Cav's Place

In the early moments of December 20, dad split some meat that we had to freeze and called me over to see how to fit it in the freezer, and he wanted to take everything out and see what we had that could be used for steak as well. So I did that and rearranged more or less like he wanted, managing to get almost everything back in, and he said that the vegetables that were left out could be left in the fridge until he’ll use them. I couldn’t leave them, however, so I spent probably another half an hour struggling to find a way to fit those in as well. Of course, some things started thawing during that time, most noticeably the bread, which was on the top shelf and which I hadn’t even taken out, and after washing and cleaning in the kitchen I also sliced dad’s remaining bread and dealt with mine and added those in as well, and it was concerning that what was in front, close to the freezer’s door, wasn’t exactly frozen even when I got up. But at least all of the meat was frozen solid, and everything was finally frozen again by evening. Either way, all of that meant that I only ate dinner between 4:05 AM and 4:30 AM, and got in bed at 5:25 AM, after also doing the day’s squats just before going to bed, since I was about to do that when dad called me over. Then I got up when the alarm rang, at 1 PM, had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing consisting of another kind of nicer but expired biscuits, with added honey, and left at 3:35 PM, wearing the full running gear. The walk to the park was less uncomfortable than I feared, even though the reported temperature was 8-9°C, and about 7°C when I finished.
The time was 48:15.41, with sector times of 4:17.16, 5:05.60, 6:00.00, 4:31 (4:30.90), 5:04.16, 5:58 (5:57.28), 4:32 (4:31.91), 5:08.43, 5:49 (5:48.60) and 1:51.37, making for lap times of 15:22.76, 15:33 (15:32.34) and 15:29 (15:28.94). I was wondering whether I could get back under 48 minutes and pushed from the start, so that time on the first sector was a little disappointing, but at the same time it wasn’t bad, and after sector two I was quite sure that I’ll at least stay on the required pace, so under 15:20, on the first lap… Only to feel myself slowing on sector three and then see that I really had slowed, that time of exactly six minutes definitely being concerning and meaning that any chance of getting under 48 minutes was gone. So the new target became to at least be less slow than the previous time, and preferably stay under 48:30, and lap two gave me a chance, so I pushed again on lap three and, after not being quite content with the first two sectors, I gave it everything on the third and that sector time surprised me. It’s still a poor time, however.
I felt some warnings from my right knee at the beginning, but those quickly faded, only returning, faintly but from both knees, on sector three of lap three, when I was pushing. And I briefly needed to snap my back on what I think was sector two of lap two, but quickly managed to do so, and I think it was around that same time when something of a pressing need appeared, but it was faint and pretty much went away by the end of the lap. As for people, they only caused me to occasionally have to weave or go the long way around, but on sector three of lap three I had to briefly stop because of a little dog that was off the leash and uncertain which way to go, possibly because it had ended up some distance from its owners and was trying to go to them, and it got right in my way.

An old man asked whether summer had arrived and he didn’t know when I passed by him on the way back, wearing just the running gear, and I said that I was coming after running ten kilometers, at which point he said that in that case he understood, but then added that running a lot or making a lot of effort isn’t recommended when you’re as thin as I am, if you want muscle mass you need good nutrition and other exercises, and that all marathon runners are so thin, so I said that I do run marathons too, and he eventually said that if I think that I’m fine as I am, all right, though he thought that being so thin was a thing for women, but maybe in this day and age it’s for men as well, then wished me well and happy holidays and I returned the wishes and we went our separate ways. And I also checked the nearby Mega Image, without a mask, and found plenty of spoiling products, keeping the bio (organic) yogurts in mind, as well as something for dad, but after getting back I didn’t go right back out to buy anything. So I had lunch, changed, albeit also leaving the running t-shirt on, and it was past 7:40 PM when I left again, taking 50 RON in coins.
I went to Obor, to Carrefour, asked at the information desk about the campaign with the coins, and that employee called the one who handled it and then sent me there. So I went in, handed over the coins and after a little while I was asked for my name and to sign and given the 50 RON bill and the 5 RON gift card, that employee also saying that she checked to make sure that it worked. The problem is that the campaign was supposed to last until today and I tried again today, with 50 RON more, and was told that it was over, and at some point an employee even mentioned something about those gift cards having been disabled, so on top of missing out on a second one even though, according to the regulations, I should have gotten it, let’s see if even that first one remains valid, and it may be quite some time before I’ll be able to really see that, since it should only work for purchases of at least 50 RON.
Getting back to that day, I then checked the bakery area and found that the bread was already discounted, though other products weren’t, so I bought two of the kind that I get from there, plus a few other expiring products, put everything in a bag and then in the backpack… And after a while I realized that I had forgotten to get garlic. But I kept going and, after checking to make sure that Kaufland did close at 11 PM when I passed by that location, I went to Penny, entering with the backpack and getting two things, then adding them in the backpack and leaving it in a cabinet at Kaufland, but only walking in to check the price of garlic there and then wanting to go back out, the problem being that the information desk, where you should normally ask to be allowed to leave without purchases, is not accessible from inside the store in that location, so I asked an employee from the self-checkout area how to exit without products and she said that I should leave the same way I entered… But those gates only open when someone wants to enter and there’s even a voice saying that it’s not an exit if you try to exit through there, so I ducked under one. Then I jogged, at times even ran, back to Carrefour, getting a little garlic and two sweet pastries, since those had also been discounted by then, being done minutes before closing.
I went back to Kaufland holding those purchases, added them in the cabinet, used the toilet, and entered the store again just before 10:10 PM. Then I took a bakery product, also scanning the label for a bun but finding that it really wasn’t discounted, and at the expiring products I saw several cartons of eggs, each of them containing at least one that was smashed and some more that were cracked, but they were deeply discounted and not wrapped, as they usually are at Kaufland, so I took my time to put ten good eggs in one of the cartons… Or sort of in it, since I had to tear off the place where the smashed egg had been, having no way to get all of it out of there, and then I put the tenth egg on top of the others and the carton in a bag. And then I also found something among the discounted meat products, but when I looked more closely I realized that the discount label was for another product and I couldn’t find the correct one, and I asked an employee who was nearby whether someone could place the correct label on it and she didn’t really answer, just saying that the label must have ended up stuck on it from something else, but when I asked whether that meant that I couldn’t take it, she hesitantly said that I could. Another employee was also there at the time, asking that one about some expiring yogurts, but she walked away just before the end of the conversation. And I did wonder what would happen if the machine would say that it’s not the correct product, detecting a different weight, but I nevertheless walked away with it, grabbed a few more things, and went to the self-checkout just before closing time.
Well, the machine obviously detected the different weight, so I called over the employee, who was the same one I had asked about the exit, and she looked closely and pointed out that the discount label was for something else. I said that I had taken it from the discounted products and she snapped at me that she saw where I had taken it from, though she obviously hadn’t, and walked away in a huff, with it. I asked if that meant that I couldn’t buy it and she said over her shoulder that of course it did… And that employee who had been asking about those expiring yogurts was at the next self-checkout and she said that she was the one I had talked to, correcting herself and saying that she had been there at the time when I said that she wasn’t, and then saying that her coworker had told me that the label had ended up stuck on that product from another and that I couldn’t take it, so I said that she was right about the first part, but that I had actually been told that I could take it, yet despite no longer being there at the end of that conversation, she still contradicted me, then walked away as well, so I snapped after her that she should ask her coworker, then finished scanning the other products, after which I took my time to arrange everything, walking away a little after 11:10 PM. I’m quite sure that they assumed that I was lying, maybe even that I had taken that label from something else and placed it on that product myself, and it is possible that the self-checkout employee had walked past me when I was picking those eggs and had seen that… But I think that the other employee was the one I dealt with in March of last year, when I accidentally walked out without paying for the bakery products and went back to do so when I realized it, losing several minutes because she didn’t do it right, so she should know better than to accuse me of trying to cheat.
Either way, after checking when this nearby Mega Image was going to open, in case dad wanted one of those other expiring products which I had noticed and one would still be there in the morning, I got back a few minutes before midnight, though after eating a banana and a really sweet thing that contained over 50 grams of sugar, I eventually went to drop a bag of trash down the chute. I also put the purchases in their place and went to wash at 1:25 AM, being done a little before 2:10 AM. Then I washed and cleaned in the kitchen and started eating dinner at 3:45 AM, being otherwise done just before 4:30 AM, but then spending ten more minutes getting the breadcrumbs that were stuck on the plate. I had used a part of a bread without added salt from Auchan and it got nicely crunchy and also tasted unexpectedly good after getting microwaved, but a lot of breadcrumbs and pieces of crust ended up stuck on the plate. On the other hand, that blister which had been under my tongue at least since the start of November seemed to have finally healed, after bursting almost a week earlier. And I got in bed at 5:20 AM.

On December 21, I started reading Utopia for Realists, and then I got in bed at 5:20 AM. I finished the book on December 23, also posting the quick review then, and then I washed the stove top that night, including the cover and those grates, and after also showering I was only back in the kitchen a couple of minutes before 2:30 AM, and there was more to wash and clean and put in the fridge after dad had cooked, so I ate dinner, consisting of some slices of pizza brought by dad and a salad that I tried to make way more quickly than I normally do, between 4:05 AM and 4:25 AM. Then I revised that quick review and grabbed another digital book, but found that I had to read it in the cloud reader, since it required an updated Kindle for PC, the message also stating that it required at least Windows 8. And I got in bed at 5:55 AM and there were no visits recorded on either December 23 or December 24. And something was bothering me in the upper left side of my mouth, which made me worry that it might be the tooth where I have the crown, but the problem seems to have gone away since then. Either way, in the early hours of December 25, I ate dinner between 3:10 AM and 3:30 AM, and then I started reading that book, finishing it on December 29, though I only wrote the quick review the following day.
Getting back, in the early hours of December 26, after just slicing bread after 1 AM and then going to take a shower, I cheated a little in order to be able to say that I started eating dinner before 3 AM, actually starting a few minutes later, and then dad also called me over, to exchange a few words, so it wasn’t bad that I finished eating dinner at 3:55 AM, especially since the last several minutes were spent getting the breadcrumbs off the plate… And then I had to rush to the toilet, something obviously disagreeing with me, but things gradually calmed down after that, and while a bit of a strange feeling remained after getting up and throughout the day as well, I didn’t even go again that day.

