Cav's Place

On February 3, my sleep was rather agitated, I had complex dreams and woke up several times, though I also got back to sleep quickly each time. And when I woke up at one point and was quite sure that the alarm, which I had finally set back to the normal 2 PM, was about to ring, it proved to have been a little earlier, since I waited for a while before checking the time and seeing 1:47 PM. So I got back in bed and waited, getting up when the alarm did ring and sticking to the plan of running that day despite quite clearly having a cold. My nose was stuffy, and so was my left ear, which was also hurting, but I wasn’t exhausted and my chest felt better, and that ear also got somewhat better after I managed to get enough out of my nose. So I had all of the usual stuff, unfortunately just wasted time on the toilet despite feeling that I really had to go after eating the yogurt, then I had two of those nicer biscuits, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and also took a very old Halls. I was still sucking on that when I left, at 4:05 PM, wearing the full running gear, with the slip of paper with the emergency information in the pocket of my tights, and that thinner training shirt, plus that thing that goes on my neck and the gloves, and the jacket on the way, tied around my waist while I ran. The reported temperature was 7-8°C, dropping by 1°C by the time I finished.
The time was 47:27.86, with sector times of 4:17.23, 5:08.69, 5:55 (5:54.66), 4:28 (4:27.65), 5:05 (5:04.85), 5:49.15, 4:24.13, 4:53 (4:52.87), 5:42.53 and 1:46.10, making for lap times of 15:20.58, 15:22 (15:21.65) and 14:59.53. The cold made me certain that staying under 48 minutes was out of the question, thinking that under 49 minutes would be great and hoping to at least avoid going over 50 minutes, but the first sector was better than expected and that trend continued, the first lap making me set staying under 49 minutes as the target. But I also realized that I was just about on pace for 48 minutes if I kept that up, so I wondered about it, or at least about 48:30, and I pushed more and managing that seemed more and more likely with each sector of lap two that passed. And at the end of the lap I saw that I had some chance of staying under 48 minutes after all, so I really pushed, being really surprised by that great sector two of lap three, and then by completing the lap in just under 15 minutes! At that point I realized that I even had a shred of a chance of staying under 47:30, and while it didn’t realistically seem possible, I kept giving it everything on the final sector and somehow managed even that!
I was dressed for a lower temperature, so from lap two I was overheating a little, but not badly. And there were some warnings from my right knee early on, and while those went away after a while, those coming from the muscles of my right leg, alternating between calf and thigh, remained all the way to the end. As for a certain pressing need, that appeared on sector three of lap one, mostly went away on sector one of lap two, reappeared on sector two of lap two, again went away on sector three of lap two, and on lap three I’m not really sure, I was pushing too hard to notice or remember much, but I’m pretty sure that it reappeared at least from sector two. And I had a hard time focusing on the first lap, also struggling to calculate and remember the times, but that also improved after that. Otherwise, the lane was soggy in many places, so I avoided what I could. And I slowed and maybe even stopped for an instant on sector two of lap one, because of dogs that were going to each other and almost cut me off, then slowed in order to squeeze through in a spot on sector three of lap one, and I definitely lost at least a couple of seconds because of a roadblock on sector two of lap two, the space that I had been aiming for closing when the people who were coming towards me meant to lean to pet the dog of those that I had caught up to. And I likely also lost some time with the glove, since I didn’t try to press the button with it on anymore.

I ate lunch and went out again a few minutes after 7:30 PM, taking a bag of trash, which I dropped down the chute. I first went to Carrefour Park Lake, those vouchers being offered for snacks those days, but the price of those that I get for dad had increased, making them just a little cheaper than at Auchan after using the voucher on a future purchase. But it still was cheaper, so I got some, and the other things that I had gone there to get.
I was again noticing some mild warnings from the back of my left knee, but they weren’t bad, so I continued to Penny, put my things in a cabinet, got what I wanted and a few more things… And a hangnail broke off while I was there, so I was pressing that spot in order to stop the bleeding and trying to avoid getting blood on anything, which was probably one reason why I initially forgot to take the store card back. But I realized it while retrieving what I had in the cabinet, asked whether the one on the counter was mine and grabbed it when the cashier confirmed.
Kaufland was next, and I again put my things in a cabinet, washed my hands, and entered the store a couple of minutes before 9:30 PM. The bakery area was completely cleared, however, and an employee was also clearing away vegetables that might have been discounted, so I just found a bag of discounted pears, which I grabbed for my mother before also getting what I had gone there to get. I looked for more of those caramelized walnuts as well, but while they were expiring the next day, the discount was just 30%, while at Obor those that expired on February 4 had already been 60% off on January 31, so I didn’t get any more. And the self-checkout wouldn’t accept something else that I had grabbed for my mother as the correct product, which made me weigh it on the scales from that area and see that it weighed about 3% less than it should have. But those products were on the other side of the store, so I couldn’t dash there to get another and I just called over an employee, and while she told me to wait, another one came and sorted it out. I was paying when it was announced that the store had closed, then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, took a little time to arrange before walking out, used one of those tables to do a better job, and it was a little after 10:10 PM when I walked away.
Then I also went to that Auchan, with everything in the backpack and one bag, and I asked the guard where to leave the bag and he told me to just put it behind the desk, which I did. Then I got what I wanted plus what seemed to be the last two packs of some biscuits that were two for the price of one, but I made a mistake when I calculated the total, and when an employee came to help at the self-checkout, scanning the products instead of letting me do so, my brain pretty much disconnected and I got even more confused. I did remember to check whether the little amount which should have been put on the store card on January 31, at Obor, was actually added, confirming that it hadn’t been, but when I saw a total that was slightly higher than what I had calculated, I asked why and checked, eventually realizing that I had miscalculated. I think that I had just finished using the machine and was checking the receipt once again when it was announced that the store had closed, so I rushed to retrieve the bag, seeing that nobody was keeping an eye on it, then I took my time to arrange everything after walking out. And, despite really needing to pee, on the way back I still decided to check the Shop & Go that’s on this street, since it’s open until midnight, just leaving the two bags next to the entrance, looking for the bag of biscuits that I wanted and getting one.
I got back a little after 11:45 PM, with almost 22 kg, so just over 21 kg if you don’t count those biscuits, and rushed to pee. Then I put some of the purchases in their place, ate a banana and the remaining caramelized walnuts bought on January 31, and it was past 12:45 AM when I went to the toilet and to wash. It was past 1:50 AM when I got back to the kitchen, and I had plenty to wash and the remaining purchases to put in their place, so I started to eat dinner at 3:55 AM and finished just after 4:25 AM. And I ate in the kitchen, finishing some expired roes received by dad, after microwaving for three minutes. On the other hand, while I had been mostly fine until then, while I ate I started coughing and my nose started running, and those symptoms didn’t go away after I finished.

