Cav's Place

Since there were two other bands that I meant to include in the previous post in this series, before ending up making it about bands from Estonia, I’ll start this one with them. And since it’s another rushed one, as usual, the third band will also be picked from those that I ended up checking again at that time, when I was looking for bands that tackled environmental topics, even if they haven’t released anything new since 2018 and can probably be said to no longer actually exist. Either way, none of the bands from this post are new finds in any way, but at least the first two do have new releases within the past year.

Asylum Pyre actually tackles environmental topics as well, my pick of an older song, On First Earth, making that very clear, and that’s a good part of the reason why I’m adding them, and possibly why I put them on the list in the first place, since the sound of many of their songs isn’t one that I’m particularly fond of. But the newer song that I picked, Fighters, is actually pretty good, so they’re definitely not here just because of the topics that they tackle.

The next band, Borealis, is perhaps more unusual for me, since they have male vocals, and they’re not operatic either. Still find the sound quite enjoyable, however, which likely means that they’re actually very good and someone who doesn’t focus on female-fronted symphonic metal as much as I do will probably have an even better opinion of them. Even so, while my pick of a newer song, Ashes Turn to Rain, should be “fair”, it might be said that my second pick, The Journey, is far less so, because it also features female vocals. But, again, my picks are just the songs that I prefer, they’re not supposed to be representative.

As for the third band, that’s Crysalys and they seem to have gone silent after their EP from 2018. Then again, that seems to have been their first and only release since their one full album, which was released back in 2011, but with their vocalist working with Therion and apparently being involved in other projects as well, it seems unlikely that they’ll return. Either way, there are just two songs that are posted officially, The Awakening of Gaia and Moonlight Encounter, so that makes it easy when it comes to my picks. There’s such a massive evolution between the two that it’s hard to believe it’s the same band, but the only new band member seems to have been the male vocalist. Admittedly, he also makes quite a difference, but everything else is also so, so much better, all of the obvious potential that was wasted in their early years on a sound that could make you cringe finally being brought to the surface and allowed to shine.

What I can say about this year’s edition is that there was no question about the best act and that the two semi-finals differed greatly in quality, with the second one being pretty hard to watch. But the final turned out well enough, at least as far as I could tell, since I watched it while working on dinner, though the typical problem of some good songs being harmed by the low show value remained, and it was strange that it seemed that the microphone was turned off for the first couple of seconds after the song ended, during that brief period when singers are allowed to say something, so the first word or two tended to get lost. On the other hand, if I’m to move past the music, the fact that Ukraine came only fourth in the televote, with no points from ten countries, serves as a very worrying poll result, showing that many are unfortunately playing right into the hands of the Russian regime and growing weary of the war and the need to support Ukraine, meaning that the counteroffensive can’t come soon enough and needs to deliver notable victories.
Returning to the songs, I didn’t look at or read anything about the rehearsals, but I more or less knew what to expect, having watched the songs as they were posted on the official channel, the recordings from the national finals also offering an idea about the planned show, though it’s possible that there were some songs that I moved on from before they finished, while on the other hand there were obviously a few that I listened to quite a number of times. I even glanced at a few of the other entries from a few national finals at some point, but pretty much only in passing.