In the early hours of December 27, I was only starting to shave at 1 AM, so it’s not bad that I ate dinner between 3:15 AM and 3:55 AM, and I also had some of the old peanut butter on some of the slices of bread. And I somehow didn’t wake up when dad got back, but he brought some more things and also left a mess in the kitchen, so when I did wake up, just before 8 AM, and went to pee, I spent some time rearranging in the fridge and cleaning up a little in the kitchen, and then I dashed back out of bed twice, because I couldn’t remember whether I had done some things correctly. But I did eventually get back to sleep and got up after the alarm rang, at 1 PM. Then I had the usual stuff, the yogurt being an expired bio (organic) one, and the sweet thing consisted of a slice of some sort of cake brought by dad, I think made by that friend of my mother’s, though I still added honey. However, despite feeling like I had to go, I barely left a tiny bit in the toilet, and the previous problems made that even more of a concern. But I eventually had to cut my losses, and I left at 3:40 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 15-16°C, dropping by a few degrees by the time I finished.
The time was 48:46.16, with sector times of 4:15.66, 5:10 (5:09.35), I think 6:04.17, 4:38 (possibly 4:38.08), 5:04 (possibly 5:04.50), 6:02.19, 4:31 (4:30.43), 5:10 (5:09.75), 5:58.53 and 1:54 (1:53.50), making for lap times of I think 15:29.18, in which case it’d be 15:44.77, and 15:39 (15:38.71). I’m pretty sure about the time for sector three of lap one and therefore also for the lap, but after sector two of lap two I found myself thinking that I had 26 hundredths after sector one and 25 on sector one, so as if I had calculated it with one hundredth after lap one, and one hundredth was after sector two of lap one, but I also clearly remembered 18 hundredths, most likely at the end of the lap, so I was obviously confusing something. The times assume that I had miscalculated the hundredths for sector one of lap two, but I might have remembered those completely wrong. Either way, the seconds are correct, and the exact times don’t matter since there are no good times. In fact, at that point I even considered ignoring the exact times from then on, but I didn’t.
I felt that I couldn’t keep up that pace from the first sector, and my only chance would have been if it’d have been a great one on that sector, and it wasn’t, and then sector two was poor and I needed a good sector three to even have one lap on the pace for 48 minutes, yet I went well over six minutes on sector three, which made me wonder whether I’ll even stay under 49 minutes. And after that slow sector one of lap two, I pushed harder, and the next sector wasn’t that bad, but the third was still over six minutes, though by less than on lap one. So I kept pushing on lap three and sector one wasn’t bad, and sector two gave me a chance to be certain at the end of the lap that I’ll stay under 49 minutes, and a sector three that was the only decent one of the day at least assured me of that. My best hope, however, was to get under 48:45, and I didn’t even manage that. So it was another bad time.
The abdominal pain started towards the end of sector three of lap one, lessening on lap three but seeming to return to some extent on sector three of lap three. But more concerning was how my heart felt on sector two of lap one, which made me slow down a little and be careful, thinking that there had recently been a couple of times when I once again felt irregular heartbeats. And that feeling seemed to return on sector one of lap three, when I pushed more, though it then quickly went away, without actually getting to that point again. Otherwise, it was quite crowded and that did cause me to lose time, but mainly because of weaving and going the long way around, and also using the lane way more than I’d have wanted to, to be able to at least claim some right of way. I also squeezed through a few times, but what was surprising was that there was only one problem that was notable in itself, and I’m not certain whether it happened on sector two or three of lap three, but it was when I hesitated and probably briefly stopped when I was catching up to a group that was forming a roadblock, saw that there might have been a way to squeeze past, on the inside, shouted at them to make way, but the guy on that side seemed to block my way even more, if anything. Either way, the crowd isn’t an excuse for ending up so much over 48 minutes, and the weather definitely wasn’t either, being really good for running.

I again saw plenty of nice expiring yogurts when I checked the nearby Mega Image on the way back, despite having no mask, but I didn’t even check the date, just keeping them in mind. Then I ate some glucose and another apple and left when it was almost 6:15 PM, taking the used batteries and a bag of trash, which I dropped down the chute, and also something that I left for a cat. I had dad’s metro card, and the idea was to take Utopia for Realists back to the Library, after checking the site and not seeing anything about that location being closed those days… But I forgot the book, running back when I realized it, so it was almost 6:25 PM when I really left and then jogged, and at times even ran, to the metro station, reaching that location a little after 6:50 PM… Only to find it dark and locked up, but without as much as a sign indicating what was going on. And I still had enough time to reach the other location from that area before 7 PM, so I rushed there and, while it was also closed, at least there was a sign, which stated that it was opening again on January 8. Seeing as the deadline to return that book is January 5, that couldn’t also be the case for the first location, but at that point I had no other information, and those two locations have yards, so you can’t return a book when they’re closed, like you can in the locations that have those slits in the door. So I looked again when I got back, finding out that the location where I have to return that book will open again on January 4, but that announcement was just in a post on their Facebook page, not on the site or even as the cover on that page, to be easily noticed, and there had been quite a few other posts after it.
Either way, when I got back to the metro station, the machine held the card, which was just a couple of days old, for a few seconds, which was a bad omen. Then I went to Carrefour Orhideea, grabbing the last two of those cheap breads for dad, some sausages, obviously also for him, and finding plenty of deeply discounted expiring products there as well, including bio (organic) yogurts, though not the “creamy” ones which I had seen at this Mega Image, so I just took one of those, thinking that the discount might increase to 90% over here, if I’ll get back before closing time and they expired the next day. But one of the two self-checkout machines that should have accepted cash was off and the other had a sign stating that it only accepted cards, and I was missing a 0.01 RON coin in order to have the exact change, so I wandered around a little more, looking for such a coin, and during that time I also asked at the information desk, which is also accessible from inside the store in that location, whether they had rechargeable batteries to give in exchange for used ones, but was told that they didn’t. And I didn’t find one of those coins either, so I eventually went to a regular checkout, gave what I had, and the cashier didn’t comment. Then I put everything in the backpack, returned to the metro station… And the card gave an error, and after the first attempt it wasn’t even the usual error anymore, the machine listing “unknown operator” instead, which was a new one. So I showed it to the person who was there, also mentioning that the previous card had also stopped working right after using it at Romana, which in fact happened when I borrowed that book, and she also checked the card and said that the error was indeed a strange one, then advised me to replace it when that service will be open and let me through.
After getting off at Dristor, I walked to Auchan, wanting to see where the recycling machines are, since they were offering 0.50 RON for each recyclable without the symbol as a discount for their own brand of clothes those days and I thought, correctly, that dad would want something. And, after finding them in the parking lot, I entered the store, with the purchases, and looked around, but I just got some water for dad. Then I took the other purchases out of the backpack and put the water there, being surprised that it fit, since I hadn’t taken the large one.
I wanted to go to Kaufland next, picking the one next to that Penny, though Penny would be closed by then, so just Kaufland was the target, but I tried the other route, which would actually be the slightly better one for going straight to Kaufland, but I crossed the road too late and didn’t realize it, so I kept going until I reached the river, which was definitely not where I should have been, and while, after turning around, I did manage to find a way through that allowed me to get to Kaufland without actually going all the way back first, I lost a fair bit of time. Then I put everything in a cabinet, used the toilet, and entered a few minutes before 10:30 PM, seeing that some interesting sweet pastries were left in the bakery area. But we have plenty of sweets these days, so I just got a bun, after scanning the label and confirming that the other kind of buns that I might have otherwise gotten didn’t have an evening discount. Then I also grabbed a handful of beets, which had an evening discount, and some germinated wheat, which was discounted by 90% because it was expiring that day. And, after retrieving my things and arranging everything, I walked out at 10:55 PM and had to really rush to reach this Mega Image before it closed, at 11:30 PM, and I couldn’t jog because of the weight. But I did make it, leaving the bags right in front of the cabinets and entering with the backpack… Only to see that I shouldn’t have bothered, since those yogurts expired the day after the next one and the discount was still 50%, so I retrieved those bags and walked out.
I got back a couple of minutes before 11:30 PM, with about 15.5 kg. Then I put some of the purchases in their place and went to shower a little after 12:20 AM. I was done just before 1 AM, then I gathered some of my clothes which were hung to dry, put the rest of the purchases, with the exception of dad’s bread, in their place, washed and cleaned what was in the kitchen, ate lunch, on and off, while working on dinner, starting a little before 3 AM and finishing at 3:45 AM, and then had dinner between 4 AM and 4:50 AM. I got in bed at 5:55 AM.

I managed to at least write about these two runs, plus the part about the days that were between them, during the evening, so, after initially posting it right away by accident, I scheduled the post to be posted with just this content at 11:59 PM, then edited it Tuesday evening, to add the parts about the rest of December 20 and 27.

Compared to the first two books, the way the writing style improved and how Marigold developed as a character continue to be impressive, but the epic story from the third book, while not forgotten, is pretty much set aside, this one once again depicting a heroic fantasy adventure. It’s not the one that Marigold initially signs up for, however, and while he rather accidentally happens to be there at the conclusion of the “main event”, his primary goal once it begins is simply to survive the night, preferably along with a few of those who happened to be around him at the time, the other battles and the push towards the source of the problem being left to others and “off camera” until the end. The high point comes halfway through, in chapters eight and ten, when the thrill and the desperation of the battle reach their peak while somehow still leaving room for a few moments of grim humor.
The main problem is that the chapters alternate between Marigold and Helman, and I could have really done without the latter. Sure, they present how and why things are happening and will probably have some relevance in future books, but that could have been achieved without constantly breaking up the action for that despicable, infuriating, nauseating depiction of “chaotic evil”, an utter moron incapable of seeing anything other than his most basic and selfish desires, bringing about a localized apocalypse without realizing much of anything even when it’s quite literally staring him right in the face, and constantly behaving in a manner that will trigger the entire gamut of negative reactions from anyone on this side, or in fact on either side, of unrequited love, or of abuse, or who simply has any shred of morality, ethics, empathy, or even simply sanity. Otherwise, I’d still mention Marigold’s unbelievable strength and fortitude, all of the hero’s luck and the fact that, after the end of the actual adventure, too much is spent on presenting the aftermath and most probably setting up the next book or books, but those are lesser problems.

