Cav's Place

I had also signed up to plant trees with this other NGO on November 30, but I had done so tentatively, just because the deadline was Wednesday, meaning to say that I won’t be able to confirm until Monday if they’ll call me before yesterday’s event, since I wanted to see whether I’ll think that I’ll be able to go through something like this again so soon. But they made the decision for me, since they did call, Friday morning, when I had taken the unusual step of switching the phone to silent, wanting to at least sleep then, knowing that the next morning I’ll need to get up at a time when I’d normally get in bed. So I didn’t answer and they didn’t even try again later, only sending an e-mail in the afternoon to say that they had to limit the number of volunteers for that event to 150, even though before the deadline they had been asking for 200, and they already had 150 who confirmed, so I won’t be able to participate, since I didn’t.
At least that meant that I could focus completely on yesterday’s event, since it was going to be the last one for me this year, so I managed to have dinner much earlier than I normally do, shaved even though my shaving brush’s bristles finally came completely off the handle, so I’ll need to glue it once again before using it again, then got ready for the morning, actually got in bed at 2:15 AM and even fell asleep rather quickly… But I got up to pee at 3:40 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep after that, ending up checking the time at 5:15 AM and getting up at that point, even though the alarm was set to ring at 5:30 AM. So, seeing as I didn’t need to pee again until just before leaving, it might have been better to wait until 3:30 AM or so, go once more and then get to bed and have a chance to sleep an hour and a half or so instead of only around one hour. But that wasn’t certain, and just lying in bed and resting probably helped as well. Either way, I did the day’s squats right after getting up, then had breakfast and left at 6:50 AM, taking some trash, which I threw in a bin.
The backpack made it hard to jog, mostly because I had taken the book which I had started reading on Monday, so I only did so a few times, briefly and lightly, but I reached Dristor in 15 minutes and the metro came a couple of minutes later, so I had time to use the toilet from that park after reaching Opera Square and still get to the parking lot a little after 7:25 AM. Then I received that bracelet from the coordinator after saying my name and got on the bus, obviously keeping my mask on until we reached our destination, taking it off just before getting off the bus, even though I didn’t notice anyone else wearing one, though later I saw one guy who wore one even while planting. Interestingly, I ended up sitting right behind that same guy who was my teammate four years ago and whom I had ended up sitting in front of three years ago and across from this spring, but I didn’t say anything after I noticed it, and was relieved when nobody sat next to me, so I put on the headphones, turned on the radio and started reading, managing to do so without getting carsick until I didn’t think that I had enough time for one more chapter. And at that point we were also far enough from Bucharest for the radio frequencies to change, so I just looked out the window until we got there, right at 9 AM, after having left at 7:40 AM.
Before moving on, I’ll also mention that the bus was half full, my quick count getting to 30 people, though I could be a little off, and I’m pretty sure that it had 60 seats. And it was cold, others kept complaining, I saw two girls who had taken a blanket and wrapped themselves in it, and at one point someone went to talk to the driver about it and came back saying that it was 9°C inside and the driver was just as unhappy with the situation, or even more so, since the windows were fogging over, but there was nothing he could do about it. He also offered an explanation, but that woman had walked past me by the time she repeated it and I couldn’t understand what it was. And at least the complaints about the cold eventually put an end to the infuriating conversation about Ukraine taking place behind me, where one woman kept spewing forth Russian propaganda, justifying the war.
This time around, the buses parked close to the site, and while getting there was far less of a problem for the small one, the driver of large one that I was on had to show his skill in order to somehow squeeze through a narrow street, the bus getting scraped by branches and, at least as far as I could tell, somehow just managing to avoid scraping the parked cars. So we only had to make a short walk before being able to get breakfast, and I got a sandwich and a tea, and after I was done I also grabbed a bottle of water and put it in the backpack. However, nothing sweet was offered, and the only equipment that was provided were the gloves, and there were problems even with those, since they decided to have someone grab a pile and walk through the volunteers in order to hand them out, which resulted in many ending up with two gloves for the same hand. But the guy who knows what he’s doing realized it pretty quickly and started checking, fixing the problem even before I checked mine, so I only learned that I had also received two gloves for the same hand when he told me, and then I once again wore them over those latex ones, for a small amount of additional protection.
As usual in that location, and in fact as it tends to happen for most planting events organized by this NGO, it was cold, the sensation being made even worse by the fog and the overcast sky. So the speeches, which started a little before 9:30 AM, were rushed, and at 9:45 AM we started working, the planting location also being right next to that starting area, if I may use the term. My teammate ended up being a woman who was asking which would those teams be when we were told to take one spade per team of two or three, since I found myself saying that the teams are those we form as I passed by her on my way to the spades… And then I was rather surprised to hear her say that, since I took the spade, she’ll take the bucket for our team, having apparently taken my comment as an invitation to team up. Without knowing for sure how the ground was, that was somewhat concerning, since it meant that I was going to be the digger, but we had been told that the ground was soft and had also been prepared to some extent, and accepting the situation as it was meant that I didn’t have to look for a teammate on my own, so I just went with it and she followed me, even the introductions only coming after we had actually started working, after taking a moment to decide where to start from.

This is embarrassing, but this is how far I got before midnight… And even more embarrassing is the fact that I ended up deciding to end the post here after all, even though that means leaving pretty much the entire day for another one. The initial plan was obviously to edit this one in order to add the rest at a later point, but when that wasn’t happening, I just made a couple of additions in what’s above Wednesday afternoon and then reached this decision.