In terms of the overall quality of the act, there was no question about Sweden being first. Perhaps there were a few parts of the song that weren’t performed quite as well as they could have been, but the song itself is great and the overall performance was more than good enough to be unchallenged this year, if the voting would be fair, and in this case it was. While that may not be that hard these days, I must say that it just about moved me to tears. And, despite the fact that we’re talking about a single person on the stage, the show value was notable as well. So I fully agree with the jury score, since the juries gave it almost twice the points of the second placed entry, and wonder what the public was thinking, since it didn’t win the televote in as much as a single country… And it wasn’t even in the top ten in one country… Which country, interestingly, was Finland.
It seems that Finland ending up second was completely expected, but while I’ll admit that it’s a catchy song with a pretty notable show value and my opinion of it improved in the final, I just don’t like the song enough to be able to get myself to rank it so highly. Is it one of the better entries? Definitely. But second seems too much. So the fact that it won 18 televotes, so just under half, and it wasn’t lower than fifth anywhere once again makes me raise an eyebrow when it comes to the voters.
Israel also had one of the better entries, and while I found myself wondering why was it battling Italy for second place as the jury votes were presented, it did well enough in my classification as well, its position being a bit of a surprise when I noticed it, so I can’t say that I can’t understand why it appealed to voters… And then there’s the visual appeal of the singer as well. It’s a matter of the numbers speaking rather than a subjective impression, so I wouldn’t have said so if asked during the competition, but now I find it hard to come up with serious reasons to complain about it ending up third.
Well, if you don’t count the fact that Israel being third puts it in front of Italy, that is. Sure, Italy was fourth in my classification as well, but that still put it in front of both Israel and Finland, and I guess that in this case the show value triumphed over the song, since there should be no question that Italy had one of the better songs of the competition. It couldn’t challenge Sweden in any way, I already said that nobody could, but I consider it the entry that was most objectively justified to aim for second place.
As for Norway, that’s an entry that I was rather fond of from the beginning, but there were problems with how it was performed that prevented me from ranking it higher. Or maybe I just overcompensated for that good initial impression. Either way, I’m rather glad that it ended up higher than in my classification. Catchy song, pretty powerful performance, some show value as well. Not one of the very best from any one point of view, but one of the better overall packages if you put it all together.

Since I didn’t even give any more thought to changing my ranking system, even if I sometimes disagree with the results, I’m just sticking to the one I’ve been using for so long, giving one mark for song and another for show value, plus a positive, neutral or negative modifier, and ranking first according to the overall mark that is the result of averaging the song and show ones, then according to the song mark and then, if both marks are equal, according to the modifier. In case all three are equal, the ranking is the result of me trying to quickly compare the performances in question at the end.
Once again, still largely for my own use, I’ll list all the information here, with the first number being the position in my classification, the one between parentheses that follows it being the actual position, the first number that follows the country name being the overall mark, the second being the song mark and the modifier, if not neutral, being listed at the end. All links are from the official channel, so they shouldn’t vanish.

1. (1.) Sweden (7.25, 7.5)
2. (9.) Australia (6.75, 6.5)
3. (13.) Croatia (6.75, 6)
4. (4.) Italy (6.5, 6.5)
5. (20.) Switzerland (6.5, 6.5)
6. (3.) Israel (6.5, 6)
7. (2.) Finland (6.5, 6, minus)
8. (7.) Belgium (6.5, 6, minus)
9. (16.) France (6.25, 7, minus)
10. (8.) Estonia (6.25, 6.5, plus)
11. (26.) Germany (6.25, 6, plus)
12. (5.) Norway (6.25, 6, plus)
13. (25.) United Kingdom (6.25, 6, plus)
14. (22.) Albania (6.25, 6)
15. (23.) Portugal (6.25, 6)
16. (18.) Moldova (6.25, 6)
17. (19.) Poland (6.25, 6)
18. (21.) Slovenia (6.25, 6)
19. (10.) Czechia (6.25, 6)
20. (17.) Spain (6.25, 5.5)
21. (14.) Armenia (6.25, 5.5)
22. (11.) Lithuania (6, 6, plus)
23. (6.) Ukraine (6, 5.5, plus)
24. (24.) Serbia (6, 5)
25. (12.) Cyprus (5.75, 6, plus)
26. (15.) Austria (5.75, 5.5)

My ranking matched the actual result for Italy, Serbia and Sweden, was one place off for Belgium, and two or three places off for Estonia, Israel, Moldova, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. On the other hand, it was at least ten places off for Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Lithuania, Switzerland, Ukraine and United Kingdom.

This time I’ll add the comments about the semi-finals before those about my top ten, starting with the fact that it’s weird how all the songs started with low volume during the first, the fact that the behavior was so consistent making it hard to see it as a sound problem. Either way, I had Ireland, Latvia and Malta in the top ten instead of Czechia, Finland and Serbia, but Malta was only there thanks to the show value and replacing it with Finland was definitely right, but I’m unhappy about the other two, and about Serbia making it in particular, despite the show value, since the song struck me as just awful, one of the worst in quite some time. As for the second semi-final, it was much poorer and there were only a few entries that I actually wanted to see again in the final, but if I had to pick ten, I had Denmark and Iceland instead of Lithuania and Austria, but Denmark was in Malta’s situation from the first semi-final, only being there thanks to the show value, so I’m rather glad that it didn’t make it and Lithuania replacing it was fair, since it was 11th in my classification, but Austria being there instead of Iceland really bothered me, as you can see by the fact that I placed Austria last in the final.