After going to the kitchen a few minutes late, slicing two of dad’s breads, finishing cleaning and washing after him in the kitchen, with cold water, since we had no hot water those days, and then making too much salad and using parts of a cabbage that made it take even longer, in the early hours of October 17 I ended up eating dinner between 4:05 AM and 4:55 AM and getting in bed at 5:45 AM. Then, after getting up, I had lunch and left at 4:25 PM. I thought that it was the first day when Carrefour’s campaign was taking place in a location from Bucharest, at Baneasa, and I had 32 plastic bottles split between the large backpack and a bag, having taken 20 that should be easily accepted, eight of those granting two products, two that I wanted to check whether they’ll be accepted, and two more that I just threw in there after the rest. And I had the metro card and also realized that it was much better to get off at Aurel Vlaicu, so I only had to walk half the distance, but still picked up one more of those bottles that granted two products on the way to the metro station and another one after getting off.
I know that I was in that mall’s parking lot when I checked the time and saw 5:53 PM, but I was wondering whether the place where I had to give the bottles was outside, so I looked around and at least a couple more minutes, if not a little more than that, passed before I entered. Then I found that place, inside the store, just next to the entrance, had a look and decided that I was going to give eight of those bottles, thinking that each two products that I’ll get in exchange for one of those will count as a single product, as it was before, so I could get eight products from two of the categories. However, after giving the 20 bottles that I was allowed to give in one day, including those eight and not including either of those that I wanted to try, since the machine didn’t accept them, the girl who was there being surprised in case of the beer bottle, I was told that I could get 28 products, but from at least seven categories, so the limit of four of one kind still applied, only the total increasing. But that wasn’t a problem, and I got four Golden apples, weighing 727 grams, four apples of some other kind, possibly Jonaprince, weighing 651 grams, four Kapia peppers, weighing 518 grams, four eggplants, weighing 1.162 kg, four tomatoes, weighing 859 grams, four red onions, weighing 248 grams, and four kohlrabies, weighing 792 grams, and I also entered the raffle… But then I was told that the following day was the last one at that location, the first having been the previous one, and also that the next location will be Colentina, which should have been the last one, in late November. And on top of checking the regulations the previous evening, so after the campaign had already started at Baneasa, and seeing no change, I had also sent a message to Carrefour’s Facebook page to ask whether there were any changes and was pointed to the regulations and told that there was no indication that there were going to be any!
I was quite confused at that point, and if what I had just been told was true, it meant that I had lost one day, but there was nothing that I could do about it then, so I put my things in a cabinet and entered the store again, having a look, taking pictures in order to get the prices for what I received and try to identify the apples, and just getting an expiring mix of fruits. Then I washed my hands, took my mask partially off, washed my face a little as well, went to sit at one of the tables that are outside of that mall and ate that mix. Then I put my mask back on, returned inside and peed, the janitor opening the door while I was in the stall, though she then waited outside of the bathroom even while I washed my hands. Then I retrieved my things from the cabinet and arranged everything, walking out just after 7:35 PM and grabbing two more of those bottles after getting off the metro at this station.
I got back at almost 9:15 PM and set the water to boil, but when I saw that it seemed to start boiling sooner than I expected, I turned off the stove and went to the toilet, then turned it back on and also warmed the tea. One pot took longer to start boiling, but after I poured the other two in the bathtub, I refilled them and, while I was waiting for them to start boiling again, I ate a part of the cake sent by my mother. Then, after washing, I ate a bag of snacks while spending a little time on the computer, then I got the plastic bottles that I was going to take the next day ready. I initially planned to also take the glass bottles that weren’t going to be accepted in this campaign to a recycling center that I was going to pass by, since I thought that I was going to have to walk all the way, but after gathering all of them, I changed my mind. Then I weighed what I received and put those products in their place, struggling to find room, did the day’s squats, sliced three more of dad’s breads and struggled to make them fit in the freezer, also took another Paracetamol, just in case, and decided to start taking the plain vitamin C that I still had, and finally ate dinner between 4 AM and 4:45 AM. I got in bed at 5:35 AM, after dad got back and we exchanged a few words.

It was a little before 9 AM when I was woken up by noise from outside, the work on the building having apparently really started, the roof getting scraped and everything sliding down a chute that hung all the way down and ending up right under my window. I tried to curl in a ball and cover my ears and did manage to get some more sleep, but in the form of brief and agitated naps, with messed up dreams. And I was startled once again when I heard dad put his key in the door, so I checked the time, saw 12:54 PM, and rushed to ask him something, at which point he also said that he planned to be back by 5 PM, in which case he could leave me the metro card again. I had to know ahead of time, however, seeing as, if he was going to be late and I’ll have to walk, I was going to have to leave before 4 PM. But either scenario allowed me to stay in bed a little longer, so I moved the alarm, which was set to ring at 1 PM, to 1:30 PM. There was no way to get back to sleep, however, and when I checked the time again and saw 1:19 PM, I turned off the alarm, got up, opened the window… And had to close it again after a little while, since my room was filling with dust. I opened it again after they seemed to have finished with that mess.
I had asked Carrefour for the correct, updated schedule for Bucharest by e-mail as well, specifying what had happened and the conflicting information I had received and asking for the answer to actually be written in the reply, not sent as a link, but the reply just pointed me to the regulations, not even mentioning the other file which had appeared, which stated that the campaign had indeed started at Baneasa on October 16, but would still remain there until October 19, and that everything else remained unchanged. And when I asked again, I was asked where had I found that additional file and for a phone number, so I pointed them to that file, but said that I wanted an answer that I could show to those who are there and I couldn’t do that with a phone conversation. On the other hand, on Facebook, where I had also explained what had happened, the guy at least admitted that the campaign had started earlier at Baneasa, but seemed to know nothing more than what was written in that new file, asking who had told me about any other changes. And, of course, dad also forgot to call, so I beeped him off the landline when I was about to leave and he called back and said that he was on his way back, so I had time to also have lunch after all, and then left, with the metro card, at 4:40 PM. I once again had 32 bottles, which included eight that granted two products, including the four found the previous day, and the ten other good ones which I had also brought back the previous day, obviously leaving behind those two that weren’t going to be accepted.
Despite taking the metro and therefore once again only walking half the distance, I found four more of those bottles, and all of them towards the end, the first when I was approaching that mall, the second in its parking lot, and two more right at the top of a garbage can that I passed by just before entering, so somebody hadn’t bothered to take a few steps and exchange them for four fruits or vegetables. I entered Carrefour at 6:10 PM and asked for clarification, also showing what was listed in that new file, and a guy who was there asked me to show him where I had found it, handing me his phone, and they were quite baffled when they saw it with their own eyes, saying that somebody would have told them if it was true. So, while that guy seemed to be discussing it with someone else, I gave the 20 bottles, but only including the four that granted two products which I had found, since there weren’t more categories that I was interested in, and I got four Golden apples, weighing 745 grams, four apples of another kind, I’m not really sure what, maybe Idared, but other possibilities are Jonaprince or even Jonathan, weighing 702 grams, four Kapia peppers, weighing 366 grams, four Bianca peppers, weighing 360 grams, four squashes, weighing 1.332 kg, and four tomatoes, weighing 911 grams. Then I wandered around the store for a while, once again taking pictures of prices and apples, actually having the new camera with me that day, but I didn’t find anything to buy. And that guy was there when I was about to leave, but by the time I worked up the courage to go and ask whether they had learned anything new, he had left, so I wasted a little more time, but when he still hadn’t returned, I asked one of the girls and she said that their information was correct, not what it said in that file, so that was the last day in that location, while between October 20 and 22 it’ll be at Colentina and Colosseum, in parallel.
I walked out just after 7:05 PM, but got off the metro at Obor and went to Auchan, since 25% of the price of canned products and spices was returned on the store card those days, up to a maximum of 12 products per card. And I entered with the backpack, where I had everything, since all of the cabinets either were locked or couldn’t be. However, after buying 12 products, I found that only 5% was returned for the cinnamon, which is what’s normally returned for products of their own brand, the additional 25% only being returned for the other products, so I asked about it and the employee, who was the same one who had previously insisted that 2.51 was lower than 2.26, at first kept pointing to the other products and telling me that I had received the 25%, and when I kept insisting that I was asking about the cinnamon, she said that the deal doesn’t have to apply to all of the products. So I went back and took pictures of the announcements that were placed all over that part of the store, and during this time the deal was once again announced through the speakers as well, so I rushed back to her and asked whether she had heard that announcement, and she finally used her headset to tell someone that a customer kept pestering her and won’t go away without an answer, and then told me that the cinnamon in question is listed as a “mirodenie”, not a “condiment”, and I’m using the Romanian terms because both translate to “spice”, the difference being that “mirodenie” refers specifically to plants that add flavor while “condiment” is generic, but may be said to mainly refer to “spicy” things. Either way, it was very cheap, much cheaper than another brand would have been even after deducting the 25%, so I left it as it was at that point and went back to the metro. And I also quickly checked the nearby Mega Image when I got here, putting the bag with the purchases from Auchan in a cabinet that didn’t lock and then retrieving it.
It was close to 9:40 PM when I got back, with 12.5 kg, but quite a few of those were just from Auchan. Then I set the first set of pots to boil, ate a piece of cake from my mother, put a few of the purchases in their place, and got on the toilet after I poured those pots in the bathtub, since dad was here and he brought the second set while I was washing my head over the side of the tub, with cold water. Then, after bathing, I weighed what I had received and put those products in their place, ate some grapes, and had dinner between 3:25 AM and 4:15 AM, during which time I also sent Carrefour another message on Facebook, to explain the situation and once again ask for exact information, and wrote some quick notes about the day. After also doing the day’s squats, I got in bed at 5:25 AM. And I’ll also add here that I checked Auchan’s site and saw that they had four brands of ground cinnamon and, oddly enough, the deal applied to the two that were more expensive, but not to the two cheaper ones, so I also sent a message about it, also complaining about that employee’s attitude and mentioning that it wasn’t the first time I had been on the receiving end of it, and it was weeks later when I received a reply, saying that their deals are always listed in the store, which clearly wasn’t the case then, since we were talking about the same kind of product and the same area of the store where all of those signs were, but also letting me know that the employee in question had been required to repeat her customer service training.

