Cav's Place

Back when an awfully weak form of the Nature Restoration Law was adopted by the European Parliament, there were some hopes that the trialogue will bring some improvements, but that hardly happened. I mean, getting rid of the result-based approach and asking for “efforts” and “measures which shall aim to achieve” the desired results means that there’s basically no way to enforce anything, since anyone could say that they intended to achieve something, regardless of what actually happened or what they actually did. There are also all of the caveats regarding rewetting, and the “emergency break” that will suspend implementation in case of events that threaten food security…
As I already mentioned, even the most ambitious proposals were a huge distance from what was necessary, but what is there left to say when even those ended up being so watered down that the whole thing barely has any “teeth” left? And it’s not even certain that this form will actually be formally adopted anyway, as there are more steps to go. And then, even if it will, when there’s no real way to actually enforce it, what’s the use? Just for some politicians to be able to claim that they did something? If anything, that may even make things worse, since it’s likely to reduce the backlash…

The initial plan for October 5 was to walk the longer part of the marathon‘s route, since dad didn’t need the metro card, but there was no hot water the previous day and the site stated that it’ll be off that day as well, for works needed to modernize the city’s system, so I had given up on the idea, since a cold shower after such a walk was no longer an option when it wasn’t that hot anymore, and in fact that was the first time this season when I felt cold in bed. So I got up late, well past 3 PM… Only to see that there was hot water, and the site no longer listed this area as affected. So I rushed, had lunch and went out a little before 5:15 PM. That obviously didn’t leave me enough time for that long part, so I settled for a part of the route that was even shorter than what had been initially planned as the shorter one, and I didn’t take the metro card, having no use for it. But I did take the new camera, maybe trying to get used to having it with me, as a step towards regaining the courage to attend events.
I started from here and went straight towards Unirii, and if the plan made before leaving was to cross before the National Library, since the main point of this walk was to do that part, from there to Vitan and back, when I got to that point I decided to cover the small distance left to Unirii Square as well. And when I got there I made the small detour to that Carrefour, without putting on the mask, but I didn’t get anything, considering some spoiling cucumbers but deciding against it, which proved to be a very good decision. And when I walked out the guard wanted to check me, so I pulled out the camera from the jacket. I also had a bar in that pocket, which I had taken to eat during the walk, but it was expired, which should have made it clear that I hadn’t taken it from there even if he would have noticed it, but he was satisfied with the camera when it came to the jacket, wanting to see the backpack next, so I took it off and opened the small pocket, slowing him that I just had empty bags there, and then he pressed on the backpack, letting me go when he was satisfied that I had nothing else in it. So, after some wasted time, I returned to the route, crossed and continued on my way.
I made a little use of the camera at one point, at first for a tree that was patched up with bricks, and then the threshold between the light and the dark parts of the walk was just when I ate that bar. I had intended to eat it later, but saw one of those bottles that would grant two products in Carrefour’s campaign and didn’t want to eat the bar after touching it, so I stopped to eat the bar and then picked up that bottle, putting it in a bag and then in the backpack, and noticed that it was quite dark by the time I got moving again, even though there had still been some light when I had stopped, so the transition seemed oddly fast. Other than that, what was notable from the point of view of the marathon was that work was still being done in a part of that area, but it was the sidewalk that was smashed to pieces. Admittedly, there was tape around that area, closing one of the lanes for traffic so people would be able to walk on it instead, but that meant that the road didn’t narrow as much in that area as it did in previous years, when one side or the other were completely fenced off. Otherwise, I still noticed that strange radio interference in a part of that area and tried to stop in the exact spots where I heard something other than what I was listening to, but voices were too muffled to make out what was being said. And I eventually grabbed another one of those bottles, adding it next to the first. Then I got a pretty good feel of the climb that’s on the way back to the National Library and then continued from there. When I reached Alba Iulia Square, I considered checking that Mega Image, but the guard was standing in front of the door and I kept going without trying to walk past him, covering the part of the route that’s on Burebista and then continuing only to that Profi.
That marked the end of that part of the walk, even though it meant leaving the way back on Decebal for another time, and it’s important to get a good feel of that area before the run, since it’s a climb that may not actually be steep at all, in fact being hard to even notice when you just walk, but it’s long and comes after 33 km, so it feels terrible at that point. But continuing would have meant walking all the way back here and not going anywhere else, and I had meant to also go to Kaufland that evening, so I also had a quick look in that Profi and then turned back and went towards Kaufland.
After going to the toilet, it was past 9:15 PM, possibly closer to 9:20 PM, when I entered Kaufland, getting some buns from the bakery area, then returning to the fruits and vegetables and getting plenty of potatoes and cucumbers, which had nice evening discounts. The scales printed a higher price, but the correct price showed up when I used a price checker. I also saw two last watermelons that were listed as being from Romania, and while one seemed too large, the smaller one also sounded fine when I knocked on it, so I took it. The price per kilogram was the highest one I ever paid for watermelon, but not by much, and while it was rather wilted when I cut into it, a week and a half later, it was good enough for a last one for this year. Either way, I then grabbed some more things and, while the self-checkout had worked fine until that point, just after I scanned everything it said that I had taken something off the scales, so I had to call an employee to override that message. And then I accidentally skipped scanning the store card, and that time I actually wanted to, being curious about something, so I hit back… And that message reappeared, so I had to call that employee again, but the closing announcement came while I was using the machine and he walked away right after overriding one more time, so I didn’t call him back when the machine skipped straight to payment when I continued the process, without asking one more time for the store card, nor did I try to go back again, just paying directly, since what I had wanted to check by using the store card wasn’t exactly important. At least I used all but one of the remaining vouchers obtained for recyclables. Then I took my time to arrange the purchases, but then I stopped again at one of the tables that are outside and arranged a little more, walking away just after 10:15 PM… And then stopping a couple more times before finally leaving that area.
Despite struggling to carry everything, I had a look in that Mega Image that closes at 11 PM from the door and saw discounted bakery products, so I put the bags I held in my hands in a cabinet and entered with the backpack and the bag that hangs from my neck, hoping to find one of those apple pastries. But I didn’t, so I just retrieved my things and walked out again. But when I got here and also checked the nearby Mega Image, leaving the bags I held in my hands next to the cabinets, I decided to buy a jar of peanut butter of one of their brands that was on sale, even if it’s made in Netherlands and just lists “non-EU” as the source of the peanuts. They were promoting that brand and I wanted to make use of that really good price to be all set for next year, if not even use some of it before the marathon, since it seemed a little better than the old one that I still had… Only to not use it then and see an even better deal some time later, but I couldn’t have known that then, but since the price was so good and I made use of that other deal as well, I have a small stock and will probably start having some of it these days, when I have some more long walks… And a tree planting event, assuming I won’t back out of it. But, to return to that evening, an employee was moving around that small store with a cart and passed by that spot twice while I was checking out that peanut butter, so I had to move aside, and the second time the weight of the backpack unbalanced me and I had to lean against the glass of a freezer so I won’t fall. She apologized multiple times and I took some more time before finally making up my mind and buying that peanut butter, then I retrieved my things and walked out.
I got back a little before 11:20 PM, with almost 25 kg… And I weighed under 46 kg. I then went to throw two small bags of trash down the chute and saw that the battery which had been there even on September 30 was still there, so I took it, thinking that I’ll take it to a recycling center at some point, though I’m yet to do that. Either way, I then washed some things, put some of the purchases in their place and ate a large apple and a piece of cake that I already had. It was almost 1:15 AM when I went to take a bath, being done at 2 AM. I then washed what was left, put the remaining purchases in their place, with the exception of the potatoes, which I just left in the bag, ate a bag of snacks while working on dinner, and ate dinner between 3:50 AM and 4:25 AM. Since dad had admitted his lack of self control and said that he’ll go through them right away if he’ll see them there, I had initially taken some of the purchases that were for him to my room, but before going to bed I decided that it was his problem and took them back. I got in bed at 5:30 AM.