And this is how far I managed to get before midnight, which is why I put those comments about the semi-finals first, since there were all I still had time for, editing the post later in order to add the rest. After all, I did the same thing last year as well, though in that case I moved the part about the semi-finals back at the end after I added the rest while now I don’t want to do that anymore. I did consider giving up on this idea and making a second post for the comments about my top ten when I didn’t just fail to even start writing them before going to bed in the morning, but could only get myself to write five the following day, but after adding a few things to the parts about Sweden and Finland above Monday evening, I stuck to the original plan, adding the comments about my top five in the early hours of Tuesday and those about the next five Tuesday evening.

Sweden’s entry grew on me before the competition, my opinion of it continued to improve even between the semi-final and the final, where it almost moved me to tears, and now I’m rather stuck on it. The best song in a competition where few entries were notable thanks to the quality of the music, enough of a show value despite just having a single person on stage and a good, albeit not perfect, performance make for an entry that was, or should have been, unchallenged.
Ask me now about Australia and I’d tend to move it a few places lower, but during the final I found the entry enjoyable enough and maybe the better one that had something to do with rock or metal, even if some people will frown at that. It doesn’t actually stand out in any way, but it remains one of the better entries overall and if the opinion I had of it during the actual competition made it end up second according to my ranking system, that’s where it is.
Croatia is obviously where it is strictly thanks to the show value and the message about Putin and his regime. The fact that it’s in Croatian and not in English is probably why the organizers closed their eyes and allowed it to compete, but the key words are clear enough even so, which is the whole point, and what’s presented on stage makes things even clearer, if needed. There are actually a few parts of the song that aren’t that bad either but, again, that doesn’t exactly matter.
Italy had one of the few other songs that were actually good in this competition. It couldn’t challenge Sweden, but it probably should have been second… And it would have been second in my classification if they wouldn’t have pretty much ensured that most people would miss the fact that it actually had some show value as well. They put some effort into it, but then relegated all of that to the back of the stage, with the camera staying on the singer. I have no idea why they chose to do that, but I do believe that it hurt them.
While not at the same level in itself, Switzerland also had one of the better songs of the competition, helped by the message that suits the current situation, and parts of it even stuck in my mind. Even considering how weary of the matter so many people unfortunately are, it deserved to do better than it did.
Israel’s position in my classification surprised me, but I can’t really argue against the numbers in this case. Nothing stood out, with the possible exception of the singer’s good looks, but a show value that was good enough to be remembered and a song that wasn’t bad in a competition with few good ones combined into a package that seems to justify this position if you analyze the data in this manner.
My opinion of Finland’s entry improved in the final, enough to make it end up in seventh place, but I’ll rather grudgingly allow even this. Yes, both the show value and the catchy song ensured that it’ll be remembered, but in my opinion the show was of poor taste and the song wasn’t something I’d actually enjoy either. Looking at the facts, it was one of the better entries in a competition where few stood out, but let’s just say that I rather it wouldn’t have been…
I was also surprised by Belgium’s position in my classification, especially after I had completely forgotten the song pretty much the instant it finished and then spent quite some time trying to remember what it was, but a song that wasn’t bad and some attention paid to the show value means that the marks are quite clear and, according to them, it can only be in this position.
On the other hand, France’s entry was one that I wish I could have ranked higher, because the song deserved it, even if it was probably too typically French, so much so that an AI might have produced it if asked to come up with something to represent French music. Unfortunately, the entirely static performance dragged it down, and I’d even be tempted to say that the pedestal and the singer’s gestures gave a feeling of haughtiness, arrogance, something along those lines.
Not at the same level, but Estonia also had one of the competition’s few better songs and it was performed well. On the other hand, all I can say about the show value is that at least it wasn’t a static performance, so I couldn’t place the overall package any higher, though I’m pretty glad that it did end up a couple of places higher in the actual competition.