On October 19, when I woke up a little before noon, when dad was in the kitchen, I checked for replies from Carrefour and the e-mail stated that the correct dates were those from the new file, but on Facebook I was told that they’ll check and get back to me, and hadn’t until then, so I sent another message, saying that by then they could just ask someone from Baneasa to have a look and see what’s happening, and after that I did get a reply, saying that what those from Baneasa had told me was indeed correct, so the campaign wasn’t at Baneasa anymore and will move to those two other locations between October 20 and 22, and I was also given all of the other dates, which remained unchanged, along with apologies for the situation. And that update was removed from the site, but while I was told that they’ll upload the correct one soon, some time later the same file was uploaded once again! Either way, after another nap and some more time spent in bed after waking up, I eventually decided to go to Auchan Titan, leaving at 6:55 PM and looking for what I hadn’t found at Obor, since it was the last day when I could get that 25% and I had two products left, since the deal hadn’t applied to the cinnamon.
I initially meant to just walk there and then see whether I’ll have time for anything else and still get back in time to pay the maintenance bill, but once I was out I decided to run to Carrefour first, pulling down the mask after a little while. But that proved to just be a waste of time, so I rushed out and ran to Auchan, taking off the jacket after a while and holding it in my hand until I got there and put it back on. Then, after a quick look at a place that sells socks, I entered Auchan and saw some sweet pastries that were two for the price of one if you used the store card, and the ingredients seemed fine, so I got two of those, and also two whole wheat breads with seeds, since the price was even lower than that of their regular whole wheat bread after it got reduced. Since I recently saw that bread at twice that price, it was probably 50% off that day, though I didn’t see that listed anywhere. Either way, I accidentally dropped one of those breads while looking through them, and the tip was out of the bag and it hit the floor, and I just wiped it and put it back, feeling rather embarrassed. Then I looked for those larger bags of pepper, the site stating that they were in stock at that location, but I couldn’t find any and when I asked an employee he also said that there were none left. So I just got some tarragon for dad, used a self-checkout and ran back, which gave me enough time to check both Penny locations that are on the way, each time throwing the bag in a cabinet but not locking it. I got an expiring hummus from the second location, put it in the jacket’s inside pocket, then removed the jacket before walking out, once again holding it in my hand while I jogged back.
When I entered the building, I wanted to put the jacket back on, thinking that it might make me look a little less disheveled when I went to pay that bill, but as I unwrapped it from my arm, that hummus fell on the floor. But at least it didn’t break and splatter, so I put it in another pocket, paid the bill and got back a few minutes after 9 PM. And the hot water had returned, so I meant to do 200 squats before washing and did them in the bathroom, but I lost count and probably did 210. Either way, I then made mamaliga, with many things in it, including that protein yogurt taken before the marathon, since I wouldn’t have dared to eat it otherwise, after it had been in the heat all day.

On October 20, I got up after the alarm rang, at noon, and left at 2:50 PM, with 28 bottles, as in 20 regular ones, including three small glass ones, and the eight granting two products that I had just carried around two days earlier. Most were small, so they all fit in the large backpack. And I also took the paper, dropping it off in a recycling bin on the way to Mega Mall, since I went there first, putting the backpack in a cabinet, taking a cart and getting the seven bags of cat litter that I meant to get. I could have gotten less, since I had to use the voucher received for the new kitchen TV and seven would have been required for the total to exceed its value if I wouldn’t have gotten anything else, and I grabbed a number of expiring and spoiling products, but I stuck to that original plan, since that cat litter was discounted and those vouchers with 20% of the value were also offered for all pet products those days, so it was the perfect moment to stock up. Then, after retrieving my backpack, I somehow managed to stuff all of the purchases in that cabinet and continued to Colentina, grabbing more of those bottles on the way.
I got there just before 5:25 PM and the same people who had been at Baneasa were there as well, and the girl who gave me the products was particularly nice, so I gave eight of those bottles that granted two products and got four Golden apples, weighing 547 grams, four eggplants, weighing 1.181 kg, four squashes, weighing 1.674 kg, five Bianca peppers, weighing 807 grams, since that girl dropped the fifth one into the bag with a smile, four beets, weighing 2.168 kg, since she picked large ones and actually dug for a particular one and said that she was giving me that one that she particularly liked because she knew me by then, four celery roots, weighing 2.167 kg, and four apples of other kinds, which weighed 825 grams but seemed different, two or three likely being Red Delicious and one or two probably being either Gala or Jonaprince, and I didn’t weigh them separately. And the guy who had asked me to point him to that file had also arrived by the time I was done, and he thanked me for sorting things out and when I told him that they had uploaded the same file instead of a corrected one, he checked the site and saw that they had finally uploaded the correct file by then.
After putting what I had received in a cabinet, which was a little tricky, since the location for this campaign was just in front of the cabinets, some of them being completely blocked and others only accessible by reaching over a table, I entered the store and meant to buy some underwear, since those vouchers were also offered for “men’s textiles” those days and the kind of boxers that I’ve been wearing since shortly after I started running were actually available in that location, which isn’t the case pretty much anywhere else. However, I first bought two of the four, wanting to make sure, and when the receipt came out I saw that it didn’t contain any voucher, so I called over an employee and she told me that “textiles” meant “things like t-shirts” and didn’t include underwear, and when I said that in that case I wanted to return them, she said that they don’t normally accept returns for underwear. But I hadn’t even walked out of the store, and obviously hadn’t tried them on, so I insisted and she told me to go to the information desk and see what will happen. So I set the underwear aside and tried to scan the expiring bread which I had also meant to get… Only for the full price to scan as well, the sticker with the discounted price only partially covering the regular bar code, and I couldn’t get myself to call that employee over yet again, so I just walked away from that self-checkout, leaving the bread but taking all four of those boxers with me even though I had just paid for two. And that obviously caused some confusion at the information desk, when I tried to explain what had happened and handed all of them over along with the receipt that was just for two, but they eventually refunded me for the two that I had paid for and took all four back. Then I retrieved my things, put everything except the bag with the remaining bottles that granted two products in the backpack, used the toilet, and walked out at or just after 6:45 PM.
On the way back to Mega Mall, I quickly checked a Profi and also that Mega Image from Pantelimon, which had reopened by then, just putting the bag with those bottles in a cabinet each time, without locking, and then retrieving it. Then I retrieved the other purchases and two of the bags of cat litter from the cabinet that I had left them in and made my way back, grabbing another one of those bottles on the way and arriving here when it was almost 8:50 PM, with 25.5 kg, though 12.5 of them were only from Mega Mall. Then I dropped everything off, put the expiring mozzarella and pastries in the fridge, took what I had received out of the backpack, since I needed it as well, and went out again just after 9:05 PM, with a wheeled bag that I had asked dad to leave for me. And I managed to stuff four of the remaining five bags of cat litter into that wheeled bag, then I put it in another cabinet, leaving the last bag in the first one, and grabbed a few more expiring products, one of them even adding a small voucher on the receipt. Then I retrieved everything and made my way back once again.
I was back for good at 10:25 PM, with just 8 kg on me but pulling 23 kg, though that was easy. Then I tried to move the cable box to the kitchen TV, to be able to watch the qualifying for the race there, since the station broadcasting it is not available on analog… Only for dad, who was taking a bath, to call me to help, because he had flooded the bathroom once again! It wasn’t nearly as bad as the first time and he claimed that he hadn’t fallen asleep again, but that he was rubbing his legs and hadn’t noticed the water level, even though the water would have had to keep flowing for quite a few minutes after reaching what would clearly be a “danger” level before so much of it would have ended up on the floor. Either way, I rushed to mop up as well as I could, then washed the slippers, once again needing to resort to using the old ones, threw the yogurt in the fridge, and decided to take my shower before qualifying, though I first arranged a little more in the bathroom and finished just when Q1 was ending. Then I put the remaining purchases in their place and just split what I had received into two bags, one for what we were going to keep and one for what should be taken to my mother, leaving weighing for another time. I also prepared the bottles for the next day, cleaned and washed what was in the kitchen, ate some of the supposedly spoiling grapes which I had grabbed from Carrefour the first time, finding that they were pretty much flawless, and also that other thing which I had grabbed on the last trip, and had lunch between 3 AM and 3:35 AM, while working on dinner. I ate dinner between 4:20 AM and 4:45 AM and initially got in bed at 5:40 AM, but then I remembered that I wanted to use some hand cream, especially since my right thumb was once again really cracked, so I got back up to do that.

This is how far I got before midnight, but I clearly had to include this first “series” in a single post, so I edited the post Tuesday evening in order to also add the parts about October 21 and 22.