The plan for October 8 was to get up at 10 AM, but when I got up to pee, a little after 9 AM, I moved the alarm to 11 AM, though I woke up again a few minutes before that time and turned it off and got up. Then I ate watermelon and lunch, even did the day’s squats, and left at 1:30 PM to walk the long part of the marathon’s route. I had dad’s metro card and a can, which I threw in the recycling bin at the metro station, and I was also wearing a mask when I left, but I took it off after getting off at Izvor, and after exiting the park, around the start location of the marathon, I also took off the jacket and put it in the backpack. And soon after that, as I was crossing that road at the start of the route, a gust of wind blew off my cap, right on the street, but I could retrieve it, and was careful to hold on to it after that.
Since I didn’t cross before turning towards Constitution Square, I was on the wrong side in that area, but at least I went right through the Square. Then I followed the route just to Unirii Square, not continuing to the spot where it turned, after that hotel, since I had walked that part already, so I then crossed and continued from there. And on Kiseleff I stumbled into what seemed to be an antiques’ fair and checked it out, having a look at some things, and there were some beautiful birds wearing armor pieces, very detailed and pretty large, and I asked about the price of one and was told 5000 RON! I’m surprised the guy let me handle two of them, in that case! I had thought that they just looked like silver, but at that point I asked whether they were actually made of it and he confirmed it… Though I spotted what looked like a dot of rust on one, which shouldn’t happen with silver. Either way, I then went back to a small bronze horse that I had spotted, checking it out a second time, and that guy got my attention and said that it was 50 RON, but I told him that I’ll keep looking and eventually continued on my way.
It was nice that Victoriei was pedestrianized that day, so I could actually walk on the street. Otherwise, I had grabbed another one of those bottles for Carrefour’s campaign by the time I approached that short but bad climb and took a few pictures of something, since I had once again taken the new camera, and I left the bag with the bottle on the ground and walked away without it, though I realized it after a little while and retrieved it. And I was just getting to the end of Victoriei when, a little after 6 PM, it suddenly got quite cloudy, the wind picked up even more and it got noticeably colder. But I only put the jacket back on when I stopped to pick up a second bottle, when I was once again around the starting area, having left the route when I got past Izvor Park, so I won’t walk that portion one more time. Then I went past Constitution Square once again, that time on the correct side, and continued to follow the route, ending up walking on Unirii Boulevard one more time because I had to keep going after returning to it.
It was around 7:10 PM or so when I got back to Unirii Square, so I’d have had time to keep going and eventually also cover the part that’s on Decebal, or even the entire part that I eventually covered two days later, or cross and return to Constitution Square, to cover the last part of the route, which would have taken far less, but on the one hand I did want to go to some stores, and on the other it was so windy that I was struggling to even keep my eyes open. So I decided to go to that shopping center to pee and wash my hands, then I exited through the back and ate the bar that I had with me, then put the mask back on and checked Carrefour, putting the backpack in a cabinet, and putting the camera in it as well. But the only benefit of going there was getting myself out of that wind for a while, so I then retrieved my things and went to the metro station, getting off at Carrefour Orhideea, entering with everything… And just walking out again.
After walking to Kaufland, I washed my hands, only finding soap after checking the toilet for disabled people, since there was none in either men’s or women’s, then I entered with everything, a little after 8:30 PM. Since I had forgotten that it closes at 9 PM on Sunday, I was surprised that the bakery area was almost cleared. But at least I got an expiring product for dad and the last bundle of green onions that was left, and which had an evening discount. However, none of the self-checkouts that should have accepted cash worked, so a regular checkout was open and I had to use it, waiting in quite a line. But at least I used the last voucher obtained for recyclables. Then I added the purchases in the backpack, but I set down the receipt while doing that and forgot it there, so when I realized it, after walking out, I rushed back and was relieved that the doors still opened and it was still there, so I could retrieve it.
I then took the metro to Obor, jogging to Carrefour, entering with everything and seeing that they were making the evening discounts for bakery products, so I got two sweet pastries, plus an expiring bread for dad, and managed to use the last self-checkout that accepted cash that was still open, an employee closing the next one when I got there and then waiting for me to finish in order to close that one as well. Then I took the metro back here and made the small detour to the nearby Mega Image, leaving the last bottle that I had grabbed in the parking lot, since it was large and I had grabbed it on the way from the metro station and had just held it in my hand. I entered with everything else, however… And then I once again just walked back out, retrieving that bottle.
It was almost 10:30 PM when I got back, then I put the purchases in their place, ate one of the sweet pastries and an apple and also took another pill, just in case. Dad also got back during that time and he went to take a bath first, so I went after he was done, at 12:10 AM, wasting some time on the toilet and then washing. I got back in the kitchen at 1:15 AM, but I mostly just talked to dad until close to 1:30 AM. I ate a bag of peanuts while working on dinner, so I got 950 calories just from that, and then I ate dinner between 3:25 AM and 4:25 AM. I got in bed at 5:30 AM.