I just meant to write something about this week, minus Wednesday, since I ran that day and I’m yet to write about that series of three runs and adding a later run won’t be right, but there are a few things to mention about May 3 and, with May 2 also being a day when I ran and since I already wrote about May 5, when I walked the route of the half marathon, I’ll start there, making this post about the odds and ends from the first two weeks of May.

I again ended up being connected at the same time as dad on May 3, but it was my fault, since he was getting ready to leave and I saw that his computer was off, so I assumed that he was done with it already, went to my room and connected without saying anything… Only to walk out again after a few minutes and see him at his computer, having turned it on. On the other hand, just before that happened I saw a lot of ants in the part of the hallway from the entrance, around the shoes, so right next to the kitchen… And then I also found ants in my room, at first inside the desk! And when, after taking out most of the things from that side of the desk and having a better look, I also saw a few on the floor, both in the middle of the room and at the door, I somehow got myself to vacuum a little. I didn’t even do that properly and didn’t move what’s on the floor, so I didn’t really do anything relevant and late February remains the last time when I actually cleaned, but I couldn’t get myself to do more. And I’ll also add here that, after finally dealing with the second bread bought on April 30 and taking out all of the bread from the freezer and rearranging it in order to try to make room for it, that night I started eating dinner at 3:15 AM, though I somehow still finished at 3:40 AM. But then I had to actually put that bread in the freezer, which still wasn’t easy, and it led to getting in bed at 5:20 AM. I might have just barely managed to get in bed at the usual 5:15 AM if I’d have really rushed everything else, but I didn’t want to do that.

Moving on to the early hours of May 8, that was when I did something to my right ankle, I think when I was getting something from the fridge, and what’s worrying is that it’s still bothering me a little, and what I felt from that leg’s muscles when I ran two days later might have been caused by trying to spare it, so it’s likely to affect me tomorrow as well. As if it wasn’t already clear that I’ll do badly even without one more problem to deal with…
Either way, that morning I got in bed at 5:25 AM… And I was woken up by drilling and hammering. I’m not sure when it started, but I went to pee at 9 AM, could get back to sleep after that, and the next time I looked I saw that it was 11:15 AM, but I had been awake because of the noise for a while by then. And on top of that noise continuing the rest of the week, to add yet another problem that will ensure that I’ll do badly tomorrow, the following morning they mowed everything in that area that’s behind the building as well, starting very early. I first woke up just before 7 AM, after dad got back, but at that point I really had to pee anyway, after the mamaliga eaten at night, and I could get back to sleep quickly… Only to get woken up a little after 7:30 AM by the noise coming from outside, which later mixed with the drilling and hammering. So I caught what naps I could, but they were very bad and agitated bits of sleep and even if the nap that started around 2 PM was somewhat better and around 3 PM or so the noise seemed to have stopped and I got about an hour and a half of proper sleep, only finally getting up when it was almost 5 PM, I felt really tired. I had another nap in the evening, but it only lasted 45 minutes or so, if not less.

