bank from there, and the employee that I talked to said that he was just the one dealing with investment funds, and with the one that I had picked and the other similar one in particular, and after I explained what the problem seemed to be he tried to check but said that the system didn’t let him, it just kept loading, so he just checked who had made the contract and said that she was a smart girl, the smartest one from that branch, and that the document was the correct one and that if she told me that it was like that, with that initial investment and no monthly withdrawals, that’s how it’ll be, but to check after two days to be sure, since that’s how long it takes to process. And then he told me a few things about the fund and printed two reports, to show me a comparison between it and that other one, saying that they were mostly the same, in truth. And he had taken my ID card in order to get my information from the system and hadn’t handed it back, and I only realized it after walking away, turning back to ask whether I had taken it, and he gave it back then, saying jokingly that it’s how he works, taking them and not handing them back. And after walking away again, I turned back one more time and withdrew the additional amount I had deposited, over what was necessary and the amount listed in one document as a fee, in case it would be added, though I was assured that it won’t be.
After that, I checked Carrefour and took pictures of some products and prices for dad, then washed my hands and entered Kaufland a little before 9:20 PM, just getting a few small things but taking more pictures of those products there as well, so he could pick and compare. I was putting the few purchases in the backpack when the closing announcement came, then I just checked that Mega Image and the nearby one, entering with the backpack both times and not finding anything to get.
I got back a little after 10:45 PM, sent dad the pictures, ate some walnuts, and went to the toilet and to shower just before 12:20 AM. I was done just before 1:10 AM, then I washed what was in the kitchen and ate a large bag of corn puffs while working on the salad. I started to eat dinner at 3:15 AM, but I still finished at 3:40 AM. On the other hand, the scroll wheel of my mouse was causing more and more problems, and the situation continued to worsen since then, though at times it feels sticky and blowing hard in that area changes the feeling, and may also affect the problems with the left button, so it is possible that something ended up in there, but I don’t dare to open it in order to try to clean it. And it is six years old, so I can’t really complain about reliability anymore… I definitely can and do complain about the fact that it started double clicking long ago, but that problem came and went all these years, remaining manageable until now, with a few brief exceptions.

Since I went out again the following day, I checked whether the amount had been taken from my account and saw that it still hadn’t been, which should have made it clear that things were very wrong, but I didn’t know that at the time. And while I did receive some documents by e-mail exactly 48 hours after things were apparently done at the bank, the first time, the contents and what I saw when I checked a little more should have confirmed that something was really messed up. But I was going to run the following day, on January 18, so I decided to wait a little longer and ask again after that, if nothing will change.

I didn’t have green onions for the salad made in the early hours of January 18, but I had one long red onion left, so I used that. Then, after waking up to pee just after 9 AM, I couldn’t get back to sleep even though only some faint hammering was coming from that neighbor, so things obviously got even harder when some drilling also started after a while, even if it wasn’t that loud and there were pauses. Still, I eventually did manage to get back to sleep, most likely after 10 AM, but I never looked at the time after getting back in bed. And it seemed that I managed to sleep until the alarm rang, at 1 PM. Then I had the usual stuff, but the apple was another Red Delicious one that was mostly spoiled, so what I could use from it was only about the size of a very small one. And, after just wasting time on the toilet, I also had a slice of cozonac from my mother, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and left at 3:40 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was about 10°C, holding steady or maybe dropping by just 1°C by the time I finished, but it was cloudy and humid, after having rained earlier, and a woman who was handing out some fliers asked if I wasn’t cold as I tried to pointedly avoid her before waiting for the stoplight to turn green, but I told her that I was going to run.
The time was 47:41.61, with sector times of 4:22.85, 5:08.03, 5:55 (5:54.63), 4:29 (4:28.78), 5:01 (5:00.78), 5:50.59, 4:24.00, 5:01.32, 5:44 (5:43.78) and 1:47 (1:46.85), making for lap times of 15:25.51, 15:20.15 and 15:09.10. Since I wasn’t carrying additional clothing, I hoped to get back under 48 minutes, but the first sector was slightly slower than I thought it’d be, and that was also the case for the second, so it was clear that I won’t even stay on that pace over the course of the first lap, which was proven true at the end of it. And the physical problems I had over the course of lap two made me worry about even finishing the run, but all of the sector times were actually good, and the lap was just about on the pace that would normally be required in order to stay under 48 minutes, so I wondered whether I could do it after all and pushed hard from the start of lap three, and even more on sector three of lap three. I didn’t even think that I might be safe at the end of the lap, just wanting to give myself a chance, so it was surprising when I actually was safe at the end of the lap, managing a particularly good time on sector three, but I still pushed on the final sector and managed a good time on that one as well. It’s still not anything to brag about, but at least it was the first time that wasn’t poor since November.
It was quite wet, but the lane used to be soggier in the past, so maybe they did improve the drainage over time. And there were relatively few people and they didn’t cause notable problems, so there was just some weaving and going the long way around. There were a few moments when I might have slowed just a little when I was approaching a roadblock, but a way through always opened before I got there. On the other hand, lap two was unpleasant because of some physical issues, the first starting either right at the start of lap two or at the end of lap one, I couldn’t really remember even moments later, when I felt something around my left kidney, possibly even like something tearing, and a dull pain gradually appeared in that area and lasted for the first two sectors of lap two, while on sector three of lap two I had some rather serious abdominal cramps, likely the result of only wasting time on the toilet. But it all passed by the end of the lap and I could then push all the way to the end.