On October 21, I meant to leave later, but when I woke up at 10:15 AM to pee, I decided to get up and get ready, hoping to even be back in time to watch the handball match. So it was just after 12:30 PM when I left, with 30 bottles, ten of them granting two products, and I went straight to Carrefour Colentina, picking up a few more of those bottles on the way, and also spotting a recycling center that’s right on this slightly shorter route to Obor and offers a little more for glass than the one which I had initially meant to take the glass to.
I got there at 2:05 PM, then went to the toilet and put on the mask, since I had taken it with me without putting it on until then. However, after having a look at the available products, I wasn’t even sure that I was interested in six categories, so I was still trying to decide whether to give all the 20 regular bottles or 16 of those and four of those granting two products, and that caused me to lose count, and the machine displayed the number with quite a delay, so I saw 15 and gave one more to the girl, but that was actually the 17th, so I could just give three more of the others, ending up with just three products from the sixth category, which ended up being potatoes. So I got four Golden apples, weighing 622 grams, four beets, weighing 597 grams, four long red onions, weighing 244 grams, four regular onions, weighing 578 grams, three potatoes, weighing 363 grams, and four apples of another kind, weighing 681 grams, but I have no notes about those, so they could have been any of the kinds that I tend to confuse, meaning Idared, Jonathan, Jonaprince or Gala.
After putting everything in the backpack, I went into the store and bought some things, all of them from categories that those vouchers were also offered for those days. I had the impression that there was a single functional self-checkout that also accepted cash and a couple with a full cart was using it, so I waited behind them, but after a while the man told me to go to another one, and when I said that they only accepted cards he said that wasn’t true, so I had another look and saw that he was right, and also found a 0.50 RON coin when I moved to another machine. And I used the 10 RON voucher which I had received for doing their survey as well. On the other hand, I also meant to buy some peanuts, but despite checking on-line before leaving and seeing them clearly listed among the “salty snacks” that those vouchers were offered for, they were unsalted, so I had some doubts, and the employee who was assisting in that area was the same one who had been there the previous day and I didn’t want to end up calling her over for a similar problem once again, so I left them there. Then I took some time to arrange the purchases in a bag, added it in the backpack, and walked out a little after 3:15 PM.
I think I picked up two more of those bottles by the time I got back here, but “managed” to miss something much bigger, since I meant to also check that Profi and somehow just walked past it without realizing it. But I did check the Penny from Obor, just putting the bag with those bottles which I had picked up in a cabinet, buying some things… And ending up paying the exact amount by accident, even though the cashier would have accepted less. I had taken coins out of my pocket, but when I saw the total I wanted to give her another 1 RON bill, leaving just 0.15 RON in coins, yet when she saw the coins she asked whether I wanted to get rid of them and said that if I had 1 RON in coins she’ll take that and it’ll be enough. Well, I didn’t want to get rid of them, but hadn’t planned to be asked to and pretty much froze, just managing to mumble that I thought I had 0.90 RON when she said that she thought I had 1 RON. And she said that 0.90 RON would also be fine, but despite going through the motions that made it appear that I was counting, I just couldn’t, so it was only later, after calming down to some extent, that I realized that I had somehow, completely by accident, given her exactly the 1.15 RON that I should have paid, even though she’d have been willing to accept 0.25 RON less. Either way, when I went to the cabinets the guard also asked to check my backpack, which made me even more anxious, but even though it was obviously full, he said that he didn’t want me to open it, just patting it, and when I said that I had products from Carrefour in it and had the receipt, obviously referring to the purchases, he said that it was fine and moved away. And at that point I realized that I hadn’t taken the receipt for what I had just purchased, but couldn’t get myself to turn around and ask for it.
Between being asked for something I hadn’t prepared for, not knowing how much I had actually paid, not having the receipt to be able to check in case I’ll forget what the total should have been, and the thought that the guard probably suspected me of something, I was pretty much a complete mess at that point and fitting the new purchases into the backpack was a real struggle, so I’m not really sure what I did or how I walked out of there, being pretty much in a daze that only started to gradually clear after crossing the road. So I eventually stopped on some stairs and took my time to check that I actually had everything in the backpack, probably getting in the way of others and looking pretty weird, both while checking and after that, as I struggled to get the heavy backpack back on without having a high enough surface to place it on first.
Even without all of that, it wasn’t certain that I’d have gotten back by 5 PM, when the match started, but all of that lost time and the weight and the heat, that day’s high being 32°C, that didn’t allow me to recover it meant that I was only about to enter the park at that hour. So I decided that I might as well make the little detour to the nearby Mega Image as well, leaving just that bag next to the cabinets, retrieving it on my way out, and getting two more jars of peanut butter, since the discount for the second one made the price per unit even lower than what it had been when I had purchased the first one. And I’m yet to open any of them even now, so I shouldn’t have bought that first one, but there was no way to know at that time.
It was close to 5:25 PM when I got back, with over 15 kg, so I guess I had 14 kg before Mega Image and just eight before Penny. Either way, after cleaning the litter box and putting watermelon in a plate, I took out a bag of trash, dropping it down the chute. Then I ate the watermelon and most of one of the new bags of corn puffs and did the day’s squats, in the kitchen, before going to the toilet and washing. Then I finished the corn puffs and ate a sweet pastry while weighing and arranging what I had received, including the products from the previous day. After that, I rushed to post the week’s first post, and at night, after straightening some bottles, I made pizza, eating between 4:05 AM and 5:05 AM. I got in bed at 5:40 AM.

If I felt that I was able to do it, I meant to leave early on October 22 as well, so when I woke up just before 10 AM, I took some time to think about it and eventually did get up when it was almost 10:20 AM. Then I had lunch, did the day’s squats, and left when it was almost 12:45 PM, with 30 recyclables, including some straightened plastic bottles, 14 bottles that granted two products, two glass bottles and a can. However, I somehow ended up turning right on Pantelimon instead of crossing and then going left, losing some time before I realized it, at which point I crossed and jogged back to where I should have been. Either way, I picked up a few more of those bottles on the way, the first one actually before leaving the building, since I checked the garbage room that’s on this floor and spotted it there.
I got there a little after 2:20 PM, washed my hands and put on the mask, since I had once again kept it off on the way, but different people were handling the campaign that day, or at least at that hour. That made me anxious, and when the guy asked whether I was there to recycle while I was still trying to decide what to get, I started giving him the recyclables, trying a glass bottle and a can, at which point he put the can in the other machine and said that plastic bottles go in one and cans in the other, and then also trying some straightened bottles, at which point he said that they should be as straight as possible, but they worked. However, while there were many different products that I’d have been interested in and I could have easily picked nine categories, I ended up giving him six regular plastic bottles, on top of the glass one and the can, so I could only add 12 of those that granted two products and therefore select eight categories, ending up with four Golden apples, weighing 604 grams, four beets, weighing 811 grams, four Bianca peppers, weighing 429 grams, four parsley roots, weighing 270 grams, four carrots, weighing 368 grams, four potatoes, weighing 1.289 kg, four regular onions, weighing 529 grams, and four apples of other kinds, weighing a total of 647 grams, and I once again didn’t weigh them separately even though three were quite clearly Jonathan and one might have been Gala, but I’m not entirely sure about that.
Since the machine stopped after the first three items, so the guy had to sort it out and then continue, and another receipt was just for the can, I ended up with three, and that seemed to confuse the woman who took them and asked what I wanted, since she asked for the first category, put those products in a bag, then used another bag for the second category, and then told me to pick 14 more products. So I pointed out that I should have a total of 32 products, eight categories, and had just told her two categories, so I had 24 products, six categories, left, and after a moment she agreed. I also asked why was she using separate bags and she said that they had plenty, so I said that they may want to avoid wasting paper, especially in a campaign that was intended as an environmental one, and she did put all of the remaining products into the third bag. However, when she finished placing another category of products in the bag and I hesitated a moment before telling her the next one, she asked whether I wanted cucumbers, probably because nobody was asking for those, being so small, and that broke my concentration and after rejecting her suggestion I found myself saying that I wanted carrots instead, since they were next to the cucumbers, and forgot that I had meant to ask for long red onions at that point, ending up skipping over them completely. As for the apples, I pointed to the crate with Golden and that with what seemed to be Gala, but I think she grabbed those last four apples from another crate, and they probably tend to confuse and mix the apples just as well, so I ended up with what I said above. And when it came to the four beets, after grabbing two large ones she paused and searched for two small ones.
Either way, after putting everything, including the remaining bottles, in the backpack, I entered the store with it and bought a few things, all but one of them once again being from categories that those vouchers were offered for those days. And yes, I did get some of those peanuts that day as well. Then I struggled for quite a while to put the new purchases in the backpack with rope straps which I had also taken with me, after which I tried to wear it under the large one, but it wasn’t working, and I had those remaining bottles that granted two products in the large backpack even though it’d have been useful to hold that bag in my hands, to be able to quickly add any others that I might find on the way back in it, so I removed them and put the purchases in the large backpack as well. I’d have saved a fair bit of time if I’d have done that right away, but as it was, I once again walked out a little after 3:15 PM, exactly at the same time as the previous day.
At least I didn’t miss that Profi again, but after throwing the bag with those bottles in a cabinet that didn’t lock, which seemed to be the case for all of them in that location, and entering with the backpack, I didn’t find anything to get, so moments later I retrieved it and walked out. Then I also checked the Penny from Obor, putting both that bag and the backpack on the cabinets but then once again just retrieving them and walking out. And I entered that Carrefour as well, trying to find a large cabinet to put the backpack in but eventually just putting the bag in a small one and entering with the backpack, since the only unlocked large cabinet couldn’t be locked. And, after somehow missing that until then, I noticed that the price of the small bags of frozen spinach was good, much better than that of the large ones, and those vouchers were also offered for all frozen products those days, so I got some of those for dad. Then I retrieved that bag and the fact that I held it separately did end up being useful, since I found a couple more of those bottles on the way back. Otherwise, it was pretty hot that day as well, considering the date, but “only” up to 29°C, so not as bad as the previous day.
I got back just after 5:10 PM, rearranged things in the freezer in order to somehow make the spinach fit in there as well, and then made popcorn and ate some of it and watermelon before going to the toilet and to wash. I almost finished the popcorn while spending some time on-line and trying to get myself to write that week’s second post, but it was late in the evening when I actually finished the last little bits of popcorn, also eating two little sweet things at that point. I also weighed what I had received, washed what was to wash in the kitchen, somehow found a way to make everything fit in the fridge, and had dinner between 3:50 AM and 4:35 AM. I got in bed at 5:25 AM.