When I heard that the European Parliament voted to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, I was definitely surprised, and very pleasantly so, not just because I didn’t expect such a decisive stance to be formally adopted, but also because it seemed to come pretty much out of nowhere, considering how hard it seems to be to agree on what seem to be lesser decisions regarding Russia. But then I saw what this vote actually means, which is pretty much nothing… Which is far less surprising, or in fact hardly at all, when it comes to the decisions of the European Parliament…
Such a decision should have a huge impact, clearly establishing the fact that the Russian regime is not just no longer even a potential partner, but not even an opponent to be negotiated with, but instead an enemy to be defeated. However, in truth it’s little more than a curiosity, and probably providing some amusement for the Russian regime. Of course, that may well be the only reason why it was adopted or even voted on, but it once again points out some of the deep flaws that need to be fixed… If only people, from the top decision makers to the masses, would use these overlapping crises as the opportunity they are to do so instead of as an excuse to make things even worse…

Maybe I’d have given myself a week off if I’d have managed to finish this year’s marathon in less than four hours, but since that wasn’t the case, the next run was on October 13, when the alarm was set to ring at 2 PM, but I was awake a couple of minutes earlier, so I turned it off and got up. And I was out of one of the kinds of tea that I drink when I go out and decided to not put the other in either, so I drank a different kind of tea, but otherwise had the usual stuff, which should be understood to also include almonds, so I’ll stop mentioning that from now on. As for the sweet thing, I had regular biscuits, with added honey, and then left at 4:20 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 20°C, and it pretty much held steady.
The time was 48:02.92, with sector times of 4:23.23, 5:11.16, 5:58.59, 4:33 (4:32.19), 5:02.78, 5:54 (5:53.94), 4:28 (4:27.81), 4:59 (4:58.78), 5:50 (5:49.72) and 1:44.72, making for lap times of 15:32.98, 15:29 (15:28.91) and 15:17 (15:16.31). I wanted to stay under 48 minutes, but the first sector felt slow and actually was, and the second was even worse, so I feared that I’ll go over six minutes on sector three, and while I just managed to avoid that, the first lap made me think that I’ll struggle to even stay under 49 minutes, the first sector of lap two seeming to confirm that concern. But the next two sectors were better, and the lap made me think that I could get below 48:30 if I pushed, so I did, which showed, lap three, as well as its sectors two and three, clearly being the best ones of the day, and then I managed a great time on the final sector. It wasn’t quite good enough, however, because after three laps I realized that I might just squeeze under 48 minutes if I’ll manage an outstanding final sector and did my best, but fell just about three seconds short. Of course, such a time on that sector was highly unlikely.
Some parts of the lane were still wet and there were some people as well, but the one notable problem was a little silly dance with a cyclist, maybe halting for just a moment, at the start of sector two of lap one, and that was my fault, since I was looking at the time, wasn’t on the lane and just suddenly realized that he was coming. And I likely slowed and moved first to one side and then to the other on sector two of lap three, because two guys were moving a kayak and blocking the entire path as I approached, though they moved just enough to leave a little space on one side by the time I got there. Otherwise, there were some small warnings from that spot on the left thigh muscle at the start, but they went away after a while. And I started feeling a certain pressing need early on, though it remained faint until sector three of lap three, when it became quite noticeable. But what actually made me worry for a while was an odd feeling in the left side of my abdomen which appeared at least on sector two of lap two, if not even on sector one, since I don’t recall having felt quite like that before. But that also lessened as time passed.

I had a look behind the building when I got back, searching for any apples which might have fallen from that tree, but I didn’t see any. Then I had a banana, took out a small bag of trash… And realized that I had apparently forgot to turn off the monitor before leaving. Otherwise, my nose was a little irritated again, but that problem went away quickly and nothing else seemed wrong that evening, yet the next day I was woken up by my right hip hurting badly, the pain not letting go for quite a while, though I eventually managed to fall asleep again and, even though I didn’t sleep for too long, by the time I woke up again it wasn’t hurting anymore. But the worst part came in the evening, when I was at the computer and all of a sudden my back started hurting badly in that spot, so I crawled in bed and had fallen asleep when dad called me over to ask whether I could transcribe something… And my reflex was to jump out of bed, which hurt really badly and the pain wouldn’t let go, so I was again moving like a tank and really struggling to sit or get up.

That pain followed the usual pattern, gradually lessening over the next few days, so I decided to run again on October 18, though in that day’s early hours, close to 2 AM, just when I was about to start working on the salad, I realized that I had forgotten to bake beets. So I peeled and boiled some carrots instead, and while that still led to starting to eat dinner at 3:05 AM, I still finished at 3:40 AM and then even shaved. But then I slept poorly, waking up several times and having a hard time getting back to sleep, especially after 11:30 AM. Dad left and got back, I went to pee twice, there was a fair bit of noise from above, and it was the second time this autumn when I was cold and at that point I still only had the sheet to cover myself with, wanting to clean my room before taking the blanket and being yet to get myself to do that. So the alarm was set to ring at 2 PM, but I got little sleep during those last two and a half hours, and was in fact up a few minutes before 2 PM, turning off the alarm at that point. Then I had the usual stuff, mixing the last of the muesli in a nicer yogurt, though the tea was more concentrated, since I accidentally put in two teabags of one kind. And, just like four days earlier, after also having some regular biscuits, with added honey, I left at 4:20 PM, wearing the full running gear, though I likely started running a little later, since I stopped on the stairs to the path around the lake, to get something out of my right shoe. The weather was great, with a reported temperature of 20°C when I left, and 19°C when I finished, and hardly any wind.
The time was 47:03.27, with sector times of 4:19.58, 5:03.09, 5:51 (5:50.88), 4:26 (4:25.47), 4:56.62, 5:46 (5:45.88), 4:22 (4:21.50), 4:52.25, 5:42 (5:41.81) and 1:46.19, making for lap times of 15:13.55, 15:08 (15:07.97) and 14:56 (14:55.56). I started by hoping to get back under 48 minutes, but that first sector was slower than I thought it’d be and the second didn’t make up for it, so even staying under 48:30 was in question, and the better sector three just made that 48:30 a clearer goal. But sector two of lap two made me hope again, at the end of the lap I was once again aiming to get under 48 minutes, and each sector of lap three was better than expected, so after the first I was wondering about getting under 47:30 but thinking that it wasn’t likely, after the second that 47:30 became the clear target, and at the end of the lap I realized that I might actually be frustratingly close to 47 minutes, since I wasn’t going to cover that last sector in the outstanding time needed to get below that threshold. And that ended up being the case.
My right ankle hurt a little on the way to the park, but the pain went away when I started running, the only physical issues that appeared after that being some warnings from my right thigh, which started early on lap two, but never got worse. On the other hand, parts of the path around the lake were starting to be lined with small bushes, some already being planted and holes waiting for others, which means that taking to the grass in those areas won’t be an option anymore, and the bushes that were already planted had also been watered, the water soaking the lane and making it worse in those spots. But at least it wasn’t crowded, and while I still had to sometimes weave and go the long way around, the notable issues were only on lap three. The first was a little misunderstanding with a cyclist as we both tried to get around someone on the long straight of sector one, but there was still some distance between us at that point, so I just hesitated a little. And then, later on that same sector, I slowed a lot in order to decide how to get past some people. And on sector two I probably briefly stopped at one point, when the space that I was aiming for closed just in front of me and I had to quickly avoid running into someone.