After getting back, I just changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, and went back to that branch of my bank from Mega Mall, again without a mask, hoping to find that same guy whom I had talked to three days earlier, since he seemed to know what he was doing when it came to investment funds. So, after checking one more time and seeing that the money were still in my account, I went in, but that guy wasn’t there, so I talked to someone else and she first told me that I should go to the same branch that I had gone to the first time, then asked for help and then talked on the phone, maybe with the person who had made that initial contract, and eventually told me that the payment order wasn’t made that day and that the money were going to be taken on February 15, supposedly because that’s how the fund works, which was definitely incorrect. And when I asked, both before and after, if I couldn’t just invest that amount then, leaving nothing else to be taken later, she said that it couldn’t be done, and at first that it’d supposedly freeze the system. So it was a complete waste of time and after I got back I sent an e-mail, describing the entire situation… Which I should have done from the beginning. Either way, I’ll also mention here that there were no visits recorded that day, nor on January 21… When I once again forgot to change the date of that scheduled post, so it showed up, albeit only for a couple of minutes.

The matter was finally solved on January 19, after being called by the bank and told that I could indeed go back to an agency and sort things out, and I had planned to go out anyway, to buy some things for dad, so I told them that I’ll get to their branch from Mega Mall again and was told to call them when I get there, and when I said that I couldn’t call, not having active credit, I was told to ask the employee to call them, and send an e-mail if they’ll refuse, though I don’t see how they thought that I could send an e-mail if I couldn’t even call. Either way, I did the day’s squats and left at 2:15 PM, taking a mask with me, but not wearing it when I went to the bank.
I ended up talking to yet another different employee, but that was a good thing, because she didn’t see why what I asked would be a problem and saw no reason to call, sorting everything out and also updating my information in the system, first because she said that my signature was different and then because I saw that my employment status hadn’t been changed either. She also had a look at what had been done that first time and at first muttered something about not even having been signed up, and when I said that I had been and received the e-mail she said that I had been entered somewhere, but not in the correct place, and then she confirmed my initial impression about the payments, saying that I had indeed been set up to have 5000 RON taken from my account on the 15th of each month. So I was there for a while, but at least everything was finally done correctly, and after taking a little time to look through the documents after walking out I also withdrew the little money left in my account.
After having a look in two other stores, I entered Carrefour and finally put on the mask, though I pulled it down while smelling some deodorants, since dad wanted one to give as a gift, and I also got the last three of the cheapest ones for him, finding them hidden behind others, those vouchers also being granted for deodorants those days. So I got what I meant to get, plus two expiring sweet pastries, and at the self-checkout I used one of the 5 RON gift cards received when I handed over coins. The system worked just like before, however, so when I tried to use the gift card first, there was a message stating that an assistant will come, and when one did she told me to pay the rest and leave the exact amount that was on the gift card, so it’s a good thing that I had expected that and calculated the total in order to be able to do so, considering the bills and coins I had on me.
Then I continued to Kaufland, putting the purchases in a cabinet and getting some things from there as well. When I saw that I had time and there were unannounced discounts for various products, I wandered around for a while, but I didn’t get any of those products. And the self-checkout accepted one of the packs of wet wipes which I had gotten for dad but not the other, so I had to call an employee to override the error, and after I was done I used the scales from that area to weigh the packs and saw a noticeable difference in weight, but neither seemed to have been opened and I don’t know whether the one that wasn’t accepted was the lighter or the heavier one. Either way, I then arranged the purchases in the two bags, since I hadn’t taken the backpack, and got back just before 6 PM.

I used the last of the Kapia peppers received from Carrefour’s campaign in the salad made in the early hours of January 26, and I put some more of the old peanut butter on all of the slices of bread. Then I got up when the alarm rang, at 1 PM, but I had been mostly awake for a while at that point, only very briefly drifting off a few times. Either way, I then had the usual stuff, and for the sweet thing I added honey on the last usable slice of my mother’s cozonac, since the thin slice from the end that’s otherwise left even now isn’t something that I’d eat before a run. And then I noticed that a sock was tearing, probably just because of the running shoes, damaged as they are… And it’s one of the new ones, purchased after last year’s half marathon. But I couldn’t exactly do much about that, so I left a little after 3:30 PM, wearing the full running gear, with some things in the pocket of my tights, the gloves, that thing on my neck, and the jacket on the way, tied around my waist as I ran. The reported temperature was about 6°C, holding steady or maybe dropping by 1°C by the time I finished.
The time was 48:56.47, with sector times of 4:15.22, 5:17.73, 6:06 (6:05.59), 4:38 (4:37.81), 5:17 (5:16.66), 5:56.28, 4:32 (4:31.78), 5:10.09, 5:53.82 and 1:52 (1:51.49), making for lap times of 15:38.54, 15:51 (15:50.75) and 15:35.69. I felt slow on the first sector, so that time was better than I expected, but on the following sectors there were areas where I had to pretty much walk because of snow and puddles, the time lost because of that meaning that the lap was barely on the pace that’d normally be required to stay under 49 minutes, so at the end of it I was quite sure that I could only aim to stay under 50 minutes. Still, I also aimed to stay under 16 minutes on each lap, which should have also meant staying under 49:30, and while that was questionable after the first two sectors of lap two, I found a good way through the tricky area of sector three and at the end of the lap staying under 49:30 was the obvious goal and I was also wondering about 49:15… Which was frustratingly close to 49 minutes, so I pushed on lap three, though the difference was made by the fact that I was also able to lose much less time on the tricky area of sector two, so at the end of the lap I had a good chance to stay under 49 minutes, and I made it in the end. It’s obviously a pretty bad time, and it’d have been a poor one even without the snow and puddles, since they quite clearly caused me to lose over 30 seconds, but it couldn’t have been a full minute. Still, under those circumstances, I’m not particularly bothered by it.