On May 11, the drilling started at 8:45 AM, but after going to pee I somehow fell asleep again and in fact only woke up a couple more times, one of them likely being because of an SMS from my provider, and even then I could get back to sleep. Admittedly, the noise seemed somewhat subdued, and it’s possible that it stopped after a while, but what I know is that I only woke up again when it was probably around or even after 1 PM, when dad coughed loudly, and once again got back to sleep almost immediately, waking up for good when it was past 2 PM and finally getting out of bed when it was past 2:30 PM. And I also did the day’s squats and left a little before 5:10 PM, with a bag of trash, which I dropped down the chute, and the plastic and metal, which I dropped in a recycling bin.
Since I had dad’s metro card, I went to Dristor, but since there’s cat food on sale these days I decided to first stop at the Mega Image that’s next to Tei, putting on the mask before entering, since for some reason I had decided to just take it with me, without putting it on before leaving, even though I was going to wear it on the metro. Either way, I bought all of the cat food of that kind that was left, put it in the backpack and then continued to the metro station, getting off at Izvor, taking off the mask and then spotting one of those bottles that go towards that voucher from Penny in the park, so I picked it up and put it in a bag and then in the backpack before continuing on my way to Constitution Square, which I reached a little after 6:10 PM, the main reason for going out that day being to pick up the race kit.
Since the large sign for picking up the numbers was also there, I ended up placing my phone, with the QR code on the screen, on what was actually the information desk, only noticing what was written on it when I walked away, after the guy who was there asked whether I was Romanian, then repeated himself after I stared at him in confusion, having understood that he had asked whether he had to stay, and finally pointed me to the proper place, which was right behind that sign, so around the corner. Then I picked up the number and continued to the place where the t-shirts were handed out, being asked for the size even though I selected it when I registered. However, even if the girl who was there called for an M, I ended up receiving an L, which I noticed after taking a couple of steps, so I turned around and said so, which made both of the girls call rather sternly for an M. But one of them already had one in her hand, so she handed it to me, both of us checking that it was the correct size that time. The quality seems poor, considering all the loose threads that I noticed, and it feels so flimsy that I fear it’ll tear if I’m not very careful when I put it on, and I’m not sure how I’ll feel in it either, but I’ll wear it… And in fact it’s the only thing that I’ll use tomorrow, because after also picking up the race kit and looking inside I was really disappointed. Last year I was particularly pleased with the contents, but the only usable product this time around is a protein bar that was recently released by a company that so far only made regular chocolate bars, with ingredients that I usually wanted to avoid. This one doesn’t seem to have anything like that, but I’m not sure it’d help while running either, plus that the tiny amount of rum that’s the brand’s mark still makes me frown, so I’d rather leave it for another time.
I spent a little more time in that area, checking the prices of some bars and of the shots of liquid magnesium and also looking at shoes in one place and even asking about the price of some, only finally putting the race kit in the backpack after that and walking away, towards Unirii, when it was 6:40 PM, though I spotted one more of those bottles almost right away, so I added it in that bag, which I then put back in the backpack. And then I once again stopped at a Mega Image, without putting the mask back on, since I wanted to look but didn’t expect to find that cat food there. But I did, so I got most of it, though that time around I did leave a few, and then I took my time to add it in the backpack and arrange everything properly before walking back out. So the waste of time proved to be checking Carrefour Unirii, and I actually did put on the mask before walking in, but I didn’t find anything to get, and when I walked out the guard stopped me and asked me to unzip my jacket and to show him what was in the inside pocket, though the full backpack that I had entered with didn’t seem to interest him.
I didn’t bother to use cabinets at the three other stores that I entered on the way back either, the first one being a Profi that I decided to also check, finding a better price for some beer for dad and getting two bottles. Then I went to Penny and got something sweet, also for dad, and an expiring bio (organic) yogurt, which I mean to eat in the morning, the cashier apparently failing to notice the discount sticker at first, but after hesitating for a moment when she saw that I paid her less than what the register displayed she realized the problem and said that it was fine. And, since those products were obviously from Penny, being of their store brands, and that Mega Image is pretty much next to it, I entered with them in my hands, and left like that as well, not looking for any more of that cat food and not finding anything else to get. And I actually meant to just stuff those products in my pockets after that, but I eventually did stop to add them in the backpack.
Since the maintenance bill could be paid that evening, I had taken money with me and, after seeing the invoice in the mailbox when I left, had set the exact amount aside, at least in bills, rounding down. So I went straight up and paid, the guy saying that it was fine after I paid the bills and was about to dig for coins. And I also asked him something that has to do with what I can’t get myself to write about, but it’s not his business and he advised me to ask two others and I have no idea who those are. Either way, a woman came to pay after me and she asked whether I’ll wait for her when I got to the elevator, so I did.
I was back here a little after 9 PM and, with the second semi-final of Eurovision starting at 10 PM, I rushed, just putting the yogurt in the fridge and going to the bathroom when it wasn’t even 9:20 PM, taking a quick shower after only leaving a little in the toilet, since I couldn’t afford to lose more time. I only ate another apple, a slice of cozonac and then dinner after the songs were over, and after slicing the remaining breads for dad and washing what was in the kitchen, I ended up eating dinner between 3:10 AM and 3:50 AM, and getting in bed at 5:20 AM.