After getting back, I ate an apple and the last slice of cake from my mother, even did the day’s squats, changed, and left again at 7:30 PM, deciding to go to Unirii and walking there even if I had dad’s metro card, to also go to the Penny that’s on the way and get more food for Liza, ending up getting a box with all four kinds, since the only kind that was available separately was the one with beef. Then, even though I was already starting to need to pee by the time I left Penny, when I got to Unirii I decided to go to Carrefour before using the toilet from that shopping center, not bothering to put the cat food in a cabinet. And an employee came to arrange the egg cartons while I was looking through the eggs sold by piece, asking me to move just a little, then saying that I didn’t bother her otherwise and could stay there, but at one point telling me that all of those eggs had the same date, which wasn’t true, and I was looking for bio (organic) ones anyway. When I told her that, she said that they don’t usually have those there, so I said that I can sometimes find some, but she said that I probably won’t find any then and was right. So, after looking through all of those eggs, I walked away and just got some peanuts, but then I realized that dad would be eating eggs, since he was making spinach when I left, so I went back and grabbed six with code one… And the cashier asked whether I’ll be upset because she couldn’t give me 0.10 RON as change. Well, I was, but I shrugged it off, having found one such coin when I left Penny, and at least I had remembered to use the voucher received for some previous purchases, and the cashier just crossed that bar code with a pen, so I could keep the receipt.
I then meant to check that Mega Image as well, wanting to make use of some discounts that applied that day and the next in order to get some biscuits, but when I saw a note stating that it will be closed for the following period, without listing any reason or a date when it was going to reopen, I went straight to the metro station, so I still didn’t go to the toilet. And I didn’t have any better luck after getting off at Dristor either, the same note being in the window of the Mega Image that’s near the farmers’ market. And the one next to Tei was also closed, though at least that one had a note mentioning the Consumer Protection Authority, which the cashier and the guard who were outside when I got there pointed to, even though they said that they didn’t know the exact reason why they had been closed. And another man who got there just after me said that he was coming from that Carrefour, which had also been closed. But I thought that I still had some options, the first one being a Shop & Go that I was going to pass by on the way back… Only for that one to also be closed, though employees were inside and the note stated that it had closed at 9 PM that evening for inventory. So I made a detour, to also check the Shop & Go that I otherwise pass by on the way to the park, but while that one was open and even had those biscuits, the price was higher than the one listed on the site, which tends to be the case for products that aren’t in the catalog, so I didn’t get them from there… And couldn’t get them from this nearby Mega Image either, even though it was open, because I could only find the small packages, not the larger bags, and I even asked an employee and she said that they didn’t have the bags, even though I clearly recall seeing some in that location before.
I was back a little after 10:05 PM and desperately needed to pee, having just about pissed myself while I was in this nearby Mega Image… And dad was on the toilet! So I rushed straight to the other bathroom, somehow unbuckled my belt and partially unbuttoned my trousers, and actually peed in the sink, really at the last possible moment. Then, after dad left, I checked some things on-line while eating some of those peanuts, then used the toilet and washed, finishing at 11:50 PM. After that, I made mamaliga, with plenty of things in it, so I stuffed myself to the point that it was hard to even breathe, somehow managing to eat all of it even though I thought that I won’t be able to. I got in bed at 5:20 AM.
As for all of those closed stores, I searched for the reason and what I could find was that our National Consumer Protection Authority (ANPC) had banned Nutri-Score labels, and the store brands of both Mega Image and Carrefour display them, so I assumed that they had closed in order to figure out what to do next. That was apparently not the actual reason, the news that quite a number of Mega Image locations had been temporarily closed for various violations appearing a couple of days later, but that ban made me send an e-mail that the ANPC’s president replied to personally, this leading to a brief exchange over the next few days, as I stated in the post about this matter.

Even if it’s not directly related to running, I’ll now also mention something that happened on October 23, since I was going to run the next day, so it was obviously a cause for concern. And it’s a good thing that nobody’s reading, since it’s quite gross. Not that it’d be unusual for me to write about such matters, even the above section containing an example, but this is worse, because there was a complete block when I went to the toilet. A few tiny pieces fell out after I struggled for a while, but that was it. I was sweating and my heart was racing as I kept trying, eventually tried to use my hand to get it out, when that obviously wasn’t working either I made a brief attempt to use a toothpick left by dad in the bathroom, and after quickly realizing what a bad idea that was I grabbed the small screwdriver from my room and used it to carefully scoop it out, tiny piece by tiny piece, until I removed enough of it for the rest to come out normally… In the form of a long “sausage” with the consistency of plasticine. So the toilet got clogged again, and after flushing a few times I reached in to pull out and break up what was there, after which I obviously thoroughly washed and disinfected my hands. By that point, about an hour and a half had passed since I had gone to the toilet, and then I also washed and disinfected my face, and also the screwdriver, brushed my teeth and cut my nails. But, somehow, there was no blood, which was a huge relief!
Otherwise, the ANPC’s president replied again that evening, and that caused me to once again get in bed at 5:20 AM, despite not even flossing, and also leaving a plate unwashed. He was obviously quite bothered by the fact that I had sent him those links, and likely also by the hours at which I was sending the e-mails, saying that he thought that was quite enough with the nightly or daily lessons and sending me two links in return… Which didn’t actually support his stance. So I replied one more time, just before going to bed, to point that out, explaining exactly why, along with a few other things, but nevertheless thanking him for his time and attention and apologizing in case I upset him. He didn’t say anything else after that, and obviously didn’t care about any arguments, but it was still rather surprising that he personally replied to a random guy who sent an e-mail to the institution in the first place.