It seemed that they didn’t try to scrape the lane, probably because the attempt would have likely destroyed it, so in some areas just a narrow part of it, on one side, was cleared of snow and ice, and in others not even that. Admittedly, there were also areas that were pretty much completely clear, most notably the part of sector two that comes after that area where there’s no lane, but that area wasn’t cleared at all, so there was soft, melting snow on the sides, a few centimeters deep, and puddles in the middle, and that caused me to lose a lot of time, especially on the first two laps. On the first, I slipped on ice just before that area, so I was already careful, and then I ended up in the melting snow, and when I tried to hop away I ended up in a puddle, so I then just walked through that area. And on lap two I had sort of figured out a path that avoided most of the puddles, but I caught up to a man who was walking slowly just when I was in that area and ended up having to walk behind him. At least I could follow that path on lap three, so I lost far less time, but still lost a little. And I also lost time on sector three, at the ship’s dock, since the lane was pretty much covered with snow and there were once again puddles everywhere else, so on the first lap I also picked my way through there rather slowly. I had pretty much figured out a path that avoided most of the puddles for laps two and three, but it meant weaving around a lot, so I still lost a little time. And I had to go wide in plenty of other areas as well, since I had to stay away from the unusable lane.
I guess I probably also lost a little bit of time whenever I took off the glove and put it back on, since I only kept it off on the final sector, but that’s negligible. Otherwise, I needed to snap my back from the beginning and it was a problem for a while, since I couldn’t do it, but I pushed through it. I also felt rather stiff at first, but that eventually got better, and about halfway through the temperature wasn’t an issue anymore. And some muscles from my right leg complained at some point, and some time after that problem went away there were some warnings from the left leg as well, but those didn’t last long.

Then I put the jacket back on, pulled that thing up, since I had no mask, and walked to Supeco, getting some spoiling black radishes and some expiring meat, and not being charged for the bag the black radishes were in. Then I put the purchases in a bag, left it in a cabinet that didn’t lock at that Mega Image, retrieved it after having a quick look, and also checked the farmers’ market, buying some apples. I asked for one kilogram and the guy apparently put two on the scales, and when I handed him the money he told me that I had to pay more, so I said that I had just asked for one kilogram and he said that he misunderstood and put some of the apples back, then put the remaining ones in a bag even if I told him that I had my own and tried to dig one out. And when I used the control scales to check, I saw that he had given me over 1.2 kg, even though I had only paid for one kilogram.
After also checking the new Penny on the way back, putting the purchases in a cabinet, without locking, and then retrieving them, I got back for the first time just before 5:50 PM. Then I ate an apple, one of the old ones, and what was left of the piece of cake from my father’s sister, initially meaning to just take part of it but eventually ending up eating all of it, even if it was a lot, more than enough for two good servings. I also put the purchases in their place, did the day’s squats, changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, and left again when it was close to 8:20 PM, and that time I did wear a mask, as I normally do.
Since those vouchers were also offered for frozen products those days in Carrefour and I found a single small bag of frozen spinach left, I bought it, also using one of the vouchers received for previous purchases at the self-checkout. Then I put that bag in the backpack and, after washing my hands, entered Kaufland with it. It was almost 9:20 PM and nothing interesting and discounted was left in the bakery area. There were two things that I might have been interested in, but I scanned the labels and confirmed that they weren’t discounted, so I just ended up getting some beets. Then I added them in the backpack and entered that Mega Image with it as well, finding one of those breads and one other thing among the discounted bakery products and buying both. Then I put those products in a bag and made my way back, though I had a quick look in the nearby Mega Image as well, once again entering with everything.
I got back at 10:50 PM, put the spinach in the freezer, ate lunch, washed some of what was in the kitchen, and went to the bathroom at 12:35 AM, first washing the sink and then showering. I was done at 1:15 AM, then I washed what was left in the kitchen, peeled and cut the bad parts off some more garlic, and had dinner between 3:25 AM and 4 AM. The kitchen light turned off for a second before I went to shower, and it didn’t seem like there had been a brief power failure, and since the following evening it flickered a few times, I was worried that it might be a sign that the light bulb’s failing, even if I only bought it in July, but at least so far it’s still working.

In the first moments of February 1, I started feeling like something was wrong with my stomach and the feeling worsened while I started working on dinner, but I began to feel better after I opened the kitchen window, as dad was getting ready to go to bed, so it’s more and more clear that the fact that he keeps the stove on all the time doesn’t just make me uncomfortable, but it’s actually making me sick, and that’s without even talking about the long-term consequences. And when I later told him about it, he just said that he has no other way to warm himself and that the only solution is for me to not be in the kitchen when he’s at home. And supposedly having no other way to warm himself in fact means that, since the heating’s metered but the gas isn’t, being paid according to the number of people in each apartment, he wants to mainly heat the apartment with the stove, and this winter he decided to keep all of the heaters off except the one from his bedroom, which he keeps on all the time even if he only goes there to sleep, yet expects to feel warm while he’s in the living room, usually at the computer and generally just wearing a vest over the shirt, and without slippers on his feet.
To return to that dinner, I didn’t have green onions for the salad, so I just used a little garlic… And I only baked the beets at night and obviously turned the oven off too soon, seeing as one of those that I used then wasn’t properly baked, and that’s probably the case for most of those that I left for another time, but so be it. And I put some more of the kashkaval on the slices of bread and microwaved them all, in three batches, and then I also scraped what was stuck on the plate before taking the slices and the salad to my room, so I only started eating dinner at 3:20 AM. I still finished at 3:40 AM, however, and that was despite also taking a couple of minutes to quickly look for LED tubes on-line, since the one from the bathroom burned out again. It’s under warranty, but it remains to be seen whether dad will have it replaced this time around, at least in order to have one in reserve, after refusing to do so back then and buying this one, from the same store, even if the previous one had also failed under warranty.