On October 12, I left just before 3:55 PM, with a bag of trash, which I threw down the chute, and the plastic and metal, which I dropped in a recycling bin on the way. Since I had dad’s metro card and was going to take the metro from Dristor, I first went to Park Lake, washing my hands but not putting on the mask just yet. After a very brief look in another sports store, got one of those gels from that Hervis, that location seeming to be one of the very few places that still have it. But the gels were somewhat mixed in the boxes and I accidentally grabbed a regular one at first, only realizing it because there was a single cashier and I had to wait a little and had another look, so I rushed back and grabbed the correct one. Then I checked Carrefour and grabbed a nice sweet thing that was among the expiring products, and also a bag of rice from there, discounted by 75%, obviously because it still had a Nutri-Score label. However, when I tried to scan the rice at the self-checkout, the machine said that an assistant will soon come, though the message went away without anybody coming. So I tried again, with the same result. Then I entered the code manually, but the outcome was the same. So it was clear that the person from the computer was just clearing that message without even looking in my direction, since an employee did walk away from there but went to do something else, so I went there and explained what was going on, being told that it meant that the product was not in the system and, in fact, that someone else had tried to buy it before me. And no, there was no way to buy it, the guy asking me to leave it there, which I did.
I walked out of the mall with that product in the inside pocket of my jacket, but then I saw another one of those bottles and realized that the small amount of liquid that I poured out before taking it wasn’t water, so I walked back in through the other door and washed my hands again. Then I also checked Supeco, but the biscuits that I had meant to buy from there, also meaning to eat one, which was actually why I had kept my mask off until then, had increased in price, so I gave up on that idea and didn’t find anything else to get. And I also noticed that the scales were off, and when someone else asked an employee, she said that they weigh the products at the checkout again. Also, the beets had no price, so I asked about it and the guy at the checkout told me what it was, but it was a little more than at Kaufland, so I just walked out, also having a quick look in that Mega Image and then passing through that farmers’ market, glancing at the price of plums, on the way to the metro station.
I finally put on the mask before entering the metro station… And took it off after getting off at Unirii. Then I went to get the race kit, also walking that final part of the route in the process, which was why I got off at Unirii instead of Izvor. When I got there, I had a look at the bars and gels sold by the nutrition sponsor, then moved along and showed the guy the QR code, but he asked for my birthday and I hadn’t prepared for that, so I stared at him for a few seconds. But I eventually managed to blurt it out and received the number, then moved on and also received the t-shirt. A guy who was ahead of me was trying one on and it looked small, so I asked what size it was and he said that it was an S, which made sense, but I just got the regular M, also trying it on before going to receive the rest of the kit. Then I set everything down on a pallet and checked what was in the kit, being quite pleased with the contents, unlike before this year’s half marathon. The 20% discount code for next year’s half marathon and the shot of liquid magnesium were quite enough on their own, and there were a couple of other usable things as well. Either way, I then put everything in the large backpack… And the moment I stepped out of the Sport Expo area my brain started working again and I thought that I should have said something to that guy about my birthday being right on the day of the race.
On the way back, I entered that Mega Image, with the backpack and after putting the mask back on, and I picked up two of the chocolates that I had intended to get, since there was a 60% discount on a second identical product for chocolate those days, but it didn’t apply to products that were already on sale and that specific kind had gone on sale that day, the discount being 20%. The cashier told me that, but he initially said that he had actually calculated it before and it was better that way, which was obviously wrong. So I’d have gotten what was in fact a 30% discount for each the previous day, when this deal would have still applied but the 20% discount hadn’t yet kicked in, but that day I’d have had to settle for just 20%, so I obviously didn’t buy them anymore, and I didn’t go back to get the other kind that I had considered either.
Carrefour was next, and there I did put the backpack in a cabinet, and I found two bags of bio (organic) apples that were among the spoiling products even though the apples themselves looked fine, just the bags being torn and wrapped in cling wrap. And those apples were on sale those days, so buying them for half of the sale price was a great deal, and I did weigh them, making sure that the bags weren’t torn because some of the apples had been removed from them. I only bought one, however, thinking that I’ll get plenty of apples the following week, from their campaign… And that was true, but I should have still bought both. And I should have also bought the mushrooms that I had meant to get, since I saw them there, but I was also going to go to Obor and made the wrong decision to leave buying those for that point. Then I retrieved the backpack and grabbed another one of those bottles on the way back to the metro station.
After getting off at Obor, I entered Auchan with everything and got what I could find out of what I had meant to get plus one bio (organic) egg that I found among those sold by piece and some expiring mini cakes. That location didn’t have the fat-free version of the nice yogurt that I had meant to get and, while they did have the one with 2% fat, that yogurt was also on sale at Carrefour, albeit for a slightly higher price, and I was buying it for the morning of the marathon and about to spend about three times more on it than I’d normally spend on one yogurt, so I decided to stand firm and only look for the one with no fat and, supposedly, a tiny bit more protein. Either way, by then I was expecting Auchan’s self-checkouts to round down the total in order to make it divisible by 0.05 RON, which once again happened, and then I arranged the purchases.
On the way to Penny, I stopped in another Mega Image, entering with everything and getting two of those other chocolates, so I could take advantage of that deal, plus a bag of spoiling carrots. And I stopped one more time before reaching Penny, to sit on a bench and add the bag that I had some of the purchases in into the large backpack. Then I left the backpack on the cabinets and got a couple of things from Penny, and I also saw that the beets had the same price as at Kaufland, assuming that they weren’t going to have an evening discount there, so I decided to look through the few that were left and found three good small ones, getting those as well. And the cashier gave me exact change, with several 0.01 RON coins, which is strange for Penny, since they tend to round in order to avoid using those coins and even reject them if the customers give them some.
After retrieving the backpack, I rushed to Kaufland, put my things in a cabinet, washed my hands again and entered the store a couple of minutes after 9:20 PM. Since I found that some bread that I could get had an evening discount, which often doesn’t happen in that location, I got one, plus a few other bakery products. I also asked about the olives with almonds that were on sale, but I was told that they no longer had any, which was not surprising, considering the deep discount, and probably also the fact that they’re an interesting product to begin with. Either way, it was a good thing that I had bought those three beets from Penny, since I found only a single good one left at Kaufland, so I got that as well, plus a bag of spoiling black radishes.
I was really rushing at that point, and I rushed even more after retrieving my things, but the weight obviously meant that I couldn’t run to Carrefour, and I also had to try a few cabinets until I found one that locked, only putting the other bag in there and entering with the backpack and with the bag that hangs from my neck when it was already past 9:50 PM. At least I found that yogurt, so I grabbed one, but despite seeing some bread that I could get that had the evening discount, I decided against getting any, which later proved to be a problem. But the immediate problem was that I couldn’t find any of those mushrooms. So I was almost running around, trying to see whether they could be in any other spot if none were left in the normal area, but when an employee asked whether he could help me and I told him what I was looking for, he said that if none are there, then none are left. So I just bought that yogurt, but the employees were just closing the last self-checkout that accepted cash, I had to use a regular checkout, and the cashier just gave me the bills as change, not bothering to add the 0.05 RON coin, and I didn’t comment. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, arranged my things and got back to the metro station.
I got back a couple of minutes before 10:30 PM, with over 22 kg, and I once again weighed less than 46 kg. Then I ate one of those bio (organic) apples and a small bag of bagels. And that apple was just so tasty! I don’t normally expect such products to be so much better in terms of taste, but that one really seemed like one of the best apples I had in a very long time, so I really should have bought both bags. Either way, dad once again went to wash first and I washed and cleaned some of what was in the kitchen and even did the day’s squats before he was done. I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, at 12:20 AM, being done just after 1:30 AM. Then I ate two of those mini cakes and only had a combined lunch and dinner between 4:55 AM and 5:50 AM. I got in bed at 6:40 AM, despite not getting on-line and leaving a couple of things unwashed.

I was obviously still awake when dad woke up, at 7 AM, and while I managed to fall asleep while he was getting ready to leave, I woke up when he did leave, then fell asleep again, and then I was woken up again by chainsaws, or circular saws, or whatever they were, this garden that’s behind the building, which was tended by someone, being cleared. They seem to have left the young trees that are next to the fence, but the workers took the fruits. They were also taking apples from the large tree while they talked, and at least they left that tree alone, and the fir as well, though they were talking about whether the scaffolding would fit around it, with some saying that it’ll be cut by those workers but another one saying that it’ll be pruned, so hacked up, but not cut down… Though hacking a tree up like that is a death sentence anyway.
What that told me was that the building was going to be insulated, retrofitted. It had escaped the process so far, even though it had been done to all of the others from this area, and I hoped that it’ll keep being passed over, considering what it means, but no such luck, so even though at the moment they’re just working on the roof and basement, without even any scaffolding set up just yet, the drilling and other noises that start at 7 AM and continue until evening mean that I have to function on as little as an hour of sleep, and then the constant noise messes me up even more, and I’m looking at probably another year or so of even worse conditions.
To return to the morning of October 13, they were done quickly and I tried to get back in bed after that, but I was too angry and depressed to sleep despite being so awfully sleepy, so I eventually got back up and ate another one of those bio (organic) apples, then returned to bed once again and eventually got back to sleep, but I was drifting in and out, and around 2:15 PM I was woken up one more time by the sound of cutting and banging on metal, and then I continued to drift in and out of sleep until around 5:15 PM, when I actually got up… And at that point I saw that a fence had appeared, closing off this space that’s behind the building unless you have a key to the gate.
Otherwise, after first dealing with a load of laundry, it was too late when I started cooking the pasta. I obviously didn’t have any of those mushrooms, and I also forgot that I wanted to add some olives, but I decided to add some carrots. Either way, it was very late when I finished cooking, so I considered eating a combined lunch and dinner once again, or even switching, to work on and even eat dinner while working on the pasta and then eat the pasta later, but I eventually started eating lunch when it was past 1 AM, got back in the kitchen when it was past 1:30 AM, and had dinner between 3:15 AM and 3:45 AM. That was the first day in a very long time when I only brushed my teeth once, before going to bed.

In the early hours of October 7, I ate dinner between 3:20 AM and 3:55 AM. And after getting up I ordered a cheap TV, after having talked about it with dad, since the old CRT one from the kitchen had been requiring more and more attempts before turning on, even reaching hundreds, plus that there had been some diagonal lines over the top part of the image for far longer, and TVs were among the many product categories that Carrefour offered those vouchers with 20% of the value for those days. However, if I ordered it from their site, they charged for shipping, even if it was above the value that would normally be required for free shipping, so I checked whether their delivery service could be used to reserve one and pick it up from the store, being pleasantly surprised that this no longer required paying on-line, which meant that I could order it even before dad got back. The site listed that model as available in a limited quantity at both nearby locations but that delivery service could only be used for the one that is assigned for the area that includes my address, so I ordered it from there but also got ready to go to the other location in case I’ll be told that it was actually sold out. However, I didn’t need to go out at all, since I was quickly called and told that I could pick it up, the guy specifying that I had to do so from the electronics department instead of the usual place for such orders, but dad got back just as I was about to leave and he went instead.
Before he got back, I activated the new version of the list of games played, and after he got back I set up the new TV, then added the games finished last year which I hadn’t yet added to the list, and then rushed to post something, that piece of news offering me the chance to quickly solve the problem of the week’s first post. After that, I made mamaliga, and at night I also added the first Broken Sword to that list and wrote a quick post to mention this site update, since on October 8 I was going to walk the longer part of the marathon‘s route and wasn’t going to be able to write anything else. It was past 5:20 AM when I got in bed… And I’ll also add here that my mouse really acted up that day, all of a sudden alternating between missed and double clicks, the good news being that it then recovered and there hasn’t been another such day since then.