Moving on to the day of the last run from October, I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and had the usual stuff, though the yogurt was the protein one received after the marathon. Then, relieved that the previous day’s problem didn’t repeat itself, I also had the last of those old regular biscuits, with added honey, and left at 4:30 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was about 23°C, supposed to drop by a couple of degrees by the time I’ll finish.
The time was 47:28.76, with sector times of 4:19.10, 5:00.35, 5:51.43, 4:27, 5:01, 5:51 (5:50.88), 4:27 (4:26.97), 5:01 (5:00.96), 5:48.85 and 1:43 (1:42.78), making for lap times of 15:10.88, 15:19 (15:18.32) and 15:16.78. Those two missing exact times are caused by the fact that I somehow failed to press the interval button after sector one of lap two, though I was looking at the time when I crossed that line, so I know the seconds. Either way, I meant to stay under 48 minutes and that first sector told me that I needed to push a little more, so I did and the first lap’s time was pretty much what I wanted. Then, after lap two was also right on target, I just wanted to be safe at the end of the three laps, so even though after two sectors it seemed like I already was, I pushed harder on sector three of lap three, to be really sure, and at the end of the lap I realized that, if I somehow still had it in me to push at that level, a perfectly optimized final sector might just allow me to squeeze under 47:30. And that was just what happened, even though some people with a dog prevented me from switching sides on a flat part and I had to do so while climbing those stairs in order to avoid the partially broken one.
I felt rather tired at first, some muscles were still complaining after the previous day’s struggles, and there was also some pain in my upper abdomen, though at least some of that was probably radiating from my back, and all of these became less noticeable as time passed. And the small warning I got from my right knee on sector three of lap two also went away after that. On the other hand, a certain pressing need that also appeared almost from the start, definitely being noticeable right after the first sector, if not even during it, got worse on lap two, though it eventually also seemed to lessen to some extent on lap three. And it was also rather crowded, so on top of quite a lot of weaving and going the long way around, the first notable problem was when I probably briefly stopped when I had to sidestep a cyclist who was on the lane, heard me coming, meant to clear the way just as I reached him, but ended up blocking me, since we both moved to the same side. I think that was on sector two of lap one, and I clearly recall wanting to keep in mind that it happened on that sector, but the mental image of the place where it happened would place it at the start of sector three. Either way, it definitely was on sector three of lap one when I had to take to the grass in a spot where the ground was uneven and sloped towards the lake, also going around a tree, because of a dog with a long leash that blocked the way. And right at the start of sector three of lap three I hesitated for an instant when I looked up after checking the time and saw a guy on a scooter coming towards me, and I was off the lane, so I cleared the way for him. In addition, on sector three of lap two I lost a couple of seconds in order to grab a coin.

After getting back, I had lunch, changed and left again a little before 7:45 PM, quickly checking the Mega Image that’s on the way to Penny, then getting frozen spinach from Penny, though I seem to have lost the receipt. Then I went to Carrefour, washing my hands when I entered that mall, putting the spinach in a cabinet and getting what I wanted, entering each pair of breads as a single piece at the self-checkout, so I won’t need to call an employee in order to get the evening discount, and also using the voucher received for some purchases made two days earlier. Then, after accidentally leaving that mall by the wrong exit and choosing to go all around it instead of turning back and cutting through, I also went to Kaufland, put the purchases in a cabinet, washed my hands again, entered the store just before 9:35 PM and only saw two discounted bakery products that I could get, doing so even though the sweet pastry looked pretty bad. There were more products there, but I took the price labels from three of them to a price checker and confirmed that they didn’t have evening discounts. Either way, I also grabbed a banana and the things that I had actually gone there to get, for dad, the announcement that the store had closed coming while I was at the self-checkout.
After retrieving my things from the cabinet and taking some time to arrange them a little in the bags, I also went to that Mega Image, put everything except the bakery products, which were in that bag that hangs on my neck, in a cabinet and found one of those apple pastries, with the 50% evening discount, so I grabbed it, along with some snacks for dad. However, the line was surprisingly long… And a guy just cut in when my turn was about to come! He asked to be allowed through, sounding as if he wanted to walk out, without purchases, but then stopped in front of me, at the checkout, and looked pointedly away while the cashier dealt with the customer who had been ahead of me, so I had to wait for her to deal with him as well. And then, since they separate those discounted products, I gave the cashier the exact amount for the snacks and took the change for the pastry from the pile of coins that was on the counter, telling the cashier that I had done so… And repeating it when she tried to hand me what I think were the two 0.01 RON coins which I had given her for the snacks, so she had probably meant to round down, since they tend to avoid using those coins, but I didn’t realize it at that time. Either way, I then really took my time to arrange everything properly in the backpack and bags, and stopped one more time after walking out, to count what I had left.
I got back a little before 11:20 PM, having carried about 13 kg. Then I had the banana and that apple pastry and finally went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, at 12:40 AM. I was done just under one hour later, but I had quite a lot to do, washing and cleaning most of what dad had left in the kitchen, putting the purchases in their place after having just thrown the spinach in the freezer after getting back, slicing a bread for dad… So another full hour passed before I even started making the salad and I only started to eat dinner at 3:45 AM, finishing at 4:20 AM. Still, I managed to get to bed just about at the normal time… Though the following morning I ended up doing so at 5:20 AM again.

Maybe I’d have just managed to finish this post before midnight for once if I wouldn’t have included October 23, but it seemed relevant and it’s possible that I’d have just failed to add everything about the rest of October 24 even so. Either way, at least I managed to post about all of the three runs before midnight, and it was only about half an hour later when I added the rest, which is a whole lot better than what I’ve been doing lately… Though one thing that most definitely wasn’t better was that I somehow forgot to reschedule that post that’s scheduled to show up at 11:59 PM on Sunday if I don’t move it, so it showed up for five or so minutes, until I realized it.