After I got up, after the alarm rang, at 1 PM, I switched that LED tube with the old one from the small bathroom, to at least reduce the risk of something going wrong while making the switch, since dad wanted to do that even if I was worried that doing so might also cause that other one to burn out, in case the problem is with the fixture. Then I had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing being a slice of panettone, with added honey, and left at 3:30 PM, wearing the full running gear, with that thing on my neck. The reported temperature was 8°C, holding steady.
The time was 48:15.92, with sector times of 4:17.48, 5:08 (5:07.53), 5:58.78, 4:37 (4:36.94), 5:03 (5:02.56), 5:53.00, 4:31.32, 5:03 (5:02.43), 5:52.32 and 1:53.56, making for lap times of 15:23.79, 15:33 (15:32.50) and 15:26.07. I was hoping to get back under 48 minutes, but I felt slow on the first sector, so the time was a little better than I expected. However, if after sector two I was thinking that I should just manage to at least stay on the pace that’d normally be required in order to stay under 48 minutes on the first lap, I failed to do so, and after also having that poor time on sector one on lap two, I was thinking that I might even struggle to stay under the previous week’s time, to avoid embarrassing myself even more. So I pushed from sector two of lap two, setting aside the concerns about running out of energy before the end, and the times improved just enough to at least make me feel quite certain that I will stay under that previous time. However, I also realized that, if I could maintain that pace, I’ll also stay under 48:30, so that became the new target and I kept pushing, and after the end of the lap I thought that I should just manage to squeeze under 48:15 as well. I didn’t quite make it, probably because I had to weave hard right at the end, but at least it was 48:15… Which, of course, is still a poor time.
The fact that my nose was irritated after the run, and it’s yet to fully recover, probably shows that I really pushed and couldn’t have done much more. But, to start from the beginning, something seemed wrong with my hips at first, and also with my stomach, which wasn’t surprising, considering how I had felt the previous night, and the cold air was also hurting my lungs, so I was struggling, but those problems gradually went away. Otherwise, there were still some puddles in that area of sector two, but while it meant that I still couldn’t approach it exactly as I’d normally like to, I doubt that I lost more than a second or so per lap because of that. It’s possible that I lost a little more because of the wind, since a gust hit me on the long straight of sector two of lap two, and then it got windier in general, since there was another gust on sector three of lap two and a few more over the course of lap three. But there were no notable problems caused by people over the course of the three laps, so I just occasionally had to weave or go the long way around. However, as I already mentioned, right at the end I had to weave hard in order to make my way through, going from one side of the path to the other in a small space, which obviously also meant not carrying speed to the finish and therefore not being able to sort of jump, as I usually try to do.

I didn’t quite manage to finish this post before midnight, but I got this far, just leaving the part about the rest of February 1 for the following evening, when I edited the post in order to add it as well.

After getting back, I ate a banana and made something to eat for lunch, did the day’s squats, then changed, albeit leaving the running t-shirt on, and left again at 7:30 PM. I had dad’s metro card and, after buying some tea from Tei and putting it in the backpack, I took the metro to Pallady and bought a replacement LED tube, entering that store with the backpack, so getting the old one replaced under warranty wasn’t urgent anymore, but I still hope that dad will do it one of these days, at least so we’ll have a spare. Either way, I should have received 0.10 RON as change and didn’t, but I didn’t comment, deciding to take them out of what I found later, since it was my fault that I didn’t speak up.
After leaving the backpack, with the LED tube sticking out of it, in a cabinet at Kaufland, needing to try several before I found a free one that locked, I went to Auchan… And I found a bag of spoiling apples that should have probably been discounted by 30%, but somebody had made a big mistake with the discount label and the full price was discounted by 98%, with the additional discount applied to that value! The bag did contain a mix of apples of various kinds, and most of them looked pretty bad, but it was next to nothing, so I grabbed it, and I later found that the apples were actually better than they looked, the bad parts being mostly limited to the surface. Either way, I then also got some tea, plus water for dad, finding an older pack, so I wasn’t charged the deposit. The problem was that I hadn’t taken the large backpack, nor even any sturdy bags, only having two regular bags, so I split the water between them, added the other purchases in there as well, and hoped that they’ll hold.
After arranging everything in that cabinet and using the toilet, I entered Kaufland at 9:30 PM and saw that there was just one left for three kinds of buns that I could get, so I grabbed all of those, even if seeing one left of each kind made me a little suspicious that they might have been recovered from somewhere, if not even from the floor. There was one bread that I could get left as well, but that had a regular discount and scanning the label confirmed that it had no additional one that evening, so I didn’t take it. However, both the regular lettuce and those with root were listed as having good evening discounts, so I took one of each, plus a few bananas, which also had an evening discount. Then I wandered around for a while, going to the self-checkout just before closing time… Only for the lettuce with root to scan at the full price. So I called over an employee and told him that it was listed as having a 70% evening discount, and that I didn’t want it otherwise, so he apologized and took it off, not trying to check or honor the listed price, but so be it. And I didn’t hear any closing announcement, but the store had obviously closed by the time I was done, and after retrieving what I had in the cabinet and taking my time to arrange everything in a way that allowed me to carry the purchases, I had to use the emergency door to exit. But I was still somewhat uncertain, so after a few steps I set the bags down and rushed back to actually check the listed closing time, confirming that the store had closed.