On the morning of February 16, I wasn’t sleeping when dad got back, and I knew that he was bringing quite a number of things, so I went to quickly separate what he brought, put them in their place and exchange a few words with him about what he’ll take to mother. It was a couple of minutes after 6 AM when I got back in bed, and I wasn’t really coughing anymore, but my throat was sore and I wondered whether I had tonsillitis or those additional lymph nodes were really reacting, the way things developed after that proving this second scenario to be true, albeit not necessarily to the exclusion of the first. And my stomach also seemed to be a little upset. Also, while the bad dreams didn’t return, I still kept waking up. And once it was because of a dream, but actually because I was laughing! Another time was in order to pee, but otherwise I just kept waking up without knowing why, so I couldn’t say how much I slept until dad got up and got ready to leave, making noise that at least made it clear why I kept waking up after that point, so I could only have brief naps until I saw 1:51 PM when I checked the time, and the alarm was set to ring at 2 PM, so I went to exchange a few more words with him before he left, then went through the little exercise routine that I do before getting up. My back was still bothering me, but the fact that I didn’t really spit stuff out anymore that day helped.
Either way, the plan was to finally run again, after having decided to make use of the small “buffer” created towards the end of 2022 in order to skip a week, so I had the usual stuff, but the yogurt was a drinkable one which had expired the previous day, from what dad had brought. And two of those expired nicer biscuits, with added honey, were once again the sweet thing. I left at 4:15 PM, wearing the full running gear and in fact deciding to get back to using the old running t-shirt, but also wearing the jacket on the way, tied around my waist while I ran. The reported temperature was 11°C, but there was some wind and I didn’t want to feel cold. It was 9-10°C when I finished.
The time was 48:15.01, with sector times of 4:14.84, 5:09 (5:08.64), 5:56.40, 4:32 (4:31.69), 5:08.38, 5:55 (5:54.75), 4:28.15, 5:05 (5:04.88), 5:54.22 and 1:54 (1:53.06), making for lap times of 15:19.88, 15:35 (15:34.82) and 15:27.25. About halfway through sector three of lap one I found myself thinking that the first sector’s time had been 4:14.82, making the second 5:08.66, but I had been sure of that 4:14.84 until then, and the difference isn’t relevant anyway… Though two hundredths would have been relevant at the end, since it was frustrating to see a time that was just over 48:15. Either way, I obviously wondered about staying under 48 minutes, but a week without running tends to cost me a minute over ten kilometers, leaving aside the fact that I was still recovering from the cold, so I was aiming to be less than a minute over that previous 47:27.86 and the first sector was better than expected, but sector three of lap one was somewhat worse and the lap just squeezed under the target for 48 minutes if I’d have kept it up, which was unlikely. Still, after lap two I wondered whether I’ll manage another great lap three and make it anyway, so I pushed, but on sector three of lap three I was starting to feel out of it, out of breath and even a little dizzy, and it showed, so I wasn’t able to really recover time there, as I had done on other runs, and the last sector wasn’t good either.
I had noticed that I hadn’t tied the jacket quite well enough around my waist, but I started running anyway and it proved far less of a problem than I feared, sliding around a little on sector three of lap one, but then settling into the new position and not unbalancing me. Otherwise, the lane was wet in some areas, so I avoided what I could, and a few small patches had been repaired, one resulting in a little bump on the long sector one straight that could trip me if I’m not careful and another one, early on sector one, being fenced off, though that didn’t cause any problem. As for people, there weren’t many, so other than some weaving and going the long way around, there was just one moment, on sector two of what I think was lap two, though there’s a small chance that it was actually lap three, when I slowed and took a step off the path after meaning to go on the inside when another person was coming from the opposite direction, on the outside, but being uncertain that the space would remain open. And the slight pressing need that I felt much of the time was just something to be aware of. So the real problem was that I just couldn’t push any harder, and towards the end I really felt that I was at the limit, as I already mentioned.

Despite not having a mask, I quickly checked the nearby Mega Image on the way back, spotting some discounted oranges, but I had no money with me and also thought that I might find better ones elsewhere, so I just kept them in mind in case I won’t. Then I changed and went back out a little after 6:10 PM, wearing a FFP2 mask and first going to Penny. I didn’t get anything, however, since I had sent dad an e-mail to ask whether I should get some things from there, telling him to call if he sees it in time, and he didn’t. So I then started looking for recyclables to take to Kaufland, the 10% discount being offered for fabric softener those days, picking up ten on the way and putting them in the machine when I got there, getting two vouchers, after which I washed my hands. However, I didn’t find the pack of fabric softener that I was looking for, so I just grabbed a small discounted product, and the self-checkout rejected my bills a few times before eventually accepting them. Then I threw that product in one of the jacket’s inside pockets, saw a cart with a coin in it and took it back, to connect it to the others and retrieve that coin, and then checked Carrefour as well, though I didn’t get anything from there either.
The trip had pretty much been a waste of time until then, but at least it meant that I was back early, so I went back to this nearby Mega Image and that bag of oranges was still there, so I grabbed it. The cashier was searching for something when I got to the checkout and didn’t react at first, so I meant to move to the next one, but that one admonished her and she told me to stay there while they had a brief argument… After which she complained that I had given her too little money even though I had given her the exact amount, at which point the other cashier told her that it was a discounted product without even looking, after which she checked and confirmed that it was the correct amount. She didn’t give me a receipt, however, and I didn’t insist.
Since I had taken the money with me, I then went straight up, to pay the maintenance bill, before getting back, at 8:25 PM. That was early enough, so I threw that other product in the fridge and could also take the oranges out of the bag and eat the half or so of the one bad one that was still usable before going to the toilet and to wash. I finished just before 10 PM, when the match started. Then I also put the oranges in the fridge and during the second half of the match I ate the walnuts with chili that I still had, since dad was going to fry some mici after he’ll also finish his bath and I decided to wait and have some of those as lunch, eating them while making the salad for dinner. Since I also cleaned up after dad in the bathroom and living room, I started eating dinner at 3:05 AM, but I nevertheless finished a little after 3:35 AM. I got in bed at 5:20 AM, after once again taking a pill, which also seemed to help with my throat, even though it wasn’t specifically for that.

On the morning of February 22, it was almost 5:20 AM when I got in bed and I had a hard time falling asleep despite having slept really badly on the previous days. Or maybe just because of that. Either way, I’m not even sure that I got a little nap before dad got back from work, and then he had to prepare everything he was going to need after getting up, having already warned me about that, so I only really fell asleep after he also went to bed… And after some two hours of sleep I got up to pee and then couldn’t get back to sleep at all. Some two more hours later I decided to pee one more time, just in case it’d help, and it actually did, but I got at most one more hour of sleep, if that, before waking up again, at 12:40 PM, as dad was getting ready to leave. And I couldn’t get right back to sleep after he left either, so I only got one more brief nap before the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and I got up, after yet again sleeping for a total of probably only about three and a half hours, and after having gone out the previous evening. But the plan was to run, so I had the usual stuff, with two of those expired nicer biscuits, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and left at 4:10 PM, wearing the full running gear, since the reported temperature was about 14°C, dropping to 12-13°C when I finished.
The time was 49:08.29, with sector times of 4:23.01, 5:17.34, 6:03 (6:02.84), 4:39.03, 5:13.10, 5:58 (5:57.84), 4:31.64, 5:13 (5:12.46), 5:56.69 and 1:55 (1:54.34), making for lap times of 15:43.19, 15:50 (15:49.97) and 15:40.79. Even though the next run was going to be the first longer one, it could be said that this one marked the start of my preparation for this year’s half marathon, so I was hoping to get back under 48 minutes, but after pushing hard from the beginning and ending up with a first sector time that was some 15 seconds slower than it should have been, it was clear that it’ll have a bad time. The second sector made it clear that even staying under 49 minutes was going to be hard, and the first lap’s time made me set 49:30 as the realistic goal. I was closer to 49 minutes in the end, but that was still an awful time, the worst since the start of the year, and the second worst, and the second over 49 minutes, since the second one after getting rid of COVID-19. And there were no terrible crowds or other conditions that might be seen as excuses.
Admittedly, there were actually quite a number of people, so there was quite a lot of weaving and going the long way around, and on the long straight of sector one of lap one I had to go off the path in order to go around a group, and those little bushes meant that I had to stay on the grass for a few meters before I could return, while on the long straight of sector two of lap two I briefly stopped when a woman realized that she was on the lane and suddenly stepped off it when I was a couple of steps away and already about to go around her on the side that she ended up blocking, and on sector one of lap three I had to quickly avoid a dog that got in my way. But that’s nothing compared to that run from January 2, when it was so crowded that plenty of times I could barely advance, much less run. Either way, it was also windy at times, but I can’t really say that I had to fight it. So the main problem was that I just couldn’t push. I felt out of breath, my legs weren’t pumping well enough either, and the overall feeling was the one I had when I was clearly affected by anemia. I was even starting to feel rather out of it on the second half of lap three.

Despite not having a mask, I once again had a quick look in the nearby Mega Image on the way back, and then I ate a banana and decided to go to Penny after all, even though I didn’t initially mean to go back out that evening. So I left again at 6:15 PM, had a quick look in that other Mega Image that’s on the way, then got to Penny… And couldn’t find the main things that I had gone there for, so I just got the other two things, which could have waited. I think it was between 7:20 PM and 7:25 PM when I got back, and that morning I managed to get in bed at the usual 5:15 AM, but the following morning it was once again 5:20 AM when I did.