As for last night, after cooking the pasta in the evening and having a late lunch, finished well after midnight, I started eating dinner at 3:10 AM, but still managed to finish at 3:40 AM. However, even though there was no more drilling and hammering, after getting up to pee a little before 8:40 AM, I couldn’t get back to sleep. I even considered getting on the computer and perhaps writing some more of this post, but I didn’t, just staying in bed and struggling to sleep, which led to a pretty strange experience, since I was in that state that’s between being asleep and awake for quite a while, and the faint noises that were coming from the neighbors likely only made things even stranger, so I’m not sure whether I actually slept at all before deciding to pee one more time, almost exactly two hours after that first time. Maybe I did, a little, but I don’t know. And while I could finally get back to sleep after that, I still woke up a couple more times before finally getting up at 2:10 PM, once again feeling quite tired… And when I’ll get very little, if any, sleep before needing to get up in the morning, things look even worse for tomorrow. But at least I already had lunch and now I’m going to somehow force myself to shave, hoping to perhaps manage to eat dinner while watching the Eurovision final and, ideally, even get ready for the morning before it’s over, so I’ll be able to go to bed soon after that, since I don’t mean to post my classification right after the show this time around… Not that I managed to go to bed that early even when the half marathon wasn’t right after Eurovision.

Since I don’t have enough time for anything else, I’m going to “waste” this week’s Sunday update on a single day, Friday, when I walked the route of the half marathon, meaning to leave at 2 PM but only managing to do so when it was almost 2:30 PM, after sending an e-mail that has to do with what I still can’t get myself to post about and then shattering that mug that I kept the toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss in after obviously placing it badly on the side of the sink for the third time, and this time around it no longer escaped falling into the sink with just a chip and a crack, so I had to take another one. Either way, I took ten bottles, three of them straightened, that large cardboard box that I kept forgetting, and a bag of trash, throwing the bag down the chute and making a small detour in order to put the box in a recycling bin before getting on the route.
On Decebal, I crossed to the other side and went to that Penny, to put the bottles in the machine, since they extended that campaign by a month, but after putting in eight, the machine displayed a message that it was full and printed the receipt, which was obviously not valid for the raffle, since it wasn’t for at least ten bottles, even if it wasn’t my fault. And I didn’t say anything, just throwing that receipt in a bin, putting the remaining two bottles and the one that goes towards that other voucher that I had found on the way in the backpack, crossing back to the proper side and continuing on my way.
The next detour was at Unirii, where I went to Carrefour, still without putting on the mask that I had taken with me, and bought an expiring product, putting it in the backpack after using the self-checkout without problems. Since that product was also available among the expiring products from the other location that I went to later, I could have saved myself the time and trouble, but there was obviously no way to know that and at least I did get something from there, while the next detour, off Kiseleff, made because I just decided to have a look in that bookstore as well, was worse than a complete waste of time, since I couldn’t get myself to ask about the prices of the two books that I spotted and just thinking about doing so made me need to walk away, and the fact that I kept thinking about going back and asking when I was going to pass by that spot again made it even worse and I was soon struggling to hold off a breakdown, only starting to recover after I did pass by that area the second time and moved on. And I also ended up using a little of the credit by trying to find those prices by checking their site on my phone, but it wasn’t displaying correctly and I couldn’t see any search box.
Either way, the route was pretty much as expected, though the turn from this area comes even earlier, oddly, and in a spot that doesn’t normally stand out in any way, and I noticed work being done in two spots, one being at the end of Victoriei and another being on Unirii, and while only the sidewalk is actually affected, I hope there won’t be debris or anything else that’d actually affect the road by then, and in that first spot it’s not impossible to want to use the sidewalk, so I’ll need to remember that I can’t do that.
Otherwise, after deciding to look for more of those bottles that go towards that other voucher from Penny on the way, moving what I had purchased from Carrefour into the backpack’s small compartment at some point, in order to make room for them, I actually found the eighth just a little before getting back there, so I once again had a total of ten to put in the machine and that time I could do so and get a valid receipt. And then, though I still didn’t put on the mask, I went in and bought pizza dough, putting it in the backpack after walking out. On the other hand, it was before walking out when I tried to slide the receipt into a pocket and I wasn’t certain that I actually did so properly, and I guess I didn’t, because I no longer had it by the time I got back. But the more important receipt is the one from that machine, and I had carefully placed that one in the jacket’s inside pocket, so there was no risk of losing it.