The metro came seconds after I got back to the station, and what was strange was that it was once again one of those very old ones, which had also been the case on the way there, and I thought that those were only still being used on line four. Either way, while I was on the metro I put the LED tube back in the backpack, after having carried it to the station in one hand, above a bag. And I changed at Dristor, since I was carrying so much and most of the weight was in my hands, in those two bags, and the number of people who walked past me as I made my way to the other station and the fact that only one train was waiting and 11 minutes were listed on the board when I got there made me think that there will be a pretty long wait, so I slowed… Only to hear the announcement that the doors were closing, so I took those final steps as fast as I could and managed to squeeze in just as the doors closed, so I guess that the train should have already left and the board was listing the departure time for the next one, which hadn’t even arrived yet.
I was back just after 10:40 PM, with almost 19 kg. Then I installed the new LED tube and moved the other one back to the small bathroom, put some of the purchases in their place, ate something sweet and a bag of snacks, went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and shower, just before 12:20 AM, and was done at 1:10 AM. Then I put the remaining purchases in their place, washed what was in the kitchen, and managed to stick to the dinner schedule, but I went to bed at 5:20 AM… And at exactly 11 AM I was woken up by a loud pop or crack. It seemed to come from my room, but my perception was obviously unreliable at that point, and there were some faint noises from that neighbor, so it could have been a loud one from there, or a firecracker thrown outside, or my bookcase, since it does crack sometimes, but I obviously feared for the computer at first, so it’s a relief that it seems to be fine. Otherwise, there were no visits recorded on either February 1 or February 2.

Despite their obvious success, the fact that they use nuclear power even though solar is definitely feasible means that I never cared about Curiosity or Perseverance, but things were somewhat different when it came to the little helicopter, Ingenuity. It still wasn’t something that I regularly followed, but it was an interesting concept and an ongoing demonstration of what could be achieved, and after taking 72 flights over close to three years despite having only been designed for five experimental test flights over 30 days, it really seemed like the little helicopter could just keep going, so the announcement that the mission came to a sudden end came as something of a shock. It may be the week’s saddest piece of science news, and possibly the biggest recent disappointment when it comes to space exploration… Not that there haven’t been plenty of other disappointments when it comes to that field, but those tended to be expected, to follow the pattern, while this was so sudden and unexpected.
What’s clear at this point is that at least one of the rotor blades sustained significant damage at the end of flight 72, most likely as a result of a rough landing caused by the relatively featureless terrain that made it particularly difficult for the helicopter to orient itself. So it wasn’t the conditions that caused the problem, and at this point it doesn’t look like it was an actual failure, but simply an accident, which makes it even more disappointing. And what makes it worse is that, by announcing the end of the mission pretty much as soon as they saw the damage, it’s pretty clear that the team has no plans to make some other use of Ingenuity, maybe as some sort of lander, even if its other systems remain operational. Admittedly, Ingenuity has very limited capabilities and it also acted as a scout for Perseverance, identifying potential hazards or interesting targets, so things will now become far trickier and more hazardous for the rover and adapting that mission to the loss of the helicopter may well require the entire team and all of the available resources, so giving up on it so quickly is understandable, if you think about it logically… But that makes it no less disappointing.

On November 14, the loud drilling and banging woke me at 7:30 AM. I initially got back in bed after going to pee, but there was no way to sleep with that noise, so at 8 AM I got up, also adding four more bottles that granted two products and the five that dad had blown into to what I was going to take. It is possible that he just blew into four, the fifth possibly being one that I held on to and then threw down, I recall being uncertain even at that time, and one of those five did need to be straightened better, so I did that before taking it, but since I wasn’t going to use them at Carrefour and, including that one, there were exactly five of them, I had decided to use them at Kaufland and get a small discount on some cheap soap, so they were going to be worth very little, but at least I was going to use them for something that dad would probably want and which was available right then. So I left just after 10 AM, with dad’s metro card and 42 bottles, meaning that there were 37 that I could use at Carrefour, including 12 granting two products and 17 straightened ones, including that one that wasn’t accepted the previous time, and by the time I got there I found one more of those bottles that granted two products. Otherwise, I also took 40 used batteries, to see whether I could get two rechargeable ones in exchange for them, since that was another one of their campaigns, and I had the old camera with me as well, with two nearly dead batteries in it, mainly to see whether the rechargeable ones would work, if I’ll get them and they’ll be already charged.
The campaign had moved to Carrefour Berceni that day, so I walked there after getting off the metro, but when I asked whether they had rechargeable batteries, I was told that they didn’t, but that they might get more by the end of the week. Then I saw that the one who was handing out the vegetables and apples was the same young guy who had been at Orhideea on the first and the last day, and I found myself greeting him rather too cheerfully before starting to put in the bottles. I had to stop after the first two, the machine stating that it was full, but I could continue after that was sorted out, putting in eight that granted two products, but the two medium ones of another brand of beer, which had been accepted when I had tried one at Colentina, plus a water bottle of a kind that was otherwise easily accepted but which was too misshapen at the bottom, wouldn’t be accepted. And the top of the urn fell into it before I could write my name and number, but that guy found my receipts among the others, so I could write the information and enter the raffle. And then he gave me more products that he should have, so I ended up with four for Bianca peppers, weighing 554 grams, four Red Delicious apples, weighing 564 grams, four onions, weighing 786 grams, nine potatoes, albeit small ones, weighing 1.076 kg, six tomatoes, albeit rather bad ones, weighing 746 grams, six cucumbers, weighing 432 grams, though it might be said that there were actually seven of those, since one was a “double” one, and five Kapia peppers, weighing 417 grams, and he even asked whether I preferred redder ones and when I said that I did he selected only those, even though most were quite green.