In the early hours of February 27, I started eating dinner at 3:25 AM and finished at 3:55 AM. Then, while I woke up multiple times and also went to pee at least four times, if not five, a couple of them just in case, I did always get back to sleep quickly enough, so after several days of sleeping little and badly, I finally slept pretty well, and had in fact done so on the previous day as well, plus that I had also napped a little in the evening. Then I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing being a slice of panettone, with added honey. I left at 4:20 PM, wearing just the full running gear, since the forecast that I had seen before going to bed in the morning had listed about 13°C and dad was home, so I hadn’t checked again until just before leaving, when it was too late to change even though I saw that the reported temperature was only about 8°C! And it dropped by 1°C by the time I finished. So it was definitely chilly on the way…
The time was 1:18:28, with sector times of 4:19, 5:16, 5:59, 4:31, 5:10, 5:56, 4:27, 5:10, 6:00, 4:33, 5:17, 6:03, probably 4:39, probably 5:12, and 5:56, making for lap times of 15:34, 15:37, 15:37, 15:53 and 15:47. My hands were too frozen to feel what I was pressing and I missed the button at the end of sector one of lap five, and I wasn’t looking at the stopwatch just then, so the listed times assume that I looked a second later, but I’ll leave them with a question mark, since I might have looked two seconds later, making that sector a second faster and the next a second slower. Looking in the same second seems highly unlikely. Either way, considering the previous week’s time, I was realistically just aiming to stay under 1:20. Of course I was still thinking of getting under 1:18, but 1:19 seemed to be the very best that I could really hope for. However, after a worrying sector two of lap one, the first two laps were a little better than I thought, and lap three being equal to lap two was a nice surprise, so getting under 1:19 seemed certain if I won’t have problems. But it was the first time I ran over ten kilometers since the marathon, so I wasn’t sure how I’ll feel from then on and only tried to calculate after lap four, on which I slowed a little less than I thought I would. And at that point I realized that, with a real push on lap five, I might just get under 1:18:30 as well. So I did push, and did so even harder from sector two, doubting that I’ll keep it up but doing my best and just making it in the end.
I started feeling a faint pressing need even on lap one and it got more notable on sector two of lap three, but then it lessened again, becoming barely perceptible, before once again becoming notable on sectors two and three of lap five. And my right knee starting giving some warnings at some point, maybe on lap four, or late on lap three, I can’t quite recall. And at the end, maybe just from the start of sector three of lap five, there were some warnings from my left knee as well. Otherwise, there was some wind in a few places on lap one and on sector three of lap four, and on sector three of lap three it was worse, so I had to fight it in the early part of that sector. There might have been some wind on lap five as well, but I was pushing too hard to really notice at that point. As for the lane, some parts were soggy, but I’d say that I avoided less of it than I usually do. And there weren’t many people and they caused no notable problems, just making me occasionally have to weave and go the long way around.

I pretty much ran back, even though my left thigh muscle started complaining on the way. Then I ate a banana and some nicer corn puffs, changed, straightened two more bottles, and left again at 7:25 PM, with 12 plastic bottles, since I also had two that I was quite sure won’t be accepted. I also had some broken headphones that dad was getting rid of, which I dropped off in the proper bin from that mall before putting the bag with bottles in a cabinet but entering Carrefour with the backpack in which I had some more and just buying some garlic. And then I spotted two of those bottles that go towards that voucher from Penny in a recycling bin, so I grabbed them and added them in that bag after retrieving it from the cabinet, the garlic going in the backpack.
Penny was next, but besides the fact that the machine refused those two bottles that I was quite sure it would and that I struggled a lot to make it accept the straightened ones, it also refused two beer bottles, so it was a good thing that I had grabbed those two from that bin and I hope that the campaign does work as it says, requiring a total of 20 bottles, not all of them on the same receipt, since I have two or three on the other receipts received since then as well. Either way, I didn’t bother to put the backpack in a cabinet, grabbed a few things, rounded down a little at the checkout and the cashier didn’t comment, and then I continued to Kaufland, putting the bag with the purchases from Penny in a cabinet, washing my hands and entering the store a little before 9 PM. The bread was already gone, but some other bakery products were left and discounts of 75% were soon announced, so I grabbed some things, scanning the labels in order to see the actual prices, since that discount didn’t apply to everything and the employee was just starting to place the new labels as I finished getting what I wanted. Then I also got some grapes that had an evening discount, a bag of discounted oranges and a few more things, had no problems with the self-checkout and was done a few minutes before 10 PM, so I could retrieve what I had in the cabinet and leave through the normal door, after which I took my time to arrange everything in the backpack and bag, using one of those tables.
I didn’t walk away right after I was done, however, since I had spotted a small Lidl cart with a coin in it on the way in and hadn’t taken the time to see what it had to be connected to at that point, so I went back there, found that it hadn’t been moved and meant to take it to the nearby Lidl… Only to find another Lidl cart with a coin in it on the way, a regular one that time, and the two wouldn’t connect to each other, so I tried to take that one to the proper place first, since I knew where that was, meaning to return for the other one after that… But the carts were barred off, since the store had closed, so I couldn’t connect it to the others and had to just leave it there, and I also left that small one where it was. And then I ended up wasting a little more time by having a look at the pile of plastic bottles that had been left in front of Kaufland’s recycling machines, which were not working, and grabbing four more that I thought also went towards that voucher from Penny, along with the bag that two of them were in, even if it was torn, since I could make use of it in order to better balance what I was carrying, moving the toilet paper to it before finally walking away, at 10:15 PM. It was only recently that I actually read the regulations and found out that, even if the brief description of the campaign doesn’t mention any such restrictions, only the 0.5 l and 1.5 l bottles count, so those four didn’t.
I got back a little before 10:55 PM, with almost 15 kg, and then grabbed some trash and threw it down the chute… Only to then realize that I wanted to throw away that bag as well, so I went back to do so, actually going to the next floor, to also check that garbage room for some more of those bottles, though I didn’t find any. Then I spread out the purchases and put the plastic bottles and dad’s Pepsi on the balcony, ate some of the grapes, finding that some had been squashed in the backpack, and also had something that could count as lunch. I also noticed that those discounted oranges really were quite bad, but I could still make use of them. And I took a pill as well, just in case. It was 12:30 AM when I went to wash and a little before 1:20 AM when I got back in the kitchen, but I had to put the purchases in their place and things to wash, and I also mixed something, so I started eating dinner at 3:25 AM and finished at 4 AM. I got in bed at 5:20 AM.

If in the early hours of March 6 I ended up eating dinner between 3:15 AM and 3:45 AM, after falling asleep while trying to rest my eyes and warm up in bed and waking up when it was almost 1:30 AM, in the early hours of March 7 I ate between the same hours despite going to the kitchen before 12:30 AM, since there was a lot to wash and clean after dad had fried fish and made mamaliga, and I also scraped the crust of mamaliga that was left on the pot, plus that I peeled and boiled carrots for the salad, which I made only from those, the last regular onion that we had at the time and a little lemon, not having green onions or anything else that I’d want to put in a salad made on the night before a run. I didn’t have any whole wheat bread either, nor any other bread that I’d normally get, in fact, so I made do with that “semiwhite” one that I had grabbed from Kaufland on March 1.
Either way, after actually waking up just seconds earlier, I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and I had the usual stuff, with the sweet thing being a recently expired walnut, cranberry and apple bar, with added honey. I left a little before 4:15 PM, wearing the full running gear, with a few things in the pocket of my tights. The reported temperature was 16°C, holding steady. And I’ll also mention here that, just before leaving, I noticed that my stopwatch was about a minute behind, so I fixed that, but I still wonder whether it had been like that for a while or it recently started falling behind, which would be a problem even if it’d happen at a very slow rate, since it’d mean that it may become less accurate.
The time was 47:08.79, with sector times of 4:13.54, 4:59.38, 5:51.03, 4:23 (4:22.81), 4:59.06, 5:54 (5:53.69), 4:26.34, 4:59 (4:58.94), 5:40 (5:39.22) and 1:44.78, making for lap times of 15:03.95, 15:16 (15:15.56) and 15:05 (15:04.50). I wanted to get back under 48 minutes, pushed from the start and the first sector wasn’t as good as I hoped, but it was acceptable, and the second sector was actually good, so I wondered about covering the lap in less than 15 minutes, but sector three wasn’t good enough for that. It was still a good lap, however, and after it I was pretty sure of staying under 48 minutes. And then I was pleased with the first two sectors of lap two as well, and after the end of the lap I started wondering about getting under 47:30. It seemed unlikely, but I pushed on lap three, even more so after sector one, and I was surprised to already be safe at the end of the lap. I kept pushing, however, wanting to get under 47:15, and I actually ended up even under 47:10, and two minutes faster than on the previous run over this distance, so I was clearly over the cold… Even if my nose was somewhat irritated over the following days.
I felt something of a pressing need on sector two of lap two and on the final sector, and there was a small warning from my left knee at the start and one from my left calf a little later, but they quickly passed. Also, on sector three of lap three I once again stepped in that hole that’s under the lane, but it was with my right heel, so it was just jarring. Otherwise, I was initially worried about the wind, after it had made the walk to the park uncomfortable, and I did fight it on the early part of sector three of lap one, but after that there were just some occasional gusty areas, and even those weren’t a real problem. And there weren’t many people either, so there was just some weaving and going the long way around, and at most hesitating for an instant a couple of times, while deciding which way to go.