Despite ending by stating that “to change the world, we need to be unrealistic, unreasonable, and impossible”, this book‘s title is particularly fitting, as it depicts a far too realistic “utopia”. It tackles major problems like poverty, inequality, too much focus on work, especially of the wrong kind, or the systems that stifle progress, but a good part is dedicated to advocating for a universal, unconditional basic income that’s enough to live on, which concept has been proven to work long ago only to be scuppered by lobbying and politics. And UBI logically leads to a much shorter work week, freeing time not only for leisure and relationships, but also for volunteering, education or art, focusing on beneficial and necessary jobs, like garbage collectors, nurses and teachers, embracing automatization, and eliminating “bullshit jobs”. Also perfectly logical, but somewhat bolder, is pointing out that the jobs that currently bring the most benefits, like lobbyists, bankers, advertisers and many lawyers, tend to actually harm, and asking for penalties for them. Advocating for open borders, which the part about using science and studies to direct development aid can be said to follow from, may currently appear bolder still, but it’s also pointed out that restricting migration is actually a very recent phenomenon.
It starts and ends well enough, stressing how terrible things have been throughout human history, asking to bring back an idea of utopia now that the developed world has mostly become a Land of Plenty, and calling the left to wake up and fight for it, with courage, determination and a clear vision, aiming to make the impossible, inevitable. In between, however, it only briefly touches upon what could and should become the utopian goals of tomorrow, like aiming for what would now be seen as full unemployment, conforming to environmental limits or eliminating the financial system, and doesn’t tackle something like overhauling the concept of the nation state at all. So, again, the concepts advocated here, while necessary, depict what could and should have been the present, the push towards a daring vision of utopia being left for others.

Rating: 3/5

On November 24, after getting in bed at 5:20 AM, I got up when the alarm rang, at 1:30 PM, but after waking up around 11:45 AM, when dad was in the bathroom, I slept poorly, since I wanted to go to pee but couldn’t, so I got back in bed, apparently fell asleep again, woke up once more and did go to pee close to 12:10 PM, then got another brief nap before dad went out, and one more until a bad dream woke me again, seconds before the alarm rang. Then I saw that dad had brought my jacket back, after having it dry cleaned after planting trees, which was nice. He had also taken it there, and I meant to pick it up myself after the run, but then he said that he was going to make a detour before going where he had to go that day, since he was driving, and bring it when he’ll get back, around 6 PM. However, that was when he meant to wake up at 12:30 PM and leave at 1 PM, and he ended up waking earlier and leaving at 2:10 PM, so he used that time to pick it up and bring it back before leaving. Either way, 15 minutes after he left I realized that I had forgotten about the tea, being so relieved when I rushed to the kitchen and saw that some of the water had boiled off but without spilling and turning off the stove. On the other hand, when I checked the jacket, I saw that they had stapled a label to it, with three small staples, which obviously left some marks… But what was done, was done, so I had the usual stuff, albeit replacing two of the almonds with the last two apricot pits, and the sweet thing consisted of two of those nicer biscuits received after planting trees, with added honey, and I left at 3:45 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 10-11°C, holding steady, and it was overcast, but the walk to the park wasn’t as uncomfortable as I feared.
The time was 47:44.14, with sector times of 4:06.92, 4:59 (4:58.28), 5:52.66, 4:28 (4:27.97), 5:02.15, 5:51 (5:50.54), 4:29 (4:28.62), 5:08 (5:07.88), 5:54.22 and 1:55 (1:54.90), making for lap times of 14:57.86, 15:21 (15:20.66) and 15:31 (15:30.72). I wanted to stay under 48 minutes, but Carrefour’s campaign meant that two and a half weeks had passed since the previous run, so I doubted it. And when I pushed from the start and felt that I was already tiring before the long straight of sector one and slowing by the end of it, I was worried… Only to be shocked by that great sector one time. And sector two was really good as well. I couldn’t keep it up on sector three, but I still squeezed under 15 minutes for the lap. However, I still knew that getting under 48 minutes was the best that I could hope for, and lap two proved it, leaving me with a decent buffer for lap three but no more than that. I did have a passing thought of getting under 47:30, but that’d have required going faster on lap three and there was no chance of that, sector two proving it. But at least I was less than a minute slower than that previous run, and I was very content with that.
After having stumbled on an escalator on November 19, I still felt some pain, mainly in my right leg, but it faded as I ran. However, my left knee started giving some warnings from sector one of lap two, and on sector three of lap two I first needed to snap my back and then there were warnings from both ankles. Otherwise, I briefly stopped on sectors two and three of lap three, to see the time. As for people, I slowed a little on the long straight of sector one of lap two, behind another runner, because someone with a dog was next to the lane and I couldn’t overtake. Other than that, there was obviously some weaving and going the long way around, plus a little hesitation because of a dog and also when I went around another person with a dog who was edging towards the lane, but nothing notable, and on lap three it suddenly seemed oddly clear. But, since I mentioned people, I noticed that a guy who ran past as I was getting ready to start and whom I overtook after a while was wearing shorts and gloves, and after a while I realized that he rather had the right idea when it came to the gloves, because at least my thumbs were quite numb by the time I was halfway through the run. But I managed, and otherwise it was just fine.

After jogging back and having a quick look in the nearby Mega Image, I had lunch and changed, though I left the running t-shirt on, and left again a little after 6:45 PM. I first went to Carrefour, getting a number of things, which included a cheap knife that I happened to spot among the discounted products and one of those apple pastries that wasn’t among such products, because those pastries had a regular discount there those days that made the price only a little higher than the discounted one usually is at Mega Image. Then I put the purchases in a bag and left it in a cabinet when I got to Penny, just buying some sweets for my mother, since I asked about the biscuits that I wanted for dad and was told that none were left. And then, after retrieving my things, putting everything in a cabinet when I reached that Kaufland, going to the toilet and entering the store a little after 8:45 PM, I didn’t see any bread or anything that I could use as bread left in the bakery area even though no discount labels were placed yet, so I just looked around a little and then walked out, retrieving my things.
I was rushing to the other Kaufland, but since that took me close to a Mega Image that I don’t usually check, I decided to have a look, noticing that the listed closing time was 11 PM, though I was sure that it used to be 10 PM. Either way, I put the bag in a cabinet, but didn’t take the time to dig out a 0.50 RON coin, so I didn’t lock it even though it could be locked, thinking that I was just going to be in and out. However, an employee was just starting to make the bakery discounts… And they were of 90%! And, while there was no bread, two of those apple pastries were left, so I really shouldn’t have bought that one from Carrefour. So I asked if those were also going to get discounted and she said yes, but that she had to do them in order, so I picked up another pastry that already had the discount label and, after wandering around a little, returned there and started looking through the lists of ingredients… At which point that employee told me that I wasn’t allowed to look there! So I incredulously asked how could I not be allowed to check the ingredients, and after she asked a coworker whether it was allowed and he told her to let me read, she said that she had never seen anyone do that before. Either way, she eventually got to those apple pastries and let me know, at which point a woman also reached for them, then pulled back when she saw me reaching for them and the employee also said that I had been waiting for her to get to them. However, I told her that we’ll split them, and while she was initially reluctant, I said that I was just going to take one and the employee also said that I only wanted one, even though she couldn’t have really known that, so I took one and walked away. Unfortunately, I did so quickly, wanting to escape a situation that kept getting ever more awkward, so I grabbed the one which had already been bagged, so it had probably been taken by someone earlier and left somewhere in the store.
After retrieving my things, I put everything in a cabinet when I reached that other Kaufland, washed my hands once again, and entered the store when it was close to 9:40 PM, so it wasn’t surprising that the bakery area was almost cleared. However, while the listed discounts were lower, when the employee saw me looking she said that they actually were of 75%, but there had been no time to place the new labels. I tried to ask what something was at that point, but she had already left, so I scanned the label from that spot, confirming the 75% discount, and when she came out I also asked whether those products were what that label said, taking them, since I could use them instead of bread, when she confirmed. Then I went to get some green onions, which had an evening discount, and saw an employee tearing the tops off, so I got three bundles and a bunch of tops… And I was gathering those tops when a woman came to tell me that bananas had a deep evening discount… Only for my initial reaction to be to say that I wasn’t interested, which would have made it awkward if I’d have gone there right away, so I wandered around a little even though the store was closing soon, also grabbing some sugar at that point. But I did eventually go to the bananas as well, at which point I saw that they weren’t just very cheap, but also really good, which really doesn’t happen when they’re that cheap, so I grabbed a few whole bunches before making my way to the self-checkout… Which listed the full price for the sugar, and the employees ignored me when I raised my hand, so after a little while I just continued and saw that the discount applied at the end, so it was fine. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and took my time to arrange everything in the large backpack.
I then continued to Auchan, entering with everything when it was close to 10:30 PM and just getting water and a few biscuits for dad. I was looking for one more kind of biscuits when a guard told me to go to the checkout, since the store was closing soon, so I did, but just three checkouts were still open, all of them manned, and I rushed to the one with the shorter line, but after nevertheless waiting for a while, when it’d have been my turn the employee noticed that I was pulling cash out and told me that it was only for cards, and I only looked up and noticed the sign as well at that point. But at least the others did accept cash, so I went to one… And ended up being the last customer, the other line moving faster. So the store was already closed by the time I was checked out and I just carried the water outside, taking my time to arrange everything after that, even though it was raining, as it had been since I had left again in the evening, albeit not badly. Either way, I was still there when a woman was forced out by the guards, but I didn’t really pay attention until the end of that event. And it was past 11:10 PM when I walked away, and then I had to stop a few times on the way.
I got back a couple of minutes after midnight, with 26.5 kg, though after eating a banana and cleaning the litter box, I went to throw a bag of trash down the chute. Then I spread out the purchases, ate the apple pastry from Carrefour, and went to wash when it was almost 1:10 AM. I got back in the kitchen 45 minutes later, put the purchases in their place, washed and cleaned what was in the kitchen, and finally started eating dinner, initially in the kitchen, at 4:20 AM, moving to continue in my room ten minutes later and finishing when it was past 5:10 AM. I got in bed at 6:15 AM, without getting on-line, so I only later saw that no visits were recorded on November 24.