As of today, the world population has officially reached eight billion. Of course, the exact date of reaching such a threshold can’t really be determined, so it’s picked somewhat arbitrarily, but slight variations won’t make much of a difference, and in fact the milestones themselves aren’t that relevant in the first place… Though one thing that is relevant is that, despite the estimates stating that population growth would at least start to slow down by now, this billion continued the trend, yet again being the fastest one. And it may also shock some to realize that there are hundreds of thousands of people who are alive today and were born in a world of less than two billion.
But I have said pretty much everything that can be said about it many times, and if at seven billion I repeated the main ideas, I won’t do it yet again now. However, since that post only tackled the problem of consumption and environmental impact per capita somewhat indirectly, I will say that, while the only thing that still puts off even more horrifying environmental and humanitarian catastrophes is that the large majority of the population still lives in appalling conditions and those are also the ones who tend to contribute the most to the current growth, the fact that people, not to mention so many of them, live in such conditions at all, considering humanity’s current level of development, is utterly unforgivable.
So, yes, a relatively small section of the population has an oversized environmental impact and that’s unforgivable for environmental reasons, but many, many times more have a small one only because of their unforgivably poor standard of living, and that’s unforgivable for humanitarian reasons. And, just like I’d very much prefer to lower the population by banning births instead of increasing mortality in any way, I’d also very much prefer to reduce humanity’s total environmental footprint by reducing the population, admittedly starting with those who are better off, while greatly improving the standard of living and freedom of choice of the many, than by keeping them down while also trying to drag those who are somewhat better off down as well, only in order to allow the population to continue to increase, or even remain at such utterly unsustainable levels.
And no, a person’s environmental footprint can’t be fairly reduced to a level that would be sustainable if all of the current population would have it while still maintaining a good standard of living and a high freedom of choice. Yes, there are behavior, consumption and lifestyle patterns, many of them terribly common in the developed world, and some of them not only there, since they’re mostly driven by this capitalist system that current human society is founded on, that are inherently wrong, harmful, damaging, and need to go away, but many others are only a problem because of the numbers, and restricting all of those potential choices only in order to allow the population to grow, and more exactly only in order to not restrict and, at this point, set a lengthy complete moratorium on a single behavior, having children, is in no way fair or tolerable.