I pretty much kept running after finishing, going to the nearer Penny even though I hadn’t taken a mask with me, picking up one of those bottles that actually do go towards that voucher on the way and leaving it outside. An employee seemed to be gathering expiring products when I entered Penny, but I couldn’t wait for her to be done, so I quickly got what I wanted, retrieved that bottle and walked back, seeing that I had enough time to not need to run again.
After putting the purchases in the fridge, I had lunch, then changed and went out again just before 7:40 PM… Without really knowing where I wanted to go. I kept changing my mind, alternating between Obor and the route that ends at that newer Kaufland, but I eventually decided on the latter… And started by just wasting time at Carrefour, after seeing that the almonds that I considered getting didn’t look too good, eventually deciding on a bag, but then changing my mind since there are no self-checkouts that accept cash in that area and I couldn’t get myself to stand in line and deal with a cashier just for that, especially when I was uncertain about it.
I then went straight to Kaufland, washed my hands, entered the store just before 8:35 PM… But still couldn’t find any of that bread, seeing that it was the only bakery product that already had a discount label, and none of it was left. Also, only one other kind of bread was left, and I didn’t want it, so I got some other things until the bakery discounts were actually announced and I grabbed a number of products from there. However, I put them in a bag and hid it, in case the discounts would increase, just buying the other things at that point and putting them in a cabinet after using a self-checkout without problems.
Penny was next, and I found one last bundle of green onions and wondered if it had a 50% discount at that hour, since some of the vegetables from that area do, but it took me a while to work up the courage to ask an employee, and I also asked her about those large packs of food for Liza… Not that it did any good, since she said that they had no more of those packs and wasn’t sure about the green onions, saying that they should be discounted but she didn’t really know. And I couldn’t get myself to ask another employee, but I managed to reach up, grab the discount labels and look through them, putting back that bundle after not finding green onions among the products that were listed on them. That didn’t necessarily mean that they weren’t included that evening if they happened to still have some at that hour, as there were also a couple of labels that had no product listed, possibly intended just for such situations, but I couldn’t get myself to go to the cashier and ask, so I just searched for some more of that pretty good cornmeal that I knew had a good price in that location, found one last one behind the worse kind and just bought that.
Then I went back to Kaufland, added that cornmeal in the cabinet, washed my hands again and retrieved the bag that I had hidden, finding that the discounts had remained at 50%, so hiding it had served no purpose. Either way, I then added a few red onions, at full price, since we were running out, the price of onions had exploded, and the red ones somehow ended up being less expensive than the regular ones, which had doubled in price since the start of the year and tripled since earlier. And I also spotted some expiring bread that I could get for dad, and it ended up being cheaper than the one that I had bought for him from Auchan on March 3, and I had bought so much at that point that some of it still couldn’t fit in the freezer. But I still got two of those, one of them for myself, just to have some bread, even if it was white, since at least that kind has no ingredients that I’d want to avoid. And then I went to the self-checkout, having no problems with the machine… But obviously having a problem with my brain, even though nobody was rushing me or even near me, because I somehow forgot the coins received as change, and it wasn’t a tiny amount either. I had even put in a 0.01 RON coin, to get 0.75 RON as change, then I counted the bills, arranged them nicely in the pocket, but somehow just left the coins there. And, while it wouldn’t have really helped anyway, I didn’t even realize it while I was still there, even though I finished a couple of minutes before closing and then took my time to arrange all of the other purchases in the backpack before walking out, leaving just the bakery products in that regular bag.
On the way back, I for some reason decided to also have a look in that Profi, putting my things in a cabinet, having a good look around and eventually grabbing a bag of nice and deeply discounted bagels that I found among the expiring products. And I was about to make my way to the checkout when my phone gave a battery low warning, so I turned off the music from that point. That obviously didn’t help with my anxiety, but after retrieving my things from the cabinet and adding those bagels in the backpack, I nevertheless checked that non-stop Mega Image as well, putting just the bag in a cabinet but not finding anything to get. And the guard stopped me to ask what was in my pockets, so I showed him the gloves, being somewhat amused that he hadn’t said anything about the full backpack that I was carrying. Either way, I then retrieved the bag from the cabinet and made my way back here, getting increasingly worried about the yogurts, since it sounded like they were no longer arranged properly in the backpack.
Those concerns were proven correct after I got back, at 11:15 PM, and found that the top of one of the yogurts had been slightly pierced by the edge of another. So I moved the contents into a jar, then I ate an orange, those bagels and a small chocolate, put the purchases in their place, and it was past 12:20 AM when I went to the toilet and to wash, being done when it was past 1:15 AM. I then sliced the remaining two breads from Auchan for dad and found a way to stuff one of them in the freezer, ending up starting to eat dinner at 3:35 AM and finishing at 4:20 AM. I got in bed at 5:25 AM… And I do seem to have confirmed that the keyboard’s indicator LEDs get stuck after rebooting, so the problem is probably caused by what I installed for that TV tuner that otherwise remains unused. At least unplugging the keyboard and plugging it back in fixes the problem.

In my first blog post, as in the first one written after actually deciding to have a blog, at the time in both English and Romanian and on three different platforms, so not including the old posts that were originally posted on Kiwibox, I was saying that real life is lived at night. And I wasn’t, and am not, referring to an active nightlife, but to inner life, deep thoughts and discussions, creativity, moments that matter, whether in solitude or alongside those one is close to. And I found myself thinking about that again recently, and maybe going further, since that post was just a personal one.
I think that people who regularly stay awake at home during weeknights are far more likely to be more interesting, more worth knowing, more worth paying attention to. Obviously not all of them, and there are often very mundane or, worse, infuriating and harmful reasons for such behavior, but the chances seem far better on average. After all, they’re already different from most in one obvious way, they’re far less likely to be engaged in the daily grind, or at least in the part that has to do with regular work hours, or school hours for the young ones, and they’re more likely to avoid the rush and cacophony of the world. While once again stressing that this can’t be taken as a general rule, and that even quite a number of those who do fit this description do so in negative ways, I do believe that far more of them have rich inner lives, minds capable of deep thought and creativity, and seek close, intimate relationships, though some may also actually desire solitude. Sure, I’m likely also biased, but I do believe that these people should be more valued and listened to, though care must also be taken to avoid pulling them into the daily grind, out of their chosen environment and the mindset and behavior patterns that allow them to be as they are.