After taking my time to arrange everything, I checked the store, and while the area where the expiring products are placed in that location contained only a few uninteresting things when I found it, a crowd had gathered there when I looked again, after wandering around a little longer, and that was because many expiring products had just been brought, so I had a good look and got two things. Since I also saw eggs in some baskets and was uncertain whether all of them belonged to other shoppers who had grabbed all of the eggs right away or some might have been yet to be placed in the refrigerators by the employees, I stuck around until the area started to clear and just one woman was left standing next to those baskets, at which point I asked her whether they were hers and she said that they were some other customer’s. So I just bought those two products, using both of the vouchers obtained for previous purchases that I had at that point.
After just putting the purchases in the large bag where I had some remaining bottles, I continued to that Kaufland and put those five bottles that dad had blown into in their recycling machine, seeing that it also offered a voucher of 0.05 RON for each, on top of the one offering a 10% discount on one soap in exchange for five. Then I put that bag in a cabinet, entered with the backpack, and bought a cabbage, an expiring product, some pepper, and a cheap soap. At the self-checkout, it unsurprisingly didn’t register the fact that I had placed the 10% voucher on the scales, and when I called over an employee, she said that I shouldn’t have scanned that voucher because it wasn’t a product, then logged on and scanned it, so that small discount did apply, and then I also used the other voucher when I paid.
After retrieving that large bag, I initially just added the purchases in it, but then I stopped a few times while walking away, to split them and try to balance the weight. Then, as I was about to enter that Mega Image, on the way back to the metro station, a woman dropped a 0.50 RON coin, so I let her know, but she just kept walking, albeit while also checking her pockets, and it felt wrong to grab it right behind her, so I took it and went after her… Only to accidentally drop it in front of her as I tried to hand it over, so I picked it back up and actually managed to give it to her on the second attempt, at which point she thanked me but said that she had been checking to make sure that the rest weren’t also going to fall, and that one didn’t really matter… Either way, I then entered the store and put the bag in a cabinet, after noticing that the lock of the first one that I tried was broken and waiting for a kid to open and empty the one that was under the next one that I tried. And I found some lemons among the spoiling products, but they wouldn’t scan, so the cashier eventually walked away in order to print another discount label, which did work. He might have meant to also charge me for the bag that they were in, but I gave him the exact amount listed on the label and he said that it was fine, then he just threw away the receipt and walked away again. And I didn’t try to dig out that receipt, just retrieving the bag, adding the lemons in it and getting back to the metro station. And I actually switched twice, to get to this station and reduce the walking distance even more, and I also took off my jacket as I got on this last metro, holding it on the way back.
It was almost 3:10 PM when I got back, with 14 kg. And, after having pressed into it with my tongue on the way back, at one point even thinking that it had burst and spitting into my mask, I tried to burst that large blister that was under my tongue, but that only resulted in some blood, the blister otherwise seeming to have remained intact. So I asked dad to have a look and he also took a picture and sent it to the family doctor, asking her for advice. She didn’t reply, but he apparently also asked a coworker when he went to work that evening, and she told him of a few things that I could use, and he sent me an e-mail about those that night, but I told him to not buy any. But, to return to what happened after I got back, I put the purchases in their place, weighed what I received and also put those things in their place, had the machine do a load of laundry while I washed, then grated two apples, adding jam, and ate those before hanging the laundry, and then I got some two and a half hours of sleep. I was awake at 10 PM, and while I got back in bed after peeing and stayed there until a little after 11:10 PM, I couldn’t get back to sleep. Then I even did the day’s squats, straightened some more bottles and, after calming down to some extent, since I had been getting increasingly worried about that blister, I made pizza, just eating a little of the toppings before 3 AM, since it was too hot to quickly move from the glass baking tray to a plate, then managing to take it to my room and actually start to eat at 3:05 AM. It was past 4:30 AM when I finished, however, and I felt awfully stuffed. I got in bed at 5:20 AM.

On November 15, the drilling woke me at 8:30 AM and I had written dad at night to say that if they’ll wake me early again it wouldn’t be impossible to get back in time to hand him back the metro card, since he said that he’ll leave at 1 PM, and therefore not walk all the way that day either. So I quickly decided to get up, straightened a few more bottles, and left at 10 AM, with 33 bottles, including eight that granted two products and 17 straightened ones, which included those that the machine didn’t accept the previous day. It had started raining before I left, so I decided to take the metro from this station and stuck to that decision even if, by the time I actually walked out, it was barely drizzling. So I switched at Dristor and then again at Unirii… And when I got off it was raining again, albeit not badly.
That same guy was handing out the products, and this time around I actually had to pick, seeing as eight bottles that granted two products meant seven categories and I’d have wanted at least an eighth one, for some Golden apples that looked really nice, and I could have even gone up to ten categories, adding potatoes and regular onions, if I’d have had taken 20 of those bottles. As it was, however, I made a mental selection and started putting in the bottles, beginning with those that granted two products, as the guy who seemed to be in charge told me to. I then also tried those three which hadn’t been accepted the previous day, but they still didn’t work. And the machine was full after 15 bottles, so I continued with the last five after it was emptied. Also, I heard that guy who was in charge tell the young one something about Kapia peppers and tomatoes and, while I didn’t really get what was said, I assumed that it was a reminder to not give people more of those, seeing as they were the most expensive products out of what was available at that point. However, when a Kapia pepper fell over when that guy was getting the Bianca peppers for me, he still dropped it in my bag instead of putting it back, so I received five Kapia peppers, weighing 508 grams, four Bianca peppers, which just happened to also weigh 508 grams, four beets, weighing 769 grams, four tomatoes, weighing 667 grams, four chili peppers, weighing 176 grams, four red onions, weighing 221 grams, and nine cucumbers, those being the last thing that I asked for and small, so he once again added more, and they weighed 398 grams. I think it was when I was entering the raffle when the guy who was in charge commented that he found himself drawn to the chili peppers and I also said that it was the only time when I saw any, but the young guy said that it wasn’t the first time they had some, so I must have always missed them otherwise.