After reaching the point where the route turns in this area, I left it and went to Kaufland, though after using the toilet I just had a very quick look, only wanting to see whether there was an evening discount for green onions and going right back out when I saw that none were left at all. Then I went to Carrefour, finally putting on the mask after entering that mall, still not bothering to use a cabinet and getting a bundle of green onions from there and some cucumbers and black radishes that were among the spoiling products, having no problems with the self-checkout. Then I went back to Kaufland, just putting the bag with those last purchases in a cabinet, washing my hands again and walking in when it was past 9:40 PM. The only bakery product that I could have grabbed was a bun, but I decided not to, since it was rather squashed and the discount was just 50%, and I scanned the label in order to make sure. But the beets have a regular discount these days, so I got some, and then also some yogurt, and I was digging through the expiring processed meat products when it was announced that the store had closed, having just found a small thing to grab, so I took that as well and rushed to the self-checkouts… Only to spot more of those caramelized walnuts among the expiring products, so I grabbed one more box, and I could buy everything even though that expiring meat product wouldn’t scan, since the employee who came when I called for one entered the code manually. Then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, took my time to arrange everything in the backpack and decided to check that Mega Image as well, entering with everything but not finding anything to get.
After covering the remaining little bit of the route on the way back, it was almost 11 PM when I got back, and I asked dad if mother would want one of the boxes of caramelized walnuts, since I still had one which I had purchased earlier, but while he said that he’s quite sure that she would, after he sent her a message to ask he said that she told him that she doesn’t have the teeth to eat something like that. I still left both for another time, however, just eating about a third of what I had grabbed from the first Carrefour and a banana and putting some of the purchases in their place before going to the bathroom when it was almost 12:40 AM… And somehow ending up just finishing a newspaper while sitting on the toilet. Either way, I then washed, being done just after 1:35 AM… And still not knowing what to do that night. The plan had been to make pizza, and I had mozzarella that just expired that day and that product which I had grabbed from Kaufland just for this purpose, but I kept thinking that it was too late and I should just have a can of fish to count as lunch and then a regular dinner. But I eventually did stick to that plan, using a whole roll of pizza dough and making the pizza in the glass baking tray, but then deciding to only take half, or maybe just over half, of it, leaving the rest for dad. It still meant eating between 4:20 AM and 4:55 AM, and that was despite leaving things to do in the kitchen, so after eating I cleaned up and arranged, only finally getting in bed at 6 AM. And this morning I got in bed at 5:20 AM.

I’m going to completely ignore what’s supposedly the day’s event on the international stage, but I’m going to point out a piece of news from yesterday that seems to have received less attention than it should have, which is the fact that, shortly after releasing an updated COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, which should cover the next two years, the World Health Organization has apparently decided that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, now being “an established and ongoing health issue”, even if “the global risk assessment remains high”. However, it was also pointed out that tracking and reporting has declined significantly and access to treatments and vaccines remains inequitable, and it’s certain that such a decision will drastically worsen those problems.
Sure, the WHO made a set of “temporary recommendations” that include sustaining the national capacity gains and preparing for future events, to break out of the cycle of panic and neglect, integrating COVID-19 vaccination into regular vaccination programmes, continuing to gather and report data, bringing together information about multiple health threats from varied sources, preparing regulatory frameworks to support the authorization of medical countermeasures, to ensure long-term availability and supply, and continuing research. But the far more likely outcome is that the announcement will offer an excuse for those who can’t wait to sweep any lessons and potential positive developments from these past three years under the carpet and get back to that cycle of neglect and panic that was mentioned… Though I’m still certain that the developments that make things even worse for almost everyone except the particularly rich and powerful will be maintained and built upon, as always.