After starting it on January 10 and finishing it on January 12, in the early hours of January 13 I wrote and posted the quick review for Grim Work. Then I made a salad that contained just baked beets, a little green onion and a bit of lemon, since I didn’t have anything else that I’d want to put in a salad on the night before a run, and I also slept rather poorly and had bad dreams. But I got up when the alarm rang, at 1 PM, had all of the usual stuff and a slice of cozonac from my mother, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and left at 3:50 PM, wearing the full running gear and that thinner old training shirt that I used to wear inside, plus the gloves and that thing that goes on my neck, and the jacket on the way, tied around my waist as I ran. It was overcast and the reported temperature was 4-5°C, holding steady.
The time was 47:35.00, with sector times of 4:14.84, 5:05.10, 5:57 (5:56.72), 4:31 (4:30.84), 5:03.09, 5:47 (5:46.94), 4:22 (4:21.88), 4:56 (4:55.97), 5:50 (5:49.96) and 1:50 (1:49.66), making for lap times of 15:16.66, 15:21 (15:20.87) and 15:08 (15:07.81). I wanted to get back under 48 minutes and the first lap didn’t look good, mainly because I hoped for a faster sector three, and sector one of lap two made me quite sure that I won’t make it, but I pushed and the next sector was better, and the one after it even more so. I felt like I was slowing and tiring when I was approaching the end of the lap, but that lap time nevertheless allowed me to think that I had a chance, so I just gave it everything on lap three and sector two was particularly good, and in the end I was close enough to 47:30 to think that I might have managed even that without slowing and stopping to check the time, and also without that small loss of time likely caused by taking the glove off to press the interval button and putting it back on.
I actually briefly stopped to see the hundredths even on sectors one and two of lap two, before doing it again on sector three of lap three, and I slowed a few other times, since the overcast sky made it quite dark. And the lane was mostly soggy, so I tried to avoid it most of the time, and the other runners that I saw seemed to be doing the same. Also, while from lap two I was thinking that I could have been just wearing the t-shirt, there were a couple of gusts that made it feel chilly again, and it’d have definitely been too cold to start and run the first lap like that. But at least that meant that there were pretty few people, the one problem caused by them being on sector two of lap three, when a large group formed a roadblock that I had to slow in order to squeeze past. Otherwise, I felt a certain pressing need from sector two of lap two, but it wasn’t bad, and there were some warnings from my right hip that also started at some point on lap two, though I tried to be careful with how I moved that leg and it got better in time.

I quickly checked the nearby Mega Image on the way back, pulling that thing up to also cover my mouth and nose, since I didn’t have a mask. Then I ate a banana and lunch, with a part of a large bag of corn puffs instead of bread, changed my pants and left again at 7:55 PM… But a talk with dad had pretty much caused my brain to disconnect and I forgot the voucher for Penny that I meant to use if I’d find enough of the cat food that was on sale, realizing it as I was about to exit the park, so I had no reason to go to that larger Penny and also didn’t want to go to that Auchan anymore, since the reason would have been to look for bread for dad. So I went to Carrefour instead, but I just couldn’t think. I was looking for a “shopping backpack” from their catalog, but I couldn’t find it and couldn’t get myself to ask, and I also forgot that I also wanted some tomato sauce, remembering when I had already left that mall, after changing my mind about which exit to use. So I went back in and grabbed what I thought was that tomato sauce… Only to realize that I had accidentally grabbed something else when I passed by a second spot where it was placed, so I could at least get the correct product from there, and I also used the voucher that I had, from previous purchases, and the cashier didn’t take the receipt away. I still didn’t find that backpack, however.
After changing my mind a few more times, walking back and forth inside that mall, I eventually decided to go to that other Auchan, entering with that tomato sauce. However, even though that location closes at 11 PM and I got there at 9:40 PM, it was already too late to find any of that bread for dad, since they clear the bakery area earlier and it was already cleared… And I also forgot to look for some more water for him, just getting myself some tea. And then I just wasted time by trying to also go to that Kaufland, since the site still listed that location as open until 11 PM, but it was closed when I got there, and the signs listed the closing time as 10 PM. But on the way back I entered a Mega Image, putting the bag in a cabinet and finding one of those apple pastries with the evening discount. So I bought it, then I retrieved the bag and once again put it in a cabinet when I also checked the Mega Image that’s next to Tei, but I didn’t find anything there, so I just walked out and retrieved it again.
I got back a little before 11:15 PM, ate that apple pastry, cleaned up a little in the kitchen, and it was past 12:10 AM when I went to the toilet and to wash. I got back to the kitchen at 1:25 AM and I might have just managed to stick to the dinner schedule despite still having to put the purchases in their place and wash a few more things, but I decided to put something else on some of the slices of bread and microwave them separately, so I ended up starting to eat dinner at 3:25 AM. And I only finished an hour later, in part because I searched for some things that were related to that talk while eating, and I got in bed at 5:20 AM. And my mind was still pretty much broken the next day. I was a mess and just couldn’t think, or at least not about anything other than that topic… And in the evening I tried to find those vouchers for Penny, and when I finally did I saw that they had expired, so the fact that I had forgotten them shouldn’t have mattered.

Despite wandering around the previous evening, on January 17 I got up when the alarm rang, at 1:30 PM, had all of the usual stuff, with the sweet thing again being a slice of cozonac from my mother, with added honey, and left at 4:05 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 15°C, dropping to about 13°C when I finished. After waiting for the site to update with the values from 4 PM, to see what the temperature was just before I left, I was in a rush and forgot to turn off the monitor.
The time was 47:38.51, with sector times of 4:15:01, 5:03.50, 5:55.47, 4:32 (4:31.65), 5:03.09, 5:52.07, 4:23 (4:22.84), 5:00.32, 5:45 (5:44.74) and 1:50 (1:49.82), making for lap times of 15:13.98, 15:27 (15:26.81) and 15:08 (15:07.90). While running, I was sure that the time for sector three of lap two was 5:55.07, but when I calculated I realized that I had remembered the seconds after sector one, the time there being 19:45, instead of calculating from 24:48, which was the time after sector two… Or at least I’m quite sure that’s what happened. There is a small chance that the difference is from somewhere else, maybe from the next sector, but it’s unlikely, so I’m leaving it like that, without question marks. Either way, the plan was to stay under 48 minutes, but I thought that I’ll struggle to do so and on sector three of lap one I was thinking that if I’ll go over six minutes I’ll have to push to even stay under 48:30. And staying under 48 minutes still didn’t seem likely even if I didn’t go over six minutes on that sector, and that continued to be the case even after pushing harder from lap two, especially after the first sector. But I just went for it on lap three, hoping to somehow make it, and after sector two I felt reasonably safe, and continuing to push resulted in a time that was better than expected. And this seems to have been my 250th ten-kilometer run, if you include those from the lockdown, on the street, and the one that was a couple hundred meters shorter, but obviously don’t include the one that was several hundred meters longer, with pauses and a significantly modified route.
Most of the lane was once again soggy and I avoided what I could. On the other hand, there weren’t many people, so I still had to weave and go the long way around occasionally, but they didn’t cause notable problems except on sector three of lap one, when I had to slow a couple of times. But keeping my eyes on people and forgetting to move to the right side meant that I also slowed right at the end, since I had to make that move on the last steps and obviously couldn’t maintain my speed, though that might have just affected the exact time, since it might not have cost me more than half a second. However, I felt abdominal pain from the beginning, and while a part of it might have been reflected from my back and it lessened to some extent after I partially managed to snap my back, on sector one of lap two, another part was likely a result of eating a large bag of bagels and drinking all of the tea in a hurry the previous night, after getting back, so it remained something to manage… As was a certain pressing need that I felt all along, though it was never bad. And wandering around the previous evening also left me feeling rather tired.

I once again had a quick look in the nearby Mega Image on the way back, despite not having a mask. Then I ended up only eating a banana before changing and leaving again a little after 7:10 PM, finally taking those things that I take to Kaufland, including the used masks, and five more cooking oil bottles and one small vinegar bottle, in case the machine would reject the cooking oil bottle that was clearly dirty. So I went around Mega Mall and straight to the machine that’s at that Kaufland, and it accepted that dirty bottle just as well, so I kept the vinegar one for another time. And then I dropped off the masks right in front of the door where the sign was still displayed, even though the bin had been taken away for a long time. When I got back later, I saw that a cleaner was working in the area and the masks were in a bag of garbage, but I had checked a site and that location was still listed as a place where masks could be dropped off, so I did what I could. Either way, I then thoroughly washed my hands and on my way out I also dropped the other things in what may be the appropriate bin.
I then went to Mega Mall, checking a bookstore and a sports store, even trying on some boots, before entering Carrefour and wandering around, checking some boxers and socks and looking for that “shopping backpack”. However, I couldn’t find it there either, so I just grabbed an expiring product and waited until after 9 PM, just in case the bakery discounts would return. But that sign didn’t appear and I didn’t ask again, so I just used the self-checkout for that product, put it in a pocket and went back to Kaufland, using the toilet and entering the store when it was past 9:15 PM. However, there were no evening discounts for bread, and I confirmed it by scanning the label of the one that I get from there, and the other bakery products that were still available weren’t interesting. So I got another pack of those snacks for Liza, to use the discount received for the bottles, plus a handful of small beets and one of those large packs of toilet paper. I was using the self-checkout when it was announced that the store had closed, then I put everything in a bag and decided to also check that Mega Image, managing to stuff the bag in a cabinet and finding a discounted bread that I could get. Then I retrieved my things from the cabinet and decided to just put the bread in the same bag.
I got back a little before 11 PM, but after cleaning the litter box I went back out to throw a small bag of trash down the chute. Then I ate that expiring sweet thing from Carrefour, put the other purchases in their place, and it was 12:30 AM when I finally started eating lunch. I went to the bathroom at 12:55 AM… And ended up wasting time on the toilet even though something seemed to be right there. Then I washed and at 1:50 AM I got back in the kitchen. However, I still decided to slice three of dad’s breads before dealing with mine, and I also washed what I had left in the sink, so I only started eating dinner at 3:50 AM, finishing at 4:45 AM.