In the early hours of October 10, I didn’t even really think that I could start eating dinner at 2 AM anymore, so despite going to the kitchen a little earlier than usual, after starting to shave a little before midnight, and actually after mixing something that I was going to eat even before that, I only started to eat dinner at 2:30 AM, having some of the older peanut butter, which had hardened but otherwise seemed fine, on some, or probably most, of the bread, and finishing at 3:05 AM. I made the tea while working on dinner, but after dinner I spent half an hour on-line and shouldn’t have. Then I put a couple of things in the running belt and also the cereals, almonds and raisins in dark chocolate in a bowl, which I put in the fridge, so I’ll just have the yogurt to add in the morning. I got in bed at 4:10 AM.
After waking up at one point and seeing 8:06 AM, I initially got back in bed, but rather needed to pee, so I got back up to do that and then did manage to get a little more sleep before the alarm rang, at 8:45 AM. Then I ate the apple and added the yogurt, “Greek” but expired, in the bowl and ate that as well, and another sweet thing were two expired nicer biscuits, with added honey. I even left something in the toilet, took all of the supplements, except of course the second pill of the one for joints, put the other things in the running belt, so its contents will be more or less what they’ll be during the marathon, and ended up drinking most of the tea. I left a little after 10:15 AM, wearing the full running gear and holding the belt, since I put it on after locking and putting the key in that special pocket of the tights. The reported temperature was 13-14°C at that point, and about 16°C when I finished. I pretty much marched to the park, but felt something around my right heel as I entered it, so I stopped on a bench, took off that shoe, found that the sock was a little bunched up and fixed it. I still managed to start running at 10:30 AM, however.
The time was 47:43.45, with sector times of 4:16.35, 5:01.28, 5:56.22, 4:29 (4:28.60), 5:06.53, 5:52 (5:51.59), 4:31.06, 5:00 (4:59.66), 5:43.28 and 1:49 (1:48.88), making for lap times of 15:13.85, 15:27 (15:26.72) and 15:14.00. I was aiming to get under 47 minutes and pushed from the start, so that first sector time was several seconds slower than it should have been. I kept pushing and felt better about sector two’s time, but sector three should have also been better, so the lap made me seriously doubt that I’ll even stay under 48 minutes, and after lap two it seemed quite clear that I won’t. But I just pushed hard from the start of lap three and after two sectors I had some hope to at least have a chance to just squeeze under 48 minutes. And then, after really giving it everything on sector three of lap three, I was surprised to already be safe at the end of the lap, and then to manage a good final sector as well. Needing to give everything in order to obtain what should only be a normal time was a bad sign, but at least it wasn’t worse…
There was some occasional weaving and going the long way around, but the only notable problem caused by people was on sector three of lap one, when a cyclist appeared from behind a blind turn and I was off the lane, so I was the one who had to clear the way and did so, avoiding him after hesitating for an instant. In terms of physical issues, there were some small warnings from the right knee, starting on sector two of lap two, but while they didn’t go away, they remained faint. There was also some discomfort in my upper abdomen, probably at least in part reflected from my back but I doubt that it could be completely explained by that, and it started either from that same sector two of lap two or even from sector one of lap two, and while it lessened over the course of lap three, it didn’t fully go away. Also, a bug got right in my eye on sector two of lap three and I only managed to get it out after getting back and washing that eye. And on that same sector a certain pressing need appeared, but it wasn’t a problem. Otherwise, a few small spots of the lane had been patched up, being marked with bands that were just placed on them, held down by rocks, but much of the lane was soggy and I didn’t avoid some of those areas, so it felt unpleasant. On the other hand, the new shoes felt completely fine, so I guess I managed to cover just the right distance with them before the marathon.

After getting back, I finished the old watermelon, changed and left again at 12:55 PM, with a can that I threw in a recycling bin on the way. I meant to go back to that Profi from Decebal, where I had stopped walking one part of the marathon’s route, and walk what was left, but on the way I decided to have quick looks in several other stores, so I went back and forth in one area, then checked that Mega Image and Penny as well, and that was the first time I entered the Penny from Decebal since messing up the way I did on June 19. Either way, I then checked that Profi as well, but I forgot that I had seen a TV ad listing a good discount on Pepsi, so I didn’t get any for dad.
I then turned around and walked that part of the route, though I also stopped at the Mega Image that’s before the other Penny, getting an expiring product for dad and putting it in the backpack. Then, after reaching the place where the route turns around, I continued to that Penny, getting two bars, one of them from the expiring products… And seeing a long line at the single open checkout, and I hadn’t put on my mask. The woman who was ahead of me saw that I just had those two bars and told me to go ahead, insisting repeatedly and saying that others should also let me past when I said that it’d be pointless to just get in front of her, with so many others ahead, so I was getting increasingly embarrassed, but the guard eventually said that we should come to another checkout as well and at that point I did get ahead of her and of the man who had reacted faster, ending up the first in that new line, though some more time passed before a cashier actually came.
After putting the bars in the jacket’s inside pocket, I crossed to the other side of the road and walked to the entrance of the stadium area before once again moving away from the marathon’s route and going to Mega Mall. I went to the toilet and finally put on the mask before checking that Hervis and confirming that they don’t have that gel in that location, then I entered Carrefour and just got some expiring mozzarella, forgetting about the good discount on cabbage. But I didn’t really need another one, since I was yet to touch one which I had purchased when it had previously been discounted, the price having been higher then… Either way, the self-checkout machine gave me a little less change, giving one more 0.01 RON coin instead of a 0.05 RON one, but I just mentioned it in passing to the employee who was there and then shrugged it off.
After adding the mozzarella in the backpack, I continued to Kaufland, finding sardines in tomato sauce. The sardines of their store brand were listed as on sale in the catalog, but I had previously only found those with lemon at the sale price, those in oil at the full price and none of the others, while that day I saw all four kinds. There were piles of those with lemon and those in oil, almost one full box of those with chili and maybe two thirds or so of one of those in tomato sauce, but while the first two kinds still had those different prices, neither of these other two had any price label, so I took some and tried to scan them… Only for two scanners to freeze at those in tomato sauce, so I then tried those with chili… And saw an even higher price than for those in oil. However, I could then finally scan those in tomato sauce as well, and saw a price that was even lower than for those with lemon, so each kind actually had a different price. But I wanted to make sure, so I used yet another price checker, once again needing to scan something else before it listed the price for the sardines in tomato sauce, and when it confirmed that lower price I bought five, adding them in the backpack. Then I returned to the spot where I had walked away from the marathon’s route and made my way back.
When I saw a homeless person on the way, I realized that I could have bought one of the salads, with cheese and sauce, discounted by 90%, which I had seen in Kaufland, but at the time I had only considered getting one for dad and decided against it after seeing that the ingredients were imported, ignoring the fact that the price was just over the amount that I still want to give away in order to make up for what happened on June 19. But by then it was too late to go back. So, after a quick look in the nearby Mega Image, once again entering with everything, I got back just after 5 PM. And at night, after a late nap, I even did the day’s squats. And I took another pill when I had dinner, just in case.

The initial, tentative plan for this post was to cover the entire period between October 5 and 13, so also including walking the entire route of the marathon and getting the race kit, which would have left me to start the post about the marathon with the day before the race. That would have probably been too much for a single post, even if I’d have written it over multiple days, so another option was to leave out October 5 and 8, when I walked the route, but that still meant making another post, since walking the route is something that I do want to write about, even if most of the post would have still been about odds and ends, and I pretty much stopped posting about days that just contained odds and ends, the oldest one that I didn’t post about being May 22. So I decided to just leave it as it is, with what I could write today, before midnight, and put those other days in another post. That means delaying the post about the marathon even longer, especially since another series of long walks for Carrefour’s campaign is coming, but I really can’t get myself to write about that anyway, the problem being that I couldn’t really get myself to write many notes about the actual run either, so I’ll have to rely on my memory and that will fade as time passes. But I’ll see what I’ll do when I’ll get there…

When I first noticed these games, the graphics caught my attention, they seemed to look just right for a fantasy RPG. But they’re casual games, not actual fantasy RPGs, so I dismissed them a moment later… Until this one was given away for free, at which point I decided to grab and start it. That was mainly because I thought that I’ll finish it pretty quickly and at least have a second finished game this year, at that point my expectations being largely limited to not being frustrated. However, I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would.