After arranging what I had in the backpack, I checked the expiring products, seeing people gathered around that area but that it was mostly cleared, so I probably just missed the good moment that day. However, some of those nice mini cakes were left and I got a box, after which I also got some bread for dad and one more thing. Then, as I was in line at a self-checkout that accepted cash, an employee walked past and said that there were free regular checkouts, even specifically pointing one out, but I obviously stayed where I was.
I then rushed back, briefly trying to jog but giving up after mere seconds, since I was overheating even without jogging. Still, I should have at least rushed to cross the road when I was about to reach that metro station, even if the light was red, since when I got there it wasn’t yet green for cars and, in fact, none could have gotten there because a driver who seemed to want to turn and then change his mind blocked the way for the next few seconds. And I might have had a chance even so, if I’d have managed to catch the elevator after I did finally cross, but the doors closed before I got there, so I had to go a little farther and use the stairs, and when I got to the top of the stairs leading to the actual platform, I just watched the metro close the doors and leave, then waited eight or nine minutes for the next one. And I could have really used those minutes, since I had received the SMS to let me know that I could pick up some tea which I had ordered for dad from a pharmacy that I could get to on the way back, if I got off at Dristor and made a small detour. But I still wanted to make that detour, even if dad called just as I was getting off, so I told him that, asked him to call me when he’ll walk out and said that I’ll catch up. And I didn’t even need to catch up, since I picked up the order, being asked whether I needed an invoice and not even given a receipt when I said that I didn’t, and I was just walking past the nearby Mega Image when dad called to say that he was outside, so I told him that I was seconds away, then met him in front of the building and gave him the metro card.
I got back at 1:10 PM… And noticed that the strap that closes that “shopping backpack” had torn off at some point. And it was strange, tearing just on a day when I hadn’t overstuffed it after holding all of the previous times, when I had really forced it. Either way, I then washed what was in the kitchen, ate a bag of peanuts, so I got 950 calories just from that, and two of those mini cakes, putting the remaining ones in the fridge. I also did the day’s squats before washing, then I had lunch and spread out what I received and the remaining purchases, initially meaning to leave them there, but in the end I did weigh what I received and put those things in their place, even if that took another half an hour. Seeing how different the tomatoes and Kapia peppers looked compared to those received the previous day and knowing that Carrefour sold, in both cases, both Romanian and Turkish ones, and that the Turkish ones were cheaper, I wondered whether that guy who was in charge might have actually said that they were, in fact, Turkish, even if only Romanian products should have been given away in that campaign, but I tried to check the following day and it seemed that they were Romanian after all.
Dealing with what I received meant getting back in bed later, but I still got two and a half hours of sleep, since dad had said that he’ll be back at 9 PM but only got back a little after 10:30 PM. So I got up at that point, then sewed that strap, but left the handle, which had been torn for a while, as it was, having no time for that as well… And that handle’s still torn even now. Either way, I didn’t straighten as many bottles as I wanted that evening and, after talking to dad for quite a while, looking through some things which he had brought, finding some other things for him, and also slicing most of one of his breads, since he had used part of it as it was, I only finally ate dinner between 4 AM and 4:40 AM. I had meant to bake the remaining half of a pumpkin that evening, but I obviously had no time to do that as well, so I just ate another apple as I started working on dinner. And I got in bed at 5:20 AM.

Even though there was no more drilling on the morning of November 16, I nevertheless woke up at 9:55 AM, when Liza went to the litter box, and decided to get up after all. Then I straightened a few more bottles, which took a while, since I picked hard ones, and left at 11:55 AM, with 36 bottles, including 13 that granted two products, since one had no label and I wasn’t sure that it’ll be recognized, and 15 straightened ones, including the water bottle which hadn’t been accepted before, but not those two beer bottles, which I didn’t take again. I also once again took the 40 used batteries, as well as the old camera, with those two drained batteries in it. And I also had a small bag of trash, which I threw down the chute, and the paper, which I dropped in a recycling bin, after grabbing one more of those bottles that granted two products on the way. I could yet again use the metro card, and took the metro from Dristor.
When I once again asked about the rechargeable batteries, the person from the information desk said that they still didn’t have any, just regular ones, and seemed surprised that I had been told that they’ll get some by the end of the week. Then I saw, if I remembered correctly, 17 different product categories that could be received in exchange for recyclables, so I used 12 bottles that granted two products, including the one without a label, and after I wrote my name and number on the ticket, that guy told me that he could give me eight products from one category, so as it was in previous years, but I told him to stick to four, so I’ll be able to pick eight categories. However, after seven categories he said that I was done, but we eventually sorted it out and I could also ask for tomatoes, and he gave me six instead of four, apologizing and saying that the tiredness had caught up to him. So I received four squashes, weighing 1.03 kg, four Golden apples, weighing 706 grams, four red onions, weighing 190 grams, four eggplants, weighing 865 grams, four heads of garlic, weighing 387 grams, four Kapia peppers, weighing 462 grams, four beets, weighing 1.233 kg, and six tomatoes, weighing 712 grams. And I also told that guy that if I’ll get to Vulcan, which was the last location of the campaign in Bucharest, on Saturday, it’ll be after planting trees and I’ll really look like someone bringing trash, in old house clothes and probably muddy from head to toe, considering the forecast, and he said that it will be no problem, and also that he thought that I had been at every location, so I told him that I had been at all of them with the exception of the one from Bucurestii Noi, since that was at the same time as Colentina, which was easier for me to reach those days, and I had never been at that other location anyway.