In the early hours of the previous day, I took a late shower, so I got to the kitchen just after 1:20 AM and then also sliced a bread for dad, so I only started to eat dinner at 3:10 AM and finished at 3:50 AM. However, last morning it wasn’t even 4:10 AM when I got in bed, after eating early. Then I got up at 8 AM, when the alarm rang, since this time around they offered transportation for both groups, so I obviously chose the one leaving at 10 AM, to get two more hours of sleep. Not that I didn’t cut it really close even then, only managing to leave just after 9:30 AM even though I had done just about as much as I could to get ready before going to bed, so I jogged to the metro station… Only to see the metro just stopping when I got there, and I needed to buy one trip, so I was certain that I’ll miss it, becoming even more so when I first tried to use the machine and saw that it didn’t offer single trips. However, after buying that trip from the cashier, I saw that the metro was still waiting, so I rushed down the stairs and actually made it before the doors closed, so I’m not sure why it waited so long, but I’m glad it did, because that meant that I reached Victory Square right at 9:50 AM, which was when we had been told to arrive.
The buses were scheduled to leave at 10 AM, but the driver of the one I entered was apparently in a hurry. He was outside when I got there and confirmed it when another volunteer asked whether those were the buses for those who were going to plant trees, so I went in, saw someone who seemed to be a coordinator, asked her whether we were split into groups, got told that we weren’t and could get on any bus, took a seat… Only to notice when I looked outside that the coordinator had left the bus, and a moment later that the driver was closing the doors and leaving, even though 10 AM was several minutes away and I only counted 17 people on, so about a third of what the bus could take. I later noticed that the 17 were the adults, two small boys also being there, and when everyone got off I saw that two even smaller girls had also been on that bus, but that still only makes for a total of 21. And I also noticed that only one other person was wearing a mask, and actually that moments later she seemed to have given in to peer pressure as well, since she didn’t seem to be wearing it anymore after someone else said that she can’t stand masks anymore. Since she was sitting a few seats in front of me, I’m not actually certain of that, but that’s what it seemed like when I looked. But I kept mine on, nobody sat next to me, and I just put on the headphones and listened to the radio, filling in the form when it was passed to me.
We were there pretty much exactly one hour after leaving, but backing up through the gate and into the area that the buses were supposed to park in took a while, so we were only getting off the bus a couple of minutes before 11 AM. Then I took off my mask as well and went to get the kit, which only consisted of the gloves and bottle, which was filled with water. Vests and aprons were also on that table, but they were probably only for the employees of the companies sponsoring the event, since when I asked whether I was supposed to take one of each of those as well, I was told that I shouldn’t take either. But tea, coffee, biscuits and juice were offered at the next table, so I put the bottle I had received in the backpack and pulled out the one I had taken with me just for this purpose, but when I tried to ask for the hot water to be put in that one, the person who was there said that I’ll get burned and wouldn’t do it, so I still had to take a disposable cup for the tea that I drank. And, while I only ate one of them then, I also grabbed two packs of biscuits at that point and another one a little later, when I also got some juice, that time using my bottle, even though I could only get a relatively small quantity out of that box, despite struggling with it until I felt that I had blocked that spot for far too long.
The speech of the president of the NGO organizing the event started at 11:35 AM and, after being asked to wait for a moment longer, apparently because they needed to move some of the cars, a little before 11:50 AM we started walking towards the area where we were going to plant, which was the farthest one, the others having been assigned to those who had arrived earlier. But that also meant that before getting there we passed by the other spot where drinks and biscuits were offered, so I grabbed another pack of biscuits. Unfortunately, I couldn’t also get a spade. We had been told that finding enough spades was going to be a problem at first, since they were being used by those who had arrived earlier, so if we’ll see any on the way to our area, we should grab it, limiting ourselves to a single one for each team of two or three, but since I stopped to try to take a few more pictures, many others were ahead of me and I couldn’t see any that were left.
Either way, the training speech started a couple of minutes before noon, and after that we could start working… My problem being that, without a spade, I obviously couldn’t do anything on my own, so I had to look for a teammate with a spade. And I spotted a guy who had one and struck me as waiting to be approached by someone in order to form a team, so after exchanging a few looks with him and hesitating for a moment longer, I asked whether he was alone… Only for him to say that he was there with a friend and was waiting for him, so I initially said that in that case I’ll look for someone else, but he said that we could make a team of three and introduced himself, then also introduced his friend when he joined us.
Once we got to work, in a spot picked by the first guy while the other two of us grabbed some saplings, it seemed that the ground was rather hard to dig, and when the second guy also seemed to want to press the ground when we were refilling the holes, I feared that I’ll be rather left out, with little to do, and when the second guy went to get water and biscuits I awkwardly mentioned to the first one that I won’t really be able to dig. But after the second guy got back, they took a break, even though we had only planted a few trees, and I took the opportunity to at least try, ending up needing probably about as much time as that first guy had needed to dig those first few holes to dig one, which was probably also smaller than any of his had been, and even managing that was in part thanks to the advice he gave me after noticing that I was struggling. And they also had milk and they both asked whether I wanted any, and also repeatedly offered some of the water and biscuits which the second guy had brought, but I kept refusing… Until that first guy just handed me a pack with one last biscuit left after I finished with that tree, and I couldn’t get myself to refuse again, so I ate that one. And we also talked a little around that time, and after I told them which area I lived in the second guy said that he also lives nearby and offered to take me with him, since he had driven there, but I obviously refused, and in fact wouldn’t have wanted to be taken directly back here anyway.
After that, I took off my jacket and hoodie, returning to the spot where we had left our backpacks and somehow managing to stuff them in mine, and we continued, with the first guy doing most of the digging and the second one seeming to get less involved, so I was mainly responsible for planting and felt that I was doing something after all. And that was how we planted those first ten saplings which we had brought, and then I think the first guy brought another kind of saplings, which were much smaller, though it’s possible that I’m wrong and it was the second one who did that. Either way, those also had much smaller roots, so the holes could be much smaller, and we planted five of those until we reached the end of that row, then the first guy moved to another row… And found much softer ground, so he dug several holes without the other two of us managing to keep up, the fact that the second guy was calling me to press the ground while he held the sapling even while I was trying to plant another one not helping either.
We were still in that “stage” when I realized that it was becoming hard to keep track, so I stopped trying and I therefore have no idea how many trees I planted. And the two of them moved on to another row after a while and I was left to plant in the remaining holes dug by the first guy… And ended up planting in three others as well, noticing that they were much larger but just continuing, since they had obviously been left by someone who had decided to walk away. And I was still doing that when the first guy came to check up on me, confirming that those weren’t his holes when I asked.
I was a little wary of rejoining them after I was done with that area, because I noticed that they had joined two women and seemed to be getting along pretty nicely, so I didn’t want to get in the middle of anything that might have been happening… But I eventually did so, and that truly made it impossible to keep track, since there were five of us, with multiple spades, and the ground was softer, so any one of us could dig or plant, and there were probably holes left by others as well, and saplings already planted by others in the areas that we were moving to. Of course, I could have tried to keep track of how many holes I was digging and how many saplings I was planting, by myself or with one of them, but it was hard and I didn’t really see the point, so I just kept working, sometimes with them, sometimes more or less on my own.
After a while, the guys started saying that they were going to leave soon, not even seeming to want to wait for lunch, even when I mentioned it, and they reduced their involvement and, even though the second guy was the one who had seemed less involved and who had first started to talk about leaving early, it was the first guy who eventually just walked away, returning to the spot where we had started and just sitting next to the backpacks while the rest of us continued. And after that I also broke away from the other three more and more, looking for marks which had been missed by others and empty holes, and continuing to do so even after the other three decided to stop as well, the four of them walking away together. Since most of the others had also left by then and those from the NGO were starting to gather the equipment, I didn’t keep working for much longer, but I wanted to find enough missed marks or empty holes to plant the saplings which had been left by my teammates and managed to do so while slowly making my way to the edge of the area. I also spotted one more sapling while doing so, but didn’t immediately find a place where I could plant it and very few volunteers were left in that area by that point, so once I was done with the other ones, I decided to stop as well, grabbing some more discarded saplings and one large water bottle on the way back to the path.
It was a little after 3:05 PM when I left my spade and those saplings among the others, but since those from the NGO seemed to just be gathering their equipment in that area, I held on to the bottle, looking for some other garbage bags and eventually leaving it next to those that were piled up next to what had been that second spot where drinks and biscuits had been offered, which had otherwise been cleared away by then. I was still holding on to that bottle when I stopped in front of the toilets, however… And then decided to just keep going, not just not peeing, but deciding against even trying to wash my hands, since I remembered the drinking fountain from the park and planned to use it for that purpose before getting lunch, even telling those who were struggling with that portable thing about it.

This time around, while what I actually posted at first was written before midnight, I tried to finish one more paragraph and by the time I realized that I won’t be able to, it was just a little too late, so this post was initially posted seconds after midnight and then I edited the time, so it’ll still count as the week’s second post. And that means that I didn’t even get this far before midnight, the last two paragraphs above being added a little later. But, of course, there is a lot more to write about that day, so I just added one more paragraph Tuesday morning, before going to bed, with the rest of the following section being added in the early hours of Wednesday, to finish the part that actually has to do with the planting. Yes, that means that I added more to this post after posting the next one, but I couldn’t miss that moment… Either way, I finally added the last section Thursday morning, just before going to bed.