Yes, the first things that made it appealing were the expected ones, the graphics and the fact that you just move along, with no stress, risk or frustration, since there’s no way to lose or get stuck. Those traits are specific to casual games and therefore not typically found in those that I’d normally be interested in, but when managing frustration and striving to do things just right tends to be such a struggle, I tend to consider a low difficulty as a positive aspect as long as the game is a good source of escapism. Going this far and ensuring that there’s no way to lose may be too much if it’d happen on a regular basis, but it may feel like a breath of fresh air if experienced sparingly. Also, while this is not a game that would be notable thanks to its story, and even less so when it comes to the world or characters, I could actually say that it does well enough in terms of the overall atmosphere, at least as long as you keep the fact that it’s a casual game in mind and tailor your expectations accordingly.
If you’re not used to such games, you may worry that you’ll get stuck, miss something, use or sell a necessary item or otherwise become unable to continue, but that’s not the case. The limiting factors are gold, strength and reputation, but in fact it all boils down to gold, and plenty of items can be bought and sold at the same price, so you can sell something in order to get enough to advance and then recover any needed items when you’ll afford it. But if that feels like a risk, there are also a few ways to earn money by trading, buying from one place and selling in another, possibly with a crafting phase in between. Making a large amount of money in this manner may feel tedious, but if you want to avoid feeling that you’re taking even any potential or perceived risk, you can spend a little time and do it this way. And you can “stock” strength as well, resting repeatedly, so if you want to, you can earn the necessary amount for the available tasks, including for the food needed to rest in order to have the needed strength, then rest as many times as necessary, and then just move along, without really caring about the order or supposed difficulty of the tasks, with the exception of those that come with a spike in the reputation requirement, which can be taken as advancing to another part or chapter of the game.
Completing a task simply means meeting its requirements, and that even applies to fighting, so it’s never a question of attempting something; you either can do it or see what you’re missing before being able to. And there’s nothing you can permanently miss or lose, so while you can “finish” the game, in terms of the story, while you’ll still have some available tasks or still miss some achievements, you can always continue or have another look, even after the game is “finished”, until you’ll manage to do whatever else you mean to do. And I’ll also mention that you can get all of the achievements, including those that may appear to require finding all of a certain item, enemy or event, without actually doing so, because there are usually a few more available than the number required.

That said, I wasn’t keen on the hidden object part. At least the objects aren’t really hidden, but just small, so it wasn’t actually hard to find everything… With the exception of one quest that I was left with after everything else was completed, so I ended up searching for the solution and finding that I should have actually been looking for a tiny, tiny object that I couldn’t have possibly known to look for. And what was rather annoying was that the next phase was pretty obvious, so I kept returning and wondering how to activate the spot where I was quite certain that I should be clicking, and then whether there was a bug, but in fact I had to find that tiny object before being able to move on to that next phase.
Speaking of quests, a journal would have been useful. There aren’t that many screens and the available tasks are clearly marked, so it doesn’t take long to see what you can still do if you happen to forget, but you shouldn’t need to do that. And you also shouldn’t need to hover over each thing that you need for a task and don’t have enough of in order to see how many you do have, and therefore how many you’re still missing, when that number could have easily been listed directly. And I’ll also mention here that I think that the listed strength requirement is wrong in a couple of places. Also, your gold, strength and reputation could have been displayed at all times, on the border of the screen, instead of requiring you to open the inventory whenever you want to check… And the border is probably also where the buttons that are in the corners should have been, even if only to make it no longer feel like the corners of the image are covered.
Those are all minor matters that I wouldn’t mention, and perhaps wouldn’t even notice, in other games, but these little things become more visible in a casual game, with far fewer elements and systems and little depth to speak of, plus that the UI is more important when that’s all you interact with, not having any actual player character. On the other hand, something that does tend to be noticeable in any game is the point after which the developers seem to have started rushing, and in case of Hero of the Kingdom II that comes once you sail away from the mainland, which is much more detailed than those other areas.
Otherwise, I really didn’t like the fact that you can’t save freely or use multiple slots on one profile, the game saving automatically when you exit. Admittedly, since you can’t lose or get stuck, there’s no real need to go back to any earlier save, but it still makes me feel really uneasy. And there’s also the fact that, if you meet the requirements for a fight or to gather something, it happens automatically, as soon as you click, so you don’t get to see what you’ll use and choose whether to go ahead or not, as it happens for other tasks, and sometimes you may not want to use something at a certain moment and might therefore wish to be able to return to an earlier save. But the more obvious risk of being unable to freely save is losing progress in case the game stops unexpectedly. Yes, you can return to the main menu and then continue right away, in order to create a save, but that’s somewhat jarring and players are much less likely to do that than they are to simply save when the option’s provided, and I don’t recall ever doing it while I played the game.
One last moment when I wished to have been able to load an earlier save was when I suddenly found that I had “finished” the game without actually meaning to. Sure, it’s not just that it’s no problem if that happens, since you can just continue after you get thrown back to the main menu, but the game actually expects that, the final part of the cutscene coming after you do so, before you’re allowed to get back and finish anything you had left unfinished. It is rather unpleasant that there’s no indication that you actually did complete all the tasks and quests, however, especially considering that lack of a journal.

Since I don’t usually play casual games, I can’t judge it from the point of view of someone who does, but I will say that, considering my expectations, Hero of the Kingdom II was better than I thought it’d be. It looks like a fantasy RPG and, within its limitations, may even be said to have the atmosphere of one, but it does away with any stress, risk or frustration and lets the player just advance. It should allow free saving and have a few quality of life improvements, but overall, it’s a nice way to relax in an active manner, perhaps especially if you’re used to playing complex or difficult games… And getting frustrated by them.

The initial form of this post was even stranger than usual, because it was obvious that I wasn’t going to get far before midnight, so I chose to just write the parts about the runs and leave everything else for later. And it actually showed up as having been posted at 12:59 AM on Monday, but that was because I had forgotten to change the hour in the settings, after it had changed last night. It was actually just before 12:59 AM when I added the part about the rest of September 28, and also the paragraph about the total time, which I had written before midnight but had simply forgotten to copy into what I initially posted. And before going to bed in the morning I also added the part about the rest of October 2, just leaving the part about the rest of September 30 for another time, since that’s the longest one. I finally added that one as well in the early hours of Wednesday, before going to bed.

I had no green onions for the salad made in the early hours of September 28, so I used a regular one, and I got in bed a few minutes after 5:15 AM. Then, after waking up again when dad left and going to pee, I assumed that I was going to be able to sleep until the alarm will ring, at 2 PM, but Liza seemed to have slept through the fact that dad had left and when she got up and realized that he was gone she started her “concert” and woke me again, and I was starting to feel the need to pee one more time, and it was close to 2 PM anyway, so I made a brief attempt to get back to sleep but after a while checked the time and saw 1:53 PM, so I turned off the alarm and got up. Then I had the usual stuff, with “Greek” yogurt and a Gala apple, but replaced two of the almonds with apricot pits, and the sweet thing once again consisted of two of those nicer biscuits that expired long ago, with added honey. And I also took the iron, though I accidentally swallowed it directly instead of sucking on it, and one of the pills of the supplement for joints. A reason for concern was that my right knee snapped when I put the bucket of yogurt back in the fridge, and it felt weird after that, but I left a little after 4:25 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 28-29°C, dropping to 27°C when I finished.
The time was 1:17:37, with sector times of 4:15.05, 5:01.50, 5:54.31, 4:31.09, 5:03 (5:02.78), 5:54.25, 4:30 (4:29.10), 5:11.18, 5:47.22, 4:31.10, 5:08.18, 6:02, 4:34, 5:20 and 5:56, making for lap times of 15:10.86, 15:28.12, 15:28 (15.27.50), 15:41 and 15:50. I decided to memorize the exact times as long as they were displayed, until I got to one hour, maybe mainly in order to keep training my memory. Either way, the target was to stay under 1:18, but I didn’t really think about it at first, initially just focusing on staying under 15:20 on lap one. And I rather pushed from the beginning and that first sector time seemed slower than it should have been, but I did have a couple of moments when I was uncertain that I wanted to push that much, so it was probably more or less correct overall. And I pushed harder on sector two and that sector’s time made me aim to complete the lap in less than 15:10. I just failed that, but I was close enough, and I had needed to briefly stop on sector three. Then I just ran on lap two, only realizing as I started lap three that I hadn’t really calculated anything until then. So I started to do so and aimed to still gain compared to that 15:36 that’s the 1:18 pace on it as well, pushing on sector three and managing it after the first two sectors had made that seem highly unlikely. That effort made me worry that I’ll end up at 16 minutes on lap four, but that didn’t happen at all, and while I was a little concerned that I had gone over six minutes on sector three of lap four, at that point I could afford to even go over 16 minutes on lap five, so the new goal was to stay under 16 minutes on that lap as well, and sector two wasn’t good enough, so I really gave everything on sector three and that proved more than enough… And made me wonder whether I could have even squeezed under 1:17:30 if I’d have pushed harder at an earlier point.
It was windy, getting worse from sector three of lap three, and while the cooling effect also helped, there were areas, including straights, where fighting against it was quite an issue. But there weren’t many people, the only notable problems being on sector three of lap one, when a dog that was off the leash charged after a bird, and when the bird flew away it turned back right in front of me and I had to briefly stop in order to avoid it, and on sector three of lap five, when a kid on a tricycle was right on the edge of the lane and twisting the handle this way and that, trying to get moving, and when I had to make a choice I stayed on the lane, since he was turned away from it, but then he turned the handle again and finally got moving, onto the lane, when I was too close to still turn away normally, so I sort of sidestepped in order to avoid him. As for physical problems, my right calf started giving warnings from the beginning, but those came and went and were never serious. Those from my right knee were quite constant, however, and got worse and definitely worrying on sectors two and three of lap three, but then they lessened again and stopped being a real concern. Otherwise, there was some pain in my upper abdomen, probably reflected from my back, which started towards the end of sector two of lap four, but it lessened by the end of the lap. And something once again felt uncomfortable at the back of my right foot, and when I got back I saw that the shoe had rubbed me in that spot, but I had admittedly rather shoved my foot in it before leaving, realizing that it was going to bother me as a result and not doing anything about it. And I had also noticed that the corners of some of the nails from that foot could jab the toes, and one did, so there was blood as well.