After arranging everything, I found piles of expiring products and got some, but I took too long, getting confused about the time and thinking that I had to leave at 3 PM instead of 2 PM, so I even wanted to check Kaufland, to get yogurt, until a bottle of kefir that I’m pretty sure hadn’t been there before appeared among the expiring products, so I grabbed it in order to sort of cover that need. And then I saw that it was past 2 PM and finally realized that I had to hurry… Only for the full price to scan for one of the products, since the discount sticker was placed next to the normal bar code instead of over it, so I had to wait a little for an employee to come and sort it out.
I hurried away as much as I could, and dad called just after I reached the metro station, when I knew that I was going to be a little late, since he had said that he should be at Dristor at 2:50 PM. However, he said that it was fine, and I was there at 2:55 PM, by which time he had called again and said that he’ll take a little longer. So I started on my way back, meaning to meet him on the way, and soon after that he called yet again and said that he was at a store from that area. So I continued towards that store, looking carefully… Only to reach it and stand around the door, wondering whether he was still inside… Until he called one more time, to ask where I was and say that he was at the metro station! That put me in damage limitation mode and I started running back, and kept running even if seconds later he called yet again to tell me to slow down and where to meet him. But at least we did meet in that spot, which was actually exactly where I was when he had called to tell me that he was at that store, and I gave him the metro card back…
I still find it rather hard to believe that we “managed” to miss each other, since I tried to follow the route he usually takes and looked really carefully when I was at that playground, which was the only spot where we could have gone on different sides, and he said that he had done the same, but we must have just missed each other, with him reaching it just after I checked the other side and started walking past it, and going past it just before I went around and could once again look on the other side, and somehow being in blind spots just at the wrong times, so we didn’t spot each other while looking across it either. That would have required such perfect timing that I highly doubt we’d have managed it even if we tried, yet we apparently did “manage” it entirely by accident.
Either way, I took it easy after that, also checking the location of that newest Penny yet again and seeing the emergency door open and people inside, and products on the shelves, but also many boxes, and the people seemed to be entering something on the registers. And I also checked the nearby Mega Image when I got here, putting the bags next to the cabinets, and bought an expiring product for dad, the employee initially asking for the full price before I pointed out the obvious discount label and he accepted what I had given him, even if I had rounded down a little. And I also grabbed a catalog and stopped at a bench, after walking out, to look through it.
I got back a little before 4 PM, with 11.5 kg. Then I put the products that should stay refrigerated in the fridge and ate two more of those mini cakes, but after not making it in the morning, I didn’t make tea then either, since I had bought a deeply discounted orange juice, so that was what I drank that day. I ate lunch after washing, with the discounted bag of snacks which I had bought instead of bread, and then I once again got some two and a half hours of sleep, after which I finally baked the other half of that pumpkin, weighed what I had received and put those things in their place, and ate dinner between 3:30 AM and 4 AM. I got in bed at 5:20 AM… Which was apparently just a minute before dad replied to an e-mail I had sent him, which included links to some dehumidifiers, and he said that he’d never pay that much for something like that… And I had ended up looking into those after my mother had pointed me to a dryer that she wanted to get for us that was far more expensive, and after I firmly rejected the idea she lashed out, saying that I reject everything and we supposedly “needed” it, so I looked for something that would actually be useful, and also much cheaper, but that obviously went nowhere, with dad rejecting it and mother saying that she didn’t know much about dehumidifiers and can’t get herself to look into them. Either way, dad brought some things when he got back from work that morning, and I got up and found room for them in the fridge.

Three months ago, I was expressing disappointment at the results obtained by CSM Bucuresti and Rapid in the Women’s Handball Champions’ League, especially since this may well be the last season when they have access to the funds that allow them to keep all those great players, and the transfers which have so far been announced seem to confirm this. However, while in CSM’s case the disappointments keep coming one after the other and they’re currently likely to end up fifth in that group that they were initially said to be unable to finish lower than third even if they tried, things are much more frustrating when it comes to Rapid.
Sure, the fact that they lost the three matches played since the start of the year is not a surprise and neither is their current position, the next match probably deciding whether they’ll manage to grab sixth place or not, downright shocking being their thrilling home win against Vipers from November. However, the manner in which they lost these matches is just heartbreaking. Maybe somewhat less so in case of the one against Metz, where the missing players forced them to use more or less the same team and it was expected that they’ll tire before the end, and that proved to be the case in the last ten minutes, while in the last five they pretty much collapsed and ended up losing by three goals, yet the fact remains that they played amazingly well. Or, as one commentator put it, “they played as never before and lost as always”. But heartbreaking really is the right way to describe losing the year’s first match, away against Krim, in the final seconds, after such a tight match that Rapid nevertheless led most of the time, Krim only leading twice, at 2-1 and right there when it mattered, at the very end.
And then there was today’s match, away against Ikast, which was pretty much the same… If not even worse. Ikast pulled away at first and led throughout the first half, but Rapid recovered, equalizing at the start of the second half, and the rest of the match was as tight as it could possibly be, neither team being more than one goal ahead at any point. It was 28-28 with four minutes to go, and no more goals were scored for the next three and a half minutes. Then Ikast made it 29-28, with 30 seconds to go. So Rapid played seven against six and rushed to equalize, to at least obtain one point, and they did score, with 11 seconds to go. But those seconds were enough for Ikast to put the ball into the empty net, the goalkeeper not managing to get back in time. And you can’t blame them for anything, they did nothing wrong, they didn’t squander a lead, actually fighting back during the first half, and at the end they did the only thing they could do in that situation, seeing as they needed to score, so they couldn’t keep the goalkeeper on or refuse that shot in order to keep the ball until the end. So the first part of that commentator’s statement, from the match against Metz, is starting to become less true, because they are playing really well, against teams that at the moment should be well above their level… But the second part remains just as true, because they still lose anyway, and at this point they may not even make it past the group stage…