On the way back from the planting area, I saw Petruta seeming to struggle with one of the flags, so I asked whether she needed help and she said that she was trying to get it out, so I easily pulled it out of the ground before she explained that she was actually trying to get the flag off the pole and that we should try to pull together until something clicked. But she was holding it in a way that would have meant that she had to push, not pull, in order to move that catch down the pole, so I was again confused and tried to pull on the ends of the rope, to untie it, before she once again corrected me and we tried to push together… For just a moment, because I caught her finger and pressed it against that catch, making her yelp and quickly pull it away. So I quickly apologized and, finally understanding what I should have been doing, changed my position and tried to pull that catch. But by then she was already saying that she’ll call another guy and did so, which left me awkwardly asking whether they needed help with anything else and then walking away, feeling quite embarrassed.
Well, that embarrassment led to not washing my hands at all, because that drinking fountain wasn’t working, no water coming out, and I couldn’t get myself to go back, especially since there were toilets in that spot where I had so embarrassingly failed to help, so I’d have wanted to first check whether one of those portable things was there as well, since I hadn’t looked, and I’d have had to pass by that spot even if I’d have ended up going to the one that was on the way to the planting area. Yes, my hands weren’t nearly as dirty as they might have been, since I had been wearing a pair of latex gloves under the gardening gloves provided by the organizers, but they were obviously still dirty, and I hadn’t cleaned them in any way before taking another tea, and actually grabbing the teabag directly, only noticing after the fact that it wasn’t one of those protected by a paper bag. Either way, I also grabbed two more packs of biscuits and an apple, since a box of apples had also appeared on that table, ate one of the packs of biscuits, finally cleaned my hands to some extent with the disinfectant that was in front of those who were offering lunch and a napkin and got lunch, asking for half of one when the guy asked whether I wanted an entire loaf of bread. And the picture that I took of that lunch, which I started eating at 3:30 PM, after finding an empty table. was the last one of those I took that day.
While I was eating, a guy with two professional cameras and a laptop sat next to me… And a little later Petruta came to talk to him, which made me feel even more embarrassed and I kept my eyes down and tried to avoid even looking at her even after I got up, after those who had arrived by bus in the second “round” were called while I was scraping off the last of the food. But I did take a moment to use the grass and the table legs to scrape the worst of the dirt off my shoes, and then also went to the table with the refreshments one more time, seeing that one last apple remained, asking whether I could take it and doing so after the woman who was there confirmed… And then she also handed me an entire box of biscuits, containing six packs, which made me thank her awkwardly and then rush away, once again feeling embarrassed, even if I pretty much expected it, since while I was eating she had tried to clear what was left on that table and one of the organizers told her to leave everything there and give away entire boxes if people would have them, since she didn’t want to have to take anything back. I later noticed that the biscuits expire at the end of the month, but they’re biscuits, so I’ll be keeping them for a while, mainly to have before runs.
Carrying everything was a little tricky, but I had to hurry, so I managed it as well as I could as I made my way towards the buses, entering the farthest one after passing by a driver who was directing everyone towards it. It was 4 PM at that point and that bus was mostly full, but I found a seat and, maybe in part because I quickly started taking everything out of my backpack, keeping what I knew I was going to need and struggling to somehow stuff everything else in it, nobody sat next to me, that one being one of the few seats that remained empty when that bus left, just after 4:05 PM. And I eventually did manage to get everything in the backpack, since I took the jacket out of it and put it on… Or at least I’m pretty sure that I only put it on at that point and not earlier. Either way, it was only after I arranged my things that I put the mask back on, probably being the only one to do so, though I didn’t really try to look, not wanting to draw any more attention, and actually wanting to try to ignore the fact that I was still surrounded by people, because it had already been too much, especially considering that embarrassment, and I felt like crying and was even starting to shake. So I turned on the radio again and stared out the window almost all the way back, even if said window was dirty.