I picked up a few plastic bottles and cans on the way back, including one of those bottles that were going to grant two products in Carrefour’s campaign, so I set that one aside after getting back, but first I left everything in front of the door and went back down and behind the building, looking for any more usable apples which had fallen from that tree and just finding one, the rest seeming to have been on the ground for a while. Then I ate watermelon and some nicer corn puffs, changed and left again at 7:45 PM, wearing a mask and with a lot of bottles, plus the two cans which I had picked up, since Kaufland was offering vouchers with 0.50 RON for each recyclable taken to their recycling machines those days, so I wanted to take what probably wasn’t going to be accepted in Carrefour’s campaign.
I had dad’s metro card and picked up a few more recyclables on the way to the metro station, then got off at Basarab and the machine accepted everything except, unsurprisingly, the soap bottle which I had taken to check whether those would somehow also be acceptable. I seem to have had exactly 60 items, not counting that one, and there was a limit of 50 on one voucher, so the machine stopped at that point and released the 25 RON voucher and just three of those that offered a 10% discount on chocolate, even though it should have offered one for every five recyclables, so a total of ten. But I wasn’t going to use those anyway, so I shrugged it off and put in the remaining ten items.
I then walked to Carrefour, picking up another bottle on the way, washing my hands and finding one last bread of the kind that I wanted to get for dad. A couple with a full cart and a kid were barely advancing and I couldn’t get past them as I headed to the bakery area, and a woman who was initially behind me squeezed through and then jogged there and grabbed one of the few remaining breads, but she didn’t take that one. But actually buying it was tedious, because the only self-checkout that should have accepted cash that worked didn’t actually accept cash, but I could only see that the option was crossed out when I got to that point, and after moving to a regular checkout I ended up behind a couple with a huge pile of products, mostly for a small child. I was wondering whether it was the same couple that had blocked my way, but I hadn’t really looked at them the first time, just seeing the problem that they were causing, so I couldn’t tell. Either way, it obviously took a long time for them to be checked out, so buying that single bread took quite a while. And then I just held it in my hand on my way back to Kaufland.
In Kaufland’s parking lot I found a few more recyclables, though four glass bottles were in a corner and had what seemed to be rags between them, so I grabbed them quickly and tried to touch them as little as possible, and obviously only with the hand that I wasn’t holding that bread in, wondering whether what I was seeing wasn’t actually toilet paper, or used for that purpose. However, the machines weren’t working anymore, though at least a cart with a coin in it was nearby, so I took it to the others and retrieved that coin, then put the bag with the recyclables in a cabinet that didn’t lock and the bread in one that did, thoroughly washed my hands and entered the store when it was close to 9:20 PM… But there was nothing interesting left in the bakery area, nor any green onions, so I eventually decided to get a lettuce that had an evening discount and the few small regular onions that looked good. A woman with impatient kids seemed to try to get ahead of me as I was waiting in line at the self-checkouts, but I stepped firmly in front of them and they went back behind me, though the kids kept saying that it should be their turn and calling for help.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinets and throwing the purchases into another bag, I had another look at the machines, seeing that one worked again. A couple were there, with many, many recyclables, and I was thinking that it’ll be 10 PM by the time they’ll be done and the machines will shut down, but just before that hour the other machine also started working again and the guy pointed it out to me, so I could also put in what I had found, the time printed on the voucher being exactly 10:00 PM. Another guy was behind me by then, I told him that the machines may shut down and he said that he hoped that they won’t, so I stuck around a little longer, arranging the purchases, walking away when it seemed that he was going to be able to put in his recyclables. Then I needed to try a few times before the metro card finally worked and I picked up a few more recyclables after getting off here. And I also had a very quick look in the nearby Mega Image.
I got back a little after 10:40 PM, though I then went to throw a bag of trash down the chute. Then I ate the one pastry that I still had, with added jam, took a quick shower, did something else that I had to do, took lunch to my room, starting to eat it at 12:50 AM and finishing just after 1:10 AM, went back to the kitchen a couple of minutes after 1:30 AM, and ate dinner between 3:20 AM and 4 AM. I’d have probably managed to stick to the schedule if I’d have just focused on dinner, but I also sliced dad’s bread and struggled to make it fit in the freezer before taking out the piece that I wanted to eat that night, though it’d have been easy if I’d have done it the other way around, and then I rearranged some things in the fridge as well. I got in bed at 5:20 AM.

In the early hours of September 30, I started eating dinner at 3:05 AM, but I still finished at 3:40 AM. And I once again used a regular onion, since I still didn’t have green onions, but at least there was something green, that lettuce, even if I threw away about as much of it as I used, if not even more, and that evening discount had been a “normal” one, not taking the price to next to nothing, as it had been at other times in the past. And I got in bed at 5:20 AM again, after deciding to wash one more thing which had been in the sink for a while before going to bed, finding what looked like a cigarette butt in it, thinking that I might have picked it up along with some of the recyclables, since I had shaken the bags and the backpack into the sink, and then disinfecting my hands and washing that thing more thoroughly. Either way, I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and had exactly the same stuff as two days earlier, finally finishing those biscuits, exactly ten months after they had expired. I also took all of the supplements, of course with the exception of the second pill of the one for joints, quickly cut the three toenails from each foot that seemed likely to cause problems, and left at 4:35 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 29-30°C, dropping to 28°C by the time I finished.
The time was 48:07.69, with sector times of 4:17.04, 5:06.78, 5:51 (5:50.62), 4:26.32, 5:03 (5:02.37), 5:57.28, 4:31.38, 5:05 (5:04.81), 5:59.16 and 1:52 (1:51.93), making for lap times of 15:14.44, 15:26 (15:25.97) and 15:35.35. I wanted to stay under 48 minutes and pushed from the start, so that first sector time was disappointing, and continuing to push on sector two didn’t really fix things either, so I was thinking that I’ll just stay on the pace for 48 minutes on lap one and then have to settle for staying under 49 minutes, which remained the idea after the end of the lap. And, while the first two sectors of lap two weren’t bad, at the end of the lap it was pretty clear that staying under 48 minutes was out of the question, though I was likely to be closer than I thought during the first lap, and that proved to be the case in the end. Sure, I quite clearly lost more than eight seconds only because of the notable problems caused by people on lap three, so I’d have easily stayed under 48 minutes on a clear track, but the point of this second run from this series is to deal with a crowd and I obviously failed.
As I said, it was crowded, as expected, and getting worse as time passed. There were lesser issues on lap one and the first two sectors of lap two, but on sector three of lap two I had to slow in order to see where a space was going to open in a roadblock, on the long straight of sector one of lap three I had to squeeze through a multiple roadblock, at which point I also recognized a girl that I knew from protests and greeted her in passing, and later on that same sector I went very wide in order to get around other people. I’m pretty sure that there was a moment on sector two of lap three as well, but the details fled from my mind almost right away, so maybe I just slowed a lot. Either way, sector three of lap three was the worst, since I had to briefly stop three times, two of them because I wasn’t on the lane and cyclists were coming from the opposite direction, so I made way. Otherwise, my right knee started giving some warnings from sector two of lap two, and while they didn’t go away completely after that, they came and went and remained at a rather low level. And the right shoe still bothered me at the back at first, but after a while both of them felt just fine, though I did once again see a mark in that spot when I got back. And I did feel the heat… But even so, and despite the crowd, I should have been able to push at least a little harder…