This is how far I got before midnight, but I had one more run from January to add and I edited the post in order to do so, though I actually only added the part about the actual run before going to bed in the morning, the rest, about the rest of that day, being added Tuesday evening. Either way, I definitely couldn’t leave the post with just what I initially included in it, because this last run from January was the 250th of ten kilometers if you don’t count that shorter one, so it needs to be here to make the post’s title accurate in either scenario.

In the early hours of January 25, I ended up starting to eat dinner at 3:20 AM and finished at 4:05 AM, the salad once again just containing baked beets, some lemon and the green onion tops “stolen” several days earlier from a crate of vegetable parts that were quite clearly going to be thrown away in Kaufland. Then I got in bed at 5:20 AM and got up when the alarm rang, at 1:45 PM, but my mother came by, unannounced, the noise woke me at 1:10 PM and if I fell asleep at all after that it was just for a moment, at one point, before waking up with a start once more, and I actually jumped a couple more times even when I wasn’t asleep because of the noises. Either way, she was in a hurry and left soon after I got up, then I had all of the usual stuff, with the last slice of that cozonac from her, with added honey, as the sweet thing. And it was past 4:15 PM when I left, wearing the full running gear but also an undershirt and that thick training shirt that I was wearing inside those days, that thing that goes on my neck, two pairs of socks and the gloves, plus the jacket on the way, tied around my waist as I ran. The reported temperature was 1-2°C, most likely 1°C by the time I started running, and holding there until I finished.
The time was 48:23.27, with sector times of 4:13.45, 5:14.22, 6:03.03, 4:31 (4:30.38), 5:09.41, 5:54.49, 4:28 (4:27.75), most likely 5:07, most likely 5:54, and 1:50.03, making for lap times of 15:30.70, 15:34.28 and 15:29 (15:28.26), since the exact time for sectors two and three of lap three was 11:00.51. I didn’t take off the glove and missed pressing the button at the end of sector two of lap three, so I don’t have that exact time and, while I was quite certain of the seconds, after thinking about it I realized that, while low, the risk of having looked a little later isn’t exactly negligible, so there’s enough of a chance that those sector times were actually 5:06 and 5:55 to call for listing them with a question mark. But the bad thing was that I went over 48 minutes again, and that it was the slowest time since the end of August. At least it wasn’t also the first one over 48:30 since then as well, but it was close, and until the end of lap three I was quite sure that it would be. And I was worried from the beginning, and after a first sector that seemed good, the rest of the first lap was bad and it made me worry that I won’t even stay under 49 minutes. To some extent sector two and, more clearly, sector three of lap two at least made it quite certain that I’ll manage that, but it definitely looked like I’ll go over 48:30, and even at the end of lap three, when it did seem like I’ll avoid that as well, I wasn’t exactly certain, since there was a chance that I was too tired to manage even a passable final sector. I pushed and that sector wasn’t bad… But, again, the rest of the run was.
Dressed like that, the temperature wasn’t a problem once I started. And there were few people, so I probably went the long way around in order to avoid the soggy lane more than because of people. Still, I did give a wide berth to a couple of people with dogs on long leashes, or in one case no leashes at all, and right at the end of sector two of lap one I actually stopped for what were probably a couple of seconds, after a silly dance with a girl on a scooter. Otherwise, I had felt like I hadn’t left everything in the toilet before leaving, but that only had effects on sector three of lap three, and they were manageable. But my nostrils were constricting because of the cold, and plenty of times I found that I couldn’t quite focus, mentally. And I probably slowed a little in order to see the time pretty much after each sector, and on sectors two and three of lap three I briefly stopped for that same reason, since it was getting too dark… And when I noticed that I hadn’t actually pressed the button at the right time after sector two of lap three, I wanted to check whether I hadn’t accidentally pressed it a little earlier, while trying to get my finger into position, since that might have allowed for a better estimate of that sector time.

I again had a quick look in the nearby Mega Image on the way back, pulling that thing up to also cover my nose, and in fact I rushed back there seconds after walking away, to check a price one more time. Then I cleaned up to some extent in the kitchen and had lunch, but I was panicking because dad was cooking and wanted to be able to finish before leaving for work and he had quite a cold and I didn’t want to be in the same room with him, but trying to rush obviously only caused me to mess up and be even slower, and I was starting to shake and couldn’t really think anymore…
It was just after 8:10 PM when I finally left again, rushing to Tei but not jogging, so I was there a little after 8:25 PM and got what I had on the list, but I couldn’t find that cheap vitamin C and zinc supplement despite looking all over the area where supplements are twice over, so when I heard the announcement that they’ll close in five minutes I asked an employee and she took me to the one spot that I had somehow skipped over both times, one end of the last shelf of that area, before the cosmetics. So I could finally get those as well, and then I grabbed one more thing for dad and rushed to the checkout just after it was announced that they had closed. Then I threw the purchases in a bag and walked out, being directed to the emergency exit.
After taking a little time to arrange the purchases once I was outside, I also went to Carrefour, once again rushing but not jogging. I put the purchases in a cabinet when I got there, then checked out some plates that were discounted, but those of the size that I was most interested in were gone and I didn’t quite like those of the next size either, so that was just a waste of time. But I got some red onions and beets, then I retrieved my things from the cabinet, arranged a little and continued on my way.
The initial plan had been to also get to that newer Kaufland, since bread tends to also get evening discounts in that location, which doesn’t usually happen at the other one, but it was already too late, so I just rushed to that other location, once again without jogging, and again put my things in a cabinet. Oddly, the announcement that the store will close in 15 minutes came at that point, but it was 9:40 PM, so I also quickly washed my hands before walking in, seeing that the discount for bakery products was 74%. And it actually seemed set at 74%, not a result of rounding for some of them. Either way, I grabbed some things from there, including some that I was going to use instead of bread, and also some green onions that had an evening discount, and I was waiting in the long line formed at the self-checkouts when it was announced that the store had closed… And an old woman who was ahead of me asked me to help her with her products, but that was after the machine said that the grapes that she had placed on the scales weren’t the correct product and she removed them, so it obviously wasn’t going to allow anything else to be scanned and I told her that she had to call an employee, at which point she wanted to walk away, but others also told her to wait and she eventually did, and when another machine was freed and I walked to it, I also told the one employee who had to deal with everyone to go to her as well. And I had no problems with the machine, then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and took my time to move the purchases to the backpack, just leaving the bakery products in that bag that hangs from my neck and walking away from there a little after 10:10 PM.
On the way back, I also checked a Mega Image, walking in with everything, and I was quite concerned when the back of my left knee acted up when I stood up again after checking the expiring products, but it got better the next day. Either way, a bread that I could get was left, but no bakery products were placed in discount bags even though that place closes at 11 PM and I waited until 10:30 PM, so I don’t know whether they didn’t make any discounts that evening or the discounts would have applied for everything at the checkout, since I didn’t ask. So I just got a bag of those raisins in dark chocolate, the correct, lower, price being listed in that location.
I got back right at 11 PM, but dad hadn’t taken the bag of trash and hadn’t even dumped everything that was left after his cooking in it, so I took off some of the clothes, cleaned the litter box and then went to drop all of that down the chute. Then I ate an orange and one of the sweet pastries, washed just a couple of things, put just the bakery products in the fridge, and at 12:20 AM I went to the toilet and to wash. I was back out at 1:15 AM, but I had the other purchases to put in their place and a lot to clean after dad’s cooking, starting to eat dinner at 3:15 AM and also taking a pill, just in case… Not that it helped… Either way, I finished dinner at 4:05 AM.