A little after 5:10 PM, we were dropped off back at Victory Square, and right at one of the entrances to the metro station, not in the parking lot. And that was somewhat useful even if I wasn’t going to take the metro again, since I had a raised surface to place my things on while I took the hoodie back out of the backpack and put it on again, under the jacket, and then arranged everything else a little better as well. And a little later I stopped one more time, to sit down and try to get as much of the dirt as I could out of my shoes and socks. And yes, I did wear the old shoes again, after putting some sticky tape on the inside of the right one, in that spot where there’s a cut that goes all the way through the bottom, caused by using the shovel at previous planting events.
It was pretty much exactly one hour after stepping off the bus when I reached the Penny from Obor, putting the backpack in a cabinet, getting what I wanted and then retrieving the backpack and taking quite some time to arrange everything again, taking everything out of the backpack in order to put two of the four bottles of water which I had purchased for dad in it, with the other two in the sturdier bag and everything else thrown in a smaller bag, and then stopping once again after walking out, to place everything on a bench and actually arrange what I had in that smaller bag.
The problem I had at that point was that I really needed to go to the toilet, and not just because I hadn’t peed since leaving, in the morning, and I actually had the feeling that the lunch hadn’t agreed that well with me either, plus that those biscuits have a moderately high fiber content and I had eaten nine, so 125 grams. But I just meant to pee at first, hoping that it would also help with the other part of the problem to some extent… And this is where my mind is playing tricks, because I made a note that I went to the toilet when I got to that mall, before entering Carrefour, yet I have absolutely no memory of doing that and quite clearly recall going when I got to Kaufland, after putting the smaller bag and the two bottles from the other one in a cabinet. It does seem quite unlikely that I remember better now than I did when I made that note, even if that probably was after exiting Carrefour, and there’s also the fact that I usually go when I get to Kaufland, at least to wash my hands, and I definitely also finally washed my hands, and also face, at that time, so it’s possible that mental images from different days get mixed up in my mind, but I still don’t recall going to the bathroom from that mall at all that evening. Not that it matters.
Either way, I entered Kaufland with the backpack with the other two bottles and just got one more thing for dad, having no problems with the self-checkout, then I retrieved my things from the cabinet and put them back in one before entering Carrefour, though I’m not entirely certain that I put the backpack in that one either. Also, if I did go to the toilet in that mall it’d have made sense to leave my things in a cabinet first, but I can’t recall anything about that either. But what’s clear is that I was going to Carrefour for a sandwich maker that was discounted by 50%, and pretty cheap to begin with, since I had asked dad whether he wanted something like that and he said that he did, so after not finding it among the others I asked an employee and he pointed me to another spot, where I found three left. One of the boxes was opened, so I could have a look, and all of them were red and I’d have preferred one of the blue ones, but I didn’t want to risk going to another location and finding that they were completely out, so I grabbed one of the two unopened boxes, also used the voucher which I had received for some purchases made over a week earlier at the self-checkout, and then went to the information desk to ask whether I needed to do anything in order to receive a warranty certificate or some other documentation, being told that I just had to keep the receipt.
After once again taking my time to arrange everything, somehow stuffing a third bottle, and also those two apples, in the backpack and trying to balance the weight of the bags to some extent, I left that mall a little after 7:50 PM… By which time the other problem was awfully pressing and I really wasn’t sure what to do. I had considered going to the toilet there, but thought that I could still hold it for a while longer, albeit with difficulty, the question being whether I should come straight back here or continue as planned, to Mega Mall and the Kaufland that’s next to it. And, after hesitating for a while, I decided that I was going to continue after all, one reason being that I was going to get there sooner, so if the situation was indeed desperate it’d be better than coming straight back here, and the toilets from the mall are reasonable, if I’ll really need to use one for that.
One problem with that idea was the route that I was going to use, since that road is a rather “dead” area that isn’t exactly meant for pedestrians, with places, mainly at the start and end, where the sidewalks are blocked by vehicles or even missing, cars possibly going at high speed, mostly industrial buildings, some of them probably no longer in use, mixed with empty areas… And some dogs. Probably not actual strays, but I remembered being barked at quite a lot before, from the yards of some of the few houses that are on it, and also thinking that there had been some dogs in the yards of some of the other places and that the fences had holes, so I walked on the other side… Only to end up passing by the open gate of what was probably one of the industrial buildings and having a dog not only bark, but rush towards me, so I quickly put a bag in front of me and kept my eyes on it while stepping away and it fortunately didn’t attack or chase, so after a few steps I could continue walking normally… Though, when I was barely holding it in as it was, I was a little surprised that I didn’t shit myself.
The fact that I didn’t cross where I should have crossed in order to get to that mall probably also shows how focused I was on that pressing matter, because I should know that area really well and yet found myself thinking that there was another crossing, right in front of it. And when I saw that there wasn’t, I didn’t want to turn back, so I ended up going all the way to the other crossing, which is past Kaufland, deciding to go there first… And staring in surprise at the hours listed on the large sign, which had changed and listed a closing time of 9 PM for all days. And it was about 8:30 PM at the time, so I rushed in and, since there was nobody at the information desk at that moment, looked for another employee to ask about the closing time… And only got even more confused when she replied that it was “now, at ten”. So I asked which was it, since 10 PM was an hour and a half away, and she said that they were changing the hours, and when I mentioned the large sign she said that in that case it means that they had already changed them. But she didn’t seem to know what she was talking about, as strange as that was, and fortunately someone was back at the information desk when I walked past it again, and she said that the store still closed at 10 PM, which was a relief, since it meant that I didn’t have to go in right then, and could leave my things in a cabinet and then rush to the mall and straight to the toilet, which was indeed quite clean. And there was no blood either, which was also a relief.
After finally taking care of that problem, I checked that Carrefour as well, grabbing two breads for dad and a cabbage, after taking my time to look through it and pick, since it didn’t look too good but had a really nice, and as far as I know unannounced, discount. And then I entered those breads as a single one at the self-checkout, so I won’t need to call an employee in order to get the evening discount, and also decided to pay 5 RON with my card, only covering the rest from the little cash I had left, since otherwise I’d have spent just about all of it, including the coins.
The actual reason why I had taken my card, however, was that I wanted to check that sports store, to see whether the shoes which I had tried on the previous week were still there, among the discounted products. So, after also having a quick look in another sports store, I went there, put the purchases in a cabinet after being told to do so by a guard, cabinets having probably just appeared there, and then I did find those shoes again, tried them on one more time and decided that I could get them. However, the fact that they hadn’t been purchased since then made me wonder what the problem was. True, the model was also discounted that week, the site listing a price that was only 10% higher than that of that discounted pair, so people probably preferred to not risk it, but I looked and didn’t see any left, so that pair was the only option and I started checking it thoroughly, despite being very much aware of the fact that both guards were keeping a close eye on me, one of them actually making a point of following me around… Which wasn’t surprising, seeing as, on top of those awfully worn shoes, I was also wearing the old training suit that I wear inside, with the pants being quite visibly sewn and patched. And the fact that I ended up not buying those shoes after all probably confirmed their suspicions, but I had actually spotted a problem just when the second guard came to tell me that they’ll be closing in ten minutes. It was a very small problem, a small spot where that green band, likely made of plastic, was a little loose, but I pointed it out to the guard and, though he tried to persuade me that the problem didn’t exist, asking whether I thought that they were selling Chinese knockoffs, I put them back, retrieved my things and walked away… At which point I also noticed that it was only 9:45 PM, so it’d have been about 20 minutes to closing when he warned me that only ten were left.
It still meant that I had very little time to also check Kaufland, however, so I rushed there, added the cabbage in the cabinet, washed my hands again, walked in with the breads and grabbed some pastries, the discount staying at 50%. But I had to pay for them by card as well, and I wanted to get the total to 5 RON, since I think that my bank’s ATMs only accept bills of at least 10 RON for deposits as well and I wanted to be able to cover the amount directly when I’ll go out again, so I looked around a little more, but when I didn’t find anything else to get I returned to the bakery area and realized that the price of another pastry that I could get was exactly what would be needed, so I grabbed one of those as well and rushed to the self-checkout, just getting to the machine when it was announced that the store had closed. Then I retrieved my things from the cabinet, took my time to arrange everything and finally got back here at 10:45 PM, having carried a total of just under 20 kg, most of it since Obor, since the purchases made from this Carrefour and Kaufland only weighed about 3.5 kg. And I hope I didn’t bring any spiders with me, since it was obviously full of them in the planting area, and what was more worrying was that I didn’t see them, just noticing that spiderwebs were appearing on and between the saplings almost as soon as they were planted.
After eventually eating a large bag of bagels that was already expired and drinking the protein milk received after the marathon, since I hadn’t made any tea that day and that was also just about to expire, so I had saved it just for that reason, it was almost 12:50 AM when I went to wash and 1:40 AM when I finished. But I obviously still had quite a lot to do, things to wash in the kitchen, things to put in their place, so I only started to eat dinner at 3:30 AM… And it was just when I got to my room with the food that I closed the window, which I had opened a few minutes after 2 AM, meaning to close it again after ten minutes, after having only kept it open for 20 minutes before leaving in the morning, but then forgetting all about it. Either way, I finished eating at 4:20 AM and only got in bed at 5:30 AM. And, since I already got to November 13, I’ll also mention here that in the afternoon I decided to grab and start playing The Stuff Fairy Tales Are Made Of, which I guess I should also add on MobyGames, eventually, probably if and when I’ll manage to finish it.