I gathered some more plastic bottles on the way back, ate watermelon and a small bag of corn puffs, changed and left again at 7:40 PM, wearing the mask and with just the large backpack filled with bottles. However, I checked the garbage room and found a large number of bottles, in and around bags. Out of those that were placed next to the bags, one was full of trash and I left that one there, but otherwise there was one with milk in it, a few with some water and one with what looked like peanuts, so I poured all of that down the chute and took the bottles, but I didn’t check those that were in bags, just taking them as they were and only noticing when I put them in the machine that some had a little liquid left in them and one even contained some trash.
Since I also had the metro card, I took the metro to Obor, picking up a few more recyclables on the way to and from the metro station. Also, on the way to the station, I put the Kaufland catalog which I had taken with me, with the announcement about this campaign circled and marked on it, over the fence of an old man whose small yard is always full of recyclables, just in case he didn’t know about the campaign. And then I went straight to Kaufland and stood in line for a while, and the machines kept stopping and one employee had to keep coming to get them going again. The machine also stopped while I was putting in my recyclables, so I moved to the other one, but then that one stopped as well, though I think that the employee had turned them both off in order to work on them a little more, since that first one kept stopping so frequently. But I could eventually put in all of the recyclables and get the vouchers, then I dashed in only to wash my hands. I might have entered the store if I’d have seen green onions, but there didn’t seem to be any left when I tried to look from the entrance, so I ran to Carrefour instead.
It was past 9 PM already, so there were bakery discounts and I took a bread for myself, then I grabbed some expiring bread for my parents, an expiring piece of cake and also a bag of spoiling apples, plus a few other things, obviously without charging myself at the self-checkout for the bag that the apples were in. Then I took a moment to put everything except the bread in the backpack, leaving that in the bag that hangs from my neck, and rushed to Penny, though what I was carrying meant that I couldn’t actually run again.
It was past 9:45 PM when I got there, and I rushed in with everything, but the guard called after me and said that he didn’t want to end up arguing with me when he’ll want to check my bags, and I had two, so he asked me to at least put one in the cabinet and I walked back and said that I was thinking that I had no time and only had bread from Carrefour in that bag, but I nevertheless put that bag in a cabinet, without locking it, then went back in, still carrying the backpack, and quickly got some things, including a pumpkin that I was wondering whether I’ll get a discount for, the catalog listing a 20% discount on fresh vegetables if you used the store card. I didn’t get that discount, but it was admittedly listed as on sale, albeit without a crossed out old price in the catalog, and the small text said that the discount didn’t apply to products that had other discounts, plus that below that there was a list of locations where the offer apparently applied and that one wasn’t among them, so I didn’t even comment… Then again, I didn’t even comment about the fact that the cashier didn’t give me the coin that she should have given me as change, just retrieving that bag and walking out, since the store was about to close, and then putting my things on a bench and adding the new purchases in the backpack.
It was obviously too late to go back to Kaufland, but I didn’t necessarily mean to anyway. I wanted to go to Mega Image, however, for an anniversary sale that applied to products of their own brand, so I grabbed a few more recyclables on the way to that one that closes later, then put the bag with the bread in one cabinet and the recyclables in another, even though there were no keys, entered with the backpack, got what I wanted and calculated the quantities and how to split the purchases in order to get two receipts that I could also enter in their raffle even if I won’t end up getting some more of those raisins in dark chocolate for myself, since it didn’t really seem that I had any reason to. But I did take those to the checkout as well at first, and I ended up between some guys who kept talking, poking fun at each other and being annoying, and there was a single cashier, so I had no other options and when my turn came I asked whether she could split the purchases, putting the paper towels and handkerchiefs on one receipt and the other products on another, and she did that, but when I paid for that first part, the guard came behind her and asked whether I had 1 RON, to make it easier with the change. And I did, so I added that bill to what I had already given, but having one more person to deal with made me even more anxious, and those guys were still laughing around me.
Unsurprisingly, that was when the problems started. When I asked the cashier whether she could tell me the total for the other products, minus those raisins in dark chocolate, I didn’t realize that I had moved them to the other side and placed them next to what I had already paid for, so when I pointed that way she assumed that I was saying that the beer that those guys were buying wasn’t mine while I assumed that they had taken them to prank me, and when I stared at them they started saying that they knew that I was strange when they saw me with a mask. The guard eventually pointed out where I had placed them and the cashier told me the total for the other products, but did so without scanning the store card again, so the discount hadn’t yet applied and that amount made me initially say that I really won’t get them in that case. Then I realized what had happened, told her to scan the card again and got the discounted price, so she asked whether I didn’t also want those after all, but I said no, moved everything to the floor, so I won’t keep holding up the line… And couldn’t find the second receipt. So I asked whether she had given it to me and she said that she had, but I pulled and spread everything out and when she also came to look I showed her that I only had the first receipt and those from Penny and Carrefour and she eventually found that she had accidentally thrown the second one away and retrieved it, and we both apologized for the confusion.
That location closes at midnight, but at that point I thought that it closed at 11 PM and that hour had just passed, so I thought that the front door won’t open anymore and asked whether I could go back through the store to retrieve what I had in the cabinet. Nobody answered, however, so I walked out and then went back in through the entrance, also noticing the listed closing time at that point. Then I retrieved my things and took my time to arrange the purchases and check that I had everything… And I ended up convinced that I had lost 1 RON, calculating repeatedly and in different ways and coming to the same conclusion every time. I was wrong, but I only realized it later that night, quite some time after getting back, probably after I had finally calmed down enough to be able to think more or less properly again.
Either way, I meant to pick up another bottle on the way to the metro station, but I first stopped to check a can, leaving it there when I realized that it was crushed, and at that point those guys from the store came from behind and stopped ahead of me, so I didn’t want to stay there and pick up that bottle while they were looking at me and I just continued to the metro station. And when I got there I was asked which way I wanted to go, since the last train from Dristor had already passed, but going in this other direction wasn’t a problem, so I could enter and quickly checked what I had once more before the train came, remaining wrongly convinced that I had lost that 1 RON. Either way, I hastily added the other purchases from Mega Image in the backpack while I was on the metro, leaving just the paper towels and handkerchiefs in a large bag. And I picked up some more bottles on the way back, including two of those that were going to be rewarded with two products in Carrefour’s campaign.
It was close to 11:45 PM when I got back, with exactly 15 kg. Then I put the purchases in their place, with the exception of the bread, ate that expiring cake, washed a few things in the kitchen and went to shower at 1:20 AM. I was back in the kitchen half an hour later and washed and cleaned what was there, dad having cooked. I ate lunch, on and off, between 2:40 AM and 3:15 AM, and dinner between 3:55 AM and 4:20 AM. And then, after getting up to pee a little after 9 AM, I couldn’t get back to sleep, and while I meant to get on the computer a couple of times, I decided to just stay in bed even if I was obviously only wasting time. A neighbor also drilled just after 11:30 AM, but only for a few seconds, a couple of times, so I didn’t get up then either and I eventually managed to at least catch a few brief naps before finally getting up, just before 3 PM.