It seems that it’s been ten years since I last wrote a post specifically for Earth Hour, and back then I was turning everything off during that hour, while last year I didn’t even actually observe it. But last year I’d say that I did something better, or at least made up for it, since I got back during Earth Hour after having planted trees that day. So the fact that this evening I’ll turn the lights and the monitor off during that hour and earlier today I attended a protest calling yet again for the part of this nearby park that is supposedly privately owned to be recovered and restored should also be quite enough.
Of course, as I was also saying ten years ago, the part about the lights is just a publicity stunt, and a way for many, including authorities, to claim that they’re doing something for the environment when more often than not the opposite is true and they’re actively fighting against those who demand real and lasting changes. And using electricity isn’t, in itself, a problem, the problem being how it is generated and used, so the goals should be switching to green energy and improving energy efficiency.
This makes the changes to the event’s goals and suggested actions quite a pleasant surprise, since the scope becomes broader, demanding efforts aimed towards the recovery of Nature, and so does the list of actions, which now largely focus on actually doing something with the aim of generating a positive impact instead of just “turning off”. The burden does seem to be left on the shoulders of regular individuals, without specific demands from authorities and companies, and the suggested actions include very little in the way of putting pressure on them even though few things of the necessary magnitude can happen without political decisions and an overhaul of the economic system, but it does remain an improvement. Now let’s see if more will follow…

The fact that yesterday’s tree planting event seemed at the time to be the only one that I’ll attend this spring made how it actually went even more disappointing, but I was there and did, in fact, plant quite a lot of trees, so I’ll write about it now, starting with the early hours of the day, when I ate dinner earlier, in the kitchen, and got in bed at 3:15 AM. As expected, it was hard to fall asleep at that hour, and I doubt that I had even gotten the briefest nap before deciding to pee again, just in case, just after 4:10 AM. But I did fall asleep at some point after that and slept for more than an hour, and possibly even for more than an hour and a half, before the alarm rang, at 6:15 AM. Then I got up, ate an apple, a pretzel and yogurt with cereals, got dressed, took a Smecta Go, since there had been some reasons for concern from that point of view before going to bed and something still didn’t feel quite right, and left at 7:30 AM, taking some trash, which I dropped off in a bin before jogging to the metro station, having dad’s card. However, I didn’t put on a mask, and it was only when the metro was reaching the next stop that I even pulled up that thing that goes on my neck, to at least cover my nose and mouth with it. And I somehow used the wrong exit at Victory Square, and the time lost to get back to the right one also meant that I had to wait one more “turn” at the stoplights, reaching that parking lot a couple of minutes after 7:50 AM, and we had been told to be there at least ten minutes before the scheduled departure time of 8 AM. But it wasn’t a problem, and it didn’t seem like I had to give my name to anyone, so when a driver asked whether we were there for Manastirea and told us to get in if so, I climbed into his bus and took a seat.
We got moving a little after 8:05 AM and the bus was full, the woman who sat next to me even having her kid on her lap. But at least he was quiet while he was there, and after a little while those who sat behind us offered to let him sit between them and he went there. And, other than confirming that the seat wasn’t taken when she asked, I ignored her completely… Though I found myself unable to ignore the fact that nobody seemed to be wearing a mask, so I still didn’t put mine on either, just pulling that thing up again five or so minutes after we got moving. And I spent most of the time with my eyes closed, trying to rest, though I did notice that we passed through this area at 8:20 AM. The very presence of so many people was making me increasingly anxious, however, and I struggled to keep it under control even while I could still listen to the radio, the feeling returning after we got far enough from Bucharest for the radio frequencies to change and someone else put on some foreign radio, loudly, so my attempt to switch to music just resulted in a cacophony in my ears and I ended up taking off my headphones, making the presence of all of those people even harder to block out. At least looking around after that point meant that I spotted one guy who was wearing a mask, but it seemed too late for me to also put mine on. And I also noticed the colored wristband that was in front of me, on the back of the other seat, making me wonder whether I had missed it until then or somebody had assumed that I was sleeping and quietly placed it there, so I put it on, then wrote my name and signed when the form got to me, and at some later point that woman asked whether I was “still upset” and introduced herself, so I also told her my name and shook her hand, but didn’t say anything else.
What was strange was that the buses stopped on the road for a while, before a driver stopped after turning off that road and seemed to have a rather heated exchange with someone. I heard some comments that the driver was actually the mayor, and now that I looked him up I’m tempted to say that it might have been, but at least after he drove away, at 9:55 AM, the doors opened and we stepped out… And into a really cold wind. And work was being done on the road that led to the planting location, so the dust was also a problem as we walked the rest of the way, which took some ten minutes or so.
Well, when we got there we were surprised to see that many others had been working for quite some time, judging by how many trees were already planted, though at least their speed was soon explained, since we noticed that some workers were doing the digging, with machines, so the volunteers just had to place the saplings in the holes and cover them again. I’m pretty sure that the only time when the holes were already dug was the first time I planted trees, back in 2016, and that is quite a relief when it comes to the actual work… But at the same time it meant that we weren’t exactly warming up, so if I had decided to wear two shirts because I thought that I was going to first take off the jacket and then also one of the shirts, I kept shivering with everything on, and with the apron offered by the organizers on top of it.
Speaking of that, we quickly went to the table where the equipment was handed out, but when the first guy handed me gloves and another one of those things that go on the neck, I just kept the gloves, which I again wore over some rubber ones that I had taken with me, returning that thing and pointing out the one that I was already wearing. And then, after initially taking it, I put back the bottle as well, since I have several of those. I was still hoping to get another hat, but they weren’t offering those anymore, the only other things available being vests and aprons, and we were told that we could take either one, but could only keep the vest, having to return the apron at the end. And the apron is useful, unlike the vest, so I took one and put it on. And then I moved to the next table, where they had bananas, biscuits and drinks, having a banana, a pack of four biscuits and a tea, and also taking a second pack of biscuits and saving it for later.
Then the coordinator called everyone to gather for a quick speech, asking those from that table to stop handing anything out, so people will walk away from there, and he also said that we were the third group to arrive that day, which explained all of the work that had already been done even more. On the other hand, while he did ask who was there for the first time and some hands shot up before he mentioned that he spotted quite a number of hats that indicate people who had attended their previous events, he didn’t really bother to offer instructions anymore, and there certainly was no demonstration of the correct planting technique. But we were planting black locust trees and the saplings were quite large, so maybe they relied on the fact that they could take it if they won’t be planted as well as they should be. And the holes that were dug were also much deeper than what would have been dug with shovels, though he also said that we should plant the trees a little deeper than we normally would, because of the soil from that location. Either way, he also pointed out the fact that we won’t need shovels and told us to form groups of two, four or six and get bundles of saplings, saying that a bundle contained 50 and was supposed to be enough for four people. And he also told those who were from a company that they worked with for that event to go to one side, leaving the rest of us with the other side and asking the stronger men and those who are used to hiking to start from the top of the hill.
Since I grabbed and ate another banana, seeing that they were about to run out, and also took a couple more pictures, by the time I went to the saplings, the coordinator was saying that too many had already been taken and the rest of us should just take some from those, so I climbed the hill and did just that, obviously not caring to find teammates and starting to work at 10:35 AM or so… Only for the holes from that area to be filled really quickly, so even if I searched for any that had been missed or not filled well enough, by 11 AM or so it didn’t seem like there was anything left to do and, after wondering what to do for a few moments and listening to others who were doing the same, I wandered away to look on the other side as well, going the long way around in order to avoid having to climb down the steep hill that was even more treacherous because of the dusty soil and burned vegetation. But at least I used that opportunity to take some more pictures of the area… And being on the top of the other hill allowed me to finally notice that workers were continuing to dig holes on another side of the hill that I had been working on, and other volunteers were gathering there and planting in them, so I went there as well and got back to work… For mere minutes, because at or just after 11:30 AM we were called to gather for a picture, so I finished what I had been doing and returned to the starting location.
It took some time and many calls for everyone to gather, and in the end a few stayed at the top of the hill and kept working, though I’m not exactly sure what they were doing there at that point, but the rest of us were finally brought together at 11:40 AM and the coordinator said that they really wanted to have everyone in the picture because it was their only tree planting event this spring. And the sandwiches had also been brought out, those being the only lunch that was served this time around, so after the picture I took and ate two, and also drank two cups of tea, after waiting a little for more water to be heated. Then I went to pee and got back to work, trying to plant as much as possible in the time that was left, since we had been told that the buses were going to leave at 1 PM, or 1:30 PM at the latest, even though the schedule that had been sent had stated that the work would end at 4 PM.
The problem was that the workers couldn’t dig enough holes for all of the volunteers. The coordinator also complained that they were slacking off, but there were far too many volunteers for them anyway, and in fact some did start digging with shovels, around that starting area, and I planted in a few of those holes at first, before returning to the other area and getting among the crowd of volunteers who were rushing to plant as soon as another hole was dug. So I did plant a lot of trees, but I had stopped counting even before I was done with the first area at the top of the hill and couldn’t even give an estimate with any confidence. 40 seems like a good number, 35 probably a minimum one, but there might have been more. Then again, I might have also overestimated, but that seems unlikely. Either way, it makes the fact that the coordinator said that a bundle of 50 saplings should be enough for a team of four quite laughable, considering how easy it was when we didn’t have to dig and the soil also didn’t need to be broken up before being put back into the hole.
I was still following the diggers and planting when I suddenly noticed that the diggers were pretty much the only ones who were still around me, the noise from their equipment having probably covered any discussions between the volunteers. That was rather startling, and when I checked the time and saw that it was exactly 1 PM I even got a little worried, but a few others were still making their way to the starting location, so I rushed back there as well, and since quite a number of sandwiches were left I grabbed one more and stuffed it in a pocket before going to pee one more time. Then, after taking the last of the pictures, I made my way back to the buses while eating that sandwich, passing a few others on the way but still being anxious, because so few seemed left. And the fact that I didn’t see the buses when I got back to the road even made me start to panic, feeling quite relieved when I turned around and saw that they had moved to another road, so I had just passed by them without noticing.
Two of the drivers were talking when I got there, and I climbed into the bus of the one who was saying that he was just waiting for four stragglers and then he’ll leave. However, after taking a seat I realized that the other one seemed to be the one that I had arrived on, and I also thought that I recognized the driver, so I got off and tried to get on that one… Only to return after that driver told me to do so, saying that it was that bus that was leaving then. That did make me wonder whether I was, in fact, leaving with a first group and other volunteers were staying a little longer, but I hadn’t seen any that were still working when I left and, either way, it was too late to go back at that point. And on that bus I had also seen a girl who was wearing a mask, and it’s possible that the one who sat next to her also did, though I’m not certain, so while that girl had something to eat and drink and took hers off after a little while, I ate that second pack of biscuits and then finally put mine on, no longer feeling that it’d make me stand out so badly. And that bus and another one left at 1:20 PM, nobody sat next to me and I wasn’t prevented from listening to my music either, so that anxiety didn’t return, not even while I was thinking that I should ask the driver to let me off before getting back to Victory Square and trying to figure out where and to work up the courage to do so. But I had heard others ask whether he’ll let them off in a certain place when I got back on that bus and he said that others had asked for the same thing, so I eventually decided to get off there as well if I’ll see a metro station in the area… Which I did, so I rushed to follow those who got up at that point and got off the bus at 2:45 PM.