In the early hours of December 2, I ate dinner between 3:20 AM and 4 AM, in the kitchen, also having some of the old peanut butter on some of the slices of bread. But the large blister that has been under my tongue for quite some time bothered me again, and when I looked, after eating, it was as if another blister was developing on it or it had burst, so I bothered it a little and it filled with blood, but didn’t burst, so I used a little of something sent by my mother after dad had told her about it, even though I hadn’t wanted to use that until then, and I noticed that it’s mainly against candida. However, it seemed that the blister did burst while I slept, since there was a little dried blood there when I got up, after the alarm rang, at 1 PM, and while the place was sore, the blister was smaller and I could see through it, so I had probably swallowed whatever else had been in it. But it soon went back to how it was before. Either way, I had the usual stuff, with the yogurt being a “Greek” one with 10% fat and 5% protein, and the sweet thing two of those nicer biscuits, with added honey. However, I once again forgot the water on the stove, going to my room while dad was getting ready to leave, and he didn’t let me know either, so I only realized it when he was just about to leave, but we were once again lucky, because a fair amount of water had boiled off, but it hadn’t spilled and turned off the stove. And I put on the full running gear and left at 3:10 PM, when the reported temperature was 13-14°C, likely dropping by 1°C by the time I finished.
The time was 48:38.01, with sector times of 4:16.64, 5:02.34, 5:55 (5:54.91), 4:38.06, 5:08 (5:07.72), 6:04 (6:03.68), 4:31.16, 5:10.25, 6:03 (6:02.56) and 1:51 (1:50.69), making for lap times of 15:13.89, 15:50 (15:49.46) and 15:44 (15:43.97). It was Saturday and just after the National Day, so I started by thinking that if the park will be terribly crowded and I won’t even get under 50 minutes, I’ll continue to 16 km, but quickly realized that if I’ll be that slow, it’ll be entirely my fault, and each of the first two sectors were faster than I thought they’d be and the first lap made me wonder whether I could keep it up and get under 48 minutes. But the first sector of lap two made it quite clear that it wasn’t going to happen, and each sector that followed only confirmed it more and more, so I ended up just aiming to stay under 49 minutes, which wasn’t a problem. But it was a poor time, and the crowd wasn’t enough of an excuse, the notable problems caused by people being enough to say that I’d have gotten under 48:30 otherwise, but not more than that.
While it was less crowded than I feared, it did get somewhat worse after the first lap. On the first sector, I just went on the grass a little, but cut a turn while doing so. On sector two of lap two, a roadblock caused me to go on the grass once more and another to slow a lot and probably stop for just an instant, and then I also hesitated when a guy cut across the path in front of me. On sector three of lap two, it was a good thing that I had good “brakes”, because a girl was running with her dog and the dog suddenly cut across the path, to a guy on a scooter whom I was just passing, and I just managed to stop before all of us got tangled up. On sector two of lap three, I had to go on the grass and around a bench because of another roadblock, going slowly because that area is also somewhat sloped towards the lake. On sector three of lap three, I again slowed and likely stopped for an instant because of a roadblock. Plus various moments of weaving and going the long way around. Otherwise, on sector three of lap two I stepped in a hole that I didn’t know was there, under the lane, but just with my left heel. And I stepped in another such hole on lap three, though I’m not sure exactly where. Either way, it was also with my left foot, and it wasn’t that bad. But the notable physical problem was the pain I felt in my upper abdomen from the end of sector two of lap one, and I only started to gradually get over it on lap three. Some of it was reflected from my back, but probably not all of it, and it was hard to run like that, so it most likely slowed me a fair bit.

I quickly checked the nearby Mega Image on the way back, then ate a banana and lunch, even did the day’s squats, changed, though I left the running t-shirt on, and after going to drop a bag of trash down the chute and returning to wash my hands, I left again at 7:15 PM. I had dad’s metro card but didn’t use it, taking my chances nearby, first in Carrefour, also dropping off two burned out light bulbs that I had taken with me. And I did find one product that I could use as bread among the discounted ones, but only if I wasn’t going to find anything else, so I hid it and just got a discounted pastry, two expiring yogurts and a cabbage, putting them in the backpack and leaving it in a cabinet when I got to Kaufland. Then, after eventually making my way to the bakery area, I saw some products that were very similar to that one from Carrefour, but slightly cheaper, thanks to the evening discount which had just applied. But I still didn’t really want to get something like that, so I scanned a couple of other labels, but when I found that those products really didn’t have an evening discount, I just bought an expiring product, added it in the cabinet and returned to Carrefour. However, while I retrieved that product from where I had hidden it, I eventually just put it back among the discounted ones and hovered around the bakery area until just before 9 PM, wondering whether they’ll make more discounts. But there didn’t seem to be any sign of that, so I walked back out.
I washed my hands before entering Kaufland once again, but those similar bakery products were no longer there by then, and when the employee was moving everything that was left into one area, I asked her about that other product that wasn’t discounted and she said that it really won’t be. Still, I hovered around, eventually caught a moment when she wasn’t there and grabbed the two labels which I had scanned the first time as well, but scanning them again only confirmed that they had no evening discounts. But I did get a sweet pastry and three buns, including one that I consider to be too expensive at half price, but I found myself grabbing it right after asking about those other ones and thought that I could combine it with one that I already had and use them instead of bread that night. Then I grabbed a few more things, made my way to the self-checkout, and while I was uncertain that the price of the regular buns was correct, I didn’t comment because the labels had been placed over each other, I hadn’t really checked carefully, and the price that I thought they should have was only slightly lower.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet, I was arranging the purchases when the closing announcement came, and then I went to that Mega Image as well, putting the backpack in a cabinet and entering with the bag that hangs from my neck… And doing so just in time, since an employee was grabbing all of the discounted bakery products, scanning them and throwing them in a basket, and the one bread that I could get from there seemed to be next, but I reached over when she turned to drop the other products into the basket and grabbed it. I then asked whether she was throwing those products away and she said yes, but it actually seemed like she was getting them for herself… Or that she was about to increase the discount, so I wandered around and waited, finding some bread with a 90% discount that I could get for dad, so I got one, and also some cheese for myself. That cheese also expired the next day, but the discount was still 50% at that point. However, more of it was left, I decided to have another look at the expiring products before making my way to the checkout, and at that point the remaining ones had new discount labels, listing 90%, so I left that one and grabbed one of those instead. And when I went to the checkout, I saw that the employee who had taken all of the discounted bakery products was dressed to leave. Then I retrieved my things and arranged the purchases.
I got back a little after 11:05 PM, put the purchases, with the exception of the cabbage and my bread but including some that dad had left scattered, in their place, talked to dad a little after he finished his bath, then ate the sweet pastry from Kaufland and went to wash when it was close to 12:40 AM, being done 50 minutes later. Then I put what was left of dad’s purchases and my cabbage in their place as well, rearranged the vegetables in the fridge, dealt with my bread, washed what was to wash, moved what I wasn’t going to eat that night of that expiring cheese into a jar, prepared some things for what I planned to cook the next evening, and eventually ate dinner between 4:30 AM and 5:20 AM. I got in bed at 6:20 AM, again without getting on-line.

I should have been able to finish writing everything that’s above before midnight, but I checked some five minutes earlier and noticed that I had gotten signed out, and my host just migrated the sites to another server and this seems to have messed some things up and the way I have things set up meant that I couldn’t sign back on normally, and it took me several minutes to figure out a solution, so it was actually a little after midnight when I posted what’s above, minus the last paragraph, though I did set the time to 11:59 PM. And then I edited the post in order to add that paragraph and this one a little later. But I meant to write about two more runs in this post, to really catch up, so I had to add the rest before the next run and managed to do so, adding what follows Tuesday evening.