After once again using a regular onion in the salad, since I still had no green onions, and starting to eat dinner at 3:10 AM but still finishing at 3:40 AM, on October 2 I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, put some clothes that dad wanted washed those days in the washing machine and started it, then had the usual stuff, once again with a Gala apple and “Greek” yogurt but no longer replacing any almonds, and the sweet thing consisted of two of those nicer biscuits of a different kind, expired back in May, with added honey. I also took the supplements, including the one with potassium and magnesium, which I had started taking the previous day. And I hung the shirts to dry and also took out dad’s pants, so he could hang them, leaving the rest of the clothes in the washing machine and leaving at 4:30 PM, when the reported temperature was about 22°C, holding steady. I wore the full running gear and had two small bags in the pocket of my tights, for any recyclables that I’ll pick up on the way back, but I actually didn’t spot any.
The time was 1:18:10, with sector times of 4:29, 5:12, 5:58, 4:32, 5:09, 5:55, 4:35, 5:08, 5:59, 4:35, 5:04, 6:02, 4:34, 5:10 and 5:48, making for lap times of 15:39, 15:36, 15:42, 15:41 and 15:32. After the previous run, I was thinking to target 1:19:15, to stay below a total of 3:25 for the three runs, but at the start of this run even 1:20 looked really good and I was wondering whether a realistic target shouldn’t actually be 1:21 or even 1:22. And, even though I did start with a controlled pace and also lost a few seconds on the first sector, that first sector time was still bad, the second sector was also poor, and at the end of the lap my thoughts remained the same. But a slightly faster lap two made me think that, if I’ll manage to stay under 16 minutes on lap three as well, I should have a chance to stay under 1:20 after all. And when I was faster than I thought I’ll be on that lap, I started to feel not just pretty confident about staying under 1:20, but even wondered about getting under 1:19, and the first two sectors of lap four gave me real hope… And made the fact that I went over six minutes on the third feel disappointing. But the lap time made me wonder about 1:18:30 and I really pushed more and more over the course of lap five, giving everything on the last sector and also being helped by another runner who overtook me and was a little faster than I could be, the result being that I ended up rather frustratingly close to 1:18. I’ll also add that on lap four I started to sort of consider continuing to a half marathon distance, and over the course of lap five I was thinking that if I’ll fail to stay under 1:18:30 I will do that. But that didn’t happen, so I didn’t… Even though, when I really thought about it, I realized that I might have just had a chance to stay under 1:45, maybe, which would have been really good for my morale.
That loss of time on the first sector was caused by a little girl who ran right into my right leg. I’m not sure if the man was with her and her mother or just happened to be in front of them when I approached them, but he went across the lane, making me aim to pass between him and the woman, only for the little girl to suddenly appear from behind him and run towards her mother, slamming right into my leg, so I froze in place for a few seconds, with that leg stretched behind me until she stepped aside. It was a good thing, and in fact quite surprising, that she stayed on her feet, and that I didn’t knee her in the head, since that was pretty much how tall she was, but she hit my foot quite hard and it hurt for a while after that. But the only other somewhat notable problem caused by people was on the long straight of sector one of what I think was lap four, though there is also some chance that it was lap three, when another little girl was struggling to walk, right on the lane, with an older woman right behind her and cheering her on, and once again a man, who that time clearly had nothing to do with them and who was walking in the same direction that I was running in, went across the lane and blocked the other side just when I was approaching, so I had to find a way to squeeze through.
Otherwise, my right knee started giving warnings from sector two of lap two, and that calf and ankle and the left hip joined it from the next sector. The warnings varied in intensity after that, never going away but never becoming serious either. And there was some significant headwind at the start of sector three of what I think was lap three, though there’s a chance that it might have been lap two, but otherwise the weather was good. And I was noticing that I was less bothered by the unevenness of the lane, and I even stepped in a couple of small holes and that seemed less of a problem, likely thanks to the new shoes.

The total time for the three runs was 3:23:54. Sure, that’s much better than 3:26:36 in spring, but that’s irrelevant, considering what it was a sign of. A proper comparison is with the 3:20:37 from a year ago, and I wasn’t fast enough after that either, so it’s no surprise that what followed this year was significantly worse. Either way, the best total time for such a series of runs obviously remains the 3:20:23 from the previous spring, before last year’s half marathon.

Getting back to October 2, I checked the nearby Mega Image on the way back and found spoiling lemons and apples that seemed good enough, so I grabbed some money and went back to buy them, even though the apples were almost 20% more than when I had previously seen piles of the same kind among the spoiling products in Carrefour and didn’t get any. But Mega Image had finally started to actually list the prices for these discounted products and I was surprised to be asked for less, later realizing that the lemons had a discount those days, which I had actually noticed, and I was correctly charged half of that current price while what was printed was half of the full price. And I also wasn’t charged for the bags that I was forced to use, and that seems to be another change that they had actually implemented. I wasn’t given a receipt, however.
After getting back again, I hung the few other clothes that dad had, except his socks, which I left for later, and had lunch, even did the day’s squats, and changed, leaving again at 8:30 PM, with more recyclables and wearing the mask. I went straight to Kaufland, without picking up anything else on the way, and got in line just before 9 PM… Only to just waste my time. The line was quite long and going slowly, and an older woman kept complaining, and occasionally a younger one did as well. Admittedly, there were some people with multiple huge bags and, after they were more or less forced to walk away and let others have their turn, two older people were very slow and kept making mistakes or repeatedly putting in things that the machines couldn’t accept, but stressing them in that manner only made things worse. So there was a fair amount of tension, and the machines also kept stopping. At least an employee was there, emptying the bins and rebooting the machines several times, but time was passing and he said that he had been told that the machines will shut down at 9:50 PM, and another employee had already said that it was out of their control. Two of those who were ahead of me left before that point, but that didn’t help, since one machine ran out of paper just before 10 PM and the employee who came after that guy sent the message said that they won’t replace the roll that evening, since it was closing time already, and the one machine that still worked was used at that point by that older woman. And just after she was done, a couple of minutes after 10 PM, the machines turned off. There was one more person in front of me, so the fact that the other machine had stopped working earlier at least meant that they didn’t turn off right when it’d have been my turn… But I’d have liked it if they’d have turned off right in front of that woman who had complained so much instead of right after her…
After it was clear that the machines won’t start again, I walked away, with the recyclables which I had brought, and decided to check that Profi… Only to get there right before 10:10 PM and be told by the employees who were outside that it was closed, and I looked at the sign and saw that the period during which it’s closed had changed to 10:10 PM to 10:40 PM. I said that it used to close at 10:30 PM and I was told it had changed… Which struck me as a particularly bad decision. Not that closing for those 30 minutes at 10:30 PM was a good idea either, but changing it to 10:10 PM seems to have been done just to stop anyone who leaves Kaufland at closing time from going there next, which seems to be the very opposite of what a store would want.
Either way, I then made my way to the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM, leaving my things next to the cabinets, and at least I found a discounted apple pastry. The cashier was the same guy who had entered one of those pastries as a much cheaper poppy pretzel in June, so when the bakery products still had to be entered manually even if they were discounted, and this time around he entered it correctly but still took a little less, handing back one of the 1 RON bills which I had given him instead of giving me 0.60 RON as change. He didn’t give me a receipt, but I obviously wasn’t going to say anything or even stick around to wait for it, so I retrieved my things and picked up some more recyclables on the way back, using one hand and walking with that pastry in the other. I did take a few of those recyclables from the trash, however, and the next day I noticed that I had also picked up some large ants along with them, and I had left the bag with those recyclables in the kitchen. But I killed most of those ants at that point, just noticing one that managed to escape, and I wasn’t worried, since they weren’t going to be able to do much of anything on their own, so far from the colony, and I haven’t seen any since then.
Either way, I got back a few minutes after 11 PM, ate an apple and that pastry and scraped and also ate what was left on the pot that dad had used to fry something, washed a few things, and finally hung dad’s socks as well, trying to match them first and apparently making a few mistakes, since I was left with a few that didn’t seem to have pairs but he later said that he found some mismatched ones that included the pairs of some of those. But I did my best at that point, and it was a couple of minutes after 12:30 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and shower. I was done just before 1:20 AM, then I washed what was left in the kitchen, found a way to make all of the bread fit in the freezer, ate dinner between 3:45 AM and 4:15 AM, and got in bed at 5:25 AM.