While more than that would have been hard, I should have been able to write one or two more paragraphs before midnight, but it probably wouldn’t have made that much of a difference when I still had to add the rest later, plus the whole part about the rest of the day, so I ended up only getting as far as the moment when we were called to gather for the picture in what I initially posted, editing in order to add the next three paragraphs before finally going to the kitchen at night, while the rest of what’s above was added right after I ate, since I wrote while eating. That still left the part about the rest of the day, which I finally added before going to bed Wednesday morning.

Since we were dropped off at Sun Plaza and I’ve been meaning to have a look in Cora for a while, I went in and checked out the one from there, but it proved a waste of time… As did searching for the Bebe Tei from there, after seeing signs indicating that one existed, because it’s just a small pharmacy and I couldn’t spot any of the things that I had been looking for while having a look inside and couldn’t get myself to ask. And then some more time passed until I found the way down to the metro station, the total time lost being over an hour in that place, to which I ended up adding the fact that, instead of just switching lines, I went out at Unirii and checked out that Carrefour before returning to the metro station, without getting anything, since there was nothing interesting among the expiring or spoiling products, there were no eggs sold by piece, I still had to go to the one from Orhideea for that bread for myself, and I was quite sure that I was going to find everything else there as well.
I lost a little more time by using the wrong exit at Crangasi as well, then I used the toilet and got what I wanted from that Carrefour. However, when I decided to use the gift card received when I handed over the second batch of 50 RON in coins, the self-checkout displayed the message that an assistant will soon come. I assumed that it was because the total was not at least 50 RON, but when that message went away after a moment, I tried again… Only for the same thing to happen, and for the employee who was monitoring the self-checkouts to ask what was going on and then call someone else over, who said that if I wanted to use a gift card I had to pay the rest first, leaving the exact amount that’s on the card. Then again, that was what I had been told when I used the first one as well, but since that time I had selected the wrong option and then the employee said that there had been an error, I assumed that it wasn’t the real rule, since it makes no sense. But it apparently is the rule, and I’d have needed the coins that had been left in the machine in order to have the exact amount that I needed to pay, and the employee who came to help me had grabbed those, so I wanted to just pay the full amount and get it over with. But she said that I could give her the money and she’ll make it work… Only for the machine to cross out cash payments after she selected the method, so I gave her just over what was needed and she gave me the change and then used the gift card. And when I said that at least those two machines that are supposed to accept cash should actually do so, she said that she’s not given what she needs to keep them working and then she gets blamed for not doing her job, and she opened that machine and told the next customer to wait until she’ll sort it out.
After arranging the purchases and returning to the metro station, I got off at Dristor… After being about to once again use the wrong exit, though at least that time I realized it when I got off the metro and just had to walk to the other end of the station. Then I quickly passed through the farmers’ market, checking the prices of green onions at the few sellers who were still there at that hour and asking one about it, since there was no label, but finding them too expensive to buy any. And I also had a very quick look at the expiring products from that Mega Image, without bothering to use a cabinet, though I did use one when I got to Supeco, mainly looking for cabbage. Only one was left, however, and it didn’t look good, and when I asked an employee she said that they didn’t have any more. And when I weighed the bag of spoiling black radishes that was there I found that it weighed less than what was listed on the label, so I didn’t get that either, but I did get some other things… And, as I was retrieving my things from the cabinet, the guard, whom I had noticed following me around while I was inside and then standing outside when I left, asked who had made my receipt and wanted to see it, and after initially handing it back he asked for it again, and then asked the employee who was there whether she had checked me out, explaining that he hadn’t seen me at the checkout, so that other employee said that I must have been there, since I had a receipt, while I asked whether he thought that I had written it by hand.
At least that didn’t end up costing me even more time, since I wanted to watch the qualifying for the Formula 1 race and I was cutting it close, so I rushed back, though I was still paying enough attention to notice a 1 RON bill on the way, on the sidewalk, and grab it. And I also saw a tiny protest taking place at the entrance to the park, apparently demanding Romania to leave the EU and NATO and adopt a position of “neutrality”, so I gave them the middle finger as I passed by, on the other side of the road. And, when I found that I had a few minutes to spare, I had a quick look in this nearby Mega Image as well, putting just the bag with the purchases from Supeco in a cabinet, without locking it, and then retrieving it moments later.

I got back just in time, a few minutes before 7 PM… And I didn’t just do the day’s squats while watching the qualifying, but did them in an outstanding 2:01, since I also timed them. And I just ate a bag of snacks, considering those sandwiches as lunch, before eventually taking a quick shower. On the other hand, I was disappointed with the day, feeling that I really hadn’t done enough, and to some extent also that the event hadn’t really been what I had hoped for, plus that I had wasted all that time after getting back to Bucharest without having anything to show for it. But I then saw that the other NGO whose tree planting events I’ve been attending will also organize one, in April, so there should be another chance.