On December 4, after once again being terribly slow in the kitchen, I ate dinner between 3:25 AM and 4:10 AM, then got in bed at 5:20 AM and got up when the alarm rang, at 1 PM. I then had the usual stuff, with the yogurt being another “Greek” one with 10% fat and 5% protein, but I had checked the apples the previous evening and noticed that a huge Red Delicious one, possibly the largest one received from Carrefour’s campaign, looked like it was going bad, so I took that one and realized just how bad it was getting when I cut into it. It is possible that it had been up against the back of the fridge before I had checked them and frostbitten as a result, I couldn’t recall, but I could only recover a few small pieces of it that looked more or less fine, and at least those were really good. I did also try a couple of small pieces that looked quite bad and I didn’t notice any foul smell or taste, but I didn’t dare to eat more. Either way, the sweet thing consisted of two nicer biscuits, expired months ago, with added honey, and I left just before 3:35 PM, wearing the running gear plus the shirt from the old running suit, two pairs of socks, the gloves and that thing on my neck, pulled up on the way, and I obviously also wore the jacket on the way, keeping it tied around my waist as I ran. The reported temperature was 3°C, and 2°C when I finished.
The time was 49:41.79, with sector times of I believe 4:25.29 and 5:23 (5:22.82), then 6:07.43, then I believe 4:46 (4:45.88) and 5:18.37, then 6:10 (6:09.94), 4:39 (4:38.94), 5:10 (5:09.53), 5:50 (5:49.81) and 1:53.78, making for lap times of 15:55.54, 16:14.19 and 15:39 (15:38.28). I’m quite certain that I saw the correct time after the first sector, but that awful time for sector two made me wonder whether the first sector hadn’t actually been ten seconds slower, and I had actually been surprised by that time, since I had felt particularly slow from the start. But I know that I was particularly slow on the long straight of sector two, and I’m pretty sure that I was faster on sector two of lap two, so the times are probably correct. But then I was also confused about sector one of lap two, finding after sector two of lap two that I could no longer remember whether the total time after sector one had been 20:41.42 or 20:42.41, but I remembered thinking that I had been 20 seconds slower in terms of the exact time, which I consider to be the normal difference between sector one of lap one and sector one of lap two when things aren’t going well, so I assumed the first option. If it’s the second, the time for sector one of lap two is 0.99 worse and that for sector two of lap two is 0.99 less bad.
Otherwise, I expected to be slow, running in those conditions and dressed as I was for the first time in a long time, so I already mentioned that the first sector seemed oddly fast, if I saw the time correctly. But then the times ended up as bad as I thought they were going to be, sector two of lap one standing out as really awful, again assuming that I saw that first sector time correctly. I struggled to get under 16 minutes on lap one and at least I managed that, but after that I was thinking that I’ll have to push to even stay under 51 minutes, 50 minutes seeming quite impossible. However, after lap two I thought that I should get under 50:30 and pushed from the start of the lap, and pretty much gave it everything on its third sector, wondering whether I could get under 50 minutes after all, and being surprised to find myself safe at the end of the lap. An awful time, of course, but under those circumstances I wasn’t particularly disappointed… Even if, without counting three that were obtained in entirely special circumstances, I have to go back before the hospitalization, when I was so anemic and weak, to find worse times.
I slowed because of a roadblock on sector one of lap two, but otherwise there were unusually few people, so that can’t be any sort of excuse for such a time. And I found myself avoiding the damaged spot on the lane that was a risk of tripping without even really noticing. But there was once again pain in my upper abdomen from the end of sector two of lap one, again starting to lessen only on lap three. Otherwise, I slowed for a few seconds on sector three of lap one, to see the time, but after that I got better at looking at the stopwatch under the new circumstances, with the glove that could cover part of it and the long sleeve that made its position slightly different. Taking off the left glove to press the button and then putting it back on probably cost me a little time, however, as I only kept it off on the final sector. And, on the topic of clothing, as I was making my way to the start location, going down the stairs, a man was running up in just a t-shirt and shorts, and while the shorts would have been too much and at that moment I was amazed, since I was shivering despite the shirt and jacket, after the first lap I was thinking that I could have also been running with just the t-shirt on, though it would have been a problem until then. But I didn’t overheat as I was. And my nostrils were tightening a little at times, because of the cold.

After getting back, I ate a banana and lunch, changed, though I left the t-shirt and shirt on, and left again at 7:15 PM, with a bag of trash which I dropped down the chute and a few dried out pieces of cat food that I left for some cats outside. I first went to Carrefour and bought a few things, putting the bread in the bag that hangs from my neck and the rest in the backpack, then went to Kaufland, very quickly checking another store on the way.
At Kaufland, I tried several cabinets but found no free one that locked, so I used the toilet and entered with everything, at 8:50 PM. There were bakery discounts at that point, but of 45%, yet when I saw that one of those breads was left, I took it, then scanned some labels, found that the products that had regular discounts didn’t have evening discounts but some buns with no discount labels did have them, so I took a sweet pastry and two buns, then got some more things. I spotted another one of those breads left by someone among the refrigerated expiring products, but neither grabbed it nor took it back, and at 9:30 PM bakery discounts of 70% were announced, yet when I went back there I saw the employee coming out with labels listing discounts of 75%, so I stood around for a while and then rushed to a self-checkout to check, confirming those discounts for other products but seeing that they hadn’t increased for that bread and that sweet pastry, since I had taken the last ones. Maybe if I’d have taken back that bread which had been left by someone and nobody’d have grabbed it right away, I’d have had the higher discount for mine as well, and I could have also changed that sweet pastry with one that had the higher discount, but in the end I kept what I had taken and added two more buns of one kind and another of another kind. Then I waited for 9:45 PM before going to the self-checkout, but the discounts didn’t increase again. And I was arranging the purchases when the closing announcement came.
As I left the store, a man asked me for money to supposedly buy food for his little girl, and he had a stroller, and I was meaning to give away the two buns I initially took and one of those picked up at the end, but I wanted to give them to a homeless person, not to someone openly begging, and definitely not to someone with a kid, so I walked away and, after a little while, moved the other two buns and the sweet pastry into the bag with the bread and left those three in the other.
Then I went to the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM, put just the bag that hangs from my neck, with all of the bakery products, in a cabinet, and just got some eggs. The guard had apparently gotten sick and the cashier asked whether she should call the ambulance just before my turn came, but I turned to look and didn’t see anyone, so I wondered what that was all about until I walked out, after retrieving that bag and putting the eggs in another, and saw the guard on a bench, looking like he was in a pretty bad shape, and what looked like some explosive vomit on the sidewalk.
I gave those buns to the first homeless man I saw on the way back, though another man was talking to him just then and he also had a soup. I saw another homeless man just after crossing that street, but he was smoking and drinking, so I wouldn’t have cared, yet when, a little later, I saw one more, sleeping on a bench, I thought that he might have needed those buns more than the first one, but there would have been no way to know that when I saw that first one.
I got back a little after 10:50 PM, put some of the purchases and some things brought by dad in their place, ate the sweet pastry from Kaufland and went to wash a little after 12:10 AM. I was done just before 1 AM, but then I put the other purchases in their place, arranged in the fridge, saw that dad had left a mess on the balcony that you couldn’t even get past and did a little about that as well, also washed a few things and dealt with my bread, so I only ate dinner between 4 AM and 4:55 AM. And I got in bed at 6 AM, once again without getting on-line. And the following night I might have finished eating at 3:40 AM even though I’d have started a little after 3 AM, but I cut myself pretty badly and it seemed like dad had taken all of the band aids, so after searching around and doing what I could, I took it easy and started eating at 3:35 AM, and took it easy while eating as well, so it was past 4:30 AM when I finished. I got in bed at 5:35 AM, after meaning to make a bandage but finding that dad had also taken all of the opened gauze and I didn’t want to open a new one, so I gave up.

On December 12, I got up when the alarm rang, at 1 PM… And found that there was no hot water, and when I checked the site and saw that it was going to be off until Friday morning, I obviously couldn’t have known that it was actually going to return sooner, being worried that it might not even return then, plus that the forecast for Friday wasn’t good for running anyway, so I decided to go ahead with the plan to run and had the usual stuff. I just wasted time on the toilet, however, despite feeling that I had to go, so I eventually cut my losses, had two of those expired nicer biscuits, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and left at 3:25 PM, wearing the running tights, but the t-shirt and undershirt that I was wearing inside those days, plus that thing on my neck, and also the jacket on the way, tied around my waist as I ran. I also took some bags and money. The reported temperature was 9°C, and it should have been 7-8°C when I finished, but I had asked dad to check for me and he forgot, and I didn’t rush to have a look when I got back, when I’d have at least been able to see what it had been at 5 PM, so I just know that it was 4°C at 7 PM, which doesn’t say anything about what it was earlier.
The time was 48:38.10, with sector times of 4:21.01, 5:11.34, 6:00 (5:59.69), 4:35.13, 5:10.68, 5:55 (5:54.47), 4:35.22, 5:05 (5:04.78), 5:55.56 and 1:51 (1:50.22), making for lap times of 15:32.04, 15:40.28 and 15:35.56. I started somewhat hesitantly and the first sector’s time was better than expected, but the rest of the lap was poor and, if I didn’t think that I’ll get back under 48 minutes in the first place, that first lap didn’t just make that a certainty, but also made me doubt that I’ll even stay under 49 minutes. Lap two gave me some hope, however, so I pushed on lap three and after sector two I wondered whether I could manage a really good sector three and even get to 48:30. But there was no chance of that, so I had to settle for just being closer to 48:30 than to 49 minutes.
I might have slowed a little in order to see the time better on sector one of lap three, and definitely did so on sector three of lap three, but that was pretty much it. On the other hand, I was a little worried about the jacket, since it started turning at some point, I think on lap two, and from the start of lap three it felt like it was slipping and pulling my tights down, since the t-shirt was tucked into them, so it wasn’t sliding over it. But the tights were tightened well, so I’m not sure whether the jacket would have slipped any lower anyway, but at least that made it settle into a position soon enough, and from sector two of lap three it seemed stable. Otherwise, it was quite wet, but oddly enough the lane didn’t feel particularly soggy in most places. There were, however, two damaged spots that were a risk of tripping. So I avoided what I could, but I could use the lane as well.
The strange thing was that all of the other runners bar me and one guy had jackets on, even if one guy had a jacket and shorts. But that one guy was topless! He had a large backpack, but was only wearing pants, and he was running in the opposite direction, so we kept passing each other. I saw him the first time moments after starting and obviously looked surprised, since he nodded at me, so after that I tried to ignore him, but I was trying to figure out where we were going to pass each other again, he was slower than me, and it was hard to be certain that he’ll get to what for me is the end of the lap before I’ll finish the third one, yet the fact that I didn’t even see him coming at that point made me think that he might have stopped by then. Still, he covered at least three laps like that, or more if he had started earlier.

I didn’t take a mask, so I just pulled that thing up when I entered Park Lake and just got an expiring sweet pastry from Carrefour, put it in the jacket’s inside pocket and continued to the new Penny, just quickly checking two other stores on the way and then getting some garlic and some more roes from there.
I got back a few minutes before 6 PM, seeing that dad had already put water on the stove, and he took it to the bathroom as well, and then I washed with it. After I was done, I ate an orange and another piece of that pie that dad had brought, I think made by his sister, and then made mamaliga, with some fish which had also been brought by dad in it, and that was one large piece of fish. But I also poured in the water that I had boiled carrots in quite some time before, which I had kept in the fridge since then, and while it looked fine at the top, I didn’t look at the bottom of the jar, and when I poured it I saw something dark fall in, and there was some whitish slime left in the jar, so I wonder whether that had been black mold or who knows what crap. I tried to see whether I could dig something out, but I couldn’t, so I have no idea what it was. Either way, I also did the day’s squats